catching up
so about that whole updating consistently thing.
leaving Mudd was weird, and BOY was the Previa loaded!! felt like driving an underpowered truck more than a minivan, with the added bonus of not being able to see out the back window.
actually the roadtrip home with Mike was really awesome, except for the part where gas often cost over $4/gallon, and the part where the a/c is only effective if it's less than 90 outside and the sun is not shining directly on the dashboard area. (it was over 100 out for the first leg of our journey and largely midday.) we stopped for ice cream and cups of ice rather frequently along I-15 heading to Las Vegas. and when we got there (this is Monday afternoon May 19), it was 107. aaahhhhh. thankfully I had the sense to get a hotel reservation set up that morning before leaving Mudd, at the Stratosphere which is at the north end of the Strip. we found it easily and checked in. parking was free but it took a while to navigate through casinos to get to the check in place to find the proper elevators to go the 18th floor to get to our dinky room. actually the room itself was decent sized, it was just not special. small window and grungy carpet, smoke detector RIGHT OVER THE HEAD OF THE BED ON THE WALL, and rather tiny bathroom. all in all about what you'd expect for $100 in Vegas I suppose.
anyway, we didn't know what to do that night, so we talked to some Travelocity folks down in the lobby/casino are (Vegas is weird) and Mike splurged on great tickets to see Stomp Out Loud! we had to take a pricey taxi to the Planet Hollywood hotel and back (there was no way I was driving my loaded minivan at night in Vegas, and it would've taken forever to trek over to the parking garage anyway). but the show was awesome. if you're not familiar with Stomp, basically it's like musical theater only without a real plot and the music comes from the actors doing everyday things like sweeping brooms or banging pots and pans. my favorite was when they had plastic pipes of different lengths and they banged them on the floor - not only did you get an amazing rhythm, you got something resembling a melody! very neat.
on Tuesday, we had brunch up at the top of the Stratosphere tower, which was neither cheap nor outrageously expensive. it slowly rotates so you get an aerial view of Vegas, which is pretty neat - apparently it's taller than the Space Needle. and then we of course had to go to the Star Trek Experience!!! that was within walking distance (though it was still well over 90 outside) at the Hilton. admission wasn't free but two sweet experiences/rides were included - Klingon Encounter and Borg Invasion 4D (I think that's what they're called). they're like rides, only it's interactive because there are actually a few people dressed up as crewmembers ushering you around and performing various tasks you would expect to see in the Star Trek universe. really very neat. the exhibit itself is rather small, but they have a comprehensive timeline of all things Trek that weaves its way around large scale models of various starships hanging from the ceiling.
after the exhibit and rides, we of course had to eat at Quark's Bar and Restaurant! I had always wanted to get a Warp Core Breach (alcoholic drink), though I didn't know what in it. everything on the menu/drinklist has a clever name. so Mike and I ordered "holy rings of Betazed" (onion rings) and a small Warp Core Breach to share. the normal size has 10 ounces of liquor in it and is served in a goblet the size of the old baja tip jar. the half size one presumably had 5 ounces of liquor, which was plenty for the two of us. all I know is it had some five varieties of rum, was dark red, and had a large piece of dry ice in the bottom. yes! afterwards, I felt obligated to try my luck at a slot machine, because come on, we were in Vegas. so I found a Star Trek themed one and put in $5, and randomly poked buttons to no avail. (seriously, those things need instruction manuals. or maybe I shouldn't have tried right after my half of a small Warp Core Breach. meh.)
we headed out later that afternoon and drove north a ways on state highways. we continued on, partly through winding mountain roads, until 9 or 10pm when we reached Big Pine, CA. we found a cheap motel there and crashed. we continued north on 395 on Wednesday, stopping in Reno, NV to shop at the Sierra Trading Post outlet store (I got some sweet shoes for camp!). we got dinner in Susanville, CA and spend the night a couple of hours north in Alturas, CA.
