Return to the Past

So I'm sitting in the Information Commons at Loyola University Chicago about 2 years and 16 days after graduation, and one major thought dominates my mind: Those were the best 4 years of my life so far, how do I get back to that? I've been here for 5 days and I'm not ready to leave, but tomorrow I have to be on that 6:00 bus back to real life.  It's not so much the easy life that I miss, although I can't argue that that isn't a small factor, but life in Chicago as a student is fantastic. I personally love learning, having intellectual debates, staying up till 3 AM working on projects or just hanging with friends. Can't forget about those student discounts! And then there is the city: endless nightlife, festivals, farmers markets, parks, sports, theatre, people from all walks of life. This city is just full of so much life, and it's possible to experience something entirely new every single day. I barely scraped the surface in my mere 4 years, but there are a lifetime of discoveries to be had. The same can be said for the world of course, but I'm not in the mental state for that broad of a conversation right now.

Walking through my old campus and visiting old college friends has been a pleasant blast from the past. The majority of my central Loyola family has remained in Chicago which makes it quite convenient to visit them all at once. Some are happy to still be here while others are ready to move on, so perhaps I'd be singing a different tune if I had stayed as well (we'll never know). While some things have remained the same, a lot is very different. Of course all of my favorite BORDERS locations have been reduced to abandoned buildings that still contain the old signs and posters like a linger ghost of the once prominent bookstore. A few other stores and cafes that I used to love didn't survive the recession, and my old campus has expanded. So many sections of Loyola are under construction and the theatre that I essentially "grew up" in through my college years has been retired. I managed to sneak inside and visit the old theatre to say my goodbyes and got filled in on the new changes by an old professor. The campus is still as beautiful as ever, and I feel grateful that I got to be a part of such a great university. Thankfully Belmont, Evanston, and Andersonville are pretty much the same, so that was a relief. One of my best friends, Meredith, and I went to Hamburger Mary's (technically Mary's Attic) for Mary-oke and sang "A Whole New World" from Aladdin. It was so much fun! We stumbled upon a music and beer festival in Belmont which was pretty awesome. There was a Wheezer tribute band playing (http://www.weezertribute.com/) called Our Name is Jonas, and they were really good! I don't know if they sensed my desire to hear "Surf Wax America", but that ended up being their closing set song. It was perfect! Mer and I also had some beach fun, excellent brunch at Uncommon Ground (which has the Nations first organic roof top garden for all of it's veggies and fruits!), and a photo extravaganza at Millennium Park! Plus, I was reunited with an old friend I haven't seen in 7 years!

So life is good, but New York is still waiting for me around the corner. I love Chicago and my friends here, but I know I need to continue moving forward. Who knows, perhaps life will bring me back this way for more than just a visit.  I have about 27 hours left in the city, and God alone knows when I will return. So I plan on making the most of it! Currently I'm working on an old film project, and it feels so good to be working on what I love again. We'll see what happens next!