I woke up at 3:30 a.m. to make my flight out of San Francisco. Considering that I was up until 1:00am packing, it was a super painful morning. I can’t even remember where I flew through, but I got stuck on the tarmac for two full hours, had to de-plane, walk forever, and then take a SkyTrain to a whole other terminal then walk some more, all while in a zombie-like state of unconsciousness. I literally don’t know where I was.
I arrived in Pensacola, FL, just a few miles from the Alabama border, and it definitely feels foreign. I’ve come to this town because I have family here, and I figured it’s wise to be near relatives should this pandemic get any weirder. I can already tell you that very few people in Florida are wearing masks which is the complete opposite of San Francisco. My Uber driver arrived to the airport and announced that I could take my mask off, and he removed his, which felt alarming and strange.
I got to my Airbnb that I rented through the rest of this year and immediately plopped down on the couch, falling into one of those super deep sleeps that leaves you feeling confused and unsure what day it is and where you are. It was just after 8 pm when I awoke, and I hadn’t even went outside yet, but I was starving and needed to find some food pretty quick, so I went for a walkabout.
Woah– it’s VERY dark at night here! I hadn’t considered that before- the way darkness can vary so dramatically from one part of the country to another, but I suppose there doesn't seem to be a ton of streetlights here, and I'm noticing that plots of land in Florida are more spread out than I’m accustomed to back home. It probably wasn’t the safest idea for me to wander around aimlessly in the dark. Only crappy fast food looked open and a Circle K convenient store where some shady things were going down in the parking lot, so I ended up coming back to my cottage and ordering in from an Italian food chain restaurant.
When I was out tonight, I heard the sounds of cicadas and katydids for the very first time. Isn’t that something? They sure sounded super pretty, and like something I’ve heard in movies and on soundtracks, but never in real life. Here they are.
I noticed a dead cockroach on my front porch, which I’m guessing is probably not the best sign. I occasionally encounter cockroaches in my travels overseas, but I haven’t spent much time in other parts of the United States, and I don’t entirely know how cockroaches work. Is this going to be a thing? Will I see more of them? I sure hope he’s a lone cowboy. Giddyup, little fella. Git.
Anyway, I’ll report back once I get my whole work-from-home vibe figured out and am a bit more familiar with my surroundings. Thanks, Friends! It’s nice to have you along on this adventure!