Well well well. It's about a week since Thanksgiving, and I feel like ever so much has happened! To start off with, the Tuesday before the holiday I got to do some amazing karaoke with my bowling friends. I believe the set list was Dancing Queen by Abba - naturally - followed by Time After Time, complete with interpretative dance ala Romy and Michelle, and ended in Don't Go Breakin' My Heart. Tell me about it.
Thanksgiving was fantastic. I don't think I could've had a better away from home first holiday. On Wednesday I shopped and cooked like a mad woman - chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin bread, zucchini bread, AND apple crisp. On Thursday Nathan came over early and we made chocolate mousse - from scratch - scones - also from scratch - as well as some actual non-desert food. The rest of the crew came over, and we had a turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, TWO kinds of squash, and some beans. It was altogether amazing, there were 8 of us, and it was just a fantastic day.
Friday night I went to my first Sonics game. Did you know the mascot is a sasquatch? I'm still looking into why this makes sense...There's a funny story about my Saturday morning but I feel that most of you know it already. If you're dying of curiousity, just let me know.
Sunday was the beginning of the horrible wintery weather we had out here. I had to go to Tukwila which is about 20 minutes away. It took me twenty to get there. It took me an HOUR AND A HALF to get back. I was a little bit grouchy. But by the time night started the snow was falling, and it was beautiful to watch.
Monday I got the lucky job of my favorite task - busy work! It involved a LOT of filing and a LOT of papercuts. I ended up being a bit confused by the bus schedule and walked home...for any of you who watched the Seahawks game that night, you know that it was a bit chilly and inclement weather-like for a 2 mileish walk. And you know, the cold didn't even bother me so much - it was really the hail that got annoying. But I arrived home safe and sound.
On Tuesday I got a new job at the Majestic America Line, formerly the Western America Steamboat Company. They do cruises on the Mississippi River on old school steamboats, like you know in Maverick where they do the poker game? It's that kind of boat. Kind of bizarre, but everyone's really nice and fun there. It's kind of fun being in an office environment again, I didn't realize I missed it. And naturally I assign everyone titles of Michael Scott, Dwight, et al. Seeing as I'm playing the role of the receptionist, obviously I'm Pam, but alas there's no Jim yet...I'll be sure to keep you updated.
Tuesday night I was CRAVING lasagna and kept up with my theme of cooking - eggplant, zucchini, and spinach, it's actually rather delicious. Bowling was cancelled on Tuesday because the weather was pretty bad. Now, I thought Virginia didn't know what to do when it snowed - Seattle's worse. They don't use salt, and everything just shuts down. More than half the office didn't show up to work on Tuesday OR Wednesday, schools were cancelled - I thought it was fairly laughable.
Then came THURSDAY - where I got a new cell phone. Most of you know that the old guy was doing this really neat thing where either I couldn't hear you or you couldn't hear me if you called. Really fun. The new guy is a flip phone, it comes with a camera and 1000 text messages. If you need the new digits just let me know. It IS a Seattle number, try not to hate. It doesn't mean I like it here more, it just means I like my phone here more.
Thursday was also the day that our back studio flooded. Apparently a pipe burst and flooded the whole thing. Max, our landlord has guitars, a keyboard, and drums back there, as well as years worth of collecting clothes and his bed and things. He was in San Francisco and flew back last night so he could start checking things out. We're hoping insurance will cover the whole mess. What's slightly worrisome is that apparently when the fire department got here, they already knew the layout of the house due to a gas leak some time ago. Eric's planning on getting a carbon monoxide detector.
My Friday excitement consisted of purchasing my plane ticket home for Christmas! I get in Friday, December 22nd and leave Friday, December 29th. Plann accordingly :)
So here's what I've calculated so far. Since I've been here, I have:
Gotten countless papercuts
Gotten countless blisters
Broken 4 types of glass objects - one full-length mirror, two glasses, and a bottle was the latest culprit
Done my laundry ONCE
Walked numerous miles
Have had my cell phone, Internet, and iPod all not work
Can't wait to see what happens next :)
Saturday, December 02, 2006
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Lyfhouse
Oooookay. So today is Thuuuuuursday, and I'm about to go off and enjoy the complexities that are Meredith Grey and her love life. Let me think about the last time I wrote, and what I need to add...
Okay, well my bowling skillz have increased IMMENSELY, since last time. We had a two week hiatus, do to Halloween, but the next time we bowled, which was last week, I actually got a TURKEY! For those non-bowlers, that does indeed mean THREE strikes in a row. Looks like I'm pretty baller afterall, that game score was a 118, which I'm positive is my highest in life. I was also awarded a free beer, so I really enjoyed that first game. Of course then we might say that I had a bit too much to drink, and my skillz went downhill. The team we played against was super friendly, they're actually from Philly and are too much fun. There names are Gwen and Geo, and we've decided to dub Geo, Geology - I'm sure he'll be a big fan.
The other good thing about the second week of bowling was that I hit no one's car...there was a slight bump the first week with no damage. This week of bowling my first game gave me a whopping 60 points, but I think I've really perfected my technique and the second game I got 105 - before you know it I'm going to be owning that alley.
