My Raleigh Challenge, Day 3

Day 3, Thursday: I regretted it with the crazy dreams again (I was informed I was some secret government operative and my memory had been wiped but now I was mid-assignment and had to listen to a bugged call & hyjinxes ensued & then I was told to eat a magic mushroom to wipe my memories again- the most intense dream I’ve had in awhile, it felt so real). And waking up in a toxic sweat. I hate those. I went into DNRS mode half-asleep: I am safe inside my body. I am safe inside my body. I am safe inside my body. When the muscle twitching began, I silently said, stop stop stop. Just stop. This is a strange way to live, harnessing my Jedi mind tricks as a way to manage and mitigate ITs (aka symptoms). But it works pretty well for the most part. Embracing my witchcraft, I drank some electrolytes and got ready for the day whilst watching some Olympics of course- today men’s beach volleyball. USA was in the lead when I left. 
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I headed first to Oakwood Cemetery, as a friend who lives here (but wasn’t here to meet up) recommended it. I wasn’t sure what I was looking for, but I came across some plein air painters and decided to explore the area they were inspired to paint. I enjoyed the views of the city from here, the old tombstones, the shady crape myrtle trees blossomed in hues of pink, and playful birds. Twas a beautiful, hilly cemetery with a lot of history. 

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Next I ventured to the old state capitol building. I helped an older gentleman and his son figure out the parking pay meter, already an expert after yesterday. Suddenly, the loudest smash of metal as two cars collided at that intersection. We all jumped. I could feel my adrenaline on overdrive and took some deep breaths to calm my nervous system. You’d think I was the one in the accident. Why am I like this? Empathy can be a burden. I was grateful the drivers were okay & that it wasn’t me, of course. I walked a few blocks to the Capitol and realized they gave inside tours. Anything to escape the heat! Plus, I’m such a governerd now- it was fantastic to get my own personal tour guide. It turned out to be the highlight of my day. So many brain tingles and goosebumps hearing the stories. 

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Afterwards, I strolled the mall between the two museums there. And I finally got my sunflower pictures outside the history museum. My parking was on a time limit or I would’ve enjoyed the museum. Instead I soaked up some AC for a few minutes then headed back to my car to drive to my lunch spot: Morgan Street Food Hall. Where I settled on… more tacos, lol! I guess I’m a taco girl. Everything else just sounded too hot or heavy. 

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https://downtownraleigh.org/go/morgan-street-food-hall

I was so excited for my next stop: CAM modern art museum. When I planned my itinerary, it said it was open on Thursdays. In fact, after walking there anyway after Google maps informed me they were closed, I saw on the door Open Thursdays. Liars. I was bummed because it was the perfect solo activity, as no one else I know enjoys modern art like I do. It’s not that all modern art is amazing. Some of it is indeed not to be taken seriously— a black-painted canvas? C’mon. But usually there’s something that moves me or makes my brain explode a little, and that’s what I’m hunting for. It’s kinda like thrift-shopping. You gotta sort through the junk to find the treasures. Alas, all I could do was stare inside. And take some photos of the nearby murals. I slid into the Urban Outfitters for an AC break, pretended I could actually pull off any of their mini-skirts and lacey halters, and came across Monchhichis, a classic stuffed animal toy from my childhood that I had completely forgotten about until now. I didn’t realize they were still being made. Further proof of my argument that my generation is the best one. 
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Time to head back toward my car, with a stop inside the hipster neighborhood market. I noticed the coffee bar and waited for the employee hype meeting to finish for an employee to come take my order. For the first time ever, I had to explain what an iced dirty chai latte was– very unexpected at the hipster store! He bragged that they made their chai special in-house, so I expressed my excitement to try it as he poured it from a pitcher. One sip, and I knew it’d be a struggle to finish it. It tasted like soil. I sat at a table they had inside the shop by the wine aisle, journaled my morning while taking small sips of my drink, trying my best in case the employee looked over to see how much I loved it. I’m such a people-pleaser. I realized as I left, I could try adding a packet of raw sugar. That helped some, but then my paper straw had begun disintegrating- I had taken so long to drink it. I slid into the back entrance of Morgan Street Food Hall, found a plastic straw, and managed a few more sips of my soil-sugar chai latte. I appreciate the efforts being made to make a more environmentally-friendly straw. But the paper straw just ain’t it. 

