Heather's alarm went off shortly after 4 am. We got up, but I felt like I hadn't slept at all. It was cold and dark outside, and we put a last few things in the car and were off. When we were leaving, I'm sure Heather and I were having a similar thought: how it felt so strange to be leaving Matt there. It was difficult to see the lake through the darkness as we pulled onto the road and sped away. The better part of the following hour we were driving on desolate country roads, but I was careful not to speed too much on account of wildlife potentially running in the road, and I was already feeling drowsy. We were listening to XM when I realized we were going the wrong way, and I had forgotten to take a turn that I knew I was supposed to. We had to continue to Banff in order to turn around, all in all adding about 20 minutes to the trip and seriously making me doubt whether we were going to make it to a gas station in Radium Hot Springs. This was a bad sign, as I took it to be that I was still overly fatigued, sleeping only 4 hours after being up for over 35, and was probably going to make a lot of mistakes in the day if I didn't rest more.
The next hour was tough, as while Heather slept I was driving us through winding mountains. It was getting increasingly lighter outside but not the light nor the radio was doing a very good job of keeping me awake and alert. It was practically painful, but managed to make it, thank fully. We were approaching Radium Hot Springs when Nubis threw up and we stopped, luckily, at a small stream next to the road where Heather rinsed the jacket in which she caught most of the vomit. After a few minutes, we continued on and stopped at a gas station to refill, where Heather spent almost $80 to fill my tank. From here Heather began driving and I pretty quickly passed out for an hour or more. When I woke up we were already back in Cranbrook. We stopped briefly, and while Heather was inside, a song came on the XM station that played 40's or 50's songs. It was a cute song and I sang a few bars (A bushel and a peck...) to Heather when she got back, as I thought it would have been a song she would enjoy, and she actually recognized the song as something her mother sang to her as a girl but she had never actually heard a real version. We continued on, mentally I was comparing the trip to a reverse of the trip I had taken a day prior.
Another hour and we were at the border crossing. They began asking details of the trip and car, and while I was trying to find the rental agreement they were asking Heather about more details, before I knew it she was in tears. They had also started looking around the car. Finally though, they let us through, and we continued on, and I bit disappointed by how much my superego quakes when confronted with authority figures. The drive through Idaho was very scenic, a far cry from the dark, desolate, lonely landscape I had gone through. Heather drove and made a few phone calls and I just enjoyed the scenery.
We ended up stopping in Sandpoint I think, ate at a Burger King and swapped positions. By now it was about 10:30 am, we had already been up about 6 hours. From here the path back deviated a little, and I opted to take highway 2 rather than 95 towards Spokane. The road, though single-lane, went pretty swiftly and was very scenic as it followed a lake or river for a long time. Heather fell asleep again and we went through Spokane without stopping, the plan to drive southwest through Spokane all the way into Oregon, then west to Portland. Eastern Washington was a very desolate place. It was dry and bare like a desert, with dust-devil tornadoes, reminiscent of New Mexico or Arizona. In fact, it was almost as if someone had juxtaposed this area with central Arizona (Flagstaff), which gave me a Pacific Northwest feel when we drove through it a year earlier.
A few hours later and we were going through Kennewick, but the directions weren't clear causing us to take a wrong turn and lose another 10 minutes or so. It was slightly counter-intuitive since to go south we had to get on I-82 East/Highway 395, and going the opposite direction of your destination usually doesn't get you there very quickly. As we were approaching the Oregon border, things were getting green and scenic again, and the gas tank was getting empty. The merger onto I-84 disappointed me with its lack of gas stations, but eventually we stopped at one in Alderdale or something. Here we refilled, bought snacks, refreshed, and continued on.
The drive was quite pleasant from here on. The road follows the Hood River very closely and the entire area was very scenic. There were occasional dams that we'd pass that I'd try to get a photo of or ask Heather to take a photo of. We made one last stop at a McDonald's for restrooms and phone calls. We were about an hour away by now, probably in Hood River, and we got a final address to plug into the GPS. Continued on a bit further, and it was becoming apparent the landscape was changing again, now with more hills and evergreens, quintessential Pacific Northwest. We approached Portland a little after 6, and met up with some traffic. Luckily, we didn't have to go through too much to get to Jordan's. Heather was noticeably excited, and we'd practically count the miles or minutes left until we arrived. We finally pulled up to a nice little house in a nice little neighborhood, and after 13 hours in the car, I was greeted by a very friendly golden retriever.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Recent Events, part 3
The flight from Chicago to Seattle was tolerable. The attractive woman to my left watched movies on a mini DVD player and the woman to my right looked out the window and kept looking over at me as if she wanted to say something. I tried to ignore her for the most part by spacing out, trying to nap, or reading Less Than Zero. When the plane finally landed it was already around 6pm, I darted off the plane, through the airport to the baggage claim. I found the car rental booths and ended up getting a car at the first booth I tried, even though I was going to shop around for prices. The reduced price for AAA members drew me, but in the end I payed a shit-ton for insurance, GPS, and taxes such that it really didn't matter. Then the baggage carousel started up so I get my bag and hopped on the courtesy van to the rental place, which was far enough from the airport that I was starting to regret going with some no-name rental agency. The car turned out to be a fairly new Hyundai Sonata, and soon enough I was on my way home to pick up my birth certificate, bike rack, and CDs.
