Conversations with Myself

Oct 27 Taking the train to Chicago, upper deck, yellow tinted windows, cloudy day, hint of blue, hint of rain. Metra trains have a weekend special- $5 pass to ride anywhere all weekend- a steal of a deal! So here I am. I’m not really sure where I’m going from here though.  Not sure what I’m in the mood for, it was hard enough getting myself this far!  Feeling lazy.  Yesterday we unloaded the Uhaul at mom’s new place.  It actually went quickly- we were done in just over 2 hours. That night they accepted an offer on their old (Walpole) house.  By Dec 14 it should be a done deal and they should both be happily settled into their new house.  Exciting!

I don’t want to generalize, but I will anyway.  Real estate agents, I trust them about as far as I can throw them. I actually had no opinion of them either way until last night.  Basically, mom’s real estate agent was encouraging mom to accept an offer that was much too low.  Its bad enough the agent readily agreed when mom suggested lowering the initial price after only 21 days (trust me when I say that compared to more of the similar houses on the market, theirs is definitely one of the nicer), but to want to accept an even lower price ($40,000 lower than the initial price) was just outrageous.  I suppose in a slow market, any money is better than no money, but I still think that’s pretty crummy.  The agent should be having the customers best interest in mind, not her own!

Okay, rant over.  Alls well that ends well.  Anyway, soon the stress of buying and selling will be completely over and they can focus on the stress of renovating their new place.

(a little later that day) Iced coffee goes down way too easy. Before you know it, your drink is gone and in 20-30 minutes, its diuretic effect is kicking in.  I treated myself to a large hazelnut iced coffee from McDonalds and before I knew it, 1/3 of it was gone. It’s pretty darn good.  Thank you McD’s of the Future (their claim, not mine) at the Navy Pier.  I’m waiting for the Buccaneer show to begin on the Family Pavilion Stage.  This is preventative medicine. I’m been walking since I got off the train, however far away that was.  I’m not too tired yet but give me a chance, I soon will be.  I have no plan for the day, which is why I probably ended up here. Since I didn’t know where I was going, when I hit the streets I unconsciously headed toward what was familiar and obvious.  First I ran into Millennium Park, which had some fabulous sculptures. Not knowing where to go from there, I headed toward the lake, which conveniently had apath bordering it.  Decision time- Field Museum or Navy Pier? Cheapness won out. Freebie Pier it is, saving the Museum for another day?  I have no plans after all and a week ahead of me!

New England Photos!!

Saturday Jen and I went to Salem to investigate our roots. What not a better place to do so than the Salem Witch Museum! Unfortunately 100’s of other witchy ancestors had the same idea and the line to get in reached several blocks. Considering how I have no patience for lines (thankfully Jen didn’t either), we decided to forgo the history lesson and just explore the rest of Salem’s Haunted Happenings instead. Lotsa people! Some in full costume, many in witches hats, everyone having a good time, including us.

Jen is a good friend. We’ve known each other since high school. Ever hear that quote ‘a true friend walks in when the rest of the world walks out’? That would be Jen, though the quote would be best adapted to say ‘a true friend stands by you when when the rest of the world is giving you crap.’ That would be the high school version and that would be Jen. Unfortunately after high school we lost touch for many many years, but the high school reunion brought us back together. Seeing her again felt like picking up right where we left off. She is still the awesome individual that I remember and it really touched my heart when she drove out to see me Tuesday night before I left. I don’t think we’ll be losing touch again- not if I can help it anyway! Who knows, maybe she feels completely different.

I do regret not visiting my friend Paula who lives in Worcester. What was I thinking?? I let the traffic stress me out. Traffic, even in the greater Boston suburbs, was too much like city driving. People waiting until the last minute to brake, getting right on my tail, and basically there being just too many cars on the road! Mom was really nice in letting me borrow her car, but it also caused a bit of increased anxiety because the last thing I wanted to do was mar her car! Initially I was supposed to rent a car and actually had 4 separate reservations that I eventually canceled one by one. As mom would say, ‘oh well!’

We left Wed morning. Dave in the Uhaul, mom and I following in her CRV. Overall I would say the drive went quite well. The first 4 hours were a bit tedious as I was stuck in the passenger seat. After our second gas stop though I kicked mom out, took control of the vehicle, plugged in the ipod and turned up my music loud! At that point it was a much enjoyable smooth drive! Driving, driving, driving…I do enjoy driving. We did encounter a hellish traffic jam outside of Chicago but I’m not going to let that little hiccup destroy my experience (though it did help that mom was driving then- I let her drive home the last hour- which worked well for me!).

