If any of you have been trying to get hold of me for any reason and I've been less than snappy on the responsiveness, it's because I'm on the road. I'm writing this from the swingin' bachelor pad of my old friend Talon in Chicago, where I've been for the last couple of days. I've been hanging out with Talon and Sara, his girlfriend and another old friend of mine. We got to see (sort of) Norah Jones play at Ravinia Festival, this big, sprawling venue that's not really designed for lawn seats. Wonderful sound set, but we couldn't see the stage. Not because it was a long way off, so she was ant-sized, but because there was no line of sight between where we were sitting and where she was playing. Didn't really matter, though -- it was an amazing concert. Great music, beautifully played. That was Tuesday. Wednesday we bummed around, missed the museums' open hours by just a hair, and then went to go see Pirates of the Caribbean, which was probably the best movie I've seen this summer, just barely edging out Finding Nemo. Today Sara and I watched Mr. Deeds and played a rollicking game of chess, and we're about to go meander about in the city.

It's been a great couple of days. I'm going to be working my butt off as soon as I get back, but I hadn't even realized how badly I needed this. :)