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cornerofmadnessIn a word: traffic but more on that in a moment.
I had to get up before the sun to drive to Columbus for a convention on "Valuing Veterans." And I woke up from a weird dream. I was in my parent's basement workshop and someone (I think my brother) wanted me to get our pet...a golden teddy bear hamster (I have never had one or even really wanted one). Just as I got to the cage, it got the door open and I had to chase it all around the basement. Finally I caught him and went to stuff him in the cage but it was now in a hole in the wall. Inside the hole was a pixie-sized snow white woman and a bunch of heaving nether regions (also dead white) grinding away. No clue. Don't want to know. Brain, you suck.
So I get out of here without a hitch. It was a nice easy drive to Columbus to the Polaris mall area (100 miles almost exactly). I got off on N. 23 above the belt loop and it was 9:25. I was so proud of myself. I was going to be early because it was only 2.3 miles to the hotel. I would schmooze and have coffee and muffins. FORTY-FIVE fucking minutes later, I'm now 15 minutes late and frustrated. thank you construction traffic. I had to sit with the press. My provost probably thinks I stood him up.
Later I did learn he got stuck in that mess too. I went to all the break out sessions, 98% of which are all on the administrative end and very little applies to faculty until the last one where it was about becoming a faculty evaluator of military programs for credit (meaning you have to go out to the bases etc). And I actually caught myself LOOKING for the email to sign up. WTF. Seriously? Must I always make more work for myself. And sadly I know if they'll pay me and my travel, I'll probably sign up.
Lunch was good, rosemary chicken, three salads and veggies. I drove myself up there because I knew we were getting done at 15:30 so I wanted to go to the mall (I drove 100 miles one way at dawn, dammit I'm going shopping and to the casino). Turns out it's only 1.8 miles from the damn Polaris Mall. If I had known that, I would have gone there and avoided that traffic (My GPS isn't pricey enough to tell me traffic snarls).
I haven't been to Polaris in years because it is so far and higher end. It has a Saks. It also has outside strip malls and I went there first. By now it's POURING. I went to party city to look at halloween stuff. I loved the masks but bought nothing. Bought a damn umbrella at TJ Maxx (and some mustard) because it was raining and mine had broken.
In the mall, I found SPirit Halloween. I could have run thru there throwing money in the air. They has tons of very pricy (100-180$) animated ghouls. I particularly wanted the nurse (19th cen. garb) amputated trans-humeral on both sides with hooks and chains in the meat of her arms. SHe shook and moaned. The zombie kid gnawing an arm and the graveside lifesize Angel that did things also needed to come home with me. I bought nothing.
Headed to hot topics. I was THRILLED. anime t-shirts, buy one get one half off. AND they had ghibili studio stuff including My Neighbor Tortoro, a nice Attack on Titan shirt, the Blue Exorcist shirt of Rin I've been wanting and one with Winry resting her arms/head on Ed's. I'm like SCORE. Then think...these seem small. I grab two for me and two for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
evil_little_dog thinking Yule is done. ...I can't get my left boob into this thing let alone the rest of me and it's my size. (they were also thin as tissue paper).
Finally I ask the girls (I think I scared them to be honest since I was truly annoyed) WHY are these so small? I used to get my anime stuff here all the time. They said 'we had so many little kids and nothing fit them so they went smaller.' I said 'no, you introduce a junior line but you don't REMOVE the adult line.' No offense, but the average gamer/anime geek is about my size. Seriously in my anime club here on campus only TWO of them could possibly have fit. One girl did say they were going to change again (No shit, I'm sure you've had a string of complaints). I was afraid even the 2XX wouldn't fit ELD (who isn't anywhere near that size actually but trust me, her size would go on a 7 year old child). I bought myself weeping angel earrings and left. At least I can still fit into those. I figure if ELD goes to her own Hot Topics and those shirts fit, I'll send her the damn visa gift card and she can buy it herself for the holidays.
I went to Macy's to get my clinique bonus. Of course the blush I want was 6$ too cheap so I said let me look at the eyeshadows. In the mean time she waited on THREE other people. I wouldn't have minded one. I left her. bite me.
It was still raining and I wanted to go to the high end Asian place. I couldn't find it. my GPS wanted me to walk there as it was in an alley (they have some outbuildings that you can only get to on foot). I tried. I couldn't find it. I ducked into Barnes and Nobles and reminded myself why I buy my manga online through Books a Million because there is no deals at B&N and holy hell manga is now 12-15$ a pop.
