...I learned from listening to Chicago songs. Really. Ok, maybe not everything, but quite a bit of things. And here's some of the things that I have learned...

I've learned that sometimes those sleepless nights that turn into all-nighters trying to accomplish something really do pay off. ('25 or 6 to 4', which no, isn't about an acid trip but about Robert Lamm sitting up all night trying to write a song)

Sometimes it's a good idea to just go play outside in the park, because you never know what you're going to experience. (Thank you 'Saturday in the Park')

Sometimes you just have to kick off your shoes and have a little fun when you go out. Every person that you meet when you go out doesn't have to turn into a relationship that lasts. ('It's Alright'... really it is.)

Sometimes when you get what you want, it's more trouble than it's worth and what you left behind is what you really miss the most. And it's good to go back home. ('Take Me Back to Chicago'... because hustlin's not my style...)

Even if you don't want to dance, sometimes you just will if the music is right. (Thank you, thank you, thank you for producing 'Mongonucleosis'. No words, lovely percussion and brass, really makes you want to shake it...)

That no matter how much you love an artist, they really can write a bad song that the whole world loves. (If I never hear 'If You Leave Me Now' ever again in my life, I'll die happy. DH agrees)

I don't have to be hemmed in by what other people think and say. I don't have to live someone else's dream, because I'll get what I deserve, good or bad. ('Stone of Sisyphus' - yes, that unreleased gem that's bootlegged here and there...)

Sometimes you just need to cast off the masks and the routines that you go through life with, listen to your heart, and just live. (Thank you 'Feel' - the new single. You can hear it at Chicago's web site, just click the index and then click what's new.

...and since that's off the new album that releases in 11 more days, I'm hoping that there's going to be a whole lot more things to learn. *chants '11 more days, 11 more days, 11 more days'