Chicago

I flew into Chicago today to participate in an annual congregation of analytical chemists, which is supposedly much more fun than it sounds. I'm at the W hotel, which is decked out like a hipster nightclub, with pulsing techno music in the elevators, gratuitously dramatic lighting, and an air of exclusivity and beautifulness which would be more convincing if the place weren't crawling with analytical chemists sporting tradeshow credentials on lanyards around their necks. I'm on the 24th floor with what I'm sure would be a breathtaking view of Lake Michigan if only it weren't completely black outside through the falling snow. I've got a belly full of tapas and glenlivet, and I'm about to get the first guaranteed-to-be-uninterrupted night's sleep that I've had in ages, and that will be nice. And I'm not about to say that I'm not really, really looking forward to this night's sleep. But still, even though I only left them this morning, I really miss Rachel and the kids. I'm pretty sure that by Wednesday night when I get back to Oakland, that feeling is going to be palpable.