Vacation
I am not a seasoned traveller. Evidence of this can be found in the way my final day immediately prior to travel always seems to be a major exercise in procrastination. On Tuesday night, I wound up foregoing sleep to chat with Trice and finish some coursework. It's been a while since I pulled an all-nighter, and my body is not as forgiving as it used to be. On top of that, my redeye flight (which departed at 12:40am in the wee hours of Thursday morning) proved to be antithetical to sleep--there was plenty of turbulence, and my mind was abuzz with so many things. The scenery was predictably nonexistant, at those hours. I am not yet experienced enough with air travel to be disenchanted about the view, at least when lighting is adequate.
I staggered into MSP and connected with Grady; after an interminable drive across town in several directions (Grady lacks a sense of direction), we found her neighborhood and had breakfast at Bad Waitress--better than average for "greasy spoon" style breakfast.
My initial impressions of Minneapolis are very good. It is difficult to define; I've really only seen small glimpses of it so far; however, I like what I've
seen and suspect there is much more of the same in store. Getting to know a city takes time, for me, just like a person--not simply in terms of learning the layout and geography, the local culture and peculiarities of government, transportation and history's shaping effects, but also in terms of the city's personality. So far, I have gotten along well with the personality of this place. I miss mountains and salt water, but I love the gentle hillocks and numerous lakes. Although I hadn't considered it much until recently, images of Minnesota (or at least suggestions of them) have been etched into my brain from childhood by the particular interests of my parents (who, among other things, are NPR devotees and listened weekly to "A Prairie Home Companion"), and a number of books I read in school which happened to be set here or concern the wilderness lands in this state. Thus, while being entirely new, it also feels subtly familiar, an an entirely welcoming way.
I still want to see much more of the city. Today was given over to rest and practical concerns, followed by a trip to the Mall of America (not because I have any real interest in such things, but because Grady needed to buy clothing) and some social time in the evening with Grady's friends (who run a fire-dancing troupe in their spare time, and are attempting to go pro). I had a number of difficulties early on--the weariness, crowding and and general adjustment-shock of having moved two time zones eastward and entered a new climate had a predictable effect. I retreated into my shell. There was a panic attack, I think, and I wound up being very silent...but everyone seemed quite understanding about it. I handled this far more gracefully than I think I ever have. Watching the performance was fun, but I expect that I will be quite exhausted of group dynamics come tomorrow. Tentative plans have been made to spend some time with Tess on Saturday evening/night, which will be a welcome reprieve from having to focus on more than one person.
One very tentative note, made early on, is that people here seem somewhat more down-to-Earth than on the West coast. I'm not sure how to articulate it, and the sample group was small--but it was varied, and that sense was borne out in direct conversation with some of them. One of the people I met in particular is from California originally, and suggested my impressions were accurate. Another said I seem to fit in well here, which came as a surprise (if pleasant); I had been so busy being quiet and off on the sidelines that I quite failed to notice that nobody read this as cold or distant behavior, and my somewhat rote "pleasant, polite and reserved" mask seemed to be...well, acceptable.
I'd normally feel a bit more out of place amongst a group of hippies and artsy types who are so outgoing and experienced with one another. Here, the pressure was simply off, and it was okay to be the quiet girl, and the out-of-towner who's bad at small talk.
Not bad for my first day.
I staggered into MSP and connected with Grady; after an interminable drive across town in several directions (Grady lacks a sense of direction), we found her neighborhood and had breakfast at Bad Waitress--better than average for "greasy spoon" style breakfast.
My initial impressions of Minneapolis are very good. It is difficult to define; I've really only seen small glimpses of it so far; however, I like what I've
seen and suspect there is much more of the same in store. Getting to know a city takes time, for me, just like a person--not simply in terms of learning the layout and geography, the local culture and peculiarities of government, transportation and history's shaping effects, but also in terms of the city's personality. So far, I have gotten along well with the personality of this place. I miss mountains and salt water, but I love the gentle hillocks and numerous lakes. Although I hadn't considered it much until recently, images of Minnesota (or at least suggestions of them) have been etched into my brain from childhood by the particular interests of my parents (who, among other things, are NPR devotees and listened weekly to "A Prairie Home Companion"), and a number of books I read in school which happened to be set here or concern the wilderness lands in this state. Thus, while being entirely new, it also feels subtly familiar, an an entirely welcoming way.
I still want to see much more of the city. Today was given over to rest and practical concerns, followed by a trip to the Mall of America (not because I have any real interest in such things, but because Grady needed to buy clothing) and some social time in the evening with Grady's friends (who run a fire-dancing troupe in their spare time, and are attempting to go pro). I had a number of difficulties early on--the weariness, crowding and and general adjustment-shock of having moved two time zones eastward and entered a new climate had a predictable effect. I retreated into my shell. There was a panic attack, I think, and I wound up being very silent...but everyone seemed quite understanding about it. I handled this far more gracefully than I think I ever have. Watching the performance was fun, but I expect that I will be quite exhausted of group dynamics come tomorrow. Tentative plans have been made to spend some time with Tess on Saturday evening/night, which will be a welcome reprieve from having to focus on more than one person.
One very tentative note, made early on, is that people here seem somewhat more down-to-Earth than on the West coast. I'm not sure how to articulate it, and the sample group was small--but it was varied, and that sense was borne out in direct conversation with some of them. One of the people I met in particular is from California originally, and suggested my impressions were accurate. Another said I seem to fit in well here, which came as a surprise (if pleasant); I had been so busy being quiet and off on the sidelines that I quite failed to notice that nobody read this as cold or distant behavior, and my somewhat rote "pleasant, polite and reserved" mask seemed to be...well, acceptable.
I'd normally feel a bit more out of place amongst a group of hippies and artsy types who are so outgoing and experienced with one another. Here, the pressure was simply off, and it was okay to be the quiet girl, and the out-of-towner who's bad at small talk.
Not bad for my first day.