Trip wrap up and Where NOT to stay in Hayward

We traveled from Reno to Tuloumne via Carson City.  We had breakfast at Mom and Pops Diner, and each of us had hearty breakfast  I am paying the price of eating too many plates of biscuits and gravy and this place was no exception.  The waitress asked me if I could wait, as they had JUST put the biscuits in the oven.  Fresh biscuits?  Could I WAIT???   YES. The food was good and the service was friendly.

I fell asleep on the ride over the mountains.  I missed the treetops, but frankly I was exhausted.  Pain is no joke and it has been taking it's toll on me.  I had to take much more of the pain meds than I am used to in order to cope.  NOT more than the recommended dose, just more than I usually take, as I take the minimum.  There was snow on the trip over the mountain back into California.

Black Oak Casino is a kind of new facility, they just opened the hotel three years ago, nice but blah.  The food in the casino was good, not as great as I remember from last time, but pretty good for casino food.  Maybe I was just tired and somewhat irritable.  I hope I was not a "pill"

We made reservations at the La Quinta Hotel in Hayward for our last night.  It was near enough to the Amtrak station that Anna would not have to get up at the crack of dawn to take us; we could catch a cab.

We did not stay there.

The first room had a strong smell of mold and when we looked at the ceiling we could see where there had been a leak that was just painted over, no mold abatement.  We trooped back to the reservation counter and were given another room.

I found two VERY long black hairs on the bed and when we pulled back the coverlet, it was OBVIOUS that someone had had a romantic encounter on the bed and remade it.

We fled.

We went back to the counter and told him we were leaving.  Chris called booking.com to get a refund, they had already charged us, and we were given the ok.

Now that my card has been refunded, I will be posting on their website,

We wound up staying at the Days Inn, or as I call it, the Roach Motel.   The smell of disinfectant cleaner was omnipresent, but we were tired and it was clean.  The next morning I saw a roach climbing the wall in the bathroom.  YUCK, but what did I expect?

We got a taxi ride from a weird guy who was smoking when he got out and wanted to argue with us as to where we wanted to go.  He thought he was getting a huge fare to the OAKLAND station when we wanted to go to the Hayward station.  He was pissed off.  He chanted all the way there.  We did give him $10 , which was probably twice what it cost, but he hadn't started the meter (probably cheating his employer anyway)

We caught the Capitol Corridor.  Remember I asked the Amtrak person about this train?  Her answer was if we could get the luggage on the rack above the seats we could take it.  She was wrong.  There was a luggage area near the door and we were able to stow our gear easily.  We did help out another confused rider, who was unsure as to which station he was at, He needed to get off at the station AFTER ours.  I hope he did.

We made the Amtrak heading for home.  It was running late.  Apparently the southbound train has that issue.

Once again we needed to eat on the train and I discovered that the CAFE CAR had tables that could accommodate Chris!  YEAH.  The food was still bad, but we were able to watch the ocean going by while eating a meal at a TABLE. While it did not feel like the old time elegance I had desired, it was nice to feel somewhat human as we ate our meal.

We arrived about an hour late, bedraggled and ready for home. It took forever to get a taxi, but once he arrived it was a nice trip back to the car.  We left our car at Chris' work, leaving it in Van Nuys for that long would have been an invitation to disaster.

Home again, I collapsed in our bed and I had to get u at 5:30 for work.  Remind me to build in a rest day next time.

 I am STILL tired!

Vacation, Part 3 Delights and disappointments

We arrived at Harrah's on Friday night and after much indecision, decided to go to the Carvings Buffet at Harrah's.  I had been there before and had not been really impressed but we were hungry and tired from the road and it seemed like a good idea.  I had seen a sign about half price if you were over 55 ( which I am)  and we asked about it.  The   cashier said no that was only Sunday - Thursday.  Bummer.  We laughed and thanked her and decided to eat there anyway.  We were already there, we were hungry.  Anna paid the bill and neither of us realized that she had comped us two meals until we sat down and looked at the check.   With Chris using some of his points, the meal for the three of us was around $16.  That was amazing.