Thursday was pretty boring, because we decided to drive all the way home. we went from Alturas, CA to Richland, WA with a quick bite at a Subway in Burns, OR. and holy crap, eastern Oregon is a whole lot of nothing. seriously, go look at a map: once you leave Lakeview, OR, which isn't exactly a burgeoning metropolis, you have 3 hours (some 140 miles on a state highway) before you hit any sign of civilization (Burns, OR). anyway, we made it home that night around 8pm and let ourselves into Dad & Lynne's place.
Friday was spent unpacking a bit, eating lunch at P.F. Chang's, and seeing the new Indiana Jones movie, which involves Russians and is therefore awesome. on Saturday we picked up Dad & Lynne at the airport at 2pm and then all headed to Kristen's wedding at 4pm. that went well into the evening and was lots of fun, except for the part where Mike was feeling sick every half hour or so for no apparent reason. on Sunday we went to church (minus Mike who elected to stay in bed due to illness), and that afternoon Mike was feeling better so what did we do? drove up to Camp Cross of course! it made a bit of sense because his car was in Spokane since he flew out of Spokane to come to CA, and camp is only an hour east of Spokane on Lake Coeur d'Alene, ID!
we arrived at Camp after dinner (but I had the sense to eat something before leaving home) and just in time for the "wine and complain" party. basically Chase (current director of camp who is awesome) opened up his snazzy cabin-house to all the volunteers there for the weekend and served wine, beer, cheese, and crackers. see, the theme of Memorial weekend up at camp is Labor of Love, meaning that you can stay for free but you're supposed to help get camp ready for the season. we did a bit of that on Monday morning - I didn't leave the kitchen between cleaning up from breakfast and preparing for lunch, and Mike helped cut back overgrowth on various hiking trails. and OH THE WATER LEVEL!! the lake has flooded and just getting to and from camp is a chore since it's boat access only. docks are submerged - hell, roads are submerged in places! it was definitely an adventure with the bonus of spotty cell phone coverage to say "hi, we'd like you to pick us up in the boat, but we're not sure how you'd go about that actually."
Mike and I were at camp long enough to claim cabins for the summer, and we left on Monday (May 26 - Memorial Day). we headed to Spokane to pick up his car and stop at a board game store as well as eat an early dinner at Red Robin. (not in that order.) we then went our separate ways, as he had to work in Ellensburg the next day and I was expected back in Richland to help Dad finish moving out of the old house for reals.
this brings us to one week ago. I spent last week up to my eyeballs in stuff. OK, technically it was Tuesday through Thursday, but still. Dad was so close to having the old house empty, yet there were so many little things left to contend with. I've been slowly going through boxes upon boxes of old K-12 school things Mom saw fit to save. then on Friday, Dad & Lynne headed to the Portland area to visit Tyler, Lynne's son, and his wife and kids for the weekend. so I spent the day going through MY stuff that I'd brought home from school, loading the van with things I would eventually want wherever I wound up after camp but not until then, and went to find Mike in Ellensburg.
I think I'll leave the rest for later, because this is long and I really need to go take a shower. highlights include:
-Carnegie says "actually we can probably only fund you for a few months, not a full year"
-associated future uncertainties and angst associated with the above
-Mike and I acquire Mario Kart and Zelda: Twilight Princess for the Wii
-helping Mike go through his stuff and clean his apartment
-game night with Mike's friends
this week our goal is to rent a storage unit for Mike's furniture, Mike's non-camp stuff, and my non-camp stuff and begin loading it. Mike also needs to get rid of some stuff, be it on ebay or at Goodwill. next week we have to finish moving out of his apartment, he will go briefly to Seattle and I to Richland, and we will meet up somewhere and take one vehicle to camp, which begins Sunday June 15. in the midst of all this, I will continue trying to figure out what I am doing after August 17, when camp ends. if anybody has suggestions for what to do with a BS in Physics and a passion for Astronomy for a year or more beginning this fall, do let me know.
