The last two weeks have been difficult for me. It all started over Independence Day weekend and will thankfully be over tomorrow. I have spent these two weeks alternating between calm and taking advantage of time to relax and being worried, anxious, lonely, and miserable.
The cause of these two difficult weeks? N is away at camp. . . for two whole weeks! He and I have never been apart that long before, particularly not without having daily phone calls with each other.
Sunday before last my heart broke as I waved to him as I drove away from him, smiling and waving back at me from the bus that would take him into the deep dark wilds of the Ozarks. (okay, so it’s just YMCA camp, but still. . . ) I shed a few tears as I drove away, but soon I was buoyed by the freedom that comes from having no one for whom you must be responsible other than yourself. Woohoo! Freedom!
Instead of driving straight home I went to BJ’s, and we spent the rest of the day together. I had thoughts of us spending more time together during the week, but that didn’t really work out because he was required to man the booth his workplace had at the county fair every day that week. Bummer.
Somehow, I made do though. I had pizza for dinner most nights. Pizza is my favorite food in the whole world. I believe I could live on pizza alone. Pizza is good.
By last weekend, my appreciation of peace and quiet, and pizza, was starting to wane. How much better it would be to have a noisy boy in the house. How much better it would be to have the occasional mac & cheese dinner instead of pizza. How much better it would be to not be missing him acutely every time I looked online at the pictures posted on the camp’s website.
This week has been not much better, although I did vary my menu slightly. As a matter of fact, I haven’t had pizza all this week. I’ve had spaghetti, and stir fry, and mac & cheese (ok, maybe I was missing the boy a bit that night), and omelet for dinners this week. Well, and two of those nights I had dinner with BJ so that was nice. But I still eventually had to go home to an empty house. The dog and I would play a bit with his toys, but we both missed our boy. Eventually, I’d go to bed and think about how N might be handling the second week away from home and hoping he was doing better than I was.
So tomorrow morning I pick up N at the same location where I left him almost two weeks ago. He will be tired. He will be grumpy. He will be hungry. We will go to Chevy’s for lunch before making the three hour drive home. Hopefully, he will sleep much of that three hours. We will go see the new Harry Potter movie on Sunday.
And life will return to normal.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
Trueself Takes Seattle by Storm, Part III
Ha! You thought I’d never get around to continuing this didn’t you? Well, you thought wrong. I may be slow, but I get there eventually.
Sites of Seattle (cont.)
In Part II I talked about the things we did and saw using our City Passes and the things I did on my own while BJ conferenced. In today’s post I’ll cover the non-City Pass stuff BJ and I did together, including Saturday evening with Jeni and her boyfriend.
BJ and I had a whole day to be tourists after his conference was finished and we’d seen what we wanted to from the City Pass. We splurged (or I should say he splurged) by ordering breakfast from room service that morning. BJ showered while we waited for breakfast. I lolled in bed as I did every morning we were there.
Once we finally got out and about (yes, I finally got up, showered, and dressed after breakfast in bed) we walked down to the Pike Place Market. Wow! That place is huge! That place is fantastic! If I had lots of money I could have spent most of it there. I’m a sucker for handmade stuff, and they had a ton of vendors with handmade jewelry and clothing and purses and scarves and oh, just about anything you could imagine. While we were there we got to watch the guys who throw the fish around. We also, on our way in, got to see the very first Starbucks ever opened. No, we didn’t go in and have a mocha, but at least we can say we saw it. At Pike Place I bought N a bracelet with his name on it. He loves it. I wouldn’t let him take it to camp because I was afraid he’d lose it, but he wears it just about all the time when I let him. We had lunch at an awesome little hole in the wall Chinese restaurant. Everything we had there was to die for and very reasonably priced. I love little hole in the wall places for just that reason.
After we tired of walking around Pike Place we headed down to the ferries. We decided to take a ferry over to Bremerton and back, staying in Bremerton just long enough to have a light dinner. There is something very peaceful about riding on the water especially when the ferry is sparsely populated. So many things to see, so much peace, it was quite relaxing and beautiful. I suppose if one commuted that way every day one might become jaded and barely notice the beauty, but for a visitor it was just delightful.
