...for that deep down body thirst

Now I remember what it is about the midwest that's most difficult for us monkeys. It's unbelievably dry here this time of year. I can't stop drinking water. I feel like I just ran a marathon without drinking any fluids. My throat has been dry since I got here and I have this uncontrollable urge to coat my lips with petroleum. How do you folks in the middle of this great land of ours manage to live here? In the summer it's unbearably hot and humid and in the winter it's brutally cold and dry. Seattle may have it's share of rain, but at least you can comfortably be outside in the elements year round. We also have these things in Seattle called hills which rarely exist here, save for the local landfills.

The cold really isn't all that bad here in Geneva, Illinois... it's just the dry air that's my kryptonite. Any tips for how to survive without applying lip ointments every 15 minutes would be appreciated?

Planes: I got two hours of sleep and we did make it to the airport on time. The old folks in a our van ride were far too chipper for 4:30am. Nuff said! We were sort of in baby hell on the plane however. We had a newborn right in front of us and across the aisle we had a 3 year old boy and his 14 month old* sister. Thank you Apple for inventing the iPod. Our inflight movie was Princess Diaries 2 which was so transparent I could predict what would happen next without audio.

I am tired so it's time to retreat to my twin sized guest bed. Yes, my wife and I don't share a bed at her parent's place. We have separate twin beds as if my name was Ward Cleaver. (pictures have been taken)

*an educated guess on the young girl's age.