california driving

I'm currently in the car on the way to Telluride. I'm cozied up in the backseat, surrounded by a mini refrigerator and many many pieces of luggage, bags, etc. It's a situation I'm very familiar with from the first leg of my trip, so I'm back in my comfort zone. And now I know how Megan felt in the backseat of my car. Snug!

We're at the moment heading onto I-5 in California which, as anyone who's driven it knows, is not very eventful and has rarely been anything but brown plains when I've driven it before. So we've got a Bill Bryson book on tape that should help us through.

The past week has been great - spending time with my dad down in the bay area (which included a trip to his favorite Fenton's creamery for some delicious ice cream), running errands, hanging out with the kids (the dogs, that is),and...Sex and the City! I saw it last night with my mom and sister and I don't want to say anything to spoil it, but I will say I loved it. So much. Like being back with old friends. If only it never ended...sigh. The theatre was sold out, filled with all ages of girls/women and a few gay men. The usually indie Elmwood Theatre had never seen so many people. And I have always said that I thought women would be great leaders of the world, but I've changed my mind after last night. The cattiness! We sat in front of a fight before the movie started where a lady came early and saved 5 seats for her friends who didn't show up until the movie was starting, while others who arrived early were upset that they had to split up and that it was unfair she was holding so many seats. Good lord, the length of this argument! They kept going until the movie started and I believe they even made some comments during the movie. It was uncomfortable, to say the least. But it thankfully didn't ruin the movie; I completely tuned them out and forgot once it all started. Except for when the audience would cheer, hiss or make comments. Ladies, we're not in our living rooms and the people on the screen can't hear you.

Moving along, we got up very very early this morning and have a big day ahead of us - a twelve hour drive. Yikes! But we're going to see the Grand Canyon tomorrow morning which I am absolutely thrilled about since I've always wanted to go. Sounds like there are some really cool places near Colorado so I'm excited to do some exploring in the coming months.

So that's the news for now. I don' have much battery life so I should cut this short, but I'll be writing soon, and hopefully will get some nice photos of the canyon.

it takes two

The kids are together - Baci and Charlotte - so they and I couldn't be happier. Except that they are getting very territorial with each of us, trying to claim each of us as his/hers. I'm happy with that because it makes me feel special.

Not much too new to report, except the exciting news that Kelley and Wayne are back from Thailand, very tan and inspiring much jealousy from me. Their pictures and stories are reminding me just how beautiful it is there and it makes my heart hurt to think how much I want to go back. But that's for another time. They've been settling back in to the western world, but are pretty confused because it's daytime there when it's nighttime here, and vice versa, so they are in a bit of a haze but I'm trying to snap them out of it and keep them hydrated with highly caffeinated coffee.

We're just wrapping things up here before we leave on Saturday, running important errands (like H&M - won't be seeing that for awhile once I get to Telluride) and doing everything we need to do before leaving. Plus it's Wayne's, my dad's and my grandma's birthday all today, tomorrow and the next day (lots of Geminis in the family) so we've got some celebrating to do.

Otherwise my time is spent watching the dogs compete with each other and go crazy. It's really quite entertaining. I do feel the need to evenly distribute my love to both of them though so neither gets upset. I'm codependent. What can I say.

Oh yes - and my sister is an exerciser so she's motivating me to work out, starting now. So yeah, that big new exercise plan I have been working on for the past few months? I guess that starts now. Great. Tomorrow we're off to a spin class, which I like, so that'll be ok I think.

Alrighty, everyone's asleep here (early birds/jet laggers in this house) so I guess I should start thinking of doing it too. Good night!

natural seattle

I spent the last day in Seattle developing sort of a green thumb - or at least pretending I did. My aunt knows almost all there is to know about plants and has been helping my dad with the landscaping at his house, so for some inspiration we visited the Bloedel Reserve near their house on Bainbridge Island. It's a gorgeous mansion surrounded by acres of lush gardens and vegetation, and it was so neat to meander through it and learn about all the different types of plants. Including one that is a stinking plant and smells disgusting when the flower blooms. Gross. Then we visited the local nursery that had a lovely cafe where you could sit amongst the plants and flowers and have a coffee. And it was a beautiful day which hasn't been a common occurrence up here, so we soaked it up happily.