Now I’ll go back to the Saturday evening towards the beginning of our trip. We (or I should say I) touched base with Jeni Angel several times prior to the trip. We exchanged cell phone numbers so that we could text/talk. My phone phobia caused me to struggle with making contact once we were in Seattle, but once I did and heard Jeni’s voice, bubbling with energy and enthusiasm, I knew everything was okay. We made plans to have dinner in the Asian part of Seattle. Jeni and her boyfriend were to pick us up at our hotel. They arrived early and went to the hotel bar for a drink while they waited for us. When we finished getting ready we went down and joined them. It is amazing that when you only know someone from blogging and don’t really know what they look like somehow you can spot them when you walk into the bar. Who knows? Maybe it’s that inquisitive look on the faces that say “Are you?” and “Maybe it’s?” that sends you over to greet one another with hugs and squeals of delight as though you’d known one another forever.
Dinner was fine, not spectacular, but good as far as the restaurant and food was concerned. The company, however, was wonderful. We learned a lot about each other, including our food peculiarities (well, Jeni’s and my food peculiarities; I don’t think BJ or Jeni’s BF had any, or at least any that were mentioned over dinner), and it was nice not to be the only one in the group with food peculiarities.
After dinner, Jeni and her BF took us on a driving tour of the Seattle area. I can’t begin to remember everything we saw or everything we discussed on the ride. It was nice though, having our own private tour of the area. We wound through the University of Washington campus where Jeni’s BF had gone to school. There two notables there for me.
First, I don’t believe there was any mention of the Huskies basketball team or Coach Romar. We drove past the football stadium with just a bit of football talk, but no basketball talk, no mention of where the basketball team plays. Hmm, could it be that Jeni and her BF aren’t basketball fans? {GASP} I know, it’s difficult to grasp that such could be the case, but they’re still good people I think.
Second, I had to bite my tongue as we wound through Frat Row (or whatever they call it there) because just about the time I was going to make one of my patented anti-frat remarks Jeni’s BF mentioned he had been a fraternity man and went on to extol the virtues of the system. Ahem. I kept my mouth shut. He’s such a great guy I never would’ve guessed him for a frat rat. I guess they do occasionally let guys in who aren’t pompous asses after all. Go figure. So perhaps Trueself learned a thing or two about stereotypes and judgment that day.
After that we crossed a bridge to the Bellevue area. By that time I was kind of confused as to where we were exactly, but I know it was east of Seattle and not far from Seattle. It looked just as nice or better than Seattle from what I saw of it.
For us Central Time Zone folks it was feeling late by the time we made our way back to the hotel otherwise we probably would have gone out with them to a club or something for another drink or two.
All in all, the evening was great. It was hard to believe we could chat so easily with people we had just met that day. Also, I had to will myself to forget that Jeni may well know a whole lot of less than flattering things about me depending on how much of my blog she’s read. Obviously, how ever much she’s read didn’t convince her that I wasn’t worth meeting, and I’m glad of that. Jeni is a wonderful, beautiful woman, and I have a feeling if we didn’t live half a continent away we’d be close friends.
If you’re patient enough I just may get the final part of this trip tale posted where I take a look at how BJ and I did “living together” for a whole week.
Sites of Seattle (cont.)
In Part II I talked about the things we did and saw using our City Passes and the things I did on my own while BJ conferenced. In today’s post I’ll cover the non-City Pass stuff BJ and I did together, including Saturday evening with Jeni and her boyfriend.
BJ and I had a whole day to be tourists after his conference was finished and we’d seen what we wanted to from the City Pass. We splurged (or I should say he splurged) by ordering breakfast from room service that morning. BJ showered while we waited for breakfast. I lolled in bed as I did every morning we were there.
Once we finally got out and about (yes, I finally got up, showered, and dressed after breakfast in bed) we walked down to the Pike Place Market. Wow! That place is huge! That place is fantastic! If I had lots of money I could have spent most of it there. I’m a sucker for handmade stuff, and they had a ton of vendors with handmade jewelry and clothing and purses and scarves and oh, just about anything you could imagine. While we were there we got to watch the guys who throw the fish around. We also, on our way in, got to see the very first Starbucks ever opened. No, we didn’t go in and have a mocha, but at least we can say we saw it. At Pike Place I bought N a bracelet with his name on it. He loves it. I wouldn’t let him take it to camp because I was afraid he’d lose it, but he wears it just about all the time when I let him. We had lunch at an awesome little hole in the wall Chinese restaurant. Everything we had there was to die for and very reasonably priced. I love little hole in the wall places for just that reason.
