Off to the Emerald City!
Another weekend adventure by Timothy Gordon Anthony Leighton is behind the cut!
Last weekend it was Victoria. This weekend, I was planning on visiting my friend Ashley in Seattle - well, outside of Seattle, actually. I haven't seen her in YEARS; I met her on Toon Zone's message boards three and a half years ago, and had visited a few times back then. For whatever reason, though - conflicting schedules, mostly - I didn't get to see her. We'd planned on this weekend loosely for a few weeks now, so I planned on going to visit. Seattle in February...what could be nicer?
(OK, maybe Seattle in August. Or, rather, Cancun in August. :D)
Seattle, aka The Emerald City. Looks nice, doesn't it? Oz is also known as the Evergreen State.
I also have another dear friend that lives there - disco_fox, whom I met by networking through the equally awesome bunnychicken. Since Ashley wasn't able to hang out on Friday at all, I decided I'd go meet disco_fox (Winona) that night...after my week at work, I just wanted to get the heck out of town ASAP, and meet a new friend.
Me at work at my Bolivian station of gasolina. Note my pent-up rage?
Anyway, by about 4:30pm I'd packed everything up in the Bagmobile (my Honda Civic) and was on the road. It was a pretty quick drive, too. The only sticking point was at the Peace Arch Border crossing. I was pissed, honestly. A few miles up the freeway from the crossing, there's a sign that is supposed to indicate what the waiting times at the nearby crossings are going to be - and it read "N/A". So I was like, less than five minutes? Not bad. It turned out to be about half an hour. Taking thirty minutes to cross into the states at this, the busiest crossing this side of the country - on a Friday night - is pretty good, but even so, that sign really disappointed me.
The Peace Arch is located exactly on the Canada/US border, at the northern end of Interstate 5. The middle of the freeway has been designated an international peace park. The arch was built in 1914, to commemorate a century of Canada and the US being peaceful neighbours since the War of 1812 was settled (which Canada WON, by the way). Check it out. I was hoping Lori's visit to Canada last month would've passed through this crossing but it wasn't meant to be. We crossed about a mile further east at the alternate (and less busy) crossing.
The Peace Arch, from the air.
Say what you will about the US, but the freeway system is much better than Canada's - that being, they actually HAVE high-speed freeways that go for some distance and not just stop at the city's outer boundaries, as they do in Vancouver proper. That made the trip south quite quick...I made it all the way to Everett within about 90 minutes, where I would stop and pick up some McDonald's fries to fend off hunger pangs. I called Winona here - and just woke her up after a seven hour mid-day nap. Oh well...you snooze, you lose, and who would want to lose the chance to meet my awesome self?
...
Oh...my...that's a lot of you. I'll be right back, I need to write down your names.
Anyway, we chatted for a minute, and decided on how we'd manage to hook up in Seattle. It was decided she'd take her ferry to the Seattle docks and I'd meet her there...sounds easy, but when there's no direct signs on how to get there, it's quite confusing! I think I must've done laps around the Space Needle about five times before I figured out how to get there.
I still remember the skit on Conan O'Brien when the CN Tower kicked the Space Needle's ass in that mud-wrestling competition...
Who on earth thought YELLOW was a good colour for this thing? Thank God they changed it after the World's Fair was over in '62.
After double-backing about twice, going down a one-way street the wrong way for half a block, and passing by about thirty Starbucks', I made it to the ferry terminal in time for the 8:10pm ferry to Bainbridge Island. It only cost $10 US to cross, too, car and passenger - that's far cheaper than what I would have to pay with BC Ferries. Crazy. Of course the ferry wasn't as nice, but it's a thirty minute journey so it was all good.
At about 8pm, the ferry from Bainbridge Island came in, and I spotted Winona on the deck. How? The gimpy ankle of course! (I hope it gets better real soon, hon! :)) It took her a while to find me in the ferry line-up, but once she did, it was just like old times, hugs and all. The ride across the bay was nice, and by 9pm, we were back at her place on the nearby, yet isolated community of Bainbridge Island.
Her townhouse was great. Not the neatest of places - I mean, even my room looked clean compared to hers - you know it's true, Nona - but it was pretty well kept. I loved it. It'd be a great place to share between three or four people. When Lori comes up here, I'd be more than happy to get a place with her that is just half this size.
I was fed tea, and biscuits, and a delicious salmon dish that Nona cooked. I'm not much of a seafood fan - Lori can vouch for this, as she was the last person to see me eat fish in person - but damn, that was good stuff. It melted in my mouth AND in my hand. I felt like a bit of a putz for not helping with dinner (even though I asked - there just wasn't anything I could do apart from make tea!) - but it all worked out.
