we'll float on alright

So today was the Trip to Chicago to drop Ryan off at O'Hare I was worried about. I actually asked him to drive on the way up there, and then on the way back I drove home alone. It actually went pretty well. I'm still glad he drove on the way up, because too much driving around up there is pretty nerve wracking for me, but I handled driving back without a hitch. I was pretty proud of myself, and now I know I can handle anything short of actually driving around on the city streets of a town that size.

You know, despite the emotional scars, I think working at Weak was really good for me. Before then I was terrified of the interstate. But I really think dicking around on the streets of Peoria and on 74 in a huge-ass news van not even knowing where the hell I'm going, during a time period that 74 was under heavy construction, and half the time also trying to follow around another news van being driven by a complete fucking psycho totally prepared me for today, it wasn't near as hard as I thought it'd be. I'm also kind of glad I drove down to Springfield yesterday to see Sista, it was a kind of low-pressure refresher on using the interstate, which I haven't really done since I worked at Weak.

I actually kind of enjoyed the drive back after I got to the point where I left most of the Chicago traffic behind. I had my music playing, and my windows wide open.

Though the wide open windows were actually because my driver's side window won't close, which happened sometime during the trip back from Springfield. Ryan helped me put this ghetto plastic covering on the window last night, but it was not suited for interstate speeds. I re-did it after I got back, and my dad's taking the car to the shop on Thursday.

We didn't do all that much in Springfield, but it was still cool. Sista showed us the "slums of Springfield," some statues of Lincoln and his family, and was thwarted at showing us a haircut place called "Freshie Fresh's" by the fact that Freshie Fresh was apparently shot not that long ago. But she said if the sign were still there, it would also say, "If it ain't Fresh, it ain't me." As it was, we went to Starbucks to talk to her gay friend, and then saw Snakes on a Plane together. I felt bad for her, she apparently does not like violent films and kept having to cover her eyes. Whereas Ryan and I were laughing the whole time, because the snakes kept going for weird things like naked boob or a guy's junk for no apparent reason.

Speaking of movies, this week I saw:

Snakes on a Plane
Little Miss Sunshine
Four Rooms
O Brother Where Art Thou?
Legend
Howl's Moving Castle
Identity
Goonies
Leon the Professional
You and Me and Everyone We Know
Fargo
The Big Lebowski
K-Pax
American History X
Brother
The Brotherhood of the Wolf

..I may or may not be leaving a couple out, as that is an awful lot to remember.

I also tried like three times to rent Trainspotting and Memento. I have been trying to watch Trainspotting for years now, and am always thwarted at the last minute. Memento has not gotten quite as ridiculous yet, but is beginning to get that way too.

So it was a pretty good time. I'll miss having him around to call me a retard.