At home, I looked for my birth certificate but quickly grew very frantic trying to find it. It wasn't in the box I thought it was, and I emptied it and threw things around in a frenzy trying to look for it. At one point I even put a hole in my table after hitting it with frustration. I finally found the damn thing in the other box, and naturally felt like such an idiot for making such a fuss. Just then Sean got home while I was trying to tidy up my room somewhat. We chatted briefly about some potential roommate and about my plans to drive to Canada to pick Heather up. I finally get on the road and by about 7:30 pm on Thursday, August 12, I'm on I-90 going East, and my room is still a mess.
Alberta, Canada - August 12 - 13
The route I had laid out the night before, with the help of Mike. He had a lot of experience driving to Calgary so I trusted his guidance. The route would take me east just past Spokane, then north along some highways up into Alberta. The drive started good. I had a lot of energy, a brand new car, a nice twilight and scenery, and WireTap (sort of a This American Life clone) on the radio. I even tried starting some video journal thing with my camera. Over the course of a few hours I'd record a few comments or thoughts I had at the time but honestly I felt stupid talking to the camera and have yet to watch any of those videos. Soon enough, NPR began losing reception. I spent the next hours simply driving and flipping through the radio stations. A few hours later I was getting noticeably tired, so I put in a mix CD so the familiar songs would keep me awake. Eventually I noticed the radio had XM on it, so I started listening to that. I alternate between XM and a song or two from the mix.
I was getting pretty hungry, but I kept putting off stopping to keep myself going. Anticipation is the best motivator. I finally hit Spokane and for some reason had it in mind that I wanted to eat Taco Bell. None of the exits had a Taco Bell sign so I ventured onto a road parallel to the interstate, something I wouldn't ordinarily do without GPS, in search of Taco Bell and a gas station. I finally found one, ordered some nacho cheese chalupas and a 7-layer burrito. I inhaled the chalupas quickly at a gas station while the tank filled. I jumped back on the interstate and entered Idaho. Shortly afterwards, I exit from I-90 onto highway 95, heading north. The road reminded me of 441 in Florida: at some points a highway in the country, but at other points a city street with stop lights. It eventually became a single lane road, and it was dark and desolate and pretty lonely out there. Occasionally I would pass through a small town, but there wasn't much out there, which was all the more motivation to keep going.
Fast forward to a few hours and many dark and winding miles later, and I was finally approaching the Canadian border. I was pretty exhausted by this point, and was seriously considering stopping to nap if there had been actual places to stop. Thus, I pushed forward, constantly anticipating the next town on the map as a possible point for me to rest. I finally got to the border. I had no idea what to expect since I've never been through this area before. It was like a little outpost in the middle of nowhere. I pull up to the window and some woman starts asking me about my trip. I was exhausted and stupid and of course start trying to explain teh whole story about friends on a bike trip and one died and now I'm going to this lodge to pick up the other friend and what not. She started asking more questions such as why my friend I was going to pick up didn't just come back by herself. Anyway, she finally let me through and told me it was about another hour to the next town, where I was determined to rest. The roads in Canada seemed even darker, more twisting, and more lonely. But also a bit thrilling.
When I got into Cranbrook, I was a little worried there would be no place to stop, being as how I really had to piss. I finally found an open 7-11 and stopped, pissed, and decided to try my luck with a little bottle of some 5-hour energy substance. I also put a little gas in the tank, but apparently $8 in Canada just gets you a few drops. The 5-hour energy stuff tasted pretty vile, sort of like a poor citrus imitation like those Emergen-C packets. I continued driving, shortly thereafter realizing that I could already notice a bit of light in the sky in the north, and silhouettes of mountains. The increasing light, coupled with the 5-hour energy thingy, made the next few hours pretty easy-going. I was alert again and surprised at just how alert, and thought I might not have to stop after all. A few hours later I reached Radium Hot Springs and entered some national park. The drive became insanely more scenic, with winding roads and mountains and nature all around. I was getting pretty tired but the thought of being so close kept me going. I didn't realize that it would still be another two hours before I was at my destination, but it was still very motivating and pretty exciting to think at what I had accomplished. At one point Heather called me and helped finalize some directions for me. As I was approaching the lodge I kept half-expecting Matt to come tumbling out of the woods and I could take him to Heather.
