Truckin
Growing up, I lived about 90 minutes away from my grandparents house. Just far enough away that we didn't go that often, but close enough that all major holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter) we would make an appearance either that day or one of the days around the holiday.
One year, about two days before Thanksgiving, we found out one of my mom's cousins, who was a trucker working for a circus - I believe, was to be in the area for something going on that weekend. Since no one had seen him in a while (I, for example, had never met him), he was obviously invited to spend Thanksgiving at my grandparents.
Sadly, around Tuesday night, it started raining. It wasn't one of those severe thunderstorms that dumps an inch-and-a-half of rain in an hour and then moves on. No, this was one of those three-day rains where it's never raining hard, but it's just always raining. Not something you really want when you're on vacation from school.
Before we get any further into the story, you have to understand my grandparents have a pretty large back yard. Both of them were golfers and they would chip balls in the back yard. (They also had a golf cart, which was our primary means of entertainment there when we were little because they didn't have cable.) The house is up on the front of the property, so there's plenty of room in the back. . . now, back to the story.
Well, Thursday morning, we wake up and head out to spend the day with my grandparents, rain still coming down. We get there and mom's cousin has driven his 18-wheeler and parked in the back yard. We do the whole introduction thing and after we found out he's been on the road with some fairly large musical acts (Madonna is the only one I can recall with certainty, but there were other big names as well), he was deemed "cool" by my brothers and me.
After a full afternoon of sharing stories, reminiscing about old times and generally just having a good time, someone points out that it's been raining for a few days and mom's cousin may want to move his truck to the side of the road to ensure he can leave early the next day. (You see where this is going, don't you?)
Well, he gets in to move his truck and it's hopeless. He's stuck, sunk in the mud with no hope of getting out. So now we have to find a tow company that's open on Thanksgiving to get him out of the mud so he'll be able to get to his job Friday.
We find one (by the way, it's no small feat that we were able to find a tow company open on Thanksgiving. My grandparents lived in a really small town) and it comes out to help get him unstuck. Only the ground is drenched and as the tow truck is trying to get the 18-wheeler out of the mud, it becomes stuck as well.
So, we do the obvious thing and call another tow company. (Thinking back, I'm shocked there
were two tow companies in the town, much less that they were open on Thanksgiving.) At this point, it's starting to get late in the day and light is starting to become an issue. The second tow truck arrives and . . . yep, you guessed correctly, it also gets stuck. Now we have an 18-wheeler and two tow trucks in the back yard of my grandparents. And it's now dark. And he's got to leave early the next morning to make it to where he has to be for his job.
There's comedy. There's high comedy. And then there's having three large vehicles stuck in the mud behind your grandparents' house.
We eventually eat dinner, realizing there's nothing we can do at this point. My mom's cousin is obviously tense, wondering what he's going to do and how he's going to explain his predicament to his boss if he can't make it to his destination.
Finally, my parents decide it's time to head home since dad has to work the next day. We leave not knowing how mom's cousin is going to get out or what will become of the two tow trucks in the back yard. On the way home, we even discuss driving back up there Friday to watch the festivities unfold again. However, mom called up there Friday morning and was told her cousin was able to get out early Friday morning and get to Macon on time.
As a post script, I guess I should mention we haven't seen or heard from him since.
Fantasy update: Although I've never seen more than two minutes of The O.C., I have
watched enough VH1 celebrity countdown shows to know that Rachel Bilson is 1. on that show; and 2. is hotter than Mischa Barton (Despite the fact that Mischa seems to get all the publicity from the show). Sadly, Rachel hasn't called yet asking for me to be her boyfriend in the show. In other fantasy news, the Fighting Squirrels once again split this week, leading 86-38 in one league (barring a miracle, I'll improve to 5-6 and still in playoff contention) while falling 131-105 in the other league to fall to 8-3. However, I'm still in first place in that league and appear to be cruising to a playoff spot.
Weekend update: Yes Dear woke up early on Saturday (and by early, I mean 9:30 a.m.) and went to do some school work at school, so I watched ESPN's College Gameday. Then, when she got back, we went to watch Michigan/Ohio State with my brother, followed by watching more college football. Sunday, after church, I watched more football and did the laundry while Yes Dear took a nap.
Desperate Housewives update: Bree finally broke her engagement to the creepy pharmacist George, who proceeded to torch the car of an old boyfriend of Bree's. Meanwhile, Susan found out her father wasn't in the Merchant Marines, but is, in fact, a merchant in town. Lynette paid a coworker to kidnap her children to prove a point.
Thanksgiving plans: I'll be leaving Wednesday morning to spend Wednesday and Thursday morning with Yes Dear's family for Thanksgiving before returning home Thursday afternoon to spend the rest of the day with my family. Sadly, I've got to work on Friday, but not Friday night. My editor has promised me I don't have to work that night.
Georgia Southern Update: While you've read about the Eagles from time to time here at the Nexus of the Universe, Saturday you'll have the opportunity to see them for yourself. On ESPN2 at 3:30 p.m. (Eastern), the Eagles will face Texas State in the first round of the 1-AA playoffs. If you've got nothing better to do, why not check them out.
Posting update: I've got no idea when I'll be able to post again this week. Friday may be a slow day at work, so there's a chance I could do it then. I may try to give a quick update from the satellite office of the Nexus of the Universe outside of Charleston, S. C.
One year, about two days before Thanksgiving, we found out one of my mom's cousins, who was a trucker working for a circus - I believe, was to be in the area for something going on that weekend. Since no one had seen him in a while (I, for example, had never met him), he was obviously invited to spend Thanksgiving at my grandparents.Sadly, around Tuesday night, it started raining. It wasn't one of those severe thunderstorms that dumps an inch-and-a-half of rain in an hour and then moves on. No, this was one of those three-day rains where it's never raining hard, but it's just always raining. Not something you really want when you're on vacation from school.
Before we get any further into the story, you have to understand my grandparents have a pretty large back yard. Both of them were golfers and they would chip balls in the back yard. (They also had a golf cart, which was our primary means of entertainment there when we were little because they