Seattle to Vancouver: Not quite The Gumball Rally, but close
So here is a summary of my week in ‘Cuts’ so you can pick and choose what you read.:)
I was kind of intrigued looking back at my list of eternal truths
I wrote it in a venting stream of consciousness
So I its kind of interesting wondering what kind of day I had ‘emotionally’
Jessie and I laughed about it and she asked for a copy
She cut out the ‘R’ rated parts made it PG-13 and shared it with her class
Then she had all of them write a list of ‘Eternal Truths in my world
(Things that are pretty much always 90%)’
They could have up to 50 and as few as 10
So then she took 2 from each of the students in both of her English classes
And her theater class and put them on a large poster on the door of her classroom
Seriously, I thought it was soooo dope on so many levels, but mainly
THAT’S A TEACHER!!
She got her kids excited about an assignment (the students loved making their own list)
And then brought it up a notch by making their words part of her classroom
Good teachers are amazing
But I am biased, my mother was a teacher ( retired as Superintendent, my sister was a teacher ( now a professor), I was ‘supposed’ to be a Teacher, but I only substituted a few times, then taught English in Japan for a few years. I realized I ‘can’ teach, but I don’t have “the calling.” And to be a good teacher you got to have ‘the calling,’ Teachers
Have to live in this limbo between “Hello’s”
And Goodbyes
Autumn first days and Spring Graduations
Sometimes they know they will never see a student again
Sometimes they come back to visit, sometimes they just forget
But the Teacher goes on and on
I just think it’s incredible
My mom and sister have stories of bumping into former students in the oddest places
and then
Anyway,
I am ready for IWPS
Simo is coming with me this time
Mojo wanted to go but she just moved into her new place
And she is also saving for our ‘uber’ tour (I will speak more on that very soon)
It not going to be the same without her
But on the plus side Kevin (from Team P.A. 2006) is going
And Simo is leaving the day after we get back from Vancouver
She is leaving to Rome
She will be gone 6 months
Yea, so Vancouver is sort of a ‘trip’ for us
We plan on checking out the city, and weather permitting doing some hiking
I have been to Vancouver twice, but that was like a decade ago (shit I’m old)
We have to get a new Vancouver guide book because the one I have is from 1996
But here is the ‘Adventure’ (yea another freaking adventure, I don’t ask for them they just come)
So Simo plans the trip
I ‘suggest’ flying into Seattle because the straight to Vancouver flights are all pretty pricey
So I tell her, ‘we don’t have to arrive on the 31st, but it would be easier’
Sadly we both couldn’t get off the 31st so we leave on the 1st
Arrive in Seattle at 8:45 AM
It’s a 3 hour drive to Vancouver
We have a portable satellite tracker with the Hotels address programmed in
We are renting a Subaru with front wheel drive
We know which crossing will have the least traffic
And weather is supposed to be clear, but cold enough to be icy
We are on a budget so getting a flight is out of the question
So I sent a letter to the powers that be explaining my situation
And Hopefully I will be there at 12:15~12:30
Simo and I have driven across the country together
We made it from Boston to San Francisco in 3 days (only because we took an extra day in L.A. to visit some of my friends)
Been on Bus’s in Bangkok trains in Turin (no bullshit, her mom’s from Turino)
And she really thinks we will make it with time to spare
She is almost always the ‘pessimist’ in situations like this,
I’m usually the ‘pragmatic’ optimist.
So It was reassuring (and surprising) that after mapping it out etc., she is confident we will make it.
I just don’t want to slide off some sheer ledge, I hate driving on ice
It’s supposed to be a really pretty drive so that should be very cool
And traveling together is how we ‘dance’
It sounds weird, but we get in this synergy mode
So yea, I am looking forward to IWPS,
I think few peeps on lj have met Simo, but most have and probably don’t remember
(She was at Nationals with me in 2004-2005)
And you can see her on the Slam Planet movie actually during our bout with Austin, Denver, Noraz, and Winston-Salem.
Anyway, I am looking forward introducing her to some folk (she has seen the bad part of slam it would be cool to show her the good)
I am also looking forward to seeing peeps again, hearing some great poetry
The drive, well, therein lay the adventure.
- If you choose to drive as fast as you can and throw caution to the wind:
Turn to Page. 23
- If you choose to drive the speed limit in a front wheel drive vehicle
Turn to Page. 10
- If you go back and ask the talking cat for the key to the chest
Turn to page 36
I will try to get a post in before I leave.