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NASCAR is for sissiesI drove to Elizabeth WV yesterday for a meeting for work. Elizabeth is the county seat of Wirt County, and the home of Jessica Lynch, the rescued POW, the blond all-american girl who got used as an icon for the rabid so-called patriots during an early lull in war support. She's alive and well, headed for WVU this fall, far from the desert hell where her unlucky comrades still languish, getting shot at by the people they supposedly liberating. Like my friend Connie points out, we've killed way more Iraqis than Saddam ever did, I'm sure the survivors really fuckin appreciate us.
Listening to: birds and bugs Reading: no more EarthCore! Weather: 68, quiet Anyhoo, the trip to Elizabeth. It's about 3 hours from home for me, meeting at 10:30, I head out at 7:30. I'm tooling down 79, listening to that final chapters of EarthCore, and next thing I know I'm conscious of signs for Jane Lew. Not good. I should have gotten off at Route 50 miles ago. Oops, next exit, turn around. Back up to 50, this time I don't miss it. Now I'm heading west on 50, pushing my speed to make up for lost time, still grooving on the 'Core and some podcasts (Adam Curry and family sick their on vacation, some teenagers whining about fanfiction Mary Sue's, the TWiTs). I thankfully don't miss my next exit, I-77 south, should be almost there. Get off at Mineral Wells, take 14 to Elizabeth, say my directions, no clue how many miles but it can't be far.
This last leg of the trip takes FOR FREAKIN EVER. All the things that annoy or piss me off are rolled up in one right front of me the entire way. A giant SUV driven by some soccer mom who needs another phone book to sit on in order to actually see over the steering wheel. Of course she has her obligatory made-in-China Support the Troops yellow ribbon magnet glaring at me (how exactly do you support the troops? love to ask her that q, no opportunity), a W sticker, and here's the great irony: she sports a NASCAR license plate, and is driving a good 5 to 15 miles below the speed limit. The entire way. Of course. Pass her, you say? Apparently you've never actually driven from Mineral Wells to Elizabeth or you'd know IT JUST AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN. Great.
So I'm late, irked at how I stupidly positioned myself behind Suzie Dumbshit by missing my first exit. The good news (always a silver lining if you look for it, yo) is that I missed the meeting's opening prayer, which I'm subjected to in my job with mind-numbing frequency.
Larry and Olivia and Spring and William and Wyatt and I all went to the WVU Parents Club barbecue in Kingwood last evening. Plenty of nice people, ran into my colleague Bobby Sue, nice array of covered dishes to try, more plastic WVU swag to take home. But the speeches went on into infinity. Ya gotta stay because they give away a $200 bookstore gift cert to one of the students, must be present to win. At one point the president said she was surprised that hardly any of the WVU students from last year's picnic (when she first joined) were here this year. I was thinking perhaps it was because they realized that the price of you rattling on incessantly and eternally was just too high for the hotdogs and no-bake cookies. But one cool person whom I met at a previous Parents Club event reintroduced herself to me, and she's very groovy. Her husband used to own the comic book shop that I went to during my undergrad days, and she liked my old band Angel Patrol.
Did you watch any of the life of Peter Jennings stuff on TV last night? Sheesh, you'd think they were canonizing a new saint whose shit never once stank. It's like americans are afraid they'll curse themselves somehow by saying anything but gushing wonderfulness about a dead person. Are other cultures like that? I liked Peter and all, but come on, he was probably cool enough even with his warts hanging out, so let loose with a little truth, why dontcha.
Susan Tedeschi plays for free in South Park on Friday night!!! I'm so there!! And tonight my friend Darla and I are going to see the Argument at the riverfront park for free. Summer in the 'hood, good livin.
permalink posted by cat 6:09 AM
