Busy busy day

Yesterday I voluntarily got out of bed and climbed up the stupid hill to get the shuttlebus into Portland. I very nearly didn't, because I woke up with no energy like I normally do. In theory I HAD to get up cos I had a doctor's appointment in Portland, but I overslept and missed that. The plan had been to go to the doctor's, then go shopping. In the end I just went shopping.

I did what I normally do. I got on a bus. Any bus. A completely random bus to see where it took me. I do that a lot at home, when I have my 3 month bus ticket with unlimited travel, where there are four hundred different bus routes. Here there are about four different routes, but the journeys are 50c each when I show my USM id card. That's like 30p a ride!!! It's amazing :-)

So I travelled buses randomly. Just seeing the local area. It was nice, I went right out into the suburbs. I saw tree-lined cul-de-sacs, and moms waiting for school buses, and basketball hoops over garages, and pumpkins on porches and skeletons in front yards. It was nice. It was quaint, traditional America. The kind of America I want to live in one day. I ended up at a big supermarket where I did a little bit of grocery shopping (instant mash and little goldfish baked crackers).

The guy at the checkout actually asked me if I wanted paper or plastic. I grinned so much I must have looked like I'd escaped from a looney bin. It was very cool.

Ooo, speaking of America, the other day I saw four cop cars parked outside a Dunkin Donuts. Very cool. I should have taken a picture.

After my trip to the suburbs I ended up back in Portland city center exploring the shops. It was mostly little individual stores and souvenir shops. No chain stores, unless fifteen Starbucks branches count. I went in a big candy store and brought some candy corn, which it turns out I don't like. And I went into a place called Condom Sense, which is just incredible :-) I got myself a sticker.

Eventually I stumbled upon a cinema. A very old, classic looking cinema which I can't wait to visit. I was gonna go today, but... well I'll end with that bit. I almost went yesterday but I'm going into the mountains with a friend from class this weekend for fall break and I had to buy a coat, so I went to the mall instead. Starting out at Catherine's, which is the American equivalent of Evans (aka fat girl store), and brought some purple jogging bottoms (becuase I really need some kind of trousers) and a coat. A $149 winter coat. That was on sale, so I think I only paid a hundred bucks for it.

It's insulated, has pockets inside and out, has a faux fur lined hood. It makes me feel like the marshmallow man from Ghostbusters, but it'll keep me warm and dry in the snow. According to Marnie (the woman I'm going away with this weekend) it'll be 30 degrees up in the mountains this weekend, that's in about freezing in English money. That's mid-October. I'm beginning to suspect it might actually get cold enough for me to need a coat here!! Hence the purchase.

After Catherine's I found a dollar store. A BIG dollar store, and spent a few dollars in there on candy and bits and pieces for swaps and things. I love dollar stores.

Once I came out of the dollar store, right across the road was where I went for dinner. Somewhere I've wanted to go since I first stepped foot in America, and only got to yesterday.

IHOP!!!!

I had a 12oz friend beef steak with country gravy, mashed potato, broccoli, garlic bread and a fried egg. Was DELICIOUS!! And of course, I was at International House of Pancakes, I had to get pancakes. So I had five huge delicious chocolate chip pancakes :D They were yummy. I sat and sniffed them for ten minutes, they smelt soooooo good.

I had a really good, really successful day. Completely exhausted though. And I woke up today and had trouble putting weight on my ankle, so I missed class and never made it to the cinema. But the cinema will still be there tomorrow, or next week. I do have some work I should do before going away this weekend.