MONTEREY TRIP...REVISITED...
Arrived at the Houston airport with time to spare in the back of a hired luxery sedan...because yeah, that's how I do that....only to find that there was some kind of delay. Not that they'd tell us what was going on...or what we should do...other than that we should just jump on the back of this really long line which then didn't move for about 40 minutes.
They sent us to the curb to check our baggage, and the curb guys sent us back to the long line, which didn't move...
Eventually they checked our bags and boarded us all up onto the plane.
Landed at 10:30am in Pheonix...I had a connection to make with the doors closing at 10:50am...if they'd let me make a run for it...I'd have made it. Instead they sent me to the passenger assistance counter where I stood for another 20 minutes where they finally informed me that the reason for our delay was because a goose hit our plane and whenever that happens they have to do a whole inspection of the thing.
They also told me that the next flight out to Monterey was at 8pm that night! So...I prepared myself for the ten hour lay over...
I relaxed in the Fox sports bar and had lunch while chatting briefly with at least four people who used the empty seat at my table to have a smoke in between flights.
Then I walked around for a couple hours checking out the other wings of the airport...and took in this beautiful sight...
Whatever it was that brought me to live in Arizona the first time...stirred in me again...and I found myself wondering how I ever left such a beautiful place.
Three pints of Guinness...some more interesting conversation with other traveling strangers...another couple hours of reading my book and some more wandering around...I was finally allowed to board the tiny little plane to Monterey.
Upon arrival it seemed that half of the passengers luggage didn't make it...including mine...and there it was...the end of my patience... But, with what little hope and faith I had left I asked the desk dude to check if there had been a bag that arrived on the first flight that hadn't been picked up...and lo and behold...there it was
Two of the techs from the shop came to pick me up. They said they identified me by the fact I was wearing dickies and looked like I might work on cars...
Luckily the hotel was just a few minutes away and soon I was in my jammies...sneaking cigarettes out of my non-smoking room window...and curling up in the most comfortable bed I've gotten into in a long time, kept company by my traveling companion...Mr. Peep, and inhaling the sweetest sea air I've experienced in a long time.
***
Tuesday...
Got picked up at the hotel and delivered to the shop...
I filled out my official paperwork...met the techs in the body shop...and FINALLY met my boss live and in person. He's as fabulous as I'd thought he'd be. We sat in his office and talked forever about all kinds of things.
Eventually he delivered me back into the body shop where I hung around and got to know the other techs...two of whom had come out of the same mercedes program as me and took in the beautiful sight from the back of the shop...
Later I was delivered back to my hotel where I stuffed myself full of WAY over priced Thai food...took a hot bath...and had a massive mood swing.
I'd gotten into the tub to meditate on how happy I was to be in such a beautiful place...having accepted a job with a boss I already truly adore...only to end up thinking about how lonely I'll be...how I'll probably not make any friends...and again thinking about how this is just another stop on the road of my life...and realizing I'm really running out of places to run off to searching for happiness...will I ever find a place to call home?
Dosed myself with benedryl and headed back to my comfy hotel bed...only to wake myself from a nightmare at about 3am...
Some nightmare about Josh and some girl saying that he's with HER now...and I was just some stop on HIS road...and me screaming that I hated her at the top of my lungs. It was one of those things where you're not sure if you're only screaming in your dream of if you're screaming in real life too...I thought I heard people knocking on my hotel door...and awake I was...sucky.
***
Wednesday...
After being delivered to the shop they finally put me to work.
I helped assemble cars...pull dents...and remove and replace parts.
The boss brought me a part of a car that had been improperly painted and asked if I knew how to fix it. I informed him that if I'd been in the paint shop...that shit would never have happened. And no, at this point there WAS no way to fix it other than to start all over again.
I said the same thing when I saw a car come out of the paint shop with a trunk lid that was at least 3 three shades darker than the rest of the car. It had already been clear coated, so again...the only thing to do would have been to start over...and NO...that car would never have left the paint shop if I'd been in there. I know better than that.
While the body techs would be happy to have me around...we're all sorta hoping they place me over in the paint shop and stop these things from happening.
The best news of the day? Being informed by the techs that my new boss DOES NOT DRUG TEST...so I'll FINALLY be able to smoke a little of the mary jane in my free time
This makes me happier than it probably should.
