Last night in Chicago

I meant to make this a much more substantial posting, and I will make a much more substantial posting once I make it to London, but right now I'm busy packing.

I just want to say that tonight is my last night in Chicago for awhile (and while I don't know if this is truly my last night here, the heavy probability is that it is) and though there were tremendous ups and downs in my time here, and though I have always had a love and hate for this city, and while 2008 in particular was incredibly difficult for me personally, I can honestly say my time here has been beautiful. The memories and personal growth and relationships that I have found here in the Midwest are more than I could have imagined when I moved here in June 2005 and are substantially greater than I ever give this city credit for.

I have a series of photos on my wall for every city I consider a home - Orange County, Tokyo, Philadelphia - and Chicago will be added to that line-up in my new "flat" in London. While I probably grew up more as a person in Philadelphia because I was there for college, I can say without exaggeration or embarrassment that when I moved to Chicago, I was a kid, and now that I'm leaving I'm much closer to being an actual adult. The majority of my 20s were carved out of the frozen winters and baked in the stifling summers of Lake Michigan and the greater Midwest. For that reason, Chicago will always be one of my homes.

Put your C's up in the air.