Days 10 & 11 – Ferry to Athens, Athens, Transatlantic Flight

We gathered our stuff to leave for the mainland at around noon. One of the girls, Krystle, had met a guy named Tolis and wanted to hook up before leaving. Luckily, she made it back in time. We dropped our stuff off at the port and I went with Lance, Jared, Chari, and Sarah into town to get some eats. Yes, I had another gyro. We went back to the group when Chari realized she forgot her camera and ran back to get it. We got on our ferry, the Ithaki, which was like the Diagoras but much less fancy. We were looking at a 6 hour ferry ride. Zaira and I had reserved seats but not with the group but since we were not expecting the ferry to be packed, John suggested we just sit with the group in open seats. I must’ve sat near the end of the seats because the stewards kept bugging me about my seat. I moved up by Dan and Holly and noticed Dan had a Nintendo DS. He had New Super Mario Bros. until his battery died because he’s been unable to charge it. He just got it for the trip and it was nice for him to see how the wireless functions worked. There was a kid on the Diagoras who had a DS and I was too shy to ask what he had. I’m glad I didn’t let this time pass. I just with the browser was out in time because there were Wi-Fi spots everywhere. Anyways, I went to get some fast food from the Goody’s on board. They use fry forks! Europeans must not like to touch their fries. When we arrived in Athens we got to our hotel at about 8:00 pm. We decided to eat at the hotel because it was free but I wasn’t that hungry. Our Wayne group headed out on the metro, back to Syntagma, back to the plaka for last minute shopping. It is so different at night. I wish we weren’t leaving so soon because I could spend so much time in Athens and the mainland but all good things must come to an end. We went back to the hotel before the metro stopped at midnight and we decided that since we leave at 3:00 am that we should stay up. We had some drinks on the roof and enjoyed each other’s company before leaving. During this time I charged Dan’s DS because they still had Italy and flights to get through and I didn’t want him to suffer. After a while I got tired and I didn’t want to be in the same situation as on the way over so I left a bit early to get a couple hours of sleep. I didn’t pass out but it was nice to relax with my eyes closed and stress in peace in our tiny room again. When I “woke up”, I was stressed. I wish I wasn’t but anxiety always takes hold. We got on a bus with most of the group as we headed to the airport. We said our goodbyes and had our hugs before leaving the group and John. Dan and Holly were down the way along with Megan from Tennessee. The Kansas people were going to Munich to Chicago as we went from Frankfurt to Chicago. I was able to get some sleep on the short flight to Frankfurt which was nice. Frankfurt was very hectic. There was a lot of security because of the G-8 in northern Germany and we had a limited window to leave and we were unable to say goodbye to Sarah from Louisiana. We had a nice double-decker Airbus back to America. I know I got some sleep on that plane because I don’t remember how Wild Hogs ended. That’s my new suggestion: Don’t get a full night’s sleep before flying as I did on the way there. It helps to be dead tired before flying so you get your second wind when you land. I did watch Music & Lyrics all the way through though. Halfway through the flight we had to fill out DHS and Immigration forms for entry into the US. When we landed we had to go through customs. Basically you get in line, they ask you a few questions, you pick up your luggage from the carousel, they may or may not check it, and then you put it back on the carousel for connecting flights. It is amazing how European Union customs is so much simpler. It’s basically a stamp and you’re done. It took me no time to clear American customs and I waited for about 10 minutes for the other Wayne people but after a While I got impatient and started heading to our concourse and terminal. Chicago O’Hare is very efficient for being so busy. It reminded me of the efficiency of Munich that was missing at Frankfurt. When I got to our gate, not too far away were Lance, Jared, Sarah, and Chari waiting for their flight to Kansas City. It was nice to see them again at the tail end of the trip. I really enjoy their company. They left and a few minutes later we were boarding. Steph was upset there was a flight to Lincoln flowing the Omaha flight she could’ve taken. Our plane was a 13-row plane. So we went from the largest to the smallest plane. The flight to Omaha was very quick and it was nice to be back but I miss Greece a lot. I will miss the people I met on the trip along with the amazing sights.

