Steamy windows

Its official - I'm running out of steam. I'm well into the second half of this trip now and all of a sudden I feel like the momentum that's been with me since the summer is finally starting to wane. Hence why this Friday night is to be spent cooking a pasta dinner, listening to music and watching more NBA on tv. There are multiple reasons for my current momentum-less malaise. Firstly I'm making a conscious effort to be frugal and the best way is always to avoid doing anything. The money situation began to worry me this week. I booked my flight to Brazil and bought the new camera on the same day (goodbye £1250) and with all the NY excesses, my voluptuous savings pot, suddenly felt a little more emaciated. The post-NY effect has also hit my health as well as my wallet. As I mentioned in a previous blog, the body told me to stop drinking and eat a bit better. I have consented to its wishes. Thirdly, its extremely cold here in Chicago - a factor which is undoubtedly dampening my appetite for outdoors exploration. From the moment I stepped off the evil Amtrak train, its been like living in a freezer. The air temperature has only hovered around freezing, but the wind is the work of the devil. It swoops in with venom from Lake Michigan, whipping and biting like a wintry cat'o'nine tails. Yesterday I wore thick gloves, woolly hat, 2 t-shirts, 2 jumpers and 2 coats and I still had to come home earlier than planned due to the onset of frostbite. Apparently this is nothing compared to how it gets in mid-winter, but even the locals seemed peeved at this viscious Arctic snap when the weather has been so mild of late. The final reason why I'm running out of metaphorical steam is that I've started thinking (and getting excited about) whats around the corner, namely xmas and new years at home in England, quickly followed by the big Brazilian adventure. There seems to be a lot happening back in England, especially in London and I feel a bit out of it. Its a strange feeling to know I'm here of my own volition and enjoying it immensely, but craving the life I left behind. I've contented myself with the realisation that one of the main reasons I'm doing what I'm doing is to freshen up my life and when I eventually get back to the London lifestyle (which I think is inevitable) everything will be just the same, but very different. So I can still look forward to Brazil with fervour, especially now I've booked my flight and we have 2 confirmed bookings for our Kabula Journeys trip. This is really exciting, but kind of scary as we suddenly realise this is serious business and we're gonna have to pull off this whole cultural tourism business for real. I can't wait!

Wow - I feel so much better already just for writing this blog. I highly recommend this blogging lark - you should all give it a go. Its seriously therapeutic. I'll leave you with another excellent form of therapy - laughter. Nice one soks...



So long, farewell, auf wiedersen, adieu.