Friday was seafood and I ate a HUGE pile of steamed clams and peel and eat shrimp.  I posted a more detailed review on www.stuffyoucanstomach.com.  The service was good and the food was a surprise.

I have detailed our breakfast adventure on www.stuffyoucanstomach.com as well.

We wanted to go to Virginia City.  I had seen this page about a stagecoach ride and it looked REALLY fun.  We decided we wanted to do it.  We got out really late, as it took us forever to find a breakfast house and eat.  We got to Virginia City and found the Visitor Center only to be told that the stagecoach hadn't run in TWO YEARS!  We were very disappointed, but they told us to take the tractor tour ( it's a tractor pulling a line of tram cars)   Nice tour with a lot of colorful information.  We missed the train ride and we have talked about going back, maybe staying at a B&B in town and seeing all the sights.  There was an old time candy store and I bought a bag of rock candy on a string, like I remember from my childhood.  Now they put it on a stick but I bought the string kind for old times sake.  We had a drink ( sarsaparilla for me) in a themed saloon and played the Kenny Roger Gambler machine. We should have known when to fold 'em, We lost!  But it was fun and we returned to Reno.  We went to the three Casinos that are connected Circus Circus, Silver Legacy and the El Dorado.  We neither won nor lost there, stayed much later than my knees could take and tumbled into bed.  Dinner at the Silver Legacy was "meh" and I am not going to rate it except to say the cheese dip appetizer was SO bad we sent it back,

We headed for Carson City for breakfast and back to Black Oak Casino in Tuolumne, CA

Vacation Part 2

Chris reminded me that not everything on our vacation was bad.  I agree there were good parts, but my perception is colored by the fact that I was in more pain than  I could really cope with,despite taking larger than normal doses of my meds.  I was not over dosing, but I take the bare minimum usually and now I was taking the recommended dose.  I was hurting and frustrated. I used to be able to at least WALK.  Now I can't even do that.   I need to really start to push myself to get stronger.  I hate feeling this way.  Osteoarthritis sucks.

So.. The good stuff.   We stayed at the Fairfield Inn in Hayward the first night. Anna has adopted cats and I am allergic to them so we could not stay with her. Hotels are getting a bit pricey for what you get but this was a large comfortable room  The bed was comfortable, the bathroom spacious and the place was super clean,  We had been on the train forever and we were exhausted.  We fell asleep quickly. I had forgotten to pack the toothpaste, but the hotel had emergency packs and they handed me two.  I went next door to the 7-11 to use the ATM only to discover it had been ripped out.  It had yellow tape all around the area where it had been.  I joked it looked like crime scene tape, but more likely it was just being upgraded.  Our window overlooked the Starbucks drive through which was packed with caffeine junkies all morning ( no judgement, I love my coffee too!)

The price of the room included breakfast, so although he was reluctant to go, I made Chris go to the courtyard to get something.  It was a delight.  A full breakfast bar with real coffee, eggs and do-it-yourself- waffles.  I was stuffed!  I am supposed to cut back on coffee, but this vacation I drank a lot  of it.

We took off for Reno, after finding a 7-11 with a working ATM.  I bought three scratchers and Anna won!  I had hoped it would be the start of a winning vacation for her, but no such luck.  We spent most of what I call my "entertainment budget" coming home with some of it but not really winning anything.  We won enough to keep playing, that's about it..

We stayed at Harrah's in Reno.  I like Harrah's   The place is comfortable, the staff is friendly and they have a Starbucks right when you get off the elevator.  They DO have in-room coffee but that's more like coffee flavored water than real java.  I bought VENTIS for me and Anna!

More on Reno and the ill-fated trip to Virginia City tomorrow!

Vacation Blogs Day 1

I am back from vacation and I am sifting through notes and recollections for the six days of possibly the most frustrating, in many ways, vacation I have ever known.  There were good parts-  hanging out with my husband and my mother in law, which was mostly the point of this vacation.  Almost NOTHING went as anticipated.   Maybe I should not expect anything next time and I will be surprised.