I have been slacking about writing.  I’ve been so busy doing stuff- there is so much to see and do before I leave!- that I’ve been spending my time doing it rather than writing about it. I will take a mere moment now though to update you on my activities.

First of all, I was definitely right when I thought I was overextending myself on that day I had Concord, Lowell, Seabrook, Leominster, and Worcester planned.  Nevermind splitting the day up into 2 days…..It’s been 2 days and I’m still working on it all!  There is so much to see that everything takes longer than I imagined.  One day I started at Walden Pond (beautiful in autumn), then I shot up to Seabrook, figuring I should get to the Science Center before it closed.  The colors along the coast of New Hampshire were amazing, so I ended up spending much longer there than I imagined.  There goes day 1.

Day 2 I decided to concentrate on the rest.  Headed up to Concord and again, got lost in the history and the beauty of the place.  The White Hen Pantry (when you run out, run out to White Hen….) and even the Five and Ten remain the same, but my old elementary school, Thoreau Elementary, has been tore down and rebuilt as a brick structure!!!   Shocking!!  (just a side note, Tom Tom One GPS is very wrong when it comes to indicating the center of West Concord).  After this surprise, I headed up to the town of Concord proper to play tourist.  In my wanderings, I ran across the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery.  It’s less than a mile from downtown Concord yet I don’t think I’ve ever been there before….which is even more surprising when you realize that my favorite author- Henry David Thoreau- is buried there!  After roaming around the cemetery, admiring the old gravestones and the colorful trees, I hopped back in my car to visit the Old North Bridge…

“By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood
And fired the shot heard round the world.”

Thank you Ralph Waldo Emerson (who is also buried at Sleepy Hollow) for those words.

After my dose of Revoltionary War history, I headed up to Lowell for a different kind of history- a hint of the Industrial Revolution. I absolutely love the old mills.   Okay, I doubt would have loved working there in that era, but to see them today, I think they are gorgeous.  Proud sturdy old buildings.  I visited the Lowell National Historical Park including the Boott Mill.  I don’t think I’ve ever been in the Boott Mill portion of the park before, and I’m so glad I made it this time.  The Boott Mill is one of the oldest restored mills, and the bottom floor of the museum includes working looms.  Working!  Running, noisy and dusty, weaving textiles just as they did many years before.  It was just incredible.  To stand there amidst the heat and the dust and the noise, I could imagine being there 100 years before, working ricidulously long hours for little pay, losing my hearing, being tired and cranky.  Hmmmmm, what was 100 years ago for us is still occuring in 3rd world countries.  Now there is something to think about.

Okay, I didn’t really think about that until just now.  I was being too impressed and in awe of the machines.  Again, so much to see and before I knew it, it was 4:30 and time to head back to Walpole.  What happened to Leominster and Worcester??  When will I get a chance to go there??

I also wanted to mention that last weekend at this time I went to Battleship Cove in Fall River MA.  Battleship Cove is home to the battleship USS Massachusetts, the destroyer USS Joseph P Kennedy Jr, and the submarine USS Lionfish, among other helicopters and boats.  Each of these boats is open to the public to walk through, climbing up stairs and through hatches. Heck, groups can even sleep on board (as Rob did when he was a young boy scout)!  It is also a fascinating place and I easily explored each vessel for several hours.  Well worth the $12 entry fee!!!

Today I am heading to Salem with my old high school friend Jen.  The Salem Witch Museum to be exact.  Doesn’t that sound like the perfect place to go in October?!

10-16-2007 Taking the train to Boston..and the gal behind me just started singing. That was weird. What would be weirder yet would be if the whole train car started joining in. What is life was a musical, and if we all started breaking into song at random moments. This is something I’ve wondered before but it has yet to come to fruitation. Too bad.