Day 9 – Delos, Mykonos

Today a group of us headed to Chora to go to the island of Delos. I am so exicted to see the island after learning about the Delian League in Dr. Taber’s Ancient World. The entire island is an archaeological site with only 10% fully excavated. It is fascinating. We paid for a guide that showed us the ruins and what we were looking at. We saw the theatre, the house of Cleopatra (not the Egyptian princess), and the maison of Dionysus. We also saw the colonnade built by Philip V of Macedon. You can still read the inscription if you can read Ελλινικά (Greek). I’m totally getting a hang of this language, especially the script. We saw the Colossus of Naxos site and the remnants of it after pirates attempted to steal it. The guide was very knowledgeable and well worth it. He told us of the birth of Artemis and Apollo on Delos and of the purifications that no one may be born or die on the island. We saw the Lions of the Naxians and the Temple of Dionysus. I went up the hill of Synthos with the Kansas people to see the Temple of Zeus. We then headed back to the boats and to Mykonos. I found a stain on my new shirt that seems to be some sort of lichen so Delos has left its mark on me. I wanted something sweet to eat so I ordered a nutella, chocolate, banana, and walnut crepe. I also tried the hummus which was good even with the seafood in it. The San Francisco girls started shopping and the stores began to close for siesta at around 3. We took a taxi back to the hotel until we went down for cocktails served by the ugliest bartender ever. It was fun, though. Later I separated to find a gyro stand and found the others anyway. I hung out with Jared who needed a pain killer for his sunburn and I wanted something for my many mosquito bites I got on Ios. We wandered back to taxi square where I bought some sour cherry juice. When we got back there was a group outside of our rooms having a good time. It was nice to see some of them come and go and chat to them. I talked for a long time with Megan from Tennessee who was really nice.

Day 8 – Ios, Ferry to Mykonos, Mykonos

On Ios we headed down to the port and had some time so I went with the Kansas people to check out the nearby port church. It was gated closed but we snuck around the fence to get some photos. We only needed to waste a few minutes so we didn’t trespass long. We got on the Flying Cat 4 again to go to Mykonos. On the ferry there was half of an engaged French couple in my seat and they asked me to take one of their seats and, of course, I did. They must’ve got off at Paros because a woman said she had my seat after stopping and my seat was free again. We arrived on Mykonos and it was hot. We got to the Hotel Petinaros and got another very nice room with a second bedroom, a bar, a stove, and a full fridge. We then headed down to a restaurant where I had another gyro and a frappe. It was good but very, very strong. I love gyros. It’s all the tzatziki sauce! Later we headed into Chora to check out the town. They city is a maze designed to confuse raiding pirates. The city is so cosmopolitan. We checked out where the ship to Delos leave and saw the famous five windmills. John suggested that we get some lightweight long-sleeved white shirts if we were going out to Delos as there is no shade. So when we separated I went with the San Francisco girls to find these shirts. We found a shop owned by a nice Greek lady. She was very helpful in finding a nice Greek style for me. We then took a taxi back to the hotel.

Day 7 – Ios

Today we planned on taking a boat trip to reach some of the beaches that were inaccessible by road. However, the captain told our director that he was apprehensive about the weather and urged us to cancel. So instead we went by bus to Mylopotas beach just south of Chora. I didn’t think I’d like sitting on a beach relaxing and doing nothing but it was just what I needed. I’ve had a lot of stress at times and this is awesome to just not have a care in the world. I chilled on the beautiful beach listening to my iPod. I even played some sand volleyball which was fun. We played with a Greek basketball player who would sometime kick the ball like a football (soccer) player. I then shared a lunch with Shana and Tamara. I then relaxed with them on the beach. After a while we took a bus back to the hotel. I met up with Lance and Jared who were heading with Sarah and Chari to see Homer’s Grave. The taxi would be expensive so we looked into renting a car or an ATV. But they weren’t too excited about have as much of us in one car or renting multiple vehicles so we called the cabs. It cost €50 to get there and unfortunately most of the group did not have the money for the second cab so I went with Lance and the girls. The ride was long and well worth the €50. The views are amazing from the roads and the site is amazing coming from a social science major. On the way back, the taxi driver lets us stop for photos of the cities of the island from the distant road. We stopped off in Chora and found an Italian pizza place which was delicious and different, obviously, from the Hut. I think I got some sand in my feet from the beach because it is hurting and irritated so I headed toward the hotel. I stopped by a boutique on the way and found a neat Greek t-shirt. The owner was British and very helpful and friendly. I was wearing a Hollister tee and she had not heard of the brand and complemented me on my shirt. That made me happy, especially when I was playfully teased the other day for mixing styles while wearing another Hollister shirt with a “punk” bag. I found the San Francisco girls again and talked for a while before heading back down the mountain.

