After an uncomfortable evening and a day filled with worrying that I smell bad, I’m happy to report that my luggage finally showed up this afternoon. The contents may have shifted during flight, but everything was intact (that is, sloppily folded and crammed into corners) and unmolested. Since returning to my hotel early this evening, I’ve had a luxurious shower, enjoyed a pair of clean socks, and thought briefly about burning the clothes I wore yesterday and today but reconsidered because I really like my octopus cardigan even if I don’t want to look at it right now. My devices are charged, I have a large supply of Diet Coke and ice cubes within reach, and all my internets are working. Things are good. And only in America can someone go from washing their panties in a hotel sink to the stock market floor within half a day. THANKS OBAMA!

Now that I’m clean and full of meat and no longer as grumpy as I was, Chicago is really neat. I wish I had more of an opportunity to wander around in daylight, but I’m here doing Important Business Things and not for the Seeing of the Sights. Still, when I went to feed this evening, I walked around the area for a bit before the lure of a quiet hotel room with internet access (um, and new nail polish) won the battle. I’m hoping to make my way to THE BEAN tomorrow evening, and then I fly home (hopefully with all my luggage this time – I’m looking at you, Westjet) stupid early Wednesday morning. Chicago may very well be a place I endeavour to visit again – the architecture alone is making me sigh with happy.

I can’t help but feel that someone should have told them this building went up crooked, though:

this building is slightly askew.