I am packed up and ready to depart Florida now; my plane leaves early evening. A whirlwind will begin as soon as I land in Chicago. A whirlwind of activity. Macdaddy is coming to pick me up from the airport and she'll have in her car a friend of mine who is in Chicago for a few days staying with me, but who arrived this morning (having failed to coordinate flight times with me, but oh well). I'll get back to my apartment I'd guess at 11:00pm and immediately have to start entertaining. This plan arose over the break so I told my friend I could not promise her the state of my apartment, but she brushed that aside easily enough. I'm worried about food. I don't think I have much of anything, having been gone for a month. I know I have a couple of cans of corned beef hash in the cupboard, so hopefully she'll like that for breakfast. We can go grab a bowl of chili at the Firehouse for lunch tomorrow, hit the grocery store and get some things for dinner. And then, after dinner, ohhhhhh boy!! It's New Year's Eve and I'll be in the big city for the first time for this holiday event. We're going to meet up with Jeff and some other friends, go to a house party picking up something liquid to bring along the way, and then hit the streets of Wrigleyville around midnight. Planning anything after the midnight point seemed useless as who knows what will happen. We'll just go with the flow comfortable in the knowledge there are cabs a plentiful. I take my friend to where she'll be staying west of the city for two weeks (an internship training center) on the 2nd and then I have the rest of that day to organize for the GOEs. I've been sort of looking over some books and materials while at home, but I told myself I would not freak out about these and try and ruin my vacation by cramming. I know this stuff. And if I don't know, I know how to find it. The morning of the 3rd begins the ordeal (I'm suddenly reminded of OA) and it will last until the 6th. Then, the evening of the 6th, my friend Kate in Hyde Park is having a birthday party that she said would also do nicely as a "Ryan is done with GOEs" party. It's a tropical drink themed party (I know, middle of winter, but its what she wanted) so I'm to bring my blender. After that, I launch into Field Ed full steam ahead. Whoa, I think I tired myself out just writing all that. Phew...

-R