Last week’s polar vortex wasn’t the first one we’ve dealt with in Chicago. We survived one in 2014, though it wasn’t as cold as the one that blew through last week. I remember having to walk in the extreme cold to the train, wait for said train and then walk from the train to the office because the firm I worked for at the time didn’t think the cold was dangerous enough to warrant closing the office.
This year my firm took pity on its employees and ordered us to work from home on both Wednesday and Thursday. Though this polar vortex was colder and more dangerous, it didn’t seem as bad. Probably because I didn’t have to go outside this time. Plus I got to sleep in because my commute was all of 30 seconds (my bed to my couch) and I never got out of my pajamas. As an added bonus I actually got to snap a couple of pictures using natural light since I wasn’t stuck in a windowless office.
Anything Goes: Rose was mesmerized by the falling snow.
Food: Roasted vegetables.
Indoors: My windows face the east so I was able to get a cool shot of the light coming in through my bedroom windows.
Personal: More books. I absolutely love true crime. I’ve read countless books on crime and the criminal justice system. My phone is full of podcasts like My Favorite Murder, Stranglers, Serial, and Dirty John. You’ll see shows like Homicide Hunter, Forensic Files, and Making of a Murderer in my Netflix queue. I’m fairly certain that I’m the only person who actually wants to be called for jury duty and is frustrated that I’ve never been called.
Instead of a picture of the cats, I thought I’d switch it up this week and post a picture of my friends’ adorable dog, Hazel. She’s the absolute sweetest.
Portrait: My friends, Maria and Rhiannon, and their dog Hazel. Does this picture seem out of focus or is just me?
Urban landscape: A favorite brunch spot in my neighborhood. It’s hilarious to us that it’s a pancake house and a bar, but the pancakes are really good.
There were a couple of interesting articles about the polar vortex in Chicago. We had what they were calling frost quakes, which I hadn’t experienced before. You can read about them here. I never felt any rumbling, but I did hear the loud booms. I have to wonder if the frost quakes will have any effect on our roads come spring.
The CTA also set the train tracks on fire to keep switching mechanisms from freezing. If only this would also solve the rest of the mechanical problems that the CTA faces daily.