Day 6 – Ferry to Ios, Ios

I was afraid of waking people up coming in late but it seems those who stayed in Fira came back at about 5:00am. I mailed some more postcards after breakfast before we left for port. We took a quicker ferry, the Flying Cat 4, to a shorter destination so the trip was under an hour long. It was raining when we arrived on Ios so that sucked. However, our room is awesome. It’s the four of us and we have two rooms and a large veranda. We went down to port to eat where I had a couple chicken gyros. They are so amazing. We chilled at the hotel until about 8 when we went into town. Some wanted a group dinner but I wasn’t that hungry. The island is relatively calm because it is Holy Spirit Day, a government holiday. A guy I was walking with, Kyle, was trying to find gyros and asked some children where he could find some. He offered some of his beer and they declined. That is so different than America. I’m guessing it’s because there is no drinking age and the kids are around it all the time. There’s no forbidden vibe to it so they have little interest in it. We found the gyros and explored the town with Shana and Tamara, the girls from San Francisco. It is such a neat town. We headed back down to the hotel and the girls booked a massage for €70. I then chilled in the hotel watching a movie on the English-language movie channel that looks similar to NBC until me roommates returned.

Day 5 – Santorini

After I woke up I had a small breakfast of bread, jelly, and juice with Dan and Holly. After that I headed down to the beachfront to see it by day. I bought a souvenir ouzo bottle and filled it with black sand. While we waited we watched Greek morning TV which our tour guide described as a cleavage festival. Then we headed to Fira, the main city situated on the edge of the massive volcanic caldera for our walking tour. The caldera is amazing! After touring the city Steph, Lucy, Zaira, and I visited the museums. Then I found Heather and had a lamb gyro. I picked up some postcards and we visited some shops. I then visited the main church in town which is so fantastic inside. Heather visited the main museum as I filled out postcards. I mailed them and stopped at an Internet café to check in on the world. We then took a taxi back to Kamari with Shea and two girls from San Francisco. I went off to find a theatre because I saw one was playing Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End but I couldn’t find the one mentioned in the poster before we left on our bus tour. We traveled to the southern tip of the caldera for some photos. Then we went to Santo Wines for a tasting. I hate alcohol so I just hung on to the glass smelling the horrid beverage. John showed us where the cruise ship Sea Diamond sunk in April that he was on. He believes it was purposely sunk rather than salvaged so the company could collect €50,000,000 in insurance. Then we went to Oia at the other tip of the island for the famous sunset. It was phenomenal but we were rushed to return to the bus to leave before everyone else crowed the only road out of town. I went back to Kamari rather than remain at Fira and roamed the beachfront looking for the theatre again. As I was walking back I found the bus stop where we left this morning which I was trying to locate and not too far from there I found the theatre. By then it was 10:15 and the showing was at 10:30 so I opted not to return to hotel to see if anyone else wanted to go. The theatre was small, yet very neat. The film was in the English language, but had Greek subtitles. There was a girl sitting next to me who was text messaging through most of the movie which was very annoying, but ignorable. Halfway through and rather unexpectedly, there was an intermission. It was odd and it confused some Americans sitting in front of me. But I guess it was a long movie and a good way to sell more concessions. I was a little surprised to see them bring wine glasses into the showing. The movie got out at 1:30 and I walked back to the hotel. I know going to a movie is something that I could do in America but the differences in how they are shown are very intriguing to me.

Day 4 – Ferry to Santorini

Today the day was spent mostly on the ferry/cruise to Santorini. Because we booked somewhat late, Zaira and I had to take a later ferry apart from the group. Everyone else woke up at 5 and after they had gone, I could not get back to sleep because of anxiety. So I mailed my postcards at Larissa Station and watched th e Greek music channel, MAD. Their music is a combination of hits from around the world. I never expected to hear some of our current hits in Greece. The taxi to Pireaus, the port city, took us by 2 modern stadiums built for the 2004 Olympics. Our ferry, the Diagoras, is huge. Our ship did not seem as packed as the others said there’s would be. It was a nine-hour trip but at least we could move around, unlike the flights. I am amazed by how close the Greek Isles are to each other. There was never a clear horizon on that cruise. Our ferry stopped by Paros and Naxos before Santorini. By the time we got in it was 11:00 pm and we were somewhat tired. We found our taxi and headed up the winding roads of the port to get to Kamari. When we arrived, we headed back with John to the group down at the black sand beachfront. I expected them to have done the walking tour already but they were going to wait for us. That was nice. I didn’t stay too long and headed back to the hotel to get more sleep. Our shower had no curtain because of drunk tourists continually ripping them down so that was a little odd but I managed.