After we tired of walking around Pike Place we headed down to the ferries. We decided to take a ferry over to Bremerton and back, staying in Bremerton just long enough to have a light dinner. There is something very peaceful about riding on the water especially when the ferry is sparsely populated. So many things to see, so much peace, it was quite relaxing and beautiful. I suppose if one commuted that way every day one might become jaded and barely notice the beauty, but for a visitor it was just delightful.
Now I’ll go back to the Saturday evening towards the beginning of our trip. We (or I should say I) touched base with Jeni Angel several times prior to the trip. We exchanged cell phone numbers so that we could text/talk. My phone phobia caused me to struggle with making contact once we were in Seattle, but once I did and heard Jeni’s voice, bubbling with energy and enthusiasm, I knew everything was okay. We made plans to have dinner in the Asian part of Seattle. Jeni and her boyfriend were to pick us up at our hotel. They arrived early and went to the hotel bar for a drink while they waited for us. When we finished getting ready we went down and joined them. It is amazing that when you only know someone from blogging and don’t really know what they look like somehow you can spot them when you walk into the bar. Who knows? Maybe it’s that inquisitive look on the faces that say “Are you?” and “Maybe it’s?” that sends you over to greet one another with hugs and squeals of delight as though you’d known one another forever.
Dinner was fine, not spectacular, but good as far as the restaurant and food was concerned. The company, however, was wonderful. We learned a lot about each other, including our food peculiarities (well, Jeni’s and my food peculiarities; I don’t think BJ or Jeni’s BF had any, or at least any that were mentioned over dinner), and it was nice not to be the only one in the group with food peculiarities.
After dinner, Jeni and her BF took us on a driving tour of the Seattle area. I can’t begin to remember everything we saw or everything we discussed on the ride. It was nice though, having our own private tour of the area. We wound through the University of Washington campus where Jeni’s BF had gone to school. There two notables there for me.
First, I don’t believe there was any mention of the Huskies basketball team or Coach Romar. We drove past the football stadium with just a bit of football talk, but no basketball talk, no mention of where the basketball team plays. Hmm, could it be that Jeni and her BF aren’t basketball fans? {GASP} I know, it’s difficult to grasp that such could be the case, but they’re still good people I think.
Second, I had to bite my tongue as we wound through Frat Row (or whatever they call it there) because just about the time I was going to make one of my patented anti-frat remarks Jeni’s BF mentioned he had been a fraternity man and went on to extol the virtues of the system. Ahem. I kept my mouth shut. He’s such a great guy I never would’ve guessed him for a frat rat. I guess they do occasionally let guys in who aren’t pompous asses after all. Go figure. So perhaps Trueself learned a thing or two about stereotypes and judgment that day.
After that we crossed a bridge to the Bellevue area. By that time I was kind of confused as to where we were exactly, but I know it was east of Seattle and not far from Seattle. It looked just as nice or better than Seattle from what I saw of it.
For us Central Time Zone folks it was feeling late by the time we made our way back to the hotel otherwise we probably would have gone out with them to a club or something for another drink or two.
All in all, the evening was great. It was hard to believe we could chat so easily with people we had just met that day. Also, I had to will myself to forget that Jeni may well know a whole lot of less than flattering things about me depending on how much of my blog she’s read. Obviously, how ever much she’s read didn’t convince her that I wasn’t worth meeting, and I’m glad of that. Jeni is a wonderful, beautiful woman, and I have a feeling if we didn’t live half a continent away we’d be close friends.
If you’re patient enough I just may get the final part of this trip tale posted where I take a look at how BJ and I did “living together” for a whole week.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Here I Go Again
I am so not good at this whole friendship thing. I know, I’ve said that before here. Old news.
I tried this week to get out of my protect-me-from-all-hurts shell by asking someone to lunch. I invited. She accepted. We worked out day, place, and time. We said “See you then!”
I arrived, about three minutes later than the time we specified. She wasn’t there. I asked for a table for two and sat facing the door so I could wave her over when she arrived. I waited 20 minutes before finally ordering my food, after deciding she wasn’t coming. I didn’t have her phone # stored in my cell so I called someone who I thought might have her number. They didn’t. My food came. I ate. I left and came back to work.
I cried as I sat in the car in the parking lot at work. I had myself a right good little pity party. Yes indeed I was all knotted up in a ball of hurt and confusion and anger. Yes, I was angry. Why did she do this to me? Why do I even try to make friends? WTF is wrong with me? All these thoughts rolled around in that empty shell I call a brain.
