The Chicago Marathon

I love a lot of things about Chicago, but now I have something I really HATE about Chicago... and that would be the Chicago Marathon. I should warn you before you read this, I am not exactly laughing about this yet so maybe I should hold off before I blog... oh well.

I had to work at the boutique this weekend. I work 11 - 7 on Saturday and 11 - 5 on Sunday. On Saturday I left my apartment at 10:50 and got to work before 11. This gives you a pretty good idea how long it usually takes me to get to work. I knew the Chicago Marathon was going on this morning, so I left for work at 10:15 to give me extra time. Since I am the only one in the boutique on the weekends if I am not there the shop isnt open.

Anyways, I leave for work and I notice that the streets near me arent closed. At first I think I should stop at a starbucks and get a drink before work since I left SO early, but I decide I will get it closer to the boutique. Traffic was really light down LaSalle, more than ever. I think this is bizarre being a Sunday but keep on driving. I turn down Madison (where the boutique is on) and make it over 90 when I see about a million runners and a closed road. I had to do a U-turn on the bridge and turn around. Shit. This was fun... if I only knew at this time that the U-turn would be the easiest part of my drive...

I turn around and decide I will go a few blocks south and enter from the south opposed to the east. I drive around and every where I go the street is closed at some point. I literally could not find a way to get to work. At this point it was 10:45. I had been trying to get to work for 30 minutes, it was unreal. It was like driving in a maze because the streets were closed all over and you would literally go in circles.

Closer to eleven I go to call my boss to tell her I wasnt going to be on time because I couldnt get to work. While calling her I look in my rear view mirror and noticed cop lights. Shit. I pull over in front of a fire station. Two cops approach my car (real jerks) and tell me I was pulled over for making a right hand turn on red while talking on my cell phone. Apparently, there was a sign, I didnt even notice the light was red but I wasnt going to tell them that. I hand them my licences and tell them when they are done writing me a ticket I would like them to help me find a way to work.

They laugh at me when I tell them the address and told me there was no way I was getting there anytime soon, it was basically impossible. I snarl. They go back to their cop car and I am thinking of all those news reports of poor children in South Chicago and all these important things these cops could be doing to make Chicago a better place. Surely, pulling me over for trying to get to work was not making the cut.

The cops took my licences. They handed me a $135 ticket and a pile of papers. They took my brand new Illinois licences that I struggled to get in the first place (I should REALLY blog about that nightmare). So at this point I am stuck in a huge line of traffic, late for work, and in the ghetto. Wonderful. I was stuck infront of a Catholic church for at least an hour because I was in the same place when the 11:00 bells rang and when the 12:00 bells rang. During this time, I saw two cross dressers, two fender benders and a man beat his son with the sons belt (they were in the car in front of me). I believe I found an area in Chicago I do NOT want to move to next June..

At 12:30 I make it through the second intersection in an hour and a half, and I get stopped in the middle of the intersection because of the line of traffic. Of course, I sat there for 3 light changes. At one point a cop turned his lights on behind me. Wonderful. What was this cop going to do to me, I was literally stuck (and I DIDNT have a license thanks to his partners). He ended up leaving and didn't give me my second ticket for the day.

After more wrong turns and a few hundred U-turns I made it to work.. at 12:45. Almost two hours late, quarter tank of gas, one traffic ticket and a splitting head ache.

I think its official, I hate the logistics of the Chicago Marathon.

Starting now on, packing LIGHT

So I went last weekend for Mount Union's homecoming : ) It was lots of fun, but as usual, I packed a lot of stuff. I had my largest suit case, my lap top, my shoe bag, some necessary bags from shopping at Crocker Park, and a few other things. I pulled into my building and parked on the top level of the parking garage. This usually isnt a problem because I can take the elevator to my floor. I decide being late I want to take EVERYTHING in one trip. So I figure this out. Put the coat on, pull the suit case and put 4 bags in one arm, 5 in the other. You would think I had just gotten back from a month in Europe, not a weekend in Alliance. I could hardly get through the door with so many bags on both sides of me while pulling a 75 pound suit case. I finally get to the elevator (which felt like FOREVER) when I realize its not working that evening. Of course its not. From there I had two options, to put some stuff back in my car or to carry all this stuff down three flights of stairs to get to the regular elevators. I was debating leaving some stuff in the stair case and come back for it but because of my hysteric fear of mice and other rodents I decided against it. Oh, my, gosh, I pray to God my building doesn't watch the videos of the staircases, because you should have seen me trying to get down three flights of stairs with all these bags. At one point I missed a step and landed in front of the door with half my bags under me and half on top of me. By the time I got to my apt. I was so irritated I left my bags on the floor and I have yet to do anything with them a week later, for now on I am packing light or waiting to see if the elevator works before I make that mistake again!