Knitting Cybrarian

Adventures in Travel

Or why I love the northeast.  Today I flew to Boston, MA.  Took the Silver Line Bus ($2) to South Station, where I bought a ticket on the Bonanza Bus Line for Newport RI. 

While I walked quite a bit (including schlepping luggage, as were a few other hardy souls), I marveled at how easy it is to get around in Boston, and then to Newport.  My first visit to Boston was in 1988, my first big solo trip to a really large city.  I took Amtrak from Charlottesville and used the T to get around.  I was amazed at the efficient system of trains and buses.  And today, I was reminded of that again. 

The Bonanza Bus passed through several lovely towns.  I marveled at the stone walls that lined the road the last miles of my trip.  Many of the mills in towns like Bedford Falls are being renovated for other uses.  These stone buildings were beautiful, but if I were a mill worker in the 19th century, I'm sure I would not have found them so beautiful.

My hotel room overlooks the spit of water separating Goat Island from Newport.  I hope to have a few hours to wander tomorrow morning.  More then!

In brief

I'm back in KC.  Am tired, physically and mentally. 

Will probably need to go back to VA in the next week or so.

The hubster and Portia missed me.  It's good to be home, but it was good to be in Virginia too (which I also call home!).

I go out of town WHEN?

I leave for a conference on Wednesday morning.  Early.  While a number of things were accomplished today, things left to do include:

• finalizing the presentation (EGAD!)
• printing enough copies of the skit for all participants
• replacing zipper in favorite pants
• washing favorite pants
• figuring out wardrobe
• assembling new pieces in my Big Band book -- and putting my book in a larger binder
• practicing the new pieces
• packing appropriate knitting for the trip
• preparing agenda for committee meeting
• ....

you get the idea.  No wonder I'm still pumped with adrenaline -- unusual after today's allergy shot!

Back in KC

I'm baaaack.  And today is my final day of vacation (much like Suzanne!).  The heating/cooling fella was just here to do the winter check/clean on our system (and all's fine).  The pest control guy will be here later. 

I flew back Saturday evening with a layover in Charlotte.  I didn't sit in one of their lovely rocking chairs, but splurged on some fudge and white chocolate cocoa mix at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.  I managed to avoid buying the lovely looking caramel or chocolate coated apples.  Here's the deal.  You walk off the plane into the airport.  You're a little tired, a little hungry because you get no food on airplanes anymore and this aroma hits you -- actually it tickles your nose, says to your brain "home... home... yummy" and drags you into the chocolate store.  It's the aroma of melted butter and sugar with cocoa mixed in.  Having made lots of brownies, I know that aroma all too well.  Funny that there were only women in the store when I was there.  A man stepped in as I was leaving.  I said to the salesperson, "my husband will complain that I shouldn't have spent the money and then devour it."  And that's exactly what happened.  Although Joel didn't devour it all, but he certainly tucked into it!

I sat next to a delightful young man on the flight from Charlotte to Kansas City.  The flight sped by as we took turns reading and chatting.  He hugged me and kissed me goodbye on the cheek at baggage claim.  I have to admit I was touched.  I wish him well!

Yesterday morning I went to church and the truck cooperated.  A little sluggish, but still cooperated.  Yes, I still need to get the tranny checked out.

I also took a loooong nap yesterday and did no knitting.  But I did print out a new copy of the Colinette AbFab chart after I discovered a mistake in it Friday or Saturday (needed one more repeat put in the chart).  Portia is quite happy I'm home and have put away the suitcase.  Saturday night she sat by my suitcase, making sure I took EVERYTHING out.  I think she was making sure that the big black thing was going away and that I wasn't leaving again soon.  Last night she slept on the bed between us -- but not at our feet, near our heads.  Unusual behavior for her.  I loved having her close enough to stroke and pet as I was falling asleep.

Unlke Suzanne, I've made a task list for today and hope to get it all accomplished.   It's a beautiful and cool fall day.  Sunny, with a cloudless blue sky and the maple out front is a brilliant yellow.   I hope to enjoy these days and get the most out of them before the winter gloom hits.

Work returns all too quickly.  I realize I could have used another week off -- I won't wait so long to schedule my next vacation days!

Virginia visit coming to an end...

