Back in Chicago!

*DISCLAIMER* I wrote all of this while I was in Chicago for the second time, on Monday evening and Tuesday. I didn't post it until today though, because I didn't want to announce to the internet world that I would be traveling alone in a major city until I was back, un alone, in New York! :)

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 Monday afternoon, NY Airport

We were approved for the apartment this afternoon! AJ has the lease, and we will be signing it and sending it back this weekend (once we are finally back in the same state).

I'm sitting in the airport again! We got back from Chicago last night, around 4pm, and I'm already back here, less than 24 hours later. I hadn't mentioned this earlier, since I didn't want to jinx anything, but I had a job interview on Friday. It went really well and I was asked back for a second interview! I'm very excited, and I really hope I get the job.

But basically, my week looks like this now:

Thursday - teach all day, fly to Chicago, go out with AJ's co workers to play trivi
Friday - job interview, amazing deep dish pizza date with AJ
Saturday - apartment hunting, tapas and drinks with AJ's co workers (who are awesome by the way!)
Sunday - fly back to New York, Mother's Day celebrations, unpack from the last trip, repack for Monday
Monday - teach all day, fly to Chicago, find my way to the suburbs
Tuesday - interview at 7:45am, fly back to New York, plan lessons on the plane for Wednesday
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday - teach, teach, teach
Saturday - turn 24, sign my first lease

Wow! What a week!

Well, my flight is leaving soon, so I'd better pack up and run to the bathroom. I'm always afraid if I go on the plane, I will get sucked out of the toilet and crash down very very hard to Earth. I know, its crazy, but its a scary thought when you think about it!

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Monday evening, Suburb of Chicago hotel

The flight wasn't bad, until all of a sudden, we hit crazy turbulence, and had to keep circling the airport. And someone near me had a beer. I get crazy motion sick, so the smell of that beer was even more horrible. Then, when we finally landed, it took forever to get our luggage! They even made an announcement apologizing to our flight for taking so long with it. And the Hertz guy was very slow, he was flirting with the woman ahead of me forever! I was like, dude, stop moving so slow and such, no one wants to flirt, we just want cars! But I finally got one, and I like it, its a Corolla, like mine, but newer. I like to get the Corolla when I need a rental car, because I'm driving around a city I barely know, so I figure why throw a car I don't know into the mix too!

This hotel is super super nice! I really like it! There is a Ruby Tuesday in the lobby, and they brought dinner right up to my room! I was super grateful for that, because I am exhausted. I cannot believe I am in Chicago for the second time in less than two days. I took some pictures of some of the things in the room:

 This is the channel list. I stay by AJ all the time, and they have literally, like, 20 channels. It is brutal! We don't get Food Network or any of the other channels I like to watch (a big issue when I'd be on break and waiting in the room for AJ to get out of class). They have the basic channels, history and like, 4 ESPNs. Which only helps during Sunday and Monday night Baseball! (Guess what I'm watching now? Yep, Boston/Twins, but keeping an eye on the Mets online)

So my question to the Hampton Inn is...why does one have so many channels while the other has so little?!

 My very grown up dinner (hahaha) came delivered on a tray with real utensils and everything. They even came and set it up on the desk for me! Although, not to be paranoid, but I got nervous that the waiter walked into my room while I stood in the doorway filling out the receipt. Its the New Yorker in me, I'm not used to the super niceness of everyone in the mid West. Not to say we aren't nice in New York (Reader's Digest rated us the nicest city one year, based on how many people say thanks, hold open doors and stopped to help when papers were "dropped" all over the street!) We really are just misunderstood. We will help you, just more of a help-and-run deal, things are busy, you understand!

AJ's favorite quote is Frost's "two roads diverged in a yellow wood, I took the one less traveled by and that has made all the difference". So I took this picture because it reminded me of his favorite quote. I really wish he was here with me, I don't like traveling without him. Especially here to Chicago where we are supposed to be together!

Well, I'm off to bed for now! (Yes, I know its super early Chicago time, but I am sleepy!) Wish me luck on the interview tomorrow!

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Tuesday afternoon, Chicago airport

Well, my interview went well, or at least I think it did!

And now I'm sitting here in the airport, I got here at 10:30am, and my flight isn't until 3:40! I got on standby for the 1:15, then I found out that my luggage would still be going on the 3:40! But I still want to get out of here, so I'm going to try it and see if I make it on standby. I doubt I will though, it seems that there are other people ahead of me, and it how crowded this seating area is is any indication, I won't be getting on this flight!

But I can still hope! I wouldn't mind having to drive back to the airport at 7 tonight for my luggage, but I HATE just sitting here. I don't have anything to do, and I cannot get motivated to write lessons for tomorrow. I guess I'll just keep messing around on the internet here.

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Tuesday night, finally back in New York!

I ended up taking the 3:40 flight. I'm so exhausted! I did get a ton of online shopping done at the airport, I got AJ's anniversary present, and his graduation present. And I got myself some baking dishes. They had been hiding in my Macy's online shopping bag, and I decided to buy them. They were only $35, and I figured after this insane week, I deserved something nice. It was like a birthday present to me. Besides, I cannot be held responsible for what I purchase when sitting in an airport, alone, with an internet connection, a credit card and five hours to kill.

Then I got home, and got myself another present - a sewing machine to use on my scrapbook layouts. I'm hoping I got a good one, I read so many conflicting reviews about the one I wanted, that I decided to start over and find a new one! So I chose the Brother Limited Edition Project Runway one from Wal-Mart. I think I'm going to like it. It isn't very expensive, compared to what you can spend on a sewing machine (up to thousands of dollars!)
So all in all, a very expensive, but possible productive two days. I just need to find out about that job!