onward!
leaving Mudd was weird, and BOY was the Previa loaded!! felt like driving an underpowered truck more than a minivan, with the added bonus of not being able to see out the back window.
actually the roadtrip home with Mike was really awesome, except for the part where gas often cost over $4/gallon, and the part where the a/c is only effective if it's less than 90 outside and the sun is not shining directly on the dashboard area. (it was over 100 out for the first leg of our journey and largely midday.) we stopped for ice cream and cups of ice rather frequently along I-15 heading to Las Vegas. and when we got there (this is Monday afternoon May 19), it was 107. aaahhhhh. thankfully I had the sense to get a hotel reservation set up that morning before leaving Mudd, at the Stratosphere which is at the north end of the Strip. we found it easily and checked in. parking was free but it took a while to navigate through casinos to get to the check in place to find the proper elevators to go the 18th floor to get to our dinky room. actually the room itself was decent sized, it was just not special. small window and grungy carpet, smoke detector RIGHT OVER THE HEAD OF THE BED ON THE WALL, and rather tiny bathroom. all in all about what you'd expect for $100 in Vegas I suppose.
anyway, we didn't know what to do that night, so we talked to some Travelocity folks down in the lobby/casino are (Vegas is weird) and Mike splurged on great tickets to see Stomp Out Loud! we had to take a pricey taxi to the Planet Hollywood hotel and back (there was no way I was driving my loaded minivan at night in Vegas, and it would've taken forever to trek over to the parking garage anyway). but the show was awesome. if you're not familiar with Stomp, basically it's like musical theater only without a real plot and the music comes from the actors doing everyday things like sweeping brooms or banging pots and pans. my favorite was when they had plastic pipes of different lengths and they banged them on the floor - not only did you get an amazing rhythm, you got something resembling a melody! very neat.
on Tuesday, we had brunch up at the top of the Stratosphere tower, which was neither cheap nor outrageously expensive. it slowly rotates so you get an aerial view of Vegas, which is pretty neat - apparently it's taller than the Space Needle. and then we of course had to go to the Star Trek Experience!!! that was within walking distance (though it was still well over 90 outside) at the Hilton. admission wasn't free but two sweet experiences/rides were included - Klingon Encounter and Borg Invasion 4D (I think that's what they're called). they're like rides, only it's interactive because there are actually a few people dressed up as crewmembers ushering you around and performing various tasks you would expect to see in the Star Trek universe. really very neat. the exhibit itself is rather small, but they have a comprehensive timeline of all things Trek that weaves its way around large scale models of various starships hanging from the ceiling.
after the exhibit and rides, we of course had to eat at Quark's Bar and Restaurant! I had always wanted to get a Warp Core Breach (alcoholic drink), though I didn't know what in it. everything on the menu/drinklist has a clever name. so Mike and I ordered "holy rings of Betazed" (onion rings) and a small Warp Core Breach to share. the normal size has 10 ounces of liquor in it and is served in a goblet the size of the old baja tip jar. the half size one presumably had 5 ounces of liquor, which was plenty for the two of us. all I know is it had some five varieties of rum, was dark red, and had a large piece of dry ice in the bottom. yes! afterwards, I felt obligated to try my luck at a slot machine, because come on, we were in Vegas. so I found a Star Trek themed one and put in $5, and randomly poked buttons to no avail. (seriously, those things need instruction manuals. or maybe I shouldn't have tried right after my half of a small Warp Core Breach. meh.)
we headed out later that afternoon and drove north a ways on state highways. we continued on, partly through winding mountain roads, until 9 or 10pm when we reached Big Pine, CA. we found a cheap motel there and crashed. we continued north on 395 on Wednesday, stopping in Reno, NV to shop at the Sierra Trading Post outlet store (I got some sweet shoes for camp!). we got dinner in Susanville, CA and spend the night a couple of hours north in Alturas, CA.
