Chicago was a pleasant surprise. I didn't really have any expectations, but when compared to New York and Cleveland, Chicago seems like a much nicer place to live. The city was clean and seemed safe. I didn't feel like I had to keep looking over my shoulder as I walked around at night to/from the subway.

The conference was pretty boring, but I did get a few ideas. The most intriguing thing I learned at the conference was that an active mind helps reduce the chance of Alzheimer's disease and apparently video games help activate the mind. And people think video games are a waste of time.

I guess it's expected that conference attendees won't go to every presentation. I was encouraged to leave the opening night reception so that I would make it to the White Sox game on time. My boss also gave me permission to skip out of the conference Wednesday afternoon for a trip to The Field Museum. I had planned to be responsible and attend every session, but when you get the green light from your boss to do what you want, why turn it down?

Thursday night I went down to see Second City at its place of origin. Second City has been the home of several notable comedians such as Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd, Mike Myers and Steve Carell. Some of the skits were really funny. More of the skits would have been funnier if the guy behind me didn't repeat the punchline every time before laughing. I ended up being slightly annoyed rather than humored.

Friday was low-key in the beginning. I attended a workshop that lasted until noon and then went across the street to grab lunch at an Italian deli. That was some of the best food I'd eaten since I had been there. After buying my food, I went out to a little plaza in front of the deli to eat. The fountain in the plaza was turned off for some reason, but it was a nice day out, slightly overcast and not too hot.

As luck would have it, when I was ready to catch a shuttle for the airport, the trip turned into frustration. A shuttle was scheduled to pick me up at 1:35. I was outside ready and waiting well in advance. I even got to see a few of the Toronto Blue Jays players coming out of the hotel. I got a couple pics of them but no autographs. Anyway, the shuttle never showed up. As a small group of us were waiting, we found out one lady had been waiting for the shuttle for 2 hours. The shuttle was supposed to run every half hour. Eventually a shuttle showed up after 2, but the driver suggested I make alternate arrangements to get to the airport. "I don't want that kind of pressure," he said since my flight was at 3:30. I had already paid for a round-trip ticket, so I sold it to another member of the group riding the shuttle who didn't have a ticket. The lady that had been waiting 2 hours, decided to split a cab with me. When it was over, I made $5 off the deal and got to the airport and my gate with about 20 minutes to spare.

I'm back and had a lot of fun. Now if someone could kindly explain this American Girl phenomenon. Every girl I saw was either carrying a bag (or doll) from American Girl or talking about going to American Girl.

I posted my trip pictures on Kodak Gallery. If you don't get an invitation to view them by Monday morning, send me a message with your e-mail address and I'll send an invitation out to you.