Setting records

Everyone likes to set a personal record every once in a while.

That's pretty normal, right? For some, it's beating their 5-mile-run record. For others, it might be slugging down 20 hot dogs in 2 minutes.

Sometimes, we set new records when we're not expecting it. For instance, I hadn't been in the Chicago office in awhile because I'd been out of town. So, on Wednesday I decided I'd head to the office.

Even though we only live about 45 minutes to 1 hour from the city, the commute is generally 2 hours because I take the train. On the days that Liz is in pre-school, I drive to a farther train station that's about 30 miles away.

Normally, I get to that station in about 45 minutes. On Wednesday, we got a smattering of snow. Just a bit. But it was enough to make a horrible mess on the highways. My first part of the drive to the train was fine, so I forged ahead. However, it only got worse from there.

It actually took me 2 hours and 15 minutes -- -- just to get to the train station. I was happy because I arrived at 8:12 a.m. - I thought the last rush hour train was departing at 8:15 a.m. and I was just going to catch it. However, since I normally take a 6:46 a.m. or 7:03 a.m. train, I had gotten the time of the later train mixed up. It was actually an 8:10 a.m. and was rolling out as I was driving home.

So, I headed back home rather than waiting for the next train at 9:40 a.m. Needless to say, that's my new personal record for the amount of time it took me - to get to the train station.

Last weekend, my nephew Stephen, who is a junior at University of Chicago, was in the midst of trying to set a record of wearing the same pair of jeans for the longest consecutive time. He'd reached six weeks wearing that same pair of blue jeans through rainy, snowy and sleety Chicago weather...that is until my sister-in-law insisted on taking the pants and washing them at our house.

Even though he may not have set the record he had intended, it was a good effort and it was impressive to see a pair of jeans that dirty. I think they could have walked the streets of Chicago on their own.