The rest of the night was spent chatting - posting on LJ a bit, wishing Lori was also here (which we both did, so very much) - toying around with Nona's iTunes, trying to learn to dance (with two left feet and two busted ankles between us), and all that. It was good times.
The papparazzi snapped this pic of me doing my bellydancing moves sometime during the festivities last night. I really fill out the top nicely, I must say.
We took a break at some point to haul our buns to Safeway and pick up some food for breakfast...and while there, Nona ran into a handful of friends. She made some idle conversation with them - and during that time, they were eyeing me suspiciously, as if to say, "Where did she find THIS loser?" It was interesting...especially when her tenth "Boyfriend in waiting" ran into us. Apparently I'm number six? (I don't even recall taking a number, but that's all after the fact, now.)
We got back and continued conversing and musicing and dancing (or trying!) - it wasn't until about 3am when we ambled into bed, actually. I didn't actually get to sleep until about 6am, but I was restless. So was she, but that's the problem when you have to squeeze into a queen sized bed. (I'm not used to sharing, as Lori will attest to...I'm always spread all over my double bed at home.)
It was at this point that I realized that everyone has a more comfortable bed than I do! My mattress must be about 30 years old! Lori's bed is a dream, Winona's bed is a dream...when I visited lara_luna I remember her twin bed was very cushy...all my friends have cozy beds to sit on or sleep in. Me, I've a firm, coily mattress that digs into your hips. If it wasn't for the fact that it supported my back so well, I would've junked it a long time ago.
Making it even more comfortable was my pair of sparkly-red GAY shorts that Lori got for me for Christmas. My lucky shorts, as I call them now. They may not seem to work often but hey, the name is catchy.
The shorts looked like these more or less, but were sparkly and glittery!
So, bed at 6am. And sadly, I was re-woken at 7:30am - and we had to get up at 9am so Nona could get to work on time for 10. 90 minutes of sleep all night. I was absolutely bagged this morning! (Yes, T-Bag got BAGGED!) A quick shower and cinnamon bread breakfast later, and the two of us were out the door. I dropped Nona off at Hallmark Cards with a parting hug and kiss, and that was that, for now.
I then focused on Ashley, because I was planning on meeting her today, too. I called her phone(s), but couldn't get through to her. After driving around from Bainbridge to Seattle - the LONG way (Bainbridge-Poulsbo-Bremerton-Tacoma-Seattle) with no ferry necessary, I tried her again while I was sitting outside the Northgate Mall. Still, nothing. So that was that...it was early in the afternoon and if she wasn't picking up, I figured she was otherwise occupied or her illness from earlier in the week had gotten worse. (After talking to her on AIM this evening, I learned that this was the case).
I drove over this, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, today. It was not collapsing as I did, though.
While at the Northgate Mall, I decided to finally get around to buying my brother his birthday presents. I'd been neglecting to do so recently - so, foruntately I happened across a Toys R Us and got him some Star Wars lego and a copy of Ernest Scared Stupid. :D
The Northgate Mall - a Seattle institution of shopping and just looking cold, ugly, and communist with no windows or plants in sight.
After that, I was on the road, and besides a stopover in Bellingham to get some stuff at Jack in the Box for lunch (dang, I wish these were in Canada), I didn't leave the freeway until I got home. From the time I left the Northgate Mall (in northern Seattle) to when I got into my driveaway, it took me just under two hours - not including stopping for lunch, BUT including the border line-up wait. That's pretty good, considering it's well over a hundred miles of pretty heavily travelled freeway. I made it up to speeds of 150 km/h in some stretches...just 10 off my all-time record.
Congratulations for breaking the sound barrier, you maniac!
When I got home at about 4pm, no one else was here - they were off at my brother's soccer game in Ladner. So, I put my stuff away and crashed. 90 minutes of sleep within a 36 hour stretch would be difficult to sustain yourself on, especially considering the strenuous activity I had undergone (shopping, driving, hugging). It was a delicious nap. Night quite SEVEN HOURS, Nona, but still, it was delicious.
So yes...Winona, I was so happy to meet you in person! We must do this again and again! *KISSES AND HUGS!* Hopefully without our ankle problems, so we're not further impeded with what we wanna do...like Neighbours, for example. :)
And Ashley...well you don't have or read LJs, but I'll write it here anyway...GET BETTER SOON! I still wanna see you! Tulalip Casino is gonna have to watch out for us!
