WHAT I DID ON SUMMER VACATION

What a trip. In all the driving we did, we could have gone to Iowa and then some. It was a lot of fun, though, and definitely worth the trip.

We left directly after I got off work for Alexandria, VA, where Dan has a college friend that we were crashing with. We encountered torrential downpours and hit the NYC area right around 5pm--awesome. $30-40 in tolls took us on the NJ turnpike, through Delaware, Maryland, and eventually into Virginia. We saw an amazing sunset in Delaware. There was a lot of construction, and therefore traffic, in Maryland. We arrived around 11:30 at night and had our car cased by a scary thug while we were unloading it. He asked if we had a cigarette while peering into our car, presumably to see if we had any valuables worth breaking the windows for. Thankfully, we do not.

Thursday Dan had a rally to attend, and I decided to head off to Georgetown. I never go on adventures on my own anymore, so it was exciting to be in a new city and figure it out without anyone else to help me. Washington is extremely easy to navigate, especially the metro system, so it wasn't challenging. Georgetown was pretty stupid, mostly filled with high-end shops. I walked along the canal, which was green and smelly, and then found cover from the nearly 100 degree heat in a mall. I explored more, and eventually ended up in a Barnes & Noble cafe. I spent an hour or two reading there, and then went back to meet Dan. After a fiasco where we couldn't find each other in the train station, due to it's size and the fact that Dan's phone didn't have reception, we headed to Annapolis to meet a friend for dinner.

I had a soft shell crab sandwich for dinner. Now, when I ordered it, I was thinking "Oh, yummy. I like crab." When this came to the table:

I was somewhat surprised. This is not an actual picture of my soft shell crab sandwich, but you get the idea. It was delicious, definitely the freshest seafood I've eaten. YUM!

Friday was spent seeing the sights in Washington. We didn't have very much time there because we had to drive up to Western NY that night and didn't want to be in the car too late, but we saw a lot: The White House, the Museum of Natural History, the Washington Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Vietnam Memorial. You could spend a week there and not see everything, especially with all of the museums. Which, by the way, are all free. I didn't like D.C. that much, but I would like to explore more of the museums.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Best. Week. Ever.

This has got to be the most exciting week of my life. Today I rode a HORSE. I have never ridden a horse before, or any animal for that matter. Furthermore, I am afraid of horses. I don't really want to talk about it, but...they have human teeth. However, I conquered my fears and am no longer afraid of horses, and will most likely ride more in the future. It was very zen, and my horse was like a robot who followed the horse in front of it, making it unnecessary for me to do much more than hold on. Which I did tightly. We trotted a few times, which was fun/terrifying. I was bouncing everywhere. Oh, and here's a picture of me from today:

But seriously, Simone took some pictures and they will be on facebook at some point.

As if that wasn't enough, Dan and I are getting ready for our road trip to Washington D.C. and then to Western NY. Eeee! We are leaving right after work on Wednesday, and Thursday Dan will be partaking in a protest for health care so I'll have the day to myself to explore the city. I rarely go on solo adventures these days, so this will be fun. Friday we are going to tour D.C. together; I think we're going to check out the White House and then the National Mall. We're driving up to Western NY Friday afternoon, and going to Niagara Falls on Saturday, where we will ride on the Maid of the Mist. Then Sunday will be a tour of Geneseo. We're seeing many friends (mostly college friends of Dan's) and will have many adventures.

No such thing as a great apartment

Perhaps it's just my luck, but for me the word "apartment" is synonymous with "mice" and "noisy neighbors". Someday I will live in a house with a great big yard, far away from any other humans, with pest control on speed dial.

Our last apartment was not great, it was tiny and stupid and full* of mice in the winter. It was, however, quiet. Each night, when it was time for me to go beddy-bye in preparation for work, which begins for me each day at 5:30 or 6a.m., there was no thudding bass, no 20 year olds screaming and laughing. All sounds were easily drowned out by a fan on low.

Our current apartment, by all appearances, is great. It's big, especially the kitchen, it's got a balcony out back, tons of sunlight, it's downtown, and it's wicked cheap. What I didn't know when I signed the lease was that it came with a neighbor with a penchant for parties and a love of the unnecessarily loud bass. In fact, when asked about the noise level in the apartment, the realtor insisted that the people were professional adults and therefore quiet.

Dan has talked to them twice at night about turning the music down, and I went over there yesterday when my lovely nap was cut short by that damn bass. Two fans on high couldn't drown out the thumping, but when I asked him to turn it down he stared at me blankly and said "It's not that loud." What might have been a quick and cordial conversation turned into an argument, and we are now enemies. I. Hate. Him. Perhaps he will now wrap his tiny brain around the idea what we can hear his bass, and we don't like it; if not, maybe the landlord will be more convincing. If not, I could get a pet bear and send him over to discuss the music.

*this is a slight exaggeration

This summer...

...I'm going to ride a horse and go to a NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK concert (tomorrow!!!1!!1) and go to the great escape and go to Washington D.C. and Niagara Falls and go roller skating!

Best. Summer. Ever.