Am missing the Windy City (and longing for some real hint of autumn in this seemingly eternal summer), so this corny little checklist cheered me up.
You live (or have lived) in Chicago if:
- Someone at a Home Depot store has volunteered to help you and they don't even work there
- You've worn shorts and a parka at the same time
- You've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number
- "Vacation" means going anywhere south of I-80 for the weekend,
- You measure distance in hours
- You have switched from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day and back again
- You can drive 75 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching
- You carry jumpers in your car and your wife knows how to use them [OK so this was devised by a sexist, but I confess that I haven't used them yet]
- You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit
- The speed limit on the highway is 55 mph -- you're going 80 and everybody is passing you
- Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow
- You know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter and road construction
- You have more miles on your snow blower than your car
- You find 10 degrees "a little chilly"... Surprising news came last year that Reed has moved the big Interphex pharma industry conference and exposition from New York City to the City of Rocky Balboa. (We heard there were complaints about customer service in New York). But Philly just came in as "least attractive city" in a survey of favorite U.S. travel destinations. (Washington, D.C. was also near the bottom of the list). Chicago and New York scored higher, with Chi. losing points for its weather, and NYC for its costs. ISPE's annual meeting early next month will be in Las Vegas, and I confess I've never been...should be quite an experience. Will be interviewing ISPE's certified industry professionals as well as Wyeth's president Charles Portwood. Stay tuned. AMS
