The Need to Open the Windows

This weather is the absolute worst. The teasing, dropping-30-degrees-in-a-day, blustery, March, Chicago weather. Earlier this week we had a day in which the temperature reached 72 degrees. SEVENTY-TWO DEGREES, in case you didn't catch that first part. I was blown away, and I happily took myself out for a long walk at lunch to soak up the rays, and see everyone in a cheerful mood. By the end of the next day we were back down to the upper 30s, and everyone, myself included, was feeling cheated. Just one sunny, warm afternoon brought all of the memories of warm weather back, and the associations I have with it: the beach, bike riding, volleyball, having the summer breeze flowing through the open windows at night. In fact, everyone looks 10 times more attractive in the warm weather, sans the seventeen layers of coats, scarves, gloves, et cetera, that you must don whether just going down the block, or to the opposite end of the city.

Thus, with such a beautiful day in the middle of March, I got off the train 5 stops early and walked up Broadway all the way home. I didn't mind a bit, and when I got home, I opened all the windows, blasted some Fleetwood Mac on the stereo, and set out to cook myself a juicy steak for dinner. That, along with a nice salad and rolls, was enough to trick me into believing that it was the middle of June. I tried to sleep with the windows open, but awoke in the middle of the night with freezing wind blowing over me. We will try that again in a month, perhaps.

I am visiting San Francisco in just 2 weeks. It's not the most tropical of places, by any means, but I am extremely excited to be going back to see some close friends who returned to the West Coast from Chicago last Fall. It will be green. It will be sunny. It will be foggy. But above all, it will not be 30 degrees and sleeting. Is that really so much to ask? I don't think so; but maybe for Chicago it is.

I'm sure the other 9 million Chicagolanders currently feel similar feelings, but I can forsee that in about 4 months, I will be writing a similar blog about the oppressive heat, endless sweatiness, and sunburned skin that I would give anything to be experiencing right now!