The saner, more rational part of my brain tried in vain to reason with me. Perhaps something happened to her that prevented her from making it. Perhaps I misunderstood the day or the place where we were to meet. Perhaps there was some reasonable explanation.
Eventually the rational side won. I went back to work and emailed my acquaintance (at that point I wasn’t feeling strong enough to call her) asking if perhaps I’d had the wrong date or the wrong place and telling her I hoped she and her family were okay. It seemed better than emailing “WTF is wrong with you?!? Why did you stand me up for lunch?” which is what the hurt and angry part of me suggested.
A little more than an hour later she replied via email. She said she had just woken up a few minutes earlier after being hit with a nasty intestinal bug last night and was terribly sorry she missed our lunch. She also suggested we try again when she gets back from a trip she’s making next week.
I know the right thing to do is put on my big girl panties and email back that I’m sorry she’s ill and sure we can reschedule. The hurt little girl in me is balking though, refusing to let go of the pain, not wanting to reschedule and leave me open to being hurt once again.
Eventually the sane, rational side will win out, but not just yet. For right now I’m letting the hurt little girl side have center stage, expressing my deepest and darkest thoughts here on the blog where they belong instead of in the light of day. After she’s finished, the sane, rational me will send the appropriate email and offer to reschedule.
Fighting the social anxiety is so draining sometimes.
I tried this week to get out of my protect-me-from-all-hurts shell by asking someone to lunch. I invited. She accepted. We worked out day, place, and time. We said “See you then!”
I arrived, about three minutes later than the time we specified. She wasn’t there. I asked for a table for two and sat facing the door so I could wave her over when she arrived. I waited 20 minutes before finally ordering my food, after deciding she wasn’t coming. I didn’t have her phone # stored in my cell so I called someone who I thought might have her number. They didn’t. My food came. I ate. I left and came back to work.
I cried as I sat in the car in the parking lot at work. I had myself a right good little pity party. Yes indeed I was all knotted up in a ball of hurt and confusion and anger. Yes, I was angry. Why did she do this to me? Why do I even try to make friends? WTF is wrong with me? All these thoughts rolled around in that empty shell I call a brain.
The saner, more rational part of my brain tried in vain to reason with me. Perhaps something happened to her that prevented her from making it. Perhaps I misunderstood the day or the place where we were to meet. Perhaps there was some reasonable explanation.
Eventually the rational side won. I went back to work and emailed my acquaintance (at that point I wasn’t feeling strong enough to call her) asking if perhaps I’d had the wrong date or the wrong place and telling her I hoped she and her family were okay. It seemed better than emailing “WTF is wrong with you?!? Why did you stand me up for lunch?” which is what the hurt and angry part of me suggested.
A little more than an hour later she replied via email. She said she had just woken up a few minutes earlier after being hit with a nasty intestinal bug last night and was terribly sorry she missed our lunch. She also suggested we try again when she gets back from a trip she’s making next week.
I know the right thing to do is put on my big girl panties and email back that I’m sorry she’s ill and sure we can reschedule. The hurt little girl in me is balking though, refusing to let go of the pain, not wanting to reschedule and leave me open to being hurt once again.
Eventually the sane, rational side will win out, but not just yet. For right now I’m letting the hurt little girl side have center stage, expressing my deepest and darkest thoughts here on the blog where they belong instead of in the light of day. After she’s finished, the sane, rational me will send the appropriate email and offer to reschedule.
Fighting the social anxiety is so draining sometimes.
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
"We Had Him"
by Maya Angelou
Beloveds, now we know that we know nothing, now that our bright and shining star can slip away from our fingertips like a puff of summer wind.
Without notice, our dear love can escape our doting embrace. Sing our songs among the stars and walk our dances across the face of the moon.
In the instant that Michael is gone, we know nothing. No clocks can tell time. No oceans can rush our tides with the abrupt absence of our treasure.
Though we are many, each of us is achingly alone, piercingly alone.
Only when we confess our confusion can we remember that he was a gift to us and we did have him.
He came to us from the creator, trailing creativity in abundance.
Despite the anguish, his life was sheathed in mother love, family love, and survived and did more than that.
He thrived with passion and compassion, humor and style. We had him whether we know who he was or did not know, he was ours and we were his.
We had him, beautiful, delighting our eyes.
His hat, aslant over his brow, and took a pose on his toes for all of us.
And we laughed and stomped our feet for him.
We were enchanted with his passion because he held nothing. He gave us all he had been given.
Today in Tokyo, beneath the Eiffel Tower, in Ghana's Black Star Square.
