WEED AND ITALIAN MOBSTERS

I woke at 5:30 Sunday morning to Jessi and Danielle talking and Jessi calling, "Leslie? Leslie, If you hear me, are you still here? Leslie, come here if you're here!" She was surprised when I jumped on top of her. I then spent a good fifteen minutes searching for toothpaste in Mel's bathrooms. Which I could not find. and made it to the station just in time to pick up my ticket and stand in line for an hour waiting for a good seat.

Cast of Characters on the Greyhound with me:

The Veterans: Probably about half the bus was veterans leaving Chicago going to South Bend. All of them wearing hats saying "Dessert Storm Veteran" "Native Veteran" "Marine Corp Veteran" etc.
My favorite of all the veterans was the one in his cameo jacket sitting in front of me who ten minutes outside of Chicago rolls a blunt and starts smoking on the bus. The bus driver stops the bus comes back and goes, "Are you kidding me?!?!" and kicks him off the bus.

The Punk Rock Band from Canada: Three guys who had obviously been up all night doing who knows what. They were trying to get back to Toronto, but had just arrived at the station and got on the first bus heading out, which happened to be heading towards Pittsburgh. They spent the whole time trying to find someone with a map of Greyhound routes so they could figure out how to get North.

The Italian Mob: His name was Sammy and he was straight off the Sopranos. Like straight off. He was a big man. Easily 250lbs but a good inch shorter then me. He had on the black sweater with black pants and black suit and black sunglasses and the suspicious looking black leather bag. And of course he decides to sit next to me. And he starts talking. He's Sicilian and is "in the family business." He was on his way to Atlantic City to "take care of business" and play in a Texas Hold 'em tournament. He was taking the bus because he's "had some um... issues with some airlines." At this point I curled into my corner with my headphones on and trying to read my book. But he pulls out his phone and starts planning a trip to Paris for me. and telling me about his ex-girlfriend and why things went wrong. Um...awkward.
Later he asks me what music I listen to. I say, "anything but country" and he starts singing country to me. like at the top of his voice and the whole bus sort of freezes until the driver shouts, "QUIET!" and Sammy stops. At this point I'm beyond done with him. I only have another seven hours next to him. Oh joy.
So I go to "sleep."
After our layover in Cleveland he actually falls asleep but remember this is a big guy and when he starts to relax, he starts to expand. and the next thing I know I'm smashed into the window trying to avoid contact with him. So for a good two hours I literally have my shoulder, hip, leg, head pressed against the glass debating with myself if I should try and shove him back to his seat. But what if I wake him? He's pretty much told me he's in the mob. I do NOT want to piss him off. In the end the bus stops at some obscure station and people start to get off and I shove him back to his seat and when he wakes up I pretend it was one of the guys getting off. He bought it. He falls back asleep, thankfully now falling into the aisle not onto me.

The Dealer in Cleveland: I'm standing in line to reboard in Cleveland and this guy probably a year or two older then me comes up and starts telling me about how he's never left Cleveland before and how he was planning on staying with his cousin in Pittsburgh and then hopefully heading out to California in about six months. I just smile and nod. He keeps talking and then asks, "So do you smoke? like pot?" "um...." what am I suppose to say to that. "well I have some if you need some." "um...no. thanks."
Kate, TT's roommate, says it was because I looked like a hippie in my tye-dye and sweatpants. Good thing I wasn't wearing my hat, right?

Let's just say I was a little more then excited to see TT and Kate at the station in Pittsburgh.
Time for half-price pizza and the most amazing brownie sundaes ever. They might have tasted so good because the only thing I'd really eaten all day was three peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
Speaking of peanut butter, mother sent me with a jar of peanut butter to give to the apartment because supposedly I'd wipe them out.