Mab of Dream

I don't think that Shonna thought for one moment I'd be up in the morning, given how knackered I was the night before (that's the British knackered btw, ie exhausted, rather than the American knackered, which I've learned means drunk). But I was up and out having a fag before she was up. I was just considering whether to put the kettle on or go to the loo first, when she came down the stairs. I stood at the bottom and sang 'Good morning, good morning...' to her soon as she was close enough for me to do it without waking the house.

We needed to be gone, so Shonna suggested we stop for coffee rather than brewing it. Leave the house without caffeine?!:-o!! Is that legal? Apparently so. So we did that. It worked. The world didn't implode or anything. Then we went to Starbucks. I asked on Fair Trade (Shonna says that it's now there on drip. :-D), but they didn't have any. Instead, I tried a Cafe Latte with cinnamon syrup.

OMG! CAFE LATTE WITH CINNAMON SYRUP!! My mouth orgasmed at the first taste! :-o Where has it been all my life? (Since coming back, I've gone on about it so much. One day, Viv went over to Costa's and came back with the box of drinks and a grin on her face. She handed me a Cafe Latte with Cinnamon Syrup and I screamed! It's sold at Costa's in the Wolverhampton Science Park! I said, 'Is that Cafe Latte with Cinnamon Syrup?' 'YES!' 'Is it Fair Trade?' 'Yes...' It turned out that it wasn't Fair Trade at all, but she didn't want to ruin the moment. ;-) I now have this every other day at work. I walk into Costa's and the wench just starts making it.)

Shonna drove us to her work, past the Cardboard City. This is a makeshift village where the homeless live, all corrogated iron and cardboard boxes. (A few weeks after leaving Vegas, Shonna sent an urgent call for energy from the Witchgrove people for the Cardboard City people. There were flash floods and the water was crashing towards this. I went cold, because I could picture it.) I had a shock when I saw her workplace - I've seen it before, though I've never seen a picture. She must have projected the image so hard, when she described it, that I'd seen it without ever being there.



I had brought my book and my personal stereo, in case Shonna got so busy at work that we couldn't chat. In the event, she was rushed off her feet! We hardly got any time to chat at all and when we did, something or someone would interupt. As it was, I didn't get near 'The Onion Girl' because I got so fascinated by the American version of Time magazine. Now, I always thought that Time was the same the world over, different languages maybe, but the content fundamentally the same. I had my eyes opened that day! LOL

The American version is just about America. Full-stop. There was one page at the back which was the rest of the world. One single page. I couldn't get my head around it. The rest of the world version (which is what I'm assuming I buy back in Britain) is an international magazine. IT'S TIME magazine, that's what it does. It gives you indepth articles from all over the world. I mentioned this to Shonna, because it was just so shocking, it really was like being in an alternative universe where America IS the world. Shonna replied, 'See what we're up against?' That, more than anything I'd seen while over there, brought it home to me just how isolated Americans are from the rest of the world. It can literally not exist. And they get that from cradle to grave? No wonder they can't understand the rest of the world's exasperation at times. I spent a long time pondering it and re-evaluating how I should reword Kindly Ones posts. I somehow expected that from the tabloid media or even the television media, as we can get Fox News and CNN in Britain, but that Time would stoop to that really shocked me.

Having said all that, once I'd accepted that this was downright weird, I got reading the magazines there. They were covering the election campaign in depth in most of them and that was fascinating too, because elections are quite different in America. I was reading how databases are kept on people and how ugly it can all get; many things which would be illegal in Britain are legal in America as regards democracy. For example, they are allowed to have challengers at voting booths, whose job is to stop you voting, if you look the sort to not vote for their candidate. The magazine was going into all this, so it was Time's usual style, it's just that the content was all America.

Poor Shonna was up to her neck in work. She went to show me around once and we'd got as far as through the door into the warehouse before she was called by her boss. I amused myself (I'm easy to entertain, I'm just fascinated by everything!), by reading the Health and Safety Laws on the wall. I noticed two things - there's no box to write in the Shop Steward and it's half in Spanish. I've seen these half in English and half in Welsh, but not Spanish before. That interested me. Then I noticed Damien looking at me and wondered if he thought I was being a cheeky bint, as Shonna wasn't with me, so I went back through and sat down. Shonna didn't reappear again for ages! Poor cariad.

