Well well well. You're still reading? Silly people. I promise this entry will be shorter than the last as we are only dealing with a few days this time around. Here's how the story rolls on...
I believe I left you with a pretty good cliffhanger the last time, so I'll try and start right where I left off.
First of all - even after indulging in the greatest mexican food in California for awhile, Burracho's white queso and hot salsa is still amazing on a burrito. Absolutely delicious.
Second of all - I totally forgot about the few hours I got to spend with my sister in Rivers Falls before getting into Eau Claire. We went to RFFR (River Falls Family Restaurant) and had some pretty incredible cheese curds. Really good stuff seeing her. I wish I could more often.
On Tuesday morning I woke up around 7AM and honestly had a hard time leaving Eau Claire. I knew that I wouldn't be back for a long time, and there are just still so many of my friends who still live there. It also meant that I was leaving my girlfriend. Saying goodbye for months. There are so many different forms of communication out there today (thank jesus for the internet), but nothing will ever replace face to face communication. Nothing can replace an in-person laugh or smile, or the touch of someone else's hand to your own.
Needless to say, I planned on leaving at 7:15, but didn't leave until atleast 8:30. Most of the time was spent just standing at the car.
After the goodbye it was time for a quick stop at Starbucks for some 4 1/2 hours of sleep fuel and it was off to the races towards Milwaukee. I needed to go to the Department of Homeland Security Immigration Office in downtown Milwaukee and convince them to have my biometrics (which really just turned out to be a big word for fingerprints) read on the spot, as I was "encouraged" to get everything sent overnight to New York City to have the British Consulate sign off on my work Visa within 48 hours so I could actually...ya know...go to England and start by Monday. Luckily after driving some 32 hours before this having 4 hours in the car was relatively painless. I cranked up some tunes and sped home. The weirdest part was the 65 mph speed limit, as I'd been used to 75 (and sometimes 80) speed limits on the way home.
I ended up driving straight downtown and parked across the street from the building which was right next to MSoE's campus. I walked in and asked the gentleman behind the counter if I was able to have biometrics read, and he seemed very confused that I wasn't on his list. He eventually agreed and gave me a little buzzer as you'd receive at a restaurant and told me to have a seat upstairs. When I got upstairs I was met by a giant waiting room that would put the DMV to shame. It looked more like a huge airport gate than anything else with CNN playing on all the TVs and a guard in the corner making sure no one used their cell phones. The good news was there was only 4 other people in the room with me. How long could it take for people to get fingerprinted?
Apparently nearly three hours.
After becoming an expert on Tuesday's top stories on CNN (Rick Perry was "very" concerned about the Texas wildfires) my number finally got called. I went downstairs, gave them my passport, and about 10 minutes later I was back outside. Sadly my two hour meter was far gone and a $21 parking ticket clung to my windshield. (Mom or Dad - if you're reading this, I forgot to pay that. Might be in my car somewhere?) After some lunch I had to go to Walgreens to get a UK style passport photo taken. You'd never imagine how strict the guidelines for a UK passport photo are. There can be no glasses, no smiles, no obstructions whatsoever. I look like a serial killer on my visa.
After all that was done I printed out all my applications, got my photos and passport together and went over to Fedex it all to NYC for the next morning. Luckily for me, I wanted to stop in New York on my way to England, and because I physically needed to pick my passport up there, it gave me an excuse to stay a whole day in the city. More on that later.
I breathed a huge sigh of relief, and went to my parents house and had a shower. That night was spent with my parents and eventually the one and only Sam Simonson. Just spending time at home with my parents is always terrific. I try and speak with them a couple of times per week, but as usual, nothing can replace face to face communication. Sam picked me up later and we went down to Moe's Irish Pub for some garlic cheese fries (YES) and a beer. As always with that guy, 3 hours flew by and it was like no time had passed at all.
The next two days I spent in Wisconsin. Meeting up with some of the few friends I kept in touch with from high school. Watched the Packer's season opener against the Saints at a friend's house which was great, except for the Drew Brees lighting the packers up for 400 yards thing. But aside from the Packers awful secondary, it was a really nice couple of days back home. I had loads of cheese curds, custard, and fun with family. Friday morning my flight left Milwaukee at 5:40AM connecting in Charlotte and then JFK. Flights went really well with no problems. Even JFK wasn't a horrible place like it usually is. After living in the city and flying out of that airport it makes things considerably easier to get around. I was also lucky enough that my friend lived just a few subway stops away from the airport. The bad news was both of my suitcases weighed 49.5 pounds (well done, right?) and there are no elevators in her station, so it sucked to carry those up the stairs.
