One Day Finally Over, Soooo Many More Left

With only 4 hours left before heading off to to JFK, the NY leg of our adventure is almost at an end. Here are the highs and lows so far.

Highs: I still have my health and my belongings. I've accepted Jesus as my savior. I love my wife and my wife loves me.

Lows: I feel like I'm in the 9th level of Hell, and I'm already fanticizing about going home.

The effort it takes to press the keys to type is is causing me to sweat terribly, and it's only 7:20AM. But let me back up. After about 90 minutes of sleep my last night in MI in what seems like forever, I left the house at 3:45AM to meet up with Ben and Cindy, who drove us to the airport. After waiting in line to check our bag for a while, we were informed that our names were not in the system. Pretty much the entire reason we planed to spent an extra day in NY was to build in buffer time if something went wrong with our standby buddy tickets that Ben got though his flight attendant friend. Needless to say, the adventure was off to a rocky start when, after about another hour of calling said friend and pleading with the lady at the counter, we were left with just one option: purchase full price, last minute tickets right there. I'm not going to say how much they were, but I will say that it took all my concentration on all the things I have to be greatful for in my life, for be to make peace with the situation and get over it.

We managed to get to the subway in NY without much trouble, but navigating the subway? Let's just say that a deaf, dumb, and mute George W. Bush could have stumbeled upon our hostel without the aid of an advisor, before we did. It was terrible. After we checked in, we wandered aimlessly around Manhattan for 4 or 5 hours, in 96 degree heat, just assuming we would sumble accross something interesting to do or see. It's amazing how much less interesting everything is in that kind of heat. The one high point of the day was after we finally met up with my long-time NY friend (12 years), Lisa. We checked out the Natural History Museum, then found this great reataurant with very good and reasonably priced food. I felt so much better after having finally eaten and cooled off. After walking her to her car, we headed back to our little hellhole, er, I mean hostel. I'm going to trash this place pretty bad when I finally get home. It was advertised as having internet access and air conditioning. Well, some rooms have air, ours does not. And not only was the internet down last night, none of the "employees" would help me with it at all. I use the term loosly because there isn't anyone here who actually works here. They are just guests who stay free and take your money. They said the owner comes in once or twice a week. They were rude and helped with nothing. This is the worst hostel, in the worst area, I've ever been in in my life. The perfect end to perfectday.

To be fair, Ben isn't having nearly as miserable time as I've had so far but, then again, he isn't doing this for 22 days either. I've also already done every major thing in NY a few years ago with Lisa. The most useful thing I got from this experience so far is that I never want to come back to NY again and, hell, I don't think I will want to go on vacation again for a long time. When I finally get home someday, I'm going to become a shut-in. Where's Jim? Oh, he's in the basement, and I don't think he's coming out.

I've got an idea for a drinking game. Wanna hear it? OK, it goes a little something like this. For every spelling mistake and type in this entry, you have to take a drink. Oh, wait, you might die. Yeah, this is the first time I think I've ever typed something before in my life that doesn't have a spell check. I'm running blind here. But that's not the best part. The best part is that since 3:15 last night, I'm not sure if I've slept. I went to bed at 9PM last night, was just about to fall asleep when Ben woke me up to ask for my watch, and I never fell asleep again. I listened to about 5 hours of Harry Potter, Book 7, a half-hour thing on meditation, and another 4 hours of a book about food. And that pretty much brings us up to speed. Oh, but the best part is that i'm actually paying money for this. I'm paying for the opportunity to sweat like a pig at 7:45AM in front of an open window typing this. However long and un-interesting this might be, if you take nothing else away from the experience, take this: you are doing better than me right now. Maybe you're at work, or about to go to work. Maybe you don't like your job, but you are doing something to earn money. I'm actually paying money for this experience. And today i have abuot 18 hours of flying and waiting to fly and traveling to fly. And the scary part? It could be a better day then yesterday.

Now, don't get me wrong, you must understand, this blog is all i have in my life right now, and i'm going to keep typing until they pull me off this computer. This is only the begining. No, just kidding (sort of). Actually, I also spent quite a bit of time last night praying and working on my attitude, trying to focus on only the positive. I may be incredably uncomfortable, but i really don't consider my vacation to start until tomorrow morning at 11:35AM, after the time changes. When we get to Budapest, that's when things will start to get interesting. Unlike this place, we staying in what my travel book says is the best hostel around. Everything we see will be new and interesting. I just have to survive the next 16 hours, and my REAL vacation will start. I'm going to make it. I'm going to be OK. See? I'm smiling right now. (I really was, but I couldn't hold it.)

I'm going to wrap this up for today. Since I have now gone 12 waking hours wihtout eating or drinking, my first priorty will be to find a cool place to eat a long and relaxing breadfast. The only problem is, I don't know where i'm going to find a place like that around here. But I've got time. I've got nothing but time. Meanwhile, Ben is making his way to the World Trade Center site with my camera. I couldn't go because I had to stay and type this.

You know what? Who am i kidding? How many people do i think will actually read this? About 200 people who know me know what i'm doing and that there is a blog, but who is actually going to read it? I've had this blog for over three months, and i think about five people have read it so far. But you know what? It doesn't matter. Even if only Amy reads it (and she can then provide a much watered down version for my mom, who won't go online, and who shouldn't know how bad this all is, just that i'm safe so far), that's enough. Because, although i haven't taken a sinle picture so far, these words i type right here and now validate this experience for me. The fact that i'm recording this mis-adventure as it happens, for better or for worse, gives it meaning, it gives a purpose (even if only in my head) to the whole ordeal, no matter what happens. So, as bad as this place is, at least I am able to enjoy an hour of productivity recording the whole mess.

As for my next real vacation (roadtrips excluded), this is what I can tell you: it will be with my wife, it won't be for at least two years, it will be to a place that connects directly with DTW, and it will probably be all-inclusive.