Summary

At the start of 1984, Sedaris is officially in Chicago and adapting to his new surroundings. When looking for an apartment, he is immediately drawn to one that is only eight blocks from an IHOP that looks exactly like the one he left behind in Raleigh.

In mid-January, Sedaris began taking classes at The Art Institute. As he had not taken any formal training previously, he has to take a number of core classes but finds them very interesting. Life in Chicago is extremely different from Raleigh and Sedaris is constantly reminded of the differences between the two. He documents a radio show he has begun listening to called, Let’s Get Personal, and the characters detailed on the program are far more diverse than the people he had interacted with in Raleigh.

By June, the author has found a job to supplement his income doing...