Let's see what else has happened...I don't really remember last week, but last weekend was rather fun. Friday night I was under the impression that I was going to go out with roommate Eric, so I started the night in good faith by drinking some wine. Some of you might recall my participation in horse race. I also played a pool game with myself...I think the game was everytime I try to do something I take a sip. So it turns out Eric didn't REALLY want to go out...but I had already had a full bottle of wine, so I was teensy bit drunk. I then proceed to order a pizza, eat 8/10 of it on my own, and fall asleep. A stellar evening, if I do say so myself.
Saturday was more fun, I walked to Pike's Place which was actually quite nice. The good thing about the crazy rain here is that whenever it's NOT raining, it's killer incentive to do anything. So the walk was fairly decent, and it was a nice day to do it. Saturday night, Eric had a bunch of friends come over and we pre-gamed pretty well. I taught them Up the River, Down the River, but Eric has severe ADD so we had to keep switching games. I learned a new dice game called 3 Man...luckily I was never 3 Man, as I would not have fared well. We then headed out to our neighborhood bar called Ozzie's. Now, one of the interesting things about these new people in my life, is they don't know that I don't take shots. For example, here goes a conversation:
Eric: Sara, here's a shot!
Me: Oh, no thanks, I don't do shots.
Eric: Sara, here's a shot!
Me: Riiiiiight.
It's more persuasive than perhaps it looks. But Ozzie's was really fun, turns out that's actually a karaoke bar - guess where I'll be taking my many visitors?? So obviously I put in the request for a song, and I see the big tip jar, but I feel that this guy is getting paid to play my song, he doesn't need a tip. So a few hours go by and "Shoop" has yet to be called. So I go up to him and here goes that conversation:
Me: Excuse me, are you going to call Shoop please?
DJ Man hits the tip jar.
Me: Seriously?
DJ Man nods.
Me: Good, okay, that's fine. I have TWO dollars, in they go.
DJ Man moves my name from side one to side two of list.
Me: Okay, so am I going to be next, or what?
DJ Man hits the tip jar.
Me: That's extortion! I gave you TWO dollars!! I'm not playing into such extortion! I refuse!
DJ Man sort of laughs-ish.
So the next song plays and then the big announcement...
DJ Man: Okay, so the last song of the night is.....
Me: Waiting with bated breath....
DJ Man: Amanda! With blah blah blah....
At this point, I clearly feel unjustified.
Me: What! I paid you TWO dollars! Extortion!
DJ Man on microphone: I'm sorry if you gave me TWO dollars and I didn't play your song...maybe next time...
So clearly DJ Man needs a lesson taught. I'm not sure yet what that lesson will be, but feel free to pepper me with ideas :)
We then came back to this lovely little house, drank a wee bit more, and I think called it quits around 4ish. So altogether a very nice evening. Sunday was pretty low-key, coffee was obviously included as was my first batch of chili ever - I'm getting to be quite the cook.
So then THIS week came along and I got myself a little job. I'm working for a temp agency called Office Team. I had the initial interview with them on Monday which went really well. I got take all these tests for Microsoft Word, basic typing, and data entry for both alpha and numeric. Now, some of you may know already that I'm a pretty good typer, like I'm not that bad. So I get the results back on Monday.
The average word per minute for typing of all people that apply for Office Team both nationally and internationally? 54.
My average word per minute? 85!! 100% accuracy! But wait, there's more...
So for the numeric data entry ones, the average key strokes per test, which is about 5 minutes long - 7,000.
Mine? 11,000!!
And for alpha and numeric, the average - 8,000
Mine? 12,000!!
What's got two thumbs and is BEAST at the keyboard?? This guy!
So yeah, I'm a killer nerd. But the people I met at OT were super nice and semi-offered me a job. I'm waiting for a permanent job that doesn't start hiring until December, but if that doesn't work out I think I could work with them.
So my current temp job is for a company called Visible Technologies. They created this software that they sell to big companies, like xBox, or Toyota. And the software basically tracks everytime someone uses the word "xBox" or "Toyota" in the 'blogosphere'. My job? To sift through hundreds - nay, THOUSANDS - of blogs and decide if they are actually
relevant to whichever topic I get that day, and if they speak positively or negatively about the product. My first topic? The Republican party. I mean...seriously? Everyone else got xBox and I was obviously kind of jealous. Day 2 I got Nintendo, and then today I got xBox. I mean seriously, what do you want to know about the new Nintendo Wii system that's coming out? Interested in the controller? What about the new Zelda game? Because I could tell you everything about it.
I do find it a little bit interesting...I think tomorrow I'm going to have to do poverty which won't be fantastic, but I'm getting paid which is so new to me after my looooong break from working. And it's only a two-week project, so then I'll be on to something else.
So that's kind of it for now I think! Thanksgiving's coming up, and I'm not sure what I'll be doing...either something at the house, or I've had a few offers to go somewhere, so I might do that too. I know you guys want to see pictures of the house, and I'm working on it I swear! Also Eric took bunches of pictures last weekend, so I'm hoping to steal those from him so you can see the roomies.
Soo...I think that's it. I don't have any new phrases to pass onto you guys, but I'm working 'beast' out here like no other.
Love and kisses, love and kisses!