The bad news is that when I asked these guys if they'd managed to make any friends in the area over the year they've worked there...they answered with a laugh and a big no. They report their only friends are each other (the three of them live together as well) and the other techs in the shop.
Delivered back to my hotel...had another crappy phone call with Josh who has not been reading any of the emails I've sent to the email account I set up for him. Y'know...I'm beginning to think that if he's trying to push me away...it's working. I just might as well resign myself to a life alone...same as all the other times I've resigned myself.
I might make a great novelty item to keep around for a while...a mascot if you will...but surely not lovable enough to keep around.
Filled up on Denny's and retired to my comfy hotel bed by 11pm...
***
Thursday...
Woke early despite the best sleep I've had in months...packed my things...said good-bye to this wonderful tree that had been keeping me company outside my hotel window as I snuck smokes...
Checked out of the hotel and spent a few hours in the shop knitting and chatting with the boys before being delivered back to the Monterey airport with just enough time to check my bags and board this tiny little plane again back to Pheonix...
I had just enough time after we landed to pee, have a smoke and down a pint of Guinness before boarding the final leg of my journey back to Houston.
Arrived without incident...checked into my SG account to four days gone and only one measly comment...(sure didn't help fight off the whole unlovable thing i've got going)...drank myself into something of a stupor with a head full of whirling thoughts and a heart full of mixed emotions.
In the end...maybe I won't like Monterey...it strikes me as the kind of place where all the unemployed moms have tea with their Shamans every Thursday afternoon while their kids are at karate...but I love my boss and the techs in the shop. I'm looking forward to making myself comfortable there...returning to some kind of normal life...no matter how boring it might be.
Maybe I'll be lonely...but I suppose that's nothing new.
At least I'll be lonely in one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen.
P.S. Never did get over to Marina to see what will be my new place of residence. The shop truck they were going to lend me was ENORMOUS and honestly, the thought of trying to navigate streets I don't know in a vehicle I don't know...just didn't sit too well. I guess we'll leave the housemate introductions for when I finally arrive in my own minivan laden with all my wordly belongings.
Arrived at the Houston airport with time to spare in the back of a hired luxery sedan...because yeah, that's how I do that....only to find that there was some kind of delay. Not that they'd tell us what was going on...or what we should do...other than that we should just jump on the back of this really long line which then didn't move for about 40 minutes.
They sent us to the curb to check our baggage, and the curb guys sent us back to the long line, which didn't move...
Eventually they checked our bags and boarded us all up onto the plane.
Landed at 10:30am in Pheonix...I had a connection to make with the doors closing at 10:50am...if they'd let me make a run for it...I'd have made it. Instead they sent me to the passenger assistance counter where I stood for another 20 minutes where they finally informed me that the reason for our delay was because a goose hit our plane and whenever that happens they have to do a whole inspection of the thing.
They also told me that the next flight out to Monterey was at 8pm that night! So...I prepared myself for the ten hour lay over...
I relaxed in the Fox sports bar and had lunch while chatting briefly with at least four people who used the empty seat at my table to have a smoke in between flights.
Then I walked around for a couple hours checking out the other wings of the airport...and took in this beautiful sight...
Whatever it was that brought me to live in Arizona the first time...stirred in me again...and I found myself wondering how I ever left such a beautiful place.
Three pints of Guinness...some more interesting conversation with other traveling strangers...another couple hours of reading my book and some more wandering around...I was finally allowed to board the tiny little plane to Monterey.
Upon arrival it seemed that half of the passengers luggage didn't make it...including mine...and there it was...the end of my patience... But, with what little hope and faith I had left I asked the desk dude to check if there had been a bag that arrived on the first flight that hadn't been picked up...and lo and behold...there it was
Two of the techs from the shop came to pick me up. They said they identified me by the fact I was wearing dickies and looked like I might work on cars...
Luckily the hotel was just a few minutes away and soon I was in my jammies...sneaking cigarettes out of my non-smoking room window...and curling up in the most comfortable bed I've gotten into in a long time, kept company by my traveling companion...Mr. Peep, and inhaling the sweetest sea air I've experienced in a long time.
***
Tuesday...
Got picked up at the hotel and delivered to the shop...
I filled out my official paperwork...met the techs in the body shop...and FINALLY met my boss live and in person. He's as fabulous as I'd thought he'd be. We sat in his office and talked forever about all kinds of things.
