Well okay, "down south" may be an exaggeration since technically Kentucky and Missouri are part of the Midwest. But this concept is completely odd to me. Growing up in South Dakota and Minnesota I've always believed THIS was the Midwest! But now that I think about it, that area of the US is probably better suited towards the category.
I'm still working this out.
Anyway, last Wednesday I left to visit Travis in Louisville, KY, where he is a strength and conditioning coach/intern at the University of Louisville. Because he literally works from 5:15am until 7pm (ish) I got a lot of reading done. I finished "Dead Until Dark" on the plane Wednesday night and "Before I Fall" during the day on Thursday.
On Friday, Travis took me to campus. While he finished up working I hung out at the most amazing college library I've seen (not that I've seen a TON — but still) and read most of Sea by Heidi Kling (released this week).
Then we headed towards the Jim Patterson stadium to watch baseball. I, of course, got a HUGE kick out of this. I have no idea who Jim Patterson was/is and what he accomplished — but I do know of a certain JAMES PATTERSON. So I had a bit of a nerdy moment and had to take photographic evidence.
The game that we were there to watch (University of Louisville and St. Louis University) was delayed by a prior game (that went into 14 innings) and I may or may not have just been dying to find out what happens in the last couple pages of Sea... so:
On Saturday Travis and I left for St. Louis for a wedding. I didn't know the couple so I didn't take any wedding pictures — but here's one of the two of us in downtown St. Louis. Travis attended SLU during his undergrad so he was like my own private tour guide. And YES I saw the star of T.S. Eliot! I almost DIED!
On Sunday Travis and I went to Kirkwood Park in St. Louis for a handball match (he played, I read). This park was absolutely beautiful! I was just in poetic awe the entire day. I strolled around the park, got some sun, enjoyed the outdoors, and began reading Hush Hush.
Before we left for Louisville, Travis took me to see the Arch (which I really think should be pronounced arck — but whatever).
I flew out from Louisville on Monday around 9am, but because Travis had to be into work by 5:15 I was at the airport pretty early, which is where I read most of Hush Hush. I finished half way through my first flight (I had a lay over in Michigan). When I landed, I looked for Living Dead in Dallas and to my horror discovered that instead of grabbing Sookie #2 and packing Sookie #1, I reversed it! Thankfully my lay over and second flight weren't that long — but I was still a bit disappointed.
When I arrived in Minneapolis and headed for home I realized that I lead a pretty lucky life. It's only the middle of June and I've done tons of traveling and I continue to keep that up for the rest of the summer (although I'm not planning any more plane trips — yet). I also realized that I may or may not be addicted to technology.
Packed with me for this weekend trip was my laptop (and charger), GPS, Blackberry (and charger), digital camera* (with charger and computer adapter), iTouch (and charger), and old iPod** (it's attached to my car so I guess it didn't come WITH me... but still). This is quite a bit of technology in one little car. Part of me is a bit ashamed of how connected I am, but I sincerely love it this way. I could do without (and have), but I love this modern life.
Besides all of the technology I packed, I also packed a lot of books because I knew I'd have time to read. I packed Hush Hush, Sea, Dead Until Dark, and Before I Fall. I ended up buying Living Dead in Dallas in Louisville because I knew I'd finish all of the books I'd brought with me. I also packed The Four Agreements and The Paradox of Choice as gifts for Travis so my bag was a bit lighter on the way home — but not a lot.
After realizing how many books I actually packed, do I consider getting an eReader? Not quite yet. I'm still waiting for Google to come up with an eReader and for the libraries to jump on board. But soon... very soon. I can feel it in my bones.
That's it for this week's travels. I leave Friday for Sioux Falls, SD where I've got TWO weddings in one day — it's going to be a great day. Thanks for following my Summer 2010 travels!
* Not shown because I was obviously using it to take the photo.
** Not shown