superstition

By this time next week, Ed and I were supposed to be halfway through Oregon and marvelling at the wonders along Route 101. We had planned to drive through Washington, then take Route 101 south to California and spend a couple of days in San Francisco before heading north to do time in Portland and Seattle – basically, a repeat of our 2009 road trip, but in the Mini because it is super fun.

We’re not going, though.

I’m not a superstitious person, but something about this trip didn’t feel right. What started out as a weird gut feeling was quickly accompanied by all these SIGNS that I should listen to my insides:

Ed’s mysterious throat-based illness that has not yet been solved or cured
The check engine light appearing on the Minibator for no raisin
I have done zero planning, which is highly unusual – I love travel planning and start as soon as I possibly can
I haven’t been packed for a week
We weren’t super excited for the trip

Our general apathy and Ed’s malfunctioning nodes all came to a head last week, and we officially decided to 86 the trip. We may go later in the summer, or go somewhere else, or go not at all. It doesn’t matter. We can do anything (fun) or nothing (terrible).

Unfortunately, I now have to deal with the sole reason the trip was scheduled for when it was: my birthday. In order to escape the yearly angst I have mid-June because no one wants to play with me, I purposefully decided to be on Alcatraz on June 18th to celebrate my birthday with prison walls and a boat ride. Now that we’re not going, I have to figure out what I want to do on my birthday. I could do nothing, but then I would be super sad. I could do something, but what and when? I hate planning my own fun, but I want cake.

At first I was relieved that we cancelled our vacation, but as is my fickle nature, I’m suddenly sad about it: I finally got excited about the thought of cruising down the 101, taking a million pictures, being in San Francisco, eating the bowl .. and now we’re not going. Is it too late for take-backsies? Probably: even without my gut feelings, all the other reasons we canceled are still valid.

Maybe I should just abscond with the vacation fund and go to London.

I am in desperate need of some kind of adventure.