this one's a doozy.

You know, for a while there, I had found a way to be genuinely happy - stress & all... and then yesterday hit. Okay, I had a full-blown meltdown at the end of spring term, but that was self-induced stress & fatigue. Today is a combination of stress, fatigue, people and circumstances. Those last two are SO not my fault.

Anyway. Yesterday pretty much sucked - it included 3 hrs of sleep, completing a 10pp paper, 6mos of planning a car rental thrown out the window, the car rental fee more than doubling (once I'd arrived at the airport and after I paid taxi fare to get there), being stranded at the airport with no rental car, a return taxi home with no cash (wasn't planning on double cab fare!), being yelled at and reprimanded by the taxi driver TWICE (1st b/c he didn't like the fact that I was asking what the penalty would be if I just told my fave rental car agency that I was only driving in the Carolinas but actually took it to Philadelphia - the agent said the only way they'd know is if I got pulled over and I flippantly said "dude, I go 4 miles over the speed limit, I'm not getting pulled over - to which the taxi driver responded* "YOU DON'T KNOW IF YOU'RE GONNA GET PULLED OVER! DON'T LIE TO THOSE PEOPLE - YOU NEED TO STOP TALKING TO THAT PERSON RIGHT NOW" to which I replied "umm... this (indicated "this" by sliding my hand around in a circle in front of me, like I was spinning discs or DJing or whatever they do)... is not your conversation?" & 2nd b/c when I realized I had no cash & phoned my roommate to see if she had $15 for the fare and she said she didn't think so and I said "are you sure?" and he (once again got in my business) and yelled "SHE SAID SHE DOESN'T HAVE THE MONEY. STOP BOTHERING HER") REALLY????**

So we get to my apartment, my roomie (who DID have the $15) gave me the money, and the rest of the story included a VERY redneck scene with me half-in/half-out of the vehicle yelling "RYANN*** CALL 911!!!" and subsequent police response... while he held my luggage hostage in the trunk over a scam fee of a $2 trunk charge.

The day ended with a new rental car reservation - with the good company - 2hrs from where I live, a Father's Day dinner (which was great, but we all got a little food poisoning, yay?), and not finishing that aforementioned 10pp paper until 2am.

so that was yesterday.

Today, my road trip began! Keep in mind, after the redneck scene, I was ready to cancel the entire trip. But then I got excited about it again after talking with family, and thought "maybe I just wasn't supposed to rent from that company... hah.

Did I mention my trip? No? okay. I mean it's only been a thousand years since I posted on here... sorry tonight's so whiny.

So here's the trip: Charlotte to Philadelphia for TINA'S WEDDING (WOOT!), 2 nights in Philly, one night somewhere between Philly & Providence, Rhode Island, pick a friend (Nicole, from my time in Ireland) up from the Providence airport, one night staying with another friend (Brian, from Ireland) on the Rhode Island coast, a couple days drive back down the East coast with Nicole (who's only ever seen DC - she's from Los Angeles), travel around the Carolinas/Georgia & host Nicole's visit until the 29th (with reading and writing mixed into that last part)...

and here's how it's going so far. I wasn't intending to inundate people with yesterday's drama, but oh well. When I signed in, I was planning to give you a list - my day in numbers (Ev-style), so here goes:

3: hours of sleep for 3 nights in a row
1: rock star tour bus (Brett Michaels, haha)
15: bare feet in windshields or hanging out windows
4: stalled vehicles that jammed traffic directly affecting me (which is pretty minor considering the sheer number of vehicles I encountered)... probably about
2,000,000: I think that is a fair assessment - not an exaggeration. seriously.
8: other vehicles stalled on roadsides - still not bad!
1: crazy-cool bridge
1: horrible stench of factory and dump
3: toll booths
11: dollars paid to continue driving beyond tool booths
5: hrs of energy from a 5-hr energy drink
2: bathroom breaks
1: fill-up
6+1: state & district lines crossed
2: memorial photo opportunities
5: unexpected detours
20: minutes lost in the projects/slums of Washington, DC
5: plane landing as I sat in DC traffic
9: lanes of standstill traffic in DC
2.5: hrs spent trying to traverse DC
1 +1: meal + blizzard (banana split = my new fave!)
2: decent-looking guys - the whole trip
1 +2+3+4: diesel, hemi pickup truck with the entire rear window covered with a GIANT American Flag/Eagle decal +# of time I saw it + # of hours that separated sightings + # of States we spanned between sightings = hilarious, and a little sad!

hmmm... what else?

oh. right. the BEST part.

1: hacked bank account mid-trip****
1: canceled bank card mid-trip
1: night without a place to sleep mid-trip

on the upside (for me, at least):
12: hrs spent listening to Jason Mraz in one sitting (not counting the 4 times I got out of the car) - AND STILL LOVE HIM
69: # of songs in my Mraz playlist (some repeats, but in different acoustic venues - stalker much? WOW)

and finally (since I began this list, actually), reminders to be happy:

1: lifelong friend marrying the love of her life
1.5: years it's been since I saw the friends I've visiting in Rhode Island
infinite: guardian angels in my life - 1 of whom just spotted me the funds to pay for a place to stay the night I was going to be stranded

there. that's a better way to leave this email!

DRAMA. welcome to my world. well, Drama and Jason, apparently. :)



* not verbatim
** me yelling in my head, but probably showing my outrage on my face
***my roommate's name
**** I originally thought it was a porn site based on the name - not publicizing it because it makes me seem like I have a dirtier mind that I really do - but turns out it's a fake health product company. hmmm...