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I got back to my car & decided I still had some energy, so I ventured back to the NC Museum of Art with the intent of riding a bike around the sculpture loop. I was proud of myself. I had just spent a couple weeks fighting off my daughter’s Covid, exacerbated by my FL allergies, and feeling defeated by fatigue. Now, here I was, drenched in sweat and eager to go on a bike ride in what now was a “feels like” 108 degrees! I read the instructions for procuring a bike, went to the website, plugged in all my info, opted for the Pay As You Go, and… spinning. I tried again. No deal. Sweat poured down my neck. Should I give up? No, try another way. So then I downloaded the app and tried inputting all the info again. You know the drill: name, date of birth, life story, billing info. This time, I was rejected. I didn’t qualify to use these bikes. 

Clearly, my dreams of a bike ride were not to be this day. Instead, I walked to the West building, as the day prior, Buffy and I had only explored the East building. As I approached the building, I wanted to photograph the text on the window, but I suddenly felt a sting on my left arm. Then another and another! I was wearing a flowy sleeve and began shaking it out like a mad woman. Had a bee gotten trapped and stung me multiple times? Was it some insect that stung when it bit? I couldn’t find the perpetrator, and after vigorous shaking of my sleeve, it appeared to be gone. So I went inside, saw the young men at the front desk and asked if they had a first aid kit. They were bored and happy to help, offering me an alcohol wipe, an ice pack, & multiple band-aids. The alcohol wipe luckily took out the sting & the ice pack brought down the swelling, and I was able to hold it to the back of my neck too. I looked a sight, walking around, taking in the art, holding an ice pack to various parts of my body to cool down. But I was thrilled to realize this building had some modern art! All’s well that ends well!
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Sadly I only had an hour to enjoy it before closing time of 5 pm. The outside heat had calmed a couple degrees, so I decided to walk the sculpture loop, cutting across to save some steps. It really was a cool sight, and I was grateful for the energy that got me to this point. I made my way back to my car, turned on the miraculous AC, and figured out where to get some much-needed sustenance. I finally decided on Village Deli & Grill at Lake Boone Trail. 

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My final meal eating solo, & I ordered the fried green tomato BLT with sweet potato fries. It sounded uniquely southern and a twist on the usual BLT. Boy did I make the right choice! Not a healthy choice, in fact, I could feel my arteries clogging as I ate, but for a unique, flavorful, filling sandwich- it hit the spot. The pimiento cheese oozed out. The fried green tomatoes were thick & crisp, the Ciabatta bread easy to chew and didn’t scrape the roof of my mouth (always a fear when ordering any BLT). I could barely finish half the sandwich. I knew Ry would love it, so I boxed up the rest, grateful for a fridge in our hotel room. The owner, or whom I presume to be the owner, noticed me photographing my meal with my Nikon and asked if I was a food blogger. I wish! I did explain that I was solo-adventuring while my husband was on a work trip, eating my way through Raleigh and that I would indeed be blogging for my personal enjoyment. I asked if I could take a picture of him to include in my blog, and he happily obliged (see slideshow below). 
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As I drove back to the hotel, tummy full and arteries clogged, I basked in simple happiness. In DNRS, a lesson we are taught is to Relish the Mundane. I set out to do that during my trip. Every interaction I had with humans that day was good and kind and wholesome. We really do need to interact more with one another in these simple, everyday ways. I had missed that, living a couch-ridden life. Maybe it’s Raleigh. The areas I chose to explore. But everyone was just nice. The vibe was chill, even on the congested freeway. Maybe it was my own sense of constant gratitude for being up for this trip. Whatever it was, I relished it.

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https://villagedeli.net/village-deli-and-grill-locations-lake-boone-trail