Back to Hobart

I am sitting in the hotel lobby waiting for my host to pick me up. I am really, really nervous and will post while waiting to calm my nerves. If I break off suddenly, it is not because I have come to a traumatic part, I will just have been picked up. Arggh - he just called the front desk to get my room number and I heard the clerk say "Mr. Nettles" and I looked over - he recognized me from the day before - and I heard him say "Yes, but it is a she. Yes I am sure. 100%. Yes I am sure. 500%." I am turning red by this point. Both hotels I have been in have assumed I was a Mr. When I met Adam in the US he asked me if I was the Jamie on the group and I said no, that was a man, and he said "Why would a boy be named Jamie?" or something along that line, and so I just internalized this fact that Jami was a more common female name in Australia than male. Obviously I was wrong. This is really embarrassing. I have had this happen occasionally, and even had one guy say to my face "Uhhhhh.. I thought you were a man." I did have to laugh at that. I am even wearing lip gloss today. Mel has upped my cosmetics but has yet to show me how to use them - I need a tutorial. I am just glad she bought them before she met me instead of afterwards, because I really would have a complex then. (Oh my god, do I really look like a man? )

Back to Hobart - Saturday morning I woke up before dawn and left really, really early to make sure I was at the airport on time. Everything went smoothly and I arrived at the Hobart airport at 9:40. Kristin and Mel were coming in at 10:40 so I waited for them. I was so excited and nervous - are they going to like me? I haven't had that thought about non-work people in years because generally either I don't care or don't really like anybody else anyway. But they were first off of the plane, and unmistakeable - mainly because Mel had on the hat the Sam had knitted for her. It was surreal to see them, but then they said they had thought about pretending not to know me and that was more than a little disconcerting. They did choose otherwise, but that would have been a major, major bummer.

We took a cab to the hotel, and although it was early and other people had to wait for a room, we were given ours immediately and went up and spread our stuff out. I was thrilled to see that Mel spread her stuff out over an entire bed. I tend to expand my territory wherever I go, and it was just comforting to see someone else doing the same thing. We went to the Salamanca market and it was really nice. I knocked out a lot of souvenirs for minor friends and acquaintances and just enjoyed the tour. Mel just kept pushing us on though. I thought maybe she was embarrassed to be seen with the gawking tourists but I figured out later that she was worried that she would not have her stalking position laid out soon enough.