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My Profile
Fairytales for a Practical Princess - 2008-11-30
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12:24 p.m. - 2004-08-17
I finally tracked down the proper train schedules. Metro-North and Amtrak apparently don’t want anyone riding their trains. The schedules are a deep dark secret and only after many hours of frustrating trolling through horribly designed websites I found the right times and train lines. The ‘search’ and ‘trip planners’ are worse than useless. Like does a train company really need the street address of Penn Station? To my way of thinking if a train company doesn’t know where Penn Station is they need more help than I do. Besides it’s not like I can say to the conductor, “See here my good man, I’m feeling peckish. Instead of Penn Station you may take me to Zabars.” On Friday I am going to have to take the pre-dawn train to get into the city to get my train to DC. This means I will be smushed in on the most crowded train of the day with the grouchiest of the commuters. The ones who have their ‘assigned’ seat and will not be pleased some tourist is in it. I am prepared for swearing and possibly some swatting with a rolled up Daily News. Those commuters are a surly bunch. However if the attitude gets too thick I will loftily point out it wasn’t MY idea they move up here and have to schlep 2 hours each way to get to their jobs. Why didn’t they just stay down in the city where they belong? Score one for the local girl. After the delightful jaunt I took in January I know what I’m in for and am planning accordingly. Frequent potty stops and I’ll blow the big bucks on porters. I had been toying with the idea of traveling without my stick. Feeling pretty strong these days and a cane is cumbersome to carry. However I know my butt will be dragging by the time I get to our nation’s capital and I will be grateful for the slender, but steady support of my stick. Besides, if those commuters on the first train are too rambunctious I can whack them. Like a cop would arrest a poor cripple for assault. I am going to be a scary old lady, I tell you what. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ohmygod! Lisa said the nicest thing! She told me to watch myself, I was getting too thin! HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! That is THE first time anyone has ever told me I was too thin. Ever. In my whole life. While delightful and flattering, you all will see from the pics taken this weekend that I am still a rather daunting person and am in no danger of being carried away on the wind. Lisa just loves me is all. Quite the obverse of the long AWOL Maria. She came by yesterday in full rant. As my Spanish isn’t good enough to keep up, I waited until she wound down. I understood there was some problem with her BIL, Hector, but what the problem was I couldn’t get until she switched to English. After the bi-lingual torrent slowed I took her on a tour of the Hobbit House and grounds. We e-mail and occasionally phone, but she’d only been here once before and that was just after we closed. Many, many, many moons since we’ve seen each other in the flesh. I waited. And waited. And waited. Finally I asked if she noticed anything different about me. She said, “Yeah, your Spanish used to be better.” I guess I looked a bit miffed, so she added, “You got the house fixed up cute, though.” I shook my head, said thanks and then (rather stridently) pointed out I’d lost 67 pounds. Her reply? “Yeah? I wish that cow Hector is with would lose some weight.” It’s good to have friends. Buenos tardes, ~LA
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