Because of the snow-pocalypse we got re-routed from Indianapolis (maybe a bit alarmist 6 days ahead of time, but better safe then sorry i guess) so now, once again, i have many days off. I'm sure later in this tour schedule i'll be begging for the amount of time to do nothing I have now, but for the time being it's almost tiring. I finished the hunger games trilogy today (as a book on tape- perfect for working on a cross stitch) SUCH GOOD BOOKS. I really really enjoyed them, and I enjoy the more enriching entertainment (in lieu of TV or movies) while I stitch away at my cross stitch. I'm making good progress on it too!
With another day off tomorrow, there's a good chance i'll have this whole section done and i can get to work on the other page of directions (the print out of the stitches is so large that it fills 2 separate pieces of paper, i decided to start on one piece and conquer it section by section) The pink circle goes all the way around then there's some cool (but pretty simple) stuff on the outside, that promises many more hours of work. By the end of this tour it would be super cool if I had the whole circle totally complete. I'm optimistic. It'd be even more promising if I felt like I could work on it in the truck. But kids, let me tell you.... most trucks (26' rental box trucks (think ryder or penske moving trucks) ) the shocks, are not so hot- this is not a luxury vehicle made to glide smoothly over bumps and dents. A lot of the roads out this way are slab concrete, which make sort of a pleasant clicking sound under most vehicles, however the effect is much different in the cab of these trucks. It's effect is more this sort of constant back and forth jerking motion for the passengers while driving at highway speeds. (My first tour I discovered this and found that a sports bra was a necessity while driving, it's like jogging , and ladies, you don't want to be ill equipped the lady bits do not appreciate it). so yeah, it's kind of difficult to get a needle into a tiny hole in a piece of fabric with any sort of precision, let alone just trying to easily read the directions with everything being trounced back and forth. So instead I just do puzzles in drunken handwriting, listen to music, talk to my co-pilot, read or just look out the window. I like driving, especially in the truck. It's like the difference between a small camera and a panoramic view. You're so high up and the windows are so big. So many parts of america are boring (for lack of a better term) especially near highways, but the snow makes a lot of things much prettier and it's cool to see all the different sorts of things this huge ass country holds. So many of us travel abroad and barely graze our own soil. It's part of the reason I love touring so much.
other than that the tour is going pretty well. my co workers are pretty cool. the hotels have been nice. can't blame the exciting nature of the places we've been- but frankly there are a lot of places in the US that are just either cookie cutter or drab if you don't have friends there or know what to look for. if it weren't so cold out i might be interested in going on hikes, but there isn't much around and frankly i hate being cold. not good winter hiking combinations. never mind the fact that i didn't really pack appropriately for good warmth out of doors for prolonged period of times in the winter.
oh well. well. so far so good. more to come later.
