stages of a trip

thank you for hosting this challenge Marlieske

You can divide a trip to Iceland into
- anticipation
- actual experience
- waiting for the ticket
The anticipation was so tremendous I could have died before we went and still been happy.
The actual experience did not seem real but it sure was fun sharing with you.
Now we wait a while to see if we get a ticket because, even though we tried very hard to stay within reasonable bounds of the speed limits, every once in a while we would realize we were over. I generally went over while talking. Thank goodness for cruise control or I wouldn't have stood a chance. There are lots of speed cameras and they'll bill the rental company which will then bill you and tack on an additional fee. I learned that for the 30km zones you can go up to 35 km but will get ticketed at 36 but I have no idea what the grace is for the 90 km zone. I'm hoping it is 10 km. I think you typically know within a month if you've gotten a ticket. 

I planted a new heuchera in the place of one of the dead ones and I planted the new crocus bulbs. Nothing quite like putting your shovel in deep and realizing you've cut an existing bulb in two. Sigh. 

After going to the native plant nursery, Samuel and I went walking in the park near there, where I had one of my birthday breakfasts. It was perfectly lovely weather and Samuel did really well, it just didn't have 
- seals
- moss
- lava
- cliffs
- an ocean
- waterfalls
- mountains
- elves
- trolls

On the flight back I watched a movie I'd heard about - Everything, Everywhere, All at Once. I wanted to see it because it has Michelle Yeoh. Basically there are a whole bunch of timelines and they start crossing over into each other, letting her see other possible timelines for herself. It was weird as hell.

Then I watched a few episodes of Atlantic Crossing which is about the royal family of Norway and the world's approach to helping Norway when Germany invades. I've continued watching it and it feels so odd to watch while the war in Ukraine goes on. One of the main characters has just pleaded for help and argued that Europe is on fire and fires spread. 

The U.K. Ministry of Defense calculated that "over half of Ukraine's currently fielded tank fleet may be captured vehicles from the Russians."

Putin announced and began a mass mobilization and Russians began a mass migration. Now there is a video that has gone viral warning Russians that if they move to America they'll have to deal with gay people, vegetarians, and Black people. https://apple.news/ADEj0fuxMRNuzXR_T0sFSuw  ok, what the article does not say is why made this video but maybe they don't know
oh no, not Black gay vegetarians!!!

There is a huge protest tonight in Georgia, labeling Russia as a terrorist state. There is a protest in Armenia and Lithuania and Poland. Right now someone is shining a light on the Russian embassy in Washington, DC that matches what the Ukrainian soldiers told the Moskva.

Meanwhile, as at the beginning of the current invasion, Ukrainians are taking shelter in the subway system and they are singing Ukrainian folk songs. 







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