John Day...again...
Well, I'm finally back in John Day. Talk about weird. I haven't had a chance to see much of the town or go out and do things. I figure that'll happen when I go to get my hair trimmed today.
It's really nice to be home, but I miss England like none other already. :( I guess I just can't have the best of both worlds, can I? Oh well...I'll go back again, sooner rather than later.
Wow...first time I've watched the Today Show in four months. Bizarre.
I suppose I should update about actually getting back to the U.S., eh?
I left the dorms with my huge bags in tow, checked out, and caught a cab down to the coach stop. That was crazy, because it looked like half of Winchester was there waiting to catch the London-Heathrow coach. When the coach came by, he could only take seven people, and I made sure I was one of the seven so I didn't have to wait till four p.m. for the next coach. I also got scolded because my bag was too big. Bite me. I know it's too big. It's not like I'm going to attempt to haul that thing onto the train. Honestly. And it's also not like I'm going to be using the coach again anytime soon. So, I really don't care what the grouchy coach-driver thinks.
The hotel was quite nice. A bit too far away from the underground station to actually do anything in London that afternoon. And after being scammed by my taxi and dropped at the wrong Holiday Inn, I was a bit too flustered to actually want to do anything. The original plan was to find Keats's House in London and then maybe stop by King's Cross station and Charing Cross Road so I could see some Harry Potter locations. But no. Instead I lounged about, took a bath, shaved my legs, watched a movie, and ordered room service. Very lush. :P
Caught the plane the next morning. Had to get to Heathrow at five a.m. Suck much. Apparently my bag was too heavy even for the airplane, so the nice lady at the check-in got me a box and we repacked my suitcase. Seriously, she was the best receptionist I've ever met in my life. Made my morning that much better. Had Starbucks. A big one. Bought fancy schmancy noise-cancelling headphones in Duty Free (it was either new headphones, as my others had broken, or two bottles of Bailey's). The plane was nice. They put me in Economy Plus which has more legroom, I guess. The guy I sat by was nice, though kind of obnoxious. We talked about the Robert Jordon books (of which he was reading number seven) and I told him that I couldn't stand them because Rand al'Thor is a whiny little bitch. But yeah. And apparently I need to read someone called George R.R. Martin?
Washington D.C. is the bane of my existence. We land, and I get through customs just fine, and I settle in for a five-hour layover. This was expected, and was endured by watching a movie on my computer and charging my iPod for the next round of flying. Five o'clock rolls around, when we're supposed to have left...and they tell us the plane is broken. Not only is it broken, the part they need must come from Chicago. So...instead of shipping the part (thank God) they decide to give us a different plane, but it's not landing until six-thirty and we can't board until seven. Ugh. Finally take off. Basically get to Portland at eleven p.m. instead of eight p.m. All told, I'd been awake and travelling for twenty-nine hours. I had a thirty-hour-plus birthday. Miserable.
Fortunately, Mum and Dad picked me up, gave my pink champagne, and put me to bed.
The next day, in Portland, was my actual birthday celebration. Started out the day with three and a half hours in the Aveda Spa. Glorious. Full body massage, specialised scalp and foot massage, aromatherapy facial, and a shampoo and style. Amazing. Mum had a spa day, too, bought me a purple scarf from the spa, and, by order of my Grandma and Grandpa, picked out a lovely Elvish-looking necklace from the spa for me as well. Then Daddy took me to Nordstrom and bought me a new hat and a new coat and fuzzy socks. Dinner in the Chophouse...had steak, of course. Got carded, twice! Heehee. Had beer and two glasses of wine. Then Mum and her friend went to the U2 concert and Dad and I, along with Mum's friend's wife, went out to party it up for my birthday. Heh...unfortunately, my jetlag caught up with me two pints later and I had to go back to the hotel and pass out. Didn't puke, which was good, but it was a near thing.
Then we drove back to John Day the next day, and now I'm here. I'll make another update eventually, I'm sure, but I haven't got constant internet because they broke the wireless router. Must meddle with that later...
