pogoism

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The teabagging video to end all teabagging videos…

Astonishing stuff.

I’d actually forgotten about this, seeing as it happened a while back, but a few weeks ago I was on the Greyhound coming back from San Francisco to Reno.

The bus stopped in Truckee, CA, which it doesn’t normally do, and a disheveled looking woman boards. Despite there being loads of other free seats, she comes and sits next to me.

I did my best to ignore her, shoved my iPod earphones in and glared out of the window, but she insisted on talking to me.

It all started off pleasantly enough, she picked up on my accent and we talked for a bit about Europe. Then I made the foolish mistake of asking her why she got on at Truckee, something people rarely do.

Here was her story.

She was on the Amtrak train (a fairly useless service that runs once a day from Emeryville to Chicago). She had started in Emeryville, just across the bay from San Francisco. Just before Truckee, apparently, is a rather long tunnel. While she was in this tunnel she claimed that she could smell rotting flesh. The poor lady had managed to convince herself that the government was killing illegal aliens by giving them AIDS, waiting for them to die, and then transporting their bodies to the middle of the desert to bury them, so that no-one would notice.

Ridiculous.

I nodded a long, put in a few, well-placed “mmhmms” and wished to myself that she’d shut up.

Seriously, how could anyone believe that?! And AIDS of all things. It takes years to kill someone with AIDS. Ugh, so many holes in this stupid theory.

Anyway, yes, the Greyhound. So many stories.

Let’s try this. Anyone who knows me should try and think of someone who is the complete opposite of me. Then ask that person where he’d like to go on vacation.

He’d probably say Las Vegas.

Oh look! Photos!

I’m sitting in Reno SLASH Tahoe airport, waiting for my first flight of the day to Salt Lake City.

Leaving here has been horrendous. Other than the difficult practical aspects, like leaving the apartment, packing, and figuring out places to stay for the nights I’ve been in Reno, I’ve had to say bye to some of the greatest people I’ve met. People who have changed me for the better.

Yesterday I went into work for one last time. I said bye and thanks to my boss – a man who has taught me and shown me that science is what I want to do with my life. That was, after all, the reason I came here.

Lauren, my best mate here. I’m gonna miss her loads. We randomly met at a Halloween party in October where both of us had been brought by friends and neither of us knew anyone else. And from there we became really close. I’m going miss her so frickin’ much. Melissa too. Some fantastic memories with them both, and I’ll miss them both very much.

Alonso. We dated for 7 months before breaking up, mostly because we figured it would be easier in the long run. I’ve done the whole breaking-up-with-someone-at-the-airport thing, and it ain’t pretty. When we did break up, I was annoyed, but looking back, I’m glad we did. He made this year what it was for me. And I’ll never forget him.

The people at work, who made this year what it was for us placement students. They’re awesome.

And, finally, all the people I don’t know all that well. Cory, Adagio, Joey, Vincent, AJ. All people I met near the end of my time here, and I really wish I had the time to get to know better.

Ahh. I hate leaving.

So, in the voice of the annoying guy on the Mor commercial…

BYE, RENO.