I’m in Chicago now. The Southwest flight from Raleigh was smooth and easy, with only about 35 passengers total. I had an easy time getting downtown, though next time I’ll take a cab from the airport: parking costs an arm and a leg downtown. With all the travel I’ve put in to NYC I should’ve anticipated that.

It isn’t as cold as I expected, though I’ve been holed up in the hotel for a while. My appointment is in a few hours, so I have a little time to myself. I should have plenty of time afterwards for a look around town, though this place is so huge I’m not sure where to start.

On a different note, I had a terrible night of sleep. I felt I couldn’t breathe clearly, like I was back to where I started before my first ENT visit. I’m inching closer and closer to scheduling that surgery to get this licked once and for all.

I’m off to Chicago tonight for a few days of work. Forecast for Chicago is “Butt-Ass Cold:” high of 30 degrees and a gentle 10-15 MPH breeze. It should make the recent weather in Raleigh look positively balmy.

I’m reading Double Cross right now, a biography of mobster Sam Giancana. It should put Chicago into proper perspective for me.

Hard to believe I have to wait another 364 days for my birthday. In fact, the Birthday Flag won’t fly at Casa MT.Net again until June. It was fun weekend, though, and we made the most of it.

Friday night my parents came over to kid-sit Hallie and Travis while Kelly and I went out for a rare dinner together. We enjoyed our meal at Caffe Luna before wandering over to the Pour House for a few games of pool. After we split 4 games (Kelly claims I beat myself, but she is better than she admits), we headed to Five Points to the Hayes-Barton Pharmacy for a slice of apple pie and coffee. Then it was a quick walk around the neighborhood before heading back home.

Saturday morning we were awakened by T calling for his “D-Daddy” (my dad) and Hallie gleefully climbing onto our bed. We went to the train store and got some new parts for our train. Then it was the kids naptime so I read stories to Travis before heading out to meet Scott for the NCSU-Duke game. I got back after the kids were awake, at which time we had a challenging dinner with the kids. Fortunately things were smooth at bedtime, so it all ended well.

Kelly and I watched The Bourne Supremacy Saturday night. I gave up after 45 minutes of confusing plot, undeveloped characters, improbable events, and terrible camera work. How so many Netflix users could recommend this movie is beyond me.

Sunday morning began with Hallie charging into our bedroom wishing me a happy birthday, her blue eyes flashing. This was followed by opening presents and a birthday breakfast of pancakes and bacon, after which we played with the train for a while and got dressed for our skate. After lunch we headed over to the Factory Ice House and spent a few hours getting really sore!

I was amazed at how stiff I felt out there. The leg muscles used in skating are those I don’t normally use in walking. I felt pretty out of shape and decided I want to work on them some more. Whether through skating, lifting, or cycling, I need to do this. The kids loved skating in spite of their inexperience (but who am I to talk) and we want to get them more time on the ice.

I chatted with my birthday brother Allen, my brother Jeff, my parents, and Kelly’s parents. It was nice catching up with all of them.

After dinner, Kelly appeared with a birthday cake which was apparently hidden in the garage all night! In spite of its night in the garage it provided a tasty dessert to a delicious meal.

It was an enjoyable, relaxing birthday weekend. Thanks, everyone!

It’s my twin brother’s birthday, too. I hope Allen is enjoying his birthday as much as I am mine. Happy Birthday, Al!

Yesterday my buddy Scott took me along to the NCSU-Duke basketball game. It was fun to go even though Dook won.

Today we’re going to take the kids to the Factory Ice House in Wake Forest for their first taste of ice skating. It should be fun!

I spent time yesterday taking the kids to visit Tom’s Trains in Cary’s South Hills Mall. I’d taken out my old train set every now and then for the kids but it was in pretty bad shape from the 30 years its been in storage. The kids recently became obsessed with it so I brought it out of retirement.

Tom’s Trains is an amazing place for a model railroader. The kids played with the Thomas train set while I picked up some new supplies for our Lionel Southern Express train. Len, the “shop supervisor,” gave me tips on how to clean and lubricate the engine. I enjoyed taking it apart and working with the gears and motor. It now sounds and runs better than it has since it was new. The track is expanded, too, with a siding and switches added on which to park unused rolling stock.

Yeah, I enjoy playing with it, but not as much as watching the fun the kids have when they’re running it.

I should have known it was too good to last.

My wonderful nights of sleep seemed to have evaporated after four or five days. Whatever magic was in the pills seems to have battled its adversary and lost. I’m back to snoring and waking up not nearly as refreshed as before. Bummer.

I’m putting a call back in with my ENT today. Eventually I’ll probably get my sinuses fixed with FESS surgery but for now I wonder if a different antibiotic might put me back where I used to be. The doc also mentioned a tonsillectomy might improve my nighttime breathing.

In short, I’m back to square one after being thrilled beyond belief at how well I was sleeping. I’ve just got to figure out how to get back to where I was.

We had a nice surprise this morning with the snow. I was beginning to wonder when it would snow again since we hadn’t seen it lately.

It was the good kind of snow, too. The kind that melts on its own and lasts just long enough to torpedo the morning commute. There was no problem with the roads, actually, and had I absolutely had to I would have been fine driving the 18 miles into work. Being that I are a sales engineer, I can work from anywhere. So I did just that, spending the day in the home office. But not before I joined the family for some backyard sled rides and snowball fights!

It was funny hearing Travis sing “Jingle Bells” as he tromped around the yard, and Hallie had a blast tagging her mommy with snowballs.