Okay, well my bowling skillz have increased IMMENSELY, since last time. We had a two week hiatus, do to Halloween, but the next time we bowled, which was last week, I actually got a TURKEY! For those non-bowlers, that does indeed mean THREE strikes in a row. Looks like I'm pretty baller afterall, that game score was a 118, which I'm positive is my highest in life. I was also awarded a free beer, so I really enjoyed that first game. Of course then we might say that I had a bit too much to drink, and my skillz went downhill. The team we played against was super friendly, they're actually from Philly and are too much fun. There names are Gwen and Geo, and we've decided to dub Geo, Geology - I'm sure he'll be a big fan.
The other good thing about the second week of bowling was that I hit no one's car...there was a slight bump the first week with no damage. This week of bowling my first game gave me a whopping 60 points, but I think I've really perfected my technique and the second game I got 105 - before you know it I'm going to be owning that alley.
Let's see what else has happened...I don't really remember last week, but last weekend was rather fun. Friday night I was under the impression that I was going to go out with roommate Eric, so I started the night in good faith by drinking some wine. Some of you might recall my participation in horse race. I also played a pool game with myself...I think the game was everytime I try to do something I take a sip. So it turns out Eric didn't REALLY want to go out...but I had already had a full bottle of wine, so I was teensy bit drunk. I then proceed to order a pizza, eat 8/10 of it on my own, and fall asleep. A stellar evening, if I do say so myself.
Saturday was more fun, I walked to Pike's Place which was actually quite nice. The good thing about the crazy rain here is that whenever it's NOT raining, it's killer incentive to do anything. So the walk was fairly decent, and it was a nice day to do it. Saturday night, Eric had a bunch of friends come over and we pre-gamed pretty well. I taught them Up the River, Down the River, but Eric has severe ADD so we had to keep switching games. I learned a new dice game called 3 Man...luckily I was never 3 Man, as I would not have fared well. We then headed out to our neighborhood bar called Ozzie's. Now, one of the interesting things about these new people in my life, is they don't know that I don't take shots. For example, here goes a conversation:
Eric: Sara, here's a shot!
Me: Oh, no thanks, I don't do shots.
Eric: Sara, here's a shot!
Me: Riiiiiight.
It's more persuasive than perhaps it looks. But Ozzie's was really fun, turns out that's actually a karaoke bar - guess where I'll be taking my many visitors?? So obviously I put in the request for a song, and I see the big tip jar, but I feel that this guy is getting paid to play my song, he doesn't need a tip. So a few hours go by and "Shoop" has yet to be called. So I go up to him and here goes that conversation:
Me: Excuse me, are you going to call Shoop please?
DJ Man hits the tip jar.
Me: Seriously?
DJ Man nods.
Me: Good, okay, that's fine. I have TWO dollars, in they go.
DJ Man moves my name from side one to side two of list.
Me: Okay, so am I going to be next, or what?
DJ Man hits the tip jar.
Me: That's extortion! I gave you TWO dollars!! I'm not playing into such extortion! I refuse!
DJ Man sort of laughs-ish.
So the next song plays and then the big announcement...
DJ Man: Okay, so the last song of the night is.....
Me: Waiting with bated breath....
DJ Man: Amanda! With blah blah blah....
At this point, I clearly feel unjustified.
Me: What! I paid you TWO dollars! Extortion!
DJ Man on microphone: I'm sorry if you gave me TWO dollars and I didn't play your song...maybe next time...
So clearly DJ Man needs a lesson taught. I'm not sure yet what that lesson will be, but feel free to pepper me with ideas :)
We then came back to this lovely little house, drank a wee bit more, and I think called it quits around 4ish. So altogether a very nice evening. Sunday was pretty low-key, coffee was obviously included as was my first batch of chili ever - I'm getting to be quite the cook.
So then THIS week came along and I got myself a little job. I'm working for a temp agency called Office Team. I had the initial interview with them on Monday which went really well. I got take all these tests for Microsoft Word, basic typing, and data entry for both alpha and numeric. Now, some of you may know already that I'm a pretty good typer, like I'm not that bad. So I get the results back on Monday.
The average word per minute for typing of all people that apply for Office Team both nationally and internationally? 54.
My average word per minute? 85!! 100% accuracy! But wait, there's more...
So for the numeric data entry ones, the average key strokes per test, which is about 5 minutes long - 7,000.
Mine? 11,000!!
And for alpha and numeric, the average - 8,000
Mine? 12,000!!
What's got two thumbs and is BEAST at the keyboard?? This guy!
So yeah, I'm a killer nerd. But the people I met at OT were super nice and semi-offered me a job. I'm waiting for a permanent job that doesn't start hiring until December, but if that doesn't work out I think I could work with them.
So my current temp job is for a company called Visible Technologies. They created this software that they sell to big companies, like xBox, or Toyota. And the software basically tracks everytime someone uses the word "xBox" or "Toyota" in the 'blogosphere'. My job? To sift through hundreds - nay, THOUSANDS - of blogs and decide if they are actually
relevant to whichever topic I get that day, and if they speak positively or negatively about the product. My first topic? The Republican party. I mean...seriously? Everyone else got xBox and I was obviously kind of jealous. Day 2 I got Nintendo, and then today I got xBox. I mean seriously, what do you want to know about the new Nintendo Wii system that's coming out? Interested in the controller? What about the new Zelda game? Because I could tell you everything about it.