I approached the Num Ti Jah lodge and was immediately struck by the beauty of the place. Surrounded by snow-covered mountains, Bow Lake was impossibly blue. I could see instantly why they'd wanted to stay here. I parked, wandered into the lodge, asked for Heather and took a massive piss. When I was coming out of the bathroom Heather greeted me. She fed me and we chatted. She showed me the lodge they were staying at, introduced me to some of the co-workers. We contemplated if we should sleep, but by then I was again pretty wired and excited about being there, and still in a little disbelief.
Heather showed me around a bit more, then we gathered rocks for souvenirs she was making for Matt's friends and family. She had a few calls to make so I gave Nubis a little walk by the lake. Then we began packing her things and her friend David suggested we go for a hike. Heather stayed to pack but I went with him and Melissa on a hike to a waterfall that fed into the lake. The hike went along the edge of the lake for a bit. I was taking photos through much of this, and foolishly looking closely at the water or shoreline for any sign of Matt. Then the path went through some flat areas covered in rocks, up a little cliff that overlooks the stream, and back down to another gradually sloping plane of rocks up to the waterfall. It was deceptively far. And at point point after slipping a few times in gravel, I was pretty sure I was going to plummet off the cliff into the rapids below. And after the brush with death, I was surprised to see kids and people who weren't necessarily well-prepared to make that hike. We sat and ate snacks as the shadow of the cliff crept over us, then headed back.
The trek back to the lodge was a bit quicker. When we arrived, Heather had made dinner for us. We ate in the lodge by the pool table. Then we packed the car with Heather and Matt's belongings. It was very strange to put his bike on the bike rack without his permission. I joked at one point that he will be mad when he comes back to find his bike is gone. It was starting to get dark, and it might have been around this point I took a few more pictures. I ran into Heather again and her and David were skipping stones by a little creek. Then we went on a quest to take showers. I lucked out and got the shower with the high-pressure head. After the shower I wandered around a bit more. I stood at the beach of the lake. Peering out over the smooth surface of the lake. Half-looking for looking for some sign of Matt. I even wept a little. And I felt a bit silly because I doubt he would have wept for me. But that's probably just because I'm not worth shedding a tear over and he definitely is. I watched the moon rise over the glacier on one of the mountains and continued to peer over the lake a bit more. Still in disbelief about Matt and my trip and being there and pretty much everything.
By now it was dark and cold and I met up with Heather again. She wanted to share the last bit of Matt's whiskey with me, David, and another friend at the lodge. At the same time there was some big bonfire. It was a bit odd with people having all sorts of conflicting plans, but eventually we four were alone in a cabin, sipping the whiskey and trading stories. This included the story of the search for Matt and finding his kayak. A few others joined us and it was good times and I realized Heather and Matt had met some really special people out there. It also seemed that there is probably loads of drama between the boys and girls who work at the lodge, possibly rather fun. Around midnight we decided to call it a night. We were planning on waking up around 4am for the drive to Portland the next day. I was very exhausted, having been up by now about 36 hours, I was buzzed from the whiskey, and my chapped lips were pleasantly burning from the alcohol. I made my way into Heather's bed with Nubis while she was out talking with David, and it felt really nice to finally rest, only slightly regretting that I was missing the meteor shower that was without a doubt fantastic to see from there.
At home, I looked for my birth certificate but quickly grew very frantic trying to find it. It wasn't in the box I thought it was, and I emptied it and threw things around in a frenzy trying to look for it. At one point I even put a hole in my table after hitting it with frustration. I finally found the damn thing in the other box, and naturally felt like such an idiot for making such a fuss. Just then Sean got home while I was trying to tidy up my room somewhat. We chatted briefly about some potential roommate and about my plans to drive to Canada to pick Heather up. I finally get on the road and by about 7:30 pm on Thursday, August 12, I'm on I-90 going East, and my room is still a mess.
Alberta, Canada - August 12 - 13
The route I had laid out the night before, with the help of Mike. He had a lot of experience driving to Calgary so I trusted his guidance. The route would take me east just past Spokane, then north along some highways up into Alberta. The drive started good. I had a lot of energy, a brand new car, a nice twilight and scenery, and WireTap (sort of a This American Life clone) on the radio. I even tried starting some video journal thing with my camera. Over the course of a few hours I'd record a few comments or thoughts I had at the time but honestly I felt stupid talking to the camera and have yet to watch any of those videos. Soon enough, NPR began losing reception. I spent the next hours simply driving and flipping through the radio stations. A few hours later I was getting noticeably tired, so I put in a mix CD so the familiar songs would keep me awake. Eventually I noticed the radio had XM on it, so I started listening to that. I alternate between XM and a song or two from the mix.
