(no subject)

[jianantonic]

Doing my research for this story was really fun, but also sort of creepy.  The page I linked to in that article is full of ghost stories, some more spooky than others.  Some of them are clearly bs, but they're fun anyway.  I actually know one of the innkeepers from an inn on the list -- she used to be a regular at ADF when I worked there.  Heh.

I had a fantastic time yesterday in the Valley.  It started off poorly, though, when I got to Steve & Barry's only to find that it's closing and the inventory was quite picked over.  Everything in the store was $9, though, so I got two shirts for Z, two shirts for me, and one pair of pants.  Not bad.  Then I went to Bridgewater, where I visited with Dr. Hayes, Dr. Abshire, and Dr. Josefson.  I also met the new P&R prof, who is from Eugene, OR:)  We talked about Oregon and it warmed my heart.  He's also teaching a new class at BC -- Gender & Ethics -- which really excited me.  Of course, I can't take it, but I'm glad that some people will!  I like to see my little alma mater delving into new territory like that.  The only ethics class I ever got to take was Professional Ethics.  It was kind of a snoozer, really.

I had such a good time catching up with these profs -- I really should visit more often.  After BC, I met up with Erin and Wayne.  I was concerned that the group dynamic would be a little awkward, since we have no overlapping experiences and Wayne and Erin had never met before.  But it turns out that once you start talking about sex, the conversation flows quite smoothly, and we had a blast together.  I wasn't planning to stay very late, but I totally lost track of time and it was almost 10 when I finally got out of the 'burg.

I got caught in awful traffic twice on the way home, due to road construction.  That was really frustrating, because people are such assholes on the road.  When the sign says "right lane closed," that means "get into the left lane NOW, you fuckers, and stop trying to jump to the front of the line by zipping down the right lane until the last possible second and then forcing your way into the left between the cars that have been patiently waiting."  This one asshole did that and tried to cut me off to get into my lane.  I was having none of that, so I just got bumper to bumper with the car in front of me so that there was no possible way this asswipe could squeeze in.  So what did he do?  The fucker RAN ME OFF THE ROAD!  GAH!  Why are people so RUDE?!  Why do people think their time is more precious than anyone else's?  That the rules don't apply to them?  Cheating to cut to the front of a long line of traffic is right up there with being mean to waiters on the list of things that will get me to stop being your friend.  

Anyway, I finally got home around 11 and fell pretty instantly asleep.  McKenzie doesn't have FedEx today, but he did get hired for a club game, and I'm going to have lunch with a former coworker downtown today, and also stop in to pick up an Obama/Biden bumper sticker at the Democratic HQ down there.  

I'm taking it kind of easy today after sleeping in for a while, but I figure I'll work for another half hour or so here, then I'll head downtown, then probably go to the gym after my lunch settles well enough, finishing up around the same time Z is done at the bridge game.  That gives me a nice, full, but not exhausting day.  I'm playing with a new partner in a special bridge game tomorrow night, then Friday is all clear before I go down to NC on Saturday for the Mountain Song Festival.  We're staying there overnight, then heading back home in time to do laundry and pack for our month out west.  I'm getting giddily excited about our trip:)  It's been too long since I've been in Oregon, and I miss the big mountains so much!  Just six more days...

Peace.

Comments

[goob712.livejournal.com]

You will like Seattle. People here are so used to merging that everyone is polite and accomodating, and they follow the natural rules of merging. And on narrow roads, people pull over to the side to let other cars pass. And they give the little "thanks!" wave. It's pretty weird, actually, coming from the East Coast school of driving.

Oh and they stop for pedestrians. Crosswalks actually mean something here. The down side of that is the pedestrians who think they own the road, don't look both ways before crossing, and shout at cars on the road.

[kixeldorado.livejournal.com]

What? The steve & barry's is closing? Lame!
Then again, that whole mall is lame. And I used to work there so I have 1st hand experience. :)
Did they have a closing date announced?

sorry that people are jackholes on the road. I keep wanting to outfit the mustang with covert little portholes to shoot things at the other cars.

I have to work for the rest of the week, but when you get back from Oregon, we should totally finally try to find a chance to meet up.

[beccasketch.livejournal.com]

Actually, around here the standard seems to be that you use all lanes right up until the point where they're blocked. This seems weird to someone who's not used to it (i.e. me), but actually it works quite well because everyone merges at the same point so there's none of that "how long can I stay in this lane that's ending before I become an asshole." Everyone uses their lanes, then everyone alternates (more or less), everyone waits the same amount of time.

Still, though. People are assholes when they get in their cars.

[jianantonic.livejournal.com]

I think, though, that if people merged at the first sign of necessity (ie, the "lane ending; merge left" sign), that there wouldn't be such a logjam at the point of lane closure. If people didn't shit all over themselves at the first sign of a slowdown, though, everything would go much smoother.

[beccasketch.livejournal.com]

Yeah...basically I think it can work either way, as long as everyone does the same thing.

Which will never happen.

[flamingophoenix.livejournal.com]

I agree with you about the driving.