It is so great to be in a place where I can walk on the ground instead of layers or snow. It's been a while since I have been both near the internet and in the mood to write something here. A week or so ago, I tried to get stand by tickets to Conan's last Tonight Show. I so thought that showing up at 2 am and sleeping in line on the sidewalk would lead to success. It was even raining :(. Luckily, I came with a friend and we took shifts sleeping in the van. They gave out tickets to come back at 3 pm when I would find out if I had made it in. After that, they gave out free donuts. No one wanted to join me in chanting "Co-nuts!" Their loss. I was number 70, and unfortunately, they only let in 60 people. Such a bummer since we were there before 2 am but went to use the bathroom in a hotel first, thinking there would be no one in line at 2 am. Turns out, people started waiting at 8 pm the night before.

The next day, Chris from my anthro frat in college, took us on a great scenic hike of LA. I posted pics on my facebook. I am soooo out of shape from my couch-dwelling in Alaska, so I was hurting the next day. Which was unfortunate since we went to Disneyland with free tickets from the give a day, get a day program. Two weeks before, I volunteered with Habitat for Humanity. It was raining then too. LA has been raining so much lately. Disney was awesome. I think we went on Space Mountain like six times. And I even went on Splash Mountain, which I hate falling rides so I was so thinking of getting out of the log several times before the fall. I went during the fire works so there was no line, or anyone else on the ride. It wasn't so bad, so I went a second time.

I bought a van in LA. It has a seat that is folded down to about the size of a queen bed, a chest, curtains, a power converter, and screens on the back windows. It can also tow and has a roof rack. I am excited to finally be out of Alaska. I was in the seattle airport, getting ready to board a flight to LA, and thought about how I was finally ending this stage of my life. And it felt awesome. I thought, who was this person that I was three years ago? I remember wanting so bad to travel but being afraid. And now I have been so many places and I have so many more to go.

I was talking to a friend about how when you do things that are outside you zone of confort and you force yourself to do it, you change and grow as a person. Being a flight attendant and living in the airport and being scheduling's bitch, not being able to quit because I was in so much debt, I changed for the better. I got to thinking, what can I challenge myself with now? And the one thing I thought I would never ever want to do is go skydiving as I am afraid of falling. I don't even like fast rides. So I have decided that I need to force myself to end this journey with a jump out of an airplane. And since I have always had this weird feeling I would die at 30, as I am sure many people secretly do, I hope it will just be a start of another long journey and not really an "end."

I had another one of those dreams where I swim in the air everywhere instead of walk. It's weird because I am always the only one who can do this. This time I was on a college campus. And another one of my recurrent dreams happened within this dream. I find out I am enrolled in classes two weeks after they started. But I don't know where they are, and the classes are usually some higher level math or science class. I try to find the class to catch up. And every time, the reason I haven't gone to class before is that I am just getting out of a lazy haziness where I lost touch with reality. Like I had been in a dream and I am just waking up. And I can tell the other students think I am lazy for coming to class late. I don't really care too much about that, it's just annoying.

Another dream I have a lot, which I had the night before, is that I am back at my high school. I am not necessarily back IN high school, I am just there. I am in the band room and everyone is playing except me because I quit. Which I did do in high school, quit band, and I never regretted that at the time as the band director sucked. But in my dream, Mr Flemming is there, the awesome band director, and I am holding my oboe. Sometimes I can't play because my reeds are ten years old. Sometimes I want to play, but I don't want to ask. I just watch. Three years ago, I sold my oboes, so I don't even own one anymore. Sometimes that is part of the dream. In this dream, the band director asked me to play. So I had to go down stairs to get the music. That's where I had another reoccurring theme. I go down the stairs, but I am afraid of heights and I have very bad balance. So I have to hold onto the rail tightly as I go slowly down the stairs. People around me have no problem going down the stairs, but I can't stay balanced without holding to the rails.

Last night Toby was barking in his sleep, which isn't unusual. But he was also growling, so I think he was dreaming about the dryer at the dog groomer's. I got a call today from the moving company and they are coming on Tuesday to get my stuff. There's not much. Three bins of books, dishes, randomness, and clothes. They didn't seem to believe that I don't have any furniture, as they asked three times and then asked if I had certain pieces of furniture. No, I do not have furniture. That includes a couch, bed, ironing board (yeah, I don't get this last one). Ah, the simple life. Free from the burden of possessions.

I went to the travel dept on the base and they said the FAA governs how many pets can be checked in airplane cargo, and that number is five. As I was a flight attendant, I would think I would have heard about such a rule that has been around "like, forever." And since I have plenty of time on my hand, I decided to call Alaska airlines and ask them after I couldn't find that info in my old flight manual or the internet. Yeah, they were no help.

I was sooo dehydrated this morning; no more ramen for me. At least not as long as I like in Alaska; this place dehydrates me enough on its own.

So Gale called and I went the the shop to wash the dogs. Toby is such a good dog....except when he is getting dried. The cute, cuddly, collie becomes satan's spawn. I didn't have him until he was six and his old owner's dumped him at the pound. He was forty pounds overweight, so I wonder if they used to tease him with the hairdryer.

My plans to buy the class B van/RV fell through. The guy who said he would sell it to me changed his mind. But there are more vans in the sea. I am starting to want the vanagon again. I saw a couple in my price range.

So thanks to the awesome AZ, I have struck a deal on a new vehicle. It's not a vanagon, but it's better as it has a bathroom. I am really hoping the guy doesn't back out on the deal before I can pay him. It was 6,000 and its a '95 Dodge Horizon B class RV. So watch out road, here I come (maybe).

I have been going through my stuff and it looks like I can fit everything I need in what I take with me on the plane. I'm going to check a box of kitchen stuff for the van and some sheets. Everything else, I won't need-- curtains, dishes, and some books. I will finally be able to get rid of stuff I don't need and simplify. I feel like stuff just ties me down.

Oh yeah, and this weird thing happened the other morning. Sometimes when I wake up and something is bothering me, it will hit me all at once. Like I had forgotten and then all of a sudden, "crap, I have that thing I have to deal with that I'd rather forget about." Well that happened to me the other morning, but this time, shortly after, I realized that the crappy thing had happened in the book I was reading before I went to bed. How crazy is that? So congratulations Terry Goodkind, for writing such kick ass books that I am briefly in a bad mood in the morning due to plot lines.

Okay, so the civilians are working on my paperwork, so just one more week. For real this time. Today is Festivus, so happy Festivus to all. Let's consider the last entry about my mother part of the "airing of grievances." For my Festivus dinner, I ate what I am declaring the best thing I have ever eaten. If you saw the North Pole edition of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, what I ate is the thanksgiving dinner at Country Cafe. Best yams I have ever had. WOW. No wonder I gained weight here in Alaska.

I am getting really excited about starting my vanagon journey. And I have found another blogger who lives in her vanagon and has all kinds of tips on traveling and making money along the way. I have decided that I want the vanagon camper. Here's some info on the different models. http://www.dualport.com/vanagon/data.html

I think the best part about the camper is the bunk bed. That way I can keep stuff away from Toby and his penchant for shedding. I am starting to think I may have to spend 6,000 to get a good one that is clean with a new/rebuilt engine. I have the cash, but I so want to be cheap and limit my spending to 3,000.