Being back in New York was totally amazing. It honestly felt like I had never left. I still knew the subways, I knew how to get around and how things worked. I had a couple of friends who I spent all my time with and I ate way too much food. I was introduced to a bar that gives 5 shots for 10 dollars (seriously, you show me this NOW? I lived there for six months!) and this place called S'Mac, which made some of the best baked Mac and Cheese I've ever had. It was really nice to see some of my friends from the city and just experience that type of life again. It really is something you won't find anywhere else, and while I don't know whether or not I'd want to live there for a long time, it's something I do enjoy.
The next morning I went into Times Square and visited my first "real" job site with Merlin, Madame Tussauds New York. I sort of walked in un-announced, and it was really cool to see some reactions of the guys over there. The attraction itself looked fantastic and most people seemed in high spirits.
I know it was only a day and a half back in the city, but it was really fantastic and I'm glad I was able to go. I managed to pick up my passport from some skyscraper on Madison Avenue in Manhattan, and I had a plane to catch at 6:30PM out of JFK. I grabbed my bags, and made it to the airport just under 2 hours before the plane took off. Being September 10th on the tenth anniversary of September 11th, I imagined that security lines would be atrocious, but I was through in five minutes and at my gate.
Made some calls. Said some goodbyes. And walked onto the plane. I managed to book a hotel in Brighton for my first night in the city, but I didn't have anywhere to live, no means of real communication, wasn't even sure how I was getting from London to Brighton in the first place. For the first time since I got this job I didn't want to go. I didn't want to get on the plane.
It was definitely the feeling of going into the great unknown. In a middle seat.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Friday, September 16, 2011
Don't Get Comfortable - Installment One
Well here we are again. It's always such a pleasure.
I think every blog entry should start with a Portal reference. Or atleast a Valve game reference of some kind. Don't you just want to keep reading? The nerdom is taking you...
This is the story of a 23 year old guy who had an epic adventure of moving. It's a three part blog entry, and goes into some major detail. This is my one and only disclaimer.
So, about two weeks ago life was pretty normal. I had gotten used to living in a nice 3 bedroom townhouse/apartment/condo thing with two other lovely people, heading to the beach in Carlsbad, California atleast once a week, and soaking in that great So Cal weather. And as my job tends to do, the more comfortable I am the more they seem to take me not just outside my comfort zone, but generally upside down and around 2000 miles away from it. This most recent episode included a 2400 mile road trip (which was more fun than you could imagine), a full day and night in New York City, and a red eye flight to London with no real idea on how to get to my final destination - Brighton, which resides in Sussex within the United Kingdom.
There is a lot to write about, so please bear with me. I promise huge insights into my life are to come.
Let's start back at the beginning. What seems like a year ago, September 1st. The day I moved out of my place in California and left what I only know now was the greatest Mexican food I'll probably ever eat. I was lucky enough to have a co-driver with me as the Kia Soul started its 2nd march across the country. Her name is Natalie Hunter, and I think she's pretty amazing. To many people 35 hours in a car doesn't sound like very much fun, but with her I had more fun than I could have ever imagined, and made some great memories along the way. The first of which was Las Vegas. Driving to the Midwest from California is a bit of an odd journey, unlike driving East from Wisconsin where there are rest stops and hotels every 10 miles, there are large expanses of land that are practically uninhabited in states such as Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and if I didn't know better, Nebraska. Because of this, you need to plan your trip accordingly.
Day one only featured a 5 hour drive to Vegas because after Vegas there isn't another town with a hotel for hours and hours, plus the Vegas hotels are way nicer and way cheaper. We stayed at the Flamingo, and while that place may be a bit older than other strip hotels, the price was definitely right and we had a great time even if it was for only one night. The pool at the hotel was great (and had great features like a waterslide and one group of people with a blow up doll) and we were able to get a picture with the famous Welcome to Vegas sign. Sadly it was only one night, but we had some serious driving to do the next day, as Denver, CO was the next stop on the trip and was approx. 14 hours away.
