home sweet hovel

i think i would prefer to keep my trips separated by at least a week from now on, if at all possible. trains and planes and cars, oh my.

virginia isn't my cup of tea, but it was pleasant to sleep in a hotel instead of a hostel. colonial williamsburg is notable because it's a giant outdoor museum, but i was too tired to really get into it. i think the only thing i noticed was that it's stupidly humid there. (i must say, though, it was pretty funny to see a guy in colonial costume zip past on a motorcycle. i think he was late for work.)

we did the touristy thing and went to busch gardens for the 4th of july. i don't like amusement parks, and i get terrifically motion sick on roller coasters. we spent 12 hours there. i tried to be a good sport and go on a ride, but after the first roller coaster i called it quits. i dunno, for some reason the two minutes of abject terror is just not worth the projectile vomiting. then a member of our little group sat on a bee and the rest of the day was spent tracking 'welty', as she dubbed the resultant giant expanding bubble that began to swallow her leg.

i'm really glad to be home. it'll be better in august when we're both home.

i had more energy for chicago, which i discovered is a fantastic city. if it weren't so cold in the winter i would love to live there. it's very walkable, it has culture, and it's civilization.

i realized last night as i was talking to a good friend that i REALLY miss civilization. and that's not to say that the philly area is some kind of backwater nest of hillbillies (at least, not all of it), but i miss having a social scene. i have no friends near where i live, and certainly none where i work. granted, i'm pretty much a lurker in any sort of social situation, but i still miss having one nearby.

it's comforting to know there are people around who grok, you know?