The trip back from Austin was less than convenient.Jenny G picked me up, and she had a hankering for some Chick-fil-a waffle cut fries. So we took care of that first. They were damn good. Then we were off to find me a "taco-roll" style hat, so we went to a vintage clothing store near her house. Nothing there 'cept a plethora of members only jackets and some retro kind of clothes. So we headed over to the good will store. On the way, we passed the Jack In The Box, and I had seen commercials for the new Pannido, and it was the one thing that I had hoped to experience in Austin that I had not yet had. Gotta sample the local cuisine, don't you know. And I got a kick out of the vegan Jenny G at the drive-in saying "I'd like a triple-meat pannido." It was delicious. I highly recommend it. I ate half of it, and then we went into the good will store, but all I could think about was the Pannido. Soooo good. And that was Austin.
So we're driving up to the Delta terminal, and there's a plane passing in front of us, and Jenny G says "How tweaked would you be if that plane got shot down right now?" And I'm like what the fuck kinda thing is that to say to your friend whos about to get on a fucking plane!? I didn't realize it until later when I was sitting outside the airport, but as we were driving along earlier, we were talking about what a clear fall day it was outside. And she says "What does the look of this day remind you of?" And I'm like "I dunno. Living in DC." And she says "It looks exactly like Sept. 11th." Again, not something you want to mention to a person about to get on a jet airliner. I'd been having increased flight-anxiety anyway, so this was about the last thing I needed.
The flight to Atlanta was uneventful. I tried to nap, but slept fitfully. It was one of those times where I was afraid I was talking in my sleep. At one point I woke up and almost started kicking my legs before I remember where I was. I was having some sort of dream where jumping was required. The layover in Atlanta was manageable, but after the plane was boarded we ended up being delayed a half hour. I'd skipped dinner in hopes that I wouldn't get back to Brooklyn too late and could just save the money. I didn't buy a magazine either, though I was short on reading material. All I wanted to do was get home, eat dinner, and spend some QT with Miss Charming Melodee. So when we finally get to Newark, it's around 10:30. I get on the Airtrain to the NJ transit station at 11, to find that the train to New York left at 10:49. Next train: 11:39. Pouring outside. Cold. We are not happy. Even worse, at that time of night there are two trains an hour to New York. First one at 11:39. Next one: 11:45! What's the point of running two trains an hour six minutes apart? How does this make sense? Waiting 40 minutes was bad enough, but this scheduling system discovery was infuriating.
Me, on the Airtrain from the Newark airport to the NJ Transit station.
That sentence is the perfect caption to the picture. Gloomy, rainy, tired.
So I finally catch a cab and get home shortly before 12:30 AM. Miss CM was certainly a sight for sore eyes. As was the apartment. I'd forgotten how nice it looked when I left. Urban, yet homey. Miss CM was quite excited about the scorpion belt buckle I'd gotten her. And much to both our dismay, the extra small Modest Mouse t-shirt I got her fit, if a bit snuggly. So I made some food, watched the Justice League episode that was recorded, and showered away all the transit smell, and hit the hay.
Overall, the trip was nice. It was good to see Doug again. After the initial shock of actually seeing him for the first time in seven years, it didn't feel like it'd been that long at all. The biggest difference I saw in him was actually the difference I saw in me reflected from him. I'm not saying he hasn't changed, though on the surface the change is minimal. But it's like I saw the imprint of my old self on him from the last time we hung out, and it looks a lot different from the guy I am now.
And I'm very glad Jenny G was in Austin as well. Wouldn't have been as much fun without her, especially since I don't have a car. It was nice just driving around looking for new stuff together. So it was cool that I had someone to go around with who knew the town, and someone to go around with and discover new stuff with.Slow day at work, which is nice. And only one more day till the weekend. Then two more days and it's Thanksgiving. Not bad, not bad.