Tales From the Fremont Troll to the Land of Pizza

Flash back to Saturday and I could be found in an overcast Seattle riding around in a Prius with Jimbo and his daughter looking for the Fremont Troll. For those of you unaware of this entertaining sculpture, it is a humongous cement image of a one-eyed troll under the Fremont Bridge that has an actual Volkswagen Beetle in its clutches. I have a tendency to lean toward odd tourist attractions for their sheer amusement factor, and it's even better when it's free of charge to visit. I waited for a few other tourists to snap pictures before I climbed up onto the troll hand to pose for the camera. Lana soon joined me and grabbed a sign that was on the ground to hold up. The sign said, "There is no prize." Whatever that means...
Our next stop for the day was Pike's Place Market. After a few U-turns, we found a parking lot with obnoxiously tiny stalls to park in. It would have been easier to climb out a sunroof than to open a door, but a digress. We ventured over a little overpass that we decided to name "The Catwalk" since there was a bunch of random street art portraying cats. One was supposed to be Marilyn Monroe standing by an air vent, another was a soldier, and then there was an office nerd. Continuing up the street we saw a restaurant named The Spanish Table and a store named Ugly Baby and La Ru. I'm still confused by it all, but I guess that's allowed.

Wandering around the public market on a Saturday probably wasn't the best idea given all of the people, so it was hard to maneuver. I seemed like every shop was burning incense of some form, but that doesn't mean I wasn't thoroughly entertained. I think my favorite part was when we wandered into this random art shop and there were two guys chatting. Since the shop was so small, it was hard not to overhear what was being discussed. Soon I was keenly engrossed in this extremely preposterous story that all started with some dude breaking the back window of this guys car in front of a cop. The guy who broke the window ended up getting arrested and going to jail for an unknown period of time. The man telling the story apparently had to pickup somebody from the airport the day his window was broken, so he was none too thrilled. Whenever the perpetrator got out of jail, I guess he kept telling the man that he would help pay for the $700 worth of damage he had done to the man's car. But that apparently will now never happen because one day the perpetrator, at the age of 42, got thrown out of the window of a building and died. The end, that was all the guy said before asking us if we needed help finding anything. Thankfully Jim answered him because I was too busy trying to stifle my laughter while my back was turned to him. I by no means find it funny that the man died, but the story was just so super random, it was hard not to laugh.
Soon we found ourselves wandering again, stopping in record shops and a book store. Lana and I both looked at kids books. I flipped through the lovely story Everybody Poops while she looked at a book about people farting. Why children's books have to be about bodily functions I'll never quite understand. As we wandered through the store, the clerk began asking us questions and singing some responses. I wasn't quite sure what to make of the situation, but then again, my life is always a bunch of awkward moments pieced together for the world's amusement.
Sunday we went to church, I helped stack some firewood, and had dinner with some other family. Monday was a beautiful sunny day, of course since it was the day before I left. Just to get the torture over with, Lana and I went to the mall to find a prom dress for her. Like me, she wanted to avoid pink and obnoxious sparkles. The thing about the mall compared to a thrift shop, though, is that it's hard to find what could be deemed a dress as opposed to a stripper outfit. JCPenney finally had something suitable in midnight blue, and then we took advantage of the sun and got some food to eat on the terrace. It was weird to actually be sweating while sitting outside. I don't think I've done that since last summer. On our drive home I caught glimpses of Mt Rainier in the distance and we restocked the icecream supply in the freezer.
When Jim got home, he did some yard before driving me to the town of Enumclaw in order to get a better view of Mt Rainier from the local fairgrounds. It was beautiful to see the snowcapped mountain off in the distance, rising up over the farms and pastures. We took the scenic route up SE Mud Mtn before making our way back to Renton.
Yesterday Jim was kind enough to drop me off at Sea-Tac for my flight home. I briefly chatted with a woman in front of me in line at security. I of course was in a line for one of the fancy X-ray machines, but hey, at least the TSA agent liked my mismatched socks, which made the experience not so bad. I read a bit while sitting at my gate until an announcement was made that my gate had changed to one in the other corner of that section of the terminal. I picked up my bags and wandered that way, picking up my book again to make the time pass.
We boarded around 8:30am and soon we were taxiing and taking off, bound for Newark International. I took some pictures of the Cascade Mountains as we flew over them before becoming engrossed in my music and playing Tetris. I saw some of the Great Lakes out my window during the middle part of the trip, too. I read a few pages of Undaunted by Christine Caine, and in no time, we were approaching the Manhattan Skyline. I got some pictures of the Empire State Building and the Freedom Tower. I also caught a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty before we banked right to head over New Jersey. I chuckled to myself as I recognized the one bridge I frequently drive across in order to get to the Lincoln Tunnel into the bustling metropolis of New York.

