Yes, I am on the road again. This time back in Chicago. The client is the Chicago Board Options Exchange, which I am told is a pretty big deal. I am often humbled by the level of clients we have.

I love Chicago. It’s even better in the summer, as the beautiful people wear less clothing. Usually I am here in winter, and everyone is covered up. I can’t even enjoy the ones who don’t cover up, since going without a hat when it is 3F just because you don’t want to mess up your hair is stupid, and intelligence to me is the prime attractor. I can’t find you attractive if I think you’re fracking stupid.

Anyhoo – I am back at the Blackstone – my favorite place to stay in the city. They seem to love me too, since they gave me a great room with a lake view.

Even though it is a grand ol’ hotel, it is part of the Marriott chain, so I get my usual Marriott love. This morning I woke, showered, dressed, opened the window and looked out over the lake. It appeared to have the beginnings of a nice day, and I went upstairs to get breakfast.

As I was eating I thought I heard thunder, but figured it must be a sound effect as part of the ambient music they were playing. So imagine my surprise when I returned to my room to see a tsunami outside. I couldn’t see across the street, the rain was heavy and blowing sideways, and there was thunder and lightning every five seconds. I thought NC weather was fickle.

Usually I like storms, but I was due at the CBOE in 30 minutes and had planned to walk it. Plus, I didn’t have much in the way of cash, so I really couldn’t take a cab.

A quick look online showed me that there were a number of BofA ATMs close by, but nothing right next door, so I called the front desk and was told there was an generic ATM right next to the Starbucks in the basement. By the time I got there the rain had subsided enough for me to risk it with an umbrella (plus the cab line was huge).

Getting into the CBOE was another matter. I had to fill out forms, pass a background check, get my picture taken and surrender my fingerprints. The latter were necessary since they use both an access card and biometric authentication to get in.

Once in, the client was a lot of fun. It should be a good week. I come up to Chicago at least once a year to work with The Northern Trust and my friend Demetri, and as a bonus they’ve moved offices off of Canal to two blocks away from the CBOE. We were supposed to meet for drinks after work, but his Metra train got cancelled today due to high winds and he worked from home.