Hear my train a' comin'

Currently reading: Slaughterhouse Five, Kurt Vonnegut

I got my travel itinerary tonight! I should get my actual ticket by January 24. So my schedule is as follows:

Saturday, February 2
- 11:30 am ~ Depart from 30th St. Station, Philadelphia (Train #143)
- 1:25 pm ~ Arrive at Union Station, Washington D.C.
- 4:05 pm ~ Depart from Union Station, Washington D.C. (Train #29)

Sunday, February 3
- 8:40 am ~ Arrive in Chicago
- 2:00 pm ~ Depart from Chicago (Train #5)

Monday, February 4
- 7:15 am ~ Arrive at Union Station, Denver

I'm so excited! I've always wanted to take a cross-country train trip. Back when everyone first received their Welcome Packets, a bunch of us were sharing our travel preferences. Several people said that they were taking a plane because they just wanted to get there, they didn't want to draw it out. I'm really anxious to get to Denver, especially now that I have an itinerary, but I'm in no hurry. Everyone is going to get there on the 4th anyway, I'll take my time getting there. For breaks, I'll fly home and back just because they're each only a week long. And I can see now that taking the train will allow me a little time to explore; I've never been to Chicago and, though I know it will be cold as hell, I'd love to take a look around. I'll have to start Googling stuff now so I have a list and maps when I arrive.

I've got coach seats, but that doesn't really bother me. I'm a pro at sleeping on a bus, so a train shouldn't be very different. In fact, it should be better -- I won't have to worry about flat tires, or running out of gas, or no air conditioning, or having a bear as my driver (hehe). There's a girl from Cherry Hill, whom I found through the Denver Facebook Group, who was also planning on taking the train when we last spoke. I hope she's still planning on it and I hope we have similar itineraries, because I have about four hours to kill in Chicago. I plan on using my time in D.C. by going to the National Portrait Gallery to see Stephen Colbert's portrait hanging by the bathrooms. Hehe.

So I've finished the majority of my shopping. I've got one or two more things that I'd like to have before I go. I have yet to start packing. I'm not really ready to pack. I have a few things coming up in the two weeks before I leave, so I'm not in the mood to put things in a bag only to have to pull them out to wear, wash them and repack them. I have a pretty good idea of what I'm taking along. I've got a list. The only thing that I really have to do is make sure it all fits.

My last week of work went well (he ... alliteration). I worked doubles on last Thursday and Friday, then Saturday and Sunday nights. I made a good chunk of money for my last shifts and it's sitting in the bank now. I spent a little of it today on the necessities that I bought. I'm pretty sure there's not much left on my credit cards to pay off, so that shouldn't knock me down too much before Denver. I'm not going to be able to pay them off before I leave, but at least I'll have the money to do it when the bill arrives and my parents are writing the checks.

I also did a trial run of the pack test for the Wildfire Team (<-- geek). I put some heavy books and weights in my backpack until it was about 45-50 pounds, hoisted it on, grabbed my dog and walked a 3-mile route that I had mapped out around my neighborhood. Well, first of all, I grossly underestimated how much 45 pounds weighs. This makes me feel a little silly and a little weak. I ended up completing the route in 50 minutes. I would have to shave off five minutes from my time to qualify, minimum. I don't know if I'm going to run another test again, but I think I would be able to do it in under 45 minutes out in Denver -- one girl I spoke to said that they walk the three miles on a track. My neighborhood route is all hills, and most of them aren't gentle climbs (especially not with 45 pounds on your back). Of course, I do all of this (I bruised my back a little, I think) and I'm still not sure I'm even going to try for the Wildfire Team. So we'll see when I get there. I'll keep working out until then, but I'm not going to beat myself up over something that isn't even definite.