Once safely on the ground, I informed certain friends of my arrival like they requested before de-planing. I got a call from my brother telling me that he was stuck in traffic by the Holland Tunnel, so I made my way to the food court and made a beeline for Villa, which was serving pizza. I only ordered one slice, but it was huge and worthwhile. As I sunk my teeth into it, I was so happy to finally be back in the land of good pizza. Seattle made some decent attempts, but there is definitely something special about pizza made in New York. And with that, I knew I was close to home, and back where I belonged.

The Lumberjack Tourist

So far my first two days in Renton, WA, have been interesting. I wasn't quite sure what I was expecting out of the trip because I made no real plans other than booking my flights to and from Seatac. Okay, that's not totally true. I wanted to visit the Freemont Troll, too, but other than that, I was going about this trip day-by-day to see what it would present.
My first day, I slept in until 10am in order to beat jetlag before it had a chance to fully set in. I'm in a cozy little room and the end of the house, crashing on what would be a futon if I pulled it out, but I prefer sleeping on couches because I'm weird. After I showered, Jimbo asked if I wanted to go to the Museum of Flight since he had extra tickets. I was pretty excited about this prospect because my grandfather was an aerospace engineer who tested spacesuits with Northrop Grumman and then worked on F-14 tomcats and spiral staircase designs for Boeing.

Before the museum, we went to an eclectic diner named, Randy's. It had a sign proclaiming that they were "always open," which was tempting me to show up in the middle of the night to see if this was in fact true. Also, as we pulled into Randy's, there was this really cool drive thru Starbucks constructed completely out of shipping containers. It was a rather unique setup, but I digress. I enjoyed the interior of Randy's because it was decked out in military and flight memorabilia. There were books on the back of the benches to read if you were interested, and old bombshells and parachutes along the walls and floor. I enjoyed some french toast and bacon before we ventured over to the Museum of Flight.
Once inside, there was a man who kindly suggested that we check out the Amelia Earhart exhibit, since it was only going to be there for another week. Jimbo and I wandered down to that floor and spent lots of time gazing up at all of the planes suspended from the ceiling. We made our way to the exhibit, and in typical fashion, we managed to wander through it backwards. I enjoyed learning about her life and how she influenced aviation. It was intriguing to read her thoughts on marriage from a letter she wrote to her soon to be husband. From there, we went through the Space Exhibit, which was one of my personal favorites because my grandfather helped work on the original lunar excursion module, tested space suits, and knew a handful of the original astronauts from the Mercury and Gemini programs. Soon we wandered to the WWI and WWII exhibits, which explained how dogfighting in the air came into being. There were many stories about pilot survival rate, pilots witnessing their wingmen getting shot down, and differences in the planes utilized during both wars. After these exhibits, Jimbo and I took the skywalk over the road to check out the mockup of the space shuttle. I had to laugh at the awful music playing along the walkway; it was a step down from elevator music, all puns intended. It was amazing to see the capacity of the space shuttle and learn how much fuel it burned. We then ended our tour by wandering through the British Airways Concorde that was on the premises. There was some excess condensation in one of the windows, so Jimbo and I joked that it just needed some fish to turn it into an aquarium.
This morning I got up around 9am. Since the weather was decent, Jimbo and I opted to go do some tree work for a few of his clients. I was happy that I packed some plaid in order to maintain the classic lumberjack look. We stopped for breakfast at Jay Berry's and then made our way to the first job. I mostly supervised on the first tree, and took a few pictures to pass the time. For the second tree, I was manning the rope that was tied to the branches so they could be slowly lowered to the ground since they were so close to the guy's house. We then made a quick stop at Jimbo's mom's house for some pop and chit-chat before venturing to the last job. We needed to prune the top of a tree in this woman's yard, so I spent the second half of my afternoon up on a 12 foot ladder using a pruning saw and lopping sheers in order to cut off certain branches while Jimbo just climbed the tree like the monkey that he is. With teamwork, we cut the time of the job in half, and I was happy to learn a few new skills while helping out. I came home covered in sawdust, but was happy for my contribution to the work.

