Weekend Highlights and Lowlights

We took the train to the City. Riding the train is fun. It is very relaxing, you get to watch the world go by as you travel, and security is not as ominous as with air travel.

On the other hand, although I left my winter coat on for the entire train ride to Chicago I was cold. I got very chilled, as in chilled through and through. Once we arrived at our hotel I had a very difficult time warming up and eventually climbed into bed fully clothed and pulled all the covers up around me trying to warm up. Finally I lay there long enough (and napped even) that I warmed back up and was comfortable again. I’m not sure why I’m so susceptible to getting over chilled, but it does happen to me repeatedly. Don’t even suggest I get my thyroid checked. Every doctor I’ve been to in the last twenty years has checked my thyroid because of my coldness and weight and deemed my thyroid function perfectly normal. I sometimes wonder if low blood pressure may impact feeling cold, but I don’t know. After the fact, I thought that a good hot shower would’ve probably warmed me quicker, but I didn’t think of it at the time.

Friday night we had stuffed pizza from Eduardo’s for dinner. It was the best stuffed pizza I’ve ever had. I used to think Giordano’s was best, but that was before I tried Eduardo’s. If you’re ever in Chicago you really should try Eduardo’s stuffed pizza. It is excellent. As luck would have it, Eduardo’s happened to be right across the street from our hotel so not even my being overly cold hampered us from enjoying it as BJ went over and got it and brought it back to our room. Room service! At least for me.

Saturday we spent much of the day at the Art Institute. We lucked into going on the last day of Free February at the Institute making it less egregious paying for the overpriced lunch we had in their café. I love looking at original paintings admiring the various techniques and looks that artists can achieve through different mediums and different canvases. I love seeing the exhibits at the Institute that show styles of furniture from various eras. I am endlessly fascinated with the intricate hand carving that went into fine furniture in the past. I am also fascinated by sculpture and the exquisite detail that is included in much of it. I’ve only been to the Art Institute twice and haven’t come close to seeing all that is there. It is one of my favorite things about Chicago.

Saturday evening was dinner at P.F. Chang’s. I know, I know, it’s a chain, but it is one of my favorites, and I hardly ever get to eat there. BJ agreed that it was an excellent choice. I had two Mai Tais with dinner leaving me quite pleasantly buzzed, perhaps teetering on the brink of drunk, or perhaps drunk enough to be really, really happy.

Fortunately, I awoke on Sunday morning without a hangover. That was a blessing because I don’t think I’d have taken the train ride home very well if I had been hung over. For some reason, the train ride home seemed bumpier than the train ride to Chicago. Perhaps going the opposite direction we were on a different bumpier track. This time I didn’t get chilled. I don’t know if the train was warmer on Sunday, or if I was different than I had been on Friday. Aunt Flo made herself well known yesterday on the train, as I was overtaken by the flooding of the Red Sea. I sure wish that could have held off until today, or at least until yesterday evening, but one doesn’t always get what one wants. Also, Aunt Flo? She’s never been that great at coordinating schedules with me. Actually, she really seems to like going on vacations with me, and often has ever since I was a teen, so perhaps she’s actually quite the expert at coordinating schedules. God bless her.