On the road again: a college visit, day 1

The highlight of the early part of the trip was listening to the weasely fellow to my right engage in a very loud cell-phone conversation that included--and I am not making up any of us--such lines as

"If they won't let you carry a taser, then make them give you a shotgun with an ALS!"

"So I pulled out my metal pen, took off the cap, held it in his face, and said, 'Do you have any idea how much damage I could do with this?' The next thing I know, I'm in a small room getting a cavity search. Can you believe that?"

"Nah, he's fine; he just needs to get out of the country and hurt someone."

Sarah told me to recommend to everyone "Empty Hearts" by Josh Ritter, which she warns is a little more country than her normal recommendations.

After the longest airport train ride in my memory, we picked up our rental car and promptly got lost in the highway maze. Fortunately for us, when I found an exit and took it, a White Castle appeared almost instantly. After some slyders for me and mozzarella sticks for Sarah, we made our way back to the airport and from there we navigated successfully to our hotel.

The official tour is tomorrow, but we wandered a bit on campus today, ate some great ice cream, and had a pleasant time.

Tomorrow, we'll do the tour, then reverse our course and head home. The amount of sheer overhead time in this type of travel is astoundingly wasteful, but so it goes; the visit is worthwhile, and I love spending time with Sarah and Scott.

Still, I'll be glad to be home...until next Monday, when I head to Portland for the work week.

Back to work for me.