ION this hot chocolate is not as satisfying as I had hoped. It's hot, and it's chocolate, so I guess I can't complain, but it's not as thick and rich as I wanted.

The high today is supposed to be 1 (not counting wind chill).

It's not quite as bitterly cold here, but it is miserable to be outside for more than a couple of minutes.

I'm listening to my Janelle Monae station on Pandora and I actually did a little bit of work this morning. Now I'm playing the "how early is too early to leave the office?" game.

It's not quite as bitterly cold here, but it is miserable to be outside for more than a couple of minutes.

I was tempted to drive to work today, but if I drive too much my boss complains because he's paying for my monthly Metra pass (around $130) and he doesn't want to pay for it if I'm not using it much.

So I wore a t-shirt, thich dress shirt, sweater, jacket and fancy winter coat, which keeps me reasonably toasty during my 20-minute walk to the train station despite the weather.

Sunlight, sunlight, melting all the snow off the roads. And we'll be back to typical temperatures in a couple of days, with sunshine.

Which means we should have a temperature inversion that locks all the smog in the valleys within a couple of weeks.

My normal wool winter coat is fine for this weather, but I didn't check the temperature and left the house without boots and heavier scarf. When I go outside right now, my face immediately wants to know what fresh hell this is and how soon it can get out of the wind. Accessories fail.

Theo--non random question: Are Uber drivers allowed/supposed to contact former passengers with their contact information if unrequested?

I ask because reasons. Am just ignoring the text messages.

Oh, dear.

Whoa, that doesn't sound kosher.

I am pleasantly surprised by my lunch. I suspected veal roast with a tuna/anchovy sauce (made even though it is a "summer" meal because I never know what to do with veal and came across this recipe) would be Too Much but it's actually pretty yum.

ita -- so far as I know, that's non-kosher and given my knowledge of the software supposed to be impossible, since the Uber driver only gets a substitute phone number (the same the whole shift) that applies to each passenger only while the fare is active.

(IOW, I can program the same number into my own phone that ONLY works for each and every fare, while the trip is on -- from the page acceptance to the Finish Trip slider is triggered. So I never see the actual phone number, and the passenger doesn't get mine, either. The phone number the passenger sees, however, is good for an hour or two more after the ride ends, in case of lost possessions in the car.)

I hope you do get a more permanently satisfying job before too long, Theo, but meanwhile it is certainly interesting getting the benefit of your experiences with Uber and Instacart.