Day 2 in Iceland

Our second day in Iceland started with a trip to the cutest little coffee shop in Hvammstangi (say the name of that town three times fast). It was drizzling outside, which made the hot beverages even more perfect.

After getting warm and cozy for a bit, we decided to head up to Hvitserkur. It was here that I learned why having four-wheel drive (which, of course, we didn't have) is so crucial. The roads quickly turned to dirt, then to rock, then to mud. It was quite the adventure! But, I absolutely loved looking at the landscape. My iPhone pictures can't really do it justice, but here's a few attempts:

Once we arrived in Hvitserkur, we set out to look at one of the landmarks. I'm not sure what to call it other than "giant rock," so I suppose I'll go with that. Keith and I weren't quite brave enough to scale the terrain in order to get really close to it (rain + slippery rocks + me being clumsy = not a good combination), but we did snap these shots (which were definitely worth the walk in the rain).

The giant rock truly was beautiful. So beautiful, in fact, that we attempted to persuade the locals to go see it.



After checking out the giant rock, we continued to make our way to Akureyi, but saw some sites along the way:

It was somewhere along our drive to Akureyi that we fell in love with Iceland's N-1 gas stations. Not only do they have free wi-fi (important for my ever-so-crucial tweets. I mean, really, how does anyone live without those?), but they also have salad bars and beer. What more could one want in a gas station? Did I mention they also have these little tokens of class? I bought 13.

We finally made it to Akureyi in the evening, where I promptly made myself one of my favorite snacks:

Since it's an island and much has to be imported, Iceland is mega-expensive, especially going out to dinner. Thankfully, most of the places where we stayed had kitchens. So, we often made food, which gave us an opportunity to get to chat with other tourists (and, as I frequently did, casually stare at what they were eating to get meal ideas). In Akureyi, we talked to several Italian guys. They were headed counterclockwise on the Ring Road, so they offered us many recommendations for what to see in the coming days. Given that Akureyi is one of Iceland's most populated cities (with a whopping 17,000 people), I think we might start tomorrow by checking out the city.

Iceland!

As a graduation present to myself, I decided to take a little trip to Iceland. Ever since going there in 2014 (and promptly falling in love with the place), I vowed to return. This time, I decided I wanted to rent a car and drive the perimeter of the entire country (known as Ring Road). So, the day before my birthday, that's what I set out to do!

On August 13th, I woke up at 4 am to make my 7:10 am flight to Nashville. My itinerary had me going from Detroit to Nashville to Boston to Reykjavik (when it comes to using frequent flier miles/traveling for free, I suppose beggars can't be choosers).

 I met up with my good buddy (and fellow comic) Keith Lenart in Boston.


And I also ran into this guy.


Perhaps more awesome than hearing my favorite accents (Boston), I got a free soup (normally sold at the low, low airport price of $5.20) when I bought a salad. The woman who served me called me "honey," and remarked "no chahge" as she handed me my soup.  Score.

 Keith and I scored again when we got an exit row with so much room that I could pretty much lie down in my seat.



Wow Airways is like the Spirit Airlines of Iceland, so there were no free drinks (not even water). So instead, I slapped on my sleep mask and snoozed nearly the entire flight.



The flight to Iceland was quick (not even five hours) as was our trip through customs. We collected our bags, picked up our rental car, and found our way to Reykjavik.



But, first I perused the airport's food court. I was pleased to find this:




Since it was 7 am on a Sunday, nothing was open. So, we pulled over in a mall parking lot and caught up on some sleep. Who knew that a Nissan Micra (which was barely big enough to fit us and our luggage) could make for such comfortable sleeping? 3 hour nap = happy birthday to me!

After our nap, we stopped at the grocery store (where I found vegan yogurt, a pleasant surprise), and we set out for our first destination: Staðarflöt.



As we soon discovered, the street signs in Iceland are teeny tiny. Not only are they printed in seemingly 12-point font, but they are quite low to the ground as well.

I had no idea one could get lost in a country with a population of less than 400,000, but that's exactly what we did. In fact, we got so lost, and the area was so desolate that we had to drive half an hour just to ask for directions. Sadly, those directions ended up being incorrect, and we had to drive another half an hour to ask for directions again.

Finally, we reached our destination, the North Star Hotel. The hotel was really isolated (as is most of Iceland), but the lobby was pretty and the beds were comfortable. So comfortable, in fact, that Keith and I slept another 12 hours. I suppose we needed it, given our nearly 30 hours of straight travel the previous day.



