The Narcoleptic Goat Sleeps Again

Nothing major happened today. I woke up before Dianna did and headed out to do some more sightseeing. I knew she had had a long night and needed to get some work done from home, so I let her sleep in while I went out. 

I went to the West County Center, which is just a really huge ass mall. I was on a quest to find a suvoner for my father, that man is impossible to shop for. Well, actually, he isn’t. He’s quite easy to shop for because I know he will appreciate anything I get him, but I like to find gifts that have a personal touch to them and that’s where it gets tricky with him. The gifts that have the personal touch are things I could more or less find at home and I want to get him something that’s uniquely St. Louis in nature. Not at easy task. Needless to say after hours at the mall I came up empty handed yet again. I have faith that I’ll find something at the Gateway Arch, or possibly the Brewery. 

When I got home Dianna and Dave were watching a movie and when it was over they relinquished the remote to me. I put on a Bollywood flick. Dianna fell asleep less than half way through and Dave left shortly after at about 4:30pm. I spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening watching TV until that got to be too boring and decided to tidy up my suitcase. I’m starting to get a little worried that my suitcase might be too small for all my stuff. I won’t know for sure until I go to pack everything on Friday night. EEK!

Well, it’s about 9:30 and my mind has gone numb from all the TV I watched today. I’m probably going to play a game online and then go to sleep. Tomorrow, I’m going to go to the Galleria to pick up an item real quick before I head to the butterfly house. Should be fun!!

This morning Dianna and I woke up fairly early, for a Sunday anyway, and went to breakfast at First Watch. After breakfast we went back to the apartment and did a little sunbathing before going to get our nails done. I wasn’t too impressed with the quality of the job done, but thankfully I’ll be home soon and can get it all fixed.
After we got our nails done we took care of some chores and I totally fell asleep part way through the day. Dianna had a sad day and I helped to cheer her up. When we got home we made fajitas and watched a movie. It was a pretty mellow day, which was quite nice.
Tomorrow I’m thinking of getting my eyebrows done because they’re looking absolutely gross. Other than that I don’t really have any plans. I might go to a museum or take a tour of the brewery.

This morning Dianna and I both woke up with massive hangovers. I didn’t get to bed until close to 3:30am and she stayed up even later. When we finally unassed our beds to take some ibuprofen we decided to go out for breakfast. Dianna took a shower, which for me would have required too much energy so I just brushed my hair and got dressed. We went to IHOP and had a very large, very filling brunch. 

When we got home we took our respective horizontal positions on the couch and watched a few episodes of The Cleveland Show before passing out. I didn’t wake up again until 4:30pm. When I did wake up I finally had the energy to take a shower. We decided to grill some steak for dinner and proceeded to do so. 

On my way back from the store I started to think about Freddy and then I got incredibly homesick. I was even more emotional when I got home and I started to cry a bit. I love being on vacation. I love St. Louis. And while it feels like I’ve always lived here I’m really missing being home. 

I’m going to continue enjoying my time here while I can, but I’m sure glad I’ll be going home in the next week. I have a lot to think about and it’ll be nice to talk it through with my mother and get her perspective on things. Regardless of what happens this trip has changed my life. 

Today I slept in until around 10:30am. While Dianna was at her doctor’s appointment I took a shower and got ready for the day. When she got home I took the car and went to the AKC Museum of the Dog. 

I had some trepidation about going, since it’s only been two weeks since I lost my beloved Freddy, but I decided that this was something I should to regardless. The first gallery was really nice and had a mix of paintings and sculptures. While I was making my way to the second gallery the lady at the front desk asked me what kind of dog I had. I explained to her about Fred and was really on the edge of tears. She said there was a painting in the Dogs of War exhibit that she thought I would like. After our conversation I made my way to second gallery and found the painting she was talking about. When I first saw it all the breath left my lungs and I started sobbing. The painting looked exactly like Freddy. I sat in front of the painting for a solid 15 minutes sorting out my feelings. 

