Musings
an Online Journal of Sorts
By Alyce Wilson
Day Five: Post-script
On Monday, August 11, I awoke from a pleasant dream to discover it was time to leave Otakon. And what a wonderful dream it had been.
I felt like I used to when I went away to camp: when I first arrived, I'd be a little nervous and anxious. But by the time I'd leave, having made new friendships and cemented old ones, I didn't want to go home.
For awhile, I stayed, hanging out in the lobby of the hotel, where I had the Gryphon autograph my banana.
We hung out in the lobby until the time had come and gone for everyone to check out of their rooms. And then everyone else was leaving, too, and there was no sense in staying.
After a long drive to Central Pennsylvania to pick up my doggie, Una, she was no ecstatic to see me that we both ran around my dad's apartment for awhile with a big smile on our faces, jumping around.
On Tuesday before I left, my sister came up for the day. She was there for a job interview in a neighboring town, which was actually the headquarters of a company she'd be working for in State College.
We drove up together early. It's one of the biggest towns in Central Pennsylvania and is technically considered a city, but after living in Philly it doesn't seem like a city anymore.
We wandered downtown to see what kind of shops were there. My sister browsed a book store while I went into the record shop next door to try to find an album by Los Straitjackets.
When she went to her interview, I wandered downtown some more. I tried on a dress or two in a small import store that mostly had clothes which were too large for me. It felt good, I tell you.
Then I found a coffee shop. I tried to find out from the cashier if there was a good thrift store in the area, since my sister and I had considered stopping in one. The cashier said she didn't think so but there was one in the next town.
I enjoyed a coconut latte (the daily special) and read a chapter or two of "Uh-Oh" by Robert Fulghum, which I'd grabbed off my dad's book shelf when I realized I was fresh out of reading material (having not expected to have the opportunity to read all weeken).
I wandered some more and found a used CD store that had a selection in the front with CD's for only $1. I got "Last of the Independents" by the Pretenders, "Love Among the Ruins" by 10,000 Maniacs, "Dookie" by Green Day and "Automatic for the People" by R.E.M. Since I still had my black mini-backpack with me, I stuffed them all inside.
It
seemed like time to head back, so I pulled some bubbles out of the backpack
and blew bubbles on my way back to the building where the interview took
place. She was just coming out as I got there.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't think it would take so long."
"No problem," I said. I gave her the bad news: there were no thrift stores around.
So we hopped back in her car and drove back to my dad's. She helped me load up my truck and before long, I was headed back home, humming to myself and laughing, every once in awhile, at something that had happened that weekend.
More of Alyce's Adventures in Otakon:
Musings
on Otakon 2006:
August 8, 2006 - Bunny Ears of Command
Musings on Otakon 2005:
Musings on Otakon 2004:
August 10 , 2004 - Overture to Otakon
Moral:
So Alice got up and ran off, thinking while she ran, as well she might,
what a wonderful dream it had been.
Copyright
2003 by Alyce Wilson
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