Tomorrow is our last full day in Ireland. On Sunday, we get up early, head to the airport, and are back in AR hopefully by 8:30 Sunday night.
We spent today on an excursion to one of the Aran islands, three rugged and isolated islands to the West of Ireland. The trip requires a ferry ride of one hour and 15 minutes to get to the island we were headed for. Combined with a delay in the harbor on the way over there, it took about 2.5 hours to get to our destination, not including the 45 minute drive just to get to the ferry. Then another 1.5 hours on the ferry back to the mainland in the afternoon, and a second 45 minute drive. That's quite a bit of travel time.
I'm not sure why, but this sort of thing doesn't bother me any more. At one point in my life, I would have been irritated about not being able to move immediately, such as when we were delayed in the harbor for about an hour. I would've been frustrated with something that was completely out of my control, and, in all actuality, had very little impact on my life. I'm beginning to think that there is something to being able to just sit and enjoy those times when you literally have no other option than to relax and enjoy the ride.
Granted, I had my ipod with me, so I totally tuned in to some good music, which was awesome. Boredom isn't usually an issue, nor is impatience unless I, personally, have some important reason to be somewhere. Normally, I'm not that important. And I don't really count sightseeing as all that important. I'm lucky to be able to do it, sure. But 1 hour less on a fairly small island isn't going to kill my day.
The way I see it? I may never again ride on a ferry in the North Atlantic off the coast of Ireland. Why the hell would I be impatient? I listened to accents, listened to my music, thought about the trip, and enjoyed just being for a few hours. That is a total and complete luxury. Why on earth would I not just enjoy it. I'll be back to reality soon enough, where I'm once again in charge. I'll miss the day where the only thing on my agenda was to sit and enjoy the ride.
I think I'm going zen in my advancing age. It's a lot less stress than being uptight. Retirement is a good thing, it's too bad I'll be looking for a job soon enough. Ah well, time for that in a few months. For now, I'll enjoy a few more days of accents and irish whiskey. Hm. Maybe there's a connection between the whiskey and the zen...will have to do some more research.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Ireland, Day 5 - Killarney and Dingle Pinninsula
Whew. Another full day.
I've managed two runs so far while I've been here, which is excellent considering how much food I've been eating! We're not doing that much walking or anything during the day, but I've been hungry the whole time we've been here. Maybe you spend more energy while traveling? Dunno.
Regardless, knocked out 3 miles on Monday and 3 miles today. Then saw a bunch of stuff on the Dingle pinninsula as well as a lot of Irish countryside.
One of the more interesting things about the trip is how very undeveloped the countryside is. This country has such a vastly more expansive history than ours, yet there are acres and acres and acres of beautiful land that are pasture and farmlands and not in the least bit developed. If that land existed in the US? Some developer would snap it up, bulldoze everything, put a bunch of houses on it, and voila. No more pretty countryside.
It does sound like a few developers tried that several years ago, but when the world's economy tanked, all the funding dried up and left ghost developments. Sort of like Florida and Arizona, I guess. But it's not just the lack of development. You don't see cell towers, or power lines, and very rarely do you see billboards. Gas stations are few and far between, and the road situation is...interesting.
Today we traveled on several "two lane" roads that were actually one lane and required both cars to squeeze over as far as possible to get past each other. Did I mention that they have no concept of a shoulder? Seriously - there are probably 6 inches between the edge of the road and the hedges. NO SHOULDER.
There's no trash on the sides of the road, no dead animals, no large street signs. It just feels undeveloped. Part of it is their food culture, assuming I understand it right. They don't do feed lots. All of their cattle graze, as do their sheep, goats, and all other animals. They don't mass produce meat, which requires an enormous amount of land. And makes a huge difference in how the food tastes. Butter, ham, beef, cream...so good, and very fresh. I think that is probably a much healthier way to eat, although our driver did say that Ireland is starting to see a problem with obesity, just like the rest of the world.
But again, if that farmland existed in the US, someone would farm it within an inch of its life, and mass produce everything possible. That just doesn't seem to be done here. Everything is done on a smaller, more natural scale. We could probably take a few lessons from that. Granted, everything is a LOT more expensive, and I think Ireland's unemployment is worse than the US's. So it's not all rainbows and unicorns. But there are definitely some things that the US could take a look at in terms of healthier living.
That, and maybe a Guinness factory.