A few more things I was exposed to while up in the northwest:

A restaurant that my dad has nicknamed the "Triple Wide" which is this food joint in a trailer that serves all sorts of deep fried fish, where he is a regular visitor at least once a month. Nice people (including an early bird group where one of the grandpas was, I swear, on death's door and was rolled in in his wheel chair), good food, big portions, and best of all - great chocolate milkshakes. Yum.

Alpacas. They are the craziest looking animals (there are a few pics on my flickr page) and since the group we saw were recently sheared, they looked even cookier since they leave fur in specific places, where it looks like they are wearing leg warmers and have a huge flop of bangs over their eyes. And they are curious guys who just kind of walk up and stare at you when you approach them. Like WE are the weird-looking ones. Charlotte obviously loved them.

Anyways, the area is absolutely beautiful, with rugged coastlines and calm waters, and the folks up there are really quiet and calm so you definitely get the feeling of relaxation and peacefulness when you're up there. I love it. And now that my dad's up there I can go back again soon! I can always think of an excuse to travel.

Tonight we're in a lovely Motel 6 in Medford, OR, stopped halfway between Seattle and the Bay Area, on our way down to get Kelley and Wayne who are returning from Thailand, then we'll be staying down there a few days and FINALLY heading to Telluride next week. And I got a bike! It's beautiful! It's green and yellow! (I got it when we stopped in Eugene so it's the Ducks colors and it's very fancy) I can't wait to be riding it. Soon!

and she's off!

This photo is too cute not to post. We went to the beach today and Charlotte was really excited when she found a crab shell, so she was running around us in circles to avoid having us take it away from her. Now you can see how she leaps since her legs are so long. She gets some serious air. Gross because of the crab, but cute because of the resulting photo. So we forgave her.

Also, I should have mentioned this before, but I've got tons of photos of my trip (including many of Charlotte) on my flickr page if you wanted to see anything more than what I've posted here. You can click on each image in the blog and it takes you to it, or there's a link on the right hand side of this page to my flickr page.

kids

Here are Charlotte and Oscar playing. I realize it does make Charlotte look a bit evil, which she is totally not, but I love this photo.

northwestern

Things are fantastic up here in Washington state. Since I'm visiting my dad it's like I'm at home and relaxed and, oh, did I mention there's another dog here? My dad's been dog-sitting Charlotte, my sister's labradoodle, while she and her husband are in Thailand, so we've been hanging out with her, and need I mention, it has made me veeeerrry happy.

We went into Seattle the day I arrived and had lunch and drove around. I haven't been since I was probably around 10 years old, so I didn't remember it very well, but it's a really beautiful city. Reminds me a bit of San Francisco. We went to the sculpture park which was interesting, with the sculptures being things like gigantic construction cones and a rotating red ampersand. Hard to explain, obviously. That's modern art for you.

Then for dinner we went to my aunt and uncle's home on Bainbridge Island and my cousin came with her dog Oscar, which caused for much entertainment with Charlotte and Oscar chasing each other and just going crazy. Charlotte is pretty much all legs, so she trips over herself often when she's running fast. Causing much laughter. WITH her. Not AT her of course.

The next day my dad, Charlotte and I went to the San Juan Islands, which requires quite a bit of tactical skill when it comes to catching ferries. After doing our best and speeding through one of the islands, we missed the connecting ferry we needed to catch to get to San Juan Island, so we had to pass the time for a few hours in the town. And then the next ferry didn't allow cars to get off where we wanted, so we went on with Charlotte, but no dogs were allowed in the passenger area so we sat where all the cars were parked in a little area with the ropes, chemicals and old cargo. It was hilarious - like the third class passengers on the Titanic. They had chairs for us which was nice and the view was beautiful as we rode along, passing gorgeous islands filled with forests and barely any signs of civilization.