I do find it a little bit interesting...I think tomorrow I'm going to have to do poverty which won't be fantastic, but I'm getting paid which is so new to me after my looooong break from working. And it's only a two-week project, so then I'll be on to something else.
So that's kind of it for now I think! Thanksgiving's coming up, and I'm not sure what I'll be doing...either something at the house, or I've had a few offers to go somewhere, so I might do that too. I know you guys want to see pictures of the house, and I'm working on it I swear! Also Eric took bunches of pictures last weekend, so I'm hoping to steal those from him so you can see the roomies.
Soo...I think that's it. I don't have any new phrases to pass onto you guys, but I'm working 'beast' out here like no other.
Love and kisses, love and kisses!
Sunday, November 05, 2006
The Meredith Grey House
So, the last time I wrote this I was expecting to meet the owner to an apartment in Fremont, of which I was virtually guaranteed. Turns out virtually does not mean definitely. I met with her on Tuesday, and because I had yet to find a job, I was not acceptable by her standards. Wednesday and Thursday were thus whirlwind days of looking for a place to live. I don't want to bore you with the details of every place I went, but know that the suspension was killer. Turns out I ended up with maybe the most fantastic place imaginable in a locale called Queen Anne, I call it the Meredith Grey House ala Grey's Anatomy. I don't think it could be more perfect. It has beautiful hardwood floors, tons of sunlight, and an incredible view of some body of water...once I know my geography a little bit better, I might know which one.
The owner of the house is Max, and he has rented the basement to Eric, and two upstairs bedrooms to myself and Danielle...so I'm living with Max and Danielle.
Everyone seems to get along super nicely, we're all very chill and enjoy going for it. Danielle's favorite drink is a shit-ton of tequila, ice, and lemon and lime. I'm not eager to try that guy out. I moved in last week and have been 'real busy' trying to finish putting together my room. There's a fabulous picture of the dresser I built MYSELF on facebook...you can tell I made it. Be more impressed.
The other exciting news is that I joined a bowling league - tell me about it. Now, a lot of you may be thinking, "Huh, Sara bowling? I wouldn't have thought she'd be skilled in that arena." Those people would be correct. I am a terrible bowler. And not even like a semi-decent, half-assing kind of mediocre bowler. I am truly awful. No skills with the bowling, whatsoever. My scores in the first two games were so low, I'm not even going to disclose them. You can just guess.
With the bowling league I met Leah who shares an obsession of Grey's Anatomy and wine with me, as do her friends, so I've incorporated myself into that little group of friends as best I can. I went to their Halloween party and saw costumes such as Cleopatra, Buddy the Elf, and Puss in Boots. I haven't yet seen their flip cupping skillz, so I can't judge east coast versus west coast on such a talent...but I'm pretty sure the east coast would school them.
I'm also a recent new member of the Seattle Junior Chamber, also known as the Seattle Jaycees. It's basically a volunteer organization and sounds pretty solid. It also appears to have a ton of job opportunities/connections, which in my current state of unemployment is fairly fantastic.
To sum up the past few weeks:
I went to a sushi restaurant where sushi comes to your table on a revolver. I've tried the best chocolate in the world. I went to Dick's, which may very well take over my Taco Bell obsession as a drunk cure. I met people who share a love for 'Wet Hot American Summer.' I have a combination dining room/poker/pool table. I've sampled some delicious Seattle wines. I discovered a Little Grill wannabe called Senor Moose's.
So far, so good.
Oh, and if you want to send me goodies of any sort:
The one and only Sara Mulnix
1610 10th Ave W
Seattle, WA 98119
The owner of the house is Max, and he has rented the basement to Eric, and two upstairs bedrooms to myself and Danielle...so I'm living with Max and Danielle.
Everyone seems to get along super nicely, we're all very chill and enjoy going for it. Danielle's favorite drink is a shit-ton of tequila, ice, and lemon and lime. I'm not eager to try that guy out. I moved in last week and have been 'real busy' trying to finish putting together my room. There's a fabulous picture of the dresser I built MYSELF on facebook...you can tell I made it. Be more impressed.
The other exciting news is that I joined a bowling league - tell me about it. Now, a lot of you may be thinking, "Huh, Sara bowling? I wouldn't have thought she'd be skilled in that arena." Those people would be correct. I am a terrible bowler. And not even like a semi-decent, half-assing kind of mediocre bowler. I am truly awful. No skills with the bowling, whatsoever. My scores in the first two games were so low, I'm not even going to disclose them. You can just guess.
With the bowling league I met Leah who shares an obsession of Grey's Anatomy and wine with me, as do her friends, so I've incorporated myself into that little group of friends as best I can. I went to their Halloween party and saw costumes such as Cleopatra, Buddy the Elf, and Puss in Boots. I haven't yet seen their flip cupping skillz, so I can't judge east coast versus west coast on such a talent...but I'm pretty sure the east coast would school them.
