Chicago review and weekend recap

Ok, so the Auburn football post was a little self-indulgent. I mean, how dare I use my own blog to vent or demonstrate my wide array of interests and analytical skills when I have an audience to think about. My apologies to all 3 of you.

Now, let's see. My Chicago adventure began when my only friend in Chicago, Marcel the Cab Driver, picked me up from my hotel at about 5:30 p.m. to spirit me away to the downtown wonderland. I had to take cabs everywhere, so I just kept calling Marcel because he was so nice and I learned so much from him.

A few fun facts Marcel taught me during our travels:

1) He is from Cameroon, Africa.

2) Cameroon is a republic, even though many countries in Africa are dictatorships. It is 75% Christian, and the other 25% of the population are mostly Muslim.

3) There are more than 250 languages spoken in Cameroon, mostly tribal languages, although the primary languages are French and English. It is pretty hot there, and Marcel has trouble with the cold weather in Chicago during the winter.

4) Marcel speaks four languages! French, English, his mother's tribal language, and his father's tribal language. If Marcel wants to converse with a fellow Cameroonian, his best shot is French or English, because they will probably not speak the same tribal language.

5) Marcel feels that everyone in the world should speak English. Interesting.

6) He thinks Auburn is Harvard. I didn't correct him.

I also didn't fact-check Marcel, ok, so if you find out any of the above is incorrect, sorry to have misinformed you about Cameroon.

Anyway, Marcel dropped me off at the Navy Pier. He thought this was the safest place for me to hang, as an unaccompanied female, and I must say I appreciated that. The Navy Pier has restaurants, shopping, a ferris wheel, and swings (!!!), which gave me a great view of the skyline.

I ventured into town a little bit but retreated back to the Navy Pier when the crowds started to die down and called Marcel to come get me. He took me on a little tour of the parts of the city I didn't get to see, then took me home. He charged me a flat rate both ways, so no, it didn't cost me extra. That is the first thing people ask me when I tell this story, as though my friend Marcel would rip me off. Whatev.

When I got back to town, I realized quickly that Tallahassee had deteriorated into a gas crisis. People were panicking for no reason and filling up their tanks. I had a half-tank so I stayed above the fray, but still, 80% of the gas in Tallahassee is gone. People. There better be some gas on Friday when I head to Pensacola or I'm really going to be pissed off at the stupidity.

The highlight of my weekend was when my friend Mary came to town! We went to happy hour, then to the American Legion hall with some friends to hear a band. We danced with old guys. Well, I did. Mary got shot down. We're pretty sure that old guy was just intimidated by her radiant beauty. Awww.

So that's it - sorry it wasn't Adventures in Babysitting or Ferris Bueller. The museums were closed and I didn't sing at a Blues Club while fleeing bad guys. Maybe next time.