Since I left Maryland...

Since I left Maryland two days ago, I have...

Had the best solitary I-95 road trip of my life. 

Stopped at the Aquia Target, again. I love the Aquia Target, but that could just be because the traffic from Springfield (ugh) almost to Richmond can be so ridiculous that by the time I get to Aquia (Phoenix?) it's impossible not to stop and try to think some happy thoughts. This time I bought three miniature Slinkys (from the dollar bins), tights, a clearance blouse that is totally too big but I can't return it because I ripped the tags off in a fit of Thanksgiving dinner clothing hysteria, shampoo, and an Icee.

I did not, however, buy an audio book, which is what I told myself I was going into the store for in the first place, because the two people who worked in the book/music area did not know what those were but they were pretty sure they'd not seen any there.

Stopped at South of the Border because I haven't been there in years and I thought it would be fun to shoot it at night and holy shit, I was right. I love those pictures. I'll have to upload them someday. I also found Blenheim's ginger ale there, which shouldn't really please me as much as it does. Unlike Kristen claimed she did earlier today, I did not see any bongs. Pedro sells bongs. Crazy fucker.

I did get some shots on the phone.

Been in excruciating back pain from that pinchy nerve spot (or whatever it is, it's from hell, I tell you) such that no Vodka can touch it, nor can four Aleve in an hour, or the ice pack I jammed into it to try to work out the issue. Seriously, my back is a wreck, in just this one place, and it's enough to make it an effort to walk. I am currently lying on a tennis ball to see if that helps. It's supposed to. I shudder to think what will happen when the 39 hammer comes down next month. Locusts. Fires. Sciatica.

Spent an honestly great holiday with most of my family, celebrating my uncle's 50th at a restaurant wherein the buffet was housed in, oh, five separate areas, all shaped like schooners. This was slightly alarming to me not because I necessarily expected Captain Jack Sparrow to jump up out of the bin of sweet potatoes but because I'm a snob about maybe three things and one of those things is dinner. Buffets freak me out. I eat too much, even if I don't like what I'm eating. My ADD goes into overdrive because I don't know where to go or what to get or what to look at first. There are five year olds who could handle this situation with their shit more together than mine is.

No matter. The important thing was not my buffet issue.

IT WAS EVERYONE ELSE'S. Y'all born in a BARN?

(Just kidding, I just felt like saying that. Back to my list.)

Spent the day yesterday with a relative whose health challenges are rough and felt about a hundred different things about it that were at a few points in time very overwhelming, but mostly amazed at our human ability to carry on through what can be crushing adversity, and a very particular kind of gratitude for the time we all got to have together.

Sat on the beach where it is sunny even if it's not 80 degrees and read an actual book and drank actual aforementioned Vodka and aforementioned ginger ale praying it would seep into this pain in my back and remove it, and thought about how little it actually takes to be happy if you're with people you care about who care about you, and how what makes me happy is to be very calmly on this little patch of earth.

The rest is just sort of Whipped Lightening and sunshine, in no particular order.

And I don't know exactly what happened to the ocean here, all crooked and whatnot, but today was a really great day.

Comments

[Sarah, Goon Squad Sarah]

1) Maybe this is exactly where the Earth curves.

2) Please bring some of this fabled ginger ale to my house and make me the drink of my Lauries.

[Laurie White]

Name the day. Ill probably have to visit Pedro again on the way home at the rate Im going but just hope its in daylight this time. Sketch-y.