Moving, moving

This is it. The first phase of Chicago life is over. I have a second phase and that is great. But summer is almost over. I can't believe that I am moving yet again. Not once but twice. Once in Chicago and once from Minneapolis. It is heartbreaking.

Worrywart

She worries about the little things, the big things and the in-between things. Like the extra drops of milk on the counter, space travel and other forms of life in the universe, and her wish occasionally to have never been. You may laugh, but she knows it is what keeps the earth on its axis.

Endless

I found an old piece of writing from a long time back:

It is raining endlessly here. I am told it is raining endlessly in Delhi as well. It is so lovely, so soothing that it makes me happy. Everything is moving, in action. This isn’t a city that is stopping for the rains. It is moving, buzzing, reveling in them. People sit, stroll by, even dance at Worli Seaface and Marine Drive. 

It is what it is

House hunting is truly the worst. I spent 7 hours on buses and trains after a day that started at 5 am and at 5 houses and came home and had a complete breakdown. Things are looking up since then. It didn't help that I've had a couple of crazy early days and somehow timely breakfast has not been part of any of these.

Things

Public art seen downtown

Suddenly there is lots going on and I don't have any words anymore. I have to pause here and update. As I was typing, my pizza delivery arrived. It has been A DAY and I needed a pizza and a chocolate shake. I walked out only to see crime scene tape on our building, police officers and cars. It was 'an active crime scene' - someone got shot and something happened. Everyone, including the pizza delivery guy and my flatmate, was so casual. I'm in no danger, its just a first. Being in Chicago is interesting and a far more realistic slice of life in urban America than Minneapolis. Earlier in the evening, from the bus stop I could see firemen and police arrive and check on a seemingly unconscious man and ultimately load him into an ambulance. At this point, I've seen gambling on the L-train, cigarettes being sold and a bunch of other stuff. I no longer see them as random things. They are visible manifestation of urban poverty, often racially concentrated. These are results of a structural and violent system.

Bits and pieces

The final lap of the fellowship got a lot busier, with work, applying for jobs (endless and exhausting). Today was our last workshop-based session and it felt bittersweet.