Anchorage: Part Two

I'll make this short, since there are much cooler things to talk about other than my day in Anchorage. This is what I did:

After a night of listening to the other woman in our hostel room snore all night (and apparently I had a phone conversation in my sleep), Carrie and I got up and began our day. We went to a bagel shop where we each got a [baker's] dozen to freeze and enjoy at home. We also got a yummy bagel sandwich breakfast. I drove her to the airport, and began my day-long quest to find the DMV. I got directions from the bagel shop, but I went to the airport in between, and so that didn't work. I even called a friend who lives in Pittsburgh, and she tried to Mapquest it for me, but we were still unsuccessful in the morning time. During that time, however, I found my dentist's office, which was nice, since I'd already been there once. So I made my way there, got my teeth cleaned, got 4 cavities filled - it wasn't fun, but it was good. They were very nice. I am now a religious brusher and flosser. I've been converted.

The next stop was to apply for a passport. I already had 2 photos for this purpose, but the guy said they wouldn't work because they didn't have a white background and my face ratio was off. Whatever. So I had to go upstairs and get two professional passport photos taken. It was pretty awesome because half my face was numb from the 4 shots I got to fill my cavities. I made my I-feel-like-junk, can't-move-my-face half-smile, got the sweet pictures of me, and finished the process. I will have a passport by May. The journey to New Zealand continues. :)

The next place was REI. I needed ski boots. Unfortunately, neither ski shop had back country ski boots in my size. I was way bumming, trying to figure out what I would do, and finally asked customer service if I could just have my old ill-fitting boots back, because I have to ski!! It took some skill and effort, but we were successful, and I got them back. I got a few more necessities from my favorite store (still at REI), and then had to return to the dentist for a polishing of the fillings. It was super fun. We're best friends over there.

The evening got slower and slower. I went for a long walk around town, I sat in a cafe, I went to the bookstore and got a couple things, I wandered around Barnes & Noble, then sat for a long time reading in their coffee shop. And then I went to bed. And it was good, because the snoring lady went to bed way after me, so I slept for most of the night. :)

And the next morning I came home. I returned a fully in-tact car, which was sweet. The end.