Missing Home, But Don't Want to Leave

I've been on vacation for the last few weeks in Baltimore, Maryland.  This is just a precursor to what I will be posting about my trip when I do get home.  I took the Amtrak train here, but I will be taking a plane and a Greyhound bus home.  I wanted to stay a few extra days and I didn't really want to spend three days on the bus again.. lol...

But as for the trip itself, I will be posting picture collages and another blog entry about the trip.  I am seriously considering moving here.  There is so much to do and the weather, crazy as it was, is completely beautiful.  I could get very comfortable here. 

More to come...

Stay tuned.

Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas ~ in Austin, Texas Part 1

Trip Journal Day 1

I hate to fly.  Flying makes me absolutely nauseous.  There are few pros  that outweigh the cons for flying.  The best thing about flying is that one gets to where they are going a lot quicker.  Big deal.  I would rather take two day to travel this beautiful country by car and see all that I could in the time I have.  Granted, the scenery between Reno, NV and Austin, TX is not the best, but I have taken many car trips where the scenery was definitely worth the drive.  

The only other pro about this trip was the fact that I didn’t have to pay for it.   That’s certainly a plus.  It probably would have cost around $500 in gas money to get from here to there.  Even though that is cheaper than flying, I couldn’t have come up with that kind of money.  Thank you, Mom.

I really don’t like to fly.  My stomach gets queasy and I feel dizzy long after the plane lands.  I never get that way when I’m driving.  Sometimes I do if I’m a passenger, but otherwise I fair really well in cars.  

This trip has been interesting so far.  My brother and I checked in more than a few hours early and the check in gate person said that the flight we were supposed to be on was delayed which meant that we would have missed our connecting flight to Austin.  They booked us on an earilier flight although we lost our really sweet boarding numbers for this first flight.  We were among the last to board so we both got stuck in middle seats.  The saving grace is that this flight is less than an hour long.  And, the ladies I’m sitting with are quiet and that’s good for an introvert like me.  I don’t like having conversations with people I don’t know.  They are probably wondering what I’m doing.  

It’s hot and stuffy in here.  I’d really like to roll down one of the windows right now.  The air from the above head area is okay, but it isn’t cooling me down any at all. 

I’ll be glad when we land in Vegas.  Since we are going to be there early, we have more time to spend doing whatever.  Perhaps we’ll win some money at a slot machine.  I ended up seventy-five cents ahead just before we left.  That’s not bad for an airport slot machine.

Are we there yet?       

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Phew!  We made it to Las Vegas.  When we got off the plane we checked the arrival/departure screens and found that our connecting plane was going to be delayed about 50 minutes.  Okay, no problem.  We went to find some food. I don’t think I’ve ever paid over $10 for a small combo meal from any place.  The airport is definitely not the place to eat lunch, but what did we know.  Even after that we found a few other places as we were walking toward the gate where we were to catch our fight…later than we hoped.  

Instead, we decided to take a walk out of the airport to see what we could see.  We were on the side of the airport that was lined with not taxis, but LIMOS and shuttles.  I’d never seen that before, and here I was joking with my brother about commandeering a limo for a ride.  One could actually pay for the driver to take them to the strip or to the airport.  If I ever visit Vegas for a trip, I would totally do that!  

My brother had the idea of going to the hotel that had the roller coaster, the New York New York.  We got some information from one of the shuttle services who told us that we should only get a one way ticket (knowing that we were only here for a few hour layover) and that we could catch a free shuttle from any of the hotels back to the airport.  We got to the New York New York at 2:30. I didn’t realize that it was already that late.  We arrived at the roller coaster area only to find that there was about a 20 minute wait, which probably would have been more like a half hour, and then the time for the ride itself.  I advised that it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to stay because we needed to go through airport security again once we got back to the airport.  My brother was disappointed, but also didn’t want to pay the $14 for the roller coaster ride. 

We went down to the airport shuttle area outside the hotel to wait for a shuttle.  One pulled up.  It was a different company than the one that dropped us off.  The driver was really nice, but informed us that there was only one hotel in Vegas that actually had a free shuttle.  We ended up paying full price for a trip back to the airport.  At first, it was disappointing.  The driver made it better.  Elmer was his name and he was awesome.  He told us a story of a time when he and his wife visited friends in Reno and he got totally plowed.  He was funny.