*HUGS FOR ALL*
Last weekend it was Victoria. This weekend, I was planning on visiting my friend Ashley in Seattle - well, outside of Seattle, actually. I haven't seen her in YEARS; I met her on Toon Zone's message boards three and a half years ago, and had visited a few times back then. For whatever reason, though - conflicting schedules, mostly - I didn't get to see her. We'd planned on this weekend loosely for a few weeks now, so I planned on going to visit. Seattle in February...what could be nicer?
(OK, maybe Seattle in August. Or, rather, Cancun in August. :D)
Seattle, aka The Emerald City. Looks nice, doesn't it? Oz is also known as the Evergreen State.
I also have another dear friend that lives there - disco_fox, whom I met by networking through the equally awesome bunnychicken. Since Ashley wasn't able to hang out on Friday at all, I decided I'd go meet disco_fox (Winona) that night...after my week at work, I just wanted to get the heck out of town ASAP, and meet a new friend.
Me at work at my Bolivian station of gasolina. Note my pent-up rage?
Anyway, by about 4:30pm I'd packed everything up in the Bagmobile (my Honda Civic) and was on the road. It was a pretty quick drive, too. The only sticking point was at the Peace Arch Border crossing. I was pissed, honestly. A few miles up the freeway from the crossing, there's a sign that is supposed to indicate what the waiting times at the nearby crossings are going to be - and it read "N/A". So I was like, less than five minutes? Not bad. It turned out to be about half an hour. Taking thirty minutes to cross into the states at this, the busiest crossing this side of the country - on a Friday night - is pretty good, but even so, that sign really disappointed me.
The Peace Arch is located exactly on the Canada/US border, at the northern end of Interstate 5. The middle of the freeway has been designated an international peace park. The arch was built in 1914, to commemorate a century of Canada and the US being peaceful neighbours since the War of 1812 was settled (which Canada WON, by the way). Check it out. I was hoping Lori's visit to Canada last month would've passed through this crossing but it wasn't meant to be. We crossed about a mile further east at the alternate (and less busy) crossing.
The Peace Arch, from the air.
Say what you will about the US, but the freeway system is much better than Canada's - that being, they actually HAVE high-speed freeways that go for some distance and not just stop at the city's outer boundaries, as they do in Vancouver proper. That made the trip south quite quick...I made it all the way to Everett within about 90 minutes, where I would stop and pick up some McDonald's fries to fend off hunger pangs. I called Winona here - and just woke her up after a seven hour mid-day nap. Oh well...you snooze, you lose, and who would want to lose the chance to meet my awesome self?
...
Oh...my...that's a lot of you. I'll be right back, I need to write down your names.
Anyway, we chatted for a minute, and decided on how we'd manage to hook up in Seattle. It was decided she'd take her ferry to the Seattle docks and I'd meet her there...sounds easy, but when there's no direct signs on how to get there, it's quite confusing! I think I must've done laps around the Space Needle about five times before I figured out how to get there.
I still remember the skit on Conan O'Brien when the CN Tower kicked the Space Needle's ass in that mud-wrestling competition...
Who on earth thought YELLOW was a good colour for this thing? Thank God they changed it after the World's Fair was over in '62.
After double-backing about twice, going down a one-way street the wrong way for half a block, and passing by about thirty Starbucks', I made it to the ferry terminal in time for the 8:10pm ferry to Bainbridge Island. It only cost $10 US to cross, too, car and passenger - that's far cheaper than what I would have to pay with BC Ferries. Crazy. Of course the ferry wasn't as nice, but it's a thirty minute journey so it was all good.
At about 8pm, the ferry from Bainbridge Island came in, and I spotted Winona on the deck. How? The gimpy ankle of course! (I hope it gets better real soon, hon! :)) It took her a while to find me in the ferry line-up, but once she did, it was just like old times, hugs and all. The ride across the bay was nice, and by 9pm, we were back at her place on the nearby, yet isolated community of Bainbridge Island.
Her townhouse was great. Not the neatest of places - I mean, even my room looked clean compared to hers - you know it's true, Nona - but it was pretty well kept. I loved it. It'd be a great place to share between three or four people. When Lori comes up here, I'd be more than happy to get a place with her that is just half this size.
I was fed tea, and biscuits, and a delicious salmon dish that Nona cooked. I'm not much of a seafood fan - Lori can vouch for this, as she was the last person to see me eat fish in person - but damn, that was good stuff. It melted in my mouth AND in my hand. I felt like a bit of a putz for not helping with dinner (even though I asked - there just wasn't anything I could do apart from make tea!) - but it all worked out.
