England - "Almost the Home Stretch"

            The next morning was kind of a blur.  I had spent the entire evening repacking my belongings,  tidying up and making my final plans for Manchester.  I slept the entire car ride to catch up on sleep a bit.  The nice neighbors dropped me next to a train station and I was off to Piccadilly (the town center).

It was much colder than Northamptonshire.
To say it was freezing wasn't exaggerating.

I killed some time and stayed warm at a local coffee shop while I waited for my new host to get off work.

      He was really kind and full of great ideas.  That night we went to curry mile for some indian food and the University of Manchester for a beer and cider tasting. Have you ever had scrumpy?  ... Cider without the carbonation?  I hadn't. The bit I got tasted like sour sunscreen.  I'm sure it was just that brand....?   :/

      That night was a lot of fun!  Although, I feel like I climbed back into my shell that day.  The outgoing me all the sudden became the shy/quiet me.  I'm really not sure why.  Maybe I was complacent about going home.  Thinking about the week and a half to come and my flight back home.  The flight that as soon as I booked; I felt slightly trapped.  Trapped because I felt like I would get stuck back home.  I felt that one responsibility would turn into five and five would turn into twenty-five until the black hole sucked me in.

      I had to tell myself to stop being foolish and just be happy for the wonderful experiences that so gratefully came my way.

      I was happy.  I was slightly shy.  I was cold but optimistic about it.

In the morning I woke up to "pancakes". (He is German.)  Some sweet, some salty.
They were wonderful!

This is the view from the couch I was sleeping on.

       The sun finally came out.  I was overjoyed! ... even though everything was frozen outside.  The weather seemed so ironic and serene to me.  There was a quietness that came with the brisk air.  For most of the world this is probably normal experience.  
        
       Remember, I'm spoiled from sunny Los Angeles, California.  We're lucky if we get gloom on Christmas day!  I enjoyed bundling up in my scarf and hat from Norway..

...and my new WARM genuine leather and fur gloves that I scored for 8 quid, roughly 12 USD.
(Yes, those are the actual keys to the apartment!)

      The week was one awesome event after the other! We went to a CS barhop meet that included dancing and a lot of really friendly people.  I even made a friend who I later had coffee with in town.             

       Each day was a new adventure!  It was nice to get out. Especially after waiting inside for the rain and flooding to pass for a week in Northamptonshire.

       It was nice not to feel too much like a burden for a change.  I had a weekly bus pass and I felt pretty self sufficient.  

It had been a while since I had seen trash religiously on public transport.
I guess it made me feel at home... in a bad way.

        Finally, it was the day I was waiting for.  It was the reason or excuse I needed to end up in Manchester!  Yeasayer was playing at the university and tickets were unbelievably inexpensive!  I invited some CSers to join in the online forum but no one took up the offer.  

         I was going alone and I was determined to have a great time.  I got there early so I decided to have an irish coffee. At the coffee shop I met someone who was up for buying a ticket and going to the show with me. 

     The show was nothing short of amazing. They were playing a pretty small stage.  On top of that there were only about five people in the room when I showed up.  Was this real?  How could I be so fortunate?  I went into a little bit of shock.  Then, I just smiled and said to myself, "Yeah, this is my life right now and it's awesome."  The whole show I had a giant smile like a little kid who was about to meet big bird.

      The venue eventually got kind of crowded but I already had my spot saved.

      Here's a clip:  (Excuse the shaking etc.  I was paying attention to the band not the camera.  After all, I didn't go to the show for the camera.  :p)





       As I was leaving the venue I couldn't help but re-notice the vinyl albums they had for sale.  They were more than I wanted to spend and.... would it if in my backpack without getting crushed?  Would I have to ship it home?  Well, those are the thoughts I had before the show.

       The only thought I had when exiting the show was more like, "I'm going to get an album signed by the band... right now.  It's going to happen." (Those of you who know me in person know I'm usually very laid back, "go-with-the-flow"ish and low maintenance.) This was about conquering fear and proving to myself I can do anything.  Plus, the night was already going so well it was bound to happen.  

       I went next door to the ATM paid a fee for pulling out cash and bought the album.  I marched back up the stairs where the band should have been just to be stopped in my tracks by security.  I wasn't going to be pushy and I wasn't.  I wasn't going to give up either.  I went back down to the merch table and talked to the guy who sold me the album.  He told me that Yeasayer was definitely up there and they would probably be pretty likely to sign my album. I went back up to security just to be told that they had left the building. I don't want to call them liars.......buuuuut............ they were still in the building.