I've managed two runs so far while I've been here, which is excellent considering how much food I've been eating! We're not doing that much walking or anything during the day, but I've been hungry the whole time we've been here. Maybe you spend more energy while traveling? Dunno.
Regardless, knocked out 3 miles on Monday and 3 miles today. Then saw a bunch of stuff on the Dingle pinninsula as well as a lot of Irish countryside.
One of the more interesting things about the trip is how very undeveloped the countryside is. This country has such a vastly more expansive history than ours, yet there are acres and acres and acres of beautiful land that are pasture and farmlands and not in the least bit developed. If that land existed in the US? Some developer would snap it up, bulldoze everything, put a bunch of houses on it, and voila. No more pretty countryside.
It does sound like a few developers tried that several years ago, but when the world's economy tanked, all the funding dried up and left ghost developments. Sort of like Florida and Arizona, I guess. But it's not just the lack of development. You don't see cell towers, or power lines, and very rarely do you see billboards. Gas stations are few and far between, and the road situation is...interesting.
Today we traveled on several "two lane" roads that were actually one lane and required both cars to squeeze over as far as possible to get past each other. Did I mention that they have no concept of a shoulder? Seriously - there are probably 6 inches between the edge of the road and the hedges. NO SHOULDER.
There's no trash on the sides of the road, no dead animals, no large street signs. It just feels undeveloped. Part of it is their food culture, assuming I understand it right. They don't do feed lots. All of their cattle graze, as do their sheep, goats, and all other animals. They don't mass produce meat, which requires an enormous amount of land. And makes a huge difference in how the food tastes. Butter, ham, beef, cream...so good, and very fresh. I think that is probably a much healthier way to eat, although our driver did say that Ireland is starting to see a problem with obesity, just like the rest of the world.
But again, if that farmland existed in the US, someone would farm it within an inch of its life, and mass produce everything possible. That just doesn't seem to be done here. Everything is done on a smaller, more natural scale. We could probably take a few lessons from that. Granted, everything is a LOT more expensive, and I think Ireland's unemployment is worse than the US's. So it's not all rainbows and unicorns. But there are definitely some things that the US could take a look at in terms of healthier living.
That, and maybe a Guinness factory.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Ireland, Cont'd.
What else shall I tell you about this trip that won't bore the hell out of you?
- Totally enjoying the accents.
- Dublin is nice but not beautiful.
- The Long Room at Trinity Church in Dublin made the trip completely worthwhile.
- Things are on a much smaller scale here.
- There are some definite luxuries here that we don't have. I plan on posting more in depth about that later.
- Ham for breakfast every day rocks.
- Shephard's pie in Ireland rocks.
- Whiskey in Ireland rocks.
- A hired driver is completely worth every penny, and then some.
- Irish history still seems incredibly convoluted to me, but it's getting slightly less murky as the days go by.
- They eat very well here. Food is rarely processed and quite delicious.
- People are much less impatient here. It's refreshing.
- Cost of living is much higher.
- Traffic circles work when you know how to use them. (Our driver does. I do not.)
- Jet lag sucks. Yes, this is not exclusive to Ireland, but it does.
- Husbands that are ok with you traveling for 10 days with your mom, leaving them to handle kiddos and all other stuff (including cat poop on the rug) are awesome.
- Gyms with treadmills are good things. See above, ham for breakfast every day.
That's all I can think about right now. Well, there is more, but I want to throw some pics up here when I actually write what we are doing. Hehe, so I guess that means that might never happen? Guess we'll find out when I get back.
- Totally enjoying the accents.
- Dublin is nice but not beautiful.
- The Long Room at Trinity Church in Dublin made the trip completely worthwhile.
- Things are on a much smaller scale here.
- There are some definite luxuries here that we don't have. I plan on posting more in depth about that later.
- Ham for breakfast every day rocks.
- Shephard's pie in Ireland rocks.
- Whiskey in Ireland rocks.
- A hired driver is completely worth every penny, and then some.
- Irish history still seems incredibly convoluted to me, but it's getting slightly less murky as the days go by.
- They eat very well here. Food is rarely processed and quite delicious.
- People are much less impatient here. It's refreshing.
- Cost of living is much higher.
- Traffic circles work when you know how to use them. (Our driver does. I do not.)
- Jet lag sucks. Yes, this is not exclusive to Ireland, but it does.