Taking the train to Boston. This was something I immensely enjoyed doing when I was younger. I always thought I would be a city gal, living right in the heart of the big city lights, the hustle and bustle. Funny how people change. (hmmm, and how many times have we heard that people can’t change?) When I was young, ticket fare was a lot of money to afford for me. I don’t remember how much it was then, but today it is $5.75 from Walpole, $5.25 from Norwood. In my younger years, I would have left from Norwood just to save the 50 cents. Thank goodness I’m not quite so cheap these days, though being unemployed maybe I should be. Maybe I should be taking the bus to get on the Red Line (T) instead, a process that would most likely take an hour and a half. Maybe I should be, but I prefer the speedy half hour train ride instead. My time is valuable, right? Some things are more important than money and quite frankly, I get no pleasure from riding the bus.

Taking the train to Boston. Not too sure why this guy chose to sit right next to me but I won’t read into it too much. I’m just thankful I’m not one of those in a suit doing the daily commute. $186 for a monthly pass for Zone 4 (Walpole is Zone 4. Norwood is Zone 3). I’m thinking that companies somehow offer a reduced fare for their employees. I vaguely remember something like that. Otherwise that’s a significant monthly expense. I’d be tempted to live closer to the city for that much.

Taking the train to Boston. I remember when I wanted to be a conductor. Walking down the aisles, collecting tickets, opening doors, wearing that nifty round hat. The pressed uniform! Looking so official. I wonder if the new commuter train in Seattle will have such spiffy conductors.

I’m writing in a notebook that has a picture of Mendenhall Glacier on the cover. Folks in New England probably can’t even imagine that such a glacier still exists. They probably hear how the land was shaped by glaciers, but to have one today in their backyard….that probably seems as far fetched as having a dinosaur today in their backyard! Even as I visit New England, with its charming church steeples and narrow winding roads, it’s hard to imagine Alaska, so far away and out of reach. To be living in Washington State even seems a bit impressive.

(Later 5:10 pm) I have to admit to being a bit tuckered out. I could stay in Boson later but after 7 hours at the Museum of Science, I am ready to return to Walpole. Mind you, that’s a bit different form saying I’m looking forward to returning to Walpole! I am looking forward to getting off my feet, to getting some food to eat, to doing a bit of nothing, to recuperating until tomorrow. Tomorrow I have another day of touring planned- Lowell, Seabrook, Portsmouth, Leominster, Worcester. I’m afraid I might be overextending myself and might possibly have to split my day into 2 days. I have a feeling that I will prefer to spend more time in New Hampshire than I wanted to spend in Boston. Standing outside South Station I was quite alarmed to see an absolute mass of people heading my way. Although surely it wasn’t that bad it reminded me of those photos of people crossing the bridge leaving New York City after 9/11. In reality it was just the end of the day pedestrian rush hour. Good lord it made me miss Alaska. Life is just so much simpler there. I know there is still the ‘big city’ of Anchorage and Anchorage has its crime, so Alaska itself isn’t all that sweet and innocent. But still, it’s an improvement!

Museum of Science. First impressions. Most significantly, the electricity show was a little bit disappointing. They used to have an awesome grand finale, but this time there was none. Instead the ending was quite anti-climatic. So much so that I thought the presenter was joking when he said ‘thanks for visiting.’ Seriously, I thought he was kidding- that he would laugh and say ‘just kidding, here’s the grand finale you’ve been waiting for.’ But that never happened. Instead I sat there stupefied. I thought about asking him what happened to the grand finale, but he looked too young to remember a time when there even was a grand finale. Rats. Ultimately, I think they were trying to save money by saving electricity. From an environmental standpoint, the energy saving measures are probably much appreciated. From a scientific standpoint, I think it sucks. I believe there are only 2 Van de Graff generators in the world. I don’t know where the other one is or what it is doing, so this might be the only opportunity for the common person to view such an awesome electric show!

Regardless of the lack of a grand finale, it was well done and neat to see. As for the rest of the museum, it’s interesting to note how little its changed over the past 20 years. I’m not sure if this is a good thing- science remaining stable- or a bad thing- modernizing the exhibits would be nice. That said, one definite improvement is that most of the displays and activities were actually working! Hate to say it, but a distinct memory I have of the museum is that the majority of the displays were often times out of order, broken, and malfunctioning. This, thankfully, was not the case today. Yay! The school groups were still present though. Thousands of excited screaming kids running around, not waiting their turn to examine the exhibits. I did my best to avoid them, searching out the displays that weren’t as popular to them. I will say, an advantage to kids is their short attention span. If I was really keen on a display, all I had to do was wait just a few minutes and the kids would move on. Plus the Museum of Science has many computer based interactive exhibits. Kids have no patience for these. Suddenly I found those particular exhibits to be quite interesting (and almost always available to use!).