We stopped at Friday Harbor on San Juan island which was an adorable little town that had a seaside feel, complete with a marina and views over the water. We walked around and hung out, meeting lots of the local kids who were wandering around by themselves (no crime here!) and wanted to meet Charlotte. She was quite the scene stealer. Everyone wanted to meet her.

One interesting thing about this area (my dad's in Port Ludlow so we're about 45 minutes outside Seattle) is that there are tons of drive-thru coffee shops. I'm talking one every 5 miles. Or more even. Really handy for me with my laziness! But interesting, that it maybe gets too cold here for people to get out of their cars? I don't know. Also, it doesn't get dark here until like 9pm! Love it.

bizerkeley living

Thought I'd update with what's been happening, which hasn't been much, but I like it that way.

Been hiking with my new best friend Baci in the beautiful Strawberry Canyon which winded (wound?) its way up a hill to bring us to some lovely views over the Berkeley hills and Cal campus. Baci was on his best behavior except for when he had a dip in the creek (he ignored my pleas to stay out and stay dry) and there was a minor incident where he ate something very disgusting (I'll spare you the details) when I was trying to take a picture. He's sneaky.

Went into the city to see my grandparents and my uncle who just had a baby (or rather, his wife did). Went to the De Young museum to get some culture and saw a weirdo photography exhibit. My mom showed me the tower there that gives a 360 degree view of the city where she pointed out all the places she knew from growing up there. In the city, that is, not in the De Young tower.

Got my hair cut. Nothing major, but my hair had turned to straw since my last cut one year ago. Yes, ONE YEAR AGO. So it was way past due. Enjoyed looking through the tacky hair salon magazines.

Did a spin class with my mom! I think I'm on a roll here with the exercise but I'm not going to jinx it.

Played Scrabble with my mom. And I beat her two out of three! It's due to all my practice on Facebook. And my natural expertise when it comes to vocabulary.

Was forced to watch Dancing With the Stars by my mom. I don't get it. Those costumes. That karaoke band. Eek. She made me vote!

Anyways, I'm off to Seattle tomorrow so I will be reporting next from the northwest. My camera will likely be out then, so you'll be seeing a bit more color than what you've seen lately.

and...another photo of baci!

My camera has been out of commission lately due to the fact that when I'm home I'm in vacation mode, resulting in a lack of strength and motivation to lug around my big camera. Except when we go to the dog park, which is where this photo is from, where dogs run leash-free in pure canine bliss. Here Baci takes off after a potential friend, who seems sadly uninterested. But I think he let him sniff his butt, so everyone was happy in the end.

Anyways, it's been a great time so far being home: went into good old Lafayette to catch up with friends and drove down the main street for the first time in at least 5 years, which resulted in waves of nostalgia and memories that had left my mind since I lived here. It's funny how you can just forget streets and sights you saw every day for ten years of your life when you haven't seen them for so long. Very surreal to drive back through it. And strange how much the town has changed. My favorite change is that our old regular video store has changed from "Take One Video" to "Take One DVD". Keeping up with the times! And Round Table Pizza is still next door. Thank god. Best pizza ever.

Went to the YMCA here in Berkeley with my mom and took the Body Sculpt class which kicked my butt. Yep, I knew that three weeks of driving would make me even more out of shape than I was to begin with (which is very much out of shape, I'll be honest), but I truly am realizing it today when my body is so sore that I can only waddle down the street. I'm so sore I even made my grandma give me a back massage.

Very important occurrence: we bought Sex and the City tickets! My mom, sister and I will be going opening night! The guys behind the counter laughed at my mom when she bought them (come on, two weeks in advance is totally not too soon) but it will be worth the embarrassment when we're some of the first to see it and we'll be able to confirm that Big sucks and Carrie is stupid. Ta da! End of series.