We finished off our day by going to see The Grand Budapest Hotel. As expected, it was completely, utterly, ridiculous, which was just what I was looking for. And as weird as this sounds, my favorite part involved Willem Dafoe and a cat...reminiscent of The Boondock Saints...sort of. But the whole feel of the movie was much like something out of Monty Python.

Update From Tennessee

I'm currently in a Panera in downtown Chattanooga after an 11 hour drive. I feel very accomplished because I have been in six states today: Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, and Georgia. I had a lovely exchange with a cashier at a BP in Virginia. I asked her how her day was going and she responded with, "It's going," before asking me about my day. I said that it involved a long drive because I was on my way to Chattanooga. Upon asking me why, I proceeded to tell her how I'm volunteering with Samaritan's Purse for tornado cleanup in Mississippi. Her response was, "Bless you heart and have a blessed day! Also stay safe!" Nice to know that even a stranger wants me to be careful in my travels.
The drive went smoothly and I had time to drive up Lookout Mountain, which is on the Georgia/Tennessee border. I opted to venture into the Ruby Falls cavern for a tour and was very excited to see the 145 foot waterfall that is 1000 feet underground. It's pretty spectacular and I'm very glad that I was able to play tourist. Now it's about time I finish my food so I can go find a place to park my car for a nap.

Self Discovery as a Vagabond

“Live, travel, adventure, bless, and don't be sorry.” ~Jack Kerouac

We're all searching for ourselves in unique ways. Some dive headlong into careers believing that money will provide happiness and solve their issues. Others hibernate within their homes playing video games, desperately searching for distractions from reality in order to avoid growing up. I've chosen to search for myself on the roadways of America.
What thrust me onto the roads of America was discontent. I found that I wasn't happy with where I was and what I was doing with my life. I honestly felt like I was just wasting my time. For years I've been trying to function inside some manmade system that the world tried to convince me was the way I was supposed to live and the lie was that it'd bring happiness by following its formula. In high school, I ran cross country and track, at first because I enjoyed it, and then because it was expected of me. I then went to college because I was told one can't succeed in America without a degree. I then furthered this education by getting a Master's degree because the unwritten rule is that a better job with a higher salary will present itself. And what has this all done for me you might ask? Well, I'll tell you what it's done; it's turned me into an unemployment statistic. So much for trying to live within the confines of the system, right? Rather than it bringing happiness, I've seen the system pummel and almost crush people under a weight of misery (myself included). They became beaten and downtrodden, shells of their former selves until they decided to escape the tumult in order to follow their own dreams and definition of success. I've personally discovered that I've lived too long trying to live up to other people's definition of success. What is success anyway? There is no clear cut way to define it because it means something different to each person. And that's the problem with trying to live up to someone else's expectations; their expectations aren't the same as your expectations and your true self gets lost in the melee. Rather than enjoying life, you end up living in fear of failure. After listening to the song "Letdown" by The Glass Child, I knew I wasn't the only one who felt this way about going through this life in an empty fashion. This song is the epitome of trying to stay true to oneself while desperately trying to avoid failing others. I no longer wish to live this way and would rather discover myself outside the confines of other's expectations.
I don't know why I didn't discover this sooner. I've always channeled the first line of Romans 12:2, which warns against being conformed to the ways of the world. Looking back, I've always pushed back against the system in any way possible. In my running career, I refused to follow the coach's instruction to train in the winter. Instead, I took time off, which probably spared me from serious injury, although it caused some friction with the coach. In college, while I always strived to achieve good grades, I didn't do it at the expense of my social life. I've always felt that other people were more important than my personal goals and that we're meant to have fun outside the confines of work and trying to be the best at something. It's this living for other's that has helped shape me and gotten me to where I am today. Being unemployed has provided me with ample opportunities to wander and go on adventures that otherwise would have never come to fruition. It's on these adventures that I have had the ability to serve others. No longer am I the hopeless wanderer that Mumford and Sons speak of. Rather, I'm living my life with purpose, although some may not agree. What my detractors need to be aware of, though, is that "not all those who wander are lost," borrowing wise words from J.R.R Tolkien.
The adventure that really began to shape and mold me into my present self took place back in November. After Hurricane Sandy, I chose to volunteer for two weeks with Samaritan's Purse in Teterboro, NJ. This was life changing in many ways. It not only opened my eyes to the pain and suffering of the struggling lower class, it also helped me build another family. I was able to listen to those who needed to share their stories and I was able to assist in cleaning up storm damaged homes. I have to admit, those were the most rewarding weeks of 2012 for me, and I was functioning outside the confines of the system where one only works for money. It was a reminder that the most important things in life don't have a price tag on them, that we need to be aware of those around us, and that we must always be willing to give of ourselves to benefit others.
That trip to Teterboro opened a door for me into a world focused completely on serving others. It led me to volunteer for a day in Island Park, NY, with friends from North Carolina at the end of January. More importantly, feeling led by the Holy Spirit, my team leader from Teterboro and his wife chose to move into the trailer park where we served back in November in order to further serve the community that was in desperate need spiritually. I opted to move into their RV for three weeks in order to connect with those in the trailer park. I felt it was important to listen to all of their stories and learn about their lives. I can't think of any other situation where I could comfortably interact with alcoholics, recovering drug addicts, the lowly, and depressed and we could openly learn from each other. It brought to my attention the desperate situations that certain people are living in and how the systems of the world can truly fail people.
I opted to go home after three weeks in the trailer park to rest and recuperate since I was emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually exhausted. When I was in my parents house, though, I didn't feel like I was truly home. I felt like I was detached from my true purpose. After two days of being "home," I was restless and antsy to leave. It was a strange realization that being stationary at home was distressing, as opposed to relaxing. Now don't get me wrong, I love my parents very much, but I no longer felt like my time was being well spent on the couch of the living room as I struggled to find and apply for a "real job." What I opted to do instead was call Samaritan's Purse to see if they needed volunteers for tornado clean-up. I was told they did, so I applied online and got a phone call about two hours later to set up my trip. That led me to venture out on the road again and brought me to where I am currently, which specifically is a Barnes and Noble in Lewisburg, PA, where I sit passing my afternoon and sipping on a mocha frappucino (Yet another way to buck the system; drinking cold beverages in the winter, though it actually causes vasoconstriction of the blood vessels, reducing the loss of core body temperature and keeping one warm, so ha, I win!). I'm patiently waiting for some friends of mine to get out of work so we can enjoy some fun hours at the bounce-plex this evening followed by a seven mile trail race tomorrow afternoon. Then it'll be an early start Sunday to follow my calling down to the tornado ravaged area of Petal, MS.