I'm also a recent new member of the Seattle Junior Chamber, also known as the Seattle Jaycees. It's basically a volunteer organization and sounds pretty solid. It also appears to have a ton of job opportunities/connections, which in my current state of unemployment is fairly fantastic.
To sum up the past few weeks:
I went to a sushi restaurant where sushi comes to your table on a revolver. I've tried the best chocolate in the world. I went to Dick's, which may very well take over my Taco Bell obsession as a drunk cure. I met people who share a love for 'Wet Hot American Summer.' I have a combination dining room/poker/pool table. I've sampled some delicious Seattle wines. I discovered a Little Grill wannabe called Senor Moose's.
So far, so good.
Oh, and if you want to send me goodies of any sort:
The one and only Sara Mulnix
1610 10th Ave W
Seattle, WA 98119
Monday, October 23, 2006
The journey
So by now I think most of you know the story of a recent Tuesday evening. We can talk about the irony that it happened on a TUUUUUUESday later. But the trip started out okay, it really did. Minus the packing kerfuffle. I had decided that my entire room would definitely fit into my tiny little sedan of a Saturn. I had friends who were kindly skeptical, and friends who were very encouraging. I was running on blind optimism, and ignored everything but my faith that I didn't need to organize anything, it would all fit into sweet little Sheila. Clearly I was wrong. Wednesday, the day before I left, came and I had quite a few panic attacks. With the help of logical minds and more than one slap in the face, I realized that some Mary-Kate and Ashley's would have to be left behind, as would any and all Justin paraphernalia.
After very carefully throwing everything I possibly could into the car, I drove home and my mom re-did everything. Driving with my mom was fun, but un-exciting. The number one phrase uttered by her was, "Can you imagine doing this in a wagon?? Wouldn't you just see those Rockies and then stop?? Why would you keep going?? Look at these prairies, why wouldn't you just stop here??" Over and over and over again. Luckily, I managed to dissuade her from going to see the world's largest prairie dog and Roscoe, the miniature donkey.
We managed to get to the Sonnenberg's in Colorado Springs on Saturday and have a few days of relaxation. I said good-bye to the ever-lovable Mama Mulls on Sunday, and barely got through it. I followed Erin - Brittany's mom - throughout Garden of the Gods with MUCH huffing and puffing. And then came Tuesday.
Now, I know a lot of you probably know about Tuesday, but for those who don't, it's just such a story. It started with leaving the Springs at around 1:30 with a slight rain. We had about a quarter of a tank of gas left, but I figured it's better to fill up sooner rather than later, so we drove about half an hour and got some gas. At this point it's a light snow, but you know, I can handle a light snow. (Yeah, I'm driving.) In Denver we hit some traffic on the 25. It starts snowing/icing a little bit more and you know - sweet Sheila's defroster doesn't work so well. I'm sitting in a position usually reserved for old ladies with massive crick's in their necks, so that I can see out the one perfect spot on the windsheild. I decide this is unsafe and that we should pull over and try to scrape it off. However, my scraper has been packed away so well in the very back of my trunk. As my Grandpa used to say, "When in the field, improvise." So I used the cover of my broken map to scrape off the ice. It did a fairly good job and we get back on the road.
So by the time we leave the 25 and get to the 80 it's around 4. As I arrive on the "on ramp" to the 25, I notice a police officer behind me. I think, "Surely, he's not trying to pull ME over." And then I see his flashing lights. So I think, "Well, okay, maybe he is." So he pulls me over, and comments on the fact that I was going 80 in a 65. I plead the idiot Virginian case, and he suggests pulling over for the evening, as the weather is getting nothing but worse. I tell him we have reservations at some place called Little America in Wyoming, and would it be alright if we went that far. He says that it just so happens Little America is the next exit and that we should pull over. Brittany and I agree to this, as the nice man has let me off with only a warning, but we both think it seems a little odd that our stop for the night would be a mere 3 hours away from home. We call Fang, Brittany's dad, who informs us that the Little America we want to get to is 290 miles away. Give or take a few. So we wait a little while before getting back on the road just in case the cop sees us.
We do, in fact, pass the cop pulling over another car while I'm still driving. Luckily, he's involved with this other poor driver. I don't know if he's from Virginia or not. So after 30 minutes or so of driving, we get stuck behind the most amount of trucks I've ever seen in my entire life, all going 10 miles an hour. We do this for about an hour or so, after which I'm a little antsy. So I go a little bit faster. Not too fast mind you, but maybe between 40 or 50. This is to prove to you how bad the weather conditions were. So I'm driving, and all of a sudden I realize I don't have quite as much control over the car as I would like. I do a swerve to the left, over compensate, do a swerve to the right, a complete 360 happens in the middle of the road, Sheila runs over a pole, and into the median we go. This was obviously a slightly disconcerting event, and I was fairly shaken up. But we really couldn't have been luckier, there were no cars on the road with us, and the median was fairly flat. We passed some later on that could have been considered very large ditches, and we really did feel incredibly lucky that nothing worse happened.