If you've never driven between Dever and Vegas, I'll let you in on a secret. It's absolutely beautiful, and probably one of the best drives anyone can get on the interstate, but its also the most desolate. There are two expanses of highway in Utah that have warning signs because there isn't a gas station for so long (both 121 miles and 65 miles respectively). And driving through the mountains of Colorado at night can be a bit unnerving, but amazing (we'll get to that later). What amazed me the most about the landscape was the large portions of Utah without any people. The landscape was full of colors on one side of the spectrum, full of vibrant reds, yellows, and oranges. The rock formations would look so odd and wild as they have been shaped by the wind for thousands of years. The entire day's journey was really just story after story of driving up and down beautiful eroding mountains. Had a few stops to enjoy the nature around us as well, including a small river gorge in Arizona (we were in the state for all of 20 miles, but it was gorgeous), a few overlooks in Utah, and one incredible stop in Colorado.
When we really started getting into the Colorado Rockies the sun was well on its way down the horizon, which was disappointing as the mountains there are beyond beautiful. The dark did have its advantages though. Right before you descend into Denver on I-70 one must first pass through a large tunnel that takes your car right through a mountain. There is an exit on the east side on the tunnel that has a state road which takes you to the top. After just five or ten minutes driving up this road we were atleast another 1000 feet high, and away from any real light pollution; even the moon was trapped behind the side of the mountain. As we got out of the car I thought to myself that I've had some pretty good stargazing before, and while the middle of nowhere Wisconsin does offer a nice view of the heavens, nothing prepared me for the sight I had at the top of that mountain. As I got out of the car I was greeted by a cold breeze and the sent of pine trees. It had been a long time since I had the real smell of nature, (Southern California is a glorified desert) and the smell was absolutely welcome. As I looked up I realized that I didn't need a flashlight to see anything, the stars took care of that just fine. The Milky Way was so bright and beautiful that my breath was taken away. I had been used to not finding the Big Dipper because light pollution was so horrible, but that night my biggest issue was finding it among so many bright stars. After about five minutes of gazing, I saw what had to of been the most amazing shooting star. It was so bright that its tail was yellow as it burned in the atmosphere. It streaked across the night sky - one side to the next - and made me so happy that despite a later drive into the city, that we got to have that experience. I'll say this: I've never seen the sky look like that before, I hope I get to see it again just like that someday.
Around 20 minutes and a couple shooting stars later we were both shivering, but smiling. The drive was another 45 minutes into Denver where we acted as if we'd both had too much to drink: Eating Taco Bell and passing out shortly there after. For sitting on your ass the whole time, driving really takes it out of you. The next day we were set to drive from Denver to Omaha, Nebraska. Personally, I thought that drive would be a breeze as the last time I drove to California my first day included a drive from Milwaukee to Denver, about six hours longer. I have no idea how I did that, because Nebraska's landscape is simply mind-numbing. Stopped in Kearney on the way before descending into Natalie's aunt's house in Omaha. I met quite a bit of family and had a really good night. They were all huge cornhusker fans, so I made sure to give them a wonderful Big Ten welcome with plenty of smack talk about how the Badgers will take them down later this year. Hopefully that pans out.
As the night came to a close we drove to what Natalie called "The Cove", which is where her Aunt and Uncle have a house on a lake. It was absolutely beautiful, and theres nothing better than waking up in the morning and taking a walk out to the dock and breathing in the morning air. Another piece of nature that just doesn't exist in New York or California. Back in the car, it was just six hours up to the Twin Cities, where I'd stay a day with Natalie's family before making the trek back to Milwaukee. At this point, I was about ready to be out of the car, but an old friend, speech, saved the day as I was able to help brainstorm for Natalie's inform. I miss writing speeches. (Karen/KJ, if you're reading this, I'd love for you to send some speeches my way to coach)
Once into Minnesota we were able to meet Natalie's parents at a really cool Italian restaurant which featured a live band and people ballroom dancing. I can't remember the name, but it had a really cool atmosphere and even better food. My pasta was amazing. Played (and won) some cribbage, and went to sleep once again.
Made a huge mistake and checked my work email in the morning to find that there was a hell of a lot of work that needed to be done on my Visa (not the credit card) to the UK that was due to be finished by Friday. I needed a new UK approved photo, a biometrics test (what?) and a couple of long applications filled out ASAP. Needless to say, there was only so much I was able to do from Natalie's house and some of it had to wait until the next day. Still: major annoyance.
