continued adventures...

I am back in Cleveland now and can finish my recounting of the trips events from the relative comport of the TV room.

Now...where was I? Oh, yes. Dinner. Alex, Mer, Elle and Shelly meet Lindsay, Kevin and his new girlfriend Niki and walk over to the Elephant and Castle, a Canadian chain of faux british pubs, from some metro stop or other. Jeff, Cory and Jen join us. I debate what to eat and settle on Bangers and Mash, which Jen also has. I engage Niki in conversation after I speak to Jen for around 15 minutes and feel I am being rude. Lindsay mostly talks to Kevin; Mer, Alex and Shelly converse and cory speaks to them sometimes. Jeff looks sullen and is mad that I broke our pact to unawkward the dinner by engaging in conversation. I later move to that end of the table and have desert with him and shelly. It is a brownie sundae, it is fairly good.

I then suggest that we walk back to campus- everyone except Jen humors me and we proceed minus Jen who takes the bus back to Gtown with the intention of going clubbing in Adams Morgan on our walk through the slightly humid, though quite pretty dc evening. The streets are practically empty downtown. We take Niki past the White House, which she has never seen, and I of course feel a rush of patriotism. Shut up, I did. After many more minutes we cross into Georgetown. We then go to the crepe place, but we are still all to full to eat anything else. I buy a bottle of water which I will later lose in mer's room.

We then return to school. Alex, Mer, Shelly, Cory and I then watch High School Musical 2. This was not my idea. I find it momentarily diverting. Then Cory makes us sing karaoke. I, however, do not participate. A. I cannot sing. B. I have not seen the first HSM from which the karaoke is taken. There is much laughter during this time, we make fun of Alex who has a very strange laugh and many other things. Shelly and I walk back to her apartment around 1 and go to sleep around 3 for some reason or other.

Day 3/Sunday
Today I wake up at 11:20 to go meet my floormates to go to Adams Morgan Day. I hurry only to arrive and find that they themselves are not ready. I drink water while they finish their preparations. We deport on the 12:22 G2 which we take to Dupont. Before we take the red line, we sample the fresh produce being sold in the farmers market outside the metro stop. There are several fruit growers selling their peaches, and apples. There are also people selling crab cakes, and the sample is rather good, so I decide that when we return, I will buy one for dinner. Then take the metro to adams morgan.

The Adams Morgan stop is buried deep within the earth and ascending the escalators from the bottom is like leaving the deepest reaches of hades. There is only darkness as you climb out of the pit, until, finally, you see that hopeful light and move towards it, leaving the bowels of WMATA as you climb a seemingly endless staircase and appear next to a starbucks and two restaurnats that offer all day happy hour. After a brief sojourn acroos a bridge you arrive at the main drag of am. It is blocked off by a police car and serveral metal barriers and the street is backed with people at this end listening to a regee band play. They crowd seemes enraptured by the music and we all wait for half a song before moving into the throng of people, food, and comercialied products that line the street. There isn't anything really to buy here that I would like. I briefly contemplate buying my sister a headband, but I'm broke anyway, so I refrain. We wander for more than an hour, looking at
the wears being pedeled by an assortment of people, from a woman who sells lamp shades to the free yo-yos to a tee-shirt stand, some bad artwork and various food stalls that I am sure are not up to code. We walk back to Dupont which now after having walked for several blocks for this street fair is only a few blocks away. We take the G2 back to Gtown and I bid adieu and take my leave.

I then return to Shelly's. She and I spend the afternoon wandering around gtown, going and getting a crepe this time, picking her camera up from the Daily Grille, buying an apple at Dena and Deluca and walking along the canal along with some anthropologie window shopping. After this, shelly goes to a meeting for Harmony and I play piano until I go to church. We have all agreed to meet at 915 to get dinner at la madeline, but I don't get out of church until 9;23 so I dash off and meet lindsay, mer and alex who are already there. Shelly doesn't get our of her meeting until even later so we order her a country pizza and enjoy the free bread and sit and have some conversation as the sweep up floors and wash down the tables around us as it is closing time there. We return to school determined to meet for breakfast on monday. Shelly stays up late doing homework and I stay up part of the time reading until I decide I need to sleep.

Day 4/Monday
8 am- my alarm goes off. I hit snooze
8:10am I hit snooze again
8:20 I awaken. Shelly is still asleep. I take a shower
8:40 I attempt to wake up shelly again. She defies me. I go pack my things.
8:54 I try to wake her up again. No luck
9:06 Shelly wakes up, we leave and walk to Leo's.

I am a little too excited about this Leo's meal. We eat with mer and alex. I have eggs and bacon. It is as good as I remember it! Mer and Alex leave and go to class. I embrace Mer.

Lindsay comes and eats. We three then wander around the school, go to wisey's and buy honest-tea and then I bid lindsay adieu. Shelly and I frolick back to her apartment and then power walk because super shuttle gives me a call and says they are on their way. ie i got an automated message. I through my remaining possessions into my bag and then take my leave of shelly and I am very sad. I sullenly sit as super shuttle takes me through dc to bwi.

I arrive at 12:30 for a 2:45 flight. I am upset that I left so early. I am even more upset when my plane is delayed until 3:45 and I don't not arrive home until 5:15. I eat dinner at a restaurant with my father and sister. I come home, and write this.

I then win the lotter and have a wonderful year in Europe, flying all over to visit my friends who are scattered by the winds to all corners of our spherical planet. *

*This is not true, but, as I had already written the things that happened, I thought I would try to write a nice future and see if that would make it happen.

Regards, Eleanor