Day 3 – Athens

Breakfast wasn’t very good in my opinion. We had bread, cereal, and eggs and the eggs didn’t seem completely cooked. Plus, I am on a weird hungry-but-can’t-eat feeling right now. We took a bus to tour the city. We passed a neat statue of Icarus in one of the many squares of Athens. Greek script is getting easier to understand and interpret. Once you get around the few altered glyphs it’s very easy to pronounce. The Acropolis is amazing! I was so exicted to see the Parthenon after writing a 20-page paper on Pericles, the leader of Athens during its construction for Dr. Taber’s Ancient World class. I took so many pictures of it and the other buildings of the Acropolis. It is so neat to see all of Athens from atop the fortress. Then, the group went to a nearby gift shop that we suspect our Athens guide has some sort of agreement with. We then got back on the bus and toured the city again. The Greeks have erected a statue of Harry S. Truman for the Marshall Plan that protected Greece following World War II. I don’t thing we even have a statue of Truman in our national capital. It was very neat for me to see the first modern Olympic stadium. I am a big fan of the Olympics and the Olympic spirit so that was a nice stop to take. We drove by the ex-royal presidential palace and ended back at Syntagma. We then broke off into groups and the Wayne people basically stayed together. We explored the ATMs and Hellenic Post before trying to find some gyros. We looked around as best as we could but we couldn’t find any so we had sandwiches. We tried to get into the National Historical Museum but it was closed when we got there. So we walked down to Hadrian’s Arch and the Temple of Olympian Zeus. Steph and I were able to figure out the Roman baths before we found the sign. We rock. There’s not much of the temple but it is still fascinating. We then tried to find the Acropolis museum but basically wasted time. We explored the plaka more before heading toward the National Archaeological Museum which was also closed, so we walked back to the hotel. At night, I wanted to head back into the city but I wasn’t sure where to go so I just chilled on the hotel roof. I am excited to return to Athens after the islands.

Days 1 & 2 – Transatlantic Flight, Athens

Transatlantic flights can be very confusing and disorienting. Zaira and I left Denver at around 2:00 pm and arrive in Munich at 8:00 am. There was an 8 hour time difference so I basically lost a night of sleep. It is very hard for me to sleep on moving vehicles so I really lost that night. And because of the ear-popping fun I was pseudo-deaf upon landing in Europe. I usually enjoy flying but after hours of it, I am sick of it. Athens is very nice and surprising. There were no customs for us, unlike in Munich, and they use Mercedes as taxis. It’s quite strange because when you think about coming to Europe, you fear that you will get lost in a language but in reality, Europe is very multilingual in most aspects. Everything pertinent is written first in the native language followed by English. Primarily everything in Greece is Greek, naturally, but English is well known here. It makes me wonder about those English-only programs in the United States. It seems so backwards as Europe deals with multilinguism on a constant basis. When we arrived we checked into the hotel and I met my roommates. I am with Shea from WSC and Lance and Jared from Kansas. As a group we took the metro to Syntagma Square where we saw the shops of the plaka. The metro is very nice because of the Olympics in 2004. The tour director, John, told us about the evil eye charm that keeps away evil spirits and worry bead that Greek men use to pass boredom. We then checked out the Roman Forum before splitting for free time. I picked up some postcards but mainly window shopped. Greeks are very friendly. We had a three-course Greek meal as a group which was very good. I am surprised by the number of stray dogs throughout the city. It’s also strange to see the streets paved in marble. The footsteps continually polish the stone and it is so common. It is so expensive to have a marble bathroom in the states but here, it is pavement. Our weather was unusual in the fact that it was raining which is very uncommon but welcome in Greece. After the introductory tour we returned to hotel allowing me to catch up on 32 hours of lost sleep.

Duluth and North Shore

On Friday I had to wake up and go on the Explorer's Club trip to Duluth. I brought a nice supply of reading material for the trip plus the great and powerful iPod to solve boredom problems. We went to Interstate State Park in Wisconsin after heading through Minneapolis to see the St. Croix River that serves as a border between Minnesota and Wisconsin. I'm so glad we went in autumn because it was beautiful. We lost a couple of guys but huzzah, they were found. We also formed a grudge against Wisconsin due to the lack of open visitors centers. We headed up to Duluth and ate a Fitger's Brewhouse but first we wandered through stores. There was a Benneton. Eww...Benneton! Tee food was good and I tried new things. I didn't know what alfalfa sprouts were (sadly) but they had no taste and they were good. I also figured out what chutney was. The other table gave us their excess appetizers so Rhea began to break the two pieces of pita bread so that everyone could have some. She was almost like Jesus! We then went to our Motel 6 which was interestingly dumpy. I got basically no sleep the first night because I'm weird but it didn't matter.

