Summer 2012 - Day 4

I woke up today, but only sprang out of bed when the fire alarm went off. There was no real fire, but the bacon that Friend's Husband was cooking had created a great deal of smoke that set off the alarm. Since I was out of bed, it was time to get ready. Friend's Husband was making pancakes with pecan bits in them, which I happily consumed while listening to and making commentary on NPR. Great conversation took place, Friend emerged from the shower, I went online and chatted with other friends, made a Facebook post, and we were off for the Natural History Museum.

We took the metro to one of the downtown stations - Metro Center, I guess - and began walking towards The Mall. Friend's Husband pointed to a building and asked if it was the FBI building, since he had "recognized it from X-Files", and we think he was right. We remarked on how lots of DC has "familiar-looking buildings" from TV shows (and not the famous buildings, we ruled all of those out), but since the skyline is so unremarkable, it is hard to know where anything that isn't a government building or a monument is in relation to anything else.

We went into the Natural History Museum and headed for the second floor and the Gem and Mineral exhibit.

After seeing the lava exhibit, I came into a room with video of the rescue of those miners in Chile, and I realized that I was looking at the actual tube-thing that they used to rescue them. It was very moving.

We then went into the part of the exhibit about earth rocks, minerals, and various metals, including gold.

Then I saw The Hope Diamond, which was actually less interesting (to me) than most of the other rocks, including one that was exhibited nearby.

The Hope Diamond

A much more interesting rock nearby

Next, we went through other parts of the museum, a section on entomology, ancient Egypt, a bunch of animal skeletons, and analysis of skeletons found of the original colonists of the Chesapeake Bay.

More photos....

The filed teeth indicate that this person was born in Africa.

It was pretty good stuff. I also learned the word "denticles", which is what the photo is below.

Then we left and went to get salads. After walking for what seemed like forever (yet I refrained from complaining, it was very good of me), we got to the salad place and ordered these salads. They were good. We had good conversation over salad. I also checked my iPhone and answered a few questions from work.

The rest of the day was pretty chill, since Friend had to be to work the next day. I arranged some things to be washed the next day, and other things to be shipped home, watched various things with my hosts, created this blog, and chatted with friends.

Day 4 will end here, adios!

Summer 2012 - Day 3

So I awoke really freaking early, and hungry as hell, so I had some cereal. However, no one was up, except the cat. At one point, while I was in the bathroom, the cat pushed his way into the room, which is to be expected since it is also the room of the litter box. However, he was startled to see me, jumped, and ran off. I was much amused. Next, I read some things in my book, then more of YouAreNotSoSmart.com, and fell back asleep.

I got up again just after 11, got some coffee and some food, and we set out for the zoo. We included just myself and Friend, as Friend's Husband either had things to do, didn't want to go to the zoo, or both, or neither, whatever, he didn't come along. We got to the Metro, and went to Cleveland something or other, which is the station for the zoo. I took photos of the entrance and braced myself for the pocket-looting that is the common zoo-admission price, only to be happpily surprised that it was free, thanks to my tax dollars! Hooray!

We first saw a cheetah, then a panda,



and then birds,


These birds will mess you up!



invertebrates,


These jelly fish had little "lights" flowing through their bodies.

This one is just waiting for the glass to come down, and when it does, we'll all be sorry, so sorry.


apes,



and small mammals.



We also ate from the zoo restaurant, whose menu basically explained why we Americans are so fat.

At 5, we decided to leave, but it was on the walk out of the zoo that we stopped at the primate house, mainly to check in on some cousins, and then the small mammal house, mainly to see naked mole rats. We then hit up the restrooms (well, I did), and left the zoo for the Metro.



On the train ride home, I realized that the carbolicious breading with shrimp bits and french fries I had earlier consumed were completely digested, and I was getting slightly motion sick, maybe as a result, or something. Regardless, I remarked to Friend that I needed food, and we discussed possible food choices on the way back.

When we did get back, I said that I wanted Ethiopian, and Friend's Husband said we should go to this one place, and even though there were places that were closer, this one place was good, and he was not backing down on the demand that we go there. So, we went to this one place, ordered too much food, ate a little too much food, and then came back to the apartment. I wrote up some Travelogues, read part of the internet, learned about the Pentathlon, showed my friends the fonejacker videos that I'd seen, and finished my Travelogues until the present moment.

Now I will go to bed, unless something else happens, but you won't know because Day 3 ends here!

