en route

You do not need another photo of Bascom Hill (UW campus, Madison, Wisconsin), do you?

But it was part of my day! And, I must say, with great pleasure I waved it a fond good bye.





It has not been a straight shot so far. On the way to bus no. 1, scheduled to pass by my condo in minutes (and, as it is the week-end, the buses that pass by my condo are few and far between), I remembered that I forgot crucial work papers (it is mostly down time for me in the next week, but not entirely).

And so I ran.

Which guaranteed a hacking cough for the next several hours (I am recovering from a cold). But I made it.

I stopped by my office, made sure everything would continue properly without me (we are so (in)dispensible!) and Ed and I boarded the Van Galder to OHare.

Just miles from the Chicago airport, we came to a full stop. Crawling now, with only one lane open. One hour to traverse 5 miles.

And here’s the thing: there was an accident. So that someone, probably more than one person suffered terribly. At the same time that a busload of people just wanted to move on and get to their flight. It struck me that this is the way we deal with the awfulness out there. We just want to hurry up and get to our flight. [True, were I in an accident that stopped the I-90 traffic cold,, I think I would feel bad that it may lead people to miss their flights, so there’s that…] Me, I'm deeply hoping that someday, someday soon there will be a fast train from Madison to Chicago.


At the airport ticket counter, my favorite clerk was there to greet me. [When you fly an esoteric airline always, the staffing remains the same – she has been there, at the counter, since 1997, when I remember having my flight to Paris (and therefore to Poland) cancelled. She was so calm and so helpful to all of us (it was a nightmare travel situation) that I have, since then, loved her tremendously. And most often, she is there. It’s amazing how one person can instill a sense of calm for others. She did that. Thank you favorite agent, whose name I do not know.]

I am calm.

I am not really worried that a dozen b&bs responded to my inquiries telling me that they decided to close for the season.

For God’s sake, I am on my way to Italy, let me unwind already!

Maybe we should have packed sleeping bags…