Category: Travel

Aberystwyth Bound — Part 1.

DmentD8 Comments

Ok kiddies, gather ’round.  Here begins the tale of my trip to Wales, as written in my travel journal and transcribed here, on the blog.  As a guideline, I will do this on a journal-day-per-blog-entry basis, except where either the entry was very short — in which case I will combine a few together — or very long — in which case I will break it up.  Logical, innit?

In this first case, there was a large span of time, about 12 hours, between entries, and the events of which made it feel like a week or more.  So, I broke it up.

Here we go.

Journal Entry — September 14th: Departure

Sitting in the Austin airport, having fast-tracked (surprisingly) through check-in, sailed through security and procured a seat at my gate (#6).  I’m way the hell early, I have upwards of 2½ hours before my flight takes off.  I’m texting last minute details to Pandora, Lady and GonzO, IM-ing with Sweets and trying not to let my rampant imagination run off and think about all the horrible things that can happen to the human body when a plane crashes.

I was going to resume reading my book, but then I remembered this fantastic travel journal that Pandora just gave me.  So, here I write.

The airport is shockingly quiet and empty… I think everyone is at ACL.  There are constant announcements overhead that are so distorted that they may as well not even bother.  All the other waiting passengers seem to be business folk — laptops and Blackberries at the ready — typing, talking and taking space.  Every so often a dried-up biker chick will walk past, all tattoos, big hair, jeans and heels, looking for all the world like she was rid hard and put up wet.

I’m traveling to Wales to see Sweets.  I’m swallowing my inherent distrust of man-made things with potential to kill me (i.e. airplanes) and making this trip — likely the first of many depending on what the future holds.  In a year she may be living with me and going to TCA for more culinary training.  We’ll be playing house full-time and that will be the true test to see if we can tolerate living in the same space together.

Sweets is young but very mature.  I’m older and immature — a late bloomer in the grand scheme of things.  We meet somewhere in the middle, thankfully.  We have a lot in common, but a tremendous amount of differences.  The cultural divide is huge, but oddly serves to fuel our fascination with each other.  She bakes, likes to read (a lot!) and is a gentle spirit.  She’s a geek-girl and very feminine without being too “girly” — she has just a touch of tomboy in her.  She embodies many of the things I value in a girl, especially one I want to be close to.

And she’s nuts about me.

I’m as shocked as anyone!  I have to say, I’m equally crazy about her.

Gonna stop writing, my forearm is sore… I’m out of practice.

My Sweet Girl Is South Africa Bound.

DmentD1 Comment

My girl leaves this weekend for a month long excursion at a game reserve in South Africa, working with conservationists and learning ranger skills.  This trip has been in the works for a while, and zoology and animal behavior studies come a close second behind the culinary arts for what would have been her primary field (to the point where she started with animal behavior before shifting to culinary).

She is one of the most courageous people I know.  She’s following a dream, and embarking on an adventure of her own choosing and design.  Sure, she’s nervous as hell, but who wouldn’t be, really?  The fact remains that she is doing it.  I’m proud of her, and inspired as well.  She has accomplished more for herself at this point in her life than folks ten years (and more) her senior.  She doesn’t seem to see it, but I do, and I strive to remind her of it as frequently as I can.

Good luck, safe journey, and all my love, Sweets.  Take care, and know that I’ll be thinking of you every moment of every day.

I’m On My Waaaaaaay, Home Sweeeeeeet Hoooooome!

DmentD4 Comments

Leaving for the long (but blissfully less expensive, and affording me more time with my girl) car trip to the airport in about *checks watch* 6½ hours.  Heading to bed in a little bit, and if everything goes off as planned by the lovely airline, I should be in the air ’round noonish GMT.

See you kids Sunday evening.  Any mishaps and I’ll get in contact with the proper folks.

Manchester, England Englaaaaaand!

DmentD14 Comments

The flight went off without a hitch, and DAMN, I am never flying on a long trip again unless it is business (first) class.  I was bumped up after the first flight fiasco, and holy crap! is it nice to fly while sitting in a recliner with a private TV and plenty of leg room, noise canceling headphones, a five course meal, free booze (wine with dinner, port with fruit and cheese (brie!) for dessert), and being waited on hand and foot like royalty.  It is absolutely worth the extra money.  Hell, I’m going to see if I can’t pay to upgrade myself for the flight back.

Made it to Manchester, the train ride was absolutely fantastic (take note America, you too could have an above ground rail system that is perfectly good public transportation and doesn’t smell like piss!) with great scenery the whole way.  Was met at the station by my girl, and managed to fight off the mild jet-lag for most of the rest of the day and get to bed at what I would consider a normal time (while only dozing off on the sofa while lying in her lap and snoring myself awake, once or twice).

Had a nice walk around town and to the local castle ruins (lots of pictures).  A good lunch (a full “English Breakfast”, and Fado’s has it fairly close to right).  Back at the house now.

I’ll update more later, for now, I’m going back to my girl.

Still At Lanta.

DmentD3 Comments

Here I sit, broken hearted. Came to fly, but ain’t departed.

Soooo, at the last minute, last night the plane developed mechanical problems. They strung us along till 1:00am, then rebooked us all automatically to a new, added for our benefit, flight today. They gave us food and hotel vouchers, and sent us on our way.

Here I sit again, waiting for my third attempt to leave the country to fail.

At Lanta.

