Dismantle. Repair.: Road Trippin'

I find that there is nothing quite like heading off on a road trip to de-stress the mind and rejuvenate the soul.

At least, in my opinion.

I've always liked travelling, and after a particularly stressful week (like the final week of an intensive Greek course, let's say) it's always a great feeling to know that the only thing you're expected to do is to sit, drive, and think. No homework, no meetings, no working...just driving. There's nothing like it.

And so, after conquering my Greek final and packing up all the necessary clothes and DVDs and such, I happily set off on the first leg of my journey home, a four-hour trip from Dallas to Muskogee, OK.

Lately when I go on road trips, I always start off by listening to The Band Perry, because there's something about singing one's heart out to country music that makes road trips even road trip-ier. This CD was followed by Jason Mraz's "Mr. A-Z" CD (circa 2005), which I like to listen to on extended trips if for no other reason than to prove to myself that I still remember all the lyrics to "Wordplay."

"You folks goin' past Tishomingo?"

By the time I got through these two CDs, I started to get hungry for lunch...unfortunately, Middle-of-Nowhere, Oklahoma doesn't offer a great variety of restaurants, so I had to wait about half an hour after the hunger point before I found a place to stop: a McDonalds in Atoka. It wasn't the most pleasant of experiences...I got the evil eye from a woman in the parking lot because I drove the wrong way down the lane (my bad), then nearly slipped about 25 times inside the restaurant because the employees had chosen that precise moment to mop the floor (their bad). If you know me at all, you know that I don't do well with water on tile flooring. Also, the service was rather slow...overall, it was just not the best fast-food experience. But then, on the way out I saw a sign for Tishomingo, and I hear people sell their souls to the devil on crossroads near there, so maybe that has something to do with the negative experience (O Brother Where Art Thou, anyone? Refer to the YouTube clip at the end of this post if you don't know what I'm talking about).

To help pass the time, I downloaded Looking for Alaska, a young adult novel by John Green, in audiobook version from iTunes last night. Actually, I downloaded an E-Book, then spent half an hour on the phone with my tech-savvy sister trying to figure out why it wouldn't play before discovering that an E-Book and an Audiobook are not the same thing (which I knew, of course, but I didn't realize I had downloaded the E-Book version and not the audiobook). Anyway, I've never done the audiobook thing, but now I am a HUGE fan - it made the time pass SO quickly! It also got me all inspired to start working on my book again (for those of you who don't know/forgot, I started writing a young adult novel in January, but it fell by the wayside due to homework and general school stress).

Finally, I got to Muskogee and checked into my hotel. Shortly thereafter, I realized I left my iPod haphazardly strewn across the passenger seat of my car...and even though crime rates are low in rural Oklahoma and my 2007 iPod Video isn't the most enticing piece of technology, I still didn't think it was a good idea to advertise my semi-valuable mp3 player to the parking lot passerby. So, I went downstairs to get it from the car, passing an elderly gentleman as I exited through the front doors. Immediately thereafter, I realized I hadn't brought my car keys, and did an about-face back through the door, catching myself behind the slow-moving old man I had just passed as he tottered along through the lobby. I respectfully slowed my pace and walked behind him; I always think it's rude to just rush around old people. Suddenly, he stopped at the sight of a preteen boy rolling a luggage cart about 20 feet down the hall; consequently, I stopped as well. At this point he glances back at me, and I smile politely. Eventually the luggage cart boy passes, and the man continues, and I continue as well. It then became apparent that I was going to have to take the elevator with this man..."Great," I thought, realizing the increasing awkwardness of the situation. We get on the elevator, and he says to me "I guess you only really have one option..." extending his hand toward the buttons, then looking confused as he discovered that the hotel has three stories, not two (giving me two options of floors to inhabit). I smile politely again, saying "2, please." We ride up in silence, until we reach the floor and I hasten off to my room, where I grab my car keys before running back down to the lobby, out to the parking lot, and, having retrieved my iPod, return into the elevator. The door opens at the second floor, and I nearly run headfirst into a luggage rack blocking my exit - manned by none other than my favorite recent acquaintance, the slow-moving elderly gentleman. I flash him a smile and a quick "hello again!" before scurrying off to my room.

That was a lot of awkward to cram into 15 minutes. But it didn't end there...during the commute to the parking lot I almost ran into a man exiting his room as I flung open the adjacent door to the staircase, and later two guys slightly older than myself came knocking at my door and were shocked to discover that I was not the friend they were looking for. I've stayed in many hotels in my life, and have rarely had so much interaction with the other guests...except for hostels, of course, where the bunk-bed setup naturally makes you bffs with everyone else in the room.

I spent the evening lounging about the hotel, talking to friends on the phone and watching Harry Potter movies on TV. I also ventured out to explore some of the Muskogee sights, including the castle (yeah, castle) and cowboy furniture store...sadly, both were closed, but you can see the photographic evidence of their strangeness below.

I make my valiant return to Missouri in the morning!