The Bachelor

Ok, so this show is ridiculous. I don't know why I watch it, except, I guess, because it's funny to watch the ridiculousness. Anyway, people are freaking cause Jason, the bachelor, changed his mind about who he wanted to be with, even though he had already proposed to the other girl. (Which, don't even get me started on the idiocy of proposing to someone after dating them and other people for like five weeks all while being filmed - it's so surprising they always break up!)

Now, I don't really care about Jason's flip-flop. Obviously, I felt bad for the girl he proposed to and then dumped but the guy seems genuine about how he has been feeling. What I don't get, is why this turd is not getting the evil edit that Brad got when he was the Bachelor. Brad was the one who decided not to pick anyone at the end, and they acted like this was the jerkiest thing anyone could ever do and like he had stabbed DeAnna's grandma in the face. Really though, how is THAT worse than what Jason just did when he straight up unproposed to one so he could be with the other?? Like I said, I don't really care about either of these scenarios or any of these people, but I just think it's ridiculous that Brad was made out to be the scum of the earth and this guy is getting relatively little flack.

Random thought from my flight to Austin from Vegas

I was half asleep when we started to land. The captain came on, said his business, and was followed by the flight attendants doing their typical we're-about-to-land-spiel. They ended it with the obligatory "Welcome to Austin" that always follows those announcements.

About five minutes later, another flight attendant came on the speaker and announced, "We really have to take your sodas now. If you haven't finished them yet, please do so quickly. If you have not finished it by the time we reach your aisle, we will still need to collect them from you at that time. Welcome to Austin."

It was then that the inherent silliness of the "welcome to place" greeting hit me. Welcome to Austin where we force you to throw out soda because we don't want to pick up your trash later.

At last, some photos

For Tony, some pictures. This one is when I was acting like a little kid at the beach and letting the waves bury my feet.



This one was when I was all excited that I was staring into the infinite awesomeness of the ocean.



This one is just cause it's pretty.



This one is from when I was having a love affair with the sand. I miss San Diego!

Last traveling thoughts...

I have officially nicknamed Albuquerque "brown town." Cause everything there is brown. It's a desert with a bunch of brown houses. If I end up there, I hope it will change my mind! May and I stayed there together and when we drove up to our hotel it was called the Raddison "Resort and Waterpark." And we said, "huh?"

We tried to find a waterpark inside but there wasn't one. Then, when we were coming back from dinner, we saw a waterslide coming out of the building adjacent to the building with our room. We tried to go on a safari to find the slide. We ended up walking up these stairs that had signs saying, "Caution. Stairs under construction." Except the stairs weren't under construction so it was really confusing. Then we got to the second floor landing and saw the reason for the warnings. There was totally just a hole in the wall with plastic sheeting leading into an abyss. It looked totally creepy like part of a horror movie set. We kept walking up the stairs and the carpet was weirdly wet. When we got to the third floor landing there was another scary door. May turned to me and said, "I don't think I want to go any farther." After a quick, "Me either!" We ran back down the stairs hysterically laughing. (I know I am prone to hyperbole, but I seriously was hysterically laughing, at least partially due to the fear of the horror movie staircase. I had to stop a couple times on the walk down the hall to catch my breath and stop the ab spasms.)

As for Baltimore, Charm City is a totally apt nickname. So f'ing cute. Not much to say about the city other than that. No Bodie sightings Chez.

Ham and Hootchie Heels (TM Mike)

The rest of the things I want to say about Miami are just sort of random thoughts.

Cuban coffee is SO delicious. I think it could probably cause me to go into a sugar-induced coma, but it is delicious.

Everything here has ham in it. When I got in on Saturday afternoon, I was super tired, so I made Brianne take me to get coffee. We went to this café that also had a crazy amount of Cuban pastries. They don’t really have signs to tell you what is in what things, but being a fearless eater, I just ordered anyway. I got what looked like a mozzarella stick, but ended up having some sort of ham paste in it. Yes, I said ham paste. It was fantastic. I know it sounds disgusting. Then when we went to dinner, I ordered a white bean soup, which had bacon, and sausage, and ham bits in it! (What a magical animal!) The only ham product I didn’t see being sold was hot ham water. (AD shout out)

In general, I think it would be really hard to be a vegetarian here. People in Miami appear to love meat. Mike flew in on Sunday afternoon, so we went to Cuban food that night for dinner. Brianne told us to get vacas fritas since her family loves it. We both did, and it was basically a gigantic plate of (fried?) beef with garlic and lime. It was fantastically, ridiculously over the top. I would gain about a million pounds if I lived here!

