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Jul. 23rd, 2022 05:44 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
psipsyUnless I have to, I think I'm just not going to leave the house for the next 20 weekends. There's more than enough around here to keep me busy. Except I'll go out for Otakon and AUSA. And Skyline Drive. And going to the beach. Ocean City and surrounding areas have a vibe.
Oh yeah, Otakon is next weekend. My badge for that arrived. I'll go as I always do, but these days I spend a lot of the weekend in the dealers room. The few remaining friends who still go to cons now do so as dealers. Almost everyone I used to run with stopped going to cons anymore because of the Other Things. I should probably explore more of what the con has to offer, like I used to. Maybe next year I'll do the full hotel room thing, also like I used to. The convention vibe doesn't hit as strong when I commute.
In preparation for Otakon, I logged into my account for my Metro card, because driving into DC is awful for many reasons. Got a notice that that the chip in my card is too old to be used anymore. I've had it for a long time so I guess that was going to happen eventually. At least I'm finding out now. I'll just get a new card when I get to the station and transfer the balance later, all $9 of it. The Metro, at least when it works, is much better than driving when going into DC. For someone like me who lives in a much more rural area, Metro stations and trains have a noticeable vibe. And the ever-present scent of heavy grease.
On my assorted road trips, I've stopped at many truck stops and travel centers. Truck stops are liminal spaces, and the vibe is different for each one. The Pilot in Duncannon has a different vibe than the Gateway in Breezewood, which in turn is different from the Petro in Raphine. The Iowa80 truck stop is large and has a lot of people in it at any given time, but it's still a liminal space, if only on the technicality of its intended purpose. The vibe there is closer to that of an airport terminal. Don't stay in a liminal space any longer than necessary, lest you risk becoming part of it.
Someone should create a chain of motels with inverted check in&out times, for night drivers. I would totally stay in one, like if I was really trying to get somewhere specific. As long as it's not really close to the main highway. Were I a much more enterprising man with far more resources and capital, I'd probably buy up a bunch of existing motels and repurpose them for this business, and call this new chain something like "Owl's Nest". Add in a truck stop with a 24/7 diner and I can only imagine the kind of vibe these places would emit.
Speaking of late-night things, I finally got to do something I haven't been able to in over 2 years: Grocery shopping after work at 2AM. There's a Giant just off I-695 that's gone back to being open 24 hours. Prices are a bit higher than where I usually go but when I need something on my way home from work, where else am I to go? There are no bad vibes there because everyone else in the store is just as grateful something is open at that hour.
Oh yeah, Otakon is next weekend. My badge for that arrived. I'll go as I always do, but these days I spend a lot of the weekend in the dealers room. The few remaining friends who still go to cons now do so as dealers. Almost everyone I used to run with stopped going to cons anymore because of the Other Things. I should probably explore more of what the con has to offer, like I used to. Maybe next year I'll do the full hotel room thing, also like I used to. The convention vibe doesn't hit as strong when I commute.
In preparation for Otakon, I logged into my account for my Metro card, because driving into DC is awful for many reasons. Got a notice that that the chip in my card is too old to be used anymore. I've had it for a long time so I guess that was going to happen eventually. At least I'm finding out now. I'll just get a new card when I get to the station and transfer the balance later, all $9 of it. The Metro, at least when it works, is much better than driving when going into DC. For someone like me who lives in a much more rural area, Metro stations and trains have a noticeable vibe. And the ever-present scent of heavy grease.
On my assorted road trips, I've stopped at many truck stops and travel centers. Truck stops are liminal spaces, and the vibe is different for each one. The Pilot in Duncannon has a different vibe than the Gateway in Breezewood, which in turn is different from the Petro in Raphine. The Iowa80 truck stop is large and has a lot of people in it at any given time, but it's still a liminal space, if only on the technicality of its intended purpose. The vibe there is closer to that of an airport terminal. Don't stay in a liminal space any longer than necessary, lest you risk becoming part of it.
Someone should create a chain of motels with inverted check in&out times, for night drivers. I would totally stay in one, like if I was really trying to get somewhere specific. As long as it's not really close to the main highway. Were I a much more enterprising man with far more resources and capital, I'd probably buy up a bunch of existing motels and repurpose them for this business, and call this new chain something like "Owl's Nest". Add in a truck stop with a 24/7 diner and I can only imagine the kind of vibe these places would emit.
Speaking of late-night things, I finally got to do something I haven't been able to in over 2 years: Grocery shopping after work at 2AM. There's a Giant just off I-695 that's gone back to being open 24 hours. Prices are a bit higher than where I usually go but when I need something on my way home from work, where else am I to go? There are no bad vibes there because everyone else in the store is just as grateful something is open at that hour.