In Johannesburg and Pittsburgh, in Birmingham, Alabama, and Birmingham, England
We are missing Michael.
But we do know we had him, and we are the world.
I post this for myself, to hold onto this to reread as I wish, to remember. Comments remain open. However, this post is not the place for debate on his life, his death, his greatness, nor his misdeeds, real or alleged. I will delete any comments that do not honor this.
Beloveds, now we know that we know nothing, now that our bright and shining star can slip away from our fingertips like a puff of summer wind.
Without notice, our dear love can escape our doting embrace. Sing our songs among the stars and walk our dances across the face of the moon.
In the instant that Michael is gone, we know nothing. No clocks can tell time. No oceans can rush our tides with the abrupt absence of our treasure.
Though we are many, each of us is achingly alone, piercingly alone.
Only when we confess our confusion can we remember that he was a gift to us and we did have him.
He came to us from the creator, trailing creativity in abundance.
Despite the anguish, his life was sheathed in mother love, family love, and survived and did more than that.
He thrived with passion and compassion, humor and style. We had him whether we know who he was or did not know, he was ours and we were his.
We had him, beautiful, delighting our eyes.
His hat, aslant over his brow, and took a pose on his toes for all of us.
And we laughed and stomped our feet for him.
We were enchanted with his passion because he held nothing. He gave us all he had been given.
Today in Tokyo, beneath the Eiffel Tower, in Ghana's Black Star Square.
In Johannesburg and Pittsburgh, in Birmingham, Alabama, and Birmingham, England
We are missing Michael.
But we do know we had him, and we are the world.
I post this for myself, to hold onto this to reread as I wish, to remember. Comments remain open. However, this post is not the place for debate on his life, his death, his greatness, nor his misdeeds, real or alleged. I will delete any comments that do not honor this.
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Sunday Stealing: The "I've Come to Realize" Meme
1. I’ve come to realize that my chest-size. . . is so much better when I’m fat than when I’m not.
2. I’ve come to realize that my job. . . is not the thing that defines who I am.
3. I’ve come to realize that when I’m driving. . . I feel on top of the world.
4. I’ve come to realize that I need. . . more help than I can probably get.
5. I’ve come that realize that I have lost. . . most of my mind.
6. I’ve come to realize that I hate it when. . . people don’t understand my sarcastic wit.
7. I’ve come to realize that if I’m drunk. . . I’m very entertaining in my own mind.
8. I’ve come to realize that money. . . is like sex. It isn’t nearly as important to you when you have enough of it as it is when you have none or very little.
9. I’ve come to realize that certain people. . . are idiots and have absolutely no clue that they are idiots.
10. I’ve come to realize that I’ll always. . . struggle to overcome self esteem issues.
11. I’ve come to realize that my sibling(s). . . is weird. (more on that in a future post BTW)
12. I’ve come to realize that my mom. . . is a whole lot like my grandmother and that in another 25 years she’ll probably act the way my grandmother acts now.
13. I’ve come to realize that my cell phone. . . is a blessing and a curse.
14. I’ve come to realize that when I woke up this morning. . . I should have stayed up instead of going back to sleep.
15. I’ve come to realize that last night before I went to sleep. . . would have been a good time to relocate from the family room recliner to my bed.
16. I’ve come to realize that right now I am thinking. . . that this meme is not as fun as some I’ve done.
17. I’ve come to realize that my dad. . . is not going to live forever, and maybe not even another year or two.
18. I’ve come to realize that when I get on Facebook. . . it would totally shock everyone, including me, since I never get on Facebook.
19. I’ve come to realize that today. . . is the first day of the rest of my life.
20. I’ve come to realize that tonight. . . is a good time to order pizza exactly like I like it since I’ll be eating alone.
