Anaheim Day 2

This morning I had my 7 am run. A lovely 12 miles with my running partner who happens to be here as well. We ran along a dried up river which was weird. I kept thinking we'd see dead bodies. We didn't. We did see a baby doll that looked like a dead baby.

I came back to the hotel, showered, and headed to the convention center. Talked to some vendors I needed to talk to, wandered around a bit. I remember my first ALA four years ago, and how I didn't understand why anybody bothered to go to the Exhibit Hall. Now that I have a job I get it a bit more. I don't find it enjoyable, in fact I sort of hate it, but I understand why it must be done. I had to talk to a few vendors and database reps with some questions I needed answered to report back to work. I didn't dawdle however. Got out as soon as I found the five people I needed to see.

My presentation was at 1:30. It went ok. We were expecting a larger audience because the program was some sort of 'things of note' thing in some pre-conference materials. I think the program became something different than what was advertised, which disappointed me. I have a lot more sympathy now for people who coordinate these programs. You never really know what your speakers are going to say or how well they are going to do, you just have to hope for the best. I think I'll be less critical of programs I go to that suck because there really is very little way to know how its going to go. So I guess I did learn something from this experience.

I took a power nap, and then Juan and Patricia arrived!!! I haven't seen them since I moved to Chicago. They moved to LA shortly after I left SF. We got right back into good ole days mode. We ate at a pretty good Vietnamese place. I told them about how I've tried 5 different Vietnamese places in Chicago and still think they all suck. We also went to this place that does italian ices with soft serve in it! It was awesome and probably so so bad for you. J and P haven't changed a bit. They are still some of the nicest most enjoyable people to be around on the planet, and I miss them so much. They were such a huge part of my San Francisco experience. Without them I wouldn't have met most of the people I knew there who were also all totally awesome. So I'm left happy that I saw them but also a bit sad that they aren't a part of my daily life anymore.

Even though I'm in southern California and it is so different from SF, I still feel this great pull to return to California. The air, the weather, the people, the landscape are all calling me. Anaheim totally blows but its still very Californian at its core. It may be all chains and yuckiness but you can't change climate, and when you do see a true local you know they are Californian.

I don't know if Chicago is really a good fit for me. I can go a few months at a time without questioning or thinking about it and just going through the daily motions of work, sleep, friends, but when I stop to look around Chicago I remember that I really just don't like the city that much. I don't like the food, I don't really like the population (excluding my friends and coworkers), I don't like the politics, I don't like the geography, I hate the weather for 6 months of the year, and I don't like how spread out and large it is. The city works for most people I know, it seems like most of them love the city of Chicago and not just love their lives there. They love the actual city. I think I just like where my life is and the city seems to be this minor inconvenience or sacrifice to having a job and a great apartment and some close friends.

I miss my typical Sunday in SF. Getting breakfast at Tartine or Pork Store or that crepe place near Fillmore and Haight, walking audrey through Buena Vista Park with Jake, breathing in the nice air through my open windows, enjoying a midday nap, meeting up with friends for an awesome affordable meal, and heading home to go to sleep at a reasonable hour. I liked how the daytimes were the active time there and not the late nights. I liked that the options of things to do didn't start and stop at booze, and that I didn't have to be at a bar every weekend in order to see people.

I know Chicago has a lot to offer in the way of museums, downtown, neighborhoods, and the lake front etc, but it takes more effort to get to those things. In SF a short train ride on the N dumped me at the beach, or if I went the other way it was only 4 stops to the MoMA and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. I could also just sit in a park and watch people all day. Chicago parks seem to be built around playgrounds. There's more to do with your dog in SF too. Way way way better dog parks on actual grass not concrete, huuuge dog beach that isn't overcrowded and doesn't require a park license, really cool dog daycares, great nature hikes in the city.

To be fair to both cities, you really can't compare the two. They aren't the same size, same anything really other than being famous American cities. And I should probably stop being SF homesick because the likelihood of me ever being able to move back is zilch. I should try to find the things I miss from SF in Chicago and make a better effort. I'll never grow to like or appreciate the city if my heart's still in another one. My cousin said to me a few weeks ago, "you can't help who turns your crank" and while she meant it in regards to men (and you could also replace 'city' in the previous sentence with 'man'), it applies to cities or anything else too. I can't force myself to like a place just because I should and I can't get over a place just to be over it.

All this Chicago-hating at this moment is probably just because I just saw my CA besties, and now I'm stuck in my hotel room with just me, a crappy tv, and some time to kill before I can fall asleep.