How was my day? Thanks for asking! It started wonderfully with breakfast at a charming place in Bloomington, IN called:

Remember the poem about the Owl and the Pussycat? Well, their progeny have opened a café in Indiana. Who knew?? They serve colossal omelettes:

And grind their own coffee so no one needs to worry about them. They’re doing great and their decorating sense is quirky but beguiling. You can’t tell under the ginormous omelette, but my table is covered with burlap coffee sacks covered by a glass top, plus there are seating options outside on the back porch and the front patio for good weather. And when you’ve eaten as much of that omelette as you can handle (I ate it all but I’m a professional breakfast eater. I would recommend you pace yourself.), go next door and browse for hours at:

So many of my favorite words begin with B, but Books and Breakfast are the Best. I could have spent hours between those two places but as it was I spent too long and left too late and had too far to go, which left me very little time to do much besides drive.

What did the scenery look like? You read my mind! Here are a couple of shots. It started like this:

And moved into this:

Which is scenic in a very spare “I’ll use this for my production studio logo when I get into the movies” sort of way. But then it evolved into a lot of this:

For about 6 hours. Welcome to the Midwest in early spring before anything starts to grow.

I’d have liked to stop and partake of the Amish buffet or buy local honey or find out why people would buy dead flat screen TVs or ask if I’m the independent thinker needed by a local school board (so many fascinating signs along these highways) but I couldn’t because I had to get to Chicago and take a yoga class. Welcome back to my driving life.

I managed to make it into the Chicago in time for my yoga class, despite bumper to bumper traffic on Lake Shore Drive during which I checked my email and updated my facebook status. (My “smartphone” might get me killed during this trip. Just sayin’) I decided to do Bikram in Lincoln Park and loved both the studio and the teacher, Mike. He says they give discounts to actors/theater people, so check them out if you are in Chicago. They have a number of class times and locations in Wicker Park and the Loop so you have your pick of studios plus the facilities are beautiful. The class was HOT, hotter than anything I’ve experienced since Falls Church, VA, but awesome despite/because of that.

My yoga meditation of the day came from one of the first things Mike said during class: Listen like it’s your first class.

I love that because it’s so easy to go into Bikram (or anything) thinking you know what to expect and neglecting to pay attention to what actually happens.

Listen like it’s your first class. Pretend you don’t know anything. Listen like you want to learn, like you need to learn, like the class and the teacher have something to offer you. Listen to absorb. Listen to change. Listen.

I have 3 days here in my favorite Second City with some of my favorite people. I’ve already had a great time tonight with my friend T, drinking wine and talking about the changes we’re implementing in our lives. Apparently this is the year of transition. Did you know that? A girl at my yoga class said that and I think it’s true. If you have changes you want to make, deep life-changing alterations to your existence, this year is the time.

And now you know.

Tomorrow: Chicago stuff. I don’t know what, but you’ll love it. Promise.

See you then.