Mmmmm...seared meat...

Saturday we drove up to Chicago to see our friend Gina as she was home alone (complete with bumbling burglars and booby traps). Traffic was great. We were even momentarily stunned when we got to I-80 north of Joliet (the Tacoma of Illinois for you Pac NWers) and there was no construction. I guess construction projects do get finished in Illinois. Of course, since I'm sure the mob was involved and used sub standard materials, they'll be fixing it within five years. Anyway

We got to Gina's around 3, toured her awesome apartment, got to see Cassie the dog again, and unwound from the drive. We then went to eat at Fogo de Chao http://www.fogodechao.com/locations/chicagoIL.htm where we gorged ourselves on all kinds of meat (that's what she said, YES!). If you have never been to a Brazilian Steak House I highly recommend it. Even our cab driver was an enthusiast, when he found out we were going there he speed up. So, after a really good Brazilian beer (Xingu) and bottle of wine (some German Gewurztraminer), we rolled out of the restaurant and picked up some more drinks from Binny's (excellent liquor store chain).

Then we got the world's most timid cab driver. Seriously, he was causing all kinds of problems because the other cars were dumbfounded that he wasn't rolling through stop signs, gunning his engine, blaring his horn, obeying traffic laws, etc... It is amazing how unsettling it is when you are in a cab and the guy drives like a grandma. Regardless, the guy didn't know how to get to Wrigleyville, much less, Michigan Avenue! And to top it off, he drove us in a circle. After about 5 minutes Gina yelled at the guy and we got out of the cab to find a different one.

Later on we watched Hancock. I thought the movie was good and it had some excellent special effects. I liked the idea of a reluctant and petulant super hero. Especially one that kinds of half-asses it. I can totally see them doing a sequel as it had to have made money on the World market.

Sunday's weather was lousy so instead of shopping at the Oak Brook mall Rachel and I just ate at the Cheesecake Factory and drove home in the snow and sleet. Sunday afternoon my perpetual sinus infection decided to morph into a full blown infection and knocked me down Monday and Tuesday. Thanks go out to my friend who purchased antibiotics in Mexico for me, right on time.

Oh, and we came home to 5 inches of snow. Yes, we live in the Midwest and yes, it was supposed to snow Sunday night. However, the forecast was for 1-2 inches and we got it a day early. Mmmmm....Central Illinois.