Looking back, I'm very thankful that the system failed me so that I could rediscover myself on the road. Those original two weeks in Teterboro really helped to shape my life. In the process of discovering my purpose in life, I had to be willing to throw away my concept of success and completely redefine it from a different perspective. I also had to discard whatever I felt was my plan in life. A really catchy song I've fallen in love with that pretty much describes me is "And Run" by He is We. The lyrics really speak to me because they say, "I’m going to open my mind to all these, new found exciting possibilities. I’m making all my own plans, throwing all my old ones away. Gonna grow up, be someone. Draw a map, find a path. Take a breath and run." That's pretty much my life on the road. I follow the path I find on a map and just go for it and in the process, I'm creating a new life for myself by serving others and glorifying God. I can confidently say that I know I'm where I'm supposed to be and the people who matter the most to me, and understand what I'm doing, are proud of me. And in the words of the Glass Child, "This road is now my home." 

North Carolina Has Captured My Heart

I don't even know where to begin! I had such a great time down in North Carolina this past week. It was spiritually refreshing to stay with Jim and Jeni, who I met through my work with Samaritan's Purse. We had many late night conversations about Scripture and plenty of laughs with great food. I had never really liked seafood, but they cured me of that. We had steamed oysters three different nights, trigger fish, and I tasted mahi mahi and tuna.

One of my favorite parts was the weather. I was able to leave the snow behind in Pennsylvania and enjoy temperatures in the 60s for most of the week. It was great motivation to get out and run again, which is great since I'm doing a 7 miler in March. There were also plenty of opportunities for walks on the beach with the dogs, Josie and Abbi. It was amusing to watch them run with their ears flapping in the wind while they chased each other or a laser beam. The weather was also perfect to take the boat out briefly (and scrub it down, of course). I even got the chance to steer us through the canal as we made our way to the inlet.
I got to see a bit of the area as well. Went to Beaufort briefly to see the Fritha mored at the dock, along with the memorial to Michael John Smith, who was the pilot of the Challenger space shuttle in 1986. I also spent some time in Morehead City. Went to lunch at the Ruddy Duck with Jeni and also helped to box up some inventory of a gift shop for a day. Nice to feel like I had a job again. I also had the opportunity to hike part of the Neusiok Trail with Jackie and her hiking club. It was nice to spend time in a forest on such a beautiful day.

