Today was the first day of a new travel season. The first day I've ever used a GPS. And the first day I've sat in the dark with the power out in a city by myself. Needless to say, it was a day of many firsts, and I pray, a few lasts.
It's actually been a pretty great day. I slept in until 8am, enjoyed my morning packing and doing "the usual," which consists of music, Friends reruns and dancing around from mirror to mirror getting ready. You can take that dancing as literally as you want. I learned how to use skype, which was quite the defeat for me, ate homemade chocolate chip pancakes at Kris, David and Paul's house and a great drive and half off apps with my mom, Tyler and Jess. Good times all around! The greatness of my morning helps balance out the disappointing events of my night.
6:30pm- Arrive at the San Jose International Airport. Take a shuttle to the car rentals. Get suitecase stuck between shuttle drop of and the curb- true fact. Kick it out- also a true fact. After getting there and getting my reservation, some kicking and grunting included,my credit card gets rejected. This rental car I got tonight, I'm using for almost three weeks, you can imagine how much that would add up to. Oh, and don't forget to add on tax and the extra fee for my under 25 age when doing this calculation, its an important factor. Okay, so I finally get my car after using my personal credit card (it wanted to be used really, its only ever bought books, its been dying to buy something more exciting).
It's dark and it's starting to rain hard.
GPS's are amazing! I found my hotel no problem, with a very kind lady talking me through every minute direction there was yet again a silver lining to my rental car mishap.
First floor, sliding glass door room in the third building from the lobby and cafe. Not my cup of tea, but manageable. I was starving so I decided, like any sane person, to get food from the cafe rather than trudge around in the rainy city I know nothing about. For all of you fearing my easily accessable first story room, I decided to take the opportunity while waiting for my food to be made to talk with the front desk and get any available second story room. Luckily, there was one right above where my luggage already sat safely in my room. So I got my to go food, hurried back through the rain between the building that eventually led to the one my room was in....until.... the power went out! Yes. The power went out.
So I'm standing in building 4 (that's what it's called), my room is in building 5, there is an outdoor gap between the two building, its pouring rain, pitch black both inside and outside now and all my stuff in still in the first level room. Uh oh. It was seriously a hard decision to open the door to the outside from Building 4 and take that step into extreme darkness in the vulnerable outside. But I did it, found my way into my room and gathered up all my stuff. I figure there were two choices, 1-sit my lower level room in the darkness and eat my dinner by phone light feeling uncomfortable with the sliding glass door leading to the parking lot OR 2- move all my stuff up the stairs to the second floor in the darkness and sit in that room alone and eat my dinner by phone light. I went with option 2, I figure if I have to sit in darkness I can at least feel confident in the safety of my room. Good decision? Any opinions?
The power didn't come on for over 45 minutes tonight. It felt like a horror movie was about to come into the ever present reality of my life, that perhaps my life had actually collided with something from hollywood and I was the innocent bystander unaware she was on the big screen at the baseball game and was filled with terror when she realized she was infact on it. I give a big thank you to Jordi for talking on the phone to me that whole time, keeping me entertained. It was such a weird feeling to sit in a dark hotel room, a room that I had never actually seen with the lights on. I sat there, couldn't even see my hands in front of my face at first, it helped that I turned my computer on and kept my phone light on. But seriously, my first day back on the road and I get credit card not working, freak storm that hits san jose and power outage for almost an hour! I'm ready for my lifetime movie now.
So really though, I make this much more dramatic then I'm sure it was. I would not usually admit to this, unless it was about dark water and then all know my fear that exists, but I was actually quite scared. I've never been one to be terrified of the darkness but I'm also not someone who finds no worry in it either. It's unknown. It's unknowable. Therefore, worthy of some fear.
But I made it through. I ate, with the lights on! Washed my face, brushed my teeth, even turned the tv on. Electricity = making my night. So I end with this- I pray that this is the worst of it, that all looks up from here. I pray for everyone back home too, I realize a lot of people worry about us on the road, but I worry about you back home! Funny how that works. :o) I will try to keep this blog more updated this time, as well as one on one communication with everyone. This is my goal,
And this is a random side note. I still don't see what the big fuss is with Zac Efron. I'm just sayin', he just came on tv and I don't get it, well, I do get his awesome plaid shirts, but that's it.o)
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