Volume 1 of The Vow Renewal Weekend: Friday

This is the first volume of the last weekend's trip to NY. I have decided to title them by the day of the week. Simple but effective. This is the beginning of a long and dense read. So enjoy! Or not. And as usual, my memory might be slightly hazy.


Part 1: Doctor of Shut The Fuck Up
I woke on the morning of Friday July 9th, to the sound of my fan on my face, and my sister's voice, reminding us all to get up. We had just barely survived a heat wave of epic proportions and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the air was slightly cooler than it had been the day before, though it was still quite humid. I rolled out of bed, and put on my Crocs, ready to finish packing, and get ready for a long journey ahead.
The very first thing I did was take my cat outside for his daily jaunt. Dommie is mainly an indoor cat, but once in awhile I take him outside, for just a few minutes, to let him run around and eat grass. I sat on the back steps watching him eat grass and pee on things, making sure he didn't run off. After about ten or fifteen minutes, I took him inside, much to his furry dismay.
That morning, it was my job to clear all the crap out of the car, to make room for all of our luggage. I was reluctant to do it, and held it off for as long as possible. But eventually, armed with plastic bags, I went out to our little bright red Pontiac Sunfire, to do some cleaning. I threw out trash and collected recycling, cursing the heat and how gross the car was. I was nearly done cleaning out the foot well, when my mother came outside. She needed to make a quick trip to the store, much to my frustration. I was trying to clean out the car like she asked me to! But her errand provided an excuse for me to get out of the sun, so I climbed out of the car and headed for the stairs to our back porch. She asked me if I wanted an energy drink, but I declined, explaining that they wreaked havoc with my stomach. A few years ago, I would have eagerly accepted such an offer, but now I find that energy drinks have an odd aftertaste, and as I mentioned, make me feel gassy and bloated. Mom offered to get me a bottled Starbucks Mocha Frappuchino, instead. It was exactly what I wanted.
Mom drove off, and I went inside to continue packing and read some Sandman. I had packed my paisley duffel bag with my clothes for the weekend and my makeup and toiletries. I was going to fill my lavender and black backpack with my music, a couple of books, my teddy bear and anything I would need for my trip to The Great Escape the following day.
My mom returned from the store with our drinks and some breakfast. She got me a Koffee Kup Bakery cruller, which is my favorite. It's your basic twisty little cruller, dusted with cinnamon and sugar; it's delicious. I retreated to my room to eat my pastry and drink my mocha frappuchino, I read more Sandman while I ate.

After I finished, I went back outside to finish cleaning the car. Mom had parked it in the shade, so I wouldn't stew in my own juices while I worked. My elderly neighbor's son was outside painting some wood. I greeted him, and set to work.
I put recycling in one bag, and trash in another. Clothes and shoes got put in a plastic bag of their own. Anything that needed to stay in the car, found a home in the foot well behind the passenger seat. Country music wafted in from next door; I recognized one of the songs from my Willsboro days (The school bus driver only let us listen to country and nothing else.). I found myself singing along softly as I worked.
When I was done cleaning the car, I brought the bags of trash, recycling and clothes upstairs into the apartment. Then I went into my room to finish packing and get dressed. Yes, I hadn't even gotten dressed yet, I was still clad in my PJs.
I got easily distracted by Sandman. I should have been getting dressed, but I was too busy reading about The Endless, Hob Gadling and Cluracan of Faerie. I bet you're thinking, why didn't I just pack it up, so I could read it in the car? I would have, but I happened to be reading The Absolute Sandman, which is roughly the thickness of a phone book, and one of the longest and widest tomes I have ever held in my hands. It is also heavier than a newborn baby. Mom suggested that I could just carry it loose in the car, but I never got around to doing that. I would endure a weekend without my favorite comic.
I finally managed to get dressed and do my toilette (I love saying that). I powdered my body and put on deodorant. Then I dressed in my black t-shirt with the white stripes, my denim miniskirt and a pair of flip-flops. For a final touch, I pinned my "I Need Adult Supervision" button onto my shirt.

I'm going to tell you right now, that I'm not describing every single detail of Friday morning in this blog. There really isn't a point. Between all the packing and preparing, nothing of note really occurred. I'm omitting minor events, that really have no place in my narration. I tend to make my blogs too rich and dense, and you'll notice that this time around, my writing has taken on a very simple tone, with slightly plainer details. I haven't gone off into any tangents...yet.
By noon, we had managed to get most of our luggage and bedding out onto the back porch, ready to load into the car. My sister and I kept this activity interesting by engaging in banter. At one point when I jokingly informed her that I was a doctor she asked:
"Doctor of what?"
At a loss for words, I responded: "Doctor of Shut The Fuck Up, that's what!"
Next door, the neighbor's middle-aged son (the guy who was painting) erupted into laughter, as did my mother and sister, I do believe. I admit that the spontaneous zing was vaguely amusing, mainly because of its delivery. I'm usually only funny when I'm not trying to be. I had been searching for a wittier reply, but had only come up with that. Unexpected gold.
Finally, we had the car loaded up. The trunk and the backseat (save for where I would be sitting) was stuffed to the gills with suitcases, duffel bags, pillows, lawn chairs and the odd battle ax (I kid, I kid). We piled into the car and pulled out of the driveway. We managed to leave the house sometime between 12:00 and 12:30, just when my mom wanted to. So far, so good. We were on our way.

Coming up in part two...a few minor setbacks, and a surprise celebrity appearance (in the form of a window cling)!