What touched me most, though, was how welcoming everybody was when I visited. I don't think I've ever felt more at home than I did in North Carolina. From Jim and Jeni taking me in like their own kid, to Jackie bringing me out on a hike, to Nema bringing me along for young adult bowling, I honestly hope that I'm blessed with a job opportunity in the area so I can move there permanently. I loved One Harbor Church and made so many new friends in my one week there that it just seems like the perfect fit. I haven't laughed so hard in a long time and I'm definitely looking forward to going back.

Sayre: The Blackhole of the Universe

Today I woke up to a voicemail from my brother saying, "Good morning! I've had coffee and chocolate covered espresso beans so I'm wide awake!" Or at least something to that effect. So I called him back and after a brief discussion, I decided to drive up to the blackhole of the universe to spend the day with Nick.

The drive was quite interesting because of the extreme wind gusts that I kept encountering. It was another one of those days that if I wore baggie clothes outside, I would most likely float away. Due to the wind, I had to keep a firm grip on the wheel so I didn't veer sideways, and I had to be on alert for other vehicles that were not as good at maintaining control along the highway. I stopped for gas in Gouldsboro, which might seem dull until you realize the name of the station is "On the Run." I was highly amused by this, of course.
I continued on north and soon found myself traveling along the Southern Tier Expressway. Exits off the stretch I was on led to Appalachin, which is where the FBI busted the mob years ago, and Tioga Downs. I thought it was quite sad to see the parking lot packed full of cars on a Monday. Is there seriously nothing better to do but gamble in these parts? Well I guess that's better than running a meth lab, but still, some need to find a better way to fill their days.

I finally made it to Sayre around 1pm and took a little tour of town before going to Nick's house. I ventured past the Guthrie clinic, the movie theater, and Son's of Italy lodge, along with the local bakery. Once I met up with Nick, we ventured to Elmira for lunch at Olive Garden. I was greatly amused by the names of the towns on the exit signs, such as Jerusalem Hills and Horseheads. We got to Olive Garden a little before 2pm and we had a very pleasant waitress who throughly enjoyed our humor. I ate numerous breadsticks and some ravioli for lunch, while Nick had the parmesan crusted steak. After meeting with a customer in Elmira, Nick's roommate also joined us for lunch. He was sharing a bit about his wedding plans, along with work.

After talking for about an hour, we parted ways. Nick and I headed back to Sayre, but detoured to Athens so that he could show me the parsonage connected to the church he goes to because that's where he plans on moving in May. On our drive, we went through a yellow light, which again might seem uneventful, but Nick referred to it as "squeezing the lemon" and I found this hilarious. As we got closer to the parsonage, the roads became hard-packed dirt. We came across a woman and a large bird, which prompted Nick to say, "Welcome to the country where we walk our birds." I enjoyed the tour of the parsonage and got a peek inside the church as well. We soon made our way back to Sayre and I decided to move on to my parents house for dinner. All in all, it was a very good day, and lots of fun.

Providing My Navigation Skills in New York

After awaking at 4:30am yesterday, Rhi and I ventured onto I-80 towards Hoboken, NJ, around 5:15am. We apparently picked the wrong radio station to listen to because the female DJ informed us that January 23 is considered the most depressing day of the year based upon how far away from Christmas it is and how much money people owe due to the previous Christmas. We parked at the Hoboken Terminal in order to catch the PATH to Penn Station. On the train, some woman chatted us up and we found out that she had gotten engaged over the weekend and was in her own little world since she is still so excited. At Penn Station, we got tickets for the LIRR to Great Neck, Long Island, for Rhi's first job interview. The train ride went smoothly and we determined that when the vents got turned off and everything was quiet, it made it seem like the train had narcolepsy.
After arriving at Great Neck Plaza, we had to wander along the sidewalks of Great Neck, which weren't always shoveled making walking difficult for Rhi in her heels, and made our way to the Equinox Fitness Center on East Shore Drive. I sat in the lobby and read while Rhi filled out her application and had her interview. The place was gorgeous, but I was a bit confused as to why the pool was on the 3rd floor of the building. Overall, the interview went well and Rhi will be having a follow-up interview next Monday.
I thankfully found us an easier way back to the train station that didn't involve a windy road that ventured up a giant hill with blind curves. Instead, we found cool old churches on our route, one of which had a fallout shelter in the basement. As we sat on the benches at the train station, we saw a man dressed like Inspector Gadget and were surrounded by a bunch of pigeons that looked strung out on cocaine or something. Rhi thought the deranged pigeons probably carried the plague because she considers pigeons to be flying rats.
Once we got back to Penn Station, we made a beeline for the Starbucks because we were both exhausted already and it wasn't even noon. We discovered that our Starbucks names happen to be "Rori" and "Kyla" since that was what the barista wrote on our cups. Soon we were hopping on the E train to 53rd and Lexington so that we could find the next Equinox Gym for Rhi's second job interview. Before the interview, we killed time at Barnes & Noble. The second interview went equally well, so we ventured to Murphy's pub for a celebratory beer and food since we were both famished. The bartender seemed to be amused by us and we were amused by her Irish accent. I enjoyed my chicken sandwich and watching soccer while at Murphy's. After eating, we went back to Barnes & Noble before taking the E train to Penn Station and hopping the PATH back to Hoboken. Following a nap in a mall parking lot, we finally made it back to the Burg to fall asleep for the rest of the night.

