And you laugh about the scars.

Chicago only got worse. My attempts to stay positive completely failed when I went to leave the parking garage yesterday morning, only to discover that my car battery was dead. I called Matt and he came back to the garage and we hooked up jumper cables and waited for a few minutes. Then waited for some more minutes. Then some more. Nothing happened. Matt called his dad who informed me that I might have a battery that's not "maintenance free" and I might need to add water to it (WHY DID NO ONE EVER TELL ME ABOUT THIS? In the history of car repair, which I really, honestly try to make an effort to know about, this was never brought to my attention. I really hate being a stereotypical naive car-girl, but there it was. Did I ever feel stupid.) so we tried to get the caps off to add water, but nothing I had in my car would pry the caps off. So, there I sat, in my cold, non-functioning car, already thinking of the horror of hiring a tow truck back to New Mexico. That, dear friends, was depression. Luckily, after about 50 minutes of charge, the dang truck started up. I was so happy I jumped out of my truck and proceeded to jump all over the parking garage, literally leaping in the air, while Matt did what he calls his "big dick dance". So, Cat jumps, Matt dances. These are priceless memories, all thanks to potential disaster.

Moral of that story is I will never, EVER go to Chicago again. So, don't ask me if you're looking for a road trip buddy to the windy shitty.

If that wasn't terror enough, Illinois decided that it would be awesome to have killer fog for a few hours. Only 40 minutes of my drive in that great state was clear enough to see anything. Freaking land of Lincoln, pssh, land of demon fog... I have never been so happy to see prairie once it lifted.

Yesterday marked the longest one-day drive of my trip, all the way from Chicago to Norman, 13 freaking hours. However, it was also the first time I had someone in the car with me, which RULED SO HARD. Matt's buddy Chelsey sat shotgun for about half the trip and we chatted and chatted. It was great to have company, but even better that the company was totally awesome. We got into Norman at about 1:00 in the morning and I slept til about 1:00 today. That ruled pretty hard too.

I ate both White Castle and Hardee's yesterday. Make the most of those regional fast food chains, you know. But, man, do I ever need to start eating some salads. I just feel slugish and so out of shape. I'm jumping on the healthy living band wagon once I get home.

Speaking of that, home. I think it finally set in today that this is over. My grand adventure, my great plan that I've had for 5 years that finally got action is up. Yes, I'm excited about getting home, seeing best friends and boyfriends and eating burritos, but damn. I just cannot believe it's up. It makes me really sad, honestly. I start full-time work on Monday. Really? But, I just cannot think of it in those terms. I'll take so many more trips like this in my life. Like I thought about leaving Canada, this is just the beginning.

There was a moment yesterday when I officially welcomed myself back to the west, when I looked up and saw this huge, open sky. I knew I missed it, but I didn't know I missed it that much. So, I'm happy to come back to all things familiar, but I can't wait to see what else there is.

New Mexico tomorrow. Mind is blown.

Always wondered how we fell this way.

I maaaaaaade it.

And I even made it on Friday, which means I got to see BOTH Hot Water Music shows. The driving wasn't really that bad. It was warm enough that the roads were pretty clear, just slushy. And speaking of Chicago, this place is slush.


Other than giant random faces in the middle of city parks, the city itself is kinda a mess. I don't think there was any urban planning involved, at all, so parking is seriously the worst thing in the world. I mean that. Of all the frustrations I've experienced on this trip, the single most frustrating hour I had was circling block after block looking for a place to park. My car is currently being stored in a parking garage in Lincoln Park that's $18 every 24 hours. I'm staying with one of Mattlahoma's friends named Ashley, as him & his friend Chelsey came up from Oklahoma for HWM. Her apartment is really great and she's been an awesome host, but seriously, screw this parking nonsense. Also, you would think that with such a parking problem that public transportation would rule, like New York. Incorrect observation.

But enough on the negative. Chicago's got some really awesome architecture. Their downtown and the magnificent mile is pretty great, but Wrigleyville and all the old buildings closer to the stadium are even better.


The Fields Museum also rules. WHO KNEW?


But really, how was the Hot Water Music?

The thing that's always gotten me about that band is their fan base. There's just this group of punk rockers who heard them sometime in their teens, maybe early twenties, probably at a point in their lives when they felt just a little bit lost, and Hot Water Music just made so much sense to them. And they really are one of those bands that just stick in your life; their fans never forget. I'm gonna say the female attendance at both the shows I went to was probably under %15. Everyone else there was a 20-something male with a beard. And they knew all the lyrics and they had the time of their life. At one point, the guys standing next to me toasted with the phrase "Here's to being 16 again" and it was pretty much the perfect summery of that experience. I like Hot Water Music and all, I think Chuck Ragan is an amazing song writer, but they've never fit that place in my life. I always had Rancid to take care of that for me. But, just to stand there and watch that comradery was an experience I haven't gotten since I was 15 years old and going to local punk shows in Colorado. Pretty great. Also, the theater it was in, the Metro, fantastic action.


Of course it's been a little snowy and a little cold. So I think we've been trying to limit our adventures to mostly indoor spaces. Besides the museum, we did a little shopping and a little eating today. Chelsey and I went to the Mac store, where she helped me get a new Studio Fix, as the first step in preparing myself for fancy-pants job interviews.


We also went to Dick's Last Resort, where the staff is mean to you and you pay $4 for a Miller High Life. But, it's all part of the gimmic. We went with Eric and it was nice to see him. He seems to be doing well and surviving art school, bless his heart. His creative will is much, much stronger than mine.


Meow.

We stayed late today, so we'll be leaving early tomorrow and it's a very long 12 hours to Norman. Matt's joking about just parking as much as possible, FOR FREE, along the way. I'm trying to think of it as my car getting a fancy hotel room. She needed it, right? Right? See, look at me getting upset again.