DAY ON on Amtrak

My "romance" with train travel  pretty much dies on Thursday.  I've been on trains before and I was sure I would love this trip from Van Nuys to Oakland.  People who have taken the train said I would love it too.  We upgraded to Business class, which gave you free WiFi two bottles of water and $6 off the food.  The seats were larger, which was a good thing, because Chris is a large man,   This experience does not have me hungering for more and as I write this in the hotel, I am not looking forward to the trip home.  When I was on the train before, we had wonderful service.  This time, although it was a long haul train ( this is the Coast Starlight, Northbound I am talking about), we might just as well have been riding an MTA bus.  I had to hunt down a conductor to ask my questions and I am Still not sure I got the right answers. We will see. ( The answer was yes and no, but it worked out ok)

AS I suspected, the best seats on the observation car were staked out early and were not relinquished until the beach scenery was gone.  On the plus side, we did get seats on the beach side of the train in Business class.  Those seats were nicer and roomier than coach.

We snagged seats upstairs on the Beach side and that was very nice until the aging Valley Girl sat down behind us and got on her phone and began yapping.  She complained- LOUDLY_ that she had to buy an upgrade to Business Class to get WiFi  and that she was PISSED that she could not sit in the observation car and do her work. I did not realize just how far it is from Van Nuys to San Luis Obispo, HER final destination. Maybe it just seemed longer.  She was very loud on her multiple business calls.

The scenery was lovely and Chris and I took turns taking photos.  There are places I just want to visit, by car this time, to get some nice photos.

The food on the train deserves it's own page.  Go to my restaurant review page www.stuffyoucanstomach.com  to see the gory details!

The trip was long, but we did get to Oakland on time, which was nice.  The snafu of missing my Mother-in law, who had a new phone number and thought we had it was a bit disconcerting and began the  series of WTF moments that made up this vacation.

AS she has just adopted a few cats and I am allergic, we spent the night at a local hotel which will be covered in the next blog

Happy Birthday Dad

The other day, on my way to work, Pandora played "Leader of the Band" by Dan Fogelberg.  The song always reminds me of my father even though he was not a band leader.  There is a line "he gave to me a gift I know I never can repay"  I started crying (I'm crying now as well).  I can never make it through that song without crying.  The last line before the chorus "Papa I don't think I said 'I love you' near enough" has me sobbing. It's funny how certain songs will do that to you.

Today would have been my father Robert Myers' 96th birthday.  He was born in Chester PA and always loved the place. I read now that Chester is one of the most dangerous cities in America, but for my father it was a kind of heaven; a farming community filled with cousins , aunts and Uncles and his grandfather  who taught him to swear in Gaelic. His parents split up when he was young and he lived with his father until he was killed in a household accident ( well not really a household accident.  It was Prohibition and the pot of tar they had on the stove to seal the barrels to store the hooch exploded on him.  Nasty horrible way to die in my opinion).   He moved around between Aunts and Uncles, staying with his favorite Uncle Jim until his mother came to claim him and his brother. He didn't want to go but she took him anyway and he lived with his mother and stepfather in New York.  He had three other siblings and he loved them all.  He never quite got over the death at 17 of his brother Junie, whose heart had been damaged by , I think, rheumatic fever.  He had quite a few adventures and told great stories that made you laugh.   I kind of get that from him .  I think I tell some funny stories myself.  I got his "cooking gene"  He was a professional cook and supported us by working in a variety of "houses" or "stores"  He met my mother at the pool at the St George Hotel in Brooklyn, where his first encounter with her was to push her into the pool.  She couldn't swim.  He went in after her.  The rest as they say , is history ( well MY history anyway!)

I miss him every freaking day and wish I could talk with him just one more time.  I "talk" to him in the kitchen when I leave a knife in the sink for more than a few seconds ( a HUGE mistake in his book and I try NEVER to do that)  I hope he is still proud of me.  When I was getting an award in City Council a few years before he died, the Councilman asked if he were proud of me.   He held his hands out to indicate a size and said "I've been proud of her since she was this big"  I think he's pleased as punch at his great-grandson Bobby, who seems to have inherited his charm.  He could charm the birds out of the trees. Bob ( I call him little Bob) looks like my father when he laughs.  He also has his ears, but that's another story.

