gush

jason mraz's "the remedy", reggae-style live @ hersheypark stadium in PA. i love it. actually more like obsessed.
and i was there!!

road trip aftermath

so our big summer road trip was shortened to 4 days instead of two weeks, and thank god for that.  i had no idea how rough that highway road could be.  i'm glad we went; we learned a lot about ourselves and our coping abilities and we also had a few breathtaking moments amidst it all.  but here are some things we encountered along the road trip from IL to PA.

1. TOLLS

it cost $146 to drive from IL to PA and back.  it cost $90 in tolls.  N-I-N-E-T-Y dollars.  i mean, that cannot be legal.  pennsylvania was by far the most expensive.  for a highway crammed with trucks and major highway construction across the whole state (55mph was about as fast as i drove in PA), it should have been free.  instead, the state of PA charged me around $45 to use it's turnpike.  ROBBERY.  i'll never go back.

2. PHILADELPHIA

the worst city in the united states.  in the two hours we spent there, we dealt with heavy traffic congestion, 100 degree weather, obnoxious tailgating fans, and extremely poor sportsmanship inside the phillies stadium.  i have been to several baseball stadiums, and NEVER have i seen so many reminders flash across the megatron instructing the fans to maintain orderly conduct.  sheesh.  isn't that the general code of being an adult?  the fans were pointing lasers at the cardinals players in the middle of the game, causing game delays in extremely excruciating and uncomfortable heat.  i mean come on.  the experience was so terrible that we left the game early in order to just get out of philly and go home.  turns out, a man was BEATEN TO DEATH at the game we were at. 

3. FLOODS & HOTELS

so it's dark.  and we've been driving since 7:30am from rockford, IL.  and we can't get to our (paid for) campsite because the roads are flooded.  all of them, apparently.  because every way we tried to get to the campground was blocked due to flooding.  strange places, rushing water, police lights, confused gps, upside down maps.  all of this was far too much for us to handle, so we had to throw down an unplanned $90 for a hotel.  for a little peace of mind and a soft, dry surface to sit on, though, it was pretty much worth it.  what is with hotels charging full rates for traveler's who check in at 11:30pm?  i mean, are we really going to take $90 worth of showers.  dirty $90 worth of sheets?  eat $90 worth of continental breakfasts (not if that means waking up before 9am).  i could see paying $90 to enjoy the comfort of a hotel all day long: a place to store your stuff, swim, work out, relax, etc.  but just to walk in, set bags down, pee, and sleep??  ridiculous.  that hotel should have cost us $49. 

we actually wound up wasting a night of camping (2 night minimum stay = no refund).  on the way home, we actually checked into another hotel room, but this one was pretty much planned.  we tried to find the crappiest (while still safe) looking one, and so we landed at a ramada in breezewood, PA.  everything about the place screamed $54.99, so i walked in to check it out.  sure enough, $54 was what i was quoted, and a $54 room was what we got.  hard to find, smelly, shady, run-down, no pool, stains on the carpet, etc.  i get home to check my bank account, and apparently that ramada charged me $84.  

i guess that's what happens when you have an employee who doesn't speak excellent english at the front desk.  $84 sounded like $54.  i just paid $84 to spend 12 hours at one of the crappiest facilities in the united states.  seriously.  what a waste!

moving on:

4. JASON MRAZ + DMB IN CONCERT

absolutely amazing.  it left me breathless.  watching the sun set over a crazy crowd of music-infused fans was magical.  it was a peaceful celebration of music and beauty.  so wonderful, that now we have tickets to see mraz in concert on august 13 in chicago.  i am so excited - it's the ONLY thing on my mind.

so that's pretty much all that needs to be said.  there were jokes and conversations, of course, along the endless stretch of highway.  beautiful rolling mountains topped with foggy wisps.  tailgating after a torrential downpour before the concert, laughing and dancing and covered with mud.  meeting friendly people from out east who spoke like they were from jersey and laughed at our silly midwestern accents.

driving is exhausting.  and boring.  camping requires too much packing.  sleeping bags, food, supplies.  the car was a constant stressor; packing, unpacking, repacking.  the weather was mostly miserable.  wet and soggy and flooded taking turns with relentless humid summer sun, the kind of heat and humidity that NO human would be comfortable in.  

but it was an experience.  a story to tell.  a memory of sweet summer.

the music made it worthwhile.

next time, we'll drive somewhere else.

and see what happens.

pictures up soon on my facebook...

vent

1. people drinking beer out of my glasses on my back porch.

2. uninvited guests spending another night on my couch with their bare feet on my expensive throw pillows, sleeping under my blanket.

3. people talking to my kitties.

4. 5 people sharing a bathroom.

5. a bird tweeting - nay, shrieking - nonstop.

6. pms.

7. coke cans not on coasters (i don't drink coke).

8. constant crumbs on my kitchen counter.  i've cleaned them up three times now, and still haven't eaten in my kitchen in two days.

9. belongings.  all. over. my. apartment.  my apartment that i keep meticulously clean during the summer.

10.  the tv blaring nonstop.

11.  people playing my board games.

12. other people's hair all over my shower.

13. 5 people using the 1 tube of toothpaste in our apartment (and i bought that toothpaste).

14. piano banging.  and banging.

15. bodies splayed across my living room couches.  

all this, and i leave for vacation tomorrow.

i've done nothing but sob and freak out all day.

i couldn't be less excited to go on vacation.  not while i am too mad to concentrate on what i need to pack.  not while there are a thousand annoying voices in my mind, canceling out the voice in my own head.

this has RUINED my summer.  my delirious summer that felt like a dreamworld everyday.

IT'S TIME FOR THE ROOMMATE TO MOVE OUT.

time traveler's wife

it's sunrise.

there's this gentle blue-lavender light that has softly begun to fill my bedroom.  it started as just a dim glow, only just outlining shadows and contours around me, and now it has relaxed into a magical presence.

it's really not so magical.  it's weird.  being up at this time is not much different than being up at any other time.  doors make the same sound when they click shut, air conditioners whirr, items remain where you left them.  i guess i used to think that the night was more forbidden and captivating.

i am sitting up in my bed, unable to sleep yesterday away.  my eyes feel dry and they burn when i close them, but my body is in the mood for a walk.

i could write a story, or make some tea.  but i just want to sit here.  i want to sit here, breathing in and out, forcing time to slow down.

i am thinking about how much i love this person that shares this bed with me every night.  even now, completely asleep, i want to bury my nose into his smell and burrow my body next to his and keep trapping these fleeting (but incredible), dear moments forever.

i just finished an amazing, amazing novel. and i won't ever forget it.  and in this serene, dawn-lit moment of my life, i have never ever been happier.