Acting Like Kids in a Candy Store

It seems like most people loathe the snow in the northeast, but I feel like it must be embraced. There are many ways to still have a good time on a snow-filled day. For example, Rhi and I decided to take a random road trip up to Wawayanda, NY, whilst doing errands. On our adventure, we were following a snowplow that seemed to take his job to the extreme. Not only was the plow clearing snow from the road, but it had an extended plow that got the side of the road and any small trees and bushes lining the road. We inevitably got super hungry, so we decided to swing by the Milford Diner. In true stylish fashion, we slid sideways into the parking lot (which was adjacent to a car insurance company...how ironic) because who doesn't like drifting on a snow day? We had a lovely meal of chicken parm subs and determined that the term "menopause" should have a much more basic definition like, "No more period; Just mood swings and osteoporosis."

We started back towards the Burg, but got sidetracked by Country Kettle. Rhi and I both had seen commercials on tv and wanted to know if they really had literal barrels full of candy. It was a last minute decision, which could be sensed by our drifting sideways into the parking lot before we made our way inside. To our delight, there are literally barrels of candy within Country Kettle, so we each decided to get a sack full since we were giddy like kids in a candy store. Our final stop for our adventure was ESU, which has some lovely parking lots for drifting/donuts. All in all, it has been a fantastic day in the snow! We plan on finishing out our day by going and watching Haywire at the Stroud Theater. Hopefully nobody will steal one of our tires like that one time I went with friends 4 years ago...

Christmas Weekend: Trekking ~446 Total Miles to Visit Friends and Family

This Christmas weekend has been busier than usual for me, which wasn't a bad thing. I love driving, so it was kind of exciting to do so much traveling to visit with people. My fun started on Friday with a trip to Honesdale, PA, for a surprise going away party for my friend, Mark. He is moving to Chicago to live with a friend and work as a computer programmer. I came to town a bit early to run errands with Beth before venturing over to Mark's. It was great to see many old friends from high school again. I hadn't seen most of them since June or July, so I enjoyed catching up with everybody, including Cara, Mark, Shaun, Joe, Beth, Heather, and Allaina.

Following this little get together, I ventured back to East Burg to meet up with my friend, Teresa. I hadn't seen her since May, so I was really excited to spend time catching up. This visit to her house of course involved being poked and prodded by her mother who was wondering if "Flaca" has been eating enough. I also got scolded for not coming to visit, even though Teresa hasn't been home. Most of this discussion was of course in Spanish because her mom is convinced that I am fluent...the funniest part is that she'll talk to Teresa in English, who is actually fluent in Spanish. Makes me laugh every time. We relaxed watching a movie and talking about what we've been up to lately. Teresa also showed me all of the food that her mom had stocked up for her two day stay, which included a large leg of lamb that I was tempted to use as a club.

