(no subject)
A little re-cap of the last week..it may be long, so I apologize ahead of time...but it's really not for those people reading it, I'd like to have the documentation for my own sake...
Anyhow...I successfully roused myself from slumber and was able to be out the door at a painful 4:45 am. The driver who picked me up put it best...”It's too early for the airport". Right on, but I got a good deal, so I put aside my sleepiness and made it to the airport in record time. I love going to O’Hare...it has this feeling to it, it just makes me happy. I like watching all the odd and not so odd people there..and I like to wonder where they are going. Before I went inside, I chatted with some guy from the military who borrowed my lighter and then he left and I abruptly put out my cigarette when one of the afore mentioned odd men wanted to have a "so where you from.." conversation. I said I liked watching people...not talking to all of them. Ruined my last pre-flight cigarette...but still in good spirits I was on my way to my gate. When I got there, I sat down next to this guy who was either Indian or middle eastern, sorry if I'm politically incorrect in naming his decent, but that's not what is important...he had bright orange hair and the best suit and shoes I've ever seen in my life. He looked like something out of a Wes Anderson movie, that's the only way I can describe it, and that probably doesn't even make sense. He opened his old fashioned brief case and it looked like everything in side had been in there for about 20 years...like a time capsule or something. I couldn't stop looking at his stuff...then I realized that he could probably tell that I was fixated on him, so I started staring at someone else. I have a staring problem, I can't help it..people fascinate me. Sean always tells me to stop staring at people, then I get embarrassed because I know it's rude, but left to my own devices I was probably burning holes in every one in the place.
I got on my tiny plane which I boarded from the tarmac. Being it was so early, I believe I was the only person on this plane who wasn't flying for business. Everyone had suits on. I felt as though I should be wearing those wings that kids get when they fly alone. It was a quick flight and I arrived safely in Nashville.
Sean picked me up, he felt like he was going to vomit, but he pulled through and we made it to the hotel. I went back to sleep for a couple hours and then got up and walked around the hotel. I've been to this place a couple times, when I was about 12 years old and it's even more amazing now then it was back then. You can see the pictures on Sean's photoblog, so I don't have to go into what it looks like..You can see for yourself.
The next couple days I just kind of walked around and looked at stuff and did nothing that required any thought. It was nice and relaxing. Sean was working for the first couple days I was there, but he was finished Thursday night. We went to dinner downtown and watched some very unique people dance. Included in the cast of characters were two men wearing tight jeans that were leading the pack of line dancers and one of them successfully executed a number of high kicks and body roles...it was amazing. You can see the lady in the leather micro mini, halter top and cowboy hat on gnarbarge, but what you can't see is how robotic she was and the fact that she fell off her heels about ten times...it was amazing.
Friday was tourist stuff. I love being a tourist, I don't care what anyone says. Learning about the history of that place and seeing all the amazing things that went on there in its hay day was really cool. The fact that Sean likes going on tours as much as I do is awesome. We went on an audio tour of the Country Music Hall of Fame, and the audio things that you listen too are as big as security wands but they reminded me of those swatch phones that people had in the 80's. We hit each other with the wands for a good couple minutes then decided to start the tour. It was very interesting...but we really only cared about the beginning of the tour. When they started talking about Travis Tritt and shit like that we decided to finish up and go eat lunch in the lobby while we were serenaded by a high school choir filled with teenagers who looked less than thrilled. Highlights of all this were seeing the Cadillac Elvis used as a limo, the paint has diamonds and fish scales ground into it for shine...luxurious...and hitting Sean with the audio wand repeatedly throughout the tour.
Friday night we went to dinner at a very nice steakhouse and then we met up with Sean's friend Curly who happened to be in town visiting another of their friends, Becca, who goes to school there. I had the best night ever. Sean and I went and had a drink at two of the more historical bars and then Becca took us to Roberts Western World, which may be one of the best places I have ever been. It sells expensive cowboy boots by day, has a full service food grill behind the bar that serves until the place closes, and the band played very old country western music, no crappy stuff. The man who owns the place was in the band, and the fiddle player, Pappy, used to play with Patsy Cline. The place was filled with people of all ages just having the best time ever. I never thought I would have such a good time at a western bar. They played Johnny Cash and good Elvis songs and I ran out of the bathroom when I heard them playing David Allen Coe...and I forgot that I like the song Rocky Top. I talked about growing up in the South with Becca and it was really nice to be able to relate to someone about that stuff. We decided that though the South will not rise again, for reasons we all know and believe in, there is a lot to be said for the good things that are southern, like southern charm and all that stuff. I was drunk, but I was so happy I didn't even realize it until we got back to the hotel. It was just a great time.
