Day: October 5, 2012

Manchester

Standard

Manchester. Last day. The only day it really rained. The hostel is nice enough, but it’s upstairs – third floor – no elevator.

No elevator equals no suitcase; at least as far as I’m concerned. It’s been misty all week, so I left my umbrella in the rental. Of course.

It’s still misting, so it’s not too bad. I have to walk about two blocks to find something for dinner. Piccadilly’s just down there I’m told. Not the circus – that’s in London, but right around the uni.

It’s getting dark and with it comes the rain. It is cold and wet. The kind of wet that soaks through your clothes, through your skin – I imagine my bones rusting. They’re already creaking. I am clearly a tourist. No umbrella.

Little do they know, I always have an umbrella. Just not here.

I wander down the street, the rain slapping me in the face – the hood on my shirt up covering my hair. That’s just for show, though. It’s a jersey knit and I think it’s wetter than the puddles I sidestep.

I slide into a Tesco grabbing a soda and a snack for later – once I’m “home” I can’t go back out. One more night. Had it still been Wales, I wouldn’t want to leave, but Manchester.

Fuck. I hate Manchester. The driving. The roundabouts. The Ring Road. The Ring. The fucking ring. It is a cunting nightmare. That’s no exaggeration. Round and round and round and NO! Dammit! I do not want to go to fucking Leeds! Manchester. MANCHESTER!

I stop a van for hire. Can you get me to Newton St?

Nah. I can get there, but I can’t tell you how.

I burst into tears and I suppress the urge to grab this stranger and cling to him. I half reach out my hand, but stop, wiping away a tear.

He inhales and points to his van. Follow me. I’ll show you where to turn. Thank G-d. Thank you, thank you. I breathe in relief and gratitude that can never be truly expressed. The feeling of holding onto the log or driftwood and then seeing the rescue boat.

It still took two hours because of all the one way streets.

I will never go back there. Never.

At least, I will never drive there again.

I hate Manchester.

October Listy

Standard

October is both my favorite and least favorite month of the year. I had always loved Fall, but especially October. Cool, sleeping with the windows open, light jacket all the time, occasional boots (I have writing boots as opposed to riding boots), long sweaters (yes, I also have a writing sweater.) I am nothing if not ritualistic.

There are insane amounts of activities and appointments coming up plus my oasis of Writing Workshop and AP.

In 2009, I went to Wales.

In 2011, I went to Denver.

This year, I am virtually going back to Wales. On the days that I do not have an appointment, I am going on Sabbatical. I will still be online, and I will continue to attend Mass and will also be home for dinner (probably cooking – the point of this is to make my Fall better, not to make the family’s harder.)

If I remember the calendar correctly, I have six days in the two weeks where I usually find my solace. Sometimes, it’s simply a question of mind over matter. The middle of October is sad, and foreboding of winter and bad anniversaries, but it can also be a beacon – my Welsh adventure and Denver with my closest friends and this will be the first year since I’m aware of the difficulty of the time that I am homebound, so I am ‘traveling’.

My plan (still very tentative – I’ve only mapped out the days) is to go somewhere new each day and write. Or photograph. Or career plan. And network.

If anyone has any suggestions for writing (or photography) prompts, drop them by.

The more the merrier and I can add them to my prompt jar for one of those days. I got a great one last week from my friend, although when he said ‘tea’ I will admit to rolling my eyes. As it turned out, it wasn’t half bad. I might actually post it later today.

Yesterday, in class, the prompt was rain soaked, and I wrote about Manchester. Yes. *That* Manchester. I don’t think I’ve ever been any other place that so readily brings to mind a vulgar term for the female anatomy. I will be posting this later.