Green Bay 37, Bears 3

I am slowly but surely getting in the swing of things around this new city. Work is slowly picking up. Oddly, I have been described as keeping my head down and quiet. Hmm. Somehow I think the folks in D-town would agree I can keep my head down, but quiet? Right. I am still in the observation stages though everyone in the new office is probably in the opinion-forming stage for me. Won't they be in for a surprise once I actually have honest to goodness work to do and the comments start flying! Ha!

Yesterday I had a great TM run. Four miles and didn't even feel sore. Now I need to start getting a good incline going. Anyways, the Turkey Trot is 11 days away. I hope that 1. it doesn't snow, 2. it doesn't rain, 3. it is above 40 degrees, and finally, 4. I am not the last to cross the finish line. Is that asking too much?  Surely not.

Sylvester is still trying to figure out what's what in the new crib. He comes out a bit more, though he runs for his food and water like it is the middle of a war zone. He also thinks it is a good idea to play at 4am. The other night, after picking up the loud toys he was playing with, I got back in to bed only to hear a squeaking noise. I lay in bed running through the inventory of what he could be doing before I jump out of bed and look for him. There, lit by the light  pollution of the city, is Sylvester frantically sharpening his paw pads against the wood floor. He did it with such vigor that I could hear his paw pads squeaking against the floor in the next room. Now that's some passion!

I should also note that three weeks in to being a transplant in Chicago, I am fighting off a sore throat, have pulled muscles in both sides of my neck (three days apart), and my face is actively  protesting the wind, cold, and wet by undergoing massive peeling, redness, and cracking. Needless to say, I am a bit of a train wreck.   Poor RJB, gets me up here and then I appear to have fallen apart! 

I am off to enjoy Sunday Night Blues.

Little JMP's After School Special

Well, little JMP took a CTA bus all by herself, hailed a cab all by herself, and shopped all by herself (wait, I'm a pro at that!). Yep. She's all grown up!  I am sure you are all hugely impressed by such accomplishments. ha ha. I did meet RJB for lunch in The Building (aka, my new office) on Thursday. It was a good experience (hence the 'all by herself'-isms above). True to self, I did check bus schedules over and over, timed my arrival to the stop, had my $2 at the ready and emailed/texted RJB about 5 times to confirm what it is I was doing. People may say I am thorough; actually I am highly paranoid. I mean, what can happen? I get on the wrong bus and have to ride that sucker through its entire loop? I digress....

The movers did arrive on Friday morning. My car arrived on Thursday night. Seems every piece of furniture has some sort of small ding in it. Not sure what that is about. Somehow though, my old bench made it through ok. whew!

The stacks

Still figuring out how it will all fit...

View from the porch at dusk

RJB has successfully gotten my southern bottom to the gym three times already. Unlike D-town, the gym has normal people in it. I have yet to spy a boob job, fake tan, bleached blonde hair, or dudes that have eyes for only their own reflection. Not saying these people aren't here, but I haven't seen them in the gym. Yet. Why does this matter? Because Little JMP is generally paranoid workout after workout that she will fly off the back of the treadmill. Somehow it would be a lot less embarrassing around normal people than The Beautiful People. But I digress (again). Today I was solid for the 40 min TM run. Solid like circa February, 2008 before Mr. IT Band punked me. That being said, RJB noted that we can sign up for the Turkey Trot. 8K. Lincoln Park. My first Chicago race (though yours truly will not be racing per se). Hopefully it won't be snowing. Or below 30 degrees.

Tomorrow is my first day working with the big boys in Chicago. Already seen my client list to date and am pleased by the challenge.  Nervous? Yes. Excited? Kinda. Ready to join the Chicago workforce? I suppose. It will make me official to be on Chicago payroll. Oh the joys of being back in a state with personal income tax! Anywho, hopefully I won't do anything massively asinine on Day One. Best save that for Day Forty when they least expect it.