I was getting pretty hungry, but I kept putting off stopping to keep myself going. Anticipation is the best motivator. I finally hit Spokane and for some reason had it in mind that I wanted to eat Taco Bell. None of the exits had a Taco Bell sign so I ventured onto a road parallel to the interstate, something I wouldn't ordinarily do without GPS, in search of Taco Bell and a gas station. I finally found one, ordered some nacho cheese chalupas and a 7-layer burrito. I inhaled the chalupas quickly at a gas station while the tank filled. I jumped back on the interstate and entered Idaho. Shortly afterwards, I exit from I-90 onto highway 95, heading north. The road reminded me of 441 in Florida: at some points a highway in the country, but at other points a city street with stop lights. It eventually became a single lane road, and it was dark and desolate and pretty lonely out there. Occasionally I would pass through a small town, but there wasn't much out there, which was all the more motivation to keep going.
Fast forward to a few hours and many dark and winding miles later, and I was finally approaching the Canadian border. I was pretty exhausted by this point, and was seriously considering stopping to nap if there had been actual places to stop. Thus, I pushed forward, constantly anticipating the next town on the map as a possible point for me to rest. I finally got to the border. I had no idea what to expect since I've never been through this area before. It was like a little outpost in the middle of nowhere. I pull up to the window and some woman starts asking me about my trip. I was exhausted and stupid and of course start trying to explain teh whole story about friends on a bike trip and one died and now I'm going to this lodge to pick up the other friend and what not. She started asking more questions such as why my friend I was going to pick up didn't just come back by herself. Anyway, she finally let me through and told me it was about another hour to the next town, where I was determined to rest. The roads in Canada seemed even darker, more twisting, and more lonely. But also a bit thrilling.
When I got into Cranbrook, I was a little worried there would be no place to stop, being as how I really had to piss. I finally found an open 7-11 and stopped, pissed, and decided to try my luck with a little bottle of some 5-hour energy substance. I also put a little gas in the tank, but apparently $8 in Canada just gets you a few drops. The 5-hour energy stuff tasted pretty vile, sort of like a poor citrus imitation like those Emergen-C packets. I continued driving, shortly thereafter realizing that I could already notice a bit of light in the sky in the north, and silhouettes of mountains. The increasing light, coupled with the 5-hour energy thingy, made the next few hours pretty easy-going. I was alert again and surprised at just how alert, and thought I might not have to stop after all. A few hours later I reached Radium Hot Springs and entered some national park. The drive became insanely more scenic, with winding roads and mountains and nature all around. I was getting pretty tired but the thought of being so close kept me going. I didn't realize that it would still be another two hours before I was at my destination, but it was still very motivating and pretty exciting to think at what I had accomplished. At one point Heather called me and helped finalize some directions for me. As I was approaching the lodge I kept half-expecting Matt to come tumbling out of the woods and I could take him to Heather.
I approached the Num Ti Jah lodge and was immediately struck by the beauty of the place. Surrounded by snow-covered mountains, Bow Lake was impossibly blue. I could see instantly why they'd wanted to stay here. I parked, wandered into the lodge, asked for Heather and took a massive piss. When I was coming out of the bathroom Heather greeted me. She fed me and we chatted. She showed me the lodge they were staying at, introduced me to some of the co-workers. We contemplated if we should sleep, but by then I was again pretty wired and excited about being there, and still in a little disbelief.
Heather showed me around a bit more, then we gathered rocks for souvenirs she was making for Matt's friends and family. She had a few calls to make so I gave Nubis a little walk by the lake. Then we began packing her things and her friend David suggested we go for a hike. Heather stayed to pack but I went with him and Melissa on a hike to a waterfall that fed into the lake. The hike went along the edge of the lake for a bit. I was taking photos through much of this, and foolishly looking closely at the water or shoreline for any sign of Matt. Then the path went through some flat areas covered in rocks, up a little cliff that overlooks the stream, and back down to another gradually sloping plane of rocks up to the waterfall. It was deceptively far. And at point point after slipping a few times in gravel, I was pretty sure I was going to plummet off the cliff into the rapids below. And after the brush with death, I was surprised to see kids and people who weren't necessarily well-prepared to make that hike. We sat and ate snacks as the shadow of the cliff crept over us, then headed back.
The trek back to the lodge was a bit quicker. When we arrived, Heather had made dinner for us. We ate in the lodge by the pool table. Then we packed the car with Heather and Matt's belongings. It was very strange to put his bike on the bike rack without his permission. I joked at one point that he will be mad when he comes back to find his bike is gone. It was starting to get dark, and it might have been around this point I took a few more pictures. I ran into Heather again and her and David were skipping stones by a little creek. Then we went on a quest to take showers. I lucked out and got the shower with the high-pressure head. After the shower I wandered around a bit more. I stood at the beach of the lake. Peering out over the smooth surface of the lake. Half-looking for looking for some sign of Matt. I even wept a little. And I felt a bit silly because I doubt he would have wept for me. But that's probably just because I'm not worth shedding a tear over and he definitely is. I watched the moon rise over the glacier on one of the mountains and continued to peer over the lake a bit more. Still in disbelief about Matt and my trip and being there and pretty much everything.