On Christmas eve, I ventured up to my parent's mountain in Galilee, PA. This was quite relaxing and involved eating, baking cookies, and a nap. My brother made it home for a tasty steak dinner before we all went to the Tabernacle Bible Church in Honesdale for the Christmas Eve Worship Service. It was very well done, and I thoroughly enjoyed the selection of hymns for the evening. Following the service, I promptly booked it back to my apartment in East Stroudsburg in order to meet up with Rhi and Seamus so that we could go to Midnight Mass at Our Lady of Victory in Tannersville, PA. I actually ended up traveling separately because I was dealing with some sporadic stabbing pains in my stomach. Thankfully it got to a point where it didn't get any worse, even though it didn't get any better for a time, so I was able to make it in time for the carols at 11:30pm. I was intrigued by the Catholic traditions that took place during the service, but I think my favorite part of it involved kicking off Christmas listening to the tolling of church bells. I made it home by 1:15am and I followed my brother's orders and opened my trunk to find my presents from him, which included a framed bag from when we went to Shakespeare and Company in Paris, a framed picture of East German soldier, Conrad Schumann, escaping to West Germany (he knows I love history), the book Choices, and a poster from the Switchfoot/Relient K concert we went to back in 2008. All around, some pretty epic gifts in my book. I then finished putting up the Christmas lights before Rhi, Seamus, and I all dozed off to episodes of Lock Up.

I got up around 8am to venture down to Hellertown, PA, in order to attend the Christmas service at Saucon Bible Fellowship Church. Pastor taught about how Jesus is our healing servant and that His birth and ministry fulfilled prophecy from Isaiah 53. After the service, I picked out two poinsettias to give to my mom before driving back to East Stroudsburg for a quick nap and to chat with Rhi and Seamus. Apparently they devoured all but three of the Christmas cookies I brought down from my parents, so I promised to steal some more for them. I finally made my way back to Galilee, with two brief detours in Honesdale. I decided to go up to Irving Cliff to get some pictures of town and I also stopped in Central Park to get some pictures. For those of you who don't know, the man who wrote the lyrics to the song Winter Wonderland, Dick Smith, was from Honesdale and it is said that his inspiration for the song was snow-covered Central Park.

I reached Galilee around 3:45pm and was greeted by my parents. We chatted a bit before opening presents. I was pretty excited for the toaster oven/rotisserie that my dad got me. I'm pretty stoked to try and cook a chicken now! About an hour later Nick arrived in his usual pre-zombie state. Being a nurse, sleep isn't always on the top of the list of activities. He opened his gifts and my dad tested out the RC helicopter he got. I was amused that he flew it right into the tree. Soon Anita joined us for a delicious dinner of turkey, stuffing, potatoes, and broccoli, which was followed by cookies and chocolate. We topped off the evening by watching the Packers game. All in all, a very busy Christmas weekend, but probably the most content I've felt in years, which is promising for me. Now it's off to rest my eyes and see what tomorrow brings. Possibly some indoor soccer, but maybe just a bum day on the couch.

Back to My Favorite Stomping Ground: The Big Apple

New York City is probably my favorite city to wander around. In my numerous trips there combined, I have walked from Battery Park all the way to 106th & Broadway. I have never lived in New York City, but I think I morph into a New Yorker every time I travel there. This includes booking it (power-walking) everywhere and crossing the street even when I'm not supposed to as long as there is no traffic that might run me over. Yesterday, since the weather was nice, I decided to drive down to Hoboken, NJ, to take the PATH into New York City. This was a change to my usual parking in Dover, NJ, and taking the train to Penn Station. But, hey, I enjoy a bit of variety in my life.
Anyways, I decided to take the PATH to the World Trade Center because I enjoy wandering the un-gridded streets that comprise the southern tip of Manhattan. It's so easy to get lost that you are always bound to discover something new by accident, whether it's the gothic architecture of a church, traditional Chinese, or cobblestone streets from the New Amsterdam era.
As soon as I left the station, I the new Freedom Tower loomed in front of me. Last year my roommate and I saw it when the structure was halfway complete. Now all of the floors have been built and the windows have been inserted up to about the 52nd floor. I then took the walkway on Vessey St. over West St. just for kicks. This actually gave me a nice distant view of the new 9/11 Memorial. I then decided to turn around and head back to Church St. and walk downtown towards St. Paul's Chapel. I continued down to 195 Broadway, which houses what I consider one of the fanciest Starbucks' in the city. Don't worry, I wasn't stopping for coffee because we all know that I only drink that in Europe; instead I was utilizing my knowledge of every Starbucks has a bathroom and bathrooms are quite scarce in the Big Apple. I soon continued my way down Church St. past Century 21, which was decked out in red vertical tube lights. I then made a left to wander east on Liberty St., which apparently borders Zuccotti Park. Once I realized this, the line of cops on the sidewalk made a bit more sense to me.
After the park, I decided to head uptown on Broadway. I came across the Woolworth Building and got a picture of the exterior; a sign announced that tourists were not permitted inside the Woolworth. I decided to veer off onto Reade Street because the architecture of the Catholic Church of St. Andrew's caught my eye. Since I found myself on Centre St., I of course got distracted by the Court House, which is where scenes from Law and Order are occasionally filmed. I took Centre St. passed Collect Pond Park all the way to Canal St. I wandered west on Canal before deciding to take Mercer St. uptown. Part of me wishes I could have oriented myself better so that I could have wandered the heart of Little Italy, but I was very excited to find Mercer St. to be old cobblestone. I was soon at West Houston St. diagonally across from the Angelika Film Center and Cafe. I continued uptown until I reached Bleecker St., which is where I decided to venture east for a couple blocks.

