Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

Wow I'm tired. It's been a very eventful and fun-filled weekend, to say the very least. Since I last wrote, I've been in half-dozen states, driven 2000 miles, flown an airplane, and taken at least a half-dozen trains and subways.

Things started when I took the Thursday train down to NYC to meet up with my brother and dad, then the NJ transit line to my dad's hotel, then eating dinner at Ruth's Criss steakhouse; the fillet was a good as I remembered and just as expensive. We walked around town since the return subway was down for repairs and managed to drop by Opsware's sales office that's off Broadway south of Times Square. Too bad it was already 10pm or there'd have been people I could have dropped by and talked to. Next I headed off to Steve's apartment in Newark by train, then subway, then by walking over some a cobblestone street or two.

Woke up in the morning at bright-and-early 4:30, took the subway/train to Newark Airport , then flew direct to RDU in a tiny jet plain; the best flight I can recall having in a while now. Arrived at 8:30 and was returned to my apartment by Warren only to pack up and leave again with Liz an hour later. After rounding up Lydia and Mary, we set out on a 12-hour drive to Illinois to see their cousin Andrew graduate from Knox College.

We made it without too much trouble, with me driving for most of the way and Liz practicing her stick-shift skills for the remainder. We all stayed at a local hotel in Peoria after arriving at about 1am, then drove out at 7am to get to the graduation early to meet the grandparents & aunt/uncle who'd reserved tickets for us without knowing for whom they were being reserved. They got quite the surprise I think.

The commencement speaker was none other then former President Bill Clinton. He arrived shortly before the ceremony began to a standing ovation and with a lot of secret service agents. His speech was seemingly largely unrehearsed [and as a result, enjoyable] and he certainly put out a lot of points that I could heartily agree with, reinforcing, I suppose, his main emphasis on the similarity of us all genetically and the tolerance and cooperation that such similarity should engender. All in all, a very good ceremony to be at.

Following the ceremony, we all hung out in the common room in Andrew's dorm, playing games, eating Chinese and other foods, and generally having a good time. We stayed as long as we dared, given our long ride home, and got back to the hotel around midnight. After a 7-hour siesta, we set out again for home, stopping a few times, most significantly at my grandmother's house in West Virginia to see her, Aunt Linda, and Uncle Bud. For those of you who don't know, my grandmother is going on her mid-90's and still sharp as a tack and pretty good on her feet. It's amazing to see, God has preserved her in a miraculous way. I'll be back again in August for her birthday, but it was still well worth the time spent getting to drop by.

We arrived back in Durham around midnight tonight, after dropping off Mary and Lydia at the Christoph mansion and taking Liz back to her car at my apartment, and now the tiredness is finally starting to kick in. After spending a Lord's day in the car, I'm still a bit empty from having no Word to feast on, but having had many hours of profitable music and good company should get me by until next week.

All in all, God kept us and seemed to bless the time to all concerned parties, at least to me as far as I know. It's really funny to have someone thank you for something that was fun to do and that you'd do again in a second. It's like saying thanks for having eaten someone else's candy.... um, you're welcome. No really, it's no trouble. Oh well.
---
Some things you won't see until you look for them. Some things you won't see until you stop looking for them.
---
Be yourself, because the people who mind don't matter and the people who matter don't mind.
---
Some people just get it without you having to explain it, but some won't even when do.
---
You think you know someone and then they surprise you, and not even in a bad way.