If any word were to describe my past weekend, “interesting” (note the quotes) would only say the very least. It started with a rush of homework completed on Saturday, followed by a birthday party for Diane with pizza and Watergate (pistachio) cake (which, might I add, was delightful). This is nothing atypical, so let’s move on to the “interesting” part.
I woke up early Sunday morning to head on the road for a six-and-a-half hour drive to St. Louis. In the rush to leave, I forgot to pick up a prescription refill and headed on the road on a very rainy and chilly November morning. With windshield wipers on full throttle nearly the entire drive south and one-lane traffic due to construction while trailing behind semi trucks, my drive was extended by an hour and a half. Fortunately, I had stocked up on extra-caffeinated dark roast coffee (which I hadn’t seen before but found in several of the gas stations) and PowerBars to keep me going from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The first 20-ounce coffee of the morning had the effect of a double espresso combined with a Red Bull (but tasted far better than that combination sounds). I was pumped on the road those first couple of hours, with my iPod blaring out tunes with fast, energized beats. I suppose later, I should have taken the skipping of Mozart’s funeral march as an omen of the rest of my weekend.
Google Maps has failed me twice in the past week. First, on Friday the 13th (yeah, that’s right), I went to take photos of co-workers volunteering for Meals on Wheels at a local nursing home. The mapping service sent me on a totally different path, and two gas stations were even unable to help me find my destination. The second was in St. Louis. Derrick’s parents graciously agreed to let me stay the night in their house prior to visiting SLU Law Monday morning. Their house is off of an exit that has several different variations, and I ended up taking the wrong exit. I made it after speaking with a gas station attendant who knew nothing and talking to Mrs. Langeneckert.
Upon reaching their house, Derrick’s parents and I sat down to chat and have a glass of wine. Clayton, the middle brother, also joined us. We went out to dinner (sans-Clayton) to get what Derrick always boasted about – toasted ravioli. I do admit, I am a fan, and the pasta and salad I had were also very good.
We returned home to lounge with the two family dogs, Blue and Teddy (also lovingly referred to as “Pooper”), and watched DVR’ed shows. The 20/20 show was actually really interesting, talking about relationship abuse and showing Rihanna’s new music video, “Russian Roulette” (she had been a victim of abuse by her boyfriend Chris Brown earlier this year). I must admit, I was disturbed. Example of lyrics: Know that I must must pass this test/So just pull the trigger. Good message to young girls, Rihanna, especially when also taking into consideration her wardrobe choices here and on the cover of her single.
Crazy cat ladies were also a topic on 20/20. One woman had 123 cats in her residence. 123. I cannot stress the shock of such a number. That is crazy. Another lady had upwards of 70 or 80 cats and spent $3,000 on cat food and kitty litter alone. A third woman, who was still fairly young, had 27 cats. She said she had not crossed the threshold from cat lady to crazy cat lady. Also, “don’t worry; I’m not on medication or anything … anymore.” Sweetie, I think the medication was good for you. Really.
I will continue with the second part of my “two-day” trip in my next post. I’ll let you rest your eyes and save them from the strain of over-reading.
I woke up early Sunday morning to head on the road for a six-and-a-half hour drive to St. Louis. In the rush to leave, I forgot to pick up a prescription refill and headed on the road on a very rainy and chilly November morning. With windshield wipers on full throttle nearly the entire drive south and one-lane traffic due to construction while trailing behind semi trucks, my drive was extended by an hour and a half. Fortunately, I had stocked up on extra-caffeinated dark roast coffee (which I hadn’t seen before but found in several of the gas stations) and PowerBars to keep me going from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The first 20-ounce coffee of the morning had the effect of a double espresso combined with a Red Bull (but tasted far better than that combination sounds). I was pumped on the road those first couple of hours, with my iPod blaring out tunes with fast, energized beats. I suppose later, I should have taken the skipping of Mozart’s funeral march as an omen of the rest of my weekend.
Google Maps has failed me twice in the past week. First, on Friday the 13th (yeah, that’s right), I went to take photos of co-workers volunteering for Meals on Wheels at a local nursing home. The mapping service sent me on a totally different path, and two gas stations were even unable to help me find my destination. The second was in St. Louis. Derrick’s parents graciously agreed to let me stay the night in their house prior to visiting SLU Law Monday morning. Their house is off of an exit that has several different variations, and I ended up taking the wrong exit. I made it after speaking with a gas station attendant who knew nothing and talking to Mrs. Langeneckert.
Upon reaching their house, Derrick’s parents and I sat down to chat and have a glass of wine. Clayton, the middle brother, also joined us. We went out to dinner (sans-Clayton) to get what Derrick always boasted about – toasted ravioli. I do admit, I am a fan, and the pasta and salad I had were also very good.
We returned home to lounge with the two family dogs, Blue and Teddy (also lovingly referred to as “Pooper”), and watched DVR’ed shows. The 20/20 show was actually really interesting, talking about relationship abuse and showing Rihanna’s new music video, “Russian Roulette” (she had been a victim of abuse by her boyfriend Chris Brown earlier this year). I must admit, I was disturbed. Example of lyrics: Know that I must must pass this test/So just pull the trigger. Good message to young girls, Rihanna, especially when also taking into consideration her wardrobe choices here and on the cover of her single.
Crazy cat ladies were also a topic on 20/20. One woman had 123 cats in her residence. 123. I cannot stress the shock of such a number. That is crazy. Another lady had upwards of 70 or 80 cats and spent $3,000 on cat food and kitty litter alone. A third woman, who was still fairly young, had 27 cats. She said she had not crossed the threshold from cat lady to crazy cat lady. Also, “don’t worry; I’m not on medication or anything … anymore.” Sweetie, I think the medication was good for you. Really.
I will continue with the second part of my “two-day” trip in my next post. I’ll let you rest your eyes and save them from the strain of over-reading.
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