I did not think it possible, but Disneyland has been dethroned as the best place for people watching. South Beach kicks Disneyland’s ass! Sure, Disneyland has the numbers, but it can’t compete with the quality of the people watching. These women walked by us with the craziest shoes I have ever seen. One of them was wearing these fuchsia heels that had mirrors on them (!!), and the other one was wearing heels that I believe were in the shape of a woman (the heel part) and looked like they were made out of glass. As we passed them, I said, “I’m entranced.” Brianne misheard me and thought I called them tramps. I was speaking rather loudly so I hope they did not similarly mishear me! Almost every person we passed was wearing at least one item of clothing that was unbelievably ridiculous. It really still looks like the 80s. Whatever you are imagining Miami to be like in your head right now, is basically the way that it is. It absolutely met my expectations. While waiting to use the bathroom, I was talking to the woman in front of me, and she had the most plastic surgery I have ever seen in real life. It was disconcerting. Never do that!

Please watch “Cocaine Cowboys.” It is so absurd. It is about the cocaine trade in Miami in the late seventies and eighties. I will just tell you that actual cougars, not older women, make an appearance in the film. Hopefully, that is enough to get you on board.

The Miami airport is the worst airport I have been to yet. Mike and I got there two hours early for his flight and three hours early for my flight. We had this grand plan to check-in to our respective flights, go through security, eat dinner and then go our separate ways. The first hurdle we faced was how far apart our airlines were. After literally walking from one end of the airport to the other, we had to go back to get to Mike’s airline. In our excitement over gawking at the café in the airport that was from the same owners of my ham paste curiosity, we passed his airline. Then, after he checked in, we walked back to the shortest security line we had seen, which was, we thought, at least one benefit of our long walk. When I walked up to the guy checking boarding passes, he laughed at me and said we were in the wrong area. I told him I knew this wasn’t the closest security line, but couldn’t we go through anyway. That’s when we found out that the gates aren’t all connected. So Mike and I had to try to find a restaurant outside of security. By this point, we were delirious with hunger and dissolved into giggles in the middle of walking to the next restaurant because of our horrible decision-making. Or maybe we dissolved into tears. I don’t remember. I think my hippocampus is shielding me from traumatic events. Regardless, Mike and I had hit killer fatigue. It’s taken many a good Amazing Race team down. We eventually just picked a close place to eat before heading off in opposite directions.

This is where the story starts making me really mad! Since Mike and I had seen all the security lines, I knew that I had two options, and one of the options was the so-called “main security gate.” Obviously, this had a long line, so I went to the other option. Well fucking Miami International must plan to trick people this way, because to get to my security line I was funneled through this tunnel and emerged into a gigantic custom-sized room full of people waiting for security lines. I got further separated into one of two lines, and, just my luck, it was the one with one dude checking IDs and two actual machines vs. the four machines they had going on the other side. It took me forty minutes to get through security, and it I was super sweaty and hot the whole time. At one point, I had to bite my lip so that I wouldn’t scream like an impatient child! Hee!

I have some pictures I will post of the beach later, but I think this is long enough for now. I would like to give a shout-out to the Phoenix airport where I am currently using the free wifi. I wish all airports were so generous Phoenix!

On how Miami is not somewhere Gina seems to fit…

Oh Miami. How do I even begin to describe your ridiculousness?

I guess I can begin by talking about how pretty it is because it really is quite beautiful in a quasi-San Diego kind of way. They both have that tropical vibe with lots of palm trees and high rises near the water. In that way, I really enjoyed Miami and could imagine myself surviving a year there based solely on how close I would be to the ocean and a real beach.

