While in northern Illinois this past Sunday on family business, Mother Nature decided to start unleashing some snow. The silent streets, already absent of life from the Superbowl, were rendered several more shades of beautiful by the quietly-falling snowflakes accumulating undisturbed.
It was a hint of things to come. The snow that began falling last night is predicted to total over a foot and a half by the storm’s end.
Sometimes, a change of scenery is called for, if only temporarily–a chance to get away, leave life behind, and escape into a world of your own making.
And you recall a fantasy in which you bring another into that world, to fill in the missing pieces of the puzzle and explain that which can only be explained through first-hand experiences.
Regretfully you realize it is something that only you can do; to bring another is to allow that which you are escaping to follow. Though you dreamed of sharing it with another, you will just have to continue to wait, patiently.
Autumn in New York
Why does it seem so inviting
Autumn in New York
It spells the thrill of first-nighting
Glittering crowds and shimmering clouds
In canyons of steel
They’re making me feel I’m home
It’s autumn in New York
That brings the promise of new love
Autumn in New York
Is often mingled with pain
Dreamers with empty hands
They sigh for exotic lands
It’s autumn in New York
It’s good to live it again
I grew up in Chicago and I never once caught a sunrise over Lake Michigan until Sunday morning. It was incredibly beautiful…and incredibly worth staying up for.
The weekend was beyond anything I could have ever predicted. It is a brave new world in which I set foot…
People often like to engage in flights of fancy, to answer the question “what could have been” and imagine something better than what did happen. But what if you’re content with what did happen and yet you imagine an outcome less satisfying?
On another note, the last two weeks have been a blur…a whirlwind of activity and drama. The intarweb factors much too heavily into this. Bye for awhile.
Last weekend was a time to hang out with old friends and new friends, to relax and enjoy the presence of others. It was also a time to enjoy that one-of-a-kind Windy City chill. *brrr*
The highlight had to have been hanging out with more Orkut friends. This time, Andy and Anne were visiting Chicago from out of town. We met at lunch, where I found that they had two of their friends in tow–very pleasant folk, I might add…anyone who can appreciate “Familiy Guy” is a friend of mine. After the feast at Jimmy John’s it was off to an architectural tour from the Chicago River (highly recommended, but bring a windbreaker…Andy was just a little underprepared for the weather). Then dinner at Leona’s, and hanging out ’til the wee hours of the morning. Dialed Kate, left a VM, got a priceless one in response; dialed Heather and…I don’t remember what was said. But I remember Anne wouldn’t share the phone…
It’s awesome to meet such wonderful people. But you inevitably have to part ways, and the goodbyes are always painful. Sometimes you never really get over it, especially in those cases where you spend just enough time to foster a sense of familiarity and attachment only to have that violently wrested from you…
“I was wondering why you didn’t take the couch.”
“Yeah, well, I, uh, NO.”
“So how was the drive back?”
“Yeah, well, I, uh, NO.”
Along the lines of “good intentions” are “hypothetical situations.” It does neither of us any good if I were to say to you, “If we weren’t so far apart I should like to ask if you wouldn’t mind joining me for a coffee.” We both know the likelihood of that happening is very small, so why indulge in fantasy? It does neither of us any good to imagine what we would do if things were different. And if either of us felt strongly enough about it, we would have already turned ideas into action in spite of the obstacles. For my part, I don’t know you that well. The only thing I know is that I would like to get to know you better.
What sights I could show you… what stories I could tell. I could paint resplendent pictures and multifaceted portraits for you. You would smile; you would cry. You would experience all of what life has to offer.
I have shown you the door…it is your decision to enter. Your gain, or your loss.
Why is there a certain comfort in being proven right, in seeing your lurking suspicions confirmed, even though what you predicted was bad news?
The debriefing, the post-game analysis, the deconstructing of what was said. Confusion, and more questions than answers. Lots of maybes.
This, however, is indisputable: you’re out forty bucks.
The North Central regionals for the Jessup are being held this weekend, and you know what that means…the international rounds are coming up soon–in just a month! Today I served as judges’ coordinator for the preliminary rounds of the regional, and though it was but a small taste of what the international rounds are like, it reminded me of what an incredible experience that was.
Unfortunately, I don’t really think I can in good conscience take off a week from work to go photograph the competition, especially with the recent round of layoffs that just came to pass; but there’s always hope…
Being single at a wedding is strange. It’s like showing up to class without having done that day’s assignment. “Everyone else was able to hand in their homework. What’s your excuse?”
-nuval0-R2-23.jpg.html){kind=link}
-img_3121.jpg.html){kind=link}
-NV0052-R3-02A.jpg.html){kind=link}