meet me in St.Louis

A road trip!

It's undeniable that you are supposed to b excited when you hear those words. Road trips are supposed to be a shot a freedom, for a weekend. I picture Thelma and Louise picking up Neal Cassidy and maybe Mark Twain. Three of them have the most amazing jukebox when they combine all of their Ipods play lists. Of course mark twain doesn't have an Ipod, he's above all that newfangledness, and he offers a mix tape, but the car doesn't have a tape player- its a 2000 hybrid, so - what are you going to do?! I'm not sure where they go, definitely not off a cliff, but not necessarily into the sunset, either. Perhaps I'll send them to St.Louis, after all- thats where I went this weekend.

I went to St.Louis to visit friends and vanquish demons. I didn't really run into any demons, just realized that I can't hang as late or as hard as I used to. I got to meet the entire 3 and under set, as everyone has had at least one child since I left. I guess that means I'm some kind of anti-fertility charm. interesting...
I was really hoping that J and do would name their son Lou (their last name is Reid) but he's cool all on his own, doesn't even need a hip, pop culture reference as an ice breaker. L. Rose is literally a pink rosebud, she curls and unfurls her limbs like she's the flower subject of a stop- motion film on the nature channel. and Gretta, oh Gretta. Only a kid with eyes like yours could get away with eating whole sugar packets for lunch! I'm happy to say, I'm still not jealous of my friends turned parents. I want one of my own, but this test proved that I'm really not a candidate yet. (thank god)

I had major yearnings for my girlfriends this summer. I'm glad I finally took the road trip, Bear fit in just fine. Even NJ's wicked ways didn't phase him. What a great man! He seems to see what I see in my friends: embarrassingly cool ladies, with very strong opinions and hearts of gold.
When NJ got a little teary over her last love, I felt like I wanted to send her in a time machine about 18 months into the future. I know she knows the rules; it hurts like hell, the bandage keeps ripping off every time you turn on the radio or drive past your old haunts. and then, when you feel like the only peace comes from forgetting even the good times, the grass just starts to grow like early springtime again. all the dry patches even out and new people fill in where the old perennials used to be. I resisted the urge to give her too much advice or soothing, we all know how much of a temptation that is for me. but NJ, well, she just doesn't work like that.
After 15 years, I still have no idea what she really needs when she's hurting. I need pizza and beer and badtv. the closest I've ever come to understanding her is when she once explained that an out of town trip was what had helped her come to terms with a bad situation. She said she just needed the different surroundings to help her find a new perspective.

So, on the advice Of NJ, I took the road trip. I wasn't trying to fix any bad situation, but I was trying to jiggle some inspiration free on a few issues I've been just sitting on lately. Not sure what, exactly, I accomplished, but I feel like Mark and Thelma and Neal and Louise would be proud that I let loose and cut town for a bit- And what more could a girl want than to impress that crowd!