After saying some goodbyes to family I was back in the car with my eyes set on Eau Claire, Wisconsin. For the first time in 4 days I was driving alone, (but I still had Natalie's aunt's snacks in my car, so I felt good) but I was able to stop and chat with Karen Morris really quick, which was better than fabulous. As per usual with Karen Morris, what was meant to be a 15 minute stop to see her new house and such turned into an hour and 15 minutes of catching up. She's a great person, and Jack has grown up so much! The night included lots of hugs, laughs, and burrachos. I slept on the floor of my old house (Oh my god what the hell happened to that place) and luckily didn't contract any new diseases by morning. I had to wake up real early to get to Milwaukee ASAP to try and convince the Department of Homeland security to allow me a biometrics test despite the fact that my actual appointment was 4 days later in Waukegan (earliest time available). That was bound to be a challenge.
At this point it was Tuesday. I've still got to get a UK visa, have a night in New York, and somehow make it to Brighton before Sunday afternoon. More to come later.
I think every blog entry should start with a Portal reference. Or atleast a Valve game reference of some kind. Don't you just want to keep reading? The nerdom is taking you...
This is the story of a 23 year old guy who had an epic adventure of moving. It's a three part blog entry, and goes into some major detail. This is my one and only disclaimer.
So, about two weeks ago life was pretty normal. I had gotten used to living in a nice 3 bedroom townhouse/apartment/condo thing with two other lovely people, heading to the beach in Carlsbad, California atleast once a week, and soaking in that great So Cal weather. And as my job tends to do, the more comfortable I am the more they seem to take me not just outside my comfort zone, but generally upside down and around 2000 miles away from it. This most recent episode included a 2400 mile road trip (which was more fun than you could imagine), a full day and night in New York City, and a red eye flight to London with no real idea on how to get to my final destination - Brighton, which resides in Sussex within the United Kingdom.
There is a lot to write about, so please bear with me. I promise huge insights into my life are to come.
Let's start back at the beginning. What seems like a year ago, September 1st. The day I moved out of my place in California and left what I only know now was the greatest Mexican food I'll probably ever eat. I was lucky enough to have a co-driver with me as the Kia Soul started its 2nd march across the country. Her name is Natalie Hunter, and I think she's pretty amazing. To many people 35 hours in a car doesn't sound like very much fun, but with her I had more fun than I could have ever imagined, and made some great memories along the way. The first of which was Las Vegas. Driving to the Midwest from California is a bit of an odd journey, unlike driving East from Wisconsin where there are rest stops and hotels every 10 miles, there are large expanses of land that are practically uninhabited in states such as Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and if I didn't know better, Nebraska. Because of this, you need to plan your trip accordingly.
Day one only featured a 5 hour drive to Vegas because after Vegas there isn't another town with a hotel for hours and hours, plus the Vegas hotels are way nicer and way cheaper. We stayed at the Flamingo, and while that place may be a bit older than other strip hotels, the price was definitely right and we had a great time even if it was for only one night. The pool at the hotel was great (and had great features like a waterslide and one group of people with a blow up doll) and we were able to get a picture with the famous Welcome to Vegas sign. Sadly it was only one night, but we had some serious driving to do the next day, as Denver, CO was the next stop on the trip and was approx. 14 hours away.
If you've never driven between Dever and Vegas, I'll let you in on a secret. It's absolutely beautiful, and probably one of the best drives anyone can get on the interstate, but its also the most desolate. There are two expanses of highway in Utah that have warning signs because there isn't a gas station for so long (both 121 miles and 65 miles respectively). And driving through the mountains of Colorado at night can be a bit unnerving, but amazing (we'll get to that later). What amazed me the most about the landscape was the large portions of Utah without any people. The landscape was full of colors on one side of the spectrum, full of vibrant reds, yellows, and oranges. The rock formations would look so odd and wild as they have been shaped by the wind for thousands of years. The entire day's journey was really just story after story of driving up and down beautiful eroding mountains. Had a few stops to enjoy the nature around us as well, including a small river gorge in Arizona (we were in the state for all of 20 miles, but it was gorgeous), a few overlooks in Utah, and one incredible stop in Colorado.
