Zing!
I arrived to Chicago, met up with my old Middle School friend Sami, went to his apartment, and was knocked over by his outrageously complete video game collection. A collection I would surely have myself if the internet hadn't taken over that part of my life in 1999. I spent the first night talking about old times and playing old video games. I liked it. I regained my title as the Super Smash Brothers Hardcore Champion.

The next day I took a little driving tour of Chicago with Sami and his friend. We spent the afternoon in Chinatown, which was on my to-do list.

Then I started Improv class the next morning and was excited and surprised at the variety of people there. People who've never performed improv in there entire life and people who have done it all were all sitting in the Del Close theatre waiting to get broken down into sections. I'm in section 3, and my class has some very raw rookies, some very hardcore know what they're doing types, and mostly in the middle people. Everyone is nice, we hang out together a lot before and after class, and yeah. Yeah.

I was way pleased to find out that as IO students we get free admission to shows, as I was planning on spending most of my money on shows. I watched at least 2 shows every night of the week this week, save Wednesday and Saturday. I saw the Armando Diaz Experience, Play, Baby Wants Candy, Mother Russia, Whirled News, and a slew of student Harold teams. Very fun stuff.

Factoid- I haven't had a drop of alcohol since I've been here. No money for that.

On Thursday I did the open mic but I already talked about that. Friday I walked almost the entire length of Lincoln Park. It was long.

Every night after shows, people are like "let's do this or that or this" and I always decline so I can retreat to my chosen sofa for the evening. It doesn't bother me, it allows me to not spend money, to get more sleep so I can be more attentive in class, and doesn't tick off my sofa's owner. Last Friday, however, I said, "Eh, Fuck it" and I went to this Hookah lounge with a lot of IO people. It got real late real fast and I decided that there was no way I was going to walk into someone's place at 4 in the morning. After nobody I was with acknowledged my need for a place to crash, I had to think fast. (It was funny, people have been offering me places to crash all week, but nothing on this particular night, a night when it would have helped) I walked past Wrigley Field and there was a line forming next to the box office. Some people had sleeping bags and were sleeping. They weren't bums. I decided to become a hardcore Cubs fan and wait in line too. I slept for about 2 hours and sunshine woke me up around 6ish. I wandered the street looking for something to eat but nothing was open. I was surprisingly very awake. I spent the entire day walking around downtown, went to the Field Musuem and Sears Tower, hung out by Buckingham fountain, fell asleep on the beach, got crazy burned, then read a book in my little nook across from Wrigley Field and next to IO during the Cubs game.

I've also been to Millenium Park like, everyday. There is so much shit to do in this city, shit.