Chicago Used to be My Kind of Town

I psyched myself up so much to come to Chicago this week on my last business trip of the year. First of all, leaving sunny L.A. to come to Chicago is not a lovely prospect but, because I really do like Chicago as a city (my 3rd favorite in the U.S.), I've mapped out places where I can take cool pix, made a list of restaurants I wanted to visit, and got my sensible, cold-weather clothes prep'd.

So after all that preparation, I was really pumped out about visiting the Windy City in December. Unfortunately, I don't think the City is that excited about my visit this time around. After sitting at the Orange County airport for a few hours because my flight was delayed (due to bad weather in Oklahoma), I managed to finally land in O'Hare at 11:00 PM on Sunday night. I had to get room service when I got to the hotel because I hate eating on the plane and I was starving. Oh boy - was that a mistake?!

At 2:00 AM, I was gripped by major stomach cramps. I finally had to run to the bathroom to pre-empt any up-chucking that might happen. With cold sweat breaking out all over my body, I got myself as comfortable as possible in the bathtub whilst worrying about how I'm going to look for my 8:30 AM training.

That was the least of my worries. By the morning time, I had a full on fever coupled with my GI problems. Needless to say, I've been stuck in my room since I got here. The training is in the same hotel where I'm staying so the only time I venture out is for class. Even lunch breaks are spent in the comfort of the cold tiles. I'm really worried that, if I'm contagious, I might get other people sick. I've been obsessively washing my hands and rubbing sanitizer every chance I get that my cuticles are cracked and bleeding.

To top it all off, I've gotten my monthly intruder, completely off schedule so I was caught totally off guard. And, I still have to take a certification test tomorrow. Aaarrrggghh!!!! Believe me, if I end up missing my flight tomorrow night, I will cry my eyes out. Now, I'm not a crying kind of girl but I don't think I can take anymore.

Chicago, Chicago - why hast though forsaken me?