Eventually he delivered me back into the body shop where I hung around and got to know the other techs...two of whom had come out of the same mercedes program as me and took in the beautiful sight from the back of the shop...
Later I was delivered back to my hotel where I stuffed myself full of WAY over priced Thai food...took a hot bath...and had a massive mood swing.
I'd gotten into the tub to meditate on how happy I was to be in such a beautiful place...having accepted a job with a boss I already truly adore...only to end up thinking about how lonely I'll be...how I'll probably not make any friends...and again thinking about how this is just another stop on the road of my life...and realizing I'm really running out of places to run off to searching for happiness...will I ever find a place to call home?
Dosed myself with benedryl and headed back to my comfy hotel bed...only to wake myself from a nightmare at about 3am...
Some nightmare about Josh and some girl saying that he's with HER now...and I was just some stop on HIS road...and me screaming that I hated her at the top of my lungs. It was one of those things where you're not sure if you're only screaming in your dream of if you're screaming in real life too...I thought I heard people knocking on my hotel door...and awake I was...sucky.
***
Wednesday...
After being delivered to the shop they finally put me to work.
I helped assemble cars...pull dents...and remove and replace parts.
The boss brought me a part of a car that had been improperly painted and asked if I knew how to fix it. I informed him that if I'd been in the paint shop...that shit would never have happened. And no, at this point there WAS no way to fix it other than to start all over again.
I said the same thing when I saw a car come out of the paint shop with a trunk lid that was at least 3 three shades darker than the rest of the car. It had already been clear coated, so again...the only thing to do would have been to start over...and NO...that car would never have left the paint shop if I'd been in there. I know better than that.
While the body techs would be happy to have me around...we're all sorta hoping they place me over in the paint shop and stop these things from happening.
The best news of the day? Being informed by the techs that my new boss DOES NOT DRUG TEST...so I'll FINALLY be able to smoke a little of the mary jane in my free time
This makes me happier than it probably should.
The bad news is that when I asked these guys if they'd managed to make any friends in the area over the year they've worked there...they answered with a laugh and a big no. They report their only friends are each other (the three of them live together as well) and the other techs in the shop.
Delivered back to my hotel...had another crappy phone call with Josh who has not been reading any of the emails I've sent to the email account I set up for him. Y'know...I'm beginning to think that if he's trying to push me away...it's working. I just might as well resign myself to a life alone...same as all the other times I've resigned myself.
I might make a great novelty item to keep around for a while...a mascot if you will...but surely not lovable enough to keep around.
Filled up on Denny's and retired to my comfy hotel bed by 11pm...
***
Thursday...
Woke early despite the best sleep I've had in months...packed my things...said good-bye to this wonderful tree that had been keeping me company outside my hotel window as I snuck smokes...
Checked out of the hotel and spent a few hours in the shop knitting and chatting with the boys before being delivered back to the Monterey airport with just enough time to check my bags and board this tiny little plane again back to Pheonix...
I had just enough time after we landed to pee, have a smoke and down a pint of Guinness before boarding the final leg of my journey back to Houston.
Arrived without incident...checked into my SG account to four days gone and only one measly comment...(sure didn't help fight off the whole unlovable thing i've got going)...drank myself into something of a stupor with a head full of whirling thoughts and a heart full of mixed emotions.
In the end...maybe I won't like Monterey...it strikes me as the kind of place where all the unemployed moms have tea with their Shamans every Thursday afternoon while their kids are at karate...but I love my boss and the techs in the shop. I'm looking forward to making myself comfortable there...returning to some kind of normal life...no matter how boring it might be.
Maybe I'll be lonely...but I suppose that's nothing new.
At least I'll be lonely in one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen.
P.S. Never did get over to Marina to see what will be my new place of residence. The shop truck they were going to lend me was ENORMOUS and honestly, the thought of trying to navigate streets I don't know in a vehicle I don't know...just didn't sit too well. I guess we'll leave the housemate introductions for when I finally arrive in my own minivan laden with all my wordly belongings.
VIEW 10 of 10 COMMENTS
i was thinking about you the whole time.. and sending you good vibes, and while i was meditating i was sending you energy and open mindedness and peace.
so there.
now tell me all about it.
edited for.. you guessed it.. misspellings.
[Edited on Nov 19, 2005 10:18AM]