I didn't formally celebrate my birthday, but exploring new places was the perfect way to mark another trip around the earth!

Super Hero 5K

Today, I decided to run my first race in three years. When I went back to law school, life got a bit overwhelming, and unfortunately, running was one of the first things to go (along with free time and hobbies) when I had to make more time for my studies.

Thus, I am quite out of shape.

I've been slowly plugging away at Couch-to-5K (the program that got me into running in the first place), but I kind of half-way did it.

I don't even think I've run an entire mile in three years. Oy.

So, rather than setting goals, I decided to make the only goal just to have fun. Considering this was the Super Hero 5K, and I got to run in a Superman costume, how could it not be fun?

I headed to Gallop Park in Ann Arbor, where I met up with my friend, Todd. This boy comes prepared:

Ready to fight crime. And by fight crime, I mean pant my way through attempting the race.

The course was absolutely beautiful. Gallop Park is one of my favorite parks since it's filled with many scenic trails and pretty lakes. Before law school, I remember spending countless days there, running, walking, and having picnics. So, it was great to get back! Plus, checking out all of the other super hero costumes was so fun.

Wishing my super power was the ability to create more time for naps!

After the race, I immediately piled my sweaty self into my car, drove to Milwaukee, and then performed at Bonkerz Comedy Club. You'll be happy to know that I did take a shower, too.

Much needed beer.

Grand Rapids getaway

Last weekend, I took a little getaway to Grand Rapids. Normally, one likely wouldn't think of going an hour away as a "vacation," but it definitely felt like one. And it was sure nice to get away from it all!

Saturday started with a game of tennis. And by "game of tennis," I mean, Dan and I hit the ball back and forth while trying not to embarrass ourselves around the actual players. The former effort was a lot more successful than the latter. 

We then set out to Grand Rapids. First stop: amazing vegan food at Brick Road Pizza. If you live anywhere near the Grand Rapids area (or within 500 miles from it), it's definitely worth the trip. We had vegan spinach artichoke dip, a Caesar salad, and the Tempest pizza (which had an Alfredo base, cheddar, tempeh sausage, spinach, roasted red pepper, caramelized onions with a bit of pesto on top).

The next day, we hit up Bartertown Diner for some equally as delicious vegan eats. Here's my breakfast. This is the tostada stack, which consisted of tostadas layered with beans, rice, tofu scramble, caramelized onions and vegan nacho cheese.

With our bellies sufficiently full, we made our way to Frederik Meijer Gardens. I had never been before, and it definitely didn't disappoint! I wish I had taken better pictures, but even if I had, I doubt they would have captured all of the beautiful plants we saw. I'll try anyway, so here's some:

They take requests. 

Don't ever play this guy in Scrabble.

That night, we went back to the hotel pool, swam some "races." These were unofficial and only against each other as challenging random hotel guests to a butterfly competition would undoubtedly be strange. I'm happy to declare that these "races" went much better than our attempt at tennis.

After the Gardens, we were pretty tired and hungry. Seeing as Brick Road Pizza was so good to us the night before, we decided to head back again. This time for calzones (broccoli, cheese, and green pepper for me, and spinach/artichoke for him) and this little slice of heaven.

Come to mama!

It was a quick trip, and one on which I probably gained five pounds, but it was certainly nice to get away for a bit!

Graduation pictures!

Graduating from law school still feels pretty surreal. For the past three years, my life has been consumed with outlining, cramming, and Bluebooking, and I'm kind of at a loss for what to do now.

Oh yeah: study for the bar exam.

I would not have been able to get through law school without the amazing support system I have in my life. And for that, I feel truly blessed. I also feel blessed for the important life lesson I learned: working two jobs plus being full-time on the road as a comic plus trying to maintain a 3.5 GPA (to keep my scholarship) plus attempting to have somewhat of a life does not leave a lot of room for sleep. And sleep matters. As does not being under constant stress.

So, whatever my next adventure shall bring, I vow that it will also include eight hours of sleep (and not the four per night average I've gotten for the last three years).

And now, some pictures...

First time on the jumbotron!

Under-the-gown phone-charging station that even MacGyver would envy.

With my mom.

And dad.

And amazingly supportive partner!

Half of  my degree belongs to her since I would NOT have gotten through without her constant encouragement.

Blurrily walking across the stage while trying not to trip.

Finally!

So...this happened today:

More soon, but for now, I'm off to celebrate by replacing the diploma in my mouth with more vegan sushi than you can shake a stick at.