Summer 2012 - Day 2

My travels really messed with my normal medication schedule, so I awoke on Day 2 feeling really freaking weird. Friend's Husband was making omelets, which were not yet ready, so I showered in the second bathroom, then dressed, all the while feeling very out-of-it. I dressed, and emerged to eat my omelet and drink coffee, but realized that I was used to Bay Area Coffee, and that this was not normal. See, Bay Area Coffee just means that the coffee is rather strong, and apparently, coffee in other parts of the US is not, so I needed a second cup. Friend arrived home later, from running, and we all consumed breakfast and talked.

Eventually, we set out for the Metro, and were on the train to downtown DC to go to the Post Office. The Metro station that we got out at was by a building named for my cat, reminding me of just how remarkable that little guy really is.

Then we passed by some people working for the "Microsoft Store" and we got free pens and yo-yos. When we got to the post office, I dropped a letter in the mail to my roommate, then we went through the metal detectors and got inside.

First, we stopped at a tourist shop so I could procure some basic DC souvenirs, including a Seal of the United States of America shot glass, marking the fact that I had been to the United States, but not DC, so much. We then went over to see of we could go up into the tower for free, and we could. We took some trips around ropes, and then into an elevator to the 9th floor. There, we could either take a smaller elevator, or go up the 132 stairs to the top of the tower. Since I didn't trust the other elevator riders to follow the "8 people maximum" rule on the elevator, I suggested that we take the stairs, and we did. We paused briefly at the bell-area, then continued up the staircase for what started to seem like an eternity until I found the end of the stairs. I got some good photos of DC from all four directions, and we were ready to go down.

This time, I wanted to take the elevator, because I dislike going down stairs. Friend's Husband took the stairs while Friend and I waited for the elevator to the 9th floor. Then we took the other elevator to the 1st floor, or maybe it was the 2nd, whatever.

Friend and I lost Friend's Husband, so we just stood in the middle of the tables at the food court until I decided that I needed to go off and find a water fountain. I found one, then returned to find Friend and her Husband, and we decided to leave the building. Our next destination was to be the National Archives, where we saw a copy of the Magna Carta, but skipped the most famous documents due to the huge-ass line to see them. We went into the exhibit area and saw a bunch of other old documents, including the Homestead filing of Charles P Ingalls (ZOMG, I totally read about when he filed that, OMG OMG! And I was really looking at it! EEEEE!). We made it to the gift shop, where I purchased several important souvenirs, and finally made our way out of the building.

At this point, which was actually pretty late in the day, food was required, so we walked to a restaurant that, unlike other restaurants we passed, did not seem to be very well known or something. However, it was really good, and I was reminded of why it is good to have friends show you around a place. I had a lobster roll, and paid a pretty penny for what seemed like not a lot of food, but it was indeed yummy and filling.

I also wrote some postcards, but resolved that I should wait until Monday to send them, so that Roommate would not get the letter AND the post card on the same day. I also did not have stamps for the post cards, which would make sending them impossible. I shouldn't have had to type that last bit, but I totally did, and it isn't like typed words can be removed quickly from a computer.

We were on our way to the Metro when I said that maybe we could take a jaunt through Chinatown, since I love Chinatowns, and we did just that. DC has a small Chinatown, whereas the Bay Area has two whole Chinatowns, each with much more to offer than this one. So DC has a better airport tram, but we totally win the Chinatown contest.

We also went to a Target so that I could get some socks and random travel sized toiletries.

We were going to try to go to the Chocolate Bar, but it started raining, and we decided that we were too delicate to try to go downtown during the rain. This was ok with me, as I can be one lazy-ass $*%&$*#(@$^. Lots of time passed, in which I read all of my internet things. Having read the whole internet, I then looked at my money, and then decided to update my dating profile. The most important addition was the phrase, "I am awesome-sauce and I am a little afraid of my own ego....", which should bring ALL THE BOYS TO THE YARD.

After all of this, bedtime happened, and Day 2 was done.

Summer 2012 - Day 1

Whoa, that flight sucked some serious ass. No, really. So I totally thought I would sleep, but I forgot how dehydrating it is to not eat, and I didn't have any water with me. I thought that I could make it until the drink cart came by, but I didn't realize how freaking long that would be. Then, after consuming my tomato juice and two cups of water, I was completely restless, my right shoulder hurt, and everything was tingly. The last thing was pretty distressing, and I tried to relieve it by walking around the airplane, but I could only do that for so long. I did listen to some music, and have now heard more Adele and Amy Winehouse songs, so I'm a little more caught up to speed with the pop culture and whatnot. Eventually, the flight was finished, and I was on the ground in DC, only to remember that I was leaving both the Berkeley Bubble, AND the VBCA* Bubble. In the former, the politics are aligned with my own (for the most part), and in the latter, no one talks about politics at all. I sent a text message to my roommate, wondering just how afraid I should be.

