Traveling

As is usual with me, I ran around like a chicken with my head cut off this morning, trying to get myself together in time to make my 3:30 p.m. train to Philadelphia.

I pretty much left my apartment a disaster area.  Well, that's not entirely true.  Though it is cluttered and could use a good dusting, I'll take care of that on one of my visits back.

So I got up and did some laundry, and managed to get the dishes done (if not dried and put away), and packed, and took out the garbage.  I didn't go overboard like I did the last time I left, emptying the fridge and unplugging the electrical appliances.  It didn't frankly, make that much difference in my electric bill, and I'm going to be back more often.

I got myself as together as I was going to be, and I dragged my bike and my bags down to the street and onto the subway.  The humidity in New York City today was such that I was drenched in sweat by the time the train arrived.  And of course, the shoulder strap on my bag kept coming out of its buckle and the bag kept flying off my shoulder.  The whole thing was beginning to remind me of that awful trip back to Pittsburgh on July 4, 2001 -- how wrecked I was by the time I got back; how upset I was to be utterly broke, and to have wasted all those accumulated frequent flier miles on a desperate retreat I'd have given anything not to have to make, back to an ex-boyfriend's house.  Oh, lord.  Thank god those days are over.  Well, actually, thank me.

Anyway, I managed to get myself to Penn Station, and had to ask four different Amtrak employees whether it would be okay for me to carry my bike on the train.  And the answer that I finally got, from a really helpful baggage check guy, was, "It depends.  On how crowded the train is and what kinda mood the conductor is in."

So to avoid trouble, I just decided to check it.  The guy was very helpful, providing a box and expediting the whole process, but it cost an extra $15 bucks (hey, I'm a poor actor, now, remember?) and it wasn't guaranteed to arrive in Philly until 8:30 p.m.  Like, four hours after me.

The silver lining, of course, is that it made getting into Philly and settling into the Arden's actor housing ever so much easier, since I didn't have to lug a bike around!

So now I'm in Philadelphia and I'm hanging out.  I did a wee bit of shopping and made myself a nice egg sandwich, 'cuz I realized as I was walking around Old City that I hadn't eaten all day or, for that matter, yesterday either.  Suddenly I was famished!  Go figure.  The rush to get it together to leave made me forgetful, apparently.

First rehearsal is tomorrow, and I get to meet my new housemate.  I'm rather excited.  You know, it's kinda like being on MTV's Real World.  By the way, I just found out that Real World is filming its next season in the neighborhood.  Go figure.  I can't wait to see a gaggle of bratty twenty-somethings being followed around by camera crews.  I wonder if these kids ever go to the theater?

Whoo hoo!