A lot has happened over the past couple of months. During the month of December, I did not spend a single weekend in California. My travels took me to Columbus, Ohio, Albuquerque, New Mexico, Onset, Massachusetts, and Omaha, Nebraska. As usual, I have been negligent in posting regular journal updates. So, in an attempt to catch up, below are brief summaries of the happenings since Thanksgiving.
Lexington, Kentucky / Columbus, Ohio
During the first week of December, I flew east to attend a workshop on Lean manufacturing processes. The class focused on processes developed by Toyota and perfected at the Camry production facility near Lexington, Kentucky. I spent three days attending seminars and touring plants utilizing the Toyota process. In between learning about how Lean processes could benefit POM Wonderful, I ventured out into the frigid Kentucky night to explore Lexington. Though I spent nearly eight years of my early childhood living several hours away in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, I had not returned to the state in quite a few years. While the chilly temperature had caused many residents to go into hibernation, I was struck by the beauty of the rolling hills and scenic horse farms.
Following my training in Lexington, I drove several hours north to Columbus, Ohio in order to attend my cousin Eric’s graduation from The Ohio State University. Arriving Friday night, we embarked on an epic tour de force that began with drinking sake at a sushi bar around 7:00 pm and ended with drinking wine at his apartment at 5:00 am. I was pleased that I was able to last with college kids until the early morning, though I have no interest in repeating the feat anytime soon. Saturday was spent visiting family. Eric and I drove over to my Aunt Sarah and Uncle Bruno’s home, where we enjoyed a nice breakfast and spent a few hours catching up. Later, my cousins Maureen and Claire drove down from northeastern Ohio, along with Maureen’s husband, Tommy. We went out for a nice dinner and then spent the evening watching movies. On Sunday, I stuck around just long enough to watch the graduation ceremony before I raced to Cincinnati to catch my flight back to LA.
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Not even taking the time to unpack my bags, the next weekend I embarked on a short flight to Albuquerque, New Mexico to meet my girlfriend, Megan. The obvious question would be why we chose to visit Albuquerque, a seemingly random destination to choose for a short weekend trip. Albuquerque was selected because it was located in the southwestern U.S., somewhat between Los Angeles and Nebraska. The idea being that it would be fairly inexpensive and we wouldn’t waste a lot of time traveling. Further, the word “Mexico” in the name gave the misguided impression that New Mexico would be a warm winter destination. In reality, our poorly laid plans were rewarded with a string of unpleasant surprises. Having to fly through Denver, Megan’s flight was delayed several hours and she didn’t arrive until nearly 1:00 am on Saturday morning. The temperature was a bone chilling 20 degrees, so my expectations of a warm weekend proved woefully incorrect. Still, despite the cruel hand of fate, the weekend turned out to be fun.
We stayed in a nice bed and breakfast (http://www.haciendantigua.com/ha/) in a room that had once been the chapel for a stagecoach stop. The adobe hacienda was comfortable with wood beamed ceilings, red tile floors, and a kava fireplace. Perhaps most amusing was the guestbook that ranged from hilarious to disturbing. On Saturday, we drove out to the mountains near Albuquerque and road the tram to the top. Packed into a cramped gondola, we huddled together with a bunch of loud tourists to enjoy the spectacular views of the surrounding plains. At the summit, the wind whipped up the snow and we retreated to the café for some hot chocolate before riding back down to the only mildly freezing base. Next, we found the American Rattlesnake Museum, which was nothing more than several rooms containing an astonishing number and variety of rattlesnakes. Since I am terrified of snakes and Megan is terrified of heights, we both pushed the limits of comfort during the afternoon.
On Sunday morning, we went to the Natural History Museum where Megan enthusiastically raced from one display to another. We learned about the animals native to New Mexico and hustled through the various exhibits. On our way back to the airport, we stopped at a diner on Route 66 and reveled in the 50’s kitsch on display. The entire weekend raced by and we lamented that we were able to see only a small part of Albuquerque during our brief visit. Still, being able to spend time with Megan and to visit a new place was wonderful and we both agreed that Albuquerque would be worth another, longer visit.