By now it was dark and cold and I met up with Heather again. She wanted to share the last bit of Matt's whiskey with me, David, and another friend at the lodge. At the same time there was some big bonfire. It was a bit odd with people having all sorts of conflicting plans, but eventually we four were alone in a cabin, sipping the whiskey and trading stories. This included the story of the search for Matt and finding his kayak. A few others joined us and it was good times and I realized Heather and Matt had met some really special people out there. It also seemed that there is probably loads of drama between the boys and girls who work at the lodge, possibly rather fun. Around midnight we decided to call it a night. We were planning on waking up around 4am for the drive to Portland the next day. I was very exhausted, having been up by now about 36 hours, I was buzzed from the whiskey, and my chapped lips were pleasantly burning from the alcohol. I made my way into Heather's bed with Nubis while she was out talking with David, and it felt really nice to finally rest, only slightly regretting that I was missing the meteor shower that was without a doubt fantastic to see from there.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Recent Events, part 2
Before I go further, there's some background information to go over. Since the beginning of the year, Heather has been planning a bicycle tour from Fairbanks, Alaska to Portland. I was invited, and very excited at the prospect of going. But eventually I felt I'd be too out of shape and the prospect of camping for a few months on end wasn't all that appealing to me. A friend of ours, Matt Brown (Ned), agreed to go with her, which was a relief to me since he had bike tour experience. They began riding from Fairbanks around June 10. By this point in the summer, they were staying at the Num Ti Jah lodge on Bow Lake in the Banff area of Alberta, Canada.
Chicago, Illinois - August 7 - 12
The flight leaving Jacksonville was delayed due to storms in Atlanta, so I arrived too late to catch the connecting flight. I was eventually put on another flight to Chicago that was to leave significantly later. I think the flight didn't leave until about 8pm, where as my original flight would have gotten me to Chicago at 6pm. I wandered around the airport during that time. Ate pizza, wandered some more. Finally I sat by the gate, at which point two younger girls sat next to me. I was listening to music but peaked over at what the girl next to me was writing, it was a journal of traveling through Germany. I asked her a few questions and we chatted a bit, finally boarded the flight. The flight was fine, pretty short, and a nice view of the sunset despite not sitting at the window. I arrived at the airport thinking there would be drama with my bags being on the wrong flight but it turned out fine. I met Thomas at the airport as well and we hopped on the Blue Line and chatted on the way to Amanda's. That night we three went to this bar across the street from Amanda's place. I don't remember the name, but it was mariachi themed. We ate quesadillas, drank margarita and then called it a night.
On Friday Amanda and I took the trains to Evanston to meet with her boss and borrow her bike. Her boss was really nice, and reminded me of my mother a bit. The bike was an older white mountain bike that turned out to be surprisingly reliable. From Evanston, which was very picturesque, we rode to the lake front then down the shore on a pretty big bike path. We rode a little past downtown and ended up in this nice area near some museums and planetarium. We hung out there for a bit, got a hotdog, walked around. Then we rode north a bit, towards home, but stopped at the beach for a while. Finally we headed home, at which point we met Amanda's friend Fiona at the bakery by Amanda's place. We sat and chatted with them while waiting for Thomas to come hang out, which he eventually did with his coworker Katherine. While we were there, there was a little neighborhood cat who was at first shy, but eventually had the audacity to jump in my lap a few times. She also began stalking and attacking smaller dogs that would walk by on the sidewalk. At this point, Amanda goes to run an errand and Thomas and I went to eat at Sultan's, where I got one of the best falafel sandwiches I've ever had. After that we headed back to Thomas's, and, while waiting for a bus, ran into his roommate Andrew, who apparently had been drinking at a wedding or an engagement shower all day. He was pretty trashed, asking the same question several times. At Thomas's we played some PS3 and waited for Amanda to show up. When she did, we headed over to this bar and met up with Katherine and some of her friends. She was wearing a red dress, really cute. We drank some, played Girl Talk, eventually called it a night.
On Saturday Amanda, Thomas, and I decided to go see Pineapple Express. We rode the bus downtown and I noticed I started feeling a bit sick and headachey on the way. The people next to us were all friends and talking about new jobs and people getting married. I wonder if I ever seem as uninteresting when people overhear me talking to friends. The theater and was full of arcade games. I would much rather spend money and time shooting things than watching a stoner film in which most of the jokes and plot elements are given in the trailer. We met Julie there, watched the movie, sitting near the front. The movie was fine, but by the end I had a huge headache and no medicine. Nearby drug store didn't sell single servings, I got huffy, Amanda got huffy, she bought a whole bottle of Excedrine for me. We all took some and rode the bus back. Thomas, also with a headache, headed home while Amanda, Julie and I went to a bar near Amanda's place and ate and drank for a few hours, catching more Olympics on their TV. Afterwards we visited Tricia at her job right near Amanda's and drank another beer. Finally we loaded up on Sparks and began walking to the "viaduct" or whatever, an unused raised train track that's now overgrown. The place was dark and felt secluded and secret despite being in the middle of a pretty nice neighborhood. Eventually the alcohol caught up and we began fantasizing about zombie scenarios, climaxing in us singing the Cranberries' Zombie to people walking by. A few calls later and we're meeting up with Julie's friends at some bar that's pretty far away. By now I'm trying to sober up because Sparks is kicking me in the stomach. I don't remember much else, mostly the cab ride home.
