the ocean

Friday morning I got up at 4:30 to drive downstate to a board of trustees meeting for my undergraduate institution. I don't recommend doing this. While it's true that Chicago traffic is light at that hour of the morning, it is also insane. People drive at speeds that I can only assume result from a hope to meet Doc Brown back in 1955 and weave back and forth like they think it's Mario Kart. It's also very dark at that hour, which leads me to imagine deer waiting to leap out in front of the Prius on every shoulder along the way. And many Taco Bells do not open until at least 9, leaving very little hope for a sustaining AM Crunchwrap along the way. I barely arrived on time, hungry, disheveled, and frankly kind of dumb. Perfect timing for someone to hand me a microphone and ask for my thoughts on strategic planning.

I made it through the day, though I do think my enjoyment of the student production of Elf: The Musical might have been enhanced had I not been on hour 15 of my day at its outset. It was a really high quality production with strong performances, but I found myself acutely aware that I've seen the movie at least a dozen times. Also that my butt hurt from sitting for so many hours straight. I ended up going straight back to my hotel after Christmas was saved to immediately pass out and have stress dreams about work. Tis the season!