I give up on Molly Woo's and go to the brewpub across the street. The pumpkin ale was good. The roast beef sandwich was good but not great and by now it's 6:30. I thought great. Rush hour is over. WRONG. All I wanted to do was get on 71-S to the beltloop and go over to 315 S (word of warning if you're ever in Columbus avoid I-71 it is nothing but traffic). Well I couldn't have gotten onto 71 proper anyhow because it was a solid line of cars. It took THIRTY minutes to get to the belt loop ONE mile away and a full hour to get to the casino 15 miles away. I wasn't even going to stop because of the weather but by now I had to pee.
I'm glad I stopped. I won 10$ on the Iron Man game but then it cheated me on two bonuses in a row so I went elsewhere, lost 15 and in the last minute found a haunted house slot that I loved and got it all back. By then the rain had stopped and I made it home without incident.
Kanda was beside himself because I'd been gone 13 hours and was very obviously never coming home.
Also HAPPY BIRTHDAY tomamculuna and a late birthday to inulovinkit & purpleicicles
I had to get up before the sun to drive to Columbus for a convention on "Valuing Veterans." And I woke up from a weird dream. I was in my parent's basement workshop and someone (I think my brother) wanted me to get our pet...a golden teddy bear hamster (I have never had one or even really wanted one). Just as I got to the cage, it got the door open and I had to chase it all around the basement. Finally I caught him and went to stuff him in the cage but it was now in a hole in the wall. Inside the hole was a pixie-sized snow white woman and a bunch of heaving nether regions (also dead white) grinding away. No clue. Don't want to know. Brain, you suck.
So I get out of here without a hitch. It was a nice easy drive to Columbus to the Polaris mall area (100 miles almost exactly). I got off on N. 23 above the belt loop and it was 9:25. I was so proud of myself. I was going to be early because it was only 2.3 miles to the hotel. I would schmooze and have coffee and muffins. FORTY-FIVE fucking minutes later, I'm now 15 minutes late and frustrated. thank you construction traffic. I had to sit with the press. My provost probably thinks I stood him up.
Later I did learn he got stuck in that mess too. I went to all the break out sessions, 98% of which are all on the administrative end and very little applies to faculty until the last one where it was about becoming a faculty evaluator of military programs for credit (meaning you have to go out to the bases etc). And I actually caught myself LOOKING for the email to sign up. WTF. Seriously? Must I always make more work for myself. And sadly I know if they'll pay me and my travel, I'll probably sign up.
Lunch was good, rosemary chicken, three salads and veggies. I drove myself up there because I knew we were getting done at 15:30 so I wanted to go to the mall (I drove 100 miles one way at dawn, dammit I'm going shopping and to the casino). Turns out it's only 1.8 miles from the damn Polaris Mall. If I had known that, I would have gone there and avoided that traffic (My GPS isn't pricey enough to tell me traffic snarls).
I haven't been to Polaris in years because it is so far and higher end. It has a Saks. It also has outside strip malls and I went there first. By now it's POURING. I went to party city to look at halloween stuff. I loved the masks but bought nothing. Bought a damn umbrella at TJ Maxx (and some mustard) because it was raining and mine had broken.
In the mall, I found SPirit Halloween. I could have run thru there throwing money in the air. They has tons of very pricy (100-180$) animated ghouls. I particularly wanted the nurse (19th cen. garb) amputated trans-humeral on both sides with hooks and chains in the meat of her arms. SHe shook and moaned. The zombie kid gnawing an arm and the graveside lifesize Angel that did things also needed to come home with me. I bought nothing.
Headed to hot topics. I was THRILLED. anime t-shirts, buy one get one half off. AND they had ghibili studio stuff including My Neighbor Tortoro, a nice Attack on Titan shirt, the Blue Exorcist shirt of Rin I've been wanting and one with Winry resting her arms/head on Ed's. I'm like SCORE. Then think...these seem small. I grab two for me and two for
evil_little_dog thinking Yule is done. ...I can't get my left boob into this thing let alone the rest of me and it's my size. (they were also thin as tissue paper). Finally I ask the girls (I think I scared them to be honest since I was truly annoyed) WHY are these so small? I used to get my anime stuff here all the time. They said 'we had so many little kids and nothing fit them so they went smaller.' I said 'no, you introduce a junior line but you don't REMOVE the adult line.' No offense, but the average gamer/anime geek is about my size. Seriously in my anime club here on campus only TWO of them could possibly have fit. One girl did say they were going to change again (No shit, I'm sure you've had a string of complaints). I was afraid even the 2XX wouldn't fit ELD (who isn't anywhere near that size actually but trust me, her size would go on a 7 year old child). I bought myself weeping angel earrings and left. At least I can still fit into those. I figure if ELD goes to her own Hot Topics and those shirts fit, I'll send her the damn visa gift card and she can buy it herself for the holidays.