After I regained my composure I looked over the Dogs of War exhibit and started to cry again. It was a really moving tribute to all the dogs that had gone to war. I swiftly made way over to the third gallery which was dedicated to dogs who serve as canine police dogs for the county and city of St. Louis. This exhibit was all also very moving and made me tear up again. 

Before I left the museum I checked out the gift shop. The lady there asked me about my dog and I had to go that song and dance all over again. I ended up getting a new chew toy for our future pup. Afterwards I tried to figure out when and where the next Anheuser-Bush brewery tour was, but I was having some issues with the internet on my phone. I gave up in frustration and decided it was best to just go home.

When I got home I rested up for a little bit and had some wine. Dianna and I got ready for the Blues Festival. The festival was not at all what we were expecting so after grabbing a bite to eat and a quick drink we headed to Washington Avenue. 

As we were looking for a few places that had been suggested we try out we found one called The Jive and Wail, a dueling piano bar. It was SO MUCH FUN! Dianna and I proceeded to have drinks, sing along with the players, and dance our asses off. It was amazingly awesome. One of the piano players was super cute and I was googoo eyed all night. Another amazing fact about St. Louis: the bars don’t close until 3am. Needless to say, I spent way too much money on alcohol, but it was totally worth it. 

When we got home Dianna and I kept the party going for a few hours and then we eventually passed out. 

Today was a nice mellow day. I slept in until about 9:30-10:00am. When I woke up I found that the noise that had startled me in the night was actually the cats, most likely Bob, knocking over some flowers that were on the kitchen table. After cleaning that up and tidying the rest of the living space I proceeded to watch four Bollywood films. In between the second and third film I did manage to peel myself off the. Couch long enough to take a shower and have something to eat.
At around 7:30pm Dianna got home from her day and we chatted for few hours before I went to the store to grab some more wine. When I got back I made some dinner and we begged out on the couch watching the last episode of House, M.D. still not too sure how I feel about that.
Needless to say, we rescheduled our dinner date with her boss for next week. Tomorrow I’m going to go to the AKC Museum. This weekend we’re going to go festival hopping and check out the St. Louis night scene. It should be especially hopping since its memorial day weekend!!
My face is still a little red from walking in the sun so much yesterday, but the rest of my body has recovered nicely. I should be nice and bronze by the time I get home.

Today was a busy, busy day! I woke up early and headed off to the history museum first thing in the morning. I got the museum a little early and decided to stop by the visitor’s center to pick up some maps of Forest Park and the surrounding attractions. It wasn’t until I got back to the museum that I realized I wasn’t just a few minutes early, but an entire hour early!! I chilled in the car and read my pamphlets while listening to music.
When 10am finally rolled around I headed I side the museum. I paid to get into two special exhibits they were showing. One was on the evolution of the fire department system in St. Louis, and the other was on the Civil War in Missouri. The Civil War exhibit was much more engaging and I thought more informative than the exhibit on fire. If I had known prior to purchasing the tickets I only would have gone to the one on the Civil War. After seeing those two exhibits I saw a few more; one was in the 1904 World’s Fair, another was on hunger and resiliency and the last one was one the history if city of St. Louis. It was a very nice museum.
After the history museum I decided to walk over to the art museum. I should have brought my map with me because I ended up getting turned around a little bit. Instead of making a direct bee line to the art museum I wondered around the park a little bit. This wasn’t totally a bad thing because I got to see the Boat House and the World’s Fair Pavilion on my way.
I was slightly disappointed when I got to the art museum because they were between special exhibits, however, this did mean entrance to the museum was totally free. I saw all kinds of art and “art”. It was really nice to be able to take my time. There were a few paintings that really struck me and
I stated at them for a long time, but for the most part I looked at the pieces as I walked by them.
By the time I was fI e with the art museum my feet were killing me. I really do need to invest in some proper walking shoes. When I got home I had a salad and a few glasses of wine while I watched tv.
At 5:15 Dianna and I started getting ready to go out to dinner. We went to a place called Bar Louis. It was really quite nice! I got a portobello burger and several drinks. It was so nice to sit outside and chat. I really am falling in love with this city.
When we got home we watched a movie and are now heading to bed. We’re having dinner with some of her friends tomorrow night and I might go to the AKC Dog Museum. We’ll see how I’m feeling tomorrow. I’d like a day to relax at the house, but I can always do that next week.
I can’t believe I’ve already been here a week and that my time is quickly coming to an end. Something needs to be done about this…