Alas, that is not all there is to Miami though. Two years ago, I went to the INS conference in Portland. Immediately upon landing, and the entire time I was there, I felt like I had found my secret hometown. It just felt like a city I should live in at some point, possibly forever. Now Miami is basically the antithesis of Portland. So, if both of those things are true, that Portland is my secret hometown and that Miami is the antithesis of Portland, does that not mean that Miami is the antithesis of my secret hometown? I am sure that is a logical fallacy of some sort, but is kind of the best way I could describe it. I think Miami would be fun, and I could definitely do it for a year, but I don’t think I would ever really feel at home there.

Quick Thoughts on Houston

I spent Wednesday night through Saturday morning in Houston at Wes and Maria’s apartment. Aside from the ten-minute get-the-cry-out session in my rental car at the Houston airport, brought on by my hurting elbow and killer fatigue, the trip was a good recharge. It was great to see them both and I cannot overemphasize how great it was to eat some home cooked food.

Houston just made miss Austin though. I was momentarily tempted to drive my rental car down to Austin just to sleep in my own bed, use my shower, eat some breakfast tacos, and try to see a couple friends. That plan was quickly torpedoed when I remembered that I did not have my apartment keys. Too bad, so sad.

As one last note, this trip was when I decided that GPS navigation is the best invention ever. The computer lady that reads you directions is pretty no nonsense. I think I am going to name her Cindy in a school psych shout out.

The Mall of America

I promised more about this...There is not too much to say that isn't sort of obvious from the name. Mike and I walked in on, I think, the third floor. We walked into the mall proper and as far as your eye could see to the left and right, there was just more mall. Up, down, left, right, totally surrounded by stores. It was weird. Then! We went to the food court and there was an amusement park next to it! Complete with multiple roller coasters and a log ride! Inside!
There is also a Mall of America store inside the Mall of America. I almost bought a magnet just to prove that this store existed, but then I didn't actually want to contribute to that store staying in business. So I didn't.
If you are wondering why we went, it was (a) to see it and (b) to replace the previously mentioned iPod that started dying as soon as I left for this trip.

I almost forgot...

If SLC were to have a mascot, it would be Wonder Bread. I went to dinner next door to the Hostess/Wonder Bread bakery/factory. It's really rather fitting!

random thoughts on traveling - part four, the random

The rest of the things I have to say are all funny little things. So I am just going to list them.

1. There is nothing worse than the feeling of someone else’s arm hair when you are sitting next to them on a plane and their hairy arm is taking up the armrest next to you. Gross!

2. Ipods should not be allowed to die on your first flight of 78.

3. I am becoming an expert at the aisle- seat-head-bob-sleep-thing. Embarrassing!

4. Radio advertisements are the worst thing ever. Example one, from a Shane’s Company advertisement, “Remember guys, there aren’t any mulligans on marriage proposals. So do it right at the Shane Company.” HAHA isn’t that hilarious?!? A joke about golf and how men are stupid all in one! That’s my favorite kind of joke. It’s as bad as that guy we saw with Patton Oswalt, who seriously made jokes like “San Francisco is liberal!” Die. Example two, “Girls, don’t let guys have all the fun. Shooting ranges are for girls too!” I am not kidding.

5. Pre-set radio stations are horrendous.

6. You cannot order salt on the side when getting a shot of tequila. The lady will look down on you.

7. I don’t understand people who dress up for pro-football games. I’m looking at you Minneapolis.

8. Salt Lake City has really confusing streets. They are all labeled 100, 200, 300 etc. and then to make it worse there are four 100 streets (N,S,E,and W), and to make it worse than that there is E100S and S100E, and to make it the worst yet, some people call 100 streets 1 and 200 streets 2 and so on. Finally at the interview, we found out that (sit down) the streets are named that way so that at any given point you know where you are in relation to the temple, which is the epicenter of the city. I tried to cover the look that flashed on my face when he said this, but I don’t think I did a good job.

9. Try not to slip in ice and land on your right hand so hard that it possibly breaks your elbow. Yes, this really happened, this morning on the way to the airport. (Courtesy of Tony, “You are cursed hahahahahaha.”)