Otherwise, we've been avoiding the heat wave that I think (and hope) has finally passed and just hanging out. I love it here. I mean, I know I'm biased since I grew up here, but it's so nice, so relaxing, people are so friendly, so happy. So that's my Pollyanna rant from the bay area.

the heat is on

The obligatory shot of San Francisco from my mom's place. I think we must have at least 100 shots of it in different sunrises/sunsets/etc.

We are currently in the middle of a heat wave. Today's supposed to be 97 in Oakland, which is pretty much unheard of. The newscasters are telling us to keep a watch on the elderly and not leave animals in the car. I guess summer is here!

hiking in the hills

Here you go Brooke! Baci and I went for a hike this morning in Tilden Park. It was already really hot at 9am so I was worried about Baci and his panting the entire way, but we made it and now he is passed out. And I'm almost there with him.

home sweet home

I'm home in the bay area! I'm eagerly awaiting the dog-sitter to drop off my mom's dog Baci so I can hang out with him. Rest assured that the next photo I post will be of him. I think my excitement was incorporated into my dream last night, where I visited a dog pound and was able to choose which dog I liked, and it was quite easy as they were sorted alphabetically by breed name for some reason. Odd, but a wonderful dream!

So I left Denver this morning only an hour delayed after dealing with faulty planes and snow (although it was only light snow, I'm still baffled as to why there was ANY snow in May). Always an adventure at the airport. And I found out as I was preparing to board that Southwest does seating on a first come/first served basis. Which completely stresses me out, turning the act of boarding into a competition. Which I was not meant to win since I was given #60 to board so I had to settle into a middle seat. But after going on drives that lasted over seven hours, a two hour flight was a piece of cake and it's always a wonderful feeling to arrive back here. Especially right now when it's about 80 degrees and gorgeous.

I'm now watching MTV which is having some sort of The Hills marathon/behind the scenes/in-depth analysis, which seems a bit much to me when it comes to the show full of awkward silences, carefully crafted dialog and spoiled brats. But I will try not to pre-judge - I'm going to give it a chance since I seem to be the only one not addicted to the show. Converted to the dark side! (And I admit - we watched the Bachelor last night so I know, I definitely shouldn't be judging)

So that's the west coast wrap up. I've fully crossed the US, with more states to cover in the next few weeks. Then, I will sit still for awhile. But until then...I'll keep enjoying my vacation.

vacation has begun

Telluride couldn't have welcomed us better - it was about 65 and gorgeous today. We woke up early and talked Anna into going for a run since she was motivated and Megan and I were not. When she got back, we headed off to breakfast on the main street, ate outside in the sun, and talked about how great it was - the town is so relaxing and quiet at the moment. And we're all on vacation now so we can truly relax. After meeting about 20 passing local dogs, we headed back to get ready for a hike.

We went up to hike Bear Creek. The one obstacle we faced was the snow still on the ground that was about 2 feet deep at some points, which we found out when our feet sunk straight to the ground. We all ended up with bloody ankles from the ice and Megan had soaked shoes, but nevertheless it was a great hike.

Then Anna and Megan helped unpack the car (god bless them) so it's all out! Stanley is clean on the inside. Although not clean on the outside anymore after our journey through the snow yesterday. He's a mess. Now we're napping/vegging/etc until we head out for dinner before we head back to Denver.

I think most of you one or two readers know that I'm not yet staying in Telluride - I'm heading back to the bay area and then up to Seattle to visit the parents before meeting up with my sister and her husband in a few weeks to drive back here. So the journey is far from over, but I feel so much closer now to being here. It always seemed so far away that I'd actually have arrived in Telluride at all, so I'm only that much more excited now.

colorado explorer

This is an overdue post and now I'm overwhelmed with what to write, so this will be a to-the-point entry:

While in Denver:

-Picked up Anna's bridesmaid dress for a wedding she's in. Sea green and beautiful.