The next day we went to the Aerial Lift Bridge and saw Lake Superior meet the St. Louis River. We then went up to Two Harbors and ate brunch. Then we went to Gooseberry Falls State Park. That was really neat. It reminded me of Sioux Falls as there were really no rules about where you could wander. Steph, Heidi, and I went down to the Lake Superior shore which was neat and hurried back so Dr. Bertolas wouldn't leave us. I also squished a couple of pennies and got a patch. Neat! We then drove up to Split Rock Lighthouse. We watched a film on the lighthouse and watched them really accentuate the need for the lighthouse.The lighthouse was nifty and the view was spectacular. I squished another penny and then we went up to Palisade cliff edge which scared Dr. Bertolas into believed everyone would die. After that it was a trip up to Tettagouche State Park to see Shovel Point and more of Lake Superior. I have to say, that although breathtaking, you get really tired of seeing trees and water out of one side of the car. It was a really peaceful day but you just wish the Great Lake would do something great. Anyways, we went over to Northern Lights Roadhouse to eat. I tried Walleye, Elk, and Caribou. Not to shabby. We then stopped for pie on the way back. When we got back to Duluth, we went aimlessly up to Enger Tower to get a view of the whole city. I finally got a shot of the Aerial Lift Bridge at night after several attempts with my camera.

At the motel, two of my roommates never came back and I wish I used the other bed because no one else was. We checked out of the motel one hour early and drove down to the Twin Cities. We stopped at Tobie's to get the world's best frickin' donuts ever! We then went to the Mall of America. Ahh, memories. I'd hoped we'd get to wander for another hour because we were kicking time's butt on the way there but no such luck. I was pissed because when we got there at 10, none of the stores were open! Aah! But we were lucky: Spider-Man was making a stop at the time we were there on the day we were there. We saw him run, run, run over to his podium which was hilarious. We wasted an hour with very little to do except smash pennies and then we went to Barnes and Noble when it opened. They no longer sell the Onion in print there. What a bummer! Then we high-tailed it to the game store where I bought some miniatures and over to the LEGO store where I picked up some LEGO Batman magnets. We then had to get food because it was our lunch stop so we went to McDonald's without a dollar menu and walked back. I had hoped we'd gain an hour for when it was not open, but with everyone back already Dr. B was not about to let us go back in. Such a shame because I wanted to go back. On the way back I discovered exactly how magnetic the LEGOs were. Let's just say they don't clump together in a nice way. We got back super early on a good note and I'd love to go back sometime.


The St. Croix River on the border of Minnesota and Wisconsin


The Aerial Lift Bridge in Duluth, Minnesota


Gooseberry Falls State Park


Lake Superior from Split Rock Lighthouse


Split Rock Lighthouse


Tettagouche State Park


Aerial Lift Bridge with a barge on Lake Superior at night from Enger Tower


Spider-Man running through the Mall of America

Back, Superman, back! I have kryptonite!

Last weekend I went up to Wayne to go see Rachel. I brought her up some tamales, empanadas, and Mexican pop. I also brought up my toys with the new additions of the Green Goblin, Kevin Spacey, and Superman. On Saturday we went into Norfolk. We went to Hastings where I got a couple HeroClix boosters and then to the theatre to see Superman Returns with Jodie. After that we went to Wal-Mart to waste time before the fireworks. I picked up some Krazy Kryptonite to keep Superman at bay and to keep me entertained. I also picked up Futurama Volume 2 for cheap. The fireworks were neat and once they were done it started to rain. We waited forever to get out of the parking lot and then went back to Wayne.

On Sunday we went to Sioux City and stopped at ACME, of course. We then went to Rainbow but they were closed. Chick-Fil-A was also closed. What is it with Sunday? We wandered the mall and found Superman Returns and Pirates of the Caribbean Monopoly at Barnes & Noble. After that we went to Best Buy and I got X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse which I am currently playing. After that I went home and relaxed. All in all it was a fun time and it got me all excited to go back in August!


You'd think Superman would win, but Batman's got kryptonite!