10. Teleportation needs to be invented immediately. No more planes!

11. Peas are the anti-bacon.

random thoughts on traveling - part three, the food

I am sick of eating at airports! Why is it always gross sandwiches that were made off-site and are generally icky looking? The hotel eating is really not much better. I feel like everything I have eaten so far has been aggressively American. If I have to even think about another hamburger or chicken sandwich or whatever else, I think I might hurt someone.

There have been a few fun meals though. In Pittsburgh, another girl that was interviewing was at my hotel. Neither of us knew anyone else in town so we went to dinner together. A friend of hers had played music at this pub and recommended the Polish food to her. So we went and ate Polish food. Damn! That shit is tasty, but not very good for you! I think everything was cooked in about a stick of butter. So obviously it tasted good, even if it felt like a gut bomb. Also there was free wine at the hotel and beer at the pub, so good times!

In Minneapolis, Mike and I went to an Italian place in “Dinkytown.” I don’t really know why it is called that, but it was a cute little part of town that I bet students hang out in all the time. We sit down and there are all these old couples dancing in the middle of the restaurant. It was super cute! The food was delicious and was not a burger, so I was happy. Also, there was a bottle of wine involved, which is always a welcome edition! (Are you sensing a theme?)

In LA, there was a carne asada burrito lunch. Yay Socal burritos! I miss you. The best meal though had to be sushi. The sushi dinner came after a few days of choking down food due to nerves re: interviews. I don’t think I have been so hungry in a really long time. I heart raw tuna! Also Japanese beer is yummy.

Finally, when I met the girl in Pittsburgh, we found out we would be in Salt Lake City and Houston at the same interviews. So she was upgraded from single-serving friend to triple-serving friend. We went last night to the Red Iguana which one of the interviewers told her was the “best Mexican food ever.” As a California native, who has spent many years in San Diego and then multiple years in Texas, I was, needless to say, slightly skeptical of that claim. We were both trying to figure out if there was anywhere in the city where you could really drink. Well, this was one place! We proceeded to decide that we should do shots of tequila just cause. So now I can say I took a shot of tequila in SLC. Watch out LDS! The food was actually good too! I know! I was surprised too.

Now I am in the airport in Phoenix and the awesome choices were fast food burgers or pizza. GAH!

random thoughts on traveling - part two, the travel

Not to beat a dead horse or anything, but airports and planes have to be the most horrible soul sucking part of travel. I obviously love people or I wouldn't be on the road interviewing for psychology internships in the first place. (well I guess it might not be obvious by the time I finish this rant...) But if there is anything that makes me hate humanity, it is airports and planes. Let me begin by sharing the worst of my airport/plane situations.

In Minneapolis, they have Super Shuttles. Mike was renting a car while we were there, so all I had to do was get myself from the airport to the hotel and back. A round trip ride in the Super Shuttle was going to be cheaper than one way in a cab so it seemed obvious that the shuttle was the way to go. Well, the crappy thing about the Super Shuttles is that they make you sign up for a pick up time that is ridiculously earlier than you would leave otherwise. Generally though, that's not a big deal because the shuttles have to go around picking up other people that also need to go to the airport, which can eat up some time. I was picked up at my hotel two hours and forty-five minutes before I had to get on my plane. They pick me up and drive straight to the airport, and we get there in about fifteen minutes. And I know you are thinking to yourself, "well, they must have picked her up last." Except they totally didn't! They just picked me up and drove me straight to the airport as if I had called a cab to get me to the airport with hours to spare. That part of the story is really just the table setter though, compared to what happened next.