-Walked around Anna's neighborhood. Resisted buying things.

-Biked down to Washington Park (so lovely) with Anna and Stuart, ate at a fun fish place, biked back to their home via downtown Denver, stopping at Anna and Stuart's local haunts along the way. So much fun. But remembered biking is hard. Especially in altitude.

-Megan came into town as a surprise! She came in at 2am, resulting in much confusion over why she was coming into my room in Denver when she lives in New York, but sorted it all out eventually.

-Made room in my packed car for Megan. Thought it couldn't be done, but we made it. Megan is a trooper. Sat in the fetal position the whole 6 hour drive.

-Arrived in Telluride! Enjoyed the beautiful mountains and mesas along the way, but got a bit nervous driving through snow near Vail. It's May, right?!

Telluride is beautiful and tomorrow's forecast is supposed to be 65 and perfect. That's the catch-up for now. We're off for much adventuring tomorrow so will report back soon.

dabbling in denver

Today Stanley had a lot of activity, since I drove all around Denver. First stop - Morrison, to the Red Rocks Ampitheatre. I was hoping to do a hike or walk of some sort when I got there, since there are trails all around, but the weather didn't like that idea as it was rainy when I first arrived. Luckily I wasn't immediately discouraged, because in about 30 minutes the clouds parted and the sun came out and I was able to at least get out of the car and wander around the ampitheatre, which was quite stunning. The whole area was beautiful and it was amazing to find out how it all formed naturally. There was a sort of Hall of Fame in the visitor's center that told a bit of the ampitheatre's history and who had played there - it's seen everyone from the Beatles to Mariah Carey.

Then I met Anna for lunch in "downtown" Morrison which consisted of a main street of about two blocks, straight out of the days of the old west. We had lunch at a really cute restaurant with a very friendly, over-eager waiter, but he gave us a bigger serving of the salad we ordered since he had a crush on Anna, which worked out well for me.

Then I drove more into the city, driving through the Washington Park area which was like Central Park in New York - a lovely green retreat from the city. The day ended up to be sunny and blue so there were people out with their dogs, running and biking through the park. Exactly what I would love to be doing. If I had motivation, that is. But it was nice to watch people WITH motivation. It had me thinking that I should exercise. I think that's a step in the right direction.

Next stop was the Cherry Creek mall, where I'd been before, and I went into Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters, just because I could. Unfortunately no purchases though. Money saved!

Then for dinner we went to happy hour sushi which was delicious and cheap! Money saved again.

Tomorrow's plan involves biking, which makes me very very happy. Otherwise, I think that's all I have to report from the tough life I'm living! I'm really tired so I apologize if this post is not very exciting - so much pressure to be interesting and funny here! Perhaps it's wearing off. Or perhaps I was never funny. Uh oh.

welcome to colorful colorado

Warning - this is a very uneventful video of Northeast Colorado from my car window (set to Liz Phair on the radio). But I thought I'd share it since it was actually really pretty and it now makes my blog officially multimedia! The clip doesn't give it justice because the light on the rolling hills is what made it so striking and my little camera doesn't have the best quality and it looks more dark than how it was, but whatever, it gives a sense. And while it was pretty, it continued like this for a little over two hours, with not much else around, not even many exits or towns or other cars really, so it did get a bit old.

As for the first 5 hours of the drive in Nebraska - I was quite pleasantly surprised! I expected the worst, but it was actually really lovely. Not much going on, but lovely. I made a stop at one of the gas/food/lodging exits to get gas in what I found out was quite a hot spot for passers-by - there was even a Wal-mart. I went into the Starbucks there to get a caffeine fix, thinking I'd get terrible watery coffee served by strange, reclusive people who live in the middle of nowhere, but was instead served by a nice group of young people who even complimented me on my sunglasses! And one of them had a sister named Krissy, spelled the same way as me! So I immediately loved them. Also on my drive I saw some gigantic airplane wings being transported on the back of a big truck, drove the speed limit of 75 which was wonderful and helped to speed things up (and I didn't see one cop while driving through Nebraska!), and had my windows open most of the way since it was a gorgeous day (although this led to many unfortunate smells as well as this is cow country). I felt a bit PETA-inclined as I passed those cow farms, just wanting to tell those poor cows to run! They were so cute. So clueless about what is likely to come.

