Oh the Places I’ll Go!

Read on my friends about
The places I’ll go and those I’ve been
with a little help from my friend
Dr. Seuss.

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.

I lived among the military when I was born. My first memories of travel are all centered around moving. From Kansas to Alabama. From Alabama to Georgia. From Georgia to Oregon. From Oregon to Missouri, I moved.

We took trips to California for holidays; trips on the Greyhound bus to Kansas City for space and family time. We once got left behind at a breakfast restaurant somewhere in Utah. I clutched my pink bunny and regretfully left her on the bus. After all, we’d be back soon. Bunny (aka Top Gun Bunny) was an Easter basket that I hugged until her handle came off. The bus driver came back to that breakfast restaurant for us even though the bus company didn’t want him to. Thank God for that decent man. I remember sitting in a boring cub scouts meeting fidgeting and hugging my bunny. I slept with that bunny for another 10 years. (Yes, I know how that math works out thank you very much. I also sucked my thumb until about 5th grade when I started orthodontic work (it could account for my oral fixation.))

You’ll look up and down streets. Look ‘em over with care.
About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.”
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you’re too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

And you may not find any
you’ll want to go down.
In that case, of course,
you’ll head straight out of town.

It’s opener there
in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen
and frequently do
to people as brainy
and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen,
don’t worry. Don’t stew.
Just go right along.
You’ll start happening too.

Growing up, we did not take vacations. When you are part of a single-parent household vacations do not take priority. I tell you this not for pity, no, but for information sake. My mom made sure we were nurtured and provided for. Our Christmas’s were amazing and happy and we had lots of family nearby to entertain us.

My brother and I traveled to Oregon or California for a couple of holidays, but for the most part we remained based in Kansas City. When I was in 5th grade, (remember this is about the time where I stopped sucking my thumb) we roadtripped to Florida for my aunt Meg’s wedding. When I say we, I mean my mom, brother, aunt Jean, aunt Mary Kay, cousin Jennifer, and cousin Kathleen. (and MC Hammer was too legit to quit, hey hey.) That Dodge Caravan was quite the hotbed of pissiness on the journey home. Sanibel and Captiva sure were pretty though.

OH!
THE PLACES YOU’LL GO!

You’ll be on your way up!
You’ll be seeing great sights!
You’ll join the high fliers
who soar to high heights.

You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed.
You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you’ll be the best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don’ t
Because, sometimes, you won’t.

I’m sorry to say so
but, sadly, it’s true
and Hang-ups
can happen to you.

You can get all hung up
in a prickle-ly perch.
And your gang will fly on.
You’ll be left in a Lurch.

You’ll come down from the Lurch
with an unpleasant bump.
And the chances are, then,
that you’ll be in a Slump.

And when you’re in a Slump,
you’re not in for much fun.
Un-slumping yourself
is not easily done.

In college, I started venturing out on my own. I went to exotic places like St. Louis, Lebanon (MO), Poplar Bluff (MO), and Oran (MO.) I jest; those places are not exotic. However, I did take several other trips that I consider momentous.

My friend Cindy and I drove to Chicago one December to see our favorite band—the Dave Matthews Band. Unfortunately, she was getting over a cold, and I was getting over salmonella poisoning. (Beware of chicken left in the fridge!) The show was amazing, we had a shitty cab driver from our hotel, and we had to walk a mile away from the United Center in the frigidity of a Chicago December to catch a return cab, but it was still awesome. It was a great way to start our winter break from school.

Champaign-Incubus. A whirlwind Sunday in October. My roommate Gentri and our friend Maribel decided we needed to attend the Incubus concert in Champaign, Illinois—a 6 hour drive from our residence in Springfield, Missouri. We piled into the car, stopped at the auto parts store for something or other at 11:11am, and began our drive. Once we reached Champaign and the lovely University of Illinois campus (did I mention I almost went to college there? Oh, well, I did. I was *this* close) we dove into some Burger King and waited for the concert to start.

Our seats were what can be called nosebleed, but we were pumped. After the first song, we noticed that a certain front row section of seats on the right side of the stage was conspicuously empty. We jumped. We watched the rest of the concert from the front row.

After the show we decided to stalk the band. Yes, lame groupie girls is what you are thinking and you’re right. But, we met Brandon Boyd, got a poster and our ticket stubs autographed, and got some great pictures. (I told Brandon that I loved his faulty parallelism. “Double negatives all over the place.” *sigh.* )

Around midnight we began our return journey. We took shifts driving (I pulled the last shift.) We slept for about an hour before getting up and going to our Monday morning classes, but we didn’t care. Adventure was our buoy.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some windows are lighted. But mostly they’re darked.
A place you could sprain both you elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose? How much can you win?