I got to meet Max and Damien, who she works with and whom I've heard so much about. That was cool, as I got to put faces to names. I also got to see the world's longest freight train going by. I was out having a fag when it started and, at first, I was thinking, 'WOW! It's like the old days, when the coal went past!', then after the 1000th carriage, the novelty wore off. After the 2000th carriage, it was actually starting to irritate me, but I don't know why. I think it's because I couldn't believe it hadn't yet ended, though I don't know why that would irritate me. Given that I live next to a railway track, it can't be the sound of it passing. By the 3000th carriage I was going to give up and go indoors, but something wouldn't let me leave until I'd seen it out. When it finally stopped, it was like the mini relief you get when you've gone back to cross a 't' properly or something. Yes, I know that sounds like a minor OCD, but it's not. ;-)

It seemed like I blinked and we'd gone from half 8 in the morning to noon. I was sure that Shonna had said she was finishing at noon, so at about 10 to, I asked if she wanted me to help her move the furniture as needed moving before we could leave. She said something about there being time yet. That's when I learned we were leaving at one, not noon. There's cool. I sat and made the notes as I'm using now to write these blogs. For example, Sunday's read: 'Memorial; scones; house; Macaroni Grill; Canadian comedy; tired; Borders; storm.' Yesterday's had: '5 & Diner with Stephane, kids, Elen and William; Red Rocks; burro; Mike's; airport; Strip and volcano; 'Law and Order'; and 'Mists of Avalon'.' I think I meant 'Stephane, kids, Anna and Georgia' there...

OH! I forgot about the volcano in yesterday's blog - that's why Shonna and I came home via the Strip, instead of the bypass, after dropping Anna and Georgia off. I'd told her that I wanted to see the volcano outside the Mirage. We drove up and it went off just as we pulled level. We were stuck in traffic for so long that we got to see it all without having to park the car up! 'Law and Order'... what's that then? I think it was a television programme. I'd obviously thought it noteworthy at the time, but it's gone now. I am now, of course, completely buggered, because from this moment on, I have no little notes like that for my blog. It's pure memory from hereon in.

There's some speculation about whether I did or did not get jetlag. Stephane says that 90% of people do, so if I didn't then I'm in 10% of the world's population of jammy gits. There were certainly times I was tired, like the Sunday night, but that can be explained away in the zilch hours sleep. But sitting there, particularly after one o'clock came and went with Shonna's work not abating, I had a wave of absolute exhaustion come over me. I literally couldn't keep my eyes open. There was a clock right next to me, which gave the time in Britain, but it was evening - about 8-9pm around that time - so it couldn't have been that. The inactivity? I don't know. I do know that one minute I'm reading Time and the next Max shouted through and I awoke with a start. Without standing up, Shonna wouldn't have been able to see me, so I don't know how long I was asleep. If that was jetlag, then there's cool! It only last an hour or two.

After waking up though, I was determined to stay awake. I had me a fag, with really bleary eyes, and me walking up and down to wake up properly, then came back and volunteered to move the furniture. Shonna asked for a few minutes. That furniture was funny! As we headed to 2pm, Shonna said, 'Right furniture', so I stood up and then something else would happen. I'd sit back down again. That happened a few times. :-D It still wasn't moved when we were going.

The hour's delay though meant that we didn't have time to look around the Strip, as planned, before meeting the others, so it was straight there, to New York, New York, and into 'Nine Fine Irishmen' - an Irish theme pub based on the Fenians - to meet up with Stephane, Bella, Brian, Caleb, Aaron, Elen and William. I was wide awake by then! *grin* This was the first time since getting to America where I new more about what was on the menu than those I was with. However there was very little that was vegetarian, so I went for that very Irish meal... PIZZA! LOL I also ordered a round of soda bread for them to try. It was nice, but didn't taste as good as the soda bread you get in Dublin.

I moved in my seat and got scratched by a protruding nail. Oh well, I just avoided where the nail was sticking out; until afterwards, when I was smoking one of Brian's fags (I'd left mine in the car and Brian, bless his cotton socks, lent me three fags after that as well. I'm going to have to go to Colorado and repay him now), Elen went to sit on my chair. I called to Shonna to tell her to beware of the nail and Shonna and Bella were all, 'has it cut you? Get the chair replaced!' So I alerted the waiter and he changed it. That's something else different there. It just wouldn't have occurred to me to get the chair changed. I might have told the waiter on the way out, so the next person didn't get caught, but I think the majority of Britons would have kept the chair and just avoided the nail once they'd found it.



We aren't Billy No Mates, by the way, Elen was in that seat between us, just not when Bella was taking those pictures. I canted with Brian most of all because he was right next to me and he's loud enough (in a lovely way) that I could hear him without any difficulty at all. He was interested in how the National Health Service worked and we were comparing and contrasting between how medical help work in America and in Britain, and how it all gets paid for. As this is a conversation that I'm always in with other Britons, speculating, I'll outline it here, as told me by Brian:

* If one of us was to have walked out into the Strip and got knocked down unconscious, an ambulance would come and paramedics would deal. Everything would be done to keep the dude alive, even though they didn't know if they could afford it or if they were foreign. That side would be dealt with later. If there were credit cards on the dude, then they would be taken and the details noted.

