Raw Danger!

Day four was jam-packed with excitement, so sleeping was super easy. Woke up hours later and noticed fairly deep sheet marks on my chest, which means I slept harder than I have in a considerable amount of time. I would love for that to become a regular occurrence. I lounged around, had my breakfast kit-kat, and wondered what the weather was like outside.

(above: snow!)

I looked out the window and saw actual snow falling. In Southern California there have been a handful of times where this has happened, but it falls more like sloppy slush, and it’s already dirty when it lands, then quickly melts away. This show looked like actual flakes, but was melting on contact. Still, having never been to actual snow, I enjoyed looking at it fall.

Lish was up a bit later and we were going to go to Von’s, but she is consistently cold and the idea of dragging her through snowy rain seemed like it would be really selfish of me. But she said we should go, she just needed to gear up for the weather. This involved hauling out a large thick coat and a hood that she modified for maximum utility. Got bundled up and out we went, down to the light rail. The snow was still falling when we got out, but luckily Von’s isn’t too far from there.

(above: the beloved salmon fish and chips)

I debated ordering something else, just to try a new item. But we agreed that after I’d talked about this one repeatedly, it would be wrong not to get it. So I did, and it was wonderful. Lish had a salad with salmon that also looked delicious. After a bit, we left the warm restaurant and ventured back out into the elements. Hit the light rail and found ourselves a few blocks away from Uwajimaya. I’d gone here alone during my last trip and lost a couple of hours to it. This time, the goal in mind was weird kit-kat flavors. We took what was basically a full lap through the store, and only green tea kit-kats seemed to be there. I didn’t buy any because they taste like grass. Lish got a bunch of various snacks and I got a Meiji bar, then we had a brief trip through the Kinokuniya. It’s really not the kind of place to take someone who has little to no interest in manga, after all.

After getting back home, Rick and Morty was introduced to me, and it’s amusing so we watched a few episodes. Then we tried to find some two-player games to fiddle with. I think the one we spent the most time with was Bubble Bath Babes on the NES, which isn’t great, but you can see what they were going for with it. A little while later, Lish’s friend James showed up and we all chatted for a bit. Then we watched a movie called Happiness, which, I expected something unusual given the tone of how they were presenting it to me. It’s unusual, all right. Pretty good movie, but most of all I’m surprised that I hadn’t heard of it prior to this, especially after spending years in the anime shop and being introduced to all kinds of obscure things through working there.

When the movie was done, James left and I talked a bit longer with Lish before it was bedtime. I was glad she had gone out into the cold with me to do things, but I still felt somewhat guilty about it. Told her to stay extra warm tonight, said goodnight, and promptly passed out hard on the couch, bringing day five to an end.

–

Day six saw me wake up early yet again, but the sleep was so good that it didn’t matter, because I felt well-rested. Today was basically a bonus day. When I was booking the flights, Lish said she would like a day or two after I left, to just have to herself. Leaving on Friday would’ve been an additional $49, while leaving Saturday was an additional $.07. How does that work? So while I was already sad about leaving, I had to keep in mind that I could’ve been back a whole day earlier. Didn’t stop me from tearing up, on a total Pavlovian level. Felt slightly embarrassed about it, but then again, I didn’t.

(above: Americana, good eats)

I had my Meiji bar for breakfast before Lish was up, then we went to a place called Americana for actual breakfast food. I’d never had french toast up to that point, so that was the main point of the visit. As it turns out, that stuff is pretty great, though I forgot to take a picture of it. The stuff in the photo above was also good. I did the “orange slice over the teeth” thing because I can’t not do it. Then Lish did it and it was just about the cutest thing ever. Have I mentioned that she’s cute? Alarmingly so, even? Yeah. Still is.

Went back to her place for the last little bit of visiting and it’s such a strange feeling to be in a place and just… be good. To think that I started posting stuff on YT to kill time so I didn’t have to dwell on being my myself all the time, and through that, meeting someone that’s really great and intelligent and insightful and fun and all these other things, to the point that I would go get on a plane to be around them. Multiple times, even? Well worth it. Lish is and continues to be one of the best people I’ve come to know and I feel like I’m better off for having known her. But that just makes leaving that much harder. Sure enough, the time came to get to the airport and she did avoid the carpool lane so we’d have a little bit longer together, but it was still sad to watch her pull away and see the car disappear. I walked into the airport and wondered, “what if something happened and I had to stay here?”

(above: I’m interested in a later flight scheduled for never, yes)

The airport was fairly busy, but I got through TSA, took a shuttle to another part of the building, then found my gate and hung out. This part of the trip is the worst. The time crawls and then no one knows how to get on a plane, and we actually took off late. I sat quietly and the wi-fi wasn’t allowing me to view any web pages this time, so I just read through old text message conversations to pass the time.

(above: Lish sent me back with a friend, boo CA airport boooo)

Landed on time, but just like no one knows how to get on a plane, getting off the plane seems to be even harder for them. I didn’t pick my seat, and being in the back is okay, but they should really have you pass a physical challenge before you board the plane. If you perform well, you can get a sticker that says, “I’m a fan of efficiency” and you’re given preferential treatment for exiting the plane. Like an express lane for people who have things to do. Finally got off the plane, found my bag, found my father there waiting for me, and we headed down the road. Bought him dinner and found myself home not long after, and while there’s a certain good feeling about being back in your own bed and using your own shower, I still wished I was up there hanging out with Lish and exchanging stories about anything and everything. She sent me home with a pothos plant, which is currently sitting in water and I’m waiting for it to show roots. It isn’t the same as being there, but at least it’s a small piece to take back with me.

Overall, it was a great trip that I enjoyed. I walked way too long because I’m stubborn about seeing things on foot, I twisted my ankle, I got violated by Dick’s, I dropped a 45-second fart all up in her living room, and it all felt super minor in comparison to the fun and excitement over the course of those days. Even something as basic as walking down a street becomes a fun adventure when she’s there. So now the question is, when can I go back again?

Epilogue: So I got back on Saturday, and Sunday morning I’m sitting here pouting hard. The phone rings and I don’t answer it because I don’t recognize the number. They leave a voicemail, and it’s the hiring manager lady at the first location I went to. Calling on a Sunday, what the hell? I call back and we start talking transfer. She wants to make it happen. I went back to work Tuesday night, so Wednesday morning I hit my boss up about it. He says most of the work will be on their end, but he gives me a transfer form and says if I fill it out, he’ll fax it along. I get home Wednesday and call the lady in Seattle, who says that I don’t even need to fill it out, that she’ll let her HR person know to try and push it through. We discuss a pay rate and a starting date, so while none of this is in any way concrete yet, if everything goes smoothly, I could be relocating in the very near future. This is scary as shit, because what do I know about moving to a different state and having it actually work? But it’s also super exciting, and knowing I already have a terrific friend there makes me look forward to the future up there.

What a big adventure!