2018 Facts

Trips to Chicago, 2018:                                                   1
Trips to Chicago, lifetime:                                               1
Nights in a hotel:                                                          14

Nights in a tent:                                                             0

Air miles:                                                                  3,442

Train miles:                                                                     0

Subways used:                                                                2

US States set foot in:                                                      3

Yoga classes taken:                                                       11

Kayaking trips:                                                                2

Times snorkeling:                                                            0
Bell Towers climbed:                                                       1
Roller coasters ridden:                                                    0

MLB Parks attended:                                                       3
Oceans touched:                                                             1

Great Lakes touched:                                                      1
Lobster rolls eaten:                                                         2
Nights at the Green Mill:                                                 1

Performances of Hamilton seen:                                     1

Oregon Shakespeare Festival shows:                              3
Chicago Shakespeare shows:                                          2
Chicago and Oregon shows actually Shakespeare:         1
Steppenwolf performance:                         Doppelgänger
Art Museums visited:                                                       2

Libraries visited:                                                               5

Aquariums visited:                                                           1

Zoos visited:                                                                    2
Laser lithotripsys:                                                                1

Cellphones owned:                                                          2

Smoky days:                                                                   24

Fifty Days

It is 50 days before Christmas. I think that includes all the possible shopping days as well, which makes you wonder if they used to count Thanksgiving as a shopping day years ago when most stores closed for the holiday.

It has been a relative light pre-Christmas season thus far, although the past two days have seen the holiday fog rolling in. It is earlier than the days when it was considered to be uncouth to mention the holiday until after Thanksgiving but earlier than the years I have noticed signs seeping in to August.

Maybe it is one of those phenomena, like not getting rain if you have an umbrella with you, but I had actually been looking for Christmas this year. I started trying to shop for holiday cards in October. I think I am hoping I can hide from the stores soon until the New Year.

So, when I went to Target tonight (I'd left my scarf at the cafe I had eaten breakfast in on Saturday and when I arranged to pick it up, I thought, "Oo, I can go to Target." with more enthusiasm than should ever be felt for such an outing.), the mix of discounted Halloween merchandise and freshly installed Christmas paraphernalia was a welcome sight.

In addition to a few boxes of holiday cards, I also picked up wrapping paper--shiny silver sharks, some with santa hats, some stalking candy cane hooks. I should see what else is on the holiday list I made a few years ago to remind me of the various tasks that must be done this time of year.

50 days sounds like a lot of time, but I am in no hurry to have that fog roll in further right now.