Friday, June 25, 2004
We're here, in Rhode Island, and I'm way, way too tired to be writing this or anything else. There's some very distracting crap on the television in the room where we're sleeping. The train from Atlanta to New York was mostly wonderful, even though we had to cram all our luggage into the tiny sleeper car, because a thunderstorm took out the electricity at the Atlanta depot, apparently eliminating Amtrak's ability to check bags. Oh, and for dinner last night we ordered the lamb, which I'm pretty sure was actually camel. But otherwise, it was fine.
I awoke this morning to fog, somewhere in Virginia.
Sadly, we had to switch trains at Penn Station, surely one of the vilest spots on the face of the earth. We were stuck there for about an hour, waiting on the train to Kingston. Foul odors, filthy restrooms, fluorescent lighting, far too many humans, fast food, stale air...if it sucks, you can find it at Penn Station. We were approached by a tall, bearded saxophone player who wanted to know if Spooky and I had come to protest the Republican National Convention. We told him no, that were weren't, and didn't point out that the RNC was still two months off. So then he wanted to know if we were vampires, because we looked so "wild." Someday, I will learn to answer yes to the vampire question. Shortly after the saxophone player, we were panhandled by a narcoleptic crack whore. I really hate Penn Station.
We were coach from NYC to Rhode Island, which would have been fine, if not for a woman at the front of the car who seemed to think everyone needed to hear every word she said. Oh, and the woman behind us on her cell phone, chattering away in corporatese. Spooky's parents, whom I'd not previously met, were waiting for us in Kingston. Right off, they noticed I'm tall, but seemed to approve. Here mother fed us spaghetti for dinner, and then we drove down to Point Judith and Scarborough Beach. After 22.5 hours train time, the moonlight walk in the sand did wonders for our nerves, I think. We drove back through places with names like Peacedale and Wakefield, places I'd never been, but that Spooky has known since she was a child.
The weather is cool here, and we brought little in the way of warm clothes. One of us should have known better.
I have no idea what we'll be doing tomorrow. Tonight, we're going to read a little and get some sleep. It's dark out here, the sort of dark it never gets in Atlanta. Oh, and Spooky, who's birthday has been over for about forty-two minutes, thanks everyone who sent her cool gifts.
Tomorrow, or, rather, later today, we'll try to post some photos from the train.
12:12 AM
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