On Sunday I got a voicemail from Heather that left me in disbelief. She told me that Matt had gone kayaking the day before and went missing during a storm. Rescuers found his kayak with his belongings but not him. With that news weighing heavy on my mind, Amanda, Thomas, and I decided to go to the Luxor something or another for lunch. It's a popular restaurant that ends up being pretty good. The wait was long, the menu extensive, and the portions huge. Afterwards we headed to Borders and then south a bit to the Bean and the large outdoor theater. We wandered around, sit a bit, got ice cream. At that point Heather called again and I get more details on Matt's disappearance. The authorities have labeled it a drowning and Heather is the one left to let his friends and relatives know about it.
On what I believe was Sunday night, Amanda and I ate at a pizza place across the street from her place. They gave me an extra slice since they got the order wrong. Then we walked a few blocks to Wicker Park. We sat in the swings and walked through the jungle-jim when Heather calls. It was then that we decide I will be driving up to the lodge to pick her up after arriving back in Seattle.
On Monday, Amanda and I chose to return the bike I borrowed to her boss in Evanston. On the way, we stopped at the zoo for a while. The most exciting part was the pair of polar bears swimming laps, and perhaps the male lion who was lying in the sun such that the telescope had a perfect view of his testicles. Afterwards, we rode along the lake front. It was again a very nice day and the ride was at a vigorous pace. As we approached the house, I asked Amanda if we can switch bikes, so we did, and went a bit further along the lake. Amanda's bike is pretty amazing. It's a very sexy fixed-gear that is a joy to ride. It's inspired me to look at getting a fixed-gear bike. At the house, Amanda chatted with her boss then we took the train back into town.
At one point, likely on Monday night, we watched the Bourne Ultimatum at Thomas's, after which Amanda and I went to a free show at some venue nearby. We each drank a PBR and split another but the music was so bad we left early. Plus I still had Ned weighing on my mind.
My flight on Tuesday wasn't until the afternoon. With the big plans to rent a car and drive to Canada immediately upon arriving in Seattle, I left early for the airport in hopes of getting an earlier flight. Unfortunately there are none so I was forced to wait 4 hours in the airport for my flight. But I realized immediately after checking in I should have tried to book on another airline. Perhaps they allow that without much additional cost. I walked around the airport. Finally ate something, walk more. By that point the waiting was annoying. I spent some time the previous night plotting out the drive and looking at rental prices and was very impatient to get that leg of the journey started. Finally the plane boards and I'm stuck between an attractive blond with big tits and a middle-aged women who seems mentally challenged.
Chicago, Illinois - August 7 - 12
The flight leaving Jacksonville was delayed due to storms in Atlanta, so I arrived too late to catch the connecting flight. I was eventually put on another flight to Chicago that was to leave significantly later. I think the flight didn't leave until about 8pm, where as my original flight would have gotten me to Chicago at 6pm. I wandered around the airport during that time. Ate pizza, wandered some more. Finally I sat by the gate, at which point two younger girls sat next to me. I was listening to music but peaked over at what the girl next to me was writing, it was a journal of traveling through Germany. I asked her a few questions and we chatted a bit, finally boarded the flight. The flight was fine, pretty short, and a nice view of the sunset despite not sitting at the window. I arrived at the airport thinking there would be drama with my bags being on the wrong flight but it turned out fine. I met Thomas at the airport as well and we hopped on the Blue Line and chatted on the way to Amanda's. That night we three went to this bar across the street from Amanda's place. I don't remember the name, but it was mariachi themed. We ate quesadillas, drank margarita and then called it a night.
