Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Early Morning Cuppa...

I woke up this morning at 4:50 a.m. (as I usually do my first morning in Chicago), and I heard Jo Mama (the mom-in-law) flush the toilet. Since I felt like I didn't need more sleep, I got up, sat down with Jo Mama, drank a couple of cups of coffee, and we watched the morning news.

Why is there a local Chicago newscast at 5:00 a.m.? Just wondering...

Since Jo leaves for the senior center at 6:30 a.m., I asked her if she would drop me off at the Dunkin' Donuts in town so that I could get a buttermilk donut (HEAVEN!) and big-ass cup of coffee (best damn coffee in the world!) with cream and one Sweet 'N Low. Then, I figured I'd just walk to my sister's house which is about a mile away.

"What??? Are you crazy???" Jo asked. "You can't walk there...IT'S TOO FAR!!!" I assured her that it was only about a mile, and that it would only take me about fifteen minutes.

Jo Mama: "No! You can't do it!"

TBF: "Why not?"

Jo Mama: "You...you just...CAN'T!"

TBF: "I can, and I will. Thanks for the ride."

She was still in mid-sentence when I shut the car door, so I'm not really sure what she said. I just walked into Dunk and didn't look back. A couple of minutes later, after wolfing down my buttermilk donut, I was walking down the street to my sister's house.

I was surprised to find that there were sidewalks down the main street all the way to my sister's subdivision. But apparently I wasn't as surprised about the sidewalks as the commuters were to see a man walking down the street at 6:40 a.m. with a big-ass Dunkin' Donuts coffee. At 6:55 a.m. I walked up my sister's driveway. It had taken about fifteen minutes, and I'm estimating that it was about a mile.

See, Jo? I told you!

And thus endeth my Chicagoland walking for this trip. I'll pick up my rental car at noon today.

A fifteen minute mile is pretty good...isn't it?

7 comments:

CanadianSwiss said...

It's funny. A lot more people walk in Canada - well, at least it seems to me. Did you have a different impression while you were in Sudbury?

The Big Finn said...

CS - Not at all. If anything, the people in Sudbury seemed fatter and more out of shape than the people here in the posh N.W. Chicago suburbs.

Michael Lehet said...

The news is on so early because it takes people so long to get to work in the morning they have to leave at 5:00 am!

There's a Double D across the street and you HAD to remind me of those damn Buttermilk donuts didn't you.....damn you TBF!

Dixie said...

This cracked me up so much that I had to link to it on my blog.

The Sour Kraut said...

Yup, that's what I do...three miles in 45 minutes and I walk at a pretty good clip. Of course, I have to stop occassionally to let Scout spin in 50 circles before taking the hugest dump you've ever seen. Might as well have gotten a Great Dane.

Anonymous said...

HOWDYYY!!!!!!!! my mile time is like 13 minutes... (:P

The Big Finn said...

fiona - I'm wondering who would win a race between you and your mom right now. My money's on you!