21. I’ve come to realize that tomorrow. . . is another day.
22. I’ve come to realize that I really want to. . . do what I want to do without feeling self-conscious all the time.
23. I’ve come to realize that the person mostly likely to repost this is. . . someone who has as boring a life as mine.
24. I’ve come to realize that life. . . is not going to get better unless I make it better.
25. I’ve come to realize that this weekend. . . is too danged far away.
26. I’ve realized the best music to listen to when I am upset. . . is loud, really loud, with a strong beat.
27. I’ve come to realize that my friends. . . are few and far between but that every friend I have is precious to me.
28. I’ve come to realize that this year. . . is better than last year.
29. I’ve come to realize that my exes. . . live too close.
30. I’ve come to realize that maybe I should. . . make a decision and follow through.
31. I’ve come to realize that I love. . . solitude, but not too much solitude.
32. I’ve come to realize that I don’t understand. . . men.
33. I’ve come to realize my past. . . is behind me and only haunts me because I allow it to do so.
34. I’ve come to realize that parties. . . are fun!
35. I’ve come to realize that I’m totally terrified. . . of being a failure.
36. I’ve come to realize that my life. . . is in need of an Extreme Makeover: Life Edition.
2. I’ve come to realize that my job. . . is not the thing that defines who I am.
3. I’ve come to realize that when I’m driving. . . I feel on top of the world.
4. I’ve come to realize that I need. . . more help than I can probably get.
5. I’ve come that realize that I have lost. . . most of my mind.
6. I’ve come to realize that I hate it when. . . people don’t understand my sarcastic wit.
7. I’ve come to realize that if I’m drunk. . . I’m very entertaining in my own mind.
8. I’ve come to realize that money. . . is like sex. It isn’t nearly as important to you when you have enough of it as it is when you have none or very little.
9. I’ve come to realize that certain people. . . are idiots and have absolutely no clue that they are idiots.
10. I’ve come to realize that I’ll always. . . struggle to overcome self esteem issues.
11. I’ve come to realize that my sibling(s). . . is weird. (more on that in a future post BTW)
12. I’ve come to realize that my mom. . . is a whole lot like my grandmother and that in another 25 years she’ll probably act the way my grandmother acts now.
13. I’ve come to realize that my cell phone. . . is a blessing and a curse.
14. I’ve come to realize that when I woke up this morning. . . I should have stayed up instead of going back to sleep.
15. I’ve come to realize that last night before I went to sleep. . . would have been a good time to relocate from the family room recliner to my bed.
16. I’ve come to realize that right now I am thinking. . . that this meme is not as fun as some I’ve done.
17. I’ve come to realize that my dad. . . is not going to live forever, and maybe not even another year or two.
18. I’ve come to realize that when I get on Facebook. . . it would totally shock everyone, including me, since I never get on Facebook.
19. I’ve come to realize that today. . . is the first day of the rest of my life.
20. I’ve come to realize that tonight. . . is a good time to order pizza exactly like I like it since I’ll be eating alone.
21. I’ve come to realize that tomorrow. . . is another day.
22. I’ve come to realize that I really want to. . . do what I want to do without feeling self-conscious all the time.
23. I’ve come to realize that the person mostly likely to repost this is. . . someone who has as boring a life as mine.
24. I’ve come to realize that life. . . is not going to get better unless I make it better.
25. I’ve come to realize that this weekend. . . is too danged far away.
26. I’ve realized the best music to listen to when I am upset. . . is loud, really loud, with a strong beat.
27. I’ve come to realize that my friends. . . are few and far between but that every friend I have is precious to me.
28. I’ve come to realize that this year. . . is better than last year.
29. I’ve come to realize that my exes. . . live too close.
30. I’ve come to realize that maybe I should. . . make a decision and follow through.
31. I’ve come to realize that I love. . . solitude, but not too much solitude.
32. I’ve come to realize that I don’t understand. . . men.
33. I’ve come to realize my past. . . is behind me and only haunts me because I allow it to do so.
34. I’ve come to realize that parties. . . are fun!
35. I’ve come to realize that I’m totally terrified. . . of being a failure.
36. I’ve come to realize that my life. . . is in need of an Extreme Makeover: Life Edition.
Monday, July 06, 2009
Trueself Takes Seattle by Storm! Part II
Playing Tourist (or What I did and Saw on My Summer Vacation)
Seattle is a great city for tourists. I say this having been there, oh. . . well, just the one time, but still there was a lot to see and do within easy reach of our hotel. Plus I never once felt unsafe on the streets there (I’m sure there are neighborhoods where I would, but I didn’t have the fortune to frequent any of those neighborhoods) which is saying a lot for a city. (Don’t get me started on my experiences in New York, L.A., San Francisco, St. Louis, Dallas, etc., but I digress.)
One of the first things BJ and I did once we gathered ourselves together there was to buy a City Pass. It was about $55 and included five attractions: Space Needle, Woodland Park Zoo, Pacific Science Center (including IMAX film), Seattle Aquarium, Argosy Cruises Harbor Tour, and in addition to those five it included the option of one of the Museum of Flight or Experience Music Project/Science Fiction Museum. We did not use all of our City Passes, but we felt we got our money’s worth out of them.