My entry into Colorado was exciting - my new state! - but like I mentioned before, a bit monotonous after awhile with its colorless plains the entire way into Denver. But as I drove further, the city came into view, looking pretty with the mountains behind it and the setting sunlight falling on the buildings, and the air felt so clean and fresh. I'm here at Anna (not to be confused with the Anna in Chicago) and her husband's adorable house, where we spent the evening catching up and devising my plan of attack for the next few days I'm here before heading down to Telluride. So that's the scoop. More to come soon, and please cross your fingers that the forecasted thunderstorms do NOT happen.

the simpsons sky

The clouds were so pretty!

nebraska - the good life

The title is a direct quote from the sign that welcomes people to Omaha, and I'd say it's quite true. It's been the good life these past few days. Today was another day of relaxing and then a bit of exploring. The first half of my day was uneventful - some HGTV, Today Show, etc. The second half I ventured out to run some errands and sightsee on my own.

I was hoping to get a good photo of the Omaha skyline and I read about a place called the "Heartland of America Park". The title alone sold me, and it appeared that it would be a good spot to get my shot. So I drove down and it was beautiful - the weather again is around 80 degrees - the park had a nice path around a lake that had a fountain (that is a bit dangerous with the wind when carrying a camera!) and a great view of the city. I believe Con Agra had something to do with the park because there were signs all over explaining how Con Agra is being healthy with their Healthy Choice food (or something like that), and there were pathways that led from the main trail to entrances for only Con Agra employees. End of the story - the park was lovely and I believe I may have even gotten some color on my bright white skin. Or so I'd like to think.

Next - no stop to the midwest would be complete without a trip to Walmart. And since I'm pretty sure I've never been to one before, there was no better time to go than now, when I'm here in Nebraska. I was a little bit nervous about what I'd encounter, and as I pulled up to the Walmart Superstore I was intimidated by the sheer size of it. And when I stepped inside I was completely overwhelmed. It's a warehouse. That never ends. With aisles and aisles of everything. Everything! It was actually - dare I say it - nice, in that everything was clean and organized as far as I could tell. Now personally, I prefer Target, and lo and behold, there was one just a few doors down, so I hopped in my car (I'm not in New York anymore - I can drive!) and drove the two minutes it took to get there, went inside, and spent about an hour just browsing. It was so peaceful - I'm used to it being more chaotic and crowded, but I guess more people out here go to Walmart. I felt the need to buy something after being in there for so long, so I bought a new toothbrush and toothpaste.

So that was my day. It's supposed to thunderstorm tonight, and I'm ok with it because it's been absolutely beautiful the rest of the time I've been here. Tomorrow I'm off on my drive through Nebraska into Colorado, stopping in Denver. I haven't heard the most promising things about my 7 1/2 hour drive tomorrow, and the map's lack of ANYTHING along I-80 makes me a bit nervous, but I'll make it through and report back on what I encounter, if anything.

nebraskan stuff

Today was a fun-filled day of Omaha exploration. I was lucky that PJ was able to take the day off and give me the grand tour of the city. And she politely answered all my 500 questions I had about living in Omaha.

We started first with breakfast at the most amazing diner ever - appearing to be circa 1985 and transplanted from a retirement community, complete with a 70 year old waitress, pink and blue (or was it sea green) decor and an indoor gazebo, at which we unfortunately were not seated. It was awesome. And so were my pancakes.

