Relaxing...

My grandparents have been up to visit. Consequently my mother has lost her mind, or at least part of it. Once again my little college fridge is being used to store beer. Only this time it's down in the basement and it's storing her beer, instead of mine. It's not that she's hiding it-- but they don't approve. It doesn't matter that she's 48, she's still their oldest baby. Besides, all our books are down in the basement. She can curl up on a couch and get some privacy-- especially since she had to give up her bedroom for them.

They went upstate for a wedding, and our adventure getting a rental car was, shall I say, ulcer-inducing. The traffic was jammed up so badly that it took twice as long to get to the rental agency. At the agency the guy that rented my grandfather the car spoke so loudly that I dubbed him Sir Yells-A-Lot. Perhaps he's under the illusion that senior citizens are all going deaf and senile. My grandfather may be slow physically, but he's anything but senile.

On the way there I saw a newer-model station wagon. Not a unique sight, except that the driver had an entirely-inflated air mattress in the back. It literally filled the back, including the back window. Obviously this was a driver unconcerned with such mundane concepts as safe driving. By the way-- to the guy that was driving a Hummer with vanity plates-- just shove a rolled-up sock down your shorts. It'll be way cheaper, considering rolled-up socks don't get 6 miles to the gallon of overpriced gasoline.

We also passed a nearby nudie bar...oops, Gentleman's Club. It's a slightly seedy-looking, nondescript small building with blacked-out windows and a sign out front that used to read "GIRLS WANTED FOR VARIOUS POSITIONS." They've taken that down, but now they're advertising their air conditioning.

On a good note I'm going away for a few days next week. One of my friends called me and offered me a ticket to a My Chemical Romance show on the 16th in Hartford, Conn. I'm taking the train down. I'll be downstate for a few days and I'm really looking forward to it. I've been friends with her for over 3 years and since we both graduated we don't get to see each other much. She's the one person I know that knows everything about me-- the good, the bad and the extremely regrettable. She's totally non-judgmental and I absolutely love her for it. So we plan on hanging out, drinking martinis and listening to very loud music on the drive to Hartford. I can't wait. Since my birthday is later this month, it'll be nice to get to celebrate with her.