Sadly, my week in Virginia is almost over. I feel mostly rested, although I’ve spent more time on e-mail this morning than any other time this week with the exception of my two hour focused stint at McDonald’s Monday. That’s good and bad. But there were days when I didn’t turn on the laptop at all, and that’s good.

I spent quite a bit of time knitting on the AbFab throw (photos after I return) and I knitted a gift scarf. Mom and I’ve mostly relaxed this week, although she’s worked some too. She cleans houses for a few people, including one person she also takes to the grocery, the drug store, etc. But I’ve run up and down steps for her here at the house, done a little cleaning and waited on her, which has been a needed break, I think. It’s always nice when someone brings you your coffee, a drink or a snack.

I’m bringing home a few things that were my Dad’s – and others will be mailed home. The list will sound strange to some of my friends, but to others it’ll make sense. Among these items are Dad’s Army patches and pins (he was in SCARWAF during the Korean War), his first knife and a few other knives, two of his old-fashioned lighters (to be mailed!), and some books given to him as a child. I’ve also run across some family things I had forgotten about or that were in dim recesses of my gray matter – the rocking chair pin cushion/thread holder Grandma Green used, her sewing machine (and accessories), and some things I had forgotten I had given to Mom and Dad.

Unfortunately when I opened one of the knives it stuck open. I can’t get it shut and it’s a very sharp knife, so I need to be especially careful. I’ve put some WD-40 on the hinge mechanism and will let it sit. Hopefully it’ll shut in a few hours. I’ve put it up away from the cats.

I had forgotten about the speech patterns here. Things and events are described in metaphors – comparisons all over the place. Dipthongs have dipthongs! Everyone is “honey,” “sweetie.” Makes me feel better, since I use those words myself and occassionally get strange looks. And I realize how very flat my speech sounds. I’ve lost some of the cadence and the rise and fall that I used to have. Speech is musical here, so no wonder it’s obvious to folks I’ve not seen in a while that I’ve moved far, far away.

Well, must sign off soon. Hope to upload this and then move along for the day. We’re having some family over for supper tonight and there are errands to run today.

This visit has reminded me how very much I find myself walking between worlds. Not belonging completely in either one, yet not a complete stranger or outcast either.

I'm leaving on a jet plane

My bags are packed and I'm almost ready to go.

I'm carrying enough knitting projects for 3 weeks, but who knows how much knitting time I'll have this week.  I do have clothes packed, right beside those knitting projects.  I've been watching the weather forecast for Virginia, but variances can mean the difference between being comfortable or freezing in a short sleeve shirt with a sweater.  So I'm bringing a couple of long sleeved turtlenecks too. 

Other adventures in travel include having a quart see-through self-closing plastic bag for lip gloss, hand stuff, asthma inhaler, etc. for carry on.  I flew last weekend, so I just left those things in the same bag all week in my purse.  Why change when I'm flying this weekend too?

But the clincher for travel prep?  Meds.  I'm moving delivery of my prescriptions from Walgreens to my insurance's mail order service.  It's supposed to be much cheaper.  But starting it takes longer than one would anticipate.  MUCH longer.  I got one of the refills today (zyrtec).  BUT I didn't get the one for my high blood pressure med or my anti-depressant med.  This is serious stuff folks, and I had promised myself I wouldn't run out of the BP meds again.  WRONG.  Oops. 

I called Walgreens, who said to call my doc.  I left a rather panicked message for his nurse begging them to have Walgreen's give me a refill for 8 days worth.  My mail order refills will no doubt be here tomorrow (and I won't be here then), so I should be able to use them when I return.

Other than packing my yarn stash, wardrobe alternatives and fretting stressing out to the max about the meds, Joel and I took down the window screens and I replaced the storm door screen with the glass insert.  Very exciting. 

Adventures in travel

I went on a short trip this week.  Left Tuesday, returned Thursday.  I arrived at my destination a tad early!  Yippee!  I was then taken to the hotel and my host verfied that the reservation was indeed correct as far as billing. 

The hotel folks then informed me that they did NOT have a non-smoking room available for me, and they could not guarantee a non-smoking room with the reservation.  However, they assured me that the smoking room had been cleaned thoroughly and treated with an ozone machine.