On Friday Amanda and I took the trains to Evanston to meet with her boss and borrow her bike. Her boss was really nice, and reminded me of my mother a bit. The bike was an older white mountain bike that turned out to be surprisingly reliable. From Evanston, which was very picturesque, we rode to the lake front then down the shore on a pretty big bike path. We rode a little past downtown and ended up in this nice area near some museums and planetarium. We hung out there for a bit, got a hotdog, walked around. Then we rode north a bit, towards home, but stopped at the beach for a while. Finally we headed home, at which point we met Amanda's friend Fiona at the bakery by Amanda's place. We sat and chatted with them while waiting for Thomas to come hang out, which he eventually did with his coworker Katherine. While we were there, there was a little neighborhood cat who was at first shy, but eventually had the audacity to jump in my lap a few times. She also began stalking and attacking smaller dogs that would walk by on the sidewalk. At this point, Amanda goes to run an errand and Thomas and I went to eat at Sultan's, where I got one of the best falafel sandwiches I've ever had. After that we headed back to Thomas's, and, while waiting for a bus, ran into his roommate Andrew, who apparently had been drinking at a wedding or an engagement shower all day. He was pretty trashed, asking the same question several times. At Thomas's we played some PS3 and waited for Amanda to show up. When she did, we headed over to this bar and met up with Katherine and some of her friends. She was wearing a red dress, really cute. We drank some, played Girl Talk, eventually called it a night.
On Saturday Amanda, Thomas, and I decided to go see Pineapple Express. We rode the bus downtown and I noticed I started feeling a bit sick and headachey on the way. The people next to us were all friends and talking about new jobs and people getting married. I wonder if I ever seem as uninteresting when people overhear me talking to friends. The theater and was full of arcade games. I would much rather spend money and time shooting things than watching a stoner film in which most of the jokes and plot elements are given in the trailer. We met Julie there, watched the movie, sitting near the front. The movie was fine, but by the end I had a huge headache and no medicine. Nearby drug store didn't sell single servings, I got huffy, Amanda got huffy, she bought a whole bottle of Excedrine for me. We all took some and rode the bus back. Thomas, also with a headache, headed home while Amanda, Julie and I went to a bar near Amanda's place and ate and drank for a few hours, catching more Olympics on their TV. Afterwards we visited Tricia at her job right near Amanda's and drank another beer. Finally we loaded up on Sparks and began walking to the "viaduct" or whatever, an unused raised train track that's now overgrown. The place was dark and felt secluded and secret despite being in the middle of a pretty nice neighborhood. Eventually the alcohol caught up and we began fantasizing about zombie scenarios, climaxing in us singing the Cranberries' Zombie to people walking by. A few calls later and we're meeting up with Julie's friends at some bar that's pretty far away. By now I'm trying to sober up because Sparks is kicking me in the stomach. I don't remember much else, mostly the cab ride home.
On Sunday I got a voicemail from Heather that left me in disbelief. She told me that Matt had gone kayaking the day before and went missing during a storm. Rescuers found his kayak with his belongings but not him. With that news weighing heavy on my mind, Amanda, Thomas, and I decided to go to the Luxor something or another for lunch. It's a popular restaurant that ends up being pretty good. The wait was long, the menu extensive, and the portions huge. Afterwards we headed to Borders and then south a bit to the Bean and the large outdoor theater. We wandered around, sit a bit, got ice cream. At that point Heather called again and I get more details on Matt's disappearance. The authorities have labeled it a drowning and Heather is the one left to let his friends and relatives know about it.
On what I believe was Sunday night, Amanda and I ate at a pizza place across the street from her place. They gave me an extra slice since they got the order wrong. Then we walked a few blocks to Wicker Park. We sat in the swings and walked through the jungle-jim when Heather calls. It was then that we decide I will be driving up to the lodge to pick her up after arriving back in Seattle.
On Monday, Amanda and I chose to return the bike I borrowed to her boss in Evanston. On the way, we stopped at the zoo for a while. The most exciting part was the pair of polar bears swimming laps, and perhaps the male lion who was lying in the sun such that the telescope had a perfect view of his testicles. Afterwards, we rode along the lake front. It was again a very nice day and the ride was at a vigorous pace. As we approached the house, I asked Amanda if we can switch bikes, so we did, and went a bit further along the lake. Amanda's bike is pretty amazing. It's a very sexy fixed-gear that is a joy to ride. It's inspired me to look at getting a fixed-gear bike. At the house, Amanda chatted with her boss then we took the train back into town.
At one point, likely on Monday night, we watched the Bourne Ultimatum at Thomas's, after which Amanda and I went to a free show at some venue nearby. We each drank a PBR and split another but the music was so bad we left early. Plus I still had Ned weighing on my mind.
My flight on Tuesday wasn't until the afternoon. With the big plans to rent a car and drive to Canada immediately upon arriving in Seattle, I left early for the airport in hopes of getting an earlier flight. Unfortunately there are none so I was forced to wait 4 hours in the airport for my flight. But I realized immediately after checking in I should have tried to book on another airline. Perhaps they allow that without much additional cost. I walked around the airport. Finally ate something, walk more. By that point the waiting was annoying. I spent some time the previous night plotting out the drive and looking at rental prices and was very impatient to get that leg of the journey started. Finally the plane boards and I'm stuck between an attractive blond with big tits and a middle-aged women who seems mentally challenged.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Recent Events, part 1
The past few weeks have been particularly hectic. I've explained it to several different people in several different ways by omitting several different details, but I guess I'll finally compile all my thoughts on the subject and use this as the definitive repository for those details. I believe that was actually one of my motivating factors for creating this.