So Happy Birthday, Dad.  I miss you.  We will share a beer in Heaven one of these days.

Dreams

Big surprise that I haven't been sleeping well.  Don't know why, but my rhythms seem off.  I fall into a heavy sleep then wake up WIDE awake two hours later.  I have to try to empty my mind and sleep.  I long for soothing relaxing dreams but lately they are just a chaotic extension of  my day.

Last night, or more accurately this morning, I dreamed I was working.  I was doing library stuff in the lobby of a weird hotel  I was having trouble with their phone system and I kept trying to find the paperwork to order paperback racks- we needed  something like a thousand of them, and I kept just finding more and more stacks of paper.  My boss- not any of my real bosses but someone I knew was my boss- kept handing me more stacks of paper that were just in a mixed up clump, not a neat stack.  In frustration, I tossed them on the sofa until the sofa was covered with paper- it was lined looseleaf paper by the way.  The boss sat on the sofa and I tried not to let her know I was frustrated.  IN the pile of things I found a book I was trying to read called Mrs Ysiguire's' eyeglasses ( there is no such book, I checked).  In the dream I knew it was about a Japanese woman who had been in the camps as a young girl and now was trying to get a new pair of glasses and to tell her story.  I REALLY wanted to read the book but it kept getting trapped in the papers and I kept losing it.  Someone kept yelling at me that I had transferred some complaining person to the speaker system in the hotel and now everyone could hear his complaints.  I woke up tired.

If I think about it, I know the dream means I am feeling overwhelmed at work- well DUH.   I wonder if somewhere in the dream is the solution.  Am I supposed to write the book?  That might be interesting as I know nothing about that era and I wonder if I could actually develop a character like her.  Her story was real in my mind.

I have been told that dreams are your subconscious, trying to tell you something.  Today, or this evening, when I am not so busy, I might give it some thought.  I just hope for a nice flying dream!

Music

I have often thought that musicians are our current poets and philosophers.  I often find something that helps me find my direction when I am questioning my mind , in a song. Last night on the way home, I heard a Phil Collins song from the 80's I had not heard in a long time. I liked Phil then, before he became sort of a public arrogant bastard.  The lyrics resonated:

Now everybody keeps telling me how to be
and everybody tells me do what they say
Oh, I'll help myself it's up to me and no one else
but till I'm ready just keep out of my way


I wonder sometimes if music comes into our lives at the moment we need it.  I know that hearing "Solsbury Hill" years ago helped me to decide that it was time to change jobs.  I was incredibly unhappy and did not know what I wanted to do- much more unhappy than I am now.  For THAT job I had to talk myself into going to every day and I would flee the minute my time was up.  It was a bit like serving time, I suppose, but not really.  It was horrible in every aspect.  My current situation is not like that.  I am overworked, well I FEEL overworked, and I hope for relief and change. The job I applied for is all writing and research, but it IS with he Police Department and I have had my doubts about working for another law enforcement agency ( my former Job From Hell was with Parking Enforcement).  I am still unsure.  I will follow some advice and take the interview if it is offered.  I think I will know when I go if it is right for me.  What stops me is that I have two to three years left and I am feeling conflicted.  Really conflicted.  Do I want to leave people I love- and I do love the people out there in my branches- to do something else?  My focus has always been to try to serve the greater good.  Libraries do that.  I suppose I need to look within, see what it is I want in my "career"  although at this stage of the game can I really call my working life a career?  I am struggling, and oversharing here in the blog I suppose.  But this blog IS titled "Inside Robyn's Brain" and I warned you from the outset that it would be a trip inside my mind from time to time.  Welcome to the chaos of thought that is my mind right now!

I will seek out soothing music and the philosophy of singers whose work may unexpectedly help me unlock the puzzle.  I can only ask myself what next, as there is really no one else who really knows what I  want,and I'm not sure I even know.