- Husbands that are ok with you traveling for 10 days with your mom, leaving them to handle kiddos and all other stuff (including cat poop on the rug) are awesome.
- Gyms with treadmills are good things. See above, ham for breakfast every day.
That's all I can think about right now. Well, there is more, but I want to throw some pics up here when I actually write what we are doing. Hehe, so I guess that means that might never happen? Guess we'll find out when I get back.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Ireland, The Trip
So. Ireland.
I'm writing this on Sunday night (maybe Monday morning?), apparently more jet lagged than I expected. It's just past midnight here in Dublin, but my body thinks it's dinnertime. Two Jamison's and fish and chips apparently can't convince it otherwise.
So let's see, here's how things have shaken out so far.
My mom and I made our Little Rock flight just fine - but there was "weather" in Chicago that delayed our flight out of LR by more than an hour. We originally had two hours to make our international connection in Chicago - this SHOULD have been plenty of time.
But when we were sitting on the tarmac at O'Hare, waiting for the grounds crew to "clear the jetway" so we could make our connecting flight, and I realized our flight was already boarding? I started getting slightly uneasy. When I figured out that we had to actually switch terminals - and go through security again - before we could get the gate, I got a little more nervous. And when I saw the security line to get to our terminal? I pretty much quit stressing because we apparently weren't gonna make it and I started wondering where we should eat that night in Chicago.
As we stood in line at security, with 15 minutes left before our Dublin flight departed, two Aer Lingus reps showed up, looking for stragglers. Woo hoo! That's us! With that, we were whisked to the front of security, run - literally RUN - by the rep to our gate, and sent on board, panting, sweating, and realizing that sometimes, running late isn't a bad thing. If only security could always be so easy...
So yeah. Little bit of early drama. But the overnight flight was great, and the 30 minutes of sleep I got before we landed at 8am local time (2am CST) came in REAL handy. We found my aunt and cousin, found the driver to take us to the hotel, checked in, and immediately went back out. By that afternoon, I remembered what it was like to fall asleep with my eyes open. I haven't done that since a law school class...
More to come when I can form coherent thoughts.
I'm writing this on Sunday night (maybe Monday morning?), apparently more jet lagged than I expected. It's just past midnight here in Dublin, but my body thinks it's dinnertime. Two Jamison's and fish and chips apparently can't convince it otherwise.
So let's see, here's how things have shaken out so far.
My mom and I made our Little Rock flight just fine - but there was "weather" in Chicago that delayed our flight out of LR by more than an hour. We originally had two hours to make our international connection in Chicago - this SHOULD have been plenty of time.
But when we were sitting on the tarmac at O'Hare, waiting for the grounds crew to "clear the jetway" so we could make our connecting flight, and I realized our flight was already boarding? I started getting slightly uneasy. When I figured out that we had to actually switch terminals - and go through security again - before we could get the gate, I got a little more nervous. And when I saw the security line to get to our terminal? I pretty much quit stressing because we apparently weren't gonna make it and I started wondering where we should eat that night in Chicago.
As we stood in line at security, with 15 minutes left before our Dublin flight departed, two Aer Lingus reps showed up, looking for stragglers. Woo hoo! That's us! With that, we were whisked to the front of security, run - literally RUN - by the rep to our gate, and sent on board, panting, sweating, and realizing that sometimes, running late isn't a bad thing. If only security could always be so easy...
So yeah. Little bit of early drama. But the overnight flight was great, and the 30 minutes of sleep I got before we landed at 8am local time (2am CST) came in REAL handy. We found my aunt and cousin, found the driver to take us to the hotel, checked in, and immediately went back out. By that afternoon, I remembered what it was like to fall asleep with my eyes open. I haven't done that since a law school class...
More to come when I can form coherent thoughts.
Friday, July 22, 2011
AWOL
Flight to Dublin leaves in 2.5 hours. HOLY CRAP.
I'm packed. Things are mostly ready. My kitchen is clean - what is the world coming to. It's even clean after 15 people descended on it last night. (just don't look at the floor, please for the love of God don't look at the floor.)
I should have internet for a few days next week, but I'm not sure how much energy I'll have to blog. Or time, for that matter.
So...if you don't hear from me for a week or so, you can just assume I'm having a blast somewhere in Ireland. And hopefully not freezing my arse off. It IS only 65F there right now - compared to our constant 100F, that's really chilly.