* Americans can buy insurance to cover medical expenses, but it does seem very different to National Insurance. We compared what would happen if one of us got a very serious condition. For me, there might be a queue the size of Bournemouth to get seen, but once I was in the system, I wouldn't have to pay for anything. I'd be treated until I was cured or dead. If it was Brian, he might have to end up mortgaging his house and/or business to pay for it. Times that by the fact there's four members of his family, that's scary.

* They have to pay for everything! From a broken tooth to a broken leg, everything comes with a bill attached. This is why you'll often hear through the grapevine that such and such is sitting in their American home in pain, when the British person would be up New Cross already in the waiting room. They first have to decide if they can afford to be treated.

Once Brian and I had weighed up the pros and cons, we decided that the British system was better, though we needed me to go home and check what proportion of my wages goes in tax and insurance first (if my NI stamps are cheaper than their insurance, then their's would be better). I've since e-mailed Bella with the info and Brian wrote back to say we were right, the British system is better.

After dinner (with Stephane teaching us the French for idiot - cretin, which is a word we use in Britain meaning... idiot!), Stephane took Elen and William home, while Shonna, Bella, Brian, Caleb, Aaron and I took hours over saying goodbye. :-( The simple fact was we didn't want to part ways, so we weren't going to hurry the goodbye! Instead, we took a few million photos; we looked in the shop and Bella bought Osran a 'I've done 9 fine Irishmen' t-shirt and I bought a lighter; me and the lads had an impromptu Irish jigging lesson (with a passer-by stopping to ask what dance that was); and I had my one and only Vegas gambling session - I put 25c in a slot machine (Bella and Shonna had to find the 25c in my purse and show me how to use the slot machine...). I made a light flash and the thing go round. :-D It was well worth 25c. Then I put another one in and nothing happened at all. :-( I stopped then.



Bella and Shonna ran away somewhere and while they were gone, me and Brian got told off by a member of staff for having the kids in a gambling area. (That's something else, it's illegal for kids to be in arcades there! There'd be riots on the streets of Blackpool if that was the case here! LOL) So Brian went off with them and I found Shonna and Bella (Oh! That's when they were in the shop getting Osran's t-shirt).

It was hilarious (but sad as well) after that, because we did the final big goodbye with Bella determined not to cry even as her eyes were filling up. The hugs and kisses were done and off she, Brian and the boys went, but me and Shonna stalked them. She turned around to wave and found us right behind her, so there was another round of hugging and kissing.



After that, she told us not to follow her and off they went up the escalator. But Shonna remembered Bella saying that when she was leaving me in Glastonbury, she kept looking back trying to see me. So we waited by a slot machine and Shonna went, '10... 9... 8...' Bella turned and we waved like mad. She was all grins and waved like mad back. '10... 9... 8...' Again! Dead on the eight, she'd turn and we'd wave, right up until she was out of view. Only once did she lean back and we were still there, waving insanely. We'd only start waving on the 8, but it must have looked to her like we were constantly waving. We could see her up there killing herself laughing, but eventually she didn't come back. The exact time that Shonna said that that was the last time she'd check. We waited on, but she didn't. That Shonna's good!

We had a look around New York, New York then. There's a part in there made up to look like the streets of New York, complete with steam coming out of the thingies that Marilyn Monroe stood on. We passed a ticket office, which was showing an advert for 'O'. Shonna said, "You do realize that's Stephane playing there, don't you?' As in those distinctive notes right there, that was OUR Stephane playing them. I was so proud!

We walked back to the car through an amusement arcade area, where there was an electric chair. 'NOOOOOO!' I said. We looked at it for a while, trying to work out what the ride was. I mean, if you put your money in and sit in the chair, are you electrocuted? I tried to talk Shonna into finding out, but she was having none of it and I wasn't going to sit in the chair. So we still don't know. If anyone reading this wants to go to New York, New York, in Las Vegas, and find out for us... well you'd need to get your friend to report back, just in case it's real. But we are curious.

Shonna drove us to another hotel, via parts off Vegas just off the Strip, so I could see some sights. *insert conversation about why valets don't nick cars* Then we went up to the Star Trek Experience. I don't actually watch Star Trek, but that didn't matter. I actually knew more about it than I thought I did and I think it would be a lot of fun even if you'd never heard of Star Trek.

