Thursday, April 5, 2007

Monday March something or other LOL

I am going to DC if they can find me a place to stay. Sounds good to me. I need some time around people I know, and those people need me to do stuff. A mutually satisfying relationship if things work out. LOL

It's 11AM and I am waiting to hear about the place to stay. I told them that I am going by greyhound and that I am going to do it so I can read a book or two. I have the book by Nora Roberts "Carolina Moon" and I have tried to read it a couple of times, but haven't had the chance to finish it. In fact, I have ended up rereading the same chapter a couple of times so I can remember the nuances. I haven't read any of Nora Roberts Mysteries that she writes under the name of JD Robb, but I think I will enjoy them. Just haven't found the time. Carolina Moon is a mystery/romance at the same time.

I didn't sleep much last night, so I am really going to enjoy the nap on the bus as well. A lot of people like to judge things like whether one thing or one way is better than the other, but I htink that life full of differences that are always interesting and help us grow our lives in different directions. When we avoid experiences and when we judge experiences, we have a tendency to not absorb the nuances. The culture.

Many things/activities have their own cultures. And when we choose to lose out on a cultural experience we lose out on some of the nuances of life.

On busses, you meet interesting people. Many consider it something you do only as a last resort. But on the busses I have met immigrants from Poland, Czech, and learned about their countries, the trouble that they had becoming a professor, even though they had lots of education in thier own countries and how the education systems compare.

I have shared their homemade boxed dinners of native foods (love kolaches, could sell my soul for great apricot kolaches) and I have shared what I have had with them in return. We talk of thier countrys, where are good places to stay that are cheap and place me safely in the culture of a country or neighborhood.

I never really meet people like that in airports. Now, I do when I ride on the trains. On the trains, fewer people have foods that are native to their community's. The more people have money (trains cost more), the farther away they get from (what I can best describe as their roots, I guess). They become americanized, eating the interesting junk food one can purchase on a train. Train food is the type of food that you would find in a vending machine. LOL

But I digress, I am going to DC, on the bus and am going to read a book or two to relax. Who knew a perpetual vacation could be so stressful? grin.

Happy trails, Marty

Sunday March

I am having a problem getting out of Saint Louis. LOL Is that not a familiar problem with me. I am going to end up leaving on Monday. I am going to ride up to my parents house and see about the trailer.

Well, if I don't go to DC first. I need to set up some stuff regarding the volunteer stuff that I do. I have the how to get there, but not the where to stay. LOL I have to call them in the morning.

Sometimes it's hard being the volunteer. LOL

I would enjoy going to DC and making sure that the staff that support the council and I are actually thinking in the same direction.

I have to leave the bike here in STL to go to DC. To do this, I have to find a safe parking place for it. Now, there is a back lot that is for long term parking, but I like where my bike is. It is right by the front door in a front lot in a parking space that isn't (gotta love how small the bike is) where people walk by it daily.

I am not sure when I will be back. I would like to lock up my bags and go out on the town for a night then leave. I miss the night life --well, not really the night life, but the community, the people to talk to.

The hot tub is free once again. LOL On weekends the swimming area is almost always overrun by kids. Especially here. It would be great if they had an hour for adults only. It can be hard to relax in a hot tub when the kids are running in and out and up and down continually jumping in the middle, etc grin.

On the other hand, if my grand kids were here, I would probably be a bit more tolerant.

Happy trails, Marty

Friday March 22, 2007

Well, I got up this early this morning and decided to hit the hot tub. I sat and soaked and thought about just how interesting my life is. From a resort in Texas with two thirty person hot tubs, a full craft area, (ceramics, sewing, woodworking) to Laredo where I hear back about a motorcycle trailer htat I really think I would like, to a couple of dive hotels to a training in a Hilton.

What a wonderful opportunity for contrast. My motorcycle is outside in the lot and I am thinking about going for a ride around the rainshowers.

People ask me if I miss my apartment, my home. Not really. I really, really miss my grandkids. Matt, Boo and Jenny are awesome kids and I can hardly wait until summer when I will have a chance to have them travel with me.

I am really enjoying having another training to do. Some people don't understand how I can like to do trainings so much. I really have no idea. It is something that is ingrained in my soul. I guess.

I like meeting new people and getting the chance to know them better. I like learning about them and then thinking about the impact that people have. Everyone we meet. has an impact on how our life goes on, if we let them have an impact.

I met some more of the new staff supporting the support group program. They are all really neat people. I look forwards to being a part of this movement.

I am trying to get a call set up for Tracy to talk with Michigan. Life's a challenge ;)

Happy trails, Marty