So...see you in 9 days...
I'm packed. Things are mostly ready. My kitchen is clean - what is the world coming to. It's even clean after 15 people descended on it last night. (just don't look at the floor, please for the love of God don't look at the floor.)
I should have internet for a few days next week, but I'm not sure how much energy I'll have to blog. Or time, for that matter.
So...if you don't hear from me for a week or so, you can just assume I'm having a blast somewhere in Ireland. And hopefully not freezing my arse off. It IS only 65F there right now - compared to our constant 100F, that's really chilly.
So...see you in 9 days...
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
T-Minus 47 Hours
So...just under 2 days until I leave for Ireland for 9 days. I think I've actually just about finished packing. Assuming I haven't forgotten anything, I think I'm gonna get away with taking a suitcase that would still be considered a carry-on. NOT that I'm planning on carrying it on with me, but my other option was a big ass suitcase that we take on ski trips. Since I despise hauling large suitcases around...the small one it is.
And while I might occasionally gripe about being short, there are some situations where being 5 feet tall can come in handy. Packing for long trips, and comfort on airplanes are two of those situations. So yeah. I'll be rewearing a few things, may end up washing a few things along the way if necessary, but I'd rather do that than overpack.
This time around I decided to try the rolling method for packing. I've tried it before and had so-so luck, but this time around it may make me a believer. The above picture shows me about 80% packed. Believe it or not, that really is carry-on sized. The thing on top is my toiletries kit, to give you some perspective. Underneath that is 4 pairs of pants/jeans, 5-6 decent weight sweaters, 3-4 long sleeved shirts of varying weight, 1 set of running clothes, pajamas, a few short sleeved shirts, a few tank tops, and probably some other things that I'm forgetting.
And here is the same bag about 99% packed.
I added two pairs of shoes, socks, underwear, a raincoat, and a couple of other things. So yeah. I've got two days to wonder what I've forgotten and turn a currently easy-to-close suitcase into a sit-on-the-damn-thing-to zipper-it-shut.
Anyway. I know you guys wanted to see my packing job for Ireland, right? Because it feels like a huge accomplishment to me. I'm really not sure I'll be able to get it back in there again... And God help me if TSA decides to rifle through it. They may have to give me another suitcase to get it all back in.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Tripping
Holy crap. Ireland on Friday. Kids that can't get along to save their lives. A birthday party at my house Thursday night, right before I leave for Ireland. Hosting several people I've never met. Several commitments in the meantime, and a yard that needs mowing. Not to mention a house that will need cleaning by Thursday night.
Slightly stressed? Who, me?
If I make it out of town with most of my hair still attached to my head, it's gonna be a miracle.
Slightly stressed? Who, me?
If I make it out of town with most of my hair still attached to my head, it's gonna be a miracle.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Things We Have Learned
In the time BC*, back when we lived in Houston, J and I fell in with a group of friends that liked to get together pretty regularly. Over time, and with some practice, J and I developed a pretty good formula for throwing parties. There are a couple of required elements that go something like this:
Last night, everything seemed to gel really well from the very beginning. We had some people who had never met each other, but when they immediately started finding common ground with each other, I figured we were in for a good night.
We played poker, made margaritas, and drank good bourbon and red wine until sometime after 1am. There were a lot of bad jokes, some really bad singing (thanks rock band), and some hilarious poker plays ("yeah, I thought three of a kind and a pair seemed like a pretty good hand, but I wasn't sure"). Of course, a couple of us had tennis this morning at 9, but we didn't let that get in the way of a good time. In fact, I think we learned a valuable lesson last night - and J gets total credit for this one.
I left him in charge of the food for the night, and he came home from the store with a veggie tray, chips, dips, some milano cookies, and ... pizza rolls.
Me: "Um, frozen pizza rolls? REALLY?"
J: "Yeah, they'll be great!"
Me: "I could've made a really yummy artichoke dip, you know..."
J: "Nah, these will be even better!"
I have to say, based partly on how awesome those pizza rolls tasted at 10:30 last night, I'd already consider adding them in to whatever food we have at the next party. But the cherry on top? Apparently eating around a third of a large bag is a great hangover deterrent, because I woke up feeling fine this morning. Next time, bring on the pizza rolls sooner rather than later.
*BC = Before Children.
- Interesting people;
- Decent music; and
- Drinks. The earlier, the better.