The ones we used and what I thought (these are my opinions alone; BJ may have other opinions and I make no representations of his opinions here):
Space Needle – The tickets allowed us to go twice, once during the day and once at night. That was awesome. Seeing the view during the day is great because you can really see clearly and enjoy the boats on the water and details you would miss at night. Seeing the view at night (and we were there a bit before dusk right through nightfall) is gorgeous as only sunset and nighttime views can be. It was a beautiful sunset the day we were there, and to see the city lights from that vantage point was delicious. One word of caution, if you plan to go outside on the observation deck (you don’t have to do so as you can stay inside and look through the big windows) take something long-sleeved to wear. I don’t care what the weather is like, do it! The wind up there is something fierce (remember you’re close to the ocean there), and even a hot day in Seattle isn’t what we Midwesterners think of as hot.
Pacific Science Center – I went alone to this one while BJ was in one of his conference sessions. I primarily went for the IMAX film. I’m a sucker for IMAX, and I’m a sucker for nature films so I was in heaven watching a film (sorry, can’t remember the name) about an island (sorry, can’t remember the name) where sea lions and penguins come to breed. Although I don’t remember a lot about it (hey, I knew it wasn’t going to be on the mid-term, okay?) I really did enjoy the film while watching and for probably about three or four days thereafter (so I probably could have passed a pop quiz at the end of that week). As far as the rest of the center there were a couple of large groups of rugrats roaming the area, and I didn’t see any exhibits that knocked me off my feet as I walked around waiting for movie time. Not to say there weren’t great exhibits there because there may be. I just wasn’t there looking for them. I was there for the movie.
Seattle Aquarium – Okay, this was probably the only attraction I saw that disappointed me. Maybe I’m spoiled by the Monterey Bay Aquarium, but this aquarium seemed smallish, and dingy, and just blah. I don’t know. Maybe it was just because I was tired when we went there towards the end of the afternoon after a long day of sightseeing, or maybe it really isn’t the greatest aquarium in the world. I’m not sure. Somehow, I expected more. If it weren’t part of the City Pass that was already sunk money anyhow I would have felt ripped off.
Argosy Cruises Harbor Tour – I only had one complaint here: one hour is not enough! I wanted more. I could cruise for hours out there in the harbor. It was beautiful. The boat seemed in good shape and clean, and the crew was pleasant and informative. Again, if you’re going to be out on deck it’s best to have long sleeves.
I thought about going to the zoo by myself one day while BJ was at his conference, but I didn’t. I got lazy instead and other than going out for lunch and to the drug store for a few things I spent most of that day lolling in the hotel room watching trashy daytime TV, reading, and napping.
Over all, I used four of six of my City Pass coupons and BJ used three of six.
Other than the City Pass stuff, here’s what I did while BJ was busy:
I went to see the new Star Trek movie on Monday afternoon. It was much better than I expected. There were very few people in the theater (which I did expect), and most that were there were, like me, alone.
Before that, I shopped a bit at the mall where the theater is located. Bookstores are like magnets to me, and I got sucked into Barnes and Noble where I bought three books for the price of two. I’m still working on the first of the three books, The Canterbury Tales, by Chaucer. I’ve read it before, many years ago for a college lit class, but we had to read it in the original Middle English which made it quite the drag for me back then. The version I bought this time has the Middle English on the left and the modern English translation on the right. It is making it a much easier read, and this time I am quite enjoying reading it.
On Sunday morning I attended church across the street from the hotel where we stayed. It is a lovely church building, and the people I met were very friendly. They are, as a congregation, struggling as are many downtown city churches. I hope they survive.
Other than that, when on my own I was a lazy bum, sleeping late, taking my time getting ready once I did get up, and just relaxing, but then that’s what you’re supposed to do on vacation, right?
Okay, again I'm getting too long here so this calls for the end of this post and a continuation into Part III which will include the rest of the touristy stuff BJ and I did together and the evening we spent with Jeni and her boyfriend.
Seattle is a great city for tourists. I say this having been there, oh. . . well, just the one time, but still there was a lot to see and do within easy reach of our hotel. Plus I never once felt unsafe on the streets there (I’m sure there are neighborhoods where I would, but I didn’t have the fortune to frequent any of those neighborhoods) which is saying a lot for a city. (Don’t get me started on my experiences in New York, L.A., San Francisco, St. Louis, Dallas, etc., but I digress.)
