Category Archives: Travel

Home… With Some News

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We got home about an hour ago after being on the road for about… 13 1/2 hours.Â? (Take out some of the time for a nice lunch at Olive Garden in Idaho Falls and stops for gas in various places and dinner in Great Falls and you get about 10+ hours of driving)

I’m headachey and tired from getting only 4 hours of sleep as well as about 60 miles of catnapping in the car.Â? (No worries… Jon was driving.)

The concert was amazing.Â? Well worth the 10 hour drive.Â? She played a couple pieces from An Ancient Muse as well as much of Book of Secrets and some pieces from earlier albums.Â? Two encores and some lovely stories.Â? Her musicians were so cool.

Meeting Loreena McKennitt after the show, telling her I’d been a fan for 15 years, and getting her autograph?Â? Let’s just say that I get seriously verklempt when talking about it.

I seriously *have* been a fan since 1992 when “The Lady of Shallott” was played on NPR and my mom got a tape of The Visit.Â? In the last 15 years, I’ve gone through a lot of ups and downs in life and I’ve literally been to hell and back several times.Â? Through all that time, her music was a unifying factor in my family (my brother and I have replaced my mom’s CD’s several times because they keep “disappearing”) and it was what I listened to when I needed to be pensive and ponder my life.Â? in addition, her research on the Celts (which translates into her music) has been part of my quest to figure out who I am and the poems she has set to music are among my favorites.

So… after reading that she occasionally signs autographs at the stage door, I decided to something incredibly un-Jenlike and try and get one.Â? (I’m actually really shy in person and I also feel really guilty about invading the space of others which includes waiting at stage doors after concerts for artists who really deserve to get a breather after a concert.Â? It comes from living in a fishbowl myself.)

I ended up being the first person she went to when she came out and seriously… I’m still just in awe that I actually got to meet her.Â? She was so congenial and put up with me trying to be articulate despite being a complete fan girl.Â? (She’s also not much taller than me which was kind of cool.)

I’m still honestly very tongue-tied about the whole thing (believe it or not) and although I know she abhors the “cult of celebrity”, I still felt so unworthy in her presence.

So off to bed with me… though I have one thing to say:

For I am thoroughly convinced that Montana is the most beautiful state in the nation and I have no desire to be anywhere else because no other state can compare in terms of sky, land, and water.

Concert Tonight!!!!!!!! Oh Yeah… Also SLC Schtuff!

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We’re in Salt Lake City (LOREENA MCKENNITT CONCERT AT 7:30!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) and I spent my afternoon at Temple Square looking at all the museums and exhibits. The Tabernacle is open again and it was interesting to see inside. It was closed for renovations when we were here in October and it was pretty much the only thing I really wanted to see. (Not that I don’t like Temple Square. It’s pretty and the missionary sisters are so nice even after I tell them that I’m not in the market for a new belief system but should I be wanting to change mine, I’ll give them a call.) I didn’t get to confound any of them this time in multiple languages but I know I’ll do that the next time I’m down here.

While seeking out the Tabernacle, I found the Family History Library and the Museum of Church History and Art. Duuuuuuude… history museum. *drools* I walked around and scared the daylights out of the volunteers with my mad history skillz (and the lovely information from the PBS special). I also found out that I’m allowed in the Conference Center (which is a megalithic white building with waterfalls going down the face of it) even though I’m a heathen so I decided to go tour it.

Well… the Conference Center is MASSIVE (seats 21,000 people in a concert hall/theater setting, has a lovely stage, and a nice pulpit) and has lots of open areas to allow for flow of people. The nice elderly gentleman giving me a tour made sure to give me lots of tidbits on Mormon doctrine and one of the other women asked pointedly if I’d read the Book of Mormon. The paintings and all were nice… except not theologically/historically correct (i.e. Jerusalem at the time of Jesus did *NOT* have the Dome of the Rock in the skyline). I also knew a bit about the Mormon historical figures that I saw and could better explain the acoustical architecture of the Tabernacle than our guide could. (I am such a brat when it comes to history.)

I’m back at the motel, leaving Jon to finish and pay for dinner (hopefully he’s not having to wash dishes) and I’m going to go rest my blistered feet (the tourists were all whispering about the sweet little girl walking around Temple Square barefoot) and get my clothes ready for tonight.

LOREENA MCKENNITT CONCERT IN JUST OVER AN HOUR!!!!! *squees excitedly*

In SoCal

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In SoCal now with my in-laws.Â? I did Evening Prayer with my father-in-law and Jon — it felt good, especially doing it cuddled up to Jon.

I am surrounded by excellent cats.Â?Â? This is a good thing.

Memorial service is Sunday and interment is Tuesday.

Note To Amtrak

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Attention Amtrak administration/workers/whoever does the website:

Given that your automated system “Julie” is incredibly frustrating to work with as it cannot recognize simple pronunciation of words, could you please put the train status option on the website?Â? I mean… it would make the lives of web-savvy people for whom you are the most convenient travel option a lot easier.

Oh yes… did I mention that “Julie the automated agent” is the spawn of Satan and I hate that it cannot decipher whether I want to stop in Fremont, California or Pontiac, Michigan when I say the words “Everett, Washington”?Â? Just checking.
Snuggles,
jen