pre-Dayton: the Road Trip
This story should actually begin on Wednesday, when I was too excited to sit still. I had a work retreat all day that took my mind off of things a little, since I had to engage with others and brainstorm about things like revamping websites and what college students are dealing with in their pre-college and four years til graduation. I did get my new Travis Jr. hooked up, but had about 6000 flashcards, since I hadn't synched in two or three weeks. I packed, including a lot of knitting, and enjoyed my usual Wednesday night guilty pleasure television.
Thursday, I was wide awake around 6, but convinced myself to sleep for awhile. Got up and was fairly manic. Between around 7am and our departure time of 145, I drank coffee, took a shower, finished packing, watched top chef, washed the dog, worked out on the bike, did 2000 flash cards, paced a lot, jumbletimed, poked at mthgeek while he tried to work, ate breakfast and lunch, talked to aegmnst online, and knitted. Finally, it was time to pick up magratheazaphod and nagekinoki at the commuter rail, to head to chez crosstables.
I was fortunate enough to ride shotgun the whole way, and cuddled up with my pillow and Travis Jr. We drove the PA route, a change of pace from the trip Tim and I took to Chicago last month. We passed landmarks like the Food and Books and New Colony Diner, and stopped at a Dunkin. There was much anagramming, with James spitting out his quizzes from memory on things like all of the bingos in ?MANITOS.
Couple of hours later, we dined at the cultural mecca that is Cracker Barrel. Conversation topics included the giant sign that invites people of all races to dine at Cracker Barrel; how smoking sections make the whole restaurant into a smoking section; color-themed dinners; and what exactly goes into dumplins (that's what they're called on the menu -- not dumplings -- and the server also pronounced it dumplins). I browsed for souvenirs for the husband, and talked myself out of buying the die-cast John Deere tractor replica that can be used as a ceiling fan/light pull. They also had Halloween and Xmas stuff out already, which is just too early for me to understand. Seth purchased some circus peanuts, which, I have decided, taste like a cross between styrofoam and pure corn syrup. We stopped for the night in Youngstown, OH, where almost every hotel was full due to a Pony League Girls' Softball event, whatever that is. We decided to go a step above the Tally Ho-Tel, and stayed at the Liberty Inn, complete with cat on the balcony and strange woman wandering out of her room, staring into the sky, going back into the room, and repeating this pattern a couple of times. Got in a little before 2, and sleep came quickly, although so did waking up the next day.
Breakfasted at Denny's, where they give you too much food for too little money, and James and I overrode Jesse's protests to pile our extra food on his plate. After a quick stop at Dunkin, we were back on the road. More anagrams, some napping, some classical music, and we were there before we knew it.
Slipkin wandered off with James to check him in at his hotel, and Jesse and I headed in to the Convention Center to register. It was around 2pm, and there were already plenty of games going on, and people to see. Got our tote bags, t-shirts, etc., and found non-lj-user fizzix, who had also not had lunch yet. We walked into the Oregon District, and settled on panini since Thai was closed. Wandered back, bummed around, then decided to play a quick game, which involved a number of open racks, and some kibbutzing by the soon-to-be champion.
I eventually headed toward my hotel, finding roomie mrsscheisskopf on the way. Settled in there, and then out to food again -- the first of many visits to Thai Nine, where at least half of the tables were populated by Scrabblers. Made it to bed fairly early, fighting butterfiles in the stomach by watching Anthony Bourdain on television.
Thursday, I was wide awake around 6, but convinced myself to sleep for awhile. Got up and was fairly manic. Between around 7am and our departure time of 145, I drank coffee, took a shower, finished packing, watched top chef, washed the dog, worked out on the bike, did 2000 flash cards, paced a lot, jumbletimed, poked at mthgeek while he tried to work, ate breakfast and lunch, talked to aegmnst online, and knitted. Finally, it was time to pick up magratheazaphod and nagekinoki at the commuter rail, to head to chez crosstables.
I was fortunate enough to ride shotgun the whole way, and cuddled up with my pillow and Travis Jr. We drove the PA route, a change of pace from the trip Tim and I took to Chicago last month. We passed landmarks like the Food and Books and New Colony Diner, and stopped at a Dunkin. There was much anagramming, with James spitting out his quizzes from memory on things like all of the bingos in ?MANITOS.
Couple of hours later, we dined at the cultural mecca that is Cracker Barrel. Conversation topics included the giant sign that invites people of all races to dine at Cracker Barrel; how smoking sections make the whole restaurant into a smoking section; color-themed dinners; and what exactly goes into dumplins (that's what they're called on the menu -- not dumplings -- and the server also pronounced it dumplins). I browsed for souvenirs for the husband, and talked myself out of buying the die-cast John Deere tractor replica that can be used as a ceiling fan/light pull. They also had Halloween and Xmas stuff out already, which is just too early for me to understand. Seth purchased some circus peanuts, which, I have decided, taste like a cross between styrofoam and pure corn syrup. We stopped for the night in Youngstown, OH, where almost every hotel was full due to a Pony League Girls' Softball event, whatever that is. We decided to go a step above the Tally Ho-Tel, and stayed at the Liberty Inn, complete with cat on the balcony and strange woman wandering out of her room, staring into the sky, going back into the room, and repeating this pattern a couple of times. Got in a little before 2, and sleep came quickly, although so did waking up the next day.
Breakfasted at Denny's, where they give you too much food for too little money, and James and I overrode Jesse's protests to pile our extra food on his plate. After a quick stop at Dunkin, we were back on the road. More anagrams, some napping, some classical music, and we were there before we knew it.
Slipkin wandered off with James to check him in at his hotel, and Jesse and I headed in to the Convention Center to register. It was around 2pm, and there were already plenty of games going on, and people to see. Got our tote bags, t-shirts, etc., and found non-lj-user fizzix, who had also not had lunch yet. We walked into the Oregon District, and settled on panini since Thai was closed. Wandered back, bummed around, then decided to play a quick game, which involved a number of open racks, and some kibbutzing by the soon-to-be champion.
I eventually headed toward my hotel, finding roomie mrsscheisskopf on the way. Settled in there, and then out to food again -- the first of many visits to Thai Nine, where at least half of the tables were populated by Scrabblers. Made it to bed fairly early, fighting butterfiles in the stomach by watching Anthony Bourdain on television.