Gainesville, Florida - July 29 - August 7
I had an over-night flight back home. Layover in Dallas or something. The flights were pretty uneventful. I was stuck between two people the first flight and on the second flight I could have sworn I was sitting next to Helen Mirren. After landing and waiting outside in the stuffy heat, my mom finally picks me up. We then go run a bunch of errands around Jacksonville. I was fine at first but lack of sleep was making me antsy and I guess I don't remember too many other details after that. I don't feel like going through events day-by-day since most aren't particularly exciting so instead I'll summarize the activities.
On August 7th, I flew out from Jacksonville airport to Chicago.
Gainesville, Florida - July 29 - August 7
I had an over-night flight back home. Layover in Dallas or something. The flights were pretty uneventful. I was stuck between two people the first flight and on the second flight I could have sworn I was sitting next to Helen Mirren. After landing and waiting outside in the stuffy heat, my mom finally picks me up. We then go run a bunch of errands around Jacksonville. I was fine at first but lack of sleep was making me antsy and I guess I don't remember too many other details after that. I don't feel like going through events day-by-day since most aren't particularly exciting so instead I'll summarize the activities.
- I hung out with the Get-Fresh crew a few times. Once at Brophy's pub, where Greg was completely out of control and somehow I was spilling all these drinks despite being sober. I also got to see Suresh there. He has a boss-fight to implement and only a few more weeks to do it. The other time was at Ryan's, and we played Soul Calibur 5 and ate donuts.
- I hung out quite a bit with Laura. This involved watching TV and a movie at her place, going out to some bar a few times, meeting up with some friends of mine, and a few more things that I'm not going to admit to since this is technically a public forum, and not that it was that bad but I'm a gentleman and don't share secrets.
- I saw my dad a few times, either for dinner/lunch or to help him manage his automobiles. We ate at El Norteno on one day and the last day at Mr. Han's. He was nice enough to let me borrow his car, which allowed me a bit more freedom than I was expecting, especially since I was hoping to go out of town a few times. He may be moving soon to the Panhandle of Florida, meaning he won't be "home" anymore.
- I visited Taylor and Kristin in their home in Orlando. They live near downtown near Lake Eola in a neat little house by a neat little pond. They're both doing really well, and really into Crossfit, which seems rather fun and is something I'd like to try eventually. On the drive back I somehow had missed the gas station I always go to before getting on the Turnpike so had no money for tolls, forcing me to write a check for $2.50.
- I was an esteemed guest at the wedding of Jamie Marks in St. Petersburg. I had no idea what to expect. I came in with expectations that it was going to be very awkward for me since I don't know her friends all that well. Most of the guests were not her friends but rather friends of her parents. It ended up being rather nice. The ceremony was nice, bi/tri-lingual with some Cherokee rituals involved. Then there were cocktails while the dinner tables were being setup. At first I was just sitting around, finally got a drink, sat some more, got some crackers. I was soon approached by Tracy, a friend of Jamie's from highschool and chatted with her and two of her friends for a bit. Then I ran into Bethany, another friend of Jamie's who I was in Jamie's student film project with. I ended up spending most of my time with her, especially since we ended up sitting together for dinner. At one point she asked if I had a hotel room and mentioned she was sharing one with some of the bridesmaids, and I enjoyed briefly relishing the ever-so-slight chance at that being some sort of come-on. Needless to say even if it was a come-on, my skill at missing such obvious signs ensured I wasn't going to be ensnared. Jamie was beautiful, and unfortunately and understandably could only devote a few minutes to catching up with me. I never got the chance to meet Pau, though. I left during the dancing and made it back to Gainesville early enough hang out with the guys.
- I rode and attempted to fix my bike. It was in pretty bad shape with the not-having-been-ridden-in-over-a-year and the chlorine fumes that make anything rust. I'd have done Hawthorne trail but I still had no idea where it was. I need more spontaneous-bike-ride friends, both here and in Florida.
- I had dinner with some former co-workers at Ichiban. It was good to see them, and good to talk about nerdy things that I thought I could only talk about with people here in Washington.
On August 7th, I flew out from Jacksonville airport to Chicago.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Blog.StartUp()
So this is the start of my blog. Here I am finally joining the 21st century, entering the whole Web 2.0 blogosphere universe where everyone voices an opinion and nobody cares about anyone else's. For me, the only real purpose of it is to keep track of events and trivia in my life, and how they occur chronologically. It'll complement my memory. Perhaps even substitute it. Maybe it will be occasionally introspective. As soon as I get over pretending like I'm writing for an audience, I'm sure I'll become comfortable with it.
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