Bienvenidos a Miami...

Yes please.

So the weather's been great.

The beach is beautiful.

The water is warm.

I've been in Miami since Monday, on my first two week yo yo extravaganza tour for work. It's been good. I have a nice hotel, it's kind of in the hood, but hey, who's counting? It's expected that everyone speaks Spanish here. I'm kind of into that, because I'm in the club. If I did not speak Spanish, I might be quite confused. A guy at a toll booth told me I looked like a princesa. He had on a Hawaiian shirt. The whole encounter made me smile.

The work part has been good. I finally have a new outfit!!! I get to wear orange Chuck Taylor's now, and I feel so much more like myself. It's great. The shows have been good- I've been visiting places with names like "Caribbean Elementary", with mascots like dolphins and stingrays. These things also make me smile. It's hot though, very hot. I fear my dripping sweat is scaring the children, but they seem cool with it. It might have something to do with the fact that I sound a little bit like a Disney princess when I use a microphone.

My first free afternoon I went to the beach. I finished a book that my friend had leant me. I really enjoyed it. I swam. I rented a bike and went for a ride. It was a lovely day.

My sister came to visit for the weekend. It's been awesome so far, more beach, and tonight we're headed to Gloria Estefan's club, where, apparently, the rhythm really will get you. Hasta pronto.

Vancouver, BC

Dear Readers,

I apologize this post is so overdue! Life has gotten in the way of blogging for a little while, but as I am about to embark on a two week yo yo adventure, you can be sure to be hearing a lot more about it.

Anyways, just about two weeks ago, I got home from Vancouver. It was my first international experience as a yo-yoer. Or yo-yo-ist. Or whatever. It was awesome. I also had another yoyo lady with me there! It was a dream. There is something so nice about NOT having to go out for dinner every night, and as for a table for one. Seriously. Try it sometime. See how the hostess looks at you.

We had some trouble getting across the border. Apparently the Canadian border patrol does not see a lot of soundsystems passing through- they asked A LOT of questions. The fact that I landed in Vancouver at 1:00am did not put any ease to their questioning as I may have hoped. But nonetheless, I made it through!

This awaited me:

Vancouver was beautiful. I arrived in darkness and I had no idea what to expect in the morning. I expected it to be like Seattle, because it was so close.

The next morning as I drove to work, I couldn't have asked for a better road to travel. Monsterous mountains arose around me- covered in snow. I literally screamed out loud when I first noticed them. I drove through downtown Vancouver and over the bridge to West Van, which was really to be my favorite part of the city.

I had my first show, which went well, but was difficult. Why you ask? Well, the word "yo-yo" is trademarked in Canada. What does that mean? That means I have to do a 45 minute show about yo-yos without saying the word "yo-yo". And also, the general public in Canada does not know about this little fun fact, so they can say "yo-yo" as much as they want to- and find it a little weird that I have to say "yo" or "yo-top". But hey, if that's the hardest part of the day, how bad can it really be? I'm not too upset about it. Also, the children I saw in Canada were overall more mature and polite than most American kids I've seen. Buuuut we have rock n' roll. So eat that Canada.

Anyway, I only had one show that day and was done by 10:00am. So I explored West Van a little bit. It was great. Canada had a much more European feel than I expected it to. I really felt like I was in a different country. I strolled along the streets past the little markets, the butcheries, the cafes. Oh, the cafes. There were cafes galore. I picked one called "Savory Pie" (obviously). I went inside and loved it. It reminded me of a place I'd find in Western Massachusetts or Vermont. Farm fresh. All organic. Mason jars. I bought myself a pumpkin spice muffin and a coffee. I went for a walk.

I took my breakfast down to the water. There was a beautiful park with a beach on the coast. I could see mountains, I could see the Lion's Gate bridge. There were dogs, and old people walking along the water. I sat in the sun and ate my breakfast and wished that I had my camera. This was my favorite part of the whole trip.

I explored what West Van had to offer and headed back to my hotel. It was like Seattle, or a small town outside of it, Edmonds, but to the max.

I spent the rest of the time exploring with my yoyo buddy. It was great. We had delicious sushi. We found a great bookstore. I bought another Paolo Cohelo book, and I hope I love it as much as I love The Alchemist. We also thoroughly enjoyed The Old Spaghetti Factory, and though it may be a chain it's still yummy. It was so great to have someone to explore with.

I write this to you as I sit in my second home, Logan Airport. I'm waiting to board a flight to Miami. I'll be there for two weeks, with a lot of free time, and a lot of beaches to go to. You know where to find me.

NC

Whoops. Forgot a post about rural North Carolina.

It wasn't much to write home about.

I did drive to the Outer Banks one day though, and the beaches were very pretty.

The Texas Panhandle.

Overdue.

Amarillo, TX.

Last week I was yo-yoing through Amarillo, TX which was an interesting place indeed. It was very, well, Texas.

It was very flat. Great Plains flat. And, very, very windy. The winds were about 60mph. I guess the wind really picks up when there's nothing in the way to slow it dow for hundreds of miles. Amarillo was the smallest airport I had seen. 4 gates. No, not terminals, gates. That's until we get to this week.

Driving into town I passed the Big Texan- famed for it's "Free 72oz Steak"- if you can finish it in one hour. This joint has been on the Food Network, and I was told was a must hit spot in Amarillo. I walked through, and it was neat. Cracker Barrell-esque. I contemplated using their free limo service to come back later that night for dinner. My mind was changed after wandering into an Antiques shop on Route 66. I spoke with a very nice woman for quite some time, and she told me to save my money rather than dine at the Texan. She was thrilled that I was from Boston, "You have to sign our guestbook!" she said. And I did. I think the person above me in the book was from the faraway land of El Paso, TX. When I left, she told me that I had to come visit her again. I said I would.