I won't go into details about the first ride itself, because it'll ruin it for those thinking of going on it in the future, but it was brilliant. We went on that one twice. The second one had me so nervous! You know that state of fright when you're both laughing and terrified at the same time? Yes, that one! It was fine until the last part, then I realized that someone could sneak up behind me. I hate that. If you notice, if I have a choice, I will always sit with my back against a wall or where I have full view of the entrances. It might be the Vicarage's fault, when I turned and Maud was standing there right behind me; but I've also been attacked from behind before; and sitting like that is just downright sensible in half the pubs as I've been in Wolverhampton. One of the most frightening things out for me is fire... but the second most frightening is someone grabbing me from behind. I'll either flee or hurt them as my first, natural reaction.

In this ride, we were sitting in front of a wide aisle and Borgs had already been appearing from all over. I was nervous, but still enjoying it, until I felt something press into my back. I already had my legs off the ground and under me, in case something grabbed my legs, but when that happened, it was sod the looking ahead, what's happening behind me. I was half turned in the seat, trying to watch both entrances AND the aisle behind me; fully into fight, flight or fright mode, and holding onto Shonna! I didn't realize until we came out that the thing in my back had been in the seat! We'd all had it. I thought a Borg was going to grab me from behind. *rolls eyes* In my head, I was telling myself, 'It's only a ride... It's only a ride... no-one's going to hurt you or Shonna', while all my instincts were on red alert. I was still giggling my head off though. We're strange creatures, us humans, aren't we?

It was out there and back on the first ride (after a fag break), canting about how the Star Trek fanatics as we know would kill to be here. I loved the place and I don't even watch the show! LOL We popped into the shop too, looking at the key-rings after Elen's name (because it's so rare. I said I'd look in Wales for her, as it's the Welsh spelling), and so I could pick up a thank you present for Stephane. Shonna bought Ian a Captn Kirk teddy and some other stuff, as he's the Captn of Space Cadets.

Then Shonna was looking at her watch in shock, because Stephane was cooking tea and we were overdue back. We got our arses back to the car and I was trying to find her the three REM tunes as I wanted her to hear, but I couldn't find them. We got onto 'So Fast, So Numb', which is a soundtrack of sorts in my life, but not the one I wanted her to hear right then. 'Walk Unafraid' was top favourite; then 'Country Feedback'; followed by 'Leave'; but we got canting and reached home so quickly that she'd didn't hear them at all. They didn't have a tape player in the house and I forgot to give her the tape for the car next day. :-( I really want her to hear them, so I have to buy some tapes and go up Kate's as my tape-to-tape is broken. *sigh* I think that was the closest to stressed I got the entire trip (minus the planes), and that was nothing! LOL If that was me stressed normally, no-one would ever have to worry on me. ;-)

Stephane had cooked us spaghetti, which was gorgeous. Have I mentioned yet that Italian food is my favourite? I tend to eat pasta of some variety most nights here. I gave him his model with instructions that he had to find time to work on them. It chills him out. Stephane, if you're reading this find time to work on your models, that's an order. ;-)

Now, here's where I'm seriously struggling on chronology, because I have no notes. It's only the difference between Tuesday night and Wednesday that I'm struggling with. Shonna and Stephane, will you help me out if your memory is better and I've got this wrong please?

I think that this is the night we watched 'Saved'. It was a funny film and I was well into it, but I was sitting down again in a comfy seat. Apart halfway through, I nodded off, though it could only have been a short while, because I only knew as the plot had moved on. :-( I hate falling asleep. I was able to pick it up again and still enjoyed it. We watched the out-takes as well, which filled in some blanks.

Afterwards, I remember sitting out in the back garden, smoking a fag, and looking at strange lights in the sky. We were close to an airport, so they were probably planes, but they weren't flashing green and red as I'm used to. They were orange-y-yellow and streaming across the sky. Before I could call Stephane and Shonna to see, they'd gone. It's not worth mentioning then, was it? Though I thought on Chelle's stories about when she was younger, watching weird lights around the mountains.

Sometimes, now, when I'm stressed at work or something, I'll imagine myself back in their yard, looking up at the sky. It's easy to do, because it gets cold in the desert at night, and it's cold here now. Eyes closed and a fag on, and I'm back there looking at those clear stars, raising my hand to block out the street-lamp. A couple of weeks back, Shonna wrote me that she wishes I was still there, I told her that I am. I'm in her backyard having a fag. I wasn't lying.

*smile*

I go back there a lot, in the garden, where I'm not intruding, just finding that peace there.

I guess that we canted some more and went abed.