the ocean

As traumas go, having to go to a different buffet restaurant than the one you are used to for Thanksgiving is definitely not at the top of the list, but it did make things a little weird. Our normal Chicago spot got out of the game this year (no doubt due to Biden's War on Thanksgiving) so we had to go to a place my sister found out in the suburbs, which might as well have been on Mars. The food was fine and all, but we were in a banquet hall seated at rickety round tables that seemed likely to collapse at any given moment. Also, the buffet lines were insane and there were separate lines for the salad and carving stations. The end result of which was that I loaded up on mac and cheese (which was admittedly amazing) and called it a day. The kids had fun loading up on sugar and pretending they were puppies, though, so I guess it was a win.

After the big luncheon, we went out to Ian's parents' place, since they have relocated to the northwest suburbs from Minnesota. They are in a seniors-only community, which is kind of the dream. They have classes, entertainment, and a clubhouse with a very credible club sandwich. Plus you can drive your golf cart anywhere you want. It does give a little bit of a wife swapping vibe, but I'm sure that's optional. Anyway, we were just there for dessert and the rebroadcast of the Macy's parade, which gave us an opportunity to realize that we didn't even recognize the names of half of the pop stars featured. Ariana Madix singing The Cardigans I knew, though. It was like that one was aimed straight at my heart.

So yeah, Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I'm laying low today so as to avoid being crushed in a flat-screen-TV fracas, but that is something to be thankful for in and of itself.

I was in Florida for work this week. Fort Lauderdale, specifically. It was perfectly fine, particularly given that it snowed in Chicago, but I didn't see a ton of actual sun. Also, I found the suiting situation confusing. It was fall, but hot, so should I dress for the weather or the season? I just decided to put on jean shorts and call it a day.

The trip was for a conference, which was interesting and well-organized, but it is kind of exhausting to be attentive and interesting all day for three days. There were potential clients to be met, don't you know. So I made a lot of small talk about the weather, everyone's health, and likely white collar enforcement priorities for 2025. We are a fun group, to be sure.

Traveling will never not be the worst, though, am I right? Not the part about being other places, just the part about getting there. The flight there I had a talker sitting next to me who was impervious to my earbud trick and I couldn't get the outlet under the seat to work. The flight back we were delayed and had the endless taxi at O'Hare to top it off. We seriously landed at 6:30 and I wasn't off the plane until 7. At least this time I didn't get the gate mathematically calculated to be the absolute farthest from any sort of ground transport. 

Anyway, I'm back, and looking forward to the holiday. I view three days as the optimal length for a work week.

My sister's family enjoys watching Nailed It!, the show in which ordinary people fail at complex baking tasks. They decided they wanted to do their own personal live version. Though I've only seen the show in their presence while vigorously texting or playing Candy Crush on my phone, I agreed to join. The results were predictable yet no less glamorous.

Still, it was tasty. I would say the mission was accomplished. And, I did not have to take any home with me, so all is well.

As you may have noticed, I've fallen into a pattern of weekend posting on here, which was interrupted last weekend for the simple but strange reason that I was not in possession of a functioning laptop. You see, my last day at one law firm was Friday, so that laptop was sitting on a receptionist's desk in the Loop. And though I have a personal laptop, it's probably a decade old and I haven't logged in to it in months or years. I did try, but succeeded only in accidentally changing multiple passwords and locking myself out of resources I routinely use. After which I took a break.