Wednesday, March 17, 2010

My Trip to North Carolina

Hi Bloggy Friends,

Well, Spring Break has officially sprung. As of yesterday,  I'm back to the grind and counting down the remaining six weeks of the semester. I don't hate school as much as it sounds. I actually really enjoy it until I'm bogged down with so many assignments that I can't breath right. Needless to say, the break I was afforded last week was desperately needed and very much enjoyed.

I spent the majority of my time off in North Carolina. Unfortunately, Alan couldn't join me because of scheduling conflicts, so I took the Amtrak down alone. This was the first time I ventured anywhere in the U.S on the rail and I must say it was an extremely pleasant experience. I was able to get work done, read and just chill during the efficient eight hours it took to get me back and forth.

My North Carolina hosts were my friends Michael and Jeremy, who I met while living in San Francisco. They live in a charming two bedroom apartment in the Carrboro/Chapel Hill area, which is an oasis of liberalism in the shoulder blade of the south. They took me all around the town, and even into nearby Durham, to shop, check out restaurants and of course enjoy a few cocktails in local bars. My favorite night was spent dancing at the Station at Southern Rail. The DJ played an awesome mix of old school hip-hop, new school r&B and even a little tango for that ethnic vibe. We were moving and shaking until the bar closed at two in the morning. It was fantastic.

We also spent some time playing around on a website called Chat Roulette. Have you seen it yet? It's a video-centric site that randomly pairs you with an individual in a chatroom atmosphere. If you each have a camera on your computer you can see one another in realtime as you converse, wave, dance or do whatever floats your boat. As you can probably imagine, there are a ton of no-gooders logged on getting a rise out of showing their hoo-hoos and ha-has. We just skipped right past them, naturally.

I always have a great time when I'm with Michael and Jeremy. They're two of my dearest friends on the planet. We try to get together at least once every year, but I'm hoping we'll find ourselves living in the same city again before long (hint, hint!). Thanks for the absolutely fabulous time, fellas!

I hope everyone is having a great day. While I was away I missed the Nor'easter that drenched Philadelphia and many of our neighbors along the east coast. But now that's all dried up and the rest of the week is calling for warmth, sunshine and a whole lotta teetotal gloriousness. I'm loving it. I hope you are too. Did you do anything fun for Spring Break? I wanna hear all about it and see photos too!

Have a great week. I'll chat with you soon.

Love, Josh



3 comments:

Bill Fogle said...

OK, you know how to use the term "teetotal"? I never took the time to look it up, and I thought it just came from "tea totaller," meaning to abstain from alcohol (presumably with tea ... it doesn't work, Mary - you just stay up all night peeing).

You look good in these photos. Is it the black top, or what? Not that you don't look good, otherwise ... you know what I mean! You're just popping out of the frames here, Shaundra. Anthony Hopkins meets ... well, think of another star.

I didn't realize you went down by yourself. Now I see the importance of your New Hope overnighter with the ball and chain!

I always knew how you felt about school. Same with Rick. You begin with total excitement, you knock yourself out, and a few weeks before it's over you are ready to be done. That seems normal for the intensity and work involved.

No spring break here! I'm taking a few days off around April 12. I need to break back into long walks and biking. I'm quite out of shape from this effing winter.

I love trains! My grandfather worked for Pennsylvania Railroad.

Bill Fogle said...

No-no! Not "Anthony Hopkins." TONY PERKINS. Sorry.

Casey said...

I'd love to do a train trip sometime... it doesn't go through Nashville though :(

Glad you had a great spring break and that you are sprinting to the end with the semester!