In other news, my dad gave me his old mp3 player ... which, incidentally, was originally my brother's mp3 player before my dad claimed ownership. So I formatted it last night and loaded my music library on to it. I'm almost thankful that I'm not a rabid downloader; my library consists only of the cds I own and I almost filled the damn thing at 5.5 GB. I'd like to add more using files that my brother has so I can make a running playlist, but I don't know how much more I would be able to fit. Still, it'll be nice to just have it along and not have to lug my cds around for the trip. Originally, I had just resigned myself to listening to the radio when I had the chance (which is not a major compromise for me) because I wasn't going to buy an mp3 player just to have the convenience for nine months. But now I'll get to have some of my music with me, so that's an unexpected perk.

Gr.

Three posts, and I can already tell that this blog is going to be a pain in the ass.

First of all, I don't know who writes the program for the posts but I prefer TWO spaces after every period, not one. And even when I make two spaces, the entry is posted with one after each period. It's just so unaesthetic to me; I feel claustrophobic when I proof my entries (yes, I proofread my entries). C'mon people, sentences need room to breathe! (Although, according to this article, I'm one of the precious few to still follow such an archaic rule.)

Secondly, the HTML coding for this sucker is pretty flaky. I had to repost all three entries and backdate them so all of the fonts, and sizes would stop changing mid-paragraph.

This entry really doesn't concern anyone. I just thought I would put it out there so that, in the future, if any entries and/or photos are jumbled and changing size/font all willy-nilly like, you know it's not on purpose.

Three weeks to go

Currently Reading: A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess

... or just about, anyway. As I type this I'm watching the Democratic Party's New Hampshire debates, waiting for my nails to dry and skimming my NCCC Welcome Packet for any information that I might have missed. I plan to start preparing to leave for Denver next week -- shopping, packing, shopping, repacking, re-repacking, etc. My mind will sometimes scroll through diagrams of the various ways I can pack all of my stuff: suitcase + Red Bag, cardboard boxes, cardboard boxes + backpack, backpack + suitcase (not to mention the smaller bags within: make up bag, toiletries bag, laptop case...)

The closer it gets to Go Time, the more foggy my head becomes with things I'm trying to remember, things to do before I go. The To Do lists and sub-To Do lists don't really seem to be thinning the fog. And, as I mentioned in my last entry, there are more immediate concerns competing with the AmeriCorps ones. One day at a time, one day at a time.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow, I'm catching the train down to Center City to meet up with Alan for his birthday. We're seeing Rent at the Academy at 1:00 and then meeting our parents for his birthday dinner. ... Jesus. "Our parents." (One day at a time, one day at a time.)

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday ... vacuuming the house and steaming the carpets. Woo!! I think I'm subconsciously trying to make myself sick of the place so I'll be ready to leave. Or, I'm trying to appreciate my time down to the very nap of the carpet. Whatever.

One one of those days, I think I'm also going to do a trial run of the "Pack Test" and see where I stand. The pack test is for the Wildfire team; you have to walk three miles in 45 minutes while carrying a 45 lb pack. I'm still debating that. I think I'll just wait until I get to Denver and go to their information meeting before I lean either way. But for now, I want to see where I stand. <-- Geek. Hee. Thursday, I'll be working a double, Friday I'll be working, Saturday I'll be working. Sunday I'll be working my last shift ever! (I hope!) So, hopefully I'll make a bundle of money because it's the last time I'll be able to and I know I'll need to go shopping before I start packing.

After that, it'll be shopping, packing, ad nauseum. One thing I do have to make sure I do on Monday is call the MontCo courthouse. I just got a jury summons in the mail today ... for February 11th. Ha. I ain't goin. I got trainin', suckas. No, seriously. Not. Going. Don't get me wrong -- as an unemployed college graduate, I wouldn't mind participating in the lethargic circus that is being evaluated for jury duty. I'm not actively trying to avoid it. It's not like I have anything better to do. I'm just not coming home from Denver to do it, that's all. Not that they'd make me -- I would hope that serving my country more than satisfies my duties to serve Montgomery County. But I'm sure they want proof that I'll be in Denver on the 11th, so I'm gonna call and see what form that proof should take. Hopefully, it won't be anything like the social security number, mother's maiden name and library card ID of my Team Leader ...