Splash, dash and ponderings

Start spreading the news…

Okay, so its been a few days since my last entry (I didn’t want to give you guys information overload!). I’m starting to have trouble remembering what day it is, where I was yesterday, where I’m going tomorrow, it’s becoming a big blur so it’s kind of nice that this epic journey is winding down.

I’m actually a tad jetlagged from flying cross country last night so if this blog is ho hum then, well….tough!

Today is Sunday, I think. All I know for certain is that I have not eaten since sometime late yesterday and I am going to Disneyland today! Buzz Lightyear, I’m coming back for ya! You are the man, truly.

I’m sure today will lead to many spontaneous adventures again, I seem to have a knack for falling into bizarre situations all on my own. I spent my last morning in New York in Central Park playing baseball with a team called The Broadway Players and running errands for the coach. A PA’s job is never done!

I spent a whirlwind 24 hours in Michigan yesterday, in Christine’s hometown of Livonia, just outside of Detroit. We went and saw a Second City production which was soooo funny. It’s an improv company where a lot of SNL people started out. Yesterday we drove down 8 Mile (which actually isn’t 8 miles!) and went for a short walk around the local national park. In typical American style we ordered drive through at Wendy’s and I made it my personal mission to order the most disgusting item that truly encompassed the All American Diet. The result, a “medium” coke and a 3/4 pounder with cheese. Talk about disgusting, I think 2 baby calves were sacrificed to make that burger alone. I took 3 bites (all wonderfully photographically documented by Christine) and then thought I was going to pass out from grease overload. Oh, and my rubbish bin at home is smaller than that “medium” coke! Then it was back on the plane again to LA where I find myself now.

Now, I REALLY must go and hunt down some breakfast, I think my stomach is eating itself in search of nutrients.

Love and Hugs to you all
Amnesty

Okay, so it’s been a couple of days since my last update, so once again, I’m just gonna dive head first into it!

*Cue low male voice*
“Previously, on the Adventures of Amnesty…..”

Yesterday Christine and I participated in what was our mini Boston Marathon.  The goal, see as many sights of Boston in one day without falling victim to frostbite, exposure or a general lack of direction.  Our first stop was the USS Constitution Museum (not to be confused with the US Constitution!)  One is a document, one is a ship, so hopefully there aren’t too many dumb tourists wondering around a dockyard looking for a slip of precious paper that’s actually in Washington!

The museum there was great, with lots of interactive exhibitions, we spent 2 hours there.  You basically learn all about being a sailor in the 1800s, and yeah, by the end, Christine and I were ready to conquer the sevens seas, argh me hearties!  We learnt how to load guns, firing techniques, sleep schedules (4 hour shifts!), food.  We slept in hammocks and wore sailor gear (I think I prefer the American casual clothes code of dress, the British wore red vests, it kind of clashed with my hair. Can’t sail the seas if ya don’t look good doing it!) Also a good thing I wasn’t born in the 1800s, those dudes are tiny!  It would never have worked, I prefer someone slightly taller than Kermit the Frog)

After learning all about the ship (which for you history buffs was known as Old Ironsides and beat English ships 3 times her size) we boarded the real mccoy and Christine checked out the cannons whilst I checked out the sailors.  It was rainy and windy outside and my hair was now what I refer to as the Boston Birdnest style so we boarded the trolley again and found ourselves at Oyster Inn where we proceeded to have our Boston themed lunch.  Clam chowder, crab cakes, baked beans, and of course Boston Cream Pie.  We checked out some of the State Museum and saw where the Declaration of Independence was read from, and learnt all about Paul Revere who rode on his pony to warn that the English were invading.  I never realised how much history Boston has, it was very cool.  By now it was the end of the day so we waited for the last trolley to come by to complete our tour.  And waited, and waited and waited and….you get the picture.  By now I’m having trouble speaking in the FREEZING cold wind and rain and resorted to wacky experiments like squashing my body up against the glass of the bus stop to see if it was warmer than the air around me.  10 minutes later, almost delirious with cold and unable to see through the birdnests of hair that is giving my face a serious whipping, Christine and I compose a song about waiting for the trolley titled “Frozen Anticipation”
*disclaimer : cold weather may cause song composition to become strange, incoherent, and generally lack a sense of direction, structure or timing. The artists bear no responsibility for any boredom resulting from this song.*