After a brief inspection of the car, we both decided that the car had nothing wrong with it aesthetically, and decided to be on our way with Brittany behind the wheel. At this point it's around 5 o clock, and we realize since we've been driving so slowly because of the terrible weather, we have no concept of how far away our lovely hotel reservations are. I give Little America a call, only to learn that it's still over 200 miles away. And because of the terrible weather, they are shutting the interstate down. Apparently trucks were jack-knifing, and cars were flipping and crashing, so closing the interstate seems the smart thing to do. The woman on the phone recommends me to get off the road as soon as possible, if not sooner. We see a sign for the city of Rawlins, WY, about 70 miles away, and decide to drive until we get there.
Trying to think ahead and be smart, we decide to take no chances and book a hotel. For some reason - possibly the fact that Wyoming sucks - we have trouble getting through to Rawlins. I call my mom who trys to make some reservations for us. Meanwhile, we see a sign for Elk Mountain which is a mere 15 miles away, and decide to stop there instead. We call Michelle, Brittany's sister, who informs us that there is an inn there - The Elk Mountain Inn - but that no one is responding. We decide to hope for the best and pull off at the Elk Mountain exit.
We pull off, and at this point it's pitch black outside, and the roads are phenomenally icy. Brittany's still driving, and as we pull up to the town, we see the dreaded sign: Elk Mountain, population: 192. I think Farrah put it best with, "My family is bigger than that!!" Needless to say, I become instantly terriffied, and positive that if we stay there we'll be raped, pillaged, and murdered in our beds - they probably weren't pirates, but townies are just as bad. So we drive up to the little inn, I go inside - the door is locked. There is a sign saying that they accept customers until 11, and it's only 7. So we call the number they leave - no answer. We decide to risk it to Rawlins.
To re-cap: it's about 10 degrees outside, due to the blizzard, it's pitch black at 7 o clock, we're low on gas, Brittany has 2 bars of battery left on her cell phone, I have about 3.
We continue on our way. We've driven maybe 15 minutes, and because of this terrible weather, we've been driving very slowly, so we've gone maybe 2 or 3 miles. And then it happens.
Sara: Hey B, do you hear the flompf, flompf, flompf?
Brittany: Hey Sara, do you smell that burning smell?
Sara and Brittany exchange a look of horror...
Both: Flat tire!
We pull over to the side of road, realize what dire straits we are, and have a bit of a laughing attack. The realization hits, and all I can say is, "Brittany, this is REALLY bad." Naturally we have no cell phone service in the comfort of our car, so Brittany gets out to call Triple A. As she's talking to them, I have to walk to the nearest mileage marker so they know where we are. While not a far distance, in 10 degree weather, I would have preferred to be in the car. The Triple A people are very nice, tell us it will probably be around a 2-hour wait. They ask to put Brittany on hold real quick and as soon as this happens - her phone dies. We are then faced with the ultimate decision - do I call Triple A back or 911? We quickly decide that this is a massive emergency, and go the 911 route. They connect us to the highway patrol. I give them the situation and they say they'll be there as soon as they can. This, however, does not calm me at all, considering who knows how long that will take.
It's at this point I decide to get blankets, hats and gloves from the trunk. We change socks because our feet are cold from walking around in the snow. We try to keep our feet higher up because we're still worried about them being too cold. Again - this is REALLY bad. We wait in the car for almost two hours before our hero arrives in a tow truck. He asks if I have a spare to which I reply, "Hell if I know." I complain about all the crap in my trunk due to my wonderful packing job, and how I don't feel like moving it around. He explains the fee is over $200 to be towed all the way to Rawlins. I immediately start unloading my trunk - and there was the beautiful spare. Ron, the dear sweet tow truck driver, fixes the spare - AND fills us up with gas - and tells us to drive carefully.
And then we were off! I decide to call my mom so she knows we're alive, and as soon as I hang up, the dear phone dies. But it doesn't matter, because we can move. Naturally, we instantly get stuck behind a lot of traffic for 20 minutes, but we're warm, so we're not too upset.
We finally get to Rawlins at 11 o clock. We stop at the first hotel, and Brittany gets out. The conversation goes like this:
Upon seeing Brittany,
Woman: We have no rooms.
Brittany: I understand, but we need to stay somewhere.
Woman: We have no rooms, the town has no rooms, everywhere is completely booked.
Brittany: The ENTIRE town is booked?
Woman: Completely.
Brittany: Look, we'll take a conference room, we're not picky.
Woman: They're full. Every place in this town is FULL.
Brittany: ....So what are we supposed to do?
Woman: There's the armory, and if they're full you can find a church pew.
So we head to the armory, and we clearly get lost on the way. But we find it. And we find two mats, that can only be described as pieces of wood with a leather covering. This is actually, not as comfortable as it sounds. The best thing about the armory was that it wasn't the car, and that it was semi-warm. We got to hear dogs barking, babies crying, and people snoring. I think we got maybe an hour of sleep. Maybe.
I finally give up the good fight of getting any real sleep at 6 and discover where the Good Year is and where the coffee is. We go to the Good Year - they're booked up for days, naturally. They direct us to a different place. We go there - booked up for days. They direct us to one more place that was surprisingly NOT booked up for days. They replaced not one, but three of my tires and we were out of that town by 10 AM.
