Grateful Shout-Out

Before I forget, I’ve got to give a shout-out to those of you who have been so supportive and patient and generally awesome over the last couple of weeks as I’ve tried to pick myself up from my previous post.  I cannot tell you how much it means to me that you’ve been willing to listen and prop me up and offer advice!  You know who you are so I won’t call you out specifically (unless you want me to!), but know that I owe you big and that I am truly grateful from the bottom of my heart!

Sigh...

There’s a quote I profess to love (and therefore live by), but if I’m being truthful it’s harder than it seems to believe it:

"My fate is not determined by those who walk away from me."

Why is this so difficult for me to truly live by?  Why does the opinion of those who “walk away” often seem so much more significant (in the moment, at least) than does that of those who don’t?  And why does it hurt so badly when someone does walk away, no matter how soon after meeting them this happens?

What *will* they think of next?

Well, this is cool.  I am currently aboard one of the four planes in Southwest Airlines' fleet that offers free Wi-Fi as a test!  So much for my nap :)

I was going to include a live view out my window, but blogspot is having some trouble uploading pictures on the Wi-Fi.  Honestly - what kind of operation is this? :)

My flight is almost full, but not quite.  I was able to snag one of the exit row seats with plenty of leg room, thankfully, and the middle seat in my row is unoccupied!  This might just be the greatest flight I’ve ever been on!

Some people-watching observations, since it’s my favorite pastime:

• Someone in my immediate vicinity is wearing more cologne than is socially acceptable on an airplane.
  
• I was annoyed with the business travelers behind me even before we pushed back from the gate.  They were loudly tearing into a colleague (who wasn’t present to defend himself) and only got louder as we accelerated for takeoff.  Note to them: be nice! J  They’ve gotten quiet now…though that could just be my noise-cancelling headphones.  No matter; I can’t hear their meanness anymore.
  
• Someone named Rebecca Reyes may want to turn off her Sharing; I can seemingly access her hard drive on my laptop!  (Hmm…wonder if she’s got anything good on iTunes?  KIDDING!)
  
• What’s with the teenager over there, the one who’s got his feet up on the backs of the armrests of the seats in front of him?  Sheesh.
  
• I think the toddler two rows in front of me is A) doing that little-kid-making-noise-to-hear-himself thing, and B) in need of an immediate diaper change.  
  

I’m also following our flight on a flight-tracking site (flightstats.com), which makes me feel like I’m being watched.  As I write this we’re almost exactly halfway between Kansas City and Omaha, zooming right along at 449mph up here at 38,000 feet.  Not much to see; there be storms down thar so I’m looking at clouds: 

In other news, some recent Kes-in-the-City learnings:

• Taking a cab to Midway Airport is a much shorter trip than I thought: I got in the cab at 5:15 and was at the airport, bag checked, and through security by 5:50.  Whoops – could’ve slept another 30 minutes or so!  Oh well – better early than late!  As my Dad would say, “You can’t add time on the back end!”
  
• The Clinton El stop smells like Vo-Ban which, for me, is almost worse than smelling like the problem it’s designed to address.  (Vo-Ban is the product used to mop up after the contents of someone’s stomach find their way to the floor.
  
• I don’t miss my 90-minute commute!  15 minutes door to door (if I take the El; 30 if I walk the whole way) is so much better!
  
• I do miss my “staff” (a.k.a. my parents) and the cast of characters I used to people-watch on the train every morning, as well as the friendly conductor on my train home at night.
  

Stay tuned for updates on the apartment (I’m still getting settled in), including photos!  It’s great so far, though!

On an unrelated note, my heart is breaking for my friends who were laid off from Disney in the last few weeks and for everyone who has had to endure the anxiety and fear and uncertainty of wondering if they might be next.  I cannot fathom what it’s been like there, though I can imagine what it would be like to have been let go from the company I love.  Nothing I can say can make any of it go away, but you have all been and will continue to be in my thoughts and prayers! *hugs*

Along those lines: I did learn that if I’d stayed in Florida, I would have been laid off last week.  Thinking back to how this opportunity in Chicago fell into my lap I am reminded of how God was looking out for me!  If Mom hadn’t looked up at the moment she did to see the GM’s Club-logo luggage tag as he pushed his briefcase under the seat, I might still be in Orlando and wondering “Now what?”  Amazing.  Leaving Orlando was unquestionably one of the hardest things I have ever done, but I felt in my gut that there was a reason I was supposed to be in Chicago right now.  Y’know how things happen and people say “Well, everything happens for a reason!”?  So often, it seems like we never get to know the reason…at least not in this life.  It looks like I got to know mine, though, and I am speechless with humility.

So I don’t drain all the life from my battery I should probably get back to the “old school” method of entertaining oneself on a cross-country flight: my book!  More later!

Epic Winter

At this moment - 7:28am - our thermometer on the porch reads 38 degrees, the warmest it's been here in I-can't-remember-how-long.  I heard birds chirping outside when I woke up!

This being said, I do have to share a paragraph about the Epic-ness of our winter from a recent article by Tom Skilling, the coolest weather guy in Chicago:

"Thursday [was] the season's 12th morning of zero or lower temperatures at O'Hare International Airport, which makes this cold season the most prolific zero-degree producer in 25 years. This comes as the metro area enters its 31st consecutive day under an inch or more of snow."

At least it makes for a good story!

Equal Time

I have made a handful of comments (ha!) here and there about the Epic Winter we've been having here in the Midwest so I wanted to share some weather-related happiness I've found of late: the days are getting longer!  I mean, of course they are...but it snuck up on me!  All of a sudden, it seems, it's brighter in the morning and MUCH lighter in the evening when I come out of work, which makes all the difference!

I'm also grateful that we've only had a couple of days (all winter!) of the heavy overcast that I dread so much.  Even though it's been ridiculously cold, at least it's been sunny!

Greatest Invention Ever

Hands down: seat warmers in the car!

I'm such a nerd!

You may not have heard that the typeface on highway signs is being changed.  Most people probably won't notice, but I did.  (I'm a font junkie!)  Anyway, there's a huge article from the New York Times that tells you more than you probably ever thought you could know about the topic.  

Why I'm a nerd?  I was mesmerized by the article!  I thought I'd post it...if you're curious :)

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/12/magazine/12fonts-t.html