Onset, Massachusetts
For Christmas, I took the cross-country red-eye from Los Angeles and arrived in Boston around 6:30 on Saturday morning. My brother, Brian, and his girlfriend, Angie, gamely picked me up at the airport. Fueled by black Dunkin Donuts coffee, we drove down to our grandmother’s home in Onset. Snow still lingered on the ground, although the unseasonably warm temperatures threatened to melt the remaining slush. The weekend was a relaxing one, spent mainly inside insulated from the relative cold. We did occasionally venture outside for a brisk morning run or for a chilly game of tennis (being careful to avoid the spots of ice). Of course, the four days were full of terrific meals followed by hours of lying around watching movies. My parents arrived fresh from Italy laden with delicious gifts that we savored throughout the long weekend. Despite only being able to stay for a short visit, I always love to visit Onset and it was a wonderful way to spend Christmas. Sadly, on Christmas Day, after opening presents and enjoying a final feast, I headed back to Boston to board the flight home to Los Angeles.
Omaha, Nebraska
No sooner had I arrived home than I turned around and caught a flight to Omaha, Nebraska to visit Megan. One could argue that late December is not the ideal time to travel to Nebraska, but I was eager to see Megan’s homeland and to meet her family. Unfortunately, my arrival in Nebraska was delayed six hours due to weather and I finally landed around 4:00 am on Saturday morning. Megan braved the elements to pick me up at the airport. Following a few unsatisfactory hours of sleep, we began our tour of Omaha by visiting the stellar Omaha Zoo. Despite being a frequent visitor, Megan proved an amusing guide, running with child-like glee from one animal to the next, barely catching her breath to explain some odd tidbit about a particular creature. I had always found zoos depressing with the animals lazily lounging about as if in solemn resignation at their unnatural surroundings. However, after experiencing a zoo with Megan, I have a slightly greater appreciation for the benefits that these places offer. Next, we went to the old Union Pacific terminal, which has been converted into a museum describing the history of Omaha. Before learning about Omaha, we sampled a chocolate soda in a faux-diner. As far as I can tell, it is just a scoop of ice cream floating in tonic water with some chocolate syrup liberally added. The museum was informative and added to my limited knowledge of Nebraska. For dinner, I met Megan’s mother, step-father, grandmother, and aunt. Naturally, they were curious about me and, as we enjoyed a delicious meal at a French bistro, I was peppered with questions about my past, present, and future. Luckily, the conversation was pleasant and I can only hope that they were as taken with me as I was with them.
On Sunday, we went to a movie, apparently the main activity for residents of Nebraska. The rest of the day was spent relaxing with Megan’s family. For dinner, we joined her dad for a good Italian meal and I again parried questions about my wayward past. The following day, Megan and I drove south to Nebraska City, where we checked into a quaint B&B. This particular bed and breakfast was a converted red barn that, though drafty and cold, was a nice place to spend the last day of 2007. For dinner, we drove into town and ate at the Nebraska institution that is Valentino’s Pizza. Surprisingly, we were not the only people who decided to spend New Years’ Eve gorging on the all-you-can-eat buffet. We devoured course after course of salad, pizza, pasta, Mexican food, and dessert. By the end of the meal, both of us felt ill and immediately regretted our lack of moderation. To remedy the situation, we went across the street to a Wal-Mart, where we walked several laps around the store in an attempt to work off some of the foul food rumbling in our stomachs. A liberal dose of medicine and the worst movie that we could find (Michael Crichton’s “Congo”) were consumed back at the barn along with cheap champagne and a tasty chocolate orange. Lacking a working television, we turned in early and neither of us stayed up to ring in the New Year.
On the first day of the New Year, we drove back to Omaha via Lincoln and I was able to get a quick tour of the University of Nebraska, otherwise known as NU (I am told the “N” stands for “knowledge’). The impressive campus featured an enormous football stadium and an equally impressive racecourse for tractors at the Ag school. Back in Omaha, we enjoyed a nice meal with Megan’s charming family, as well as a pleasant lunch with one of Megan’s friends. Early on Thursday morning, Megan took me to the airport and I departed the chilly but welcoming state. Overall, the trip was immensely enjoyable and I was happy to have had the chance to meet Megan’s family. My short stay included a nice mix between seeing Omaha, meeting people, and spending time with Megan. As always, the time passed too quickly. Hopefully, I will have a chance for future visits to Nebraska, although I may opt for a warmer time of year.
Thus ended a busy month of travel in which I spent little time at home in Los Angeles. Despite enjoying my travels, it is always nice to return home. I look forward to spending more time in Southern California in the upcoming months, although I hope that my pleasant time at home continues to be supplemented by memorable trips to visit friends and family.