It’s the small things you take for granted that you miss when you move halfway across the country. In my case, what I had really been missing is the ability to drive 10 miles in any direction to get a really good crab cake… or steamed crabs… or crab soup. Let’s just say as long as it’s not the kind that make you itch in your happy place, I’m all about the crabs. The lightly broiled, falling apart on your fork, sweet back fin tasty goodness is really one of life’s great joys. Seriously, when the gods on Olympus got tired of ordering pizza, I’m convinced they sent to Maryland for an order of crab cakes. Tennessee is great for things like cheap housing and no income tax, but some summer afternoons, I would trade my right leg for a good crab. Thankfully this weekend I got my fix.
Category Archives: Travel
Like a bat outta hell…
I’m trying to get ready for a three-four week road stand starting Friday morning so there seems to be too much to do and not enough time in which to do it. Leaving on one of these trips at the end of a week always leaves me feeling like I’ve forgotten to do something important, even though packing out and driving halfway across the country has gotten old hat and I can do most of the preparation on auto-pilot. Excuse the all too brief post tonight as I get back to the giant pile of laundry in the middle of the living room floor.
Scheming…
Is it bad that I have only been back to work for three days and I’m already scheming about where I want to go on vacation next time? In between now and then, though, I have a few obligatory trips I need to make. One of my cronies from the office is getting married in October in Williamsburg so I anticipate being up there for an extended weekend and probably a “pass-through” visit to Western Maryland on my way back to Tennessee. Then of course there is the obligatory Christmas visit. After that, though, it’s pretty much an open slate. Maybe somewhere warm with a rum economy in the spring. If the euro would ever stop beating up on the dollar, I’d love to go back to Europe but I don’t foresee that happening any time in the immediate future.
It’s not so much that I’m out of good ideas as it is that I want to make these trips count since they’re getting to be pretty damned few and far between. One of the biggest problems with west Tennessee is that getting anywhere is an expedition that involves an overpriced airline ticket (for a hub airport, MEM is ridiculously expensive) out of the city or an all day drive in any direction. In the interim, I’m hoping to coax a few old friends to Memphis with the promise of world-class barbecue and… uhhhh… Bible study.
Memphis or bust…
Well, no first class upgrade this time, but no matter how great a trip has been I always seem ready to get back to where ever it is that I came from. It’s good to be back with your own stuff and your dog. It’s been an awesome trip. Great food, entertainment, gambling, booze, and even better company. Life is very, very good.
Please report to the podium…
Usually getting called over for a chat with the gate agent is never a good thing. I assumed it was going to be the usually “we’re in an oversold situation and you get to stay in Memphis” kind of story, but no… The flight is over booked but they’ve kindly decided to give me the bump to first class. It’s nice to see all of the quality time I’ve spent with Northwest over the last two years are paying off in the form of slightly wider seats and a touch more leg room.
We now pause for these messages…
Even a dedicated blogger needs a break now and then, so I’m off to Vegas for a long weekend. Talk to y’all from Sin City. Maybe.
Bright light city…
It’s official. Vegas 2008 is on the calendar. Tickets are in hand. The hotel is booked. Time off has been approved. And I’ve once again prevailed upon one of my favorite travel companions to tag along with me. I mean, really, what better vacation can you think of than gambling, free booze, and a good looking broad? Life, my friends, is very, very good.
Return Leg…
Let’s just say that my desire to climb in the truck at 6:00 tomorrow morning and drive 13 hours back to West Tennessee is less than total. The last day is always the worst part of a vacation and particularly so when you’re leaving so many good friends and family on this end of the run. All-in-all, it’s been a great and much needed week. I wish it could have been three or four. For those I managed to see, it was awesome. For those I didn’t, I’m sorry the timing didn’t work out. And for everyone, remember that the interstate system runs in both directions. See ya in Memphis.
Second time around…
Well, here’s hoping I manage to get it right the second time around. I’m leaving tomorrow on a redux of the trip I was too sick to go on last month. Mercifully, I’m feeling well and it’s possible that this will be my last big trip before the job swap takes place. I’m not holding my breath on that one, though. Seems no matter what my job is, I’m always needed somewhere other than where I happen to be at the time. After a long weekend of waging war on my back yard and getting it primed for spring, I think I am ready for a nice quiet boondoggle. Talk to you from Kansas City… Or from the airport if I see something that just demands an immediate rant.
Smellephone…
Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t feel the need to answer the phone every single time it rings. This is especially true when I am in the john at an airport trying to drop a deuce. Fortunately, the guy next door didn’t have the same hang ups about talking shop from the throne. I hope he and “preacher” had a wonderful discussion. It was still going strong when I wrapped things up. Is this now an acceptable practice or am I just missing something here? I can only thank God, that Alexander Graham Bell didn’t invent the smellephone.
JEFFREYTHARP.COM 