Summa Time

Hey yo,
It's that time of year again, when the coolness of winter/spring gives way to the heat & humidity of summer. One more note on vacations: It's really nice to be able to actually get away for a week, to go (drive or fly, doesn't matter) somewhere you've never been, or some favorite place. That's why Florida was such a big deal for me. I hadn't even flown since '04, when I flew to Ireland for my bro's wedding. Having said that, it's good just to be away from that friggin' place for a week, even if you don't go anywhere or do anything. This year was the first time I got three weeks vacation, so I'm able to spread things out a bit. The next one, coming up in a couple weeks, we're just going to stay around Chicago I think. We might go downtown for the Taste of Chicago, but it's always so damn crowded. Haven't been in years, though.
Summer is always a time when you worry about two things: thunderstorms and street people.
Don't get me wrong, driving in a thunderstorm is ten times more preferable than a blizzard, but it still kinda sucks, not to mention delivering in a downpour, that's the absolute worst! I always make sure I have a change of clothes handy, and plenty of towels, because I've been literally soaked to the skin before.
Street people come out when the weather gets warmer, that's just a fact of life. And, if you think it's only in the large cities, think again. Most of my encounters have come either in suburban areas, or in towns not far from Chicago (Rockford, Madison, etc). See my older post on "Night People" for examples. Yeah, I got propositioned by a hooker about 10 days ago. I was just about to start my delivery, when, seemingly out of nowhere, she comes shuffling down the sidewalk. I was flabbergasted when she suggested what she did, but not entirely surprised. In fact, I actually thought about it for a second. But, with my luck she'd either have been a cop, or had some horrible STD. Besides that, I only had about $20 on me. I dunno if you can even get anything for that these days. Still, it made me feel, in a strange way, wanted, ya know?
So, it's that time of year: BBQ's ,baseball games, amusement parks, fun stuff. The work is the pain in the ass (as usual).

More soon,


Steve