I was planning on driving home to Shreveport today, a 6 hour journey from Austin. Last Sunday however, I discovered my good friend Amber was going to be home for medical school interviews Monday through Wednesday. I figure I can leave after class Tuesday (around 6pm) and get in town just in time for the usual beginning time of night activities with her and Daniel. Then I could go to bed at a usual time and maybe even make it back to Austin for my 3pm class, or at least 7pm ultimate practice.
Then, out of nowhere I was about to careen into three lanes of mud in a construction site in Buffalo, TX and I had no choice but to swerve into a concrete barrier. Luckily, one of those hollow orange barrels got in the way (it was pretty squished) and saved my car from any cosmetic damage. However, I had actually driven up onto the concrete barrier and my front end was scraped up against it. Luckily, 2 minutes later a tow truck came by and pulled me out and I was soon back on my way to Shreveport. The rest of the night was lots of fun (except for driving in cold rain for 6 hours straight), and Amber and I even managed to hold back the juggernaut of Mariokart, Daniel Do, and in fact beating him more than ever.
But then the next day I had to take the car into the shop and it was there all day, and I didn't end up leaving town until 8pm. Other lowlights include the smell of the house that half of Amber's family lives in (no, her parents aren't divorced, the family is just so big they need two houses). Her sister hasn't changed the cat litter box since Christmas, and even then it was bad (I still can't believe I watched a whole movie under those oppressive odors).
I was going to try to photograph the site of my off-road experience on the way back to Austin, but when I was driving back through Buffalo, there was a big diesel rig in the exact same predicament as I had been in in the very same spot. So take that you critics of my driving!
Posted by tdupuy at February 13, 2004 6:54 PM"Then, out of nowhere I was about to careen into three lanes of mud in a construction site in Buffalo, TX and I had no choice but to swerve into a concrete barrier. "
You're right, that was out of no where. You were hypothetically laying out your plan for the weekend, and then POW out of nowhere you're on a wall. I'm not even going to comment on your driving, and I suppose if you can go 12 hours with only one accident and no harm done to others, that's a success.
I think only you would know someone whose family gives in two different houses. We don't have enough space, they think. Let's buy a second house, they decide. I don't know if that's the typical way of doing that.
Posted by: E1st at February 14, 2004 7:08 AMI think my family's situation was not properly described. My parents live an hour from town in a parsonage due to my father's ministerial position while my sister holds the noisome fort in town, which they own. Only one house was bought.
Whatever Trent, you were there for all of 5 min. It's only 1.4% of the total time we spent together that night, 0.3% of your entire trip if you got home 2am Thursday. I think lowlights should at least consume 5% of total time. (and don't argue this as qualitative not quantitative. It could be qualitative if in that 5 min the smell permeated your clothing and thus you carried it for the rest of the evening. but then it would be quantitative too. It could be qualitative if the stench made you puke.) And in defense of Ashley, she picked up cat litter Wed. Though she should not have let it get so out of hand.
As a side note, I met two people in my interview group that were 1:11 children!
oh, I interpreted lowlights as long and excruciating.
Posted by: Amber at February 17, 2004 8:53 PM