Do what feels good

John's out of town, so I treated myself to a completely self-indulgent weekend.

Yesterday I did a 5-mile run along the lakefront. The wind was crazy strong-- a couple of times if felt like it was going to blow me off the path and into the water. I laughed out loud at the sheer joy of the sensation. The absolute beauty of this city never fails to amaze me, even though I've lived here for over 20 years. The physicality of limbs in motion, the pungent scent of sun-warmed leaves, the majesty of our skyline and the sparkle of the lake elevated me. I love to run. I love everything about it. I felt like I could've gone many more miles.

Today I spent a few hours at The Art Institute. A friend of mine says that his religion is baseball; mine is art. In the movie "The Cutting Edge," there's a scene where the main character talks about the significance of the smell of the ice in a hockey rink. It's the same for me at AIC-- it's the smell of comfort and well-being. I know this building like the back of my hand and I ritualistically see certain favorite pieces every time I go. Appropriate music on my iPhone accompanied my homage-- Radio Nowhere (Springsteen) and Higher (Creed) for my absolute favorites-- Ivan Albright's work in gallery 262 (see http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/93798). Then, Dreams on Fire (Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack) for the apsaras and God Ganesha, Remover of Obstacles in Indian art. Today I also stopped by the Caravaggio exhibition. My first sight of The Supper at Emmaus made me gasp out loud at the perfection of it. A delicious salad and pinot grigio finished the visit. I always leave AIC better than when I walked in.