The next day we went to see Johnny Cash's old house and his grave. I was in bad shape and decided that my cut off point for drinking needs to be a bit lower than what I had previously thought. But at least this time I wasn't yelling in an alley way, right? It was well worth feeling like crap, but I think I said I was going to barf/vomit/puke about 30 times that day, especially when we were at the cemetery visiting Sean's boy JC and I saw that there was a section called "babyland", I'm sure you can get the jist. Gross. Some guy was there for the same reason we were, but he was crying. I understand the sadness of losing an idol, or perhaps this guy wearing the CASH t-shirt knew him personally, but I told Sean I would for sure call him a Vagina if he shed a tear. Luckily we made it out of babyland without waterworks, saw this place called "Trinity Music City USA", which is the Trinity (a Christian network) Television headquarters and they like many Americans have been too lazy to take their Christmas decors down yet, because there was still a huge "Happy Birthday Jesus" garland sign on the building. I don't know why we didn't get a picture of that, but I think it's well worth mentioning as a highlight of the day. After that we ate and headed back to the airport to wait three hours for our plane, for a lack of anything more interesting to do. We ran out of things to take in and I just wanted to lie down on a leather bench for three hours and watch people again. Trip home was good and by the time I made it back here, I just wanted to go to sleep...and that's what I've been doing pretty much since then.
Things that I learned from this trip would include
1. the fact that I think it's very important to be able to travel with your mate. Sean and I make very good travel companions and it's something I hope we will always do...
2.people are so different everywhere you go and it's really refreshing to see another, almost opposite, side of humans...That and people in Nashville are really happy to be alive, and I never got to ask them why, but I'm convinced it's because they go to Robert's Western World at least once a week.
3.Lastly, I like my life and I'm very lucky to get to do so many things.
This was really long, but like I said, it's more for me than anything. I'm getting foggy in my old age. I start my job tomorrow. I'm nervous as all hell. I feel like I'm transferring schools in the middle of the year of something...I have to go lay out my first day outfit.
The Oscar's sucked, but I'm glad that Reese Witherspoon and Three Six Mafia were both recognized for their talents.
Yawn. I have the worst grammar anymore.
Anyhow...I successfully roused myself from slumber and was able to be out the door at a painful 4:45 am. The driver who picked me up put it best...”It's too early for the airport". Right on, but I got a good deal, so I put aside my sleepiness and made it to the airport in record time. I love going to O’Hare...it has this feeling to it, it just makes me happy. I like watching all the odd and not so odd people there..and I like to wonder where they are going. Before I went inside, I chatted with some guy from the military who borrowed my lighter and then he left and I abruptly put out my cigarette when one of the afore mentioned odd men wanted to have a "so where you from.." conversation. I said I liked watching people...not talking to all of them. Ruined my last pre-flight cigarette...but still in good spirits I was on my way to my gate. When I got there, I sat down next to this guy who was either Indian or middle eastern, sorry if I'm politically incorrect in naming his decent, but that's not what is important...he had bright orange hair and the best suit and shoes I've ever seen in my life. He looked like something out of a Wes Anderson movie, that's the only way I can describe it, and that probably doesn't even make sense. He opened his old fashioned brief case and it looked like everything in side had been in there for about 20 years...like a time capsule or something. I couldn't stop looking at his stuff...then I realized that he could probably tell that I was fixated on him, so I started staring at someone else. I have a staring problem, I can't help it..people fascinate me. Sean always tells me to stop staring at people, then I get embarrassed because I know it's rude, but left to my own devices I was probably burning holes in every one in the place.
I got on my tiny plane which I boarded from the tarmac. Being it was so early, I believe I was the only person on this plane who wasn't flying for business. Everyone had suits on. I felt as though I should be wearing those wings that kids get when they fly alone. It was a quick flight and I arrived safely in Nashville.
Sean picked me up, he felt like he was going to vomit, but he pulled through and we made it to the hotel. I went back to sleep for a couple hours and then got up and walked around the hotel. I've been to this place a couple times, when I was about 12 years old and it's even more amazing now then it was back then. You can see the pictures on Sean's photoblog, so I don't have to go into what it looks like..You can see for yourself.
