Chicagoversary!

So - as of this weekend, Friday to be exact, I have lived in Chicago for three years. Here are the top ten things that I have learned.

1.) If you don't care about baseball -the Chicago Cubs are a pain in the ass.

2.) You cannot spend too much money on a really good pair of shoes, or a really warm coat.

3.) There are places in the world (Chicago) where strangers think that if they touch you, you will be comforted and calmed by it. The people that do this must be tolerated, if secretly loathed and judged.

4.) It is possible to be too polite.

5.) When you don't drive on the highway for a long time, you lose your beltway-drivin' edge.

6.) There is something called a cheese curd. It is nasty and loved by many of the midwestern folk.

7.) There is nothing that cannot be fried.

8.) People that say what they mean, and mean what they say, are terribly underrated.

9.) If people tell you you speak too fast when you live on the east coast - people in the midwest don't have a chance at understanding any word that comes out of your mouth.

10.) The Chicago-style hot dog is a criminal act perpetrated by bored midwesterners with too many condiments on hand.

Now- am I happier than when I lived in DC? I don't know. That's a question for the ages, but I'm certainly having more fun, and I definately love Chicago. So all-in-all - good decision to move. Especially since, now that the cubs blew it, I no longer have to make small talk about the series. Which I consider quite a blessing.