Damaged Yet Delightful

…Yeah, cliched, I know, but it fits with both the blog theme and the content.


Surprise, I’m in Seattle!


Okay, that’s not really a surprise unless you don’t have me friended on Facebook, but whatever. I AM in Seattle.


So at 6am on Wednesday 19th I woke up (I know, right? Me, waking up at 6am??) and got ready, and then Beth and I put my big suitcase and stuff down in her storage area, and she drove me to Union Station to catch a Megabus. I had a little purple suitcase I borrowed from Michelle so I could just take carry-on luggage and not have to pay $20 for a checked bag (because that adds up! But also, omg, what kind of crazy person leaves for a month-long trip with HAND LUGGAGE? This is doomed to failure already because it was pretty full when I left and I already bought quite a few things today. I hasten to point out that ALL BUT ONE THING was for other people! I’m a giver.)


So anyway, Beth took me to Union Station, which was lovely of her, and I caught the Megabus, and it stopped at a Route 66 trucker store or something, I took a picture of it anyway, and I bought a little book of crossword puzzles and a copy of USA Today, because I am a journalism nerd. The air conditioning was broken so the driver couldn’t do anything about it and it got pretty warm. Also my pockets were full of laundry quarters and I lost one of them down the side of the seat, so I transferred them to my purse. I’m pretty sure I spent a few today though on a couple things.


Anyway XD So we got to Chicago at like 2pm or so, and I put my iPod away (I’d been listening to a playlist of new music - Lecrae, which I only bought the night before on Amazon, (Do You Wanna Date My) Avatar by the Guild, and some Jonas Brothers (well of course, it’s ME, people) and got off. Then I hit a snag. I went into Union Station to find a bathroom (yes, Union Station in Chicago. They’re BOTH Union Station. That happens a lot in America though right? Like Portland and Springfield XD) and then got completely, totally lost. I didn’t know how to get out in order to get to the Clinton blue line stop. The instructions on the website had said the night before, “Go two blocks South”. What do I know from South? I’m a Sociologist.


So I wandered around and asked a guard, whose instructions I couldn’t understand, then eventually bought a Cinnabon (because they looked so tasty and omg, it totally was) and then I tweeted about being lost, and nothing helped, and just as I was starting to freak out a little bit, like omg, I’m going to be stuck here forever because I don’t know what way to get out, and the six hours between the bus and my flight is starting to seem like it was an excellent idea, Danielle called me. So I called her back and she Googled and talked me through it, and I ate my Cinnabon and then I went on my way, and sure enough there it was - tucked away and with not a whole lot of signage. NEEDZ MOAR SIGNS. Also I totally maligned Chicago and the fact that I couldn’t find a free map of the station, it turned out there WAS one, I found it after I tweeted. So, sorry, Chicago. I was just a bit overwrought. But I was like “I can navigate the London Underground with no freaking problems but I can’t even find my way out of a Chicago train station? WTF?” and wishing I was in Covent Garden or even Leicester Square.


Anyway. So I got on the proper train and was soon at O’Hare airport. Too soon. At like 4pm. For an 8.50pm flight. So I killed some time, then I ate my leftover Pei Wei honey-seared chicken (SO TASTY), and then I went to the self check-in machines to check in and somehow there was a wad of watermelon gum on the floor and I somehow managed to set my Whomping Willows tote bag RIGHT ON TOP OF IT. It was disgusting. I scraped off as much as I could with my plastic fork and then I gave up. Then I went through security and sat down to wait.


I did crosswords, Sudoku from the paper, word games…I managed to plug my phone charger into a laptop outlet and charge it up so at least it didn’t die on me, thank goodness. And then I found out the flight was delayed until 10pm. At 9.15 I called Beth and went in search of McDonalds fries. Then I headed to the gate, only to find that they were BOARDING THE FLIGHT. Even though there were no announcements and the board just said “Now 10.05pm”. I was like, OMG. So I shoved the fries, in their to-go bag, into my tote and got on the plane (I know, I know. Anyone who’s ever encountered fast food on public transport probably just groaned right now. It IS a distinctive smell, shut up, I wasn’t thinking straight XD). So then people around me are going, “I can smell food!” and I was like, trying to keep my head down. I’m pretty sure my seatmates (I was in the middle of a row of three, my LEAST FAVOURITE place to be. Ugh. I think I have window seats on all the other flights that I’ve been able to confirm seating though. I HOPE.) totally clued in, but they both kept silent and went to sleep. So I went to sleep, although I did also read a little of An Abundance of Katherines, which I finally got a few weeks ago but had been saving for the plane XD


So we got to Seattle like an hour late and Jenn was waiting, which was really awesome and straightfoward, and then we drove back to her house…it’s a pretty long drive that late at night, so thank you Jenn <3


Today we got up earlyish (haha, 9.30, that’s earlyish for me) and had breakfast - omg, cinnamon and brown sugar Pop Tarts are sooo good - and then went to do touristy stuff. First was the Space Needle (SO AMAZING. The view is phenomenal! Also they took our picture and we bought it. And I got some souvenirs).



Then we went on a log flume and a rollercoaster, which were hilarious and we just could NOT stop laughing throughout. It was kind of silly but fun Then we went to get something to eat, and we had fish and chips, which I found ironic because it’s sort of an iconic British dish, and it was really good, actually.


After that we headed to the Experience Music Project, which was SO GOOD. There were all these interesting exhibits, and I flailed a tiny bit over the Heart drum kit, which was so cool, and when I came to the grunge section I thought of Hannah N XD And then we went downstairs to the Science Fiction Museum and OMG, Beth, you would have loved it. There was sooo much Star Trek stuff, and some Star Wars stuff, and a bunch of things I had no clue even what they were about, but they didn’t allow photography (grrr) so the only photos I have from there are the giant sculpture thingy, if you can call it that, made up of mostly guitars but also drums and stuff, called “VI to IX” or something (http://www.flickr.com/photos/empsfm/3331485060/), which was amazing, and Jenn and I hugging a furry pink wall left behind by a now packed-up-and-ready-to-ship Muppets exhibition XD

After THAT, we got the monorail downtown to just wander about for a little bit and miss the traffic, and then we took it back again and drove back to her house. We had chicken and pasta for dinner and it was really tasty


So yeah, that’s the skin-and-bones details of the day I guess. But it’s funny. Sometimes I just get all “You know, I feel like life is totally passing me by.” And then there was today, where I was with a friend, outside, going on rides and learning about music and even just driving, listening to music. And I thought, actually no, this is what life is supposed to be.


So that was day one of my great American adventure. Tomorrow we’re meeting Rebekah and she’s taking me places since Jenn has to work, and we’ll see what that brings. Just know that I’m super excited for the rest of this trip.

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