I get through security and am sitting at my gate with two hours before we're going to go anywhere. Needless to say, by the time we were boarding the plane, I was more than ready to get the f out of there. I board, and there is a woman changing her baby's diaper in my seat. Already I'm annoyed cause I am thinking, "if that is my seat, than the aisle must be her seat, so why is she changing her poopy baby in my seat?!?” After ignoring my presence for another five minutes, as the plane is filling up, and flight attendants are doing their thing, she turns to me and says, “Oh, is this your seat? The flight attendant told me I could sit with my baby because I wasn’t sitting with my baby and that we could switch if you said yes?” Well, I’m not about to be THAT girl. That girl that actually tells the woman, no you can’t sit with your BABY, cause I mean, still in diapers and everything. So, I ask for where she was supposed to be sitting and it was a middle seat, the horror of all horrors. Now, if this had been the plane from Las Vegas to LA, that would have been one thing, but this was the plane from Minneapolis to LA. This was no short flight. I had this glorious plan of sitting in my pretty window seat and sleeping through the whole ordeal. Sadly, I ended up squished between some lady and some dude, and was completely uncomfortable. Needless to say, I didn’t sleep at all, although, I did watch almost all of Benjamin Button. Thanks Chris! Really, the only thing that saved this leg from making me question my will to live was the fact that I ended up in LA with Shana.

I really find the airports and planes to be the worst part due to all the alone time you have. Not that the hotel alone time is any better really. I’ve been lucky in that I have either stayed with friends, stayed at hotels with friends, or made single-serving friends for most of my stops. This has cut down on a lot of excessive alone time. But the airports and plane trips are the time when I have to really entertain myself, and I am bored of me! Especially since the majority of my thoughts are about how to rank these sites and trying to make possibly huge life decisions with such crappy information. Rank places I want to live regardless of neuro? Rank neuro places regardless of potential city hate? The time for flip-flopping is up! And I am terrible at making decisions! Torture!

random thoughts on traveling - part one, the towns

I was thinking about how hard it is to keep everyone up to date on this insane month of interviews and then I remembered about this thing! I don't want to write too much about specific sites since this is public and all, but I thought I could at least let you know about my general traveling impressions and ridiculous things that happen when you are constantly at airports, in planes, in cities you don't know listening to radio stations that are pre-set into the rental car, and using newfangled devices like GPS. (Yes, I said newfangled, and no, I am not a grandma.)

I started out my trip in Pittsburgh, and let me just say, what a sad, sad town that is. When I first got there, it was nighttime. On your way downtown on the freeway, you pass a lot of sad looking strip mall filled suburbs. But then! You drive through this tunnel, and when you come out, you can see downtown and all the rivers that surround it, and it's really quite stunning. But then! You wake up and see it in the daylight. It just sort of felt like a ghost town. I really can't describe it well. It felt like the city had MDD (Major Depressive Disorder). In general, I liked the site. People seemed friendly and very happy.

From there, I went to Minneapolis. If it weren't for the winter weather and the general crappiness of where it is located within the continental US, I think I would really dig Minneapolis. It was snowing when I landed, and was SUPER cold. I took a Super Shuttle to my hotel, and on the way, we dropped of some ladies in this residential neighborhood. It didn't even look real! It was total Fantasyland style, all these cute little houses with their Christmas lights and general adorableness. It was probably the first time I ever really understood why people from cold ass places want to have snow on Christmas. It was rather charming! There were also some cool little parts of town near the University that I could get into if I lived there. But the weather is brutal, so so brutal. I have never been so cold in my life. On the ridiculously short walk to the car from the Mall of America, (Oh, don't worry, I will get to that!) it felt like the blood in my face had actually frozen inside my veins. I think it was like negative fifteen degrees with the windchill if I am remembering it correctly. I liked this site too. Again, everyone seemed really happy, but very busy. This site would be a lot of work fo sho!

Then, I got to come back to Cali. Thank goodness. I stayed in Whittier with Shana, so not much to say on that end, except that it was obviously fun as hell! As for the site...wait, does it even matter?!? It's in Cali! So, by default, LOVE! Seriously though, it's a good campus/program, and I can obviously see myself there. C'mon life plan and personal happiness!

I left Shana's yesterday (boohoo!) and came to Salt Lake City. The flight and drive to my hotel are a whole other story. SLC is BEAUTIFUL! Seriously people, do yourself a favor and come see this place. There are mountains right outside my window! So pretty! I drove around a little this morning, but I don't think I went to the nicest part of town. It was sort of a weird area. I hope to do some more exploring this afternoon when Melissa is finished with her interview, and will hopefully have more to share. I don't have this interview until tomorrow, so no thoughts on the site yet.

now for the ridiculousness of travel...