The rest of the night was spent chatting - posting on LJ a bit, wishing Lori was also here (which we both did, so very much) - toying around with Nona's iTunes, trying to learn to dance (with two left feet and two busted ankles between us), and all that. It was good times.
The papparazzi snapped this pic of me doing my bellydancing moves sometime during the festivities last night. I really fill out the top nicely, I must say.
We took a break at some point to haul our buns to Safeway and pick up some food for breakfast...and while there, Nona ran into a handful of friends. She made some idle conversation with them - and during that time, they were eyeing me suspiciously, as if to say, "Where did she find THIS loser?" It was interesting...especially when her tenth "Boyfriend in waiting" ran into us. Apparently I'm number six? (I don't even recall taking a number, but that's all after the fact, now.)
We got back and continued conversing and musicing and dancing (or trying!) - it wasn't until about 3am when we ambled into bed, actually. I didn't actually get to sleep until about 6am, but I was restless. So was she, but that's the problem when you have to squeeze into a queen sized bed. (I'm not used to sharing, as Lori will attest to...I'm always spread all over my double bed at home.)
It was at this point that I realized that everyone has a more comfortable bed than I do! My mattress must be about 30 years old! Lori's bed is a dream, Winona's bed is a dream...when I visited lara_luna I remember her twin bed was very cushy...all my friends have cozy beds to sit on or sleep in. Me, I've a firm, coily mattress that digs into your hips. If it wasn't for the fact that it supported my back so well, I would've junked it a long time ago.
Making it even more comfortable was my pair of sparkly-red GAY shorts that Lori got for me for Christmas. My lucky shorts, as I call them now. They may not seem to work often but hey, the name is catchy.
The shorts looked like these more or less, but were sparkly and glittery!
So, bed at 6am. And sadly, I was re-woken at 7:30am - and we had to get up at 9am so Nona could get to work on time for 10. 90 minutes of sleep all night. I was absolutely bagged this morning! (Yes, T-Bag got BAGGED!) A quick shower and cinnamon bread breakfast later, and the two of us were out the door. I dropped Nona off at Hallmark Cards with a parting hug and kiss, and that was that, for now.
I then focused on Ashley, because I was planning on meeting her today, too. I called her phone(s), but couldn't get through to her. After driving around from Bainbridge to Seattle - the LONG way (Bainbridge-Poulsbo-Bremerton-Tacoma-Seattle) with no ferry necessary, I tried her again while I was sitting outside the Northgate Mall. Still, nothing. So that was that...it was early in the afternoon and if she wasn't picking up, I figured she was otherwise occupied or her illness from earlier in the week had gotten worse. (After talking to her on AIM this evening, I learned that this was the case).
I drove over this, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, today. It was not collapsing as I did, though.
While at the Northgate Mall, I decided to finally get around to buying my brother his birthday presents. I'd been neglecting to do so recently - so, foruntately I happened across a Toys R Us and got him some Star Wars lego and a copy of Ernest Scared Stupid. :D
The Northgate Mall - a Seattle institution of shopping and just looking cold, ugly, and communist with no windows or plants in sight.
After that, I was on the road, and besides a stopover in Bellingham to get some stuff at Jack in the Box for lunch (dang, I wish these were in Canada), I didn't leave the freeway until I got home. From the time I left the Northgate Mall (in northern Seattle) to when I got into my driveaway, it took me just under two hours - not including stopping for lunch, BUT including the border line-up wait. That's pretty good, considering it's well over a hundred miles of pretty heavily travelled freeway. I made it up to speeds of 150 km/h in some stretches...just 10 off my all-time record.
Congratulations for breaking the sound barrier, you maniac!
When I got home at about 4pm, no one else was here - they were off at my brother's soccer game in Ladner. So, I put my stuff away and crashed. 90 minutes of sleep within a 36 hour stretch would be difficult to sustain yourself on, especially considering the strenuous activity I had undergone (shopping, driving, hugging). It was a delicious nap. Night quite SEVEN HOURS, Nona, but still, it was delicious.
So yes...Winona, I was so happy to meet you in person! We must do this again and again! *KISSES AND HUGS!* Hopefully without our ankle problems, so we're not further impeded with what we wanna do...like Neighbours, for example. :)
And Ashley...well you don't have or read LJs, but I'll write it here anyway...GET BETTER SOON! I still wanna see you! Tulalip Casino is gonna have to watch out for us!
*HUGS FOR ALL*