Next we headed to the Holy Family Shrine, about a 20 minute drive outside the city. A friend had told PJ about it, and it was really cool - the photo above shows it, and you can see that it was made with walls of glass and perched on top of a small hill that overlooked the surrounding fields and highway. We were chased out by (or rather, ran away from) two school buses of elementary school kids that arrived shortly after us, but we were able to get some time to appreciate the structure and take some good photos.

Next stop was Old Market in Omaha, which is a lovely area of town filled with shops and restaurants that was so cute and quiet, looking a lot like the meatpacking district in NYC. There we browsed some cute stores, conversed with a man who used the words "gee" and "golly", and spent a long time in a wonderful antique store that was filled with everything you could imagine (I know, it seems like I'm lucky enough to find at least one in every place I go). They even had genuine postcards and photos from ages ago. It was neat. Oh yes, and the weather was a beautiful 80 degrees today. Couldn't have been better.

Then we headed back to her place for some internet/tv time, had dinner and played Wii. I'm just not good at it. Bowling, I was ok, the other sports, not so much.

Another important part of the night - PJ introduced me to strawberry Oreos. They're like regular Oreos but with a strawberry filling that is more creamy than the regular white filling is. They were limited edition so she stocked up, and they were amazing.

An interesting little tidbit about the midwest I've learned - they have the option to buy gas made with corn. I've just found out about it, and it's made partly from corn so it's much cheaper than the other types of gas that the rest of us have (although regular gas here has been the cheapest I've seen anyway). Rumor has it that it's not the best for your car though. Despite being called "super".

So. That's my daily report from the middle of America. Good night and have a pleasant tomorrow!

i-80 and iowa

I'm in Omaha! I had a long drive today - 7 1/2 hours. And Iowa is pretty, but not what I'd call the most exciting state. In fact, I'd call it boring. I didn't venture off the highway except for a few rest stops, so this in no way means that Iowa is a boring state. But driving straight through it was.

The good news was that it was the first state that was free to drive all the way through! No tolls! Which unfortunately was not the case in Illinois, where a creepy toll booth operator tried to start a conversation with me, and I'm a nice person so I obliged, and then he asked if I could take him with me to Omaha. I smiled and played along like he was funny - yeah buddy, good one! - but I quickly took my foot off the brake and gassed it back onto the highway.

On an exciting note, I drove through Madison County where I saw signs that advertised tours of its famous bridges, which I am sure would be absolutely fascinating. Otherwise it was a long, steady drive of uneventfulness. I started a book on CD of Nineteen Minutes - quite the story so far. It was making me tired though, concentrating hard on the narrator (a lady who is pretty funny to listen to when she imitates male voices), so I listened in small doses, leaving most of the time to finding the oldies and pop stations so I could sing as much and as loud as I wanted, which keeps me wide awake and happy.

So that's about it. I'm at PJ and Jordan's place and I really like Omaha! I didn't know what to expect but it's really quiet and cute! We had a great night of dinner and then Rock Band on xbox, which I will say is QUITE the game. I'm a little weak on the drums but much better on the bass and decent on the guitar. Nothing a little practice can't fix.

Tomorrow's a day of exploring with PJ so I'll report back with some more exciting news on Omaha. Good night.

next stop nebraska

I'm leaving Chicago today, sadly. I absolutely love it here, even through the rain and wind that were so nice to join me on my stay (and ironically they are leaving the same day as me, as it's now beautiful outside, of course). It's been a nice combination of relaxing and sightseeing. Over the weekend we had brunch at Anna's regular spot with her friends, unpacked and put together some more stuff for her and her sister's new apartment (which I love to do, especially after my exposure to HGTV), and headed out to some restaurants and bars in her neighborhood and over in Wicker Park. On a side note, I hate that every time I hear Wicker Park I think of Josh Hartnett because of that movie he did. Which I didn't even see. Anyways, speaking of movies, we saw one that I've wanted to see since I saw the preview months ago - Young At Heart, about an elderly singing group. A word of warning for anyone who is going to see it - bring many, many tissues. I started crying 20 minutes in and could have kept going the whole way through if I had been alone and not in a public movie theater. It was really cute and had hilarious at times, but also extremely heart breaking. Old people are adorable. Especially when singing Staying Alive.

