Chicago Symphony Orchestra and ceviche

Yesterday I flew into Chicago and was picked up by my Uncle Mark from the airport. Door to door from Sarasota is about 3.5 hours, which is pretty crazy since that's halfway across the nation. After flying in I decided to take a nap, for some reason I have a hard time sleeping on the nights before I fly; it must be an excitement for the trip or something. It's always been exciting for me to be on a plane; it means I'm either going somewhere new (or a place I've been to before and loved, such as Chicago) or I'm coming home. Both of those things I love.

When I was in Byron Bay in Australia, I had set up for a couple tickets to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra over Skype. First off, how amazing is technology that I can book tickets over the phone from Australia for a concert in Chicago? Man, I love living in today's world. It's especially conducive to keeping in touch when you're overseas as I found out from my trip. You can Skype with other people or call their cell phones from Skype which is only 2.3 cents a minute I believe to call someone in America; very affordable if you ask me.

The best part about the concert was that it was free. Almost not believing my eyes when I saw it on the website, I had to take a double look to make sure I wasn't wrong. I believe I've paid as much as $50 a ticket to see this orchestra before. Granted, it was only 4 instruments but they're still world class players so I was more than satisfied with the chamber quartet. It was located in a side hall; and I meant to show my date the main hall afterwards but simply forgot to. The main hall is of course more impressive but for being a side hall it wasn't too bad either and had really good acoustics. The musicians were all very talented and several times I found myself closing my eyes to heighten my sense of hearing. Soaking it all in, there might have been even a few moments of bliss last night. It certainly helped that I had a beautiful woman on my side.

This woman is one of the few women who is not afraid to get in my face about stuff, which I love. She even went so far as to tell me I had a strong personality. Can you believe that?! Of course, those of you who know me at all know she's absolutely right. She admitted to having a strong personality as well so it would be interesting to see who would win those battles. So far I think I'm ahead. haha She looked stunning last night and I was beaming for having a beautiful woman on my arm. I've often wanted a cultural buddy I've told people; someone to go to cultural events with and not have any pressure about who likes who and whether it's going to get serious or not. Last night was a taste of that, and I loved it. Although I have to admit if I did that too many times with this particular woman I'd probably fall head over heels in love with her. We had a simply marvelous time, at least I hope she did as well because I certainly enjoyed myself.

Afterwards, we went to a restaurant that served ceviche, or seviche as it was spelled there. I'm learning certain words in Spanish are spelled differently depending on what dialect you're using. It didn't take me long to decide what I wanted as I had specifically asked her to find a restaurant that served ceviche. I first had this dish in Lima, Peru a couple weeks ago and loved it. This one was good but I dare say there's just something about being in a different culture that makes the food taste better, provided you like the food to begin with. My date had sushi and said her's was tasty as well. In addition to ceviche, I had a side dish of asparagus with sesame seeds that was really good too.

Lately, I've been trying to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into my diet so it's going well so far. My main problem is sweets though. Whenever I'm in the presence of them I just chow down on them and go way overboard. I've been tracking my calorie count with my new I-phone and my main problem seems to be snacking. I do it way too much and consume way too many calories while doing it.

Anyways, back to the restaurant. When the food came, I of course chowed down like I always do. She responded by saying, "You must be hungry." To which I replied, "I always eat food too fast." I think it's because I almost see food as a function more than as an art. For this reason I need to take cues from the French about how to thoroughly enjoy a good cuisine. They, and other cultures too of course, will eat meals that last for hours. My date was great about not shoving food in her mouth and making conversation. Don't get me wrong, I love making conversation too, but for some reason I like to finish my meal first before that. It's probably because I have a hard time doing two things at once. That's definitely something I need to work on, putting my fork down every once in a while. My mom has witnessed this little act my whole life and to her credit tried to raise me better but ever since high school I have pretty much inhaled food. My date asked me what Kobe beef was and I explained to the best of my limited knowledge. All the time I was hoping she wouldn't order it because it was $22 an ounce with a 4 ounce minimum; that would have hurt the old budget quite a bit. Dinner was more expensive than I'm used to paying, but sometimes you need to go out somewhere nice and have a good time and blow the money. Especially if your date is worth it, which she was in this case. After finishing our meals, we just sat and talked for quite a while, until we felt like they were about to close the restaurant. All in all, a very enjoyable and pleasant evening, except the weather.

Yesterday I went from 85 degrees in Sarasota down to around 40 or 35 after the concert let out. That is way too cold for a Florida boy; I may have been raised in Illinois but my blood has long since thinned out. My friends and family always tease me about how much of a pansy I am in the cold but I just prefer heat to cold on about a 9 to 1 ratio. Good thing I live in Florida.