Retrospect: Part One

It's been a while since I wrote so I've got some catching up to do! I started this post a while ago and never got around to finishing it, so let's see what I can remember:

Part One: 

1. A Mattress..or 20..

2. A Jazz Club

3. A Broken Train
4. A Burlesque Club

5. A Hung Parliament

So, after another week of work I took the day off and Ariana's friend AJ and I drove up to Olympia to see Once Upon a Mattress on Saturday night. It was an awesome night and after the show we went to the cast party and didn't get home until about 4am. AJ and I slept for three hours and then drove back to Portland where I started work at 12. Needless to say, it was a rough work day!

The next week I had a double dark so I hopped back on the train to Olympia where Jesse once again picked me up at the train station (this time I was not a crazy person), and we met Matt and Ariana and went for Thai food downtown. Then Matt, Ariana and I went over to the jazz club to meet up with awesome people, including the lovely Selena! It was an all round fun night, even after the ATM broke and we pooled dollar bills together for alcohol. There was also the loveliest little dog that I spent most of the night trying to convince to come over to our table, while it spent most of the night ignoring us. Jesse did manage to pick it up at one point but it rejected that pretty quickly. Such is life. After the club Matt, Ariana, Danielle and I ended up at a 7-Eleven buying Andre (My New Year's Eve champagne of choice) and standing in Ariana's kitchen until the wee hours of the morning talking and hanging out. 

The next day Ariana and I went to Seattle!!! I've always wanted to go there so I was really excited, but Ariana got sick that morning, so we only stayed for a couple of hours and then decided to head home. While we were there we got lunch at a pub and went to Borders where I bought the RCR of A Little Night Music! The next morning I got back on the train to Portland. It was hailing by the time we got to Kelso and we were on a delay. Then, just after Vancouver the driver came over the loudspeaker and announced that the train engine had shut down and so we were now attempting to "coast" our way into Union Station, and that "If we didn't make it we would come up with a Plan B." Needless to say, we didn't make it. Plan B was apparently to jump start the train. Twice. Turns out you can't jump start a train. A guy in my carriage was starting to freak out because he hadn't had a cigarette since Olympia. He started shouting because they wouldn't let him off the train for a cigarette and then asked if you could get the FBI on speed dial because he was being held against his will. Finally they opened the doors and let us off and had us walk the mile to the station. Amtrak 1, Kate 0.

Another week of work went by and on Sunday night Amber and I went over to a pub for a beer and then met up with a bunch of Cique people at a burlesque club, Dante's, downtown. Nothing like go-go dancers to make to feel like you need to go to the gym right there and then. After the club we were ready to head home, but instead we got pulled into a gay bar with Jason, Mike and Chris. We played a game of pool and hung out for a bit, and by then it was nearly 2 and we decided to head home. Always remember, nothing good happens after 3am. It's all bad news bears after that. I happened to lose my scarf at the gay bar, which is the second time this has happened. I decided not to go back for it; you don't know what's been on that floor. 

Monday was my day off so I went in search of a pub that would play football highlights. I found one, and simultaneously watched West Ham lose to Fulham while the Angels lost to the Red Sox. It was not my day. After that I sat and read a Neil LaBute play, dropped by Voodoo Doughnuts because it was right there, and then took the bus back home. 

Wednesday was Cinco de Mayo, which I celebrated with a bad shot of tequila after hanging up laundry until midnight. Pretty sad. 

Thursday was Britain's election day, which resulted in a hung parliament. I think this will have to be a whole different post. But to get the summary, I highly recommend The Daily Show dated sometime around May 7th. And I conclude Part One with a quotation from John Oliver: "Jon, it's terrible. There are British people in the streets shouting things that have nothing to do with soccer!"

 - K