i have driven myself crazy
Due to several circumstances, including a bribe from my father, I drove some 1400 miles to be 'home' for thanksgiving. By 'home' I mean with family, as I've never lived where my parents are living now. But that is another story that I've actually already shared somewhere or other on this blog. So on to the present story.
The Friday before Thanksgiving, I picked my sister up from work and we got on the road. We sang gustily to Pitch Perfect, Wicked, ABBA, etc etc etc. We had a lot of hours to burn. And if we are putting a lot of pressure on our butts, why not put some pressure on our vocal cords as well?
My father, being the watchful but wonderful person he is, kept in contact with us frequently and insisted on reserving a hotel for us. So Saturday morning I woke up in a hotel in central Texas and discovered that I had a half inch of ice on my car. I couldn't locate my ice scraper, so I asked some truckers in the hotel's breakfast room to lend me theirs. It's kind-of fun to break the ice.
On the road again, we passed at least 3 cars and one semi-truck who had slid off the road. I hit black ice myself 3 times, once while near another car, but obviously I didn't die. Nor were any persons injured in the making of this trip. Humanity and I are still on good terms.
I had intended to make a hiking stop in New Mexico to get the wiggles out (because there is only so much re-positioning you can do while driving) but unfortunately the weather made me inclined to stay inside. Which meant I ended up driving 14 hours that day. Ick. We started into the Christmas music, which became appropriate as it starting snowing as we headed into Colorado. Before we got there, on one of my MANY stops for gas (I don't wish to go near a gas station for a month) I got a ticket from a friendly cop (minus the ticketing thing) who warned me about speed limits in Colorado. So off we started again through Indian reservations, into a blizzard, taking 2 hours longer than we anticipated. But there's no place like home for the holidays.
We finally arrived early Sunday afternoon, just in time to put up the Christmas tree after an intense discussion of where to put it. I acted as mediator by saying that every suggestion was a valid point. May I just say that such mediation does not really add to concrete decisions.
My mother and sister and I went to the bookstore after attending my mom's class on Monday, and I amused myself by trying on a beanie with a crocheted beard. Other people seemed amused, too, based on the looks I got. Isn't it strange, though, that the university bookstore sells such an item on a campus that has a no-beard rule?
I also picked out some rainboots, and wore them on my hands once we went outside to warm up. I believe my sister was ashamed to be seen with me.
We stopped at the grocery store on the way back to the house to get stuff for two thanksgiving meals, one on Tuesday and one on Thursday. Despite making a list, we forgot several things and had to go back twice when we realized our mistake before we had gone a mile down the road. Ahh, groceries. And then the problem of where to stick two 20-pound turkeys. We settled on the garage, because it was cold enough to act like a fridge.
In the middle of the cooking day on Tuesday, my mom and I went outside and gathered up the clumps of snow scattered around. It took us about 5 tries to hit the window where my dad was working. What commenced was what is called a 'snowball fight.' Poor terms to describe the exhilarating chill of snow down your shirt, of the chase, of the stock pile of ammunition, and then the exhausted climb back up the hill.
I had to leave Wednesday morning to get back to work. I kept waking up in the middle of the night thinking it was time to go, because I kept dreaming I slept in.
Besides being really long and painful, the drive back was uneventful. I listened to an audio book, and called my father every 2 hours. So that would be 12 times over 2 days.
I think someone should work on a teleportation system.
The Friday before Thanksgiving, I picked my sister up from work and we got on the road. We sang gustily to Pitch Perfect, Wicked, ABBA, etc etc etc. We had a lot of hours to burn. And if we are putting a lot of pressure on our butts, why not put some pressure on our vocal cords as well?
My father, being the watchful but wonderful person he is, kept in contact with us frequently and insisted on reserving a hotel for us. So Saturday morning I woke up in a hotel in central Texas and discovered that I had a half inch of ice on my car. I couldn't locate my ice scraper, so I asked some truckers in the hotel's breakfast room to lend me theirs. It's kind-of fun to break the ice.
On the road again, we passed at least 3 cars and one semi-truck who had slid off the road. I hit black ice myself 3 times, once while near another car, but obviously I didn't die. Nor were any persons injured in the making of this trip. Humanity and I are still on good terms.
I had intended to make a hiking stop in New Mexico to get the wiggles out (because there is only so much re-positioning you can do while driving) but unfortunately the weather made me inclined to stay inside. Which meant I ended up driving 14 hours that day. Ick. We started into the Christmas music, which became appropriate as it starting snowing as we headed into Colorado. Before we got there, on one of my MANY stops for gas (I don't wish to go near a gas station for a month) I got a ticket from a friendly cop (minus the ticketing thing) who warned me about speed limits in Colorado. So off we started again through Indian reservations, into a blizzard, taking 2 hours longer than we anticipated. But there's no place like home for the holidays.
We finally arrived early Sunday afternoon, just in time to put up the Christmas tree after an intense discussion of where to put it. I acted as mediator by saying that every suggestion was a valid point. May I just say that such mediation does not really add to concrete decisions.
My mother and sister and I went to the bookstore after attending my mom's class on Monday, and I amused myself by trying on a beanie with a crocheted beard. Other people seemed amused, too, based on the looks I got. Isn't it strange, though, that the university bookstore sells such an item on a campus that has a no-beard rule?
I also picked out some rainboots, and wore them on my hands once we went outside to warm up. I believe my sister was ashamed to be seen with me.
We stopped at the grocery store on the way back to the house to get stuff for two thanksgiving meals, one on Tuesday and one on Thursday. Despite making a list, we forgot several things and had to go back twice when we realized our mistake before we had gone a mile down the road. Ahh, groceries. And then the problem of where to stick two 20-pound turkeys. We settled on the garage, because it was cold enough to act like a fridge.
In the middle of the cooking day on Tuesday, my mom and I went outside and gathered up the clumps of snow scattered around. It took us about 5 tries to hit the window where my dad was working. What commenced was what is called a 'snowball fight.' Poor terms to describe the exhilarating chill of snow down your shirt, of the chase, of the stock pile of ammunition, and then the exhausted climb back up the hill.
I had to leave Wednesday morning to get back to work. I kept waking up in the middle of the night thinking it was time to go, because I kept dreaming I slept in.
Besides being really long and painful, the drive back was uneventful. I listened to an audio book, and called my father every 2 hours. So that would be 12 times over 2 days.
I think someone should work on a teleportation system.
I agree on the teleportation system! So glad you got to see your family even if it was for a little bit. Hopefully 12 hours in a place will be slightly better than a car as you make your way over to India for Christmas. At least all you have to do is sit and you can walk around too!
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