Explorers Club Trip

Today, the Explorers Club went to Pipestone National Monument in Minnesota. We had to meet at 8:00am and the drive was a while so I brought The Da Vinci Code I bought on spring break to read. There's a lot of homework I should read, but this is a day off. I got halfway through on the way up so that was great timing. The monument is really neat. Its nifty to see what they can turn a rock into. I picked up a pendant out of the pipestone. The quarry was very neat and a great expression of nature.

We ate a Lange's Cafe, a local joint. It was really good food. On the way back we stopped at Sioux Falls to see the Sioux Falls. Those were really neat. The city basically made it into a park and you could easily jump in if you wanted to die. There are all these rocks everywhere and it was really neat. On the way back I finished the novel. It's a very good work of fiction. I highly recommend it. I can't wait to see the movie! Also, just to give some props... If you like going on field trips you should join Explorers Club. That's all they do!

To Lincoln!

On Tuesday Daniele, Megan, Book Lady, Steph and I spent the day in Lincoln. We first went to Morrill Hall down at UNL. It was weird to see all those students going to class as we were on spring break. Is it weird that we choose to go to another college during break? Anyways the museum was neat but it's weird to see all these animals we saw yesterday, alive. It's been a while since I had been there but I thought it was really neat. We then headed back to the car to go to Pioneers Park to eat. There were some playground equipment so we got to feel young again by seizing control of the "castle" I wanted to go on the merry-go-round but I knew it would make me sick after I ate so I went on the swings which hurt adults. I eventually went on the merry-go-round but Daniele wouldn't stop spinning and I did get nauseous. Go figure. I laid down for a while and mainly recovered. We then were going to see the columns in the park but Daniele doesn't understand the concept of a roundabout. We went through twice (which didn't help anything) and she went down the exit lane. She was about to go back when we finally said that no one cared anymore and we left.


We then went to Trade-A-Tape Comics and looked at what they had. We then went to Bluestem Books which has used, rare, and out of print books by the plenty. That was neat and they had chairs for me to sit in. I picked up The DaVinci Code for cheap because I know I'll be reading it at some point. Megan bought a crap load and it was hard to get Book Lady to leave. It was cool because both Trade-A-Tape and Bluestem had WillyCon posters up as well as Krypton and Dragon's Lair yesterday.


We then went to the Unicameral with 30 minutes to spare. We went to the top and saw Lincoln and the upper rotunda. We then went down to the main rotunda and foyer and saw the busts. I felt like a tour guide because I knew a lot of information about the chambers and the Nebraska Supreme Court. We also found the Nebraska State Library on the 3rd floor that Daniele wanted to find. If you need any retentive information on law in various sates, go there. We then left and walked outside to the statue of Lincoln and talked for a while. I wish we had more time and went to the stores after the Capitol but no one thinks. We then went on an errand for Megan and returned to her house. We read our comics for a while as we waited for Megan's mom to show up to see if she could talk her into going out to eat. She didn't show up so we went to the mall. We spent a while there until we got tired and we left.


Book Lady kept saying that Nebraska has a lot going for it that Nebraskans don't realize and it's true. Our capitol building is one of the neatest and most artistic buildings in the nation and I would love to spend more time there.

Henry Doorly Zoo

Today Daniele, Steph, Jenn, Book Lady, and I were off to the zoo! Since Book Lady is from Pennsylvania we figured we'd show her what our zoo is about. Our goal was to see everything and not leave until we did so. We went to the Desert Dome first. I had never been there before and it was neat. One thing I like about the Omaha Zoo is how the animals don't really seem like they're in cages. On some you can see the pens but others just roam free. It was really nice to go in the dome because it was really cold in the morning. After that we went to the nocturnal Kingdoms of the Night which was neat, too. We then went and saw the orangutans and gorillas. They were neat and kept banging on the glass. After the gorillas we went into the aviary. We then saw the bears and got a few pictures. The Dairy World was closed for winter and we didn't get to milk the mechanical cow but the petting zoo was open.


We should've gone off to the small animals north of the petting zoo but Daniele, the seriously insane one, and Book Lady, the one that's never been here, started going somewhere else and wouldn't stop so we were at the Cat Complex which was neat. Daniele and I walked to the ATM. When we got there I asked what she needed money for and she said for the train. We were just there and saw it was closed. What a waste of time! So we saw the cats and ate by the tigers who would periodically jump on the glass to see what we were eating. We then were deciding on the IMAX. It was between Sharks 3D and Walking on the Moon 3D. I wanted to see the moon one and Jenn did too but I knew we wouldn't go on it because Daniele blindly believes the moon landing was a hoax and honestly won't listen to reason and logic so we got our tickets for Sharks. We killed some time by seeing the aquarium which was neat as always and went to the movie.


