She was shopping, of course!

So get this. There was a tornado warning for downtown Chicago. To say that this is a rare occurance is an understatement - it happens as frequently as the Cubs have won the World Series. There was a reporter on news radio 78, not a block from our perch on the 13th floor, telling people to take cover. Scary shit.

And I would have been a lot more scared had I actually been in the office today.

I took today off, before things get too nuts. I got a massage, and then mom played hooky with me and we went shopping at Woodfield. Wheeeee. There we were, innocently shopping. I bought an absolutely gorgeous satin trench coat at Bebe (I saw it in a magazine and was instantly smitten. More on this later.)and a whole bag full of stuff at H&M (bless those crazy Swedes and their awesome discount clothing emporium!). The only sign that there was anything amiss was that the power in the store went out partially while I was at the cash register. No one seemed too concerned about it though, so we didn't think anything of it. Then we tried to leave.

We were headed towards Sears (where we'd parked). When we approached, we noticed someone standing guard at the store and turning people back into the mall. She said her manager told them there was some kind of weather thing and that they weren't letting people into the store any more until it was clear. Which was funny that they didn't think we actually wanted to do something crazy like shop in their store, they knew we just wanted to pass through. And use the bathroom. They were right, as it happened, but you'd think they would try to get people in. At least to buy some umbrellas and rain gear. Is this not America? Do we not have the right to go running straight into a raging thunderstorm if we so wish? Strangely enough, we so wished. We went back into the mall, went to another exit (AHA. Didn't think of that, Sears, didja?) and looked out at the rain coming down in sheets. We decided (foolishly?) to risk it. Out we ran, got to the car and turned on the radio just in time to hear the above mentioned tornado warning.

Sidebar: There was a lady standing outside sears who said "So, I'm like from California. What's a tornado warning?" And we were like, "You know Dorothy? And the thing that looks like a cyclone? You aren't in Kansas any more, lady!" actually we didn't. But to clairify, a Tornado Watch is just when conditions are ideal for a tornado to appear. A Tornado Warning is when one has actually been a sighting - hold onto your butts, grab the cats and take cover! The warning was expiring as we drove back. The journey home was slowed by downed branches and traffic lights that had no power. But the worst of it had passed.

Back home now, and I am pleased to report there was not a lot of damage in the MG where I live. There is a big tree in the yard next to us that is thankfully still upright. We heard that there were winds of 80 mph. Crazy.