I want to see mountains again, Gandalf, mountains!
My subject line is the first thing that popped into my head yesterday morning when I saw snow on the Cascades. Yes, I'm quite odd and everyone is aware of this fact. But oh well.
The train ride was nicer than going by bus would have been. And it was cheaper, but the money I saved just went to the cab ride. Quite a few strangers helped me out, and I'll do my usual routine of listing them in hopes people have a little more faith in each other from hearing what their fellows have done.
Homeless woman at the train station in Indy - she helped haul the blue behemoth up two steep flights of stairs for most of the quarters in my purse.
Patrick - gentleman who sat next to me on the train to Chicago, hauled the behemoth from that first train to baggage claim although I didn't ask him to.
British guy - gave me a good hour's conversation through North Dakota and Montana when my cell phone was completely dead and my ears didn't want to endure more headphones. And then he gave me the book he finished reading...with the last two pages ripped out.
Tashi - Very kind Amtrak employee who got me some of those Lay's Stax when I mentioned I was hungry waiting for dinner. They were pizza flavored and I couldn't have many, but it was still nice.
Jerry - older gentleman who sat across from me at dinner Friday night, drank some of the wine I'd ordered, paid for it, and gave me a couple prescription-strength ibuprofen because I was sore.
Travel would not be pleasant without people I'll never see again helping. That is why I always pass along the kindness when I see an opportunity to.
My aunt Amber and uncle Jeremy seem to be very nice, laid-back people who aren't going to mind if I'm playing X Japan loudly and trying to sing along or mumbling profanities in three languages at the PS2. Jeremy also has an XBox, both Knights of the Old Republic video games, and the strategy guides for the games. Gee, I wonder what I'll be playing after I manage to beat FFXII. One of their cats is pretty antisocial, but the other has already warmed up to me and she's adorable. They have a digital camera, so I promise pictures of myself and the cats at some point in the near future.
It's a little thing to be happy about, but I have a bed and a bedroom! After living on couchs and in living rooms since the middle of last August, this is quite possibly the most comforting thing in my life at the moment. And my room has the TV hooked up to cable. Just get a remote and I'll be a very happy CP. I think I'm gonna go see my grandma, another uncle, and possibly a visit to my very sick grandpa today. If I don't see my grandpa today, I'll see him in the coming days. He's got advanced prostate cancer, is on chemo again, and was hospitalized Wednesday for a blood infection. I hope he gets better.
Christmas looks like it will be quite an experience because I have a ton of relatives, most of whom have decent careers, who haven't seen me since I was very little. And I have been told to make up a list of what I want so people can shop. It will feel very strange to have more than a few presents waiting for me when the holiday comes.
Gonna be going through nearly two years of entries and putting tags in place - one for memes, one for fics, and one for my really emotional moments. May consider putting up a travel tag, too.
Oh, is there anyone out there who feels like they could make me a friends-only banner? I plan on switching over to that in the next couple of weeks, so I want a pretty way to announce it.
The train ride was nicer than going by bus would have been. And it was cheaper, but the money I saved just went to the cab ride. Quite a few strangers helped me out, and I'll do my usual routine of listing them in hopes people have a little more faith in each other from hearing what their fellows have done.
Homeless woman at the train station in Indy - she helped haul the blue behemoth up two steep flights of stairs for most of the quarters in my purse.
Patrick - gentleman who sat next to me on the train to Chicago, hauled the behemoth from that first train to baggage claim although I didn't ask him to.
British guy - gave me a good hour's conversation through North Dakota and Montana when my cell phone was completely dead and my ears didn't want to endure more headphones. And then he gave me the book he finished reading...with the last two pages ripped out.
Tashi - Very kind Amtrak employee who got me some of those Lay's Stax when I mentioned I was hungry waiting for dinner. They were pizza flavored and I couldn't have many, but it was still nice.
Jerry - older gentleman who sat across from me at dinner Friday night, drank some of the wine I'd ordered, paid for it, and gave me a couple prescription-strength ibuprofen because I was sore.
Travel would not be pleasant without people I'll never see again helping. That is why I always pass along the kindness when I see an opportunity to.
My aunt Amber and uncle Jeremy seem to be very nice, laid-back people who aren't going to mind if I'm playing X Japan loudly and trying to sing along or mumbling profanities in three languages at the PS2. Jeremy also has an XBox, both Knights of the Old Republic video games, and the strategy guides for the games. Gee, I wonder what I'll be playing after I manage to beat FFXII. One of their cats is pretty antisocial, but the other has already warmed up to me and she's adorable. They have a digital camera, so I promise pictures of myself and the cats at some point in the near future.
It's a little thing to be happy about, but I have a bed and a bedroom! After living on couchs and in living rooms since the middle of last August, this is quite possibly the most comforting thing in my life at the moment. And my room has the TV hooked up to cable. Just get a remote and I'll be a very happy CP. I think I'm gonna go see my grandma, another uncle, and possibly a visit to my very sick grandpa today. If I don't see my grandpa today, I'll see him in the coming days. He's got advanced prostate cancer, is on chemo again, and was hospitalized Wednesday for a blood infection. I hope he gets better.
Christmas looks like it will be quite an experience because I have a ton of relatives, most of whom have decent careers, who haven't seen me since I was very little. And I have been told to make up a list of what I want so people can shop. It will feel very strange to have more than a few presents waiting for me when the holiday comes.
Gonna be going through nearly two years of entries and putting tags in place - one for memes, one for fics, and one for my really emotional moments. May consider putting up a travel tag, too.
Oh, is there anyone out there who feels like they could make me a friends-only banner? I plan on switching over to that in the next couple of weeks, so I want a pretty way to announce it.