The Good Times Are Killing Me

When you drive across the country, music is going to be an important factor. So it's a good thing Neil has an iPod. And because he downloaded the music from my computer onto it the night before we left, it makes me smile to think that someday when he's listening to it in his car and he has it on random select, "The Right Stuff" by New Kids on the Block might come on.

But really I only had that song downloaded back from my days in the CD making business with Camelio Estevez. And I use the term "business" loosely. At EAR (Earth Angel Recordings), we only put money INTO the business. And our logo consisted of an angel sitting in a tree in the sky looking down on the earth. VERY clever. We put out 8 CDs total: a copy of "D.C. FSOF (Frisbee Summer of Fun) 2001" for each of the 7 participants in the FSOF and one wedding CD for a friend, who probably would have been more satisfied with a Tabernacle Choir CD. I would also like to add that on 7/8 of our CDs, we misspelled our own business name: Eearth Angel Recordings.

On the coast-to-coast trip, we made a pit stop in Winnemucca, NV. This is what happened there: I walked into the restroom where a middle aged woman was bent over right by the door when you walked in wearing nothing but her bra and panties. She jumped up and I avoided eye contact as she apologized for having no clothes on because her zipper had broken. That must have been some zipper.

When I came out of the restroom, I had to duck under a large neon yellow pole that had been put in the doorway at chest level with a CLOSED sign on it so the bathroom could be cleaned by a man who looked like this:

So while I was recounting the story of my shocking bathroom encounter, a woman walked right into the huge neon yellow pole and sign. And it was funny. Very funny. Almost as funny as when Neil walked directly into a waist-high pole at San Francisco State while checking out some dude's "backpack."

And as we drove away from Winnemucca, I was given the penance of listening to 5 minutes of Christian Rock for the $5 in quarters I lost in the slots during the redneck truck stop visit.

Now I would like to mention some food highlights of the trip:

1. Sausage Dogs, the Rodmans' house, Newton Falls, OH.
2. Peanut Brittle Sundae, Hickory Park, Ames, IA.
3. Chocolate Milk & Bananas, Fareway (?), Winterset, IA.
4. Tater Tots & Cheese, Sonic, Cheyenne, WY.
5. Salad Trio, Farmington, UT
6. Burger & Fry Sauce, Atlantis Burger, Bountiful, UT.
7. Filet Mignon, Ruby River, Provo, UT.
8. Rooty Tooty Fresh 'n' Fruity, IHOP, Sandy, UT.
9. Dessert Lunch, Kacy and Christan's, Provo, UT.
10.Grilled Cheese & Coke, JC's, Bear River City, UT
11.Buttermilk Fried Chicken, Farmington, UT.
12.Sausage & Prosciutto Tortellini, Pasta Pomodoro, San Bruno, CA.
13.In and Out Cheeseburger Combo followed by 2 Krispy Kremes (but one WAS a sample), Daly City, CA.
14.Repeat of #13.
15.Sausage Dog, Farmer's Market, South San Francisco, CA.
16.BLT, Boardwalk Court, San Bruno, CA.
17.Most Delicious Breakfast Ever, Boardwalk Court, San Bruno, CA.
18.Ribeye, Roasted Okra, Tomatoes & Fruit Cobbler, Boardwalk Court, San Bruno, CA.

Yes, I gained 5 pounds on this trip. And no, I haven't done anything about my hair although it was discussed at length with Carly when she sneaked into my room at her mother's house for some chitchat at 2 a.m. after everyone had gone to bed.

Now all I need is a two-week vacation to recuperate from my two-week vacation.