Traveling home for Spring Break this year means:
-Waking up at an unnatural hour after a night of debauchery.
-Frantically packing the rest of the items I knew I would need that morning.
-Remembering that I forgot to print out my train ticket, but being glad that I left time.
-Walking to the library with all my stuff only to discover that it is closed for Spring Break.
-Walking further through campus to the student computer lab only to discover that it’s also closed for Spring Break.
-Frantically walking back to my apartment dragging all of my stupid luggage.
-Waking up a friend with a printer so that I can print that damn ticket.
-Printing the damn ticket.
-Booking it to the train station, terrified I’ll be too late.
-Discovering my train is half an hour late. Of course.
Followed by:
-Getting on the train, and sitting in the wrong section.
-Having to move my stuff and myself into the correct section.
-Riding an incredibly crowded train to Portland.
-Getting delayed on a bridge over the Willamette.
-Catching a connection from Portland to my actual destination.
-Fighting “slow walkers” to the connection. Friggin’ slow walkers.
-Again, somehow managing to sit in the wrong section.
-Picking up my stuff and moving to the correct compartment.
-Sitting in front of a small child and a dog (although in the dog’s defense, it was very well behaved and rather cute).
-Riding the train for three and a half hours.
-Grabbing the wrong suitcase.
-Getting off the train.
-Realizing it’s the wrong suitcase.
-Getting back on the train.
-Frantically searching for my suitcase.
-Finding it last second and barely making it off the train.
-Leaving some random dude with a pile of suitcases. Whoops.
Fortunately at that point, everything went pretty well. My dad came to pick me up, and we went to Panera Bread, which is awesome (I say this manly because anywhere that I can get a grilled cheese and tomato soup is awesome, but theirs is particularly good soup).
After this, we went to Cabella’s some outdoorsy kinda store that is less ritzy than R.E.I. (and is probably notorious for catering to hill-people), which was actually pretty cool, because this one had a tiny aquarium in it, and my dad pointed out what all of the fish are to strangers, which was entertaining.
Also we looked at fly-fishing stuff. For like half an hour. I think an eleven foot pole that weighs less than a ball-point pen is a pretty cool piece of technology. The heaviest things on the poles were the “anti-theft” tags.
Also, I want it known that I am a better fly-fisher than my brother—my dad said so. So HA!
I made it home just in time to see my little brother perform in his school’s talent show, which was on whole, absolutely terrible, but he, his band, and a couple others did a good job, so in the long run, I’m glad I went.
Once the show ended, we had to go to the local Applebee’s to support the “SHS Operetta Club,” which doesn’t really make the long list of causes I would actually want to support, but Michael’s in this year’s show, so our family felt obligated to go. I got something with shrimp, so I can’t possibly complain.
Additional tidbit: At the restaurant, I got up to used the bathroom, and automatically went into the bathroom on the left hand side of the hall, because in every stupid identical Applebee’s ever the women’s restroom is on the left.
This is not true in my hometown. Not at all.
At first I thought they’d remodeled, since the bathroom looked different, but uglier. Then I noticed the urinal, although admittedly, I first wasn’t sure what it was. Upon realizing, I ducked out, and crossed the hall. My family totally saw, and all proceeded to laugh at me. Thanks guys!
Most importantly, however, despite all my trials and tribulations of the dumbest kind, I’m so glad to be home, even if it’s just for a week. Something about this place is relaxing. I love my house, my yard, the view of the mountains, my stupid, weirdly colored bedroom, and the fact that I can wear flannel and pajama pants for days on end without feeling like a slime, because who cares?
Ah vacation. I will enjoy you.
Additional updates to come, I hope.
Until then,
~Asterisk
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