at willow creek

I am really disappointed that I forgot my camera - Chicagoland is actually rather pretty this time of year. There's snow on the ground, but not so much snow that it gets in your way. It's sort of like a thin sheet that makes everything look nicer. To me, at least, living in California. I'm sure that it would eventually make the landscape look bleak and depressing - but for now I am enjoying my wintry surroundings. For the most part, that is.

Last night when I stepped outside of O'Hare, I was greeted by the Chicago cold for the first time. I've been here a few times before, but only in the summertime, never in winter, of the back end of winter as it is now. It is really stinkin cold. Last week I was up in Tahoe and it snowed a lot, and I'm still not sure it was as cold there as it is here, now. The weather reports are all saying with wind it feels about 1 or 2 here. This is new for me. It's kinda neat...but I do plan on staying inside.

I left the Packs' house rather early to make sure I got up here to Willow Creek on time, to allow for my bad sense of direction, traffic, and all that. As it turns out the traffic wasn't too bad and I didn't make a single wrong turn - so I'm here about an hour and a half early. That's cool - because they have freakin' wireless in the building. And what a big building it is. From what I can tell right now, their auditorium has seating sections, much like the San Jose Arena - they even have UPPER sections, like a balcony or something. I just got a coffee and some sort of donut thing from their in-house "Dr. B's Coffee" which is basically a Starbucks. I am as of yet unimpressed with my latte though - in fact, I burned my tongue on it. Perhaps the burnt tongue is a blessing in disguise, and will keep me from fully partaking in the goodness of greasy, fatty, wonderful Chicago cuisine. We'll see.

Anyway since I will have access to the internet during breaks, don't know anyone here, and have a tendency to be more quiet when I don't know anyone in a big new environment like this, I will maybe blog a lot more than usual while I'm here. Maybe I'll share a couple thoughts from each session as I go. That would be neato.

Oh crap. I just realized I left my laptop charger in my room at the Packs.' So for today, I only have a little bit of battery. So, catch ya later.