Thoughts From a Day of Traveling

Note: These are all things I either wrote down or mentally took note of yesterday. It was the long haul  from BOS to ORD (better known as Boston to Chicago). It's safe to say, it feels good to be back.

There's no sense in setting an alarm on traveling days. My anxiety will wake me up long before the sun rises.

I should not be allowed to pack on my own. Moderation is a word I always seem to forget.

Yes, I will cry if both of my parents take me to the airport but I want them to both go anyways.

Alex Ingram sounds like a really great fictional crime-fighter (taken from a rusting metal sign, hanging over a sketchy used car lot in Lynn).

I need to spend more time looking up at buildings. You lose sight of such beautiful architecture when you focus too much at not tripping over your own feet (although, that is a legitimate cause for concern).

This glasses salesman is really attractive with his blond mustache and gypsy themed tattoos. He could probably talk me into buying multiple pairs of glasses regardless of the fact that I already have two pairs.

I need to find a nice little Italian grocery store in Chicago. I just love the feeling of the North End. Samples of olive oil and sea salt chocolate don't hurt either.

Finding a box of books on the sidewalk is always so enticing. You rummage though them only to find yourself carrying the entire box back to the car. It helps to have parents that support such acts.

Maybe a fresh Caprese sandwich with help hold off the waterworks for a little while. Maybe eating it in the back seat of the car, on the way to the airport will make it a bittersweet sandwich.

Your mom will always call you "baby girl" regardless of the fact that you are A) eighteen years old and registered to vote and B) the oldest child and therefore, not the baby.

I would expect there to be more crying on the sidewalk of terminal C. No mournful goodbyes? No happy returns? Is it only me?

Occasionally TSA agents will take pity on you and help you load your overpacked suitcase onto the conveyer belt. You will find yourself saying thank you multiple times even after you break your fingernails so they sort of bleed.

I should stop trying to make myself smaller on airplanes. Yes, I am half the size of the man sitting next to me but that doesn't mean he deserves half of my seat. You will feel claustrophobic at times. Always get Ginger Ale.

The city looks beautiful from up here. The sun is setting and the streetlights make every avenue look like a airport runway. Even the ice on Lake Michigan looks inviting.

Wow, this terminal has the most terribly labeled signs. Where is ground transportation? Hell if I know.

Dammit, I still have to do laundry. Well, at least I'll have nice, clean sheets to crawl into tonight.

Broken shipping box- screw you UPS. The coffee pot is safe but an embroidery hoop didn't make it in one piece. Also, one shoe is missing? Yeah, never doing this again.

Hug. Lots of hugs. That's exactly what I needed. I can't even keep my eyes open. I should go to bed.

Tomorrow is a new start.