So Tuuuuuuuuesday was an exciting day, it can't be denied. The rest of the trip was fairly unexciting. We were able to stay with Brittany's other sister in Boise, and we arrived to beautiful downtown Seattle on Thursday evening! We had a low-key night as we were "just so tired." Heather arrived, and the three of us explored Seattle with some help from Nathan and friends for the next few days.
Today is Monday. I'm trying to get an apartment, though it appears that's proving to be more difficult than it should. Tomorrow I start my bowling league. Hey, there's no WAKA here, I've gotta do something!
Getting Sheila state inspected - $445
Getting Sheila mom inspected - $337
Getting Sheila Jiffy Lube inspected - $100
Getting Sheila a spare tire - $137
Getting Sheila three brand new tires - $239
Getting stranded in the middle of a blizzard in the middle of Wyoming with no cell phones and no heat - priceless.
After very carefully throwing everything I possibly could into the car, I drove home and my mom re-did everything. Driving with my mom was fun, but un-exciting. The number one phrase uttered by her was, "Can you imagine doing this in a wagon?? Wouldn't you just see those Rockies and then stop?? Why would you keep going?? Look at these prairies, why wouldn't you just stop here??" Over and over and over again. Luckily, I managed to dissuade her from going to see the world's largest prairie dog and Roscoe, the miniature donkey.
We managed to get to the Sonnenberg's in Colorado Springs on Saturday and have a few days of relaxation. I said good-bye to the ever-lovable Mama Mulls on Sunday, and barely got through it. I followed Erin - Brittany's mom - throughout Garden of the Gods with MUCH huffing and puffing. And then came Tuesday.
Now, I know a lot of you probably know about Tuesday, but for those who don't, it's just such a story. It started with leaving the Springs at around 1:30 with a slight rain. We had about a quarter of a tank of gas left, but I figured it's better to fill up sooner rather than later, so we drove about half an hour and got some gas. At this point it's a light snow, but you know, I can handle a light snow. (Yeah, I'm driving.) In Denver we hit some traffic on the 25. It starts snowing/icing a little bit more and you know - sweet Sheila's defroster doesn't work so well. I'm sitting in a position usually reserved for old ladies with massive crick's in their necks, so that I can see out the one perfect spot on the windsheild. I decide this is unsafe and that we should pull over and try to scrape it off. However, my scraper has been packed away so well in the very back of my trunk. As my Grandpa used to say, "When in the field, improvise." So I used the cover of my broken map to scrape off the ice. It did a fairly good job and we get back on the road.
So by the time we leave the 25 and get to the 80 it's around 4. As I arrive on the "on ramp" to the 25, I notice a police officer behind me. I think, "Surely, he's not trying to pull ME over." And then I see his flashing lights. So I think, "Well, okay, maybe he is." So he pulls me over, and comments on the fact that I was going 80 in a 65. I plead the idiot Virginian case, and he suggests pulling over for the evening, as the weather is getting nothing but worse. I tell him we have reservations at some place called Little America in Wyoming, and would it be alright if we went that far. He says that it just so happens Little America is the next exit and that we should pull over. Brittany and I agree to this, as the nice man has let me off with only a warning, but we both think it seems a little odd that our stop for the night would be a mere 3 hours away from home. We call Fang, Brittany's dad, who informs us that the Little America we want to get to is 290 miles away. Give or take a few. So we wait a little while before getting back on the road just in case the cop sees us.
We do, in fact, pass the cop pulling over another car while I'm still driving. Luckily, he's involved with this other poor driver. I don't know if he's from Virginia or not. So after 30 minutes or so of driving, we get stuck behind the most amount of trucks I've ever seen in my entire life, all going 10 miles an hour. We do this for about an hour or so, after which I'm a little antsy. So I go a little bit faster. Not too fast mind you, but maybe between 40 or 50. This is to prove to you how bad the weather conditions were. So I'm driving, and all of a sudden I realize I don't have quite as much control over the car as I would like. I do a swerve to the left, over compensate, do a swerve to the right, a complete 360 happens in the middle of the road, Sheila runs over a pole, and into the median we go. This was obviously a slightly disconcerting event, and I was fairly shaken up. But we really couldn't have been luckier, there were no cars on the road with us, and the median was fairly flat. We passed some later on that could have been considered very large ditches, and we really did feel incredibly lucky that nothing worse happened.
After a brief inspection of the car, we both decided that the car had nothing wrong with it aesthetically, and decided to be on our way with Brittany behind the wheel. At this point it's around 5 o clock, and we realize since we've been driving so slowly because of the terrible weather, we have no concept of how far away our lovely hotel reservations are. I give Little America a call, only to learn that it's still over 200 miles away. And because of the terrible weather, they are shutting the interstate down. Apparently trucks were jack-knifing, and cars were flipping and crashing, so closing the interstate seems the smart thing to do. The woman on the phone recommends me to get off the road as soon as possible, if not sooner. We see a sign for the city of Rawlins, WY, about 70 miles away, and decide to drive until we get there.
Trying to think ahead and be smart, we decide to take no chances and book a hotel. For some reason - possibly the fact that Wyoming sucks - we have trouble getting through to Rawlins. I call my mom who trys to make some reservations for us. Meanwhile, we see a sign for Elk Mountain which is a mere 15 miles away, and decide to stop there instead. We call Michelle, Brittany's sister, who informs us that there is an inn there - The Elk Mountain Inn - but that no one is responding. We decide to hope for the best and pull off at the Elk Mountain exit.
