Friday 13th June 2014
09.45
Armed with an iced Dunkin’, I’m ready to battle my way to Cincinnati Ohio, who is technically the furthest ‘west’ in the world I’ve ever been. Mind you, that’s as lame almost as when I say that the furthest ‘east’ I’ve ever been is Bratislava. Cincinnati and Bratislava share not only this milestone in common but the fact that when I say I’ve been/am going there people give me the Blank Look. Really, there were way more obscure places I could have gone today. The DC National Airport, Ronald Reagan, had flights to a ton of mystery destinations – ‘mystery’ by virtue of my geographical ignorance.
I’m pretty sure everybody is fed up of the whole Dunkin’ Donuts obsession thing in my blogs – but in case anybody is new, here is the ‘back story’.
So yeah, I know it’s an evil corporation and kinda crappy coffee when you think about it, but it has mega special romantic ties for me with Spain and Bawwston (since that Spanish Golden Age literature course last year I haven’t stopped being able to equate unimportant things like chain coffee with life or death and love and loss. Or using really gaudy extended metaphors.)
I hope Ohio can deliver me some glaze.
15.39
Sitting in Cincinnati’s beautiful house, looking out over a huge sweep of trees and fields that stretch across into Kentucky, in apple, lime, and caterpillar greens, and dappled with hay-coloured sunlight. Add to that the massive golden retriever dozing on my feet and another ready for me to fall over when I get up.
The description Cincinnati gave me of her mom, who came to pick me up was, “she looks just like me!” – but finding a lady willing to let me into her car who possibly resembles a friend I last saw in person two years ago wasn’t as difficult as it may sound. We drove to Cincinnati’s work to pick her up – and it was amazing to see her, as it was to be reunited with O-Canada! last year in Boston. I’m excited to cram two years worth of catching-up into a long weekend.
The three of us went for lunch at a seafood restaurant on the riverside in Newport, Kentucky, which looks across into Cincinnati (I’m going to call the city Cincinnati OH to distinguish it from Cincinnati the girl, ok? Is that going to make this any less confusing? I can’t go swapping character names two years into blog-writing when they’re recurring…).
And now I’m resting up before tonight, where Cincinnati is taking me with some of her friends to see a country music concert – haha, MID WEST, BEST WEST! And tomorrow we have a ton of exploring lined up. I’m definitely in my element and about a thousand percent (wut?) less stressed than I was a week ago.
No internet on my phone so photos will have to wait until the next post I’m afraid. Will probably mostly be dawgs and Dunkin’ Donut cups. Change the record…
12 Weeks a Maeve 