Last night, everything seemed to gel really well from the very beginning. We had some people who had never met each other, but when they immediately started finding common ground with each other, I figured we were in for a good night.
We played poker, made margaritas, and drank good bourbon and red wine until sometime after 1am. There were a lot of bad jokes, some really bad singing (thanks rock band), and some hilarious poker plays ("yeah, I thought three of a kind and a pair seemed like a pretty good hand, but I wasn't sure"). Of course, a couple of us had tennis this morning at 9, but we didn't let that get in the way of a good time. In fact, I think we learned a valuable lesson last night - and J gets total credit for this one.
I left him in charge of the food for the night, and he came home from the store with a veggie tray, chips, dips, some milano cookies, and ... pizza rolls.
Me: "Um, frozen pizza rolls? REALLY?"
J: "Yeah, they'll be great!"
Me: "I could've made a really yummy artichoke dip, you know..."
J: "Nah, these will be even better!"
I have to say, based partly on how awesome those pizza rolls tasted at 10:30 last night, I'd already consider adding them in to whatever food we have at the next party. But the cherry on top? Apparently eating around a third of a large bag is a great hangover deterrent, because I woke up feeling fine this morning. Next time, bring on the pizza rolls sooner rather than later.
*BC = Before Children.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Clean
While we were in Dallas this weekend, the subject of "cleanse" diets came up. Wait, don't run off, I'm not about to get gross, I promise. But if you are unfamiliar, these are the diets where, for a certain number of days, you either fast, drink only some very weak kind of soup, or only certain kinds of juices. The goal is to essentially clean the toxins out of your system, making your body run more efficiently. Oh, and of course, there's the happy side effect of losing X number of pounds.
Personally, I don't really buy into these. Our bodies work pretty damn efficiently when we let them, and I don't think I need to drastically change my eating to get my system "clean." Laying off the fast food and sugar will probably achieve just about the same thing, without the accompanying light headedness and irritability. And losing a few pounds really fast typically means you're gonna find them again just as fast.
We ate out a lot in Dallas this weekend. My relatives don't really cook at home a lot; it's just not their lifestyle. So I ate a lot more "heavy" foods than I normally do. Fried chicken, bigger breakfasts, a lot of really dense food and more of it than usual. Driving back home yesterday, I could see and feel the effect of 5 days of abnormal eating, and it was slightly depressing. For a brief moment, the idea of a cleanse diet sounded almost appealing - but still not enough to make me want to seriously consider it.
Instead, I ate a light dinner last night, and went back to my normal habits, despite still feeling extremely sluggish. This morning, I went out for a slow and comfortable 4 mile run. I listened to the running podcast I enjoy so much, and it might have been my favorite episode yet. It was extremely thought provoking, and I may write up a post about that episode later today.
At the end of the run, having sweated a ton in the humidity, and having just spent 40 minutes engaging my brain and body, I felt clean. Like I'd cleared the toxins out of my system from the last five days, and jump started my brain. As I stood by my car after the run, dripping with sweat, it occurred to me that it might be a bit incongruous to feel clean at that exact moment. But that's the best word for it. Clean. Light. Content. Endorphins are a wonderful thing, and I didn't have to drink any funky tasting soup.
But now if you'll excuse me, there is a shower with my name on it. After all, I might feel clean - but other folks are gonna think I smell like a gym rat. And that's not good for anyone.
Personally, I don't really buy into these. Our bodies work pretty damn efficiently when we let them, and I don't think I need to drastically change my eating to get my system "clean." Laying off the fast food and sugar will probably achieve just about the same thing, without the accompanying light headedness and irritability. And losing a few pounds really fast typically means you're gonna find them again just as fast.
We ate out a lot in Dallas this weekend. My relatives don't really cook at home a lot; it's just not their lifestyle. So I ate a lot more "heavy" foods than I normally do. Fried chicken, bigger breakfasts, a lot of really dense food and more of it than usual. Driving back home yesterday, I could see and feel the effect of 5 days of abnormal eating, and it was slightly depressing. For a brief moment, the idea of a cleanse diet sounded almost appealing - but still not enough to make me want to seriously consider it.
Instead, I ate a light dinner last night, and went back to my normal habits, despite still feeling extremely sluggish. This morning, I went out for a slow and comfortable 4 mile run. I listened to the running podcast I enjoy so much, and it might have been my favorite episode yet. It was extremely thought provoking, and I may write up a post about that episode later today.