The next couple days I just kind of walked around and looked at stuff and did nothing that required any thought. It was nice and relaxing. Sean was working for the first couple days I was there, but he was finished Thursday night. We went to dinner downtown and watched some very unique people dance. Included in the cast of characters were two men wearing tight jeans that were leading the pack of line dancers and one of them successfully executed a number of high kicks and body roles...it was amazing. You can see the lady in the leather micro mini, halter top and cowboy hat on gnarbarge, but what you can't see is how robotic she was and the fact that she fell off her heels about ten times...it was amazing.
Friday was tourist stuff. I love being a tourist, I don't care what anyone says. Learning about the history of that place and seeing all the amazing things that went on there in its hay day was really cool. The fact that Sean likes going on tours as much as I do is awesome. We went on an audio tour of the Country Music Hall of Fame, and the audio things that you listen too are as big as security wands but they reminded me of those swatch phones that people had in the 80's. We hit each other with the wands for a good couple minutes then decided to start the tour. It was very interesting...but we really only cared about the beginning of the tour. When they started talking about Travis Tritt and shit like that we decided to finish up and go eat lunch in the lobby while we were serenaded by a high school choir filled with teenagers who looked less than thrilled. Highlights of all this were seeing the Cadillac Elvis used as a limo, the paint has diamonds and fish scales ground into it for shine...luxurious...and hitting Sean with the audio wand repeatedly throughout the tour.
Friday night we went to dinner at a very nice steakhouse and then we met up with Sean's friend Curly who happened to be in town visiting another of their friends, Becca, who goes to school there. I had the best night ever. Sean and I went and had a drink at two of the more historical bars and then Becca took us to Roberts Western World, which may be one of the best places I have ever been. It sells expensive cowboy boots by day, has a full service food grill behind the bar that serves until the place closes, and the band played very old country western music, no crappy stuff. The man who owns the place was in the band, and the fiddle player, Pappy, used to play with Patsy Cline. The place was filled with people of all ages just having the best time ever. I never thought I would have such a good time at a western bar. They played Johnny Cash and good Elvis songs and I ran out of the bathroom when I heard them playing David Allen Coe...and I forgot that I like the song Rocky Top. I talked about growing up in the South with Becca and it was really nice to be able to relate to someone about that stuff. We decided that though the South will not rise again, for reasons we all know and believe in, there is a lot to be said for the good things that are southern, like southern charm and all that stuff. I was drunk, but I was so happy I didn't even realize it until we got back to the hotel. It was just a great time.
The next day we went to see Johnny Cash's old house and his grave. I was in bad shape and decided that my cut off point for drinking needs to be a bit lower than what I had previously thought. But at least this time I wasn't yelling in an alley way, right? It was well worth feeling like crap, but I think I said I was going to barf/vomit/puke about 30 times that day, especially when we were at the cemetery visiting Sean's boy JC and I saw that there was a section called "babyland", I'm sure you can get the jist. Gross. Some guy was there for the same reason we were, but he was crying. I understand the sadness of losing an idol, or perhaps this guy wearing the CASH t-shirt knew him personally, but I told Sean I would for sure call him a Vagina if he shed a tear. Luckily we made it out of babyland without waterworks, saw this place called "Trinity Music City USA", which is the Trinity (a Christian network) Television headquarters and they like many Americans have been too lazy to take their Christmas decors down yet, because there was still a huge "Happy Birthday Jesus" garland sign on the building. I don't know why we didn't get a picture of that, but I think it's well worth mentioning as a highlight of the day. After that we ate and headed back to the airport to wait three hours for our plane, for a lack of anything more interesting to do. We ran out of things to take in and I just wanted to lie down on a leather bench for three hours and watch people again. Trip home was good and by the time I made it back here, I just wanted to go to sleep...and that's what I've been doing pretty much since then.
Things that I learned from this trip would include
1. the fact that I think it's very important to be able to travel with your mate. Sean and I make very good travel companions and it's something I hope we will always do...
2.people are so different everywhere you go and it's really refreshing to see another, almost opposite, side of humans...That and people in Nashville are really happy to be alive, and I never got to ask them why, but I'm convinced it's because they go to Robert's Western World at least once a week.
3.Lastly, I like my life and I'm very lucky to get to do so many things.
This was really long, but like I said, it's more for me than anything. I'm getting foggy in my old age. I start my job tomorrow. I'm nervous as all hell. I feel like I'm transferring schools in the middle of the year of something...I have to go lay out my first day outfit.
The Oscar's sucked, but I'm glad that Reese Witherspoon and Three Six Mafia were both recognized for their talents.
Yawn. I have the worst grammar anymore.