When we really started getting into the Colorado Rockies the sun was well on its way down the horizon, which was disappointing as the mountains there are beyond beautiful. The dark did have its advantages though. Right before you descend into Denver on I-70 one must first pass through a large tunnel that takes your car right through a mountain. There is an exit on the east side on the tunnel that has a state road which takes you to the top. After just five or ten minutes driving up this road we were atleast another 1000 feet high, and away from any real light pollution; even the moon was trapped behind the side of the mountain. As we got out of the car I thought to myself that I've had some pretty good stargazing before, and while the middle of nowhere Wisconsin does offer a nice view of the heavens, nothing prepared me for the sight I had at the top of that mountain. As I got out of the car I was greeted by a cold breeze and the sent of pine trees. It had been a long time since I had the real smell of nature, (Southern California is a glorified desert) and the smell was absolutely welcome. As I looked up I realized that I didn't need a flashlight to see anything, the stars took care of that just fine. The Milky Way was so bright and beautiful that my breath was taken away. I had been used to not finding the Big Dipper because light pollution was so horrible, but that night my biggest issue was finding it among so many bright stars. After about five minutes of gazing, I saw what had to of been the most amazing shooting star. It was so bright that its tail was yellow as it burned in the atmosphere. It streaked across the night sky - one side to the next - and made me so happy that despite a later drive into the city, that we got to have that experience. I'll say this: I've never seen the sky look like that before, I hope I get to see it again just like that someday.
Around 20 minutes and a couple shooting stars later we were both shivering, but smiling. The drive was another 45 minutes into Denver where we acted as if we'd both had too much to drink: Eating Taco Bell and passing out shortly there after. For sitting on your ass the whole time, driving really takes it out of you. The next day we were set to drive from Denver to Omaha, Nebraska. Personally, I thought that drive would be a breeze as the last time I drove to California my first day included a drive from Milwaukee to Denver, about six hours longer. I have no idea how I did that, because Nebraska's landscape is simply mind-numbing. Stopped in Kearney on the way before descending into Natalie's aunt's house in Omaha. I met quite a bit of family and had a really good night. They were all huge cornhusker fans, so I made sure to give them a wonderful Big Ten welcome with plenty of smack talk about how the Badgers will take them down later this year. Hopefully that pans out.
As the night came to a close we drove to what Natalie called "The Cove", which is where her Aunt and Uncle have a house on a lake. It was absolutely beautiful, and theres nothing better than waking up in the morning and taking a walk out to the dock and breathing in the morning air. Another piece of nature that just doesn't exist in New York or California. Back in the car, it was just six hours up to the Twin Cities, where I'd stay a day with Natalie's family before making the trek back to Milwaukee. At this point, I was about ready to be out of the car, but an old friend, speech, saved the day as I was able to help brainstorm for Natalie's inform. I miss writing speeches. (Karen/KJ, if you're reading this, I'd love for you to send some speeches my way to coach)
Once into Minnesota we were able to meet Natalie's parents at a really cool Italian restaurant which featured a live band and people ballroom dancing. I can't remember the name, but it had a really cool atmosphere and even better food. My pasta was amazing. Played (and won) some cribbage, and went to sleep once again.
Made a huge mistake and checked my work email in the morning to find that there was a hell of a lot of work that needed to be done on my Visa (not the credit card) to the UK that was due to be finished by Friday. I needed a new UK approved photo, a biometrics test (what?) and a couple of long applications filled out ASAP. Needless to say, there was only so much I was able to do from Natalie's house and some of it had to wait until the next day. Still: major annoyance.
After saying some goodbyes to family I was back in the car with my eyes set on Eau Claire, Wisconsin. For the first time in 4 days I was driving alone, (but I still had Natalie's aunt's snacks in my car, so I felt good) but I was able to stop and chat with Karen Morris really quick, which was better than fabulous. As per usual with Karen Morris, what was meant to be a 15 minute stop to see her new house and such turned into an hour and 15 minutes of catching up. She's a great person, and Jack has grown up so much! The night included lots of hugs, laughs, and burrachos. I slept on the floor of my old house (Oh my god what the hell happened to that place) and luckily didn't contract any new diseases by morning. I had to wake up real early to get to Milwaukee ASAP to try and convince the Department of Homeland security to allow me a biometrics test despite the fact that my actual appointment was 4 days later in Waukegan (earliest time available). That was bound to be a challenge.
At this point it was Tuesday. I've still got to get a UK visa, have a night in New York, and somehow make it to Brighton before Sunday afternoon. More to come later.
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