At the end of the run, having sweated a ton in the humidity, and having just spent 40 minutes engaging my brain and body, I felt clean. Like I'd cleared the toxins out of my system from the last five days, and jump started my brain. As I stood by my car after the run, dripping with sweat, it occurred to me that it might be a bit incongruous to feel clean at that exact moment. But that's the best word for it. Clean. Light. Content. Endorphins are a wonderful thing, and I didn't have to drink any funky tasting soup.
But now if you'll excuse me, there is a shower with my name on it. After all, I might feel clean - but other folks are gonna think I smell like a gym rat. And that's not good for anyone.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Perspectives
Many moons ago (ok, mid 1990s), I was a sophomore at the UA up in Fayetteville. J was a freshman at Texas A&M (we don't talk much about those dark days), and it was at least a 9 hour drive from Fayetteville, AR to College Station, TX. We were doing the long distance thing, and that meant that we were putting significant miles on our cars every few weeks.
A few months into that school year, we decided that rather than one of us driving 9 hours one way, we'd meet halfway in Dallas. J had relatives there who were more than happy to host us, so we made a plan to meet there one weekend.
Now, I grew up in the Little Rock area, and had never really driven anywhere other than in small cities at that point in my life. The idea of driving to Dallas and negotiating my way through the city was a bit nerve wracking, but it was either that or drive 9 hours, so it wasn't that hard of a decision. J gave me directions, and one Friday afternoon after classes, I set out from Fayetteville to make the drive.
Unfortunately, I didn't think about the fact that I would be getting into Dallas around rush hour. And I'm not sure I'd ever driven in rush hour traffic in a "big city" before that time (pretty sure I hadn't). And it just so happened to rain right about the time I got into town. And I was driving west as the sun came out after the storm, so I could barely see a damn thing on the road because the sun's reflection from water on the road and the steam made for miserable driving conditions. And despite J's directions, I never saw the exit I was looking for. So I kept driving. And driving. And driving.
Finally, I gave up. I was on the highway I was supposed to be on, but I hadn't found the exit I was supposed to take, and it felt like I'd been driving forever. I decided to take the next exit I saw, find a phone somewhere, and call. Assuming I had the number to his relatives' house somewhere in my car. Which I'm pretty sure I didn't...but I at least had some names.
I think.
I was in a pretty stressed state at this point in the trip, as you can imagine, and I was less than prepared for things to go wrong. Welcome to young adulthood, right?
So anyway, I took the next exit I came to. As I was pulling up to the stoplight at the end of the exit ramp, I glanced in my rear view mirror. Holy shit. There was J, gesturing to me to turn right at the end of the ramp, and then follow him. Thank God. 10 minutes later, we were at his relatives' house.
As it turns out, he'd given me the wrong name for the exit I was supposed to take, so I would never have actually found the right exit. He got into Dallas before I did, figured out he'd given me the wrong exit name, turned around and driven to the exit just before the correct one to watch for me. He'd been sitting at that on-ramp for over TWO HOURS before I finally drove by. I just happened to take the correct exit, which was amazingly lucky. I could easily have taken the one before, and God only knows what would have happened then.
The rest of that weekend was just as surreal as the arrival in Dallas. I was unused to cities that required 5-lane freeway trips to get places, kids 5 years younger than I who acted 10 years older, and the fast pace life that J's relatives lived. It was completely foreign to anything I'd ever lived. His relatives' house was huge, immaculate, beautiful, and just one of hundreds of others just like it. I couldn't imagine having anything like that, and I distinctly remember being intimidated as hell. J's cousins and relatives were all much more sophisticated than I, and living all sorts of interesting lives that I couldn't fathom living.
This past Sunday night, we all gathered at that same house in Dallas, with the same relatives. Except this time, it wasn't a bunch of 20-somethings looking for their path in life. This time, the house held 12 kids under the age of 10, and 12 adults (cousins, spouses, aunts, uncles, etc.) who hardly remember what life before kiddos was like - or who those people were, so many years ago. The house was comfortable, buzzing, and busy with folks living full lives. We all have a few (ok, some of us have more than a few) gray hairs, wrinkles, and scars that life has given us. And a bit more confidence than we might have had 15 or so years ago. Or maybe we're just too busy trying to live our lives to worry about some of the stuff we used to worry about.
