Cafe Hitch-hike

2018-03-22

Traveling to and fro

The Cannabis Condo definitely showed signs of entertaining. All dishes were dirty, my fridge was full of half-eaten meals and then leftovers from the days before the Steampunk Texan came my way. I was saddened to throw away half an eggplant and most of the vegetables used in ratatouille from... 10 days ago? The laundry started piling up. My trash was almost full. Then, past tax documents are strewn on my dinner table because I did my taxes the other night. Rarely does my place get in this state.

We had some dinners at my place. I was so glad I had some food in the freezer so all I had to do to make a decent meal was warm up something I already cooked. I had meatballs and added spaghetti, easy! I then had a chicken that I marinated in mojo sauce and served with rice and Cuban style black beans. I used the leftover veggies (not having to prep them), and that didn't take long to make! Here's an interesting concept: have something ready for impromptu dinners or appetizers.

I prayed for an army corps of engineer-maids to be freely available, but alas, no such luck. I chose to divide and conquer the tasks and do one per day until they are done. I'm usually anal retentive of my home's cleanliness, even with a dog (without counting the carpet in one area), but I'm allowing myself to ease that convention and relax after a week of entertaining.

Work was interesting. Today I had attended instructor training for a class that works a lot with my department; I'll be attending 2 more of their trainings within the next month. It was refreshing to be around people outside of my fishbowl! I was quite stimulated to participate in discussions about working with young adults so they make a good transition into college and adulthood.

We talked about generational differences; wow, talk about making me feel old. I remember when a teacher in the mid-80s told my class we were the worst generation of kids that ever lived. Hah, I guess that's said an awful lot about the up and coming ones. What startled me is now I'm starting to work with a second generation of students! Damn, am I getting old!

I then was writing my quarterly report and felt a sense of satisfaction on what I had been able to accomplish, like genuinely satisfied with myself and not waiting for others to commend my work. Last month, I launched a new project, and within the past 3 weeks, 3 instructors asked us to do something similar for their classes!

Okey-dokey, I'm waiting for my nursing professor to send some work my way. I want to do it so I can pay off the Rafa-related expenses I accumulated... I really, really, really want to go somewhere this summer, but I have to find a way.

Ok again, my wanderlust will be satisfied to a degree. I just booked a trip to a librarian convention and now everything is squared away! I'm going to fly solo again and just see who I can see or run into while I'm there.

Hmmm... if I can summarize my unconventional conventioner or training trips, they would look like this:

2002: My hometown hosted a conference at the hotel where Uncle Joe used to be a doorman, and I'd visit him there about twice a month when I was a teen. Uncle Joe moved on, but I got to see some of the people he used to work with.

"It's Jose's little niece," they smiled, and I was 29 years old! I felt so happy to see them again!

2003: Toronto was clean, but it didn't stop them from SARS. Got to see Wynton Marsalis play at the Hummingbird Theater. At least the Rolling Stones cheered them up by offering SARSfest in their main city park at the end of that summer.

2006: I **heart** my training cohort group, and a West Virginia boy and I **hearted** each other for those few days while in Boston. I drunk dialed a former beau in Detroit and talked to him about Boston, which he had never visited (and he was Irish, hahaha). Before we were about to say goodbye, I slurred to him: "when I first met you, I knew you were smart, and you appeared very neat and refined, but I also sensed... you could really kick some ass!"

2009: It was librarian Oz in the Emerald City. We felt so much intellectual love in the air, and it was so fun drinking with colleagues and a kid who stayed in the same hostel as me. Oh, yes, and I met a rock star bassist ;-) Wow, just wow.

2010: I felt like I had 10 shots of espresso while in DC. It felt like such a cosmopolitan place with so much to see! The stuff I learned at the conference was fascinating, too, and actually opened up a lot of doors for me.

2011: City of Brotherly Love. I took a train from Newark to Philly. I wasn't impressed with the city, but I enjoyed taking a ghost tour with a girl from China. Jane and I danced the night away at a mixer. We were pretty good roommates, too. The conference itself was cool (but not as amazing as Seattle) and a vendor paid for a delicious meal and drinks!

2012: Librarian geek conference in Boston, but it wasn't like the first time I was there. This was due to a death, a heartbreak, and being in a group of the quirkiest women I had ever met. Boston was such a smart city! I talked to a Marine lawyer who was going to speak at Harvard the following day, and then I met an electrical engineer all in the course of a couple pub nights! Oh, yeah, I saw Earth, Wind, and Fire because they were in concert across the street from where I stayed one night!

2014: Las Vegas! The only really interesting part of the trip was going to Tremont Avenue and the many things I got to win and encounter! I must say it was probably the most sedate Vegas trip ever. Lily was my roomie and she pretty much avoided me the whole time.

2017: Baltimore. I hereby swear I will never rent an AirBnB from a totally hot, accomplished and exotic guy again while (a.) in a relationship and (b.) already feeling horny besides. I locked myself on my floor while I was there to avoid any compromising situations; I now wish that could had been different!

Conference 2018: To be determined!! Oh, wait-- that's where I once made a petition to a spiritual figure. Maybe while I'm there, I can get it reversed? Hahaha, no, I don't think I'll have to do that! Let's just roll with it and see how that goes!

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