Anna and her sister have been such wonderful hosts with one of the most comfortable couches ever (seriously!). I'm already planning my trip back, hopefully soon, as I'd like to return without the rain and wind next time. But until then, I'm heading on to Omaha on an all day drive through Iowa which should be....interesting.

field museum vip

I enjoyed a museum! Not that I don't usually enjoy museums, but I tend to get a little...shall we say...bored sometimes? (I know I know, I'm an art history major, the shame...) But today was a special exception because I got the grand tour of the Field Museum from Anna, since she works there and knows, I'd say, about 99% (if not 100%) of what's going on. I got a thorough explanation and walk-through of the exhibits, found out the history of everything and even got to go in the special laboratory rooms where they work on the dead animals to preserve them to display. And yes, it stunk. But my newfound fascination for these things made me realize that maybe I should have saved my museum field trips until now, when I'm actually mature (or rather, more mature) and can understand the importance of what is being exhibited.

It also was pouring rain in the morning but I've gotta make the best of my short time here, so I made my way over to Michigan Avenue, had a nice walk as the rain subsided, and passed by all the big department stores and buildings. I didn't go into any, since shopping in big stores overwhelms me lately, but it was nice to feel a part of the hustle and bustle along the street for awhile. I then bussed it back up to Anna's neighborhood - Lakeview/Lincoln Park - and walked around to browse in the shops, and got a way-overdue manicure and pedicure. Which of course means I caught up on some gossip magazines, as those are standard in any nail salon. Bliss!

I checked on Stanley in the parking garage and he's doing well, thanks for asking. The great thing is I can see him from Anna's apartment since he's parked on the top level of the lot and being on the 20th floor, I can see over all the buildings into the parking lot, so I wave to him in the mornings to make sure he's still there. I think I'm really going to miss him when it's all over. Oops, off track - back to Chicago. Yes. So...I'm really loving it here. It's a city, but a mellow city. I love the neighborhoods - it kind of reminds me of the vibe in San Francisco or Berkeley. We've got big plans before I leave on Sunday so I'll be writing more soon on this windy city (it really has been so windy!).

three strikes you're out

Go Cubs! But they lost. Boo.

the city of big shoulders

I'm here in Chicago and this is the beautiful view from Anna's apartment that I woke up to this morning. My fingers are crossed for good weather while I'm here although the weather forecasters are unfortunately being less optimistic. But they're never right anyway.

I had a long drive yesterday through Ohio and Indiana into Illinois, and I had an exciting moment when I realized that I was finally seeing from ground level the patchwork of farms I would always see out the airplane window when flying over the area. Lots of farms and fields with a spattering of homes and barns throughout. It was really pretty. These were the most expensive states to drive through, toll-wise, and it was interesting to see what differences there were between each state as I'd cross the state line. It got a lot greener in Indiana, they call their EZ Pass the I Zoom, and they had signs along the highway that I was quite curious about - they would say "animals present when light is flashing", and the light did indeed flash many times I drove past, but there were no animals around. Nor were there any animals in sight at all - in farms, on the fields, etc. So I'm still confused. Elizabeth, perhaps you can help?

I did have a stop in Cleveland yesterday morning before starting the long drive - I went to the West Side Market which I had read was amazing, and it was. There were rows of meats, fish, cheese, breads, fruits, veggies, etc. I picked up some pierogies, which, when I asked how to prepare it, the lady told me casually to "just deep fry it in butter". Right. I thought I'd sound like a wimp if I asked for a more low fat, healthy way of doing it so deep fried it is! I picked up some bread for Anna and an apple for the road to balance out the nutrients I was getting from my snack of peanut butter crackers.

So that's the latest from the road. We're off to the Cubs game today and Anna's planned very exciting stuff for the next few days so I'll be sure to have lots of updates along the way.