Geez...where ya been?

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Geez...where ya been? Current mood: tired Category: Travel and Places Yes, I know. I haven't posted a blog in like 7 months, and here I go with this drivel. hEY...IT'S MY BLOG. Crap. CAPS LOCK got stuck again. So today began my week-long journey to the east coast to prepare for my exam next monday. What exam? The Customs Broker's Examination I've been studying my ass off for over the last 3 or so months. 3 months of nights and weekends with my nose buried in roughly 35-3600 pages of federal regulations wasn't enough. I have to sign up for a week of intense review. 1200 miles from home. By myself. At least it's on the company dime. So I get on the plane this afternoon, flight 1854 to Charlotte, and the first thing I realize (aside from the fact that the plane is full) is that the plane is full. Of people wearing South Carolina garb. And here's my happy little ass wearing an LSU cap, LSU shirt, and my LSU Crocs because my boots are still wet from the LSU game yesterday...against South Carolina. I'm surrounded by Steve Spurrier look-alikes (folks, the visor fad is over. Please read your memos), in a pressurized metal Tylenol with wings, and who is the only LSU fan on the plane? Yeah. They let me have it. Most were cool about it though, and surprisingly enough, everyone was talking about how good of a time they had, and how great Tiger fans were, etc. Good show, LSU fans! Even more surprising was that so many of the SC folks mentioned how they really didn't LIKE Spurrier...but they wanted wins. Whatever...he's a whore just like Saban. But this isn't a football blog... Anyway, the pilot comes on the intercom, and he's got a Southern drawl. Somehow I always feel better when the pilot has a twang in his voice. Dunno why. But he does, and I relax. For those that don't know, I don't like flying. If man were intended to fly, he would have been born with wings. I'm not afraid to fly...I just don't like it. But it beats driving a full day each way. Take off, land, nothing special. Southern boy comes over the intercom..."Welcome to Charlotte, North Carolina, local time is ... and current temp is 93 degrees with a humidity around 80-85%". Wait. What? I chose this destination in the mountains to get away from oppressive heat and humidity, not make my eardrums pop for an hour and forty-five minutes to get more of the same! Oh well... Get into the hotel room, unpack, and go on a beer hunt. There's a Kwik-E-Mart down the hill (they have hills here...it's the derndest thing) that sells beer on sundays (yay!) and half a dozen restaurants/food joints, including where I ate dinner tonite, Chili's (boo!). At least I got a Guinness. Granted, at $6 a beer, I shoulda skipped the food and gotten a drink at the gentlemen's club next door. The sights would have been a lot better than the Sunday night waitress crew at Chili's. One would hope anyway. Too bad I don't like strip clubs... Back to my room, and time for nite-nite. I'm tired, and I have a long day tomorrow. Gotta get used to this hour time change. It's fucking up my program. I miss my son. And my wife, but mostly my son. And the dog. Tomorrow will be easier...I'm sure.