       I accepted and respected what they said even though it wasn't true; and moved on to the next solution. If they *had* left the building they would be in the tour bus right? But which tour bus was theirs?  I felt like a hopeless Britney Spears fan.  Oh well, this wasn't Britney Spears and it wasn't really about being a fanatic either.

       After poking around trying to figure out if there was anyone in the buses I finally found a driver who told me which bus was Yeasayer's.   It was the black one.  I waited patiently while it started to sprinkle.  I didn't have anything to protect the album. Was this going to work?   I tested my patience just a little.  About 20 minutes later the same guy from the merch table came to the bus.  He said it would be a while until they came down.

         I'll stop boring you.... but just after that the guy finished packing his table into the bus, grabbed a permanent marker and took the album up to the band to be signed.

Victory was mine!
I guess I decided it looked better upside down when I got home.
I'll stick to my gut.  :p

    I was happy.  I was in a great mood.  I had an incredible night.

< --  Post concert goofy face.

 

     The following night was a Tuesday.  Which only meant one thing. We were going to a céilidh also at the university!  I know what you're thinking.  What in the world is a "céilidh"?!!   

   This is the scene I thought of:









    It was more like this:



     Really confusing and really a blast!  


     Although, wiki has this to say about it: 

     "Céilidhs facilitated courting and prospects of marriage for young people and, although discos and nightclubs have displaced céilidhs to a considerable extent, they are still an important and popular social outlet in rural parts of Ireland and Scotland, especially in the Gaelic-speaking regions. Céilidhs are sometimes held on a smaller scale in private or public houses, for example in remote rural hinterlands and during busy festivals. It is common for some clubs and institutions such as sports clubs, schools and universities and even employers to arrange céilidhs on a regular or at least annual basis. The formality of these can vary. Some mix modern pop music with a Scottish country dancing band and dress codes range from compulsory highland dress to informal. Knowledge and use of the basic dance steps is not always strictly necessary, and dances often alternate with songs, poetry recitals, story telling and other types of "party pieces"."


      The next day would be a day of packing and traveling.  I was sad to leave Manchester.  I also figured I had already done every awesome thing there is to do in town.  There can't be that much more to keep my expectations up as high!   

      I'll tell you about the home stretch of the trip soon.  It's another five rad days!  Stay tuned!

A successful week and another 471 miles!

The fourth of July was a success. I spent the afternoon swimming with my third cousins and picking wild blackberries in the driveway with Ariannah who is about to be nine.  I have now met her three whole times. 

 Later, I had a ball observing my favorite swine, Mr. Pigglesworth, in his "piggie pool" 

and said what's up to the prehistoric bird they call an emu being is goofy, bird-brained self. 

Much later, I went to celebrate the evening with more CouchSurfers in Roseville. I from this met another group of great people had a wonderful time with them.

The next day I slept in a bit, hung out and then went to a youth church group called "Epic Life" with my cousin Alisa and her close friend Laura. I enjoyed the people and the friendly, open vibe. (No, it wasn't stuffy and they didn't mention going to hell.) I was a bit in La La Land because I kind of felt like I should have been speaking on this exact topic. Maybe thats a little over confident of me. :/ While in the clouds I had a moment of sincere clarity. I can't wait to share my idea with someone when I get back to LA. Thanks Epic Life peeps for the amazing blessings you wished upon my travels, for your tremendous hearts and the rad T-shirt to remind me that *I* have an epic life!

The next morning I finally found the courage to pick up the phone and Skype my cousins in Sweden. (I had been putting it off for a few days because I was nervous.) We chatted for a bit then I passed the phone around to my cousins who are also related and maybe had never talked to each other before. The best part of this whole scenario was when my 91 year old great aunt Astrid got on the phone, as sharp as a tack and spoke Swedish as if she never skipped a day. I must admit; I shed a tear or two of happiness. I was so taken back by the greatness of what had just occurred. Aunt Astrid is the only one left out of all her siblings.

I finished packing my things then hit the road! I remembered northern California and Oregon being gorgeous but, I guess I forgot just HOW gorgeous it really is. California really is golden at this time of year with lush green pastures scattered across the horizon and snow capped mountain ranges in the very far distance. There were olive trees, tomatoes, sunflowers, apples, hay, many more crops I'm sure, trains, bees and honey.

That's the motto baby, YOLO!

By the time I made it to Shasta Lake I couldn't take it any longer! I HAD to stop! I wanted to jump in the lake and go swim SO bad on such a hot day but I ruled that out since I would be swimming alone, it was probably unsafe and I still had somewhere to be. Don't worry gigantic lake. I'll be back for you before you know it!

