Taking Care of Business

I'm in the office at work right now, and the view out my window is absolutely gorgeous. I'm facing east, and all I can see is the reflection of the sun setting on the Chicago skyline. The Willis/Sears Tower stands tallest, flanked by the AT&T Corporate Center and the 311 S. Wacker Building (yep, it's really named that). The rest of the skyline extends to the north in a row of mirrored windows and heaven-reaching spires.

Program is pretty quiet tonight, with all but one of our guys home on pass. A usual Saturday afternoon/evening might include an activity (park, movies, beach), but the only youth here is in bed, not feeling well. Instead he sleeps while I read, continue to familiarize myself with policies, and make rounds every so often. The rest of my roommates either have the day off or are already done with work for the day, but I'm here until ten. Then I can join them for Becca's (one of my roommates) birthday bash (one day late, since she worked all day yesterday).

I spent my weekend (Thursday & Friday) exploring the Loop (Chicago's downtown) and catching some free jazz for Jazz Fest in Milennium Park. It's safe to say walking around Chicago is tons easier that finding my way around Rome was. For starters, the majority of streets run straight and they are all clearly labeled with street signs. I've heard that "the grid" is super important when figuring out where things are, but I'm still learning how that works. All I know is Madison and State are the origin points (0 NS/ & 0 W/E) and from there you work your way out, counting blocks up and down (ie, Jackson is at 300 S, meaning 3 blocks south of Madison, and runs from 88 E to 6000 W).

Time for another walk around program...ciao!