Preface: I have lost touch with descriptive and evocative writing. Time-constrained journal entries have been reduced to short-handed summaries. My academic writing has been the victim of many “too flowery” allegations. And scientific literature has colonized my brain in a way I am not proud of.

As such, these notable hours are my first step in “rehabing” my overly-academic brain by skewing in the opposite direction. I’m thinking of this as a sort-of writing exercise x journal entry that will also serve as secondary storage of a lovely memory. I hope you may feel a fraction of the joy I felt in these experiences through my writing.

Disclaimer: The events in this accounting exceeded 1 hour.

From the ninth floor of Kai’s apartment building, the sunset is almost fictitious. Beams of Crayola “Red-orange” pierce through the clouds as though it were done by Zeus himself. On the sidewalk, the sunset takes life on Elks National Memorial, somewhat like the work of a type-A fifth grader with concerningly good shading skills.

We walk slowly towards Lake Michigan, a task which sounds like a journey—a quest, at the very least—but was merely a stroll. We walk slow to enjoy the company and conversation, but more so to accommodate Sam’s pace. We cut him some slack because he ordered a big cheesesteak at lunch.

To get down to the water, Aakash carries Sam down the rocks by the armpits. It was a really big cheesesteak.

We sit for a while as specks of light from the Chicago skyline peek through Sam’s designated twirling curl. He hasn’t twirled it once today.

High tide makes for wet shoes and wet shoes bring us back to Kai’s.

No mind is paid to the dampness as a quick tour of the roof turns into the most lovely dance intermission. Classically trained through the School of Pubnite, Rose and Kai ooze cool with every flick of the hips. Sam throws in a few signature ‘steering wheel’ and ‘downpour’ moves that simply cannot be denied. They do recommend getting the blood moving after a big cheesesteak.

Heading back down to catch some grub, Aakash again carries Sam down the stairs. I don’t think Sam will be having another cheesesteak anytime soon.

(Around sunset on 10/14/2024)