Today started out a little bumpy, but totally ended in the right note.
I woke up super early so that I could take a shower and wash out all of the hairspray from the day before. Unfortunately, I had stayed far later than I normally do the night before and was super tired in the morning. After my shower I promptly fell back to sleep.
Dianna woke me about am hour or so later and I ran out the front door. Just as we’re about to get to place of employment I realized I had left my phone at the apartment. I have an app on my phone that helps me to navigate the STL metro and I was planning on going to zoo and wanted my camera. Dianna assured me that I would be able to navigate my way back to the apartment.
After dropping her off at work I headed back to retrieve my phone and do my hair. Not only did I make it back in one piece, but I also drove on highway!! This has been something I’ve been avoiding because the highways out here are easily twice the size of the highways at home and are a bit intimidating.
Once everything was right with world I headed for the zoo. I spent about six hours just meandering through the exhibits.
The first stop I made was to the sting ray pool. I had made it just in time for breakfast and actually got to feed a few of them. It was a really experience.
After the sting rays I tried to walk the main perimeter of the zoo and see each section.
After about two and a half hours of walking I could feel that I was growing tired so I took the the train to the side of the park with the elephants. All zoos should have such a feature. Anyway, I spent a solid hour watching the elephants. They were so much fun to watch and by far my favorite! ;-)
Once I had seen the elephants I didn’t much care if I saw anything else and would have happily left, but Forest Park is huge and I didn’t want to have to deal with reparking the car, so I visited all of the exhibits.
It was a really nice day because I was able to slowly meander through the zoo and see exhibits I wanted to see, when I wanted to see them. However, it would have been nice to have been able to share the experience with someone. I felt like a mute all day. Such is life.
After the zoo I went to pick up Dianna and we went to dinner at Elephant Bar. It was super yummy! And super cheap. I walked out of there having had dinner and a drink for less than $25. I couldn’t believe it. Plus, our waiter was very nice and very nice to look at.
When we got home Dianna and I set up the queen sized air mattress and I finished my laundry. Then I headed out to Old Navy.
I swore I wouldn’t buy any clothes on this trip, but I really needed a pair of shorts. I wear sundresses all the time at home, but at home I’m not walking around tourist attractions.
Now I’m all ready for bed and an even earlier day tomorrow. I haven’t quite decided what I’ll do yet, but I have some time to figure it out. I love being on vacation!!

I didn’t do much today, but what did do left me completely drained of energy. 

I woke up early and got ready for the day. Dianna had a doctor’s appointment before work and while she was taking care of that I took the car and explored the ‘city’ of Chesterfield. I ended up getting a new manicure, which I desperately needed. 

When I was done with my manicure I picked Dianna up from her appointment and we headed to her place of work. She showed me around the office and then escorted me to the MetroLink. 

I took the train (by myself!) to the Galleria. I hadn’t planned on spending more than two hours tops at the mall, but the damn thing was so big I was there from 10:30-2:30, and I didn’t even see all of it. The only reason I left was because Dianna had called me so we could go to lunch. If I had known it would take me so long to explore the mall I would have worn better shoes! 

I took the train back to Dianna’s office and we walked a few blocks to a really nice place for lunch. The service was super slow, but the food was SO GOOD. After lunch we went back to Dianna’s office and while she worked I continued to do some research on things to do and sights to see. 

At 6:00 Dianna’s friend, Simon, met up with us and we all went back to the apartment. We sat around in the livingroom drinking and having a few laughs. After a few hours we ordered pizza and watched a few episodes of “Family Guy”. 

I haven’t quite decided what I’m going to do tomorrow, but I’m not short on ideas. We’ll see how I’m feeling and what the weather is like. For now, I’m going to continue enjoying the company.

