NaBloPoMo 8: 6 a.m. Train

Up at 4:30 to catch a 6 a.m. train to Chicago today. Clint was kind enough to start his day at oh-dark-thirty to give me a lift to the train station.

I have a glamorous weekend ahead: I am playing photographer for Linx by Mark Morton. Gorgeous jewelry, modeled by models! Make up artists and hair stylists, and we are going to have so much fun, while we work.

Packing for a trip is funny, isn't it? I never can seem to get it quite right, erring on one side or the other of over- or underpacking. I'm spending just 2 nights in Chicago, and I have camera equipment including a tripod, my laptop, iPad, a couple of different outfits, a couple of different shoes, and various toiletries and makeup.

I wanted to keep it confined to one bag. I packed one bag, and unpacked it, grabbing one slightly larger...and then unpacked that one... I ended up packing most of it in one larger bag, and carrying my camera and a small tote for a purse, separately.

I contemplate what my bare minimum would have been, to serve my purposes for the weekend:  My train tix, my camera, and my wallet. A toothbrush in my back pocket. And I'd just feel better if had access to a comb, but this is the bare minimum list, so no comb. But I'm keeping the toothbrush.

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I love taking the train. I can't believe how comfortable they are, especially in comparison to airline traveling. I hope AmTrak never goes the way of airlines, cramming in 3 seats in place of two. Our seats are two up, and they recline. There are electrical outlets at the window.

I did walk up to the breakfast car. They seat you by filling up one table after another, so if you're a party of 1, you're going to get plunked down with another party of 1 and a party of 2, all at the same table. I had breakfast with 2 kids from the UI heading up to Chicago to attend an EPA hearing. 

I wandered around the entire train afterwards, trying to figure out where my seat is. I have seat 68. All of the cars have a seat 68, though, and my landmarks (sleeping people) had disappeared. I hopped car to car and finally sat down in my seat only to realize it wasn't my seat at all. When I finally *really* found my seat, my seatmate was sleeping across both of ours. I would have gladly taken another, but the conductor happened to be sitting next to us, and she made no bones about waking the poor girl and telling her to sit up! No sleeping in 2 when you've only paid for one, I guess.

Oh, when we were having breakfast, there was a lady that asked the men next to us which state we're in. The guy said "you're joking, right? We're an hour away from Chicago, and you don't know which state we're in?" She wasn't joking. I'd love to give her the benefit of the doubt and hope she's just been sleeping on this train for 42 hours, and disoriented...but we are the end of the line here, so I just don't know.