One of the first things BJ and I did once we gathered ourselves together there was to buy a City Pass. It was about $55 and included five attractions: Space Needle, Woodland Park Zoo, Pacific Science Center (including IMAX film), Seattle Aquarium, Argosy Cruises Harbor Tour, and in addition to those five it included the option of one of the Museum of Flight or Experience Music Project/Science Fiction Museum. We did not use all of our City Passes, but we felt we got our money’s worth out of them.
The ones we used and what I thought (these are my opinions alone; BJ may have other opinions and I make no representations of his opinions here):
Space Needle – The tickets allowed us to go twice, once during the day and once at night. That was awesome. Seeing the view during the day is great because you can really see clearly and enjoy the boats on the water and details you would miss at night. Seeing the view at night (and we were there a bit before dusk right through nightfall) is gorgeous as only sunset and nighttime views can be. It was a beautiful sunset the day we were there, and to see the city lights from that vantage point was delicious. One word of caution, if you plan to go outside on the observation deck (you don’t have to do so as you can stay inside and look through the big windows) take something long-sleeved to wear. I don’t care what the weather is like, do it! The wind up there is something fierce (remember you’re close to the ocean there), and even a hot day in Seattle isn’t what we Midwesterners think of as hot.
Pacific Science Center – I went alone to this one while BJ was in one of his conference sessions. I primarily went for the IMAX film. I’m a sucker for IMAX, and I’m a sucker for nature films so I was in heaven watching a film (sorry, can’t remember the name) about an island (sorry, can’t remember the name) where sea lions and penguins come to breed. Although I don’t remember a lot about it (hey, I knew it wasn’t going to be on the mid-term, okay?) I really did enjoy the film while watching and for probably about three or four days thereafter (so I probably could have passed a pop quiz at the end of that week). As far as the rest of the center there were a couple of large groups of rugrats roaming the area, and I didn’t see any exhibits that knocked me off my feet as I walked around waiting for movie time. Not to say there weren’t great exhibits there because there may be. I just wasn’t there looking for them. I was there for the movie.
Seattle Aquarium – Okay, this was probably the only attraction I saw that disappointed me. Maybe I’m spoiled by the Monterey Bay Aquarium, but this aquarium seemed smallish, and dingy, and just blah. I don’t know. Maybe it was just because I was tired when we went there towards the end of the afternoon after a long day of sightseeing, or maybe it really isn’t the greatest aquarium in the world. I’m not sure. Somehow, I expected more. If it weren’t part of the City Pass that was already sunk money anyhow I would have felt ripped off.
Argosy Cruises Harbor Tour – I only had one complaint here: one hour is not enough! I wanted more. I could cruise for hours out there in the harbor. It was beautiful. The boat seemed in good shape and clean, and the crew was pleasant and informative. Again, if you’re going to be out on deck it’s best to have long sleeves.
I thought about going to the zoo by myself one day while BJ was at his conference, but I didn’t. I got lazy instead and other than going out for lunch and to the drug store for a few things I spent most of that day lolling in the hotel room watching trashy daytime TV, reading, and napping.
Over all, I used four of six of my City Pass coupons and BJ used three of six.
Other than the City Pass stuff, here’s what I did while BJ was busy:
I went to see the new Star Trek movie on Monday afternoon. It was much better than I expected. There were very few people in the theater (which I did expect), and most that were there were, like me, alone.
Before that, I shopped a bit at the mall where the theater is located. Bookstores are like magnets to me, and I got sucked into Barnes and Noble where I bought three books for the price of two. I’m still working on the first of the three books, The Canterbury Tales, by Chaucer. I’ve read it before, many years ago for a college lit class, but we had to read it in the original Middle English which made it quite the drag for me back then. The version I bought this time has the Middle English on the left and the modern English translation on the right. It is making it a much easier read, and this time I am quite enjoying reading it.
On Sunday morning I attended church across the street from the hotel where we stayed. It is a lovely church building, and the people I met were very friendly. They are, as a congregation, struggling as are many downtown city churches. I hope they survive.
Other than that, when on my own I was a lazy bum, sleeping late, taking my time getting ready once I did get up, and just relaxing, but then that’s what you’re supposed to do on vacation, right?
Okay, again I'm getting too long here so this calls for the end of this post and a continuation into Part III which will include the rest of the touristy stuff BJ and I did together and the evening we spent with Jeni and her boyfriend.
Thursday, July 02, 2009
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