Today didn’t quite go as planned, but the nice thing about being on vacation is that there is no such thing as a planned day.

Dianna and I both woke fairly early. While she went to the store I made breakfast and took a shower. When I got out we went sunbathing on the front patio before getting ready to meet up with Jessica and Alana for lunch.

Apparently, I was the only one out of the four of us that thought going to Sweetie Pie’s would take an excruciatingly long time. I was reassured by the others, however, that it wouldn’t take too long, so we get in line. Turns out I was right. We were in line for two fucking hours. Now, normally, I don’t mind waiting for things. I can be a very patient person. However, when I’m standing in 90+ degree heat with nasty ass humidity and my blood sugar rapidly dropping I can get pretty nasty. It took all of my energy to stay standing, let lone not snap at anyone. About an hour or so of waiting I just stopped interacting with everyone. It too much energy that I didn’t have.

When we finally get to eat I was slightly disappointed. I was expecting this amazing culinary experience and I was severely let down. I make better Mac n’ Cheese, the fried chicken was okay, and honestly if you screw up mashed potatoes you don’t deserve to be in the kitchen. Everyone enjoyed their meal, but I wouldn’t be rushing to go back if I lived in the area.

I’m going to have to watch the up coming episodes to see if we made it on TV or not. There was a camera set up aimed at the line to get in and there were cameras all over the restaurant. I almost don’t care. Almost. It would be pretty cool to see myself on TV so long as the shot wasn’t of me with a half eaten chicken wing sticking out my mouth.

Needless to say, I was pretty drained and in a food coma by the time Dianna and I made it home. Because it took us so long to get lunch we were late getting back to the apartment so she could get ready for her date. While she frantically got dressed and pretty, I cleaned the apartment. We made a good team if I do say so myself. 

When her date arrived I opened the door and we all chilled for a few minutes as they tried to wait out the storm. When they left I gathered addresses to all the attractions and museums that I want to go to while here in Missouri.

I might go get my nails done, do some laundry, and watch a movie. Regardless of what I do it will be a nice mellow evening in. Which is perfect considering that the rest of my time here will be pretty busy!!

Today was a fairly mellow day. I woke up pretty early, but lazily took my time getting out of bed. I enjoyed my usual morning time routine with a few modifications. I had Starbucks premade coffee and my Luna bar for breakfast, but instead of doing the Sudoku from the morning paper at the kitchen table I did it on my nook outside on the patio. It was quite enjoyable actually. Afterwards, I took a shower and got ready to head to Pointfest with Dianna. We made a quick stop at Target before getting to the venue so that I could get some decongestant. The pollen is amazing out here and about half way through the night I wake up because I can’t breathe. 

By the time we made it to Pointfest, an outdoor rock concert, it was 90 degrees. We meandered around the perimeter and checked out the vendors before finding a spot on the lawn to watch some of the bands. 

While this genre of music is my normally my cup of tea, I did really like the first band. The others were pretty good, too. The last band, however, sucked donkey balls. They sucked so bad we left out spot on the grass in search of better music at a different stage. 

Dianna had really wanted to stay to see Rob Zombie, but he didn’t go on stage until 9:50pm and we had already been in the sun for nearly 5 hours. Also, they only let you bring in a liter of water and to buy more was $4.50 a pop. We were grossly unprepared for this event. Claiming defeat we went home early. 

When we got home we took some time to recuperate from being in the sun for long and then I went to the grocery store to get some food for dinner. When I got back I made dinner and we watched “House, M.D.”. After some girl time we decided to watch a movie. It was a really interesting documentary on what happens when an Amish kid turns 16 and the choices they have to make. 

We were both pretty beat after the movie was over and decided to go bed. Tomorrow we’re meeting up Jess and her friend to do lunch at Sweetie Pie. Then I’m going to help Dianna get ready for her big blind date. While she’s out I’ll probably go get my nails done. 

I could really see myself living out here. I’m enjoying much more than even I anticipated. One day at time, though. One day at a time.