Thursday

This is coming to you from the METRA train heading back to the western suburb of Lombard where I left my car this AM. Finding the Lombard station wasn't all that easy this morning. Getting a parking spot. Buying a ticket. Catching the train. Finding the CPA location downtown. Lotsa stresses.

The train cars are all double-decker's, and well-utilized. I've had seats each way...some standing passengers on this outbound ride. The round-trip fare Lombard-Chicago-Lombard was $9.50. Parking was only $1.25. So not having to drive on the expressways or find (and pay for) parking downtown were big pluses. But still. If I'm going to go to "live" courses, they need to either be in Davenport/Moline or be a 3-day conference at a resort location. Investing this much time in an 8-hour program in the Loop is nuts.

I did get through the NYT crossword during the class. The last couple of Thursday puzzles that I've done have had "tricks" that I never quite got. Keep in mind that the Thursday puzzle is almost always a trick puzzle. Today's trick wasn't awful, and once it fell out in one set of clues, the five other combinations were relatively easy. The Chicago Tribune puzzle also was done, but it really isn't that difficult. But I didn't attempt the Sun Times pattern-less puzzle because I just didn't want to think that hard!! Maybe next week in NYC with 3 and 4.

I'll be wrapping this up in just a few. We're almost to my stop. If I get to Maplecrest in decent time, I may jump back on to complete the story on this trip to the Big City.

Most of the people on the train are working on an electronic device. Do they run WiFi on the train? Almost no newspapers. Little talking. Is there a Club Car up there somewhere? I do remember getting beers on the way home a few times in the old life.

Of course, there's my favorite stories about trains between South Bend and Chicago. Fun times then.

All for now.

BCOT


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