Either way, the contrast between my first (nearly disastrous) visit to Dallas and this most recent one was very sharp. I know there are some advantages to youth, but I'm very happy to be at this place in my life. I might occasionally miss some of the things the me of yesterday had, but I would never want to go back to that time. The lessons learned in the interim have been too valuable.
And I sorta like being able to hold my own in Dallas traffic, too. Don't let the Arkansas plates fool you, asshole Dallas drivers. I can cut you off with the best of 'em...
A few months into that school year, we decided that rather than one of us driving 9 hours one way, we'd meet halfway in Dallas. J had relatives there who were more than happy to host us, so we made a plan to meet there one weekend.
Now, I grew up in the Little Rock area, and had never really driven anywhere other than in small cities at that point in my life. The idea of driving to Dallas and negotiating my way through the city was a bit nerve wracking, but it was either that or drive 9 hours, so it wasn't that hard of a decision. J gave me directions, and one Friday afternoon after classes, I set out from Fayetteville to make the drive.
Unfortunately, I didn't think about the fact that I would be getting into Dallas around rush hour. And I'm not sure I'd ever driven in rush hour traffic in a "big city" before that time (pretty sure I hadn't). And it just so happened to rain right about the time I got into town. And I was driving west as the sun came out after the storm, so I could barely see a damn thing on the road because the sun's reflection from water on the road and the steam made for miserable driving conditions. And despite J's directions, I never saw the exit I was looking for. So I kept driving. And driving. And driving.
Finally, I gave up. I was on the highway I was supposed to be on, but I hadn't found the exit I was supposed to take, and it felt like I'd been driving forever. I decided to take the next exit I saw, find a phone somewhere, and call. Assuming I had the number to his relatives' house somewhere in my car. Which I'm pretty sure I didn't...but I at least had some names.
I think.
I was in a pretty stressed state at this point in the trip, as you can imagine, and I was less than prepared for things to go wrong. Welcome to young adulthood, right?
So anyway, I took the next exit I came to. As I was pulling up to the stoplight at the end of the exit ramp, I glanced in my rear view mirror. Holy shit. There was J, gesturing to me to turn right at the end of the ramp, and then follow him. Thank God. 10 minutes later, we were at his relatives' house.
As it turns out, he'd given me the wrong name for the exit I was supposed to take, so I would never have actually found the right exit. He got into Dallas before I did, figured out he'd given me the wrong exit name, turned around and driven to the exit just before the correct one to watch for me. He'd been sitting at that on-ramp for over TWO HOURS before I finally drove by. I just happened to take the correct exit, which was amazingly lucky. I could easily have taken the one before, and God only knows what would have happened then.
The rest of that weekend was just as surreal as the arrival in Dallas. I was unused to cities that required 5-lane freeway trips to get places, kids 5 years younger than I who acted 10 years older, and the fast pace life that J's relatives lived. It was completely foreign to anything I'd ever lived. His relatives' house was huge, immaculate, beautiful, and just one of hundreds of others just like it. I couldn't imagine having anything like that, and I distinctly remember being intimidated as hell. J's cousins and relatives were all much more sophisticated than I, and living all sorts of interesting lives that I couldn't fathom living.
This past Sunday night, we all gathered at that same house in Dallas, with the same relatives. Except this time, it wasn't a bunch of 20-somethings looking for their path in life. This time, the house held 12 kids under the age of 10, and 12 adults (cousins, spouses, aunts, uncles, etc.) who hardly remember what life before kiddos was like - or who those people were, so many years ago. The house was comfortable, buzzing, and busy with folks living full lives. We all have a few (ok, some of us have more than a few) gray hairs, wrinkles, and scars that life has given us. And a bit more confidence than we might have had 15 or so years ago. Or maybe we're just too busy trying to live our lives to worry about some of the stuff we used to worry about.
Either way, the contrast between my first (nearly disastrous) visit to Dallas and this most recent one was very sharp. I know there are some advantages to youth, but I'm very happy to be at this place in my life. I might occasionally miss some of the things the me of yesterday had, but I would never want to go back to that time. The lessons learned in the interim have been too valuable.
And I sorta like being able to hold my own in Dallas traffic, too. Don't let the Arkansas plates fool you, asshole Dallas drivers. I can cut you off with the best of 'em...
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