Up the coast

This summer has, for the most part, been moving along pretty slowly. This past weekend was a major exception as it saw me off on a road trip through the Northwest Corridor to a friend's wedding in Connecticut. Highlights:

*On the way, the friend I was making the trip with and I made a stop in Baltimore to look at some apartments for her. I've only ever been to Baltimore once, during my undergrad American Literature class when we took a field trip there to see where Frederick Douglass lived as a child and young man after reading Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. While I'm still half-convinced that the tour guide was just some guy our professor met on the street (since the "tour" seriously consisted solely of him reading historical marker signs located around what I think was Fells Point), I remember thinking the city was pretty cool. Unfortunately it was approximately 700 degrees outside, so I didn't enjoy our time there as much I might have had we come in, say, February. Also, if I were to hold a meeting with some Baltimore city planners, I would suggest fewer one-way streets and more (cheaper/free) parking.

*The wedding in Connecticut was beautiful. I'm so glad I was able to go and that so many other people from William and Mary were able to make it as well. When time came for the bride to throw the bouquet, I was absolutely determined to catch it. I'm not so sure that anyone else was really trying for it, but I didn't let that put a damper on my victory.

*I didn't feel well on the ride home the next day, so I spent most of it filling out a crossword puzzle from the free newspaper the hotel gave us (for future knowledge, "Chop-chop to Chaucer" is "apace") and playing the license plate game. By the time we got home, we had counted 45 different states and Washington, DC. The only states we weren't able to find are Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, North Dakota, and Wyoming. Of course, I'm counting Alaska which I didn't technically see until the next morning when I was on my way to an eye appointment, but how often do you see an Alaska license plate? Also on the way home, after stopping for gas that cost more than $4.25 a gallon, I invented a car that runs on the driver's eagerness to reach his or her destination. I don't have all the mechanics figured out, but I'm just the idea person.

**UPDATE** The driver of my trip just left a comment informing me that a Nebraska plate was spotted when we got back to her apartment complex. Therefore, I'm counting it and our number is up to 45. Woo!

I was definitely happy to finally be home, but am also really glad I was able to go on this trip. Getting out town for a couple of days was very necessary since I've been spending so much time at home over the last few weeks. Now I'm just counting down until it's time for me to leave for good--one thing this trip did was make me even more nervous about driving to Seattle on my own. If I can be so exhausted just riding in a car with someone else driving for that long, then how am I going to be able to make it when I'm the one driving and I'm all by myself? Gah!