Tuesday, November 06, 2007

all in a (few) day's work

FRIDAY
20:30 - arrive exactly 1/2 hour late to dinner party, patting myself on the back for being on time. i really oughta double check those things instead of relying on memory. dinner was delish and some lovely WII-playing followed.
23:30 - arrive at the nuart to watch daft punk's "electroma". wait in a long, but worth-the-wait, line to see the midnight movie, which deceivingly starts at 1.


SATURDAY
03:00 - go to sleep with every intention of waking up and hitting the road at 6.
07:30 - hop on the 10-east to participate in a cannon clan birthday bash in st. george, ut.
14:30 - i arrive in st. george. festivities ensue. outlet shopping produces a few additions to the wardrobe. extended family is seen. narcoleptic naps are taken at the dinner table. blah. blah. blah.

SUNDAY
09:00 - extended conversations are had with dad on the subjects of financial planning, philanthropy, and the process v. product learning paradigm. a picnic in the park and several episodes of the office follow.
17:00 - i get back on the highway, heading southwest. while listening to simon & garfunkel's "the only living boy in new york", i witness one of the most beautiful sunsets i've ever seen.

18:20 - hear a loud "pop" on driver side of vehicle just after passing a sign on the highway: "prison area. do not pick up hitchikers." turn on my hazards, move into the right lane, and continue driving.
18:31 - arrive in n. las vegas only to discover i am missing a long strip of rubber tread from the front driver side tire. i seek out an auto shop to help me out. help is found, and tires are replaced, complete with a few exchanges en espanol, a handful of "hey baby, you want a ride?"-s, and a brief driving tour through skid row. not to mention a major shout out to hometeacher dave and baby j before getting back on the highway.
20:30 - i stop at mcdonald's extraordinaire in barstow. maybe you've seen it? train cars, an adjacent liquor store, panda express, and bbq express (one step up from panda, and receiving absolutely no business). i dine on a panda bowl next to a homeless woman who is quarreling with her chair. having received not 1, but 4, fortune cookies with my meal, i try them all -

"you will discover an unexpected treasure"
"success and happiness are in your destiny"
"don't be overly suspicious where it's not warranted"
"your courage will guide your future"

21:00 - i become a victim of food comatose and pull over in the barnes & noble parking lot of victorville to catch a few zzz's.
23:30 - arrive home safe 'n' sound.

not the brightest weekend plans i've ever devised, but truly enjoyable nonetheless.

2 comments:

Erin said...

I seem to remember, on a similar drive with you from St. George to Los Angeles, discussing at length the dramatic potential of the "don't pick up hitchhikers" signs. I'm so glad (and kind of astounded) that you got to actually use them in a story

CompTron said...

1. that sunset IS amazing.

2. we went to that mcdonalds on VERY special days when i was a kid. i remember when it caught on fire in 1986....BIG news. they rebuilt it nicely, though.

3. i still think the best fortune cookie i ever received is the one that said 'you are a happy man'. right.