Blog Dump

Sunday, January 13, 2008. 7:58 P.M. Train en route to NY, stopped at a Delaware train station. Rainy, cold, though I expect it to become snowy and cold the further north I travel.

I went to the front desk of the hotel last week to get their phone number. As usual, hindsight and contemplation make me a genius, but dropped in the middle of a situation, I am naught but baseline idiot.

K.T.: Hi, can I get your number?
Female Concierge (F.C.): Sure.
[PAUSE]
What number did you mean?
K.T.: The hotel's number.
F.C.: Oh.

She actually looked a little depressed when I told her that I meant the hotel's phone number, and I didn't figure it out until a while later.

***

I've been doing some work on the train, and now I'm just going to keep it on for the duration of this trip. The man behind me is yakking away on his phone, and as engrossing as I find his family business, I think I'd rather listen to anything but on the train. The techno music on my laptop isn't perfect, but at least I chose it, as opposed to him yammering on and on about him not getting enough sleep. Don't care.

Have I had a weekend? Sure, there was a period where I wasn't working. If I count from when I got to my apartment on Friday night/Saturday morning to when I reached Union Station today, there was almost a good forty-one hours.

So, what have I done? Got some late night food with J.L. after he was so kind and gracious in picking me up from the metro stop. Slept for a few hours, then woke up to the upstairs neighbor's music. It struck me as a little weird that I slept so well in the hotel rooms over the past few weeks, until I realized that there's no sound, and blackout curtains. That's what's missing from my life, and is probably the only reason I'm going to buy a house eventually (aside from all the logical reasons, such as equity, and having a place to call home). If I can set up a place where I can avoid upstairs neighbors, and put up thick curtains, I may be able to get more sleep.

When I woke, I went straight to the laundry room and ran two full weeks' worth of the good stuff. This is what I get for not returning to Virginia (just typed and deleted "Maryland." Always Maryland.). Then, I ironed my clothes, and watched a great show on the History Channel about samurai. I ended up watching that channel for the next 5 hours, also taking in a special on Hell's Angels, MS 13, and the Latin Kings. Lapsed out from being so tired, then drove up to take my parents out to the dinner.

It turns out that Korean barbecue can be very filling, and each plate of meat serves 2-3 people, not 1. We gorged ourselves. I talked with my parents about the happenstances of the past few weeks, and they seem genuinely happy that I'm fairly happy with what's been going on. Of course, my mom asked if I would talk to her friend this week about a legal issue. I, of course, forgot the damned phone in my apartment.

I finished packing my luggage on Sunday morning, in preparation to go play some football before I had to leave the tri-state area again. Please note here I am not a smart man. Final personal injury tally: elbow to the face while I was on my back, skinned knees (through my sweatpants), knee to the calf resulting in charley horse, strained hamstring when I was pushed from behind and ran forward for another five steps before losing my balance, extension on the coughing/phlegm, constant thirst (Why am I so thirsty???).

As we were waiting for everyone to arrive, a second group congregated. Large men, actual jerseys, throwing a football around. We were thrown off, thought they'd reserved the field. Then, they went over to another field, and about an hour later, we saw them playing flag football. Come on.

Thereafter, Chipotle run, then congregating at G.B.'s place to watch the game. And how did the Chargers win? That was a spectacular fourth quarter, and I can't wait to see which players Peyton Manning throws under the bus after this loss. Alas, I had to leave to catch this train, this train which they've now just informed me is arriving at Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love.

I apologize for being so scatterbrained, but as I look out the train, there are throngs waiting to board coach class, while I sit here in business class taking up two seats and comfortable enough to just fall asleep (we did play football for three hours). From now on, if I have to take the train anywhere, it's going to be business class. I may be sheepish, sheep-like in following the crowd, but I don't want to be treated like steerage.

I rarely drive to the District, because I hate driving in the district. I allotted myself eighty minutes to get to my train, which I figure would be more than enough time, about twice as much as I would need. It turned out this time that I made a very good decision.

So, I didn't get lost, but I did avoid taking a left turn because there was a no left turn sign, along with some words beneath. I think now that those words might have been the times when no left turns were allowed, and I probably fell outside of that range.

I ended up getting on several major freeways and driving all over the damned place, getting later and later, closer and closer to missing my train. Thoughts of just quitting T.S. and going to work as a hot dog vendor run through my head. I wonder if they'll let me exchange a ticket that I didn't use. I roll down the windows, despite the rain, because the windows are starting to fog up. The clock on my dash taunts me.

Finally, I do find the directions I used last time I drove myself to Union Station, and those saved me. With about ten minutes to go, I arrive, and tear through the parking lot to park. I have no idea where I parked, just that it's somewhere in the parking structure. Despite my gimpy legs, I manage to run through to the station itself, tear down several escalators, and just as I make it inside, they announce the final boarding call for my train.

Oh, shit.

I run up to the automatic ticket kiosk. There's no time. I put my credit card in and yank it out. Nothing. I try it again, and it tells me to slowly remove the card. A bit of a rush, I force myself to slide it in and out very slowly, and soon enough, my ticket prints out. I go running down the platform, finally able to get to the car, wherein I get in panting and freaked out. However, I did make it. I did make it.

And now, it is time to nap. I've had a busy weekend, and a good game, and I get to rest for a bit.

I wonder if the Giants beat the Cowboys. [They did, 21-17. Wow. –K]