I went to the room (which was on a smoking floor, of course), opened the door and dropped my bags.  I took a breath.  Maybe a second one.  And promptly had an asthma attack.  A bad one.  I grabbed my bags and left.  Immediately.

I reported the situation as calmly as I could to them.  I didn't go into the severity of the attack, but told them that I could not stay in that room.  They offered to do the ozone machine (again).  I said I would just sit in the lobby for the time being.

I sat.  And I freaked out.  Okay, I calmly freaked out.  Used my inhaler (MaxAir is wonderful, just wonderful, folks! Minimal shakes!).  And fired up my laptop and made two quick phone calls.

I called Joel to let him know I was there and briefed him on the situation.  I called my Mom, who promptly wanted to throttle the hotel management and call every hotel in this city to find me a place to stay.  I assured her that the situation would be rectified and I'd keep her posted.

If you don't know someone who has asthma, here are a few tips:

• you can die during an asthma attack, because your air supply is cut off -- hence the need for rescue inhalers.
• stressful situations make asthma worse, so it's all too easy to have a cycle happen where you have an attack, get stressed, the attack gets worse, you get more stressed, etc. etc. 
• If you have bad allergies AND you have asthma, then you have a double whammy situation.  Especially folks who are allergic to tobacco smoke, strong perfumes, etc. 
• Folks who have asthma are NOT overreacting when they express concern about being in a potentially hazardous environment.
• for more information, see the Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America.

I logged on to my e-mail.  I considered my options.  I consciously worked on calming down.  This situation would be rectified.  I wouldn't have to spend the night coughing and coughing from asthma attacks-- even if I had to sleep on the couch in the hotel lobby! 

I decided to e-mail the folks who made the lodging arrangements and ask them to help.  Sometimes this can be risky -- sometimes folks think you're just causing trouble.  I'm not that kind of person.  But the folks on the other end came through and took care of the situation.  And someone picked me up and took me to the new lodgings. 

It took a while for my system to calm down, but it did by the next morning, thankfully.  What an embarrassing situation -- I don't like to reveal that kind of stuff to the greater western world (although I just did on my blog), but it all worked out.

Okay, travel adventure two happened on the return trip.  The last flight of my trip was overbooked.  I volunteered to give up my seat, in return for a seat on the next flight out (two hours later) AND a free roundtrip ticket for that airline, good for a year.  I made sure to tell the attendant that I had carry on, and that made me a prime candidate (in my mind).  And indeed it did.  Turns out that these automated systems will prioritize the volunteers by alphabetical order AND if they have carry on, not checked luggage. 

Well, I got chosen.  It was one of those rare times that I could volunteer and it was nice to get a free round trip ticket. 

And I was glad to get home.  Whoo hoo!

New photos

I posted the last of the MLA photos just now: 

• Various MLA photos
• Business meeting
• For Paula

I hope you enjoy them!  Remember I'm far from being a professional, so please forgive the red-eye, the fuzzies and the dim ones.

Friday's photo day!

I uploaded several sets of photos today. 

The MLA Big Band rehearses each night of the conference and then plays at the pre-banquet cocktail hour. We sacrifice dinner with our non-band friends and other networking opportunites to practice, drink beer/wine/water, and make good music! 

The MLA Shop/Silent Auction annually helps raise money for MLA's various funds, sells tasteful MLA chachkis, and our Silent Auction also raises money for MLA.  You'll never know what will be in the Silent Auction!  This year's choices include an airline travel certificate, knitted scarves, lots of CDs, music books and scores, the infamous pink corset (I must take a photo today), and other goodies.

And last but not least, I've noticed that Canadians have some fondness for doughnuts and coffee.  The few times I've been outside of the hotel, I've noticed that just about everyone has a cup of coffee in their hand.  I walked a block or two in one direction and found two doughnut shops and innumerable coffee/pastry shops (no kidding-- we're talking about 4-5).  Look for more photos in this series if I get out later today.  I just took photos of shops featuring doughnuts, not the coffee shops too.  And remember, I've not traveled very far at all -- there are possibly 7 other directions (counting each side of the street) I've not explored!

Happy Friday from beautiful Vancouver!

A room with a view

I'm fortunate enough to have a room with a view.