First of all, today would have been my brother's 56th birthday. Unfortunately, he died almost four years ago at age 52 of a sudden and massive heart attack. I still think of him every year on Halloween.
I had a SATERN meeting in Chicago part of yesterday and part of today. Left the house on Friday AM to drive up there, in the rain. In spite of precip, it went okay until I approached I-80 westbound. Suddenly, traffic in front of me came to a roaring halt. I had to brake quickly...then looked in the rear-view mirror to watch the traffic behind me take to the shoulder to avoid hitting me and others. Whew! Been there...
The rain got worse as I worked my way around the city on the I-294 tollway. Visibility was bad. I just stuck to my lanes and prayed a lot. Finally found my way to the Holiday Inn in Rolling Meadows. Saw a couple of people that I knew and tried to check in, but the room wasn't ready yet, so I went out to find lunch. That's when the monsoon REALLY hit. Figures.
I got a little wet going into the Old Country Buffet. Guess what I discovered? There are a whole bunch of "old people" (like me) who were eating alone. Pretty sad, really...
Our meeting was grueling. Most of the people in attendance had already been there all week for another function and so were already pooped. We ground out a lot of stuff in a number of hours, ate well, and retired as soon as we could. My bed in the motel was probably the MOST comfortable accommodation I have ever had in all my years of moteling...
The trip home was uneventful, if long. Got back just in time to set things up for the trick-or-treaters. Lit the pumpkins, raked the leaves off the sidewalk, put the candy near the door...and missed my grandchildren. This is the first year since their birth that I wasn't included in their Halloween "celebration". Sometimes, I just cry.
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