We arrived back to the airport at 3:01.  I remember clearly because my brother said that if we got back to the airport by 3:00, he’d be really upset.  It was a minute later, so I told him he wasn’t allowed to be that upset.  We walked into the terminal and when we looked at the arrival/departure screen, we were in for a shock.  The flight that by the time we had left the airport was over an hour delayed was scheduled to leave now at 3:20!  How cruddy was that?!  

We raced through airport security.  I made sure to take my laptop out of my bag this time so that we weren’t delayed going through.  I didn’t know about that and it took forever to get through security in Reno.  After we finished with that we hoofed it for what seemed like forever to make it to our gate in time.  We were at C24.  We needed to be at C9.  Ugh!  My brother is a really fast walker, but I’m out of shape and I could barely keep up with him.  We made it with only five minutes to spare.  Our bad ass boarding numbers went to waste AGAIN!!!  We were of the last to board the plane and ended up sitting in the middle seats again.  Ugh!  

It’s a good thing that we didn’t pay for round trip tickets from the airport to the hotel.  We would not have gotten to ride back with the same company and ended up having to pay more just to get back.  The Universe works in mysterious ways.

When we got off the plane in Vegas I had nearly thrown up.  My stomach was really nauseated, so we went and tried to find a place that sold Dramamine.  I couldn’t believe how much it cost!  I wasn’t about to fork over $11 for a small bottle just so that I wouldn’t feel the need to puke when we landed in Austin.  I ended up paying $8 for Bonine, which worked just as well.  Although my head was dizzy when we landed in Austin, I didn’t feel the need to puke. 

 While in flight to Austin I broke out my laptop and tried to watch some free Dish TV that they had available.  It was making me dizzy so I decided to turn it off and listen to music instead.  That really helped me focus on the fact that the ground was several thousand feet below us.  I sat in between two averaged aged gentlemen.  The one on my left was not much of a talker at all.  The one on my right spoke a bit, but mostly it was to complain about the guy behind us who didn’t shut up the entire trip.  We both complained to each other about that. I made a reference to duct tape or something and we both chuckled. 

We finally arrived in Austin just as I was changing my music set list to stuff I hadn’t listened to in a while.  I was very happy to be on the ground.  I borrowed Titan’s duffle bag because the stuff I was bringing for my mom didn’t fit in my Adidas bag. I didn’t recognize it as it was coming off the luggage wheel.  

My mom and Gary picked us up and we took the trip 50 minutes to their house.  It seemed like a long trip.  My right knee got cramped on the way, but then it has been acting up again due to the last time I worked.  I hurt it and had to wrap it the next day.  But the drive to their house was well worth it.  It is a beautiful brand new home that they waited a long time for.  It has several rooms including 4 bedrooms, a magnificent kitchen and formal dining room, living room, upstairs area they call the playroom.  It has a television that my brother is currently playing video games on.  It’s a really amazing house.   

I gave my mom her birthday gift after the house tour and before we ate dinner.  It is a butterfly stylus that I had engraved from Things Remembered.  She really loved it.  I showed her what it was used for.  She really liked it a lot.  I told her that I wasn’t going to let her celebrate her 60^th birthday without a gift from at least one of her children.  

So far the trip is really good.  The plan is to go to some race track tomorrow.  Big deal for me really, I’m not all that interested, but my brother really enjoys racing and he is looking forward to it.  I tried to see if there were any karaoke bars in the area, but since I don’t have my own car it doesn’t really make sense for me to even ponder that. 

 

We’ll see what tomorrow holds.  For now, it’s getting late and I’m rather tired.  Tomorrow is going to be an interesting day.  

To be continued....

"Who Vacations in Orem, Anyway!"

The last five days were pretty awesome if I do say so.  I wasn't at work, so that made it all the better.