I also thought, as I departed the plane, that I would get a food item on the way out, remembering that buying airport food upon arrival was a bit silly, but I was certain that my body pain was from lack of nutrients. However, standing, and walking on the ground, as opposed to within a little metal tube, were relieving my body pain, and none of the food sellers seemed to be selling breakfasty foods, so I headed in the direction of Ground Transportation. This direction took me to a tram, which was sort of confusing, until I realized that this is how Dulles was set up. The tram at Dulles was immediately recognizable as superior to the tram at SFO, mainly because there were more bars on the walls to hold on to, and the bars in the middle kind of flared out into three bars, creating more surface area for people to grab. At SFO, the only bars on the wall are 2 feet off the ground, which I guess is good for Little People and children, but that leaves out a big part of the riding populace. Then, we started moving, and I noticed that the tram was way faster than the one in SFO, and thus was just better. During this time, I was texting my friend's husband, who would be picking me up. I gave him the play by play of my tram ride, then he called me, and we figured out where to meet, even though I was very loopy from lack of sleep.

It was raining in DC, overcast, and humid, and the flags were at half staff, or mast, or whatever. Friend's Husband arrived, in a blue SUV, eventually, and we rode off into Maryland, where they live. Friend's Husband and I settled into a good raport, and discussed many things. I learned that he already despised people from Virginia, only after living in Maryland for less than one year. We stopped and got his bike, then were off to Silver Springs. As we rode into town, I noticed a Viginia license plate that boasted that Virginia was "400 years old", based on the founding date of the colony, which I immediately recognized as effing cheating. This was, according to Friend's Husband, just one of the many reasons to dislike Virginians. Then I noticed the giant fin extending from a nearby building, and learned that the building was the Discovery network headquarters, that they were promoting Shark Week, and that there were other shark parts sticking out of other parts of the building.

See the shark fin in the upper left.

We arrived at the apartment building, and went up "the back way" which was apparently, somewhat ghetto. I explained that, where I live, you might find yourself at the corner store next to someone begging the cashier "for just an extra dollar, please man, I gotta have it" so that they could purchase the large container of alcohol they were holding, in order to assure Friend's Husband that I am not afraid. We entered the apartment and continued to talk, then I met Loki, their 20-pound cat. Friend emerged from the shower, and we talked some more. Eventually, we left to go get breakfast and ended up at a place that tried to insert the word "egg" into every possible menu item. Interestingly, among their burger selection, they did not have a burger with a fried egg on it, which is a menu item at The Vault, a breakfast place near my apartment in Berkeley. But we consumed the food, paid, and set off back to the apartment.

During this time, my roommate texted me back and informed me that I should be very afraid. In fact, he would be cocooning himself in the Berkeley Bubble for the rest of the year after his recent trip to San Diego.

Time passed, or maybe not, and we got in a different Zipcar and were off to Friend's employer so she could show me around, and so we could eat the free food, since there was some kind of party thing going on that day. Friend works for [Military Branch], and she got us in, and showed me some things that she does - it was all very cool. Then we left, and went off to the little festival, passing by the now-notable Commissary. (I had only learned what a Commissary was from a very recent comment thread on Facebook about Friend's workplace.) It was civilian-clothes-day, but some people were still wearing [Military Branch] clothes. We got in a line really quickly, since it was the line for food, but when we got to the food, we realized that we were there at the wrongish time. Still, I had a pulled pork/sloppy joe kind of sandwich, baked beans, and a piece of watermelon, courtesy of [Military Branch], and I ate it. We also talked with Friend's co-workers from [Military Branch], and then met Friend's boss from [Military Branch]. Despite the low battery on my phone, I made sure to get some video of the live, steel drum band that they had playing, because I could just hear the protests from my father if he found out that I got to see a steel drum band and DIDN'T get video footage.

Then we left the party, and went back to the Zipcar, and went back to the apartment. Since I hadn't really slept on Thursday night, I started a nap. I got up at one point, walked out into the hall, found out that it was 10:30, then went right back to sleep, thus ending Day 1.