I went to Macy's to get my clinique bonus. Of course the blush I want was 6$ too cheap so I said let me look at the eyeshadows. In the mean time she waited on THREE other people. I wouldn't have minded one. I left her. bite me.
It was still raining and I wanted to go to the high end Asian place. I couldn't find it. my GPS wanted me to walk there as it was in an alley (they have some outbuildings that you can only get to on foot). I tried. I couldn't find it. I ducked into Barnes and Nobles and reminded myself why I buy my manga online through Books a Million because there is no deals at B&N and holy hell manga is now 12-15$ a pop.
I give up on Molly Woo's and go to the brewpub across the street. The pumpkin ale was good. The roast beef sandwich was good but not great and by now it's 6:30. I thought great. Rush hour is over. WRONG. All I wanted to do was get on 71-S to the beltloop and go over to 315 S (word of warning if you're ever in Columbus avoid I-71 it is nothing but traffic). Well I couldn't have gotten onto 71 proper anyhow because it was a solid line of cars. It took THIRTY minutes to get to the belt loop ONE mile away and a full hour to get to the casino 15 miles away. I wasn't even going to stop because of the weather but by now I had to pee.
I'm glad I stopped. I won 10$ on the Iron Man game but then it cheated me on two bonuses in a row so I went elsewhere, lost 15 and in the last minute found a haunted house slot that I loved and got it all back. By then the rain had stopped and I made it home without incident.
Kanda was beside himself because I'd been gone 13 hours and was very obviously never coming home.
Also HAPPY BIRTHDAY to
mamculuna and a late birthday to inulovinkit & purpleicicles 
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Date: 2014-10-21 03:16 am (UTC)Or something.
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Date: 2014-10-22 03:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-10-23 01:50 am (UTC)"What/where is it?"
She's amused about the shirts, BTW.
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Date: 2014-10-23 02:22 am (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2014-10-21 06:54 am (UTC)Sounds like despite the difficulties you manged to get a little fun into your trip. Columbus can be a real pain in the ass with traffic. They'll never finish deconstructing this freeways I think.
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Date: 2014-10-21 02:41 pm (UTC)You're right. It's never ending construction in that city
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Date: 2014-10-25 06:32 am (UTC)We feel a little like that here at the moment with this big I-75/RT4/US35 interchange reconstruction project. However it's being handled pretty well, and the RT4 to I-75 interchange is already much improved even with the construction. I guess that says something about how bad and dangerous it was before they started. There was a reason they called it the Malfunction Junction.
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Date: 2014-10-25 02:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-10-26 06:57 am (UTC)I seem to remember a few years ago blithely going song on a freeway. .. maybe 671? And suddenly having it just dump me out on a surface street which was not how my map said it went. traffic was horrible and it took me forever to get to 71 on the surface roads. bleh. I think that's still the same damn construction, too.
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Date: 2014-10-21 12:48 pm (UTC)and clicks w/ love!pats for the dragons
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Date: 2014-10-21 02:39 pm (UTC)thank you. That first one I was afraid wasn't going to hatch
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Date: 2014-10-25 06:34 am (UTC)Oh but I love those beautiful flying ramps in Houston that curve up and down along the sides of the road along I-45.
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Date: 2014-10-25 09:34 am (UTC)that and the dreaded 610 loop have helped earn houston the nickname: "the spaghetti bowl"
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Date: 2014-10-26 06:44 am (UTC)lol. That's a pry good nickname I have to say. I haven't been to Houston in several years but I usually just come down 71... 59? I think it becomes 59 at Texarkana. And them take the 45 from Houston down Galveston way where family-not-in-law lives. (Le Marque, Santa Fe, Texas City.... I think Daniel is the only one living on Galveston. )