Once I found Broadway, I followed that uptown passed Grace Church, to Union Square. The German in me was instantly sucked in by the Christmas Market. Sure the sign said "Holiday Market", but I'm tired of being stifled by the politically correct. Anyways, I wandered around some of the booths and found the most amazing knit hat ever. It contained my two favorite colors (red and orange), was a mohawk, and had fleece-lined ear coverings. I kept coming back to it and finally bought it for myself as an early Christmas gift. I then wandered past the German Delights and continued my way through the square to Park Ave. I followed Park up to 35th, which is where I decided to head west to Herald Square and Macy's. I took in all of the window displays and singing salvation army men.
After gazing upon the windows, I was then approached by a woman who asked me if I was a sports fan. I replied "yes" and she wanted to know if I followed the New York Giants or had an opinion on the coach. I'm not a Giants fan, but I do feel that Coughlin has a temper. She then excitedly asked if I minded being filmed for a poll on the coach. After determining that this was just random and fun, I took the microphone and said my piece. For those interested in what I had to say, fast forward to 1:06 of this YouTube clip.
I then decided to wander into Macy's and take a look at their displays. I was videotaping just inside the entrance and promptly had some woman from security tell me that I was not allowed to do that. I settled for just taking pictures after that, but am quite amused by the fact that pictures are allowed, but not videos. I've always wondered why that is, so if anybody out there knows the answer, please inform me. I wandered the first floor, but promptly got tired of the large crowd and decided to leave. I looked at a few more window displays before venturing up Broadway to 42nd St. and Times Square. I always enjoy seeing this part of town lit up. As I passed the Walgreens, I noticed a large crowd standing outside the door. I ambled over to it and found out that apparently Heidi Klum was inside. I'm not one to really get excited over celebrities because I just view them as highly publicized normal human beings, but since I had nowhere else to go at the time, I stood around for kicks. Eventually we were informed that she left through another exit and asked to disperse.
I wandered up Broadway again until I reached Radio City Music Hall. I always enjoy the colorful lights and displays that are along the street and fountains in this area. After snapping a few photos and video, I ventured over to the crowd gathering alongside the music hall. After waiting about 10 minutes and having my bag checked, we were allowed to go get our spots in Rockefeller Plaza for the Christmas Tree lighting. Mind you, it was 4:30pm and the tree wasn't going to be lit until 9pm, but this was one of those once in a lifetime occurrences that I felt the need to take advantage of. I thankfully was smart enough to pack a book and granola bars, so I sat on the curb in my fenced in area for a couple hours reading to pass the time. I made passing comments to some of the people next to me, but had no conversation of substance.
At 7pm, Al Roker came out on stage to do his announcing gig. He announced the "live performance" of Michael Buble, which was really all of us watching a previously recorded tape done the week prior. From where I was, it was hard to know how many of the performances were actually live or previously recorded. Anyways, during commercial breaks, the crowd was encouraged to cheer loudly once the hosts came back to be taped. It was mildly amusing. I did see Donald Trump, though, and I'm convinced that he uses wax to hold down his comb-over so the wind doesn't blow it in every direction.

Finally, after hours of waiting, the countdown to light the tree began. Mayor Bloomberg did the honors, and it sparkled brilliantly, just as expected. I was very glad to be able to cross something off of my bucket list, but in hindsight, it's definitely much smarter to watch the event from home. I then had to figure out how to get outside of the fences and crowd, which took about a half hour. I made my way to the Rockefeller Center subway station to take the F train to 34th St. Once there, I wandered down to 7th Ave before looping back to 33rd St. and 6th Ave to take the PATH back to Hoboken. Once in Hoboken, I went back to the garage on Hudson St. and 2nd St. where my car was parked on the 6th floor and drove the one hour and 45 minutes back to Stroudsburg. All in all, it was a great experience and led to me falling into a very deep sleep for the night.