Saturday I went to NH in search of color! Found it!

Random notes:

Anheuser Busch brewery- bought an energy drink 180 Blue, packed in an aluminum can. While consuming I read their display on recycling- how they’ve made a commitment to recycle- 100% of their cans are made from recycled materials (?). So I finished my drink and looked for a place to dispose of it. Couldn’t even find a trash! Asked the girl at the front desk for a recycle bin. She didn’t know, but she had a trash can back there, which she could toss it in. Hmmm, what happened to that recycling commitment?

Lost River- what happened to that fearlessness of my youth? It was a bit alarming crawling through those tight squeezes the rocks made. I felt my heart race as I imagined the worse and getting trapped- and this is the gal that went skydiving?

Kanamangas Highway was a zoo of cars. A pretty zoo, but a zoo nonetheless. Each scenic overlook pull off was overloaded with cars. I merely drove by, choosing not to deal with the people. I bet that decision is unsurprising to hear! Besides, I was in a race against time. The sun was setting and I still had many hours of driving ahead of me. I didn’t want to get back to Walpole too late!

As I sift through the memories in the basement I can’t help but wonder what happened to my childhood friends? Well, childhood is reaching pretty far back. Maybe I should say my teenagehood friends. There is probably a better term for those years. Would saying ‘youth’ just cover the teenage years, or does that cover childhood years as well?

(sept 14) Yesterday I got the surprising news that my mother is moving to IL!  With David, of course (that’s her husband).  They have been living in the sweetest little house in Walpole MA since 1985….and yes, I lived in that house for 8 years myself.  And now this!

I knew I should have written about Banff immediately! Certainly before I left for MA, because now that I am on the East Coats, the Canadian Rockies seem like forever away. Both in distance and in time. The beauty hasn’t left me, but the words to express it have.  Rats.

So we will move on to New England, though there isn’t much to say about that just yet.  I was mildly frustrated in the airport. Wearing 30 plus pounds of gadgets on my back, yet I had the sad realization that I didn’t have a pen to write with! Can you believe that!? I had the latest and greatest of every gadget- camera, lenses, laptop, GPS- and I am stopped cold by the lack of a pen to write on a simple piece of paper.  Go figure.

Not that there was anything spectacular going on at the airport, other than Toyota really pushing their new Tundra truck.  Rob was not there to marvel at the large posters strung up and I merely walked quickly on.

The wait for the flight was uneventful, though I was asked to participate in a (college sponsored written survey) about the TSA. Did I feel safer due to their security measures? I must say, I have never had a TSA official look so closely at my boarding pass and license before as they did in Seattle.  Well, I should say that they were looking at everyone’s information that closely- not just mine!  What were they examining?  My name? Where I was flying? My seat number?  Strange.

The flight itself was uneventful and actually seemed to pass quickly, which is saying a lot for a red eye..for me anyway.  I envy Rob and his ability to drop right off to sleep.  Me, I need a comfy bed.  Not a good trait for someone who frequently sleeps in her car! As it was, I managed to doze a bit.  In a way, I wouldn’t have minded staying awake because not only did the plane have those little screens on the back of every seat about the tray table, but also Harry Potter was available to watch! For a price, of course.  Still, had it been a more reasonable hour, I most certainly would have paid that price!

I had a layover in New York.  Nice people at the NY airport.  I’ll have to admit, I made that incorrect judgment that as New Yorkers, they would be rude and condescending to my silly questions.  See, my gate was 23B. There was no 23B per se, just 23.  I didn’t know that.  I thought I was lost and confused, so I went to the Delta desk and asked.  The gal very calmly and politely told me that it is gate 23- just that many flights leave from that gate at the same time.  I was catching a smaller Comair jet that loaded from the tarmac.  Within quick succession planes were leaving, heading to Boston, Vermont and Rhode Island, hence the B.  Had mom not been picking me up in Rhode Island, I might have ‘accidentally’ caught the plane to Boston.

So today is Thursday. Of all the stuff I have stored in the basement, I would say that I’ve gone through about 80% of it.  What a headache!  I’ve…

(mom’s done with her appointment…..notes have stopped abruptly! sorry!)