I just got back yesterday from Alabama and boy are my arms tired (and that is so not the way to deliver that classic joke or punchline). Even so, I spent a good week visiting family and friends where I used to live in Huntsville.
While the drive is pretty long (about 13-15 hours including food and rest stops), it goes by pretty quick...unless you're behind a cow trailer. On the ride up I was stuck in traffic, diagonal from a cow being visited by Aunt Flow. These were bloody gushing bodily pyrotechnics the likes of which I've never seen and they will certainly haunt my dreams until the end of time. Why? Because I was surrounded, front and sides, by other drivers, and could not get away for several miles.
Vehicular hijinks continued as I went to have my oil changed about a day later. As recounted in a previous post, I was narrow almost compressed between a left lane flatbed truck and a right hand guardrail. Rain spray kept the truck from seeing me, but somehow, at the last minute before I would've been drug along for a few hundred feet, the truck moved back in his lane. Thankfully, I found a good plate of wings while waiting on the car to easy my addled state. Yikes!
It was good to see Huntsville again, even though I only left last September. Got to meet up with old friends from the Steampunk days at The Nook, as well as meet new friends of theirs. The folks from The Gearheart podcast were quite cool and we all hit it off grandly. So well, in fact, that I would later see the top secret Gearheart HQ, complete with cheesy poofs and HIGHLY ADDICTING snicker doodle cookies.
Also continued the standing 501st Alabama Garrison tradition of meeting at Ding How II and talking shop over Chinese. Great fun to see the crew I volunteered with/for this past summer at the US Space and Rocket Center. Even got to meet up with the famed Trouble Twins at Buffalo Wild Wings and at Royal Buffet later in the visit. Both Guitar Hero and Rock Band were played...vigorously. And, most importantly, now we know why I don't sing...ever. Seriously. Sticking with guitar and keytar, thank you very much. ;)
Birthday day was spent sleeping late, being lazy, stuffing my face with pretzel Flipsides and Easy cheese, and having a nice dinner with the folks at one of our favorites, Longhorn steak house. Gifts included a much needed new digital camera and a water filter pitcher, so I can keep drinking water and not bomb my kidneys with caf free soda as much. My cake was a key lime pie (I don't do traditional cakes anymore because they're just too sweet for me), and good pie it was. Key lime is an all time fave. Between this and the well wishes on Twitter and Facebook (especially from the sweet and awesome Chase Masterson and the also sweet and awesome Cali Lewis of Geekbeat.TV after I shamelessly asked), it was a grand and humorous day.
Didn't have time for Ave Mario Grotto this trip, but it will happen on future travel. The detail on the miniature cities and places is supposed to be incredible. The rosaries in the online gift shop looked really cool too.
In all, a good and busy birthday week. Didn't get around to everyone as I'd hoped, but will catch up with you all on the next trip, whenever that is. Thanks to the folks and to everyone who could get together and for juggling schedules. It really was appreciated and a lot of fun. :)
Yep, thanks to you all for reading too. :)
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