The drive to Utah did not take as long as I thought it would.  Raven and I left the house around 7am and arrived in Salt Lake City by noon.  There we met up with a friend that I haven't seen since high school.  Seeing him again was really great.  His family is very nice.  His wife was especially nice and very understanding.  She was a lot of fun to talk with.  They gave me an open invitation to come visit anytime.  I was especially surprised by the fact that he carried a picture of he and I in his wallet.  It is the same picture that I have in a photo album, one of us sitting on Santa's lap during my senior year I believe.  He also showed me something I thought I would never see again.

When I was younger, I was a lot more creative and I used to write a lot of poetry and short stories.  I had written him a poem and given with them a set of candles.  He told me that he would send me the poem.  I remember the premise, but not the actual poem/story.

We met up with my mom and stepdad in the park, and it truly has been a while since I've seen my mother.  She looks great for her age, but she still looked a lot older than the last time I saw her.  I will be very glad when she finally moves back down to the Lower 48.  They have been considering moving to Emmett, which is not far from where I live.  I think it would be nice to have her closer.

The whole point of the trip was to watch one of my cousins graduate high school.  I have not seen her family in roughly 13 years, less my uncle who is a truck driver and has made several trips to the Boise area.  None of my cousins really remembered me, my sister or my mom, their aunt.  I am not surprised by that, but it felt really weird.  I don't like being so out of touch with family.  They moved around a lot to various states following the work, but still.

The graduation itself was the same as every other graduation I have been to, including my own.  The smart kids made speeches and the staff spouts off how this class is the most special and talented of any of the classes they have ever had the pleasure of teaching, just like every class before them.  Just once, I would love for the speech to be about how we barely made it, and the future might be so bright that we actually need a flashlight instead of shades, but the illusion of future success is important to young minds, I suppose.  Overall, it wasn't terrible.

My sister and I spent Sunday together.  It is no secret that we don't really get along that great, but this trip we didn't really have any issues.  Sunday was a bit odd for us.  Since Orem is so heavily populated with Mormons, the Orem mall wasn't even open.  I'm not much of a mall rat, but my sister needed to find a dress for a wedding she is attending.  We found out that the Provo mall was open, so we drove on down.  It wasn't that far.  We arrived to find that the mall didn't open until noon.  We got there around 10am.  NOON??? Really?  Might as well not have been open at all that day for as much good as it did for us.

We drove back toward Orem and found a Savers thrift shop had opened.  It was previously closed the first time we drove by it and I assumed that it was closed on Sunday.  I was glad that I was wrong.  My sister ended up finding the cutest skirt.  Actually, I found it for her, but it looked great on her.  She ended up saving tons of money that she would have spent at the mall.  Sucks to be the mall!

We ended up going back to the hotel for the rest of the afternoon.  There wasn't else much to do anyway.  While we were at Savers I found a Brad Thor novel to go with the set.  It is a book that doesn't come until later so it will sit on the shelf until I've read the rest of the books.  I also found a brand new copy of Star Trek Next Generation: Q & A.  It is a 20th anniversary novel that stars Q, my favorite Trek villain.  I have never done this before, but I read the entire thing in one sitting!  Six hours, roughly 400 pages.  I really scared myself with that one.

I did drag my sister to sing karaoke with me on Saturday night.  We ended up at a cafe, yes a CAFE, and when we got there, there were only three patrons in the entire building.  I like it that dead.  It give me a chance to try new songs with little chance of sucking in front of too many people.  By the time we left, there were about a dozen people in the cafe, and I had sang about a dozen songs.  The crowd, such that it was, was really tough and we left out of sheer boredom.

Swimming was awesome while we were there.  The weather was great.  I got back home to grey skies and RAIN!  More rain!!!  I couldn't believe it.  I couldn't even go swimming when I got back.  I managed to let Raven go swimming for a short while yesterday, but it was too cold for me.  Brrrrrr...

Anyway, long story short. The trip was good.  I am glad to be home.  I have so much cleaning to do that I don't know where to start.

::endtransmission::

What I Want to Be When I Grow Up: Part Too!

So lately I've been caught with a case of the dreads over my current job.  Most people my age have not just a job, but a career.  Both of my siblings do.  My brother is in construction and my sister has her teaching degree.  She's been having a hard time finding a job as a teacher, but at least she's finished college.