Cheers.
It's really nice to be home, but I miss England like none other already. :( I guess I just can't have the best of both worlds, can I? Oh well...I'll go back again, sooner rather than later.
Wow...first time I've watched the Today Show in four months. Bizarre.
I suppose I should update about actually getting back to the U.S., eh?
I left the dorms with my huge bags in tow, checked out, and caught a cab down to the coach stop. That was crazy, because it looked like half of Winchester was there waiting to catch the London-Heathrow coach. When the coach came by, he could only take seven people, and I made sure I was one of the seven so I didn't have to wait till four p.m. for the next coach. I also got scolded because my bag was too big. Bite me. I know it's too big. It's not like I'm going to attempt to haul that thing onto the train. Honestly. And it's also not like I'm going to be using the coach again anytime soon. So, I really don't care what the grouchy coach-driver thinks.
The hotel was quite nice. A bit too far away from the underground station to actually do anything in London that afternoon. And after being scammed by my taxi and dropped at the wrong Holiday Inn, I was a bit too flustered to actually want to do anything. The original plan was to find Keats's House in London and then maybe stop by King's Cross station and Charing Cross Road so I could see some Harry Potter locations. But no. Instead I lounged about, took a bath, shaved my legs, watched a movie, and ordered room service. Very lush. :P
Caught the plane the next morning. Had to get to Heathrow at five a.m. Suck much. Apparently my bag was too heavy even for the airplane, so the nice lady at the check-in got me a box and we repacked my suitcase. Seriously, she was the best receptionist I've ever met in my life. Made my morning that much better. Had Starbucks. A big one. Bought fancy schmancy noise-cancelling headphones in Duty Free (it was either new headphones, as my others had broken, or two bottles of Bailey's). The plane was nice. They put me in Economy Plus which has more legroom, I guess. The guy I sat by was nice, though kind of obnoxious. We talked about the Robert Jordon books (of which he was reading number seven) and I told him that I couldn't stand them because Rand al'Thor is a whiny little bitch. But yeah. And apparently I need to read someone called George R.R. Martin?
Washington D.C. is the bane of my existence. We land, and I get through customs just fine, and I settle in for a five-hour layover. This was expected, and was endured by watching a movie on my computer and charging my iPod for the next round of flying. Five o'clock rolls around, when we're supposed to have left...and they tell us the plane is broken. Not only is it broken, the part they need must come from Chicago. So...instead of shipping the part (thank God) they decide to give us a different plane, but it's not landing until six-thirty and we can't board until seven. Ugh. Finally take off. Basically get to Portland at eleven p.m. instead of eight p.m. All told, I'd been awake and travelling for twenty-nine hours. I had a thirty-hour-plus birthday. Miserable.
Fortunately, Mum and Dad picked me up, gave my pink champagne, and put me to bed.
The next day, in Portland, was my actual birthday celebration. Started out the day with three and a half hours in the Aveda Spa. Glorious. Full body massage, specialised scalp and foot massage, aromatherapy facial, and a shampoo and style. Amazing. Mum had a spa day, too, bought me a purple scarf from the spa, and, by order of my Grandma and Grandpa, picked out a lovely Elvish-looking necklace from the spa for me as well. Then Daddy took me to Nordstrom and bought me a new hat and a new coat and fuzzy socks. Dinner in the Chophouse...had steak, of course. Got carded, twice! Heehee. Had beer and two glasses of wine. Then Mum and her friend went to the U2 concert and Dad and I, along with Mum's friend's wife, went out to party it up for my birthday. Heh...unfortunately, my jetlag caught up with me two pints later and I had to go back to the hotel and pass out. Didn't puke, which was good, but it was a near thing.
Then we drove back to John Day the next day, and now I'm here. I'll make another update eventually, I'm sure, but I haven't got constant internet because they broke the wireless router. Must meddle with that later...
Cheers.