A night in

I'm not going to lie to you. My blog post today is a lot ho hum. I wrote it and didn't even want to re-read it for spellcheck purposes. That's how bored I was. So, I thought I'd try to add something fun at the start. Here it goes.

I'm sure you're all at home reading this in COVID lockdown or quarantine or you're just hiding from other people for a few minutes. Well, that's what it's been like for me over the last 16 months (or so). Typically, during covid-times if I leave the house, and that's a huge if, I am likely going for a walk or to the grocery store. The most I need to take with me are my house/car keys, wallet and personal phone. I've been really struggling with the amount of stuff I have to take with me every time I leave the hotel room or get out of the car. 

• Wallet
• Personal Phone
• Work Phone
• Car Keys
• Hotel Key
• Mask / back-up mask
• Camera
• Any drink I may have, because it's hot out
• Sunglasses
• Charger for my phone, so I can plug it into the USB port in the car and link the maps to the screen in the car. I forgot a second phone charger, so I have to keep bringing it back and forth between the car and the hotel.
• Snack, because I've already had one blood sugar issue and I'm not about to have another one

I hear you. "Why don't you bring a purse or a bag?" I do. I have a camera bag that doubles as a messenger bag, so most of that stuff fits in there, but I still end up having my phone, charger, two sets of keys, mask and drink in my hands while trying to throw the bag over my shoulder and I don't like this. I feel like I'm literally juggling and I have dropped things many times. 

Is this what life was like before? I mean, minus the mask?

This meme comes to mind.

-----THE BLOG POST-----

My lovely co-workers suggested I take an extra long lunch to check out Oklahoma City (and reminded me to put my SD card back in the camera), so I placed an order for pick up in Bricktown and planned on that long lunch in the city. 

I imagine Bricktown is the hot and happening part of town on a Friday night in OKC, but lunchtime on a Tuesday was sleepy to say the least. I think I saw 10 people. 

I tried HARD to find the part of the city that felt like a city and, though Oklahoma City is a "Large American City", it does not exist. I think there are a handful of tall(ish) buildings in the city center area, but it felt like something I'd find in a smallish suburb back home. 

The tallest building in OKC - Devon Tower (844 ft)

That's it folks. That's the tallest and second tallest building in the city. (Chase Tower, 500 feet).

I drove around and saw some art, which I snapped pictures of from the car because I didn't feel like going for an hour long walk to see not much. 

I was really hoping that OKC would be a cute city with fun things to do. Maybe not like New Orleans. But maybe more like Nashville, which is 90% residential and 10% music and sports. OKC feels 99% sprawl and mini malls, or whatever the modern version is that has a few restaurants and a Trader Joe's. 

Here is an idea of the sprawl as taken from the car near Bricktown and the City Center 

Why is there so much empty space?

Also, I saw the Oklahoma City Hall / Municipal Building from the highway, which immediately reminded me of buildings I saw in Berlin that were built by Nazis, which architecturally makes a little sense because it the OKC Municipal Building was built between 1933 and 1939. 

Tell me I'm wrong.

Oklahoma City Municipal Building

House of the German Council of Municipalities

Anyway, nothing really spoke to me in OKC today. So, I decided to order room service for dinner and treat myself to a bath with a bath bomb I've had for maybe 3 or 4 years. 

I'm working tomorrow and then I have two proper vacation days. Wednesday at lunchtime, or maybe after work, I plan on hitting up a few spots for fun OKC pictures (stay tuned) and a museum or two on Thursday. You probably won't be disappointed. They have a pigeon museum, y'all. And then on Friday morning, I'll drive up to Kansas, through Wakita (Twister movie shout out!) and head back south on Saturday and Sunday. I fly home from Dallas on Sunday evening.

 

My neck, my back, my laptop and my hacks

When I travel, my body reacts the same way every time, and I always forget. I should really leave myself a note. 

Here is the note to me.

(There is a little bit TMI in the following note, but we're all humans, right? RIGHT?!)

Dear Self,

Wear sunblock when driving long distances. Remember the time you drove from California to Mount Rushmore and after the first couple of days you were like, "Why does my face hurt so much at the end of a long day? And why is it so red?" Sunburn! And remember when you bought that flannel shirt from some random shop in the middle of nowhere just to tuck it in your driver's side window to block the sun because you just couldn't take it anymore? Wear sunblock and maybe wear long sleeved shirts.

Don't forget to pack a tennis ball for working out the kinks in your shoulder from driving a long time, or sleeping on a weird hotel pillow. Bring extra Advil for when your back hurts from driving for a long time, or sleeping on a weird hotel bed. I know you won't do this next thing but, for God's sake, stretch. It should help, though I have no proof of this since you never do it.

Try not to worry too much about why your throat is scratchy and your eyes are watery. You get allergies when you travel to new places. You are not getting sick. You are allergic to the world. Take Zyrek and tissues. Also, hotel air conditioning dries you out. Bring nasal spray if you want, but definitely bring chap stick. Lotion wouldn't hurt, but again, I know you won't do this. 

If you fly for more than an hour, you will get constipated for a few days. I know, that's not usually your problem in life, but flying does some dark arts magic to you and the first few days will be uncomfortable. Drink lots of water and eat your veggies. You will bloat and be generally sad about this, but it will work itself out and you can go back to being regular and happy for the second half of your trip.

Ok, remember when you were driving on Highway 50, aka The Loneliest Road in the America, and there was one bathroom for like 500 miles and you were nowhere near it? Remember that huge mound of dirt next to the road and what you did behind it? On day one of any long road trip, put a roll of toilet paper in your car. Also, I still love you, don't forget that.

If you're going to work from bed, because your hotel room doesn't have a desk, put your laptop on something that is not a pillow. You don't want it overheating. Try a room service tray or a book. Let that shit vent.

I know that was a lot. Here are some things you do well. I'm so proud of you!

You avoid gluten. Remember that time you went to New Orleans and threw caution to the wind, eating donuts and beignets? Those days are over. No more missing out on fun activities because you don't feel well. You figured it out! Good job!

You always load up on water. The first time you bought a case of water to keep with you, it was a genius moment. And on that same trip, you ended up miles deep in a lava field that you were pretty sure wasn't meant for a rental sedan. You hit a rock at like 5mph, but it shifted the whole car to the side and you had a moment of panic looking at the outside temperature (104, I believe) and were at least thankful for that case of water, in case you did damage to the undercarriage, which you did not, you lucky girl!

You don't go out at night alone. I don't remember this being a conscious choice, but I'm thankful for it. Sure, you might miss out on seeing city lights or a wild amount of stars, but you never find yourself in the middle of nowhere at midnight, alone and vulnerable. You are always well fed and safe in your hotel room by sunset, exhausted from a long day of exploring...and with hours to write your little blog.

Oh, you blog! I'm so glad you've been doing this since 2014 and I really hope the site never goes down because you've captured some amazing memories! I should probably look into backing these up. I'm going to go do that now. 

Keep up the good work! And stay safe!