Prodigal

First Jeff goes on vacation, then Dennis, now me.

This past weekend my cousin James got married (enough links for you?). The wedding was held in Baltimore, Maryland; the land of blue crabs and Edgar Allen Poe's grave. Also, the land of my birth (Ok, I was born in a hospital in D.C., but Baltimore is where the house was).

Four of my cousins have been married before last weekend, and so far, I hadn't been to a single ceremony. I wanted to make this one. Not just because I wanted to make my karma with my family right, but mainly because James and I were close growing up. He lived much of his youth in Reston, Virginia, which is a little over an hour's drive from Baltimore. Yeah, he was like my little brother, and when we see each other, we can pick up where we left off. With a lot of my other cousins, it's been a little awkward getting reacquianted. My shame in myself has a lot to do with that, and the fact that they have their own things going on in their own worlds.

My shame stemmed from my lack of an education, spouse, and prospects. Everytime I went to visit, I had the same story of absolutely failing at whatever I had tried. It got to a point where seeing my family would be something I'd avoid.

I got tired of that, so I went. Besides, I'm back in school so I've got nothing to be embarrassed about. Oh wait, I'm afraid to fly. Hmmmm...how to get around that...AHA! Amtrak! Good ole Amtrak will get me there lickety-split! Let's see, look on Amtrak's website. Chicago to D.C. hmmm...16 hours....hmmm. Ok, let's think about this, 16 hours of "ahhhh" or 3 hours of "AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" Yes, let's book that train ticket!

Fast forward to travelling day. This would be last Thursday. I have to admit that, as I was in my seat waiting for the train to start, I was wondering how the hell I'm gonna get through a 16 hour ride without going stir crazy, but, once the train started, I was like, "Ok, this is how" and everything was cool.

The train ride was gorgeous. Crossed Indiana and Ohio and hit Pittsburgh at night (city looked pretty all lit up). Then, we started heading south through the Adirondacks towards D.C. The route was right in between the West Virginia/Maryland border. The trees were in various stages of their yearly transformation, ranging from green to gold to brown. That was the scene on one side of the train. On the other, the mighty Patomac River. The last time I saw her was on a school trip when I was 8. She looked even more impressive now. She's a peaceful river. Even looking at the rough parts, I thought to myself, "Yeah, I could swim in that." Rage and calm never looked more synchronized. This ride certainly prepared me for the weekend ahead.