- Today a high school senior bowed to me. It was a serious bow, too. Awesome, but also super awkward, because I had no idea what to do back! I kind of tilted my head.
- At Monday's fair in Roseburg I was interviewed by one of the news shows in Eugene. I stayed in Medford that night, so I have no idea if it even aired. Then today, I was taped talking to a student by a local Medford station! The other reps were teasing me about all the air time. I think it's because my table is always on the very edge of the room (it's usually alphabetical), and so there aren't too many people around and you can get the whole fair in the background.
- There is bottled water at every fair. Often they come up and put more on your table when you're too busy talking to a student to protest. I brought home 8 empty water bottles to recycle from 4 days in Montana. My car is full of them now, but I'm flying home so I hope my next hotel recycles!
- Best conversation with a student so far:
Me: It’s in Spokane, Washington. Have you heard of it?
SB: No.
Me: Well it’s the second largest city in Washington. (points it out on the map)
SB: No.
Me: Well it’s the second largest city in Washington. (points it out on the map)
SB: What’s the largest?
Me: Seattle
SB (Getting quicker now): What’s the third largest?
Me: Tacoma
SB (really fast): Fouth?
Me (super flustered): Um, Bellevue?*
SB (almost yelling now): Quick! What’s your favorite movie?!
Me: Wayne’s World.
SB and all of his friends, with blank stares on their faces: What’s Wayne’s World?
After which I felt really old, and told them I was disappointed, and they should watch it. *Turns out it's Vancouver, which you probably would have known, but I am terrible at geography.
- Had a fender bender yesterday. Very frustrating, but the police were helpful and understanding, and both cars were fine. I called Travis first because it's just instinct for me to call Travis right away, but he reminded me that I need to tell my work, not him!
- I am getting used to staying in a different hotel every night of the week. Strange. Also strange is that Travis and I are getting into a routine of only seeing each other on the weekends. He admitted last night that it will be weird to have me home all the time again. It's true, actually; I've never really lived in our new home with Travis, so I'm sure it will be different for him to have me there, carving out space and making messes and interfering with his established patterns.
- Biggest lifesaver on the road: books on CD. I drove 1300 miles my first week in Montana, 900 my second, and I'm getting up there this week already. But I've never once felt drowsy or spacey, because the books always keep me awake and focused. But they're not loud enough to be distracting. So far I've "read" a modern romantic comedy (skipped the inappropriate parts; I am every bit as embarrassed hearing about people's fictional intimate moments as I would be spying on someone's real ones), a very long work of historical fiction about the royal family in 15th century England, and am working on a Michael Crichton thriller. Next is another historical fiction, this one about the formation of the modern Middle East in the 1920s-40s. (Skipped the rest of the thriller and moved on to this. It's terrific! Has made me laugh out loud and cry already, plus the main character has a sweet and loving dog.) Sometimes I get so hooked that I want to keep listening when I get to my hotel, but I've made a rule that I can only listen on the road. That way I actually look forward to the drives.
- Biggest headache on the road: non-smoking rooms that smell like smoke. I've never thought of myself as allergic to cigarette smoke, but aside from the moderate annoyance of smelling gross all the time, some of these rooms are giving me bad headaches. One was so bad that I thought I had a full-on migraine, but then I went for a walk and within 15 minutes in the fresh air my head was fine. I am getting savvy about requesting rooms far away from the smoking rooms, and about looking for hotels that are 100% non-smoking. Next year that's going to be a major factor in booking my hotels. Also, how do you get the smell of stale smoke out of your favorite pillow?!
- I've seen some really beautiful places. I pulled over at a park in Montana one day and put my feet in Flathead Lake. I've driven through many mountain ranges and alongside rivers. I haven't taken nearly enough pictures. I'll admit that I'm less-inclined to stop and be touristy than I would be if I were with family or friends.
- I still, after 2.5 weeks of travel, haven't braved eating in a sit-down restaurant alone. Most sit-downs do take-out, though you can tell that they sometimes resent it (maybe because of the lost tips?). So lots of take-out, and lots of putting together meals at the grocery store. I'm super tired of continental breakfasts and complimentary college fair food (read: bagels, muffins, cookies), and getting a little tired of the kind of food you can easily carry out (Chinese, pizza). It may be that I get desperate soon, suck up my pride, and eat by myself at an actual table. I did this once in Italy because my confident European professor told us she did it all the time, and that it was a liberating experience that every young woman should enjoy from time to time. About 30 minutes into my meal (I was only doing the eat alone thing half-way, because I was reading a book), my professor showed up at the same restaurant! She came over and said hi, then told me that she was going to go sit by herself so as not to rob me of the experience. The Italians just looked sorry for me, though I did enjoy reading and eating at the same time, as I often do. The only book I have with me right now, though, is called Heal Your Headache, and talks all about the myriad foods I shouldn't be eating, many of which would, I'm sure, show up in just about any dish I could order at a restaurant. Not sure how to proceed . . .
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