The IMAX was neat but it seemed like it was made for little kids. The 3D was cool and it was fun to "try" to touch the images. Luckily, there was no attack or jump footage because they swam what appeared to be really close. We then went to the Wild Kingdom Pavilion which was somewhat for little kids and boring so we left and went into the Lied Jungle. That's usually the first thing I go to but not this time. We were going to make it last but I'm glad we didn't. We then went over to the giraffes which got Book Lady a little excited. We then walked along the hoofed animals looking at whatever was out. The cheetahs weren't there but we saw the Garden of the Senses which was interesting. The monkeys weren't out so we saw the sea lions. After that Daniele and Book Lady were "headed" toward the elephants and rhinos but went the wrong direction. We tried to correct them but they didn't listen. Eventually they arrived and we saw them and then we realized we still had the small animals left and walked all the way back to where we were earlier and saw what was out. We then needed to see the nursery but it was closed for renovations so we saw it all!


When we left the zoo, Steph noticed she lost her wallet. She went to the IMAX where it was in the lost and found. We then went to Krypton Comics to see their vast selection. We stayed there until rush hour was over and Daniele for some reason wanted ice cream. I didn't know any until the way out so we went to Dragon's Lair. After that she lost the urge for ice cream and they dropped me off at home. Sometimes I swear Daniele is honestly like a 5 year-old. All around it was a fun trip and I'd like to go back in the summer when things are open.

Chris Miller Funday 2005

Yesterday, the Class of 2003 went down to Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun. OK, let me see if I can get everybody: Me, Chris, Max, Kyle, Brandon, Zach, Eric, Ashley, Megan, Angie, Kayla, Steph, Kelly, and Sara B. were going. It started off well. Zach showed up with a hangover so that was fun to watch. Kyle drove the Millers' van, Brandon drove himself because he had to get to Des Moines afterwards, Steph drove her car, and Chris drove his car. I rode in the van with Kyle, Zach, Ashley, Megan, and Angie. We didn't get far into Iowa when Zach had to puke. He puked again in Missouri, then again outside the park. Good thing he was going on rides. In Missouri, we were going about 100 mph and suddenly a cop pulled out behind us. We're all thinking seatbelts when the cop passes us and goes for the car inbetween us and Steph. We were freaked. But it was fun.

We got outside the park and we decided to eat, I think, beforehand so we turned around and went to Wendy's. Our van couldn't find everyone else because Zach was puking. We called and found out they went in anyways. We got our tickets after selling a few extras to some people. They said "Chris Miller Funday" hence the title of the post (and probably future gatherings). They went on the Boomerang while a few of us waited. Most of the group went to Oceans of Fun while Ashley, Megan, Angela, Eric, and I went to more rides. They went on the Mamba because I'm not too keen on rides overall. They make me yak. But I love being there. We then went on the Monsoon, one of the rides I actually go on. They then went on the Detonator and then we wondered around for a while until we got to the Spinning Dragons. The line was long so I took off toward the sugar. They had Wonka bars! You don't find those anywhere. We then went on the Viking Voyager, another I like, and then we chilled out. We got bored and went to Oceans of Fun. Megan and I didn't have suits so we just waited in the oppressive heat.

After a while, the whole group was ready to try Worlds of Fun. They wanted to go on Mamba but it was broke. They went on Detonator while I had my own thrill ride. I visited the Detonator gift shop and was looking at the glassware when one of the glass shelves above me broke shattering crap everywhere. I was so embarrassed. Luckily, they said it was OK as I said that I think I will leave the store now. Not my best moment. They then went on the ThunderHawk and hated it while I found a DDR Extreme game. They really wanted me to go on it so I played some chick from the park. That was fun and exhausting. It's been a while! They went on Spinning Dragons again and most of the group got tired. Some headed back to the cars while the others went on Boomerang again. We cranked the A/C and waited and navigated the most poorly designed lot ever. We then left and went to eat. They wanted Perkins but we brought them down to CiCi's. Brandon left for the army and we were off. Unfortunately, Kayla's car was off in the wrong direction. Glad I wasn't.

