A Jaunt to the Mountains

I'm feeling a lot better now, owing in no small part to a little trip I got to take yesterday.

Late Monday night I was talking on the internet with a few people, and one of my conversations was with my twin brother. He lives in Boone, and he spontaneously asked me to come for a visit. Boone is over four hours away from where I live, I had work the next day... This was just what I needed! Early the next morning I called work, told them I wasn't coming, loaded up the Maxima, and hauled my sorry butt to the mountains! It felt INCREDIBLE! I finally got leave Holly Springs, even if it was only for a day. The whole way I listened to Weird Al with my arm out the window (and have a glorious sunburn on my left arm to show for it). It felt like I didn't want to be anywhere else than rolling west down I-40.

I haven't seen by brother all summer, either and seeing him again was every bit as wonderful as leaving this old town. I finally got to see his apartment and meet his roommates. I ate at the diner where he works and toured his University. We ate Calsones at the Mellow Mushroom and had frozen treats at TCBY (there was no Goodberry's around). We played video games and talked and had a wonderful time. I miss my brother a lot.

The only semi-bad thing that came out of this whole thing (aside from the sunburn) was getting something wonderful to compare with my colorless little room upstairs. Haha! The consolation I used to have for my brother living on his own in an apartment in the mountains while I was stuck here was that I imagined him living in some kind of impoverished squalor. HaHaHa! Quite the opposite. Even though he doesn't have a lot of spending money, I can see why he loves it out there so much. It's a college town, so there are people his age everywhere. His job gives him plenty of hours (recently, even a raise) and is coworkers are good people and in similar situations as himself, so they became great friends who not only get along, but do things together after work. He spends his free time playing video games and guitar, B-ballin' with his homies, and fondly bothering his suitemates. It's like college without the annoying interruption of learning! Now, what could be better than that?

I spent the night and headed home early the next afternoon as I had to be at work by 5:30. Though I was leaving the mountains, the drive back was really just as liberating, if a bit less excited.

The grass is always greener on the other side, and you'd think that seeing all this would make me feel even more trapped here in the townhouse, but I think my grass has gotten a lot greener just knowing that there are still places like that in the world. It's my turn next summer! You just wait! ^_^d

Long drives are great to clear one's head. I think when you find yourself feeling trapped in some grey cycle, a little something big and spontaneous never fails to add a little color.