Building Excitment

I’m starting to get stoked for my trip. I’m a little worried though, and here’s why: I’m going to meet my friend Hope in Paris. Hope is great; I’ve known her for a bunch of years. I’ve been to Machu Pichu with Hope, and my buddy Alex. That was a great trip. Once, Hope and Alex and I drove from Pullman, Washington to Reno, Nevada and back in two days so that I could get my Aunt’s album collection she was storing in her garage after her complete switch to compact discs. (Her records were awesome; she had all this great vinyl from the late sixties through the seventies and eighties. Hundreds of them. When we got there I found out a good part of them had been stolen. I still made it back with over a hundred great records, but it wasn’t what I had thought. These albums now sit in a storage unit in Portland, Oregon under the care of my brother Dustin. Thanks, brother.) The point is I dig traveling with Hope. She lives in Belize now, teaches scuba diving wants to build a resort and is not the reason why I am worried. (Although I haven’t heard form her and don’t know if she got the information for the hotel in Paris, but if she doesn’t show up I’ll deal with that then.) What I am worried about is that I haven’t heard from The German. Some of you know The German. Those who don’t are missing out. Anna, as her friends and family know her, sat across from me the first quarter of Architecture school. She was on a Fulbright and was only suppose to stay a year, but actually graduated this last June from the UW. She is funny. She has a Vizsla named after Hugo Boss and another named Emil after the letter e, I think. She kept a pigeon. She married another German named Armin. She grew up in the Bavarian Alps. She is my good friend. Hope and I are suppose to meet Anna’s in Munich this coming Friday and spend some time there. A week. And although I’m sure it is all cool (Anna and I have been talking about this for a good year) I haven’t heard from her in a month and I don’t know how to get a hold of her in Germany and, well, I leave in three days. This makes me a little edgy. But here’s my plan: If I haven’t heard from her by Wednesday, I’m going to fly to Paris. I’ll spend a couple days there and if I haven’t heard from her by Friday, I’ll fly to Munich. If, when I get to Munich, I find that she is not at the airport, Hope and I will figure it out from there. But good luck getting a hotel since it’s Oktoberfest. At this point maybe a night in the airport, and then hitchhiking to Vals to see the Zumthor Baths before making our way to Venice. Something. So, although I am worried, it is more about Anna and whether or not she is all right. Because it’s just not like her, then what’s going to happen to me and Hope.

To pass the time, here is the Oslo City Graffiti Zoo for Jessica: