Story of Random Happy Events, the First

I overslept today: somewhat intentionally, but not as long as should have been acceptable. That is, not only did I miss class (not a big deal), but I missed work (oops + dang). Oh well...Result: free day! Let me just say, it's easy to forget sometimes, what with how frequently we isolate ourselves within the sphere of the University, what a beautiful, diverse, and exciting city we live in. I LOVE this city!!! I went into a Subway (sandwich shop, not CTA station) and the guy who worked there asked me, "Are you from Canada?"
"No...why do you ask?"
[something about] "your face...They speak French there, don't they?"
"Yeah...some of them; not all..."
This guy was black, and had a very distinct accent, so I asked, "Where are you from?"
"Africa--Burkina Faso."
Oh, they speak French there!
"Je parle un peu..."
I learn he's been here six months, is studying marketing at a college in the area, and all his family is still in Africa. He says he doesn't miss them...(although I couldn't think how to say "to miss" in French and he didn't seem to know what it meant in English...)
Cool.
I walk down 55th, past some charming neighborhood stores and the typical fascinating architecture of Chicago, and reach Promontory Point: a lakefront park that juts into Lake Michigan to prime dramatic wave-crashing effect. To the North, there's an unobstructed view of the Chicago skyline. To the South, you can make out the billowing smokestacks of Gary, Indiana. And to the East, nothing but water and sky.
This excursion into the beauty of nature was oh-so-re-energizing after the icy wintry days we've been enduring here.
I find a nice sunny spot and pull out the practice juggling balls I inherited just a few days ago. I have to admit that although the location is inspiring, part of the appeal is the image it makes for an observer...
Yay for silly eccentric pastimes!
Eventually I relax on a bench to do a little Mill reading, but when the chill has permeated my bones sufficiently I peacefully walk home past the breathtakingly ornate Museum of Science & Industry that I had forgotten was so close.
Only upon reaching Breck do I realize I lost my I.D. somewhere in the day's wanderings. Somehow I am not even mildly distressed. :-)