Ridin' that train

[darkemeralds]

I need a Jump for Joy icon, 'cause I'm going on vacation. Tomorrow, roseambr and I are taking the Coast Starlight to Santa Barbara.

Now, I may be the only person in the world who dislikes Santa Barbara, but that's because my family moved there in the middle of my senior year of high school, and no town, however gorgeous, can honestly be expected to recover from that. But my brother still lives there, and he's having an art show, and I desperately need to get away from the World's Tallest Basement for a few days, and foreign travel is completely out of the question.

So tomorrow around lunchtime, I'm hauling my overworked self, my computer, my camera, a couple of bottles of wine, and a toothbrush down to Union Station, and--in a complete absence of TSA agents, X-rays, metal detectors, body-searches, zip-lock bags, shoe-removal, or the surrendering of liquids--walking onto Superliner Car 1130.

And then? Twenty-nine hours of Pacific coast scenery, leisurely conversation with my best friend, club car visiting, wine-sipping, reading, writing, and snoozing in the private roomette, followed by two days of art and architecture in Santa Barbara, which I am determined to make up with.

I'm sure there'll be at least a couple of photos.

Comments

[lamentables.livejournal.com]

Enjoy!

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

Absolutely without question, I will.

[neroli66.livejournal.com]

Have fun! :-D

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

Will I or won't I take along the SPN S4 premier ep I bittorrented last night?

Hmm....

[neroli66.livejournal.com]

Hmmm...good question, my first thought is to scream DOOOO ITTTT!

But then, part of me recommends waiting till you get home so you can re-watch it fairly quickly and/or squee to anyone online at the time. ;-)

Not that there aren't parts of the premier that I am a tad leery over, but overall it is AMAZING, IMHO.

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's what I'm hearing. My main concern is that I've just started watching S2. I've been spoiled for a LOT of the canon between here and what aired last night--thanks to fic, and the squeeing of people with whom I did not at the time share a fandom. I'd like to experience it all in sequence. So I'm leaning away from bringing the ep with me. We'll see...

And by the way, crossover icons are my new favorite thing, and yours is GREAT!

[neroli66.livejournal.com]

I'd try and hold off then, wait till you catch up. :-D

I love that icon, it was one of my very first Dean ones, azuremonkey got inspired to make it while we were talking about how pretty Dean was. I can't recall who actually went there with the 'too pretty to die' quote, I think it was her though.

Still, it's one of the ones that I will never drop, it is shareable if you want to snag. Just credit azuremonkey. ;-)

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

I saw a Sam icon yesterday, with that angry evilSam expression and "Also? I can kill you with my brain" on it. Hee! Perfect.

And of course, there's "Big Damn Heroes" which applies to many a great fandom--I've seen it on icons of Ray and Fraser from Due South, Starbuck from BSG, Sam and Dean...probably others. Never gets old.

Joss lines make the best crossovers, 'cause they are so damned Shakespearean and universal.

[neroli66.livejournal.com]

OMG! I neeed that Sam icon! That sounds awesome.

I've seen guite a few 'Big Damn Hero' ones as well. It pretty much works for any action/adventure series.

Although I now have this insane image of Abby and McGee from NCIS huddled around a computer together with that line, weird, since I am a borderline NCIS fan at best. But now I sort of what an icon like that.

And yes, Joss lines make the best crossovers, for reals!

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

Yes! Big Damn Heroes don't necessarily even have to tote guns. They can drive computers, or be someone's dad or mom. They can be the Lone Gunmen or Mulder and Scully. They can be ANYONE! See? Universality of Joss. He rules.

[neroli66.livejournal.com]

YES! The Lone Gunmen! Totally need a 'Big Damn Heroes' Lone Gunmen icon. :-D

Well, Joss is God so of course he rules...HEE!

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

Their last-ever scene would make a hell of an image for that icon.

[neroli66.livejournal.com]

Now I feel like a bad fangirl because I can not for the life of me recall their last ever scene. *sighs*

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

Umm...dying? Locking themselves inside a sealed passageway with the lethal disease, while Scully stands outside the door and watches, with the whole hands against the glass thing?

OMG. It was killer.

A happier Big Damn Heroes image for them would be Langly with the blue face. That was awesome!

[neroli66.livejournal.com]

D'OH!!

I knew it was a shameful thing not to be able to remember. I really need to get more seasons of X-Files on DVD so I can re-watch, most of them I haven't seen in years. Not that that excuses forgetting such a moment.

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

Nah. Later season X-Files was really, really forgettable. I recently finished slogging through all nine seasons in order with my niece, and we now hold the last three seasons up as the key example of Television Gone Terribly Wrong. It was a zombie of itself by then.

Let's hope all those X-Files alumni working on SPN have the sense to close it down and finish their story within four or five seasons!

[neroli66.livejournal.com]

Good point, it did drag on a few seasons past it's prime. But still, I should have more than season 1, which is all I have now.

I should get up to 4 at least.

And yes, please, let SPN learn from X-Files lessons!

[tehomet.livejournal.com]

Have a great time!

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

I expect I will! How bad could it be--a thousand miles of coastal and inland scenery from the comfort of a private train compartment, complete with wine and conversation. And my computer.

The only thing missing will be internet, because I couldn't get my act in gear to figure out a cellular solution. So, a little withdrawal, but that's the only downside I can see.

[communicator.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes, I'd much prefer an rail trip like that to a flight. A chance to have a good rest. It sounds like luxury to me, reading and writing and ever-changing scenery. I didn't know your brother was an artist. I hope his show is a big success. Have a great time.

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

Yes! There's definitely a cozy, resting factor here that far outweighs the destination.

My brother paints as an avocation and, like most artists, earns a living doing something else. In his case, making surfboards, which really has always sounded nearly as glamorous to me!

[roseambr.livejournal.com]

I just sent you an e-mail asking if you were ready for the TRAIN RIDE! I see here that you are as ready as I am! *Great long screeches of excitment*

Yes, we are going to have such a great, relaxing time! Whoo Hoo! California here we come....

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

[malanai.livejournal.com]

Oooh! That looks like fun! Have a good time ^_^

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking that signs point to a good time.

[vchrusch.livejournal.com]

Train trips are great.

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

It's been an ungodly number of years since I took one in the US, but I've loved every one I ever took in Europe.

I'll report.

[decemberleaf.livejournal.com]

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[roxymissrose.livejournal.com]

What an idiot I am that I missed this! I loved the ride I took, from Pennsylvania to Oregon a few years back. Train ride...it was so civilized and so exactly what I needed at the time.

I'm off to catch up!

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

Wow, I did that trip once, as a child, with my whole family. Portland to Philly on the Union Pacific, back before Amtrak. Going into Union Station again yesterday and seeing the restored or preserved interior with the big wooden benches and the echoey marble walls brought back some of the very earliest memories of my life.

This has been an excellent adventure so far!