First, there was snow, which I already rhapsodized about, so really, conceptualizing my religious experience with frozen water probably isn't needed again, but it's just. I can't get over it. I know it's ordinary, but I walked a cemetery blanketed in white and wait, let me do this in order.
Thursday our flight was late, but I got me and V to
svmadelyn's without dying (orange to blue, I am that awesome, yes, and maybe her directions had something to do with it, fine). We arrived, we talked, we laughed, I fell unconscious.Friday we did a walking tour of Chicago with
svmadelyn narrating. We went to Millennium Park and felt like we walked most of downtown, saw Bloomingdales, went shopping (who is surprised I went shopping? No one, that's who) and then had dinner at House of Blues, which was incredibly awesome and also, delicious. Actually, lunch was even better--I can't remember the name of teh place, but it had the best chicken pot pie ever that also won points for presentation. Cold makes me hungry. I ate a lot. I am a big fan of eating when cold.Saturday we went for cupcakes (I could write an essay on those cupcakes) and to Zola Jones, where the magical words "half price" was used, so we walked out with bags. I also got one for my mom. They are very awesome. We met
frostfire_17 at the conservatory, went on a tasting tour while I did not in any way encourage any kind of really filthy Merlin porn though there's a chance I may have promised to write part 2 if she wrote part 1? I dunno. They gave us a lot of chocolate and coffee beans. God knows what I promised when I'm under the influence. After, we went to look at art and here is the thing on that. I do not really--I am not an art person. Call me uncultured, I am not artistic where I find meaning in paintings. However, the exception that proves the rule; I got completely obsessed with Salome being presented with the head of John the Baptist because one of the serving girls was looking off into the distance while everyone else was watching the woman who could dance for men's heads and it just completely frustrated me. Who the hell is she looking at? I, for one, would have my attention on the feet that launched an executioner's axe, so go figure. There were about four that caught my attention that I'm mulling googling. You see, not artistic, but I do love a good story. I want to know why that girl wasn't afraid.
We made it to dinner with fangirls, and let me just say, that room was rocking the fannishness.
frostfire_17, norabombay, idiasm, daydreamer, talitha78, omnipresentdmat, everysecondtues, and kalpurna were all there and very present. They gave us a private room with a closed door, so we could go on about assbabies at the top of our lungs. It was pretty much the best dinner I've been to with fangirls, in which there were thoughts of the slash dragon aired and love of Merlin and marveling at Due South continuing to be interesting in very fandom-wank related ways and pretty much every topic you can imagine. There was also a ton of food. Frankly, I know it was over two hours but it felt like ten minutes tops. I was this close to wishing to convene a con on the spot and keep everyone there overnight for more. I wish I had cosmic powers now. Dammit.Sunday, we went to brunch at Tweets and had a metric ton of food. Then we went to Graceland to mull the celebrations of lives lived and stand on a stone balcony to study a frozen lake. I don't think I've ever seen anything more beautiful. I don't know how to explain how it could feel so wondrous, but it was, draped in quiet white and letting us wander through flawless snow to read the stories of people written in marble and granite and stone like epistles, brief and beautiful and worth far more than a thousand words. I think it's my favorite place in Chicago.
and then there was pizza and then we came home and were really depressed we had to leave. So you know, utterly perfect weekend and all.
Will possibly add more to this when I am less hyper and remember more details. Suffice to say, I had a blast and I'm so, so thankful to everyone who came for dinner on Saturday because you are all amazing, seriously so.