The drive back was fun and reminiscent. Zach was going about 80 mph and the group wanted to stop constantly but we kept going. They wanted us to stop for 30 minutes to catch up but we didn't. Almost into Nebraska, Zach has the great idea of passing a guy in a disappearing lane and then suddenly having to slow up to not hit a truck. In Omaha, Kyle wanted Zach to take I-680 North and cut the median to get to Center faster. He wasn't going to do that in the Millers' van so we took that to Pacific and got back to Center. We tried to get gas at Fantasy's but they were closed. The other called us at about the Platte River saying that they were at 160th and Center. No way. We went to Cubby's for gas and then headed back to Mead. We left gas money I had to get gas in may car. Christ showed up not too long after wanting to know how long we've been back. They must've totally sped bad. Oh well, that's the whole of it! I can't wait for the next one.

www.flickr.com swfanatic_2000's Worlds of Fun 2005 photoset

My Mall of America Experience

OK, all this talk of the people who went to Mall of America last weekend is starting to make me jealous and, as a retrospective, I have decided to tell my Mall of America story. I have watched our trip's DVD because I miss this place a lot.

I came from a graduating class of 20 from a small school called Mead High School. Every year, the senior class gets to use its profits for a trip somewhere. We decided to go to the Mall of America. Before we even left the school, two girls, Megan and Angela were fighting about the fate of a mutual friend, Ashley. I ended up sitting next to Angela and Ashley on the ride up. I was not on good terms with Ashley at the time, but I decided early on that to make this trip as fun as possible, I would bury the hatchet and we never quarreled and really enjoyed each other's company. We stopped at Adair, IA for gas and Megan and Angela were at it again, except this time it was on video. After a 9 hour van ride up to Bloomington we got to our hotel, the Country Inns and Suites directly across from the mall.

Of course, we hit it right away. I love that place. They have a store for everything and they have everything. The first thing we saw was the LEGO store! I went over to Old Navy and picked up some clothes and then we wandered around for a while. The next day we hit the mall hard. We went to Camp Snoopy for a while and then the stores. Everyone wanted to make their own cereal at the Cereal Adventure place, but never got around to it. On the ferris wheel Megan would spit on people below her and later, another classmate, Eric would win one of those mallet strength tester games. He got an inflatable mallet which he would use to pound on people throughout the trip.

The most popular stores our class hit, because Omaha didn't have any of these at the time, were Hollister, Zumiez, and Forever 21. Everyone had a shopping bag from at least one of these stores. We had walkie talkies and I was usually called upon if someone was lost because I have an amazing sense of direction. I bought a Simpsons stein for one of my friends who couldn't come and a 3D puzzle of the Tower of Orthanc from the Lord of the Rings. I also bought a LEGO Imperial Shuttle. I probably bought more and forgot about it. I spent most of the day with Megan and Angela (who reconciled fast) and Ashley and Claire, but we ran into others. Our class would find several opportunities to take group pictures along the way like on the giant LEGOs and on the hotel steps. I found most of the Star Wars characters, such as the LEGO Jango Fett, the Darth Vader near Spencer's, the Stormtrooper at Wizards of the Coast, and the Yoda at the Sharper Image.

We then went over to T.G.I.Friday's as a class for dinner and the waiters tied balloons onto Megan for her birthday last week. We went back to the mall for Camp Snoopy as a class with the exception of future WSC student Nikki Simon and her at-the-time boyfriend Shawn who just simply wandered off. The log ride was awesome and I ended up holding eveyone's stuff, which I didn't mind. When we got back to the hotel, we all attempted to watch Red Dragon on a 13" laptop computer screen (This was before A/V cables and RF Modulators would be understood) while crammed in a hotel room. Our cameraman, Chris, found out his camera had night vision and he started filming more crap. We left the next day and our class was never more united. To this day I still revere the Mall of America for being one of the best social experiences with my graduating class ever.

Sux City

I lost my virginity today...that is, my Sioux City virginity. I had never been there until today. Kate, Mark, and Mr. Green and I went over to the mall for Cinnabon and then went over to the costume shop for the director's showcase. I was happy, and felt like a kid in a candy sotre with all the costume props. We then went back to the mall and I bought a couple wrist cuffs from Hot Topic and then we found Kate's mom so us guys went to Software, Etc. They have my Battle-Damaged Green Halo action figure that I want purely for the plasma rifle. Mark played Donkey Konga there, too. Then we went to Spencer's a found nothing so went over to the food court and met up with Kate. I also had my first Orange Julius, it was a tripleberry. Then we went to FYE and found nothing and then to Barnes and Noble and once again, found interesting calenders but overall, nothing. After still not going to Toys 'R Us we returned to the good life.

OK, now that I know where the mall is, I will totally be going back there in the future. It's right off the highway so I won't get lost. I'm so happy!