We pull off, and at this point it's pitch black outside, and the roads are phenomenally icy. Brittany's still driving, and as we pull up to the town, we see the dreaded sign: Elk Mountain, population: 192. I think Farrah put it best with, "My family is bigger than that!!" Needless to say, I become instantly terriffied, and positive that if we stay there we'll be raped, pillaged, and murdered in our beds - they probably weren't pirates, but townies are just as bad. So we drive up to the little inn, I go inside - the door is locked. There is a sign saying that they accept customers until 11, and it's only 7. So we call the number they leave - no answer. We decide to risk it to Rawlins.
To re-cap: it's about 10 degrees outside, due to the blizzard, it's pitch black at 7 o clock, we're low on gas, Brittany has 2 bars of battery left on her cell phone, I have about 3.
We continue on our way. We've driven maybe 15 minutes, and because of this terrible weather, we've been driving very slowly, so we've gone maybe 2 or 3 miles. And then it happens.
Sara: Hey B, do you hear the flompf, flompf, flompf?
Brittany: Hey Sara, do you smell that burning smell?
Sara and Brittany exchange a look of horror...
Both: Flat tire!
We pull over to the side of road, realize what dire straits we are, and have a bit of a laughing attack. The realization hits, and all I can say is, "Brittany, this is REALLY bad." Naturally we have no cell phone service in the comfort of our car, so Brittany gets out to call Triple A. As she's talking to them, I have to walk to the nearest mileage marker so they know where we are. While not a far distance, in 10 degree weather, I would have preferred to be in the car. The Triple A people are very nice, tell us it will probably be around a 2-hour wait. They ask to put Brittany on hold real quick and as soon as this happens - her phone dies. We are then faced with the ultimate decision - do I call Triple A back or 911? We quickly decide that this is a massive emergency, and go the 911 route. They connect us to the highway patrol. I give them the situation and they say they'll be there as soon as they can. This, however, does not calm me at all, considering who knows how long that will take.
It's at this point I decide to get blankets, hats and gloves from the trunk. We change socks because our feet are cold from walking around in the snow. We try to keep our feet higher up because we're still worried about them being too cold. Again - this is REALLY bad. We wait in the car for almost two hours before our hero arrives in a tow truck. He asks if I have a spare to which I reply, "Hell if I know." I complain about all the crap in my trunk due to my wonderful packing job, and how I don't feel like moving it around. He explains the fee is over $200 to be towed all the way to Rawlins. I immediately start unloading my trunk - and there was the beautiful spare. Ron, the dear sweet tow truck driver, fixes the spare - AND fills us up with gas - and tells us to drive carefully.
And then we were off! I decide to call my mom so she knows we're alive, and as soon as I hang up, the dear phone dies. But it doesn't matter, because we can move. Naturally, we instantly get stuck behind a lot of traffic for 20 minutes, but we're warm, so we're not too upset.
We finally get to Rawlins at 11 o clock. We stop at the first hotel, and Brittany gets out. The conversation goes like this:
Upon seeing Brittany,
Woman: We have no rooms.
Brittany: I understand, but we need to stay somewhere.
Woman: We have no rooms, the town has no rooms, everywhere is completely booked.
Brittany: The ENTIRE town is booked?
Woman: Completely.
Brittany: Look, we'll take a conference room, we're not picky.
Woman: They're full. Every place in this town is FULL.
Brittany: ....So what are we supposed to do?
Woman: There's the armory, and if they're full you can find a church pew.
So we head to the armory, and we clearly get lost on the way. But we find it. And we find two mats, that can only be described as pieces of wood with a leather covering. This is actually, not as comfortable as it sounds. The best thing about the armory was that it wasn't the car, and that it was semi-warm. We got to hear dogs barking, babies crying, and people snoring. I think we got maybe an hour of sleep. Maybe.
I finally give up the good fight of getting any real sleep at 6 and discover where the Good Year is and where the coffee is. We go to the Good Year - they're booked up for days, naturally. They direct us to a different place. We go there - booked up for days. They direct us to one more place that was surprisingly NOT booked up for days. They replaced not one, but three of my tires and we were out of that town by 10 AM.
So Tuuuuuuuuesday was an exciting day, it can't be denied. The rest of the trip was fairly unexciting. We were able to stay with Brittany's other sister in Boise, and we arrived to beautiful downtown Seattle on Thursday evening! We had a low-key night as we were "just so tired." Heather arrived, and the three of us explored Seattle with some help from Nathan and friends for the next few days.
Today is Monday. I'm trying to get an apartment, though it appears that's proving to be more difficult than it should. Tomorrow I start my bowling league. Hey, there's no WAKA here, I've gotta do something!
Getting Sheila state inspected - $445
Getting Sheila mom inspected - $337
Getting Sheila Jiffy Lube inspected - $100
Getting Sheila a spare tire - $137
Getting Sheila three brand new tires - $239
Getting stranded in the middle of a blizzard in the middle of Wyoming with no cell phones and no heat - priceless.
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