I moseyed my way through the Oregon forest at sunset and finally arrived 9 or 10 hours later at my destination!

Yay!!! My big brother Timmy who I hadn't seen in 15 or 16 years greeted me with the hugest hug! I then met his gorgeous lady Emily and my two nieces who were supposed to be sleeping, for the first time. They are everything I thought they would be via Facebook yet better!

Timmy and I spent the evening sharing 15 years of stories, wrestling, play fighting, hugging, laughing, being ridiculous and bonding. It was definitely worth the drive and the financial investment coming to visit! Now, to make sure it won't be another 14 years or two for that matter.

Stay tuned! More stories from Oregon coming up after the commercial break!

Driving through Yolo County

LA update

The last few weeks have been kind of crazy! I became a part of the CouchSurfing community online. I began hanging out with them to get a feel for what it's going to be like on the road. With that being said,  I finished moving out of my apartment last Thursday. That was a little nuts! Even though I thought I was making good progress getting stuff out there was still A LOT to do! My mom was a huge help along with a random CouchSurfer that I hosted the two night in my apartment.  He was out here for an interview at a hostel and would have otherwise had no place to go. His presence helped keep me calm and get me through the whole process. For him, what I was doing was not just normal but he reminded me I was being petty without saying a word. 

Friday was a bit interesting. It was my first night without a place to stay.  I thought I had my sleeping situation figured out for the night. Then showed up to find that I was completely wrong.  My assuming did exactly what they say. That is, it made an ass out of that person and me.  After realizing I was wrong I took a minute to gather my thoughts about what to do next. I called a friend a little hysterical and asked to sleep at their pad. I showed up in tears thinking about what not having a place of my own was going to be like. It felt so foreign. When I arrived I was then greeted by hugs, warm wishes and a beautiful woman/friend watching TV who happened to have a cozy chest for me to sob into. (I wonder if she realizes that's what was going through my mind. I don't think she would mind anyway.) I was so exhausted I instantly fell asleep in her lap while she watched a marathon of TV.  In the morning I was greeted by a hangover and the cutest, most ugliest mutt dog you've ever seen jumping all over the couch. I figured this was an amazing start to the beginning of my homeless adventure.

Last Saturday was my art show. It was a success! (Thank you to everyone who came out and supported!) Almost all the art pieces sold along with some of the jewelry. The rest of the jewelry I'll be taking on the road in case I get in a bind or need a present to give my future CouchSurfing hosts.  It seems crazy to me that it took me going on this kind of adventure to finally have my first solo show.  Talk about a kick in the pants and putting all doubts behind me.  There is no time or place for doubting myself or my adventure.  I must make things happen!



As of yesterday. I finally got a response from the cousins in Sweden! I wrote them the same day I decided I was going to have an art show but hadn't received a response. I guess my mom finally called and made contact with them. It sounds like I'll have a guest house to myself. Apparently I have two younger cousins there. One is 24 and one is 18! My reluctance has subsided quite a bit and the excitement has returned.

My living situation is currently awesome! I was asked to house sit for a friend who has the cutest dog ever. He's very protective and scary at first but he has the sweetest demeanor and literally won't stop licking me. HA! Who needs a boyfriend! I took him for a hike today.  Tomorrow I'll go run/skateboard and bring him along as well. I think this will be a good idea. Especially since I've been eating everything in sight for the last few weeks due to stress and nerves. I'm blessed to have this place to myself for a few days so I can chill and work on getting things ready for my trip.

The details about exactly how I'm going to get to Sweden are still being worked out.  I think I may bail on Sunday or Monday to go visit my other Swedish cousins in the Sacramento area. Perhaps I'll even make it up to see my brother in Bend, OR. I haven't seen him in almost 14 years, nor met my two gorgeous nieces.  None of these people know I'm even contemplating this yet.  I think it will be a nice surprise if it happens!

Beside that, my phone has been blowing up for days! Everyone wants to hang out! I feel very loved and appreciated. I am really going to miss the amazing people in my life today. I guess sometimes you have to make sacrifices to conquer much more.  I wish I could have my cake, on this one, AND eat it too.  I don't care about my belongings.  I'm going to miss these amazing people.

Now to go enjoy some wine, hang with the doggie, watch some terrible TV and pass out at a semi reasonable hour.  Yay me!

 

"Symmetry" - Venice Beach, CA

I used to often feel like this sail boat. Quiet and alone in the distance.

It never mattered to me if no one else noticed I was really on a mission.

All that matters is that I was true to myself and my purpose.
Sail on my friends!