And IF you go in, should you turn left or right…
or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite?
Or go around back and sneak in from behind?
Simple it’s not, I’m afraid you will find,
for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused
that you’ll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.

My next trip is a bit more risqué. Nashville. What do I say about Nashville? I could say I went there to see a Dave Matthews concert. I could say that I went there to see a man. I could say that I learned a few things from the experience. All in all, Nashville taught me a few things about myself. Good and bad.

The Waiting Place…

…for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or a No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a sting of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.

NO!
That’s not for you!

Somehow you’ll escape
all that waiting and staying.
You’ll find the bright places
where Boom Bands are playing.

With banner flip-flapping,
once more you’ll ride high!
Ready for anything under the sky.
Ready because you’re that kind of a guy!

One of my goals for this year was to travel. So far I’m actually holding fast to that resolution, thanks to my employer.

I should have fallen in love with Seattle but I didn’t. (I did fall in love with the veggie calzone from the pizza shop that was near my hotel. I may be vegan now, but man, I think I’d cheat for one of those.) I think a lot of my dislike of the experience stems from the fact that I did not feel confident when I was surrounded by my industry peers. I was in Seattle for a search marketing conference. I was surrounded by strangers and people who really do it, whereas I just pretend.

I also did not enjoy the hike from the pier to my hotel. In heels, with laptop bag, backpack, in a sweater, uphill 2 miles. I am smart and I like to be challenged but that may have been masochistic.

The best part of my trip to Seattle was meeting and having dinner with a friend I’ve spoken to only online and on the phone. What a great guy Matty is. For serious! I was nice to have someone to talk to as I was feeling a bit like an island. My old social anxiety issues more than crept up during those 3 days I was in Seattle. It was like I completely lost all social skills. And I’m a delightful person.

I feel I would have enjoyed Seattle more if I was away from the energetic city life. I love the water and the climate but there was just too much going on near me when I was already stressed out and on edge. I thought it would remind me of being in Oregon. It didn’t.

Oh, the places you’ll go! There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored. there are games to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball
will make you the winning-est winner of all.
Fame! You’ll be famous as famous can be,
with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

Except when they don’t.
Because, sometimes, they won’t.

I’m afraid that some times
you’ll play lonely games too.
Games you can’t win
’cause you’ll play against you.

All Alone!
Whether you like it or not,
Alone will be something
you’ll be quite a lot.

I hate hot sticky weather so I figured I’d hate New Orleans. But the vibe and energy won me over from the moment I stepped out of my hotel. Bonus, I didn’t have a hangover on Friday after being out on Bourbon Street until 4am.

Unlike Seattle, I was with a group of people and I felt much more confident in my position—though, I had to man a trade-show booth for the first time in my life and that was a challenge. It was pretty slow so I did a lot of standing around fingering company branded beads.

There’s not much I can say about Indianapolis. I only saw it in the darkness of night and morning. I had a yummy vegetable platter for dinner, stayed in a suite (which had a giant spider the first night), and got very little sleep. I was there for some intensive work, and that’s what I did. It was still a really great experience.

And when you’re alone, there’s a very good chance
you’ll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won’t want to go on.

But on you will go
though the weather be foul
On you will go
though your enemies prowl
On you will go
though the Hakken-Kraks howl
Onward up many
a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may leak.

On and on you will hike
and I know you’ll hike far
and face up to your problems
whatever they are.

You’ll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You’ll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life’s
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.

Another business trip! This trip is slated for mid-November. It will be my first time in New York and I’ll be with 3 male work colleagues—all my superiors. I am worried about what shoes to wear. I have to be able to walk gracefully and quickly. I know. I’m doomed.

I love Chicago. My mom is from the suburbs of Chicago (party time, excellent!) and I’ve been there several times for various events—my great-grandfather’s funeral, a college visit, and a Dave Matthews concert or two. This December I am going to a workshop with the other SEO/SEM girl at work. It should be really fun and educational. I just hope I don’t drive her insane on the plane—poor thing already has to put up with my lame jokes and meowing everyday at work.

I am contemplating a trip to California to see my Oma for Thanksgiving or Christmas. I’m also toying with the idea of seeing if she’d like to come to KC and visit. She has back issues so it is much easier for me to travel than it is for her. But I feel it is important to spend time with her. For years I felt I did not feel close to my Oma—she is very German and metered and I am very much not. Once I grew older, I began to understand why she is the way she is, and over the years she has mellowed as I’ve matured. We sort of met in the middle and now I hold a great respect for her. Perhaps someday I’ll share more on that topic.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)

KID, YOU’LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

So…
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O’Shea,
you’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!

There are so many places left to visit. Who knows where next I shall venture in this grand series of travels and tales called life. Will you be with me or will I be alone? I think a little of both. And I’ll write and laugh and cry and sing and smile. And I’ll be glad for each moment—coast to coast.

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