Chicago, USA.

They say that the truth is stranger than fiction.

It's not everyday that you can honestly say that you "tripped over a drunken foreign midget" last night. But it happens.

I really didn't see her behind me.

Perhaps she was trying to hide.

Perhaps she was trying to bite my knees.

Perhaps she was hoping for a massive insurance company payout.

Or perhaps she was just a really sweet little person minding her own business.

Either way. She hit the ground like a really small bag of potatoes.

Then, she couldn't get up. Like honestly, could not walk.

There comes a point where all you can do is look at your friends and try to get a read on the situation. Get some guidance on how to deal with what's going on. All I could see was wide open mouths. Sunglasses falling off of noses in disbelief.

I felt like I had killed an Oompa Loompa.

Suddenly, from the sidewalk... a frazzle of activity. Our little friend gets up... starts mumbling in drunken Spanish... screams out "Happy New Year!" and waddles away to get another drink.

I was done for the night.

Santa Monica, USA.

I love hotel people.

They are always smiling and always nice and always trained to make you feel like you are the most extra special person in the whole wide world.

They look interested in your rambling mumbo jumbo.

They care about how you feel.

They want you to have the bestest day of all time every single day in every single way.

They are deeply concerned about the weather.

They are deeply concerned about your towel and pillow preference.

Anything you say is treated as if it is the word of the prophet.

Walking through doors is like parting the red sea of door-holders and valet servants.

"Would you anything else Sir?"

"Uh huh."

Chicago, USA.

Mirrors just reflect the simple surface image.

They show you exactly what you want to see.

Chicago, USA.

I can't get the song "Night Birds" by Ryan Adams out of my head.

It's haunting. A tender ballad that explodes in a cachephony of reverb as the final verse rings out. A song where you can really feel the emotion. I think that it's his best work.

Meanwhile, we find ourselves in the midst of Chicago, a temporary beachside resort.

Days full of bike rides down the lakeshore and baseball games in the sunshine. Nights where the ceiling is punctuated by hundreds of LED lights, washing the lounge in synchronized style.

Summer is ready when you are.