It has come down to me dreading walking into work on most days, even though my job is easy, but stressful.  I think that it has become TOO easy.  Although, they are getting ready to change things up yet again, so we'll see what happens with that.

I have come to determine that I am one of those souls who will just have to spin a roulette wheel to figure out what she wants to be.  I know it sounds like I'm obsessing about this, but my dad always told me I should have learned a trade of some sort.  I'm getting to the age when I'm feeling almost to old to learn a new trade or go back to college.  I know that is ridiculous, but that is how I feel as of late.  I never really developed any talents that could be beneficial to my financial situation.  In other words, I should have taken up car mechanics instead of karaoke.. LOL

I am perusing the plethora of degree paths that can be taken online or at a local campus.  I had tried to get information about being a physical therapy assistant, but the information lady was rather presumptuous when I her if any of the classes were available online.  Obviously it is a hands on type of program.  I'm not THAT naive for crying out loud.  But when she said that there were no classes offered online for the program because their students require dedication, I about fell out of my chair with rage.  As if I have no dedication whatsoever.  Well, screw you lady.  I guess you won't be seeing my $390/credit tuition any time soon.

But, that is where I come to my conundrum.  I require online study because of my work schedule and how INFLEXIBLE it actually is.  I am sure that if I tell them that I need a specific schedule so I can go to school to learn widgetmaking 101, they'll laugh me right off the phone.  The truth is that I was going to school online for about two years and had two more to go when I got burnt out.  Actually, I hit a class that I wasn't doing very well at and decided that the program wasn't for me.  I don't think I'm ever going to get out of taking a Statistics class.  It's a tough class.  I could go back and finish my AA degree.  I only have four classes left, but ... ok, but nothing.  I should just do it.  speaking of which, I should check my email.  I sent them an email requesting info on how I would go about getting those last four classes taken care of.

Ok, just got that email back from my advisor.  Looks like he's interested in getting me going on that.  Goodie for filling out FAFSA forms!

Ok, now that that is over with, I can go on ranting about other things.....

I haven't started packing for that trip yet. I'll be doing that all on Monday.

Wait, I was talking about career paths.  One that peaked my interest was court reporting.  Don't ask me why.  My mind is full of chaotic thought patterns.

Gotta run for now.  Thanks for reading!

::endtransmission::

Road Trip!

I love the traveling by car.  There is so much of this country to see.  I have made two trips nearly across the country, and though I didn't get pictures for one of the trips, it was lovely nonetheless.   This trip will take me from Boise, ID to Orem, UT.  I have never been to Orem that I am aware of.  I have been to Salt Lake city a few times when I was younger.  Not the most pleasant of journeys, but then, not all of the country is comprised of beautiful scenery.

I have heard that this particular trip is quite nice, mostly flat, and that is fine with me.  The weather should be great for traveling the 7 hours or so.

The purpose of this trip you ask?  I will be going to a cousin's high school graduation.  Sure, it seems like a long trip to go just for that, but my mother will be flying down from Alaska.  I haven't seen her in about three years, not since the D.C. trip.  It is hard with her being so far away from the rest of us.  I guess now you could say that my entire family is scattered between here and there.  It will be a fun trip nonetheless.

I did manage to get my car cleaned out and unpacked from the Reno trip earlier this year.... FINALLY! hehe.. I am such a procrastinator.  I got all my laundry done.  Now I just need to concentrate on getting my bags packed, groceries shopped for.  I don't plan on eating out a whole lot while I'm there.  It's just too expensive.  A friend is going to loan me a portable DVD player, so Raven will be occupied on the trip, and it also plays CDs so if she falls asleep, I'll be able to listen to music.  Since my radio is still not playing tapes my mp3 player will be useless.  Not that I have a lot of music on it right now anyway.  I have all my CDs from my DJing days, though, so I'm covered.

I am looking forward to not worrying about working for those days.  What I need, though, is a vacation where I don't have to cover other days in the week just to get the days I want off.  I don't consider that a real vacation at all.  I am thinking of taking a week off this summer, hopefully I can have my son with me then.  Not sure about that, though. It would be expensive to get him here.  We'll see what happens, though.

So, for this trip all I have left to do is pack and get my mapping together.  I'm almost there!