Frozen Anticipation
I’m feeling trepidation
It’s border humiliation
I’m lacking preparation
The weather’s confrontation
Causing Frozen Anticipation

So the trolley finally came and we saw a ton of Boston as it was the last one for the day and there were only a few people on it.  A definite highlight was seeing Berklee School of Music and giving our driver a spontaneous spot quiz about the meaning behind every street name.  He was a plethora of knowledge and we came away feeling very edumacated

This morning we caught the train back to NY and went to Canal Street.  The aim - to buy a fake designer wallet and handbag. This episode in itself could take up an entire blog so I may save this one to tell in person, it’s hiliarious!  And it will give you a reason to take me out for coffee when I get back (skinny cuppacino with one thank you very much, I also accept chai tea preferably from the Wharf Shed, and or Earl Grey tea).  Then it was on the Subway to Strawberry Fields in Central Park and I saw my first squirrel (which is really just a giant rat with a fluffy tail if you ask me…).  Christine had to fly out tonight so this afternoon I wandered down 5th Avenue to check out the shops and somehow ended up in St Thomas Church.  They had choir practice on, and I thought I would duck in to check it out.  This cathedral was BEAUTIFUL and the voices were amazing.  I managed to subtly record some on my digicam and also got some gorgeous photos, it was actually one of my favourite parts of New York.

I went and saw another broadway show tonight, The Pirate Queen which was excellent.  It was based in Ireland and featured tons of cool Irish dancing and music, highly recommended if it ever comes to Australia!

Tomorrow I have one more day in NY and then I fly to Detroit Friday morning for a quick stopover at Christine’s before heading to LA late Saturday night and Disneyland on Sunday, woot woot!

Missing you all, can’t wait to catch up, I’ll be touching down (if all goes to plan!) at Tullamarine on Wednesday morning, which is in fact my dad’s birthday

Until then, much love and loud Amy laughs.
Amnesty

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

I have a new favourite tv show called Man VS Wild.  It’s an English dude called Bear and he gets parachuted into random remote locations and has to find his way out with only a knife as his sole belonging (plus the clothes he is wearing of course.  Where would a naked man keep his knife?….wait, forget I said that, I don’t want to know!)

Got up this morning to rain rain and more rain in NY.  We had four girls crammed into a hotel room, with three of us sleeping in massive king size bed, somehow I ended up with my head on the bedside table for most of the night though.  A king size becomes quite squashy when two of the girls sprawl!  Still, we were all so exhausted that we slept the whole night through (after about 2 hours of chatting though!).

This morning we said goodbye to Christine’s friend Lenny and her sister Caroline, and decided we were going to head to Maine after all, even if we just sat around and weathered out the storm, we were in the mood for crazy adventures.  After a heart stopping cab ride through New York to the airport in which our cabbie avoided 5 accidents in about 100 feet (random cars, obilivious pedestrians, floodwaters etc) we arrived at La Guardia airport to find all flights to Maine cancelled.  After standing in queue pondering our predicament, we announced to the world we were heading to Boston after all by train and Amy thus declared this day to be National Stupid Photos Day and from here we began our “phlog” as we like to call it.  Some highlights which I’ll try to post soon include…..
- My disgustingly greasy cheesy grilled sandwich, complete with stringy cheese the length of a child’s arm.
- Christine being swept away by a hoarde of travellers cramming to get on the Boston bound train
- Various random photos of hideous facial expressions taken in each state we passed through included Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts.  I think I pulled a muscle laughing so hard.  Can you rupture your nose vessells from snorting?
- Suitcase races at Penn Station New York City.

The train ride took about 4 hours, which took us through some lovely countryside which we probably wouldn’t have seen had we flown.  We arrived in Boston at 6pm and met up with Christine’s sister Caroline again and her husband Chris.  Went out to tea at an awesome Italian restaurant called Luigi’s and ate ate ate.  We’re now at Caroline and Chris’ house where will we stay for the next night or two.  Tomorrow we are doing a trolley tour of Boston and will probably continue to add more to our Boston Phlog.  Hopefully I can upload some slides for your continued amusement.  I will try and write more tomorrow.

Mwah from Amnesty