DmentD1 Comment

So, here I sit moldering in the Atlanta airport.  It was shut down for two hours due to severe weather on Friday… my travel day, and I missed my connecting flight to Manchester airport in England. Lots of heartache later (blog post forthcoming), and I end up staying the night at a roach motel nearby — at least it was better than sleeping at the airport.  I rebooked the flight last night before I left, and I’m on the identical flight today, unfortunately it doesn’t leave till 8:25pm.  They did, however, bump me to business class, so I’ll at least be a bit more comfortable.

What a fucking nightmare.  At least the weather looks good, and I have no connecting flights.  So, I just have 6 hours to kill.  Hope this one works out.

P.S. — Jeebus bless BlackBerry and an internet connection!  I can keep in contact with folks, and post blog entries as I sit here growing moss.

Is This Thing On?

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*opens the stage door and steps out in front of the brightly burning lights*
*brushes the cobwebs from the microphone and taps it to make sure it is still live*
*shades his eyes with his hand to see if there is even anyone in the audience*
*shrugs and takes a deep breath*

So, here I am again after *looks down at the previous post* three months, and a patchy record of posts before that.  A lot has transpired in that amount of time.  A LOT.  Let me endeavor to fill in on some the comings and goings, and in no particular order:

» Lady and I are officially divorced.

It was mutually agreeably and uncontested. But… we are still very, very good friends.  After nearly eighteen years together as a couple neither of us wanted to abandon the deep, abiding friendship we started at the beginning and forged all through our years together.  We still love and respect one another, and care deeply for the other as one friend to another.  We worked very hard to preserve that, and I think we’ve succeeded.  People find this very strange indeed, but we figure that the only people who need to be cool with it is her and me.

» I finally got off my ass and into gear.

I have been steadily going to the gym and weightlifting since October of last year.  I added cardio to my routine a month ago, and I’ve been adjusting my food intake to a more reasonable level, cooking more at home and bringing lunch to work.  I’m still very hesitant to talk about health and exercise on the blog, as every time I have mentioned it in the past I seemed to have jinxed myself and fucked up my plans.  I’m not going to go into great detail here on the intartubes, but suffice to say that I’m slowly and steadily changing my shape.  No miracle stories to tell, and it’s a lot of hard, tedious exercise, but that was the realization I finally came to and accepted it.

» I’m happier and better adjusted than I have been in quite a while.

I’m not saying that I’m a perfect angel, content and sitting in my own little radiating pool of joy and wonderfulness, but the crushing depression and loneliness are like a fading bruise: still evident but gradually becoming a thing of the past.  I realized recently that if I have one skill or talent that defines me, it is the capacity to take things apart, find out how they work… and if broken, figure out how to fix them and put them back together.  It is the core of my nickname “Stuff” that I have the tools and aptitude to do this with anything I lay my hands on — computers, electronics, woodworking, cars, sculpting, etc. — and I did it, unknowingly, to myself… and plan to continue doing it till the end of my days.  I disassembled myself and figured out what was making me hurt, causing such pain and anguish and… well I’m figuring out how to fix that.

I’ve worked very hard to be an independent, self-reliant person, especially in an emotional capacity.  I’m learning how to be happy with myself, and for myself.  It’s easy to latch on to another person (or people) and make them the core of your joy.  It’s so much simpler to lean on others, to derive your emotional comfort from them rather than seeking it in yourself.  Once you can be comfortable and happy just being you, its so much more rewarding to compound your joy by adding someone else to the equation (if you so choose)… and it takes the overwhelming burden off their shoulders to be the wellspring of everything in your life that is good.  And it also takes away the desperate, choking need to have another in your life and allows you to relax and appreciate the world around you.  And on that note…

» There is a girl who lives far away that makes me very, very happy.

Those who know me know I never take the easy path when there is something worth doing.  I am apparently consistent with this in my romantic life too.  Through means and circumstances too convoluted to bother with here — let’s just say “we met on the internet” and leave it at that modern day cliché — I have become well acquainted with a charming, beautiful girl who lives 5000 miles and an ocean away from me.  She has the sweetest English accent, the loveliest curves, and I am completely smitten… so is she by all accounts.  She’s smart as a whip, sarcastic (read: a smartass), and she likes my shenanigans.  She’s a breath away from a culinary degree — waiting for the ink to dry on the certificate — and has a specialty interest in patisserie (that’s French pastry to you and me) and cakes.  Yes, cakes.  Her goal is to open her own patisserie and cake shop.  I keep trying to convince her there is a ripe market for it in Austin, and I happen to know an amateur specialty cake maker who would be very interested in assisting her with that endeavor.

She has come to visit me, and we spent a blissfully wonderful week together.  I am going to visit her in September (provided the passport I applied for two months ago ever arrives).  Neither of us knows for sure where we’re going with all of this, but we like the road we’re traveling, so we’re content to stay on it.  Even from 5000 miles away we contribute to each others happiness.  That’s an awesome thing.

» Took a trip to northern California.

Went with Team Dandy and Lady to get the native’s tour.  Had a lovely time, will have to make a separate post about this… too much to say, and I have tons of pictures I can add.  Stay tuned.

That, er, is about all I can think of in this sitting… like you aren’t thinking “that’s plenty, you long winded bastard.”  I make no promises, but I’m feeling inclined to post these days.  My life has leveled out of the steep nose dive it had taken, and I’m feeling comfortable in my own skin again.  I’m also famously horrible at keeping in touch with my friends and family (yeah, I’m a terrible thuggish imbecile that I can’t even do that), and this at least will help scratch that itch.

Onward and upward.  Whee!