Heading home

I used to do five-day trips, and even longer ones, like they were nothing.  Easy peasy.  Not so much anymore.  I am more than ready to get home and I'll be on a plane in a few hours, doing exactly that.

This has been a good trip but a long one.  And I've learned something...five years of winters, winters that have gotten progressively worse with each year, in Chicago has made me really uncomfortable in warmer weather.  As I was driving around Phoenix yesterday, the outside temperature was 72 or 73 degrees.  I had the A/C in the car blasting and I was sweating.  I was not wearing Chicago winter clothers.  I was dressed for the temperature but it was liking to kill me.  I thought it was hot.  What is wrong with me?  Or better yet, what has living in Chicago done to me?

Middle of a five day turn

Just a quick post from the Minneapolis Red Carpet Club as I am in the middle of a five day turn.  This much I can tell you, Chicago is Miami compared to Minneapolis.  It is unbelievably cold here.  Ridiculous! Next stop Phoenix.  Get me out of here! 

A little theatre

From time to time, as parents, we've tried to show our three children that there's more to the world than what's found on their iPods and cable TV.  We're fortunate to live near the Second City and it's no slouch when it comes to cool cultural offerings - the Art Institute of Chicago never ceases to amaze!  And our food scene rocks!  So we've been able to take advantage of some great things here. So, last night, we dipped our collective toes into the theater scene once again.  We attended this:

It's the 25th anniversary tour and it did not disappoint.  Say what you will about theater for the masses.  There's just something about the spirit of this musical that gets me every time.  Sure, it's a little bombastic in parts and one could argue it really sugar coats Hugo's original work.  But, come on, have you read that book all the way through?  I have.  It took me 13 years.  That is no exaggeration.  13 years.  And I typically read close to 30 books a year.  That book liked to have killed me.  So, bless those Frenchmen who created this musical.  It still doesn't make up for the French's inexplicable love and adoration of Jerry Lewis (don't even get me started on the Germans adoration of the Hoff), but it's a start.

We flew Our Lady of BYU home so all five of us could attend.  It was an early 21st birthday present for her.  It's good to have her home, if only for a couple of days.  With CAL finishing up her registration for BYU-I, we don't have too many days of all five us together left.  It was a good night.

We're still buried in snow here and I'm holed up in the basement, writing a presentation that I need to give later this week.  Took a break to update the blog and another break coming shortly in order to watch the BYU basketball game.  Gotta see what Jimmer does today.

Snowmageddon 2011

Well, it's here.  Snowmageddon 2011.  The local weather wonks have been salivating over this impending storm for the last couple of days.  Most of the weather people have now run out of dramatic superlatives to describe this storm.

If they wanted to freak out the city, they've done it.  The stunningly patient and mighty fine SML and I went to the grocery store last night to pick up some things and what we encountered was unbelievable!  The aisles of the store were jammed and people were acting as if they were under evacuation orders.  And the avaricious store management had posted signs throughout the store, with sayings like, "Blizzard Warning!  Do you have what you need?"  Curiously, these signs were placed over many of their most expensive items.  Nice.

So suffice to say, it's madness here.  Good times.