The people in Amarillo are very nice. And there's something to be said for that. But then again, by the end of my journey I may realize that people in most other places are nicer than they seem to be on the East Coast.

Yo-yo shows were great. The kids were quite cute. They all had a little Texas drawl when they spoke. Whenever I asked a question, the response included "ma'am" at the end of it. This was one time I did not mind being "Ma'am-ed".

I had the pleasure of having an afternoon off, so I headed to Palo Duro Canyon. It's a national park. It's the second biggest canyon in the U.S.. I, never having seen the Grand Canyon, was quite impressed. It was a really beautiful little place and I went for a hike and took lots of pictures. I also saw some Texas Longhorns that were a part of the park. They were very big cows. With very big horns.

Then it was off to Cadillac Ranch. My sister's fiancee tells me that Cadillac Ranch graces the cover of a Springsteen album. Fun fact.

Cadillac Ranch was started in the 70's when a Texas gentleman decide to bury 10 Cadillacs nose down in the middle of a field next to Route 66. They're buried at the exact angle of the Grand Pyramid in Egypt. It's a public art piece. The idea is you're supposed to spray paint on them. So I did.

Amarillo was a place that had grown up as a roadside attraction alongside Route 66. It still has that feel. It's a really cool pit stop for a road trip I'd say. So if you're driving through Texas, and looking for a place to spend the night- or afternoon, stop in Amarillo.

Virginia Beach 2.0

Here I am again in Virginia Beach. As you may remember from my last visit, there's not a terrible amount of things to do here when it's not beachy weather. So I was prepared. Brace yourselves.

My journey began at the airport, with a delayed layover in Baltimore. I treated myself to a margarita and some chips and guac while I read the March Vogue. All of these things were good choices. I arrived at Norfolk International to slightly warmer temperatures and a rental Chevy Cruze, which has been a nice little car.

After checking into my hotel, I went down to Five Guys to get myself some dinner. Burger was delicious as always. A nice enough guy named Rick hit on me. That was a little awkward. But, as of yet, I haven't seen the nightlife in VA so maybe that's how things work here. (jk)

The shows and schools here are great, people are just happier to see me here than they are in New England. After my first day of work I went to Trader Joe's, then returned to my hotel. I then used the hotel to the most of its resources, I went to the gym, I went to the pool, the hot tub, ate a freshly baked cookie the whole shebang. Woot woot. The next day of work was followed by a trip to the beach after work. This has to be why people come here.

That night I went to see a cheesy romantic comedy, which was surprisingly good. I also made a stop by Forever21. I like it there because I can actually buy things. Because they are cheap. Which is awesome. Today, work again, I tried to occupy my afternoon by driving over a very big bridge, but when I learned it had a very big toll, I turned around.

Thrilling.

Tomorrow, I'm coming home. And I'm looking forward to it.

The Desert

I am in Phoenix.

Well, right now I'm in Glendale. A Springhill Suites to be exact. Sitting on my bed, with a box of left over bbq, my last night in town writing a blog.

Arizona has been an interesting time. Our country is so diverse. The "American" spirit is really different down here. Radio stations play the national anthem at noon to give thanks to the "fact" that we live in the greatest country in the world. Don't get me wrong, I love where I'm from- but I do think these people don't get around much. A few mediocre radio d.j.s aside, the west is a cool place. The landscape is so different. For the most part it's a vast desert, except for what you see above: Red Rocks.

The Red Rocks are one of the most beautiful natural wonders I have ever seen. The pictures above do not do them justice. If you're ever anywhere near Sedona, you should go see them. Then hit up an In-N-Out on the way home for a Double-Double Animal Style, because that just may be the best afternoon of a business trip that your life has seen so far. For me, it was way up there.

The yo shows here have been pretty awesome as well. Sweet kids, nice teachers. I haven't been to a rough school. There is always tomorrow, but I do believe that some cities in the U.S. don't have 'rough' areas as others do. Sure, they're rough compared to their surroundings, but when you bring other demographics into the equation, it doesn't come close.

Oh, by the way, did I say that it's been sunny and an average of 70ish degrees all week? 'Cause it has, and it's been sooooo good.

Post numero uno de 2011.

So, after a lovely two weeks of vacation, I'm back in Seattle for team training with all of the other fabulous folk that do my job in other parts of the country. Before I tell you about that, I do want to say that I'm quite excited to have finished my first real adult vacation time- like, when you still get paid when you take time off...and you don't have to retake a drug test or get re-hired or any other of that bullshit. Yay job!

So it's been quite cool hanging with my co-workers. There is such a variety of people. The people that do my job include all ages, moms, dads, grandpas- it's pretty neat. I've been talking with a lot of people I've never really talked to before. There are a little less than 20 of us, so it's pretty neat to actually know everyone that does your job. I like being a part of a smaller company. Also, I like having someone to talk to, because when I'm in the bean, my co-workers are all at least 300 miles away. It's cool to be reminded- hey, I'm not all alone.

I won an award for being good at my job. I was thrilled. Needless to say, I wasn't expecting it, especially since I haven't even hit the 6 month mark yet. Huzzah!

This trip, I haven't seen anything more than the office and my hotel, so not too much to write home about there. In one week, I'm off to the west....