Spring is here!

I think I can safely say, without fear of snow or a reemergence of the dork coat, that spring is finally here. And oh how sweet it is.

Today it got up to nearly 80! I had forgotten that Chicago could do that after weeks below freezing, and days below zero. But the extreme cold made the warm just that much better. After church, I walked around LP for over an hour, along with everyone else and their dogs and swank-strollers. Unfortunately, it was still a bit too damp to sprawl out in the grass without ending up with a wet butt or mud in your hair. And every inch of bench was taken up with parents or older folks. The parks were jammed packed with kids and eager dogs. And the pathways were overflowing with rollerbladers (which work well in a flat area like Chicago) and skateboards. Awesome!

It got to the point I was almost hot, at which point, I walked home to run around barefoot in shorts. So I threw open my sliding door and just basked in the warm sunlight on my bed, reading my book. Talked to the Cheese Fiend about knitting with "natural fibers" (aka massive amounts of cat hair), the joys of a sea salt grinder (which is should not be as exciting as it is) etc. Then I headed over to Wicker Park in search of my polka dot flats, so I could wear my new green skirt.

Wicker Park has a distinctly different vibe than Lincoln Park, which is interesting given they are both yuppified and about 2 miles apart. WP is hipster, with lots of overpriced or mass-produced "vintage" (see also: "if it's ugly, it must be vintage"). But I finally found a hookah bar. Lincoln Park is more boutique-y, with a more polished, "look at my money" look. I'm not sure how I ended up here in my Praha t-shirt, old jeans and sandals.

(one of the packed patios in WP)

Went grocery shopping where I stocked up on Odwalla - it's on sale!! And it's a splurge I can largely justify, since it is less money and calories than Ben & Jerry's, and I always need more fruit in my diet, and it's not something I will ultimately have to fit in my car back to VA. And then I saw the Red Moon Show before a House Marathon on USA. Does God love me or what!