*VBCA stands for "Very Big Corporation of America", which is how I refer to my workplace when posting things online. Ten points if you know the origin of the name (aside from the fact that my employer is, in fact, a very big corporation, headquartered in America).

Summer 2012 - Day 0

Day 0 of my trip is my departure from SFO on Virgin America's red-eye to Washington Dulles.

Work was great today, since I'm good at planning and had little to do before I left for vacation. I did forget, until 3:30, that I had promised to have a Newsletter for my department drafted before I left, but I had the time to write one. I picked up a note from my doctor, one final prescription, and headed back home.

My roommate was watching the first season of Community, and I decided to re-pack my suitcase, removing items of clothing that were no longer desirable for the trip. We watched Jeopardy, and both got the Final Jeopardy question right, but, to be fair, it was a joint effort. Then we watched two more episodes of Community before we walked to the BART. I decided that I wanted to spend more time with Roommate before I spent the entire evening alone.

We hugged goodbye, and I heard a familiar voice wishing me well on my trip. It was a man I see at Sweet Adeline's every morning, with his dog (the "Lassie" kind, I forget the name), who just happened to be at the BART station. The Fremont train arrived and I boarded, then transferred at MacArthur, where I grabbed a photo. I'm sure that you think I headed all the way to SFO at this point, but you would be wrong.



While stopped at West Oakland, I suddenly realized that I had forgotten my passport. WIth a gasp and a jump, I was suddenly off of the train, and headed down the escalator to cross to the other side of the platform. My mind raced through the possibilities - first that I would have to get back to Ashby, and if there were faster ways to get there. Next, I considered the fact that exiting from the same BART station would be costly, and the walk to my apartment would be time consuming. However, I knew exactly where my passport was, and have a roommate. I called him frantically, he finally answered. My passport was just where I said it would be, and he could meet me at the BART station with it. Never let me forget how awesome my roommate is. I took the train back, got the precious document, and set out, once again, and an hour later, for SFO.

I still had plenty of time, as I knew from my Christmas mishap, where I arrived at the Virgin America check-in 30 minutes before my departure, and still made my flight. A person on the train was asking about how to get to San Francisco, with a sense of urgency and confusion. I remembered my own first time on the BART, when I was upset at the lack of maps on the platform, and didn't realize how painfully simple the Dublin-Pleasanton to Richmond transfer really was. At MacArthur, the display above the San Francisco train read "Not in Service", which freaked the person out, because there had been issues at the El Cerrito station, apparently. I explained that "Not in Service" usually meant that the next train would just whiz by, and there would be another one shortly. In reality, the sign was just wrong, and the next train was going to San Francisco. So I transferred at MacArthur, for the second time, and sat down to read things on the internet until arriving at SFO.

As I arrived at the tram - or whatever that train around SFO is called, I noticed an older white man staring, with some determination, at people arriving from BART. My head immediately feared that he was going to shoot up the place, given the recent craziness all over the country. I quickly realized how paranoid I was, and got on the tram to Terminal 2, for Virgin America. When we got there, I waltzed off of the tram, down the esalator, around the corner and across the moving walkway. There was a sign that I was sure was a joke, that said "90% of people get their [unknown acronym] from [different, but equally unknown acronym]". I took a second photo on the escalator down to the Virgin America check-in.



I found an airline employee, and confirmed that my printed boarding pass meant I could go straight to security, and headed over. I was behind a family group that I later learned was finishing their American vacation, and heading back home to Barbados. One of the kids was wearing a shirt with Betty Boop, and I told them that I grew up in the town where the artist who created Betty Boop was from, and that I worked at a museum in the town that has a lot of that guy's work.

I played my part in the security theater, and got a trip through the cancer machine. My wallet, which was in my pocket, got looked at, so they knew that I didn't have any razor blades or something. I sat down at the area that is called the "Recombobulation Area" at the Milwaukee Airport, and waltzed on to Gate 55. I sat down in these fancy-dancy chairs in the Virgin America waiting area, near a father and his two teenagers, took out my Chromebook, and wrote up this post.

And though I am sure that I'll have other interesting (to me, anyway) observations, and perhaps even funny conversations, I'm going to end my Day 0 post here, and completely ignore the poor couple who may be about to miss their flight home because they didn't hear their names called while they were in a restaurant, giving me flashbacks to my SFO to Anchorage and Frankfurt to SFO departure experiences.