Thursday was pretty boring, because we decided to drive all the way home. we went from Alturas, CA to Richland, WA with a quick bite at a Subway in Burns, OR. and holy crap, eastern Oregon is a whole lot of nothing. seriously, go look at a map: once you leave Lakeview, OR, which isn't exactly a burgeoning metropolis, you have 3 hours (some 140 miles on a state highway) before you hit any sign of civilization (Burns, OR). anyway, we made it home that night around 8pm and let ourselves into Dad & Lynne's place.
Friday was spent unpacking a bit, eating lunch at P.F. Chang's, and seeing the new Indiana Jones movie, which involves Russians and is therefore awesome. on Saturday we picked up Dad & Lynne at the airport at 2pm and then all headed to Kristen's wedding at 4pm. that went well into the evening and was lots of fun, except for the part where Mike was feeling sick every half hour or so for no apparent reason. on Sunday we went to church (minus Mike who elected to stay in bed due to illness), and that afternoon Mike was feeling better so what did we do? drove up to Camp Cross of course! it made a bit of sense because his car was in Spokane since he flew out of Spokane to come to CA, and camp is only an hour east of Spokane on Lake Coeur d'Alene, ID!
we arrived at Camp after dinner (but I had the sense to eat something before leaving home) and just in time for the "wine and complain" party. basically Chase (current director of camp who is awesome) opened up his snazzy cabin-house to all the volunteers there for the weekend and served wine, beer, cheese, and crackers. see, the theme of Memorial weekend up at camp is Labor of Love, meaning that you can stay for free but you're supposed to help get camp ready for the season. we did a bit of that on Monday morning - I didn't leave the kitchen between cleaning up from breakfast and preparing for lunch, and Mike helped cut back overgrowth on various hiking trails. and OH THE WATER LEVEL!! the lake has flooded and just getting to and from camp is a chore since it's boat access only. docks are submerged - hell, roads are submerged in places! it was definitely an adventure with the bonus of spotty cell phone coverage to say "hi, we'd like you to pick us up in the boat, but we're not sure how you'd go about that actually."
Mike and I were at camp long enough to claim cabins for the summer, and we left on Monday (May 26 - Memorial Day). we headed to Spokane to pick up his car and stop at a board game store as well as eat an early dinner at Red Robin. (not in that order.) we then went our separate ways, as he had to work in Ellensburg the next day and I was expected back in Richland to help Dad finish moving out of the old house for reals.
this brings us to one week ago. I spent last week up to my eyeballs in stuff. OK, technically it was Tuesday through Thursday, but still. Dad was so close to having the old house empty, yet there were so many little things left to contend with. I've been slowly going through boxes upon boxes of old K-12 school things Mom saw fit to save. then on Friday, Dad & Lynne headed to the Portland area to visit Tyler, Lynne's son, and his wife and kids for the weekend. so I spent the day going through MY stuff that I'd brought home from school, loading the van with things I would eventually want wherever I wound up after camp but not until then, and went to find Mike in Ellensburg.
I think I'll leave the rest for later, because this is long and I really need to go take a shower. highlights include:
-Carnegie says "actually we can probably only fund you for a few months, not a full year"
-associated future uncertainties and angst associated with the above
-Mike and I acquire Mario Kart and Zelda: Twilight Princess for the Wii
-helping Mike go through his stuff and clean his apartment
-game night with Mike's friends
this week our goal is to rent a storage unit for Mike's furniture, Mike's non-camp stuff, and my non-camp stuff and begin loading it. Mike also needs to get rid of some stuff, be it on ebay or at Goodwill. next week we have to finish moving out of his apartment, he will go briefly to Seattle and I to Richland, and we will meet up somewhere and take one vehicle to camp, which begins Sunday June 15. in the midst of all this, I will continue trying to figure out what I am doing after August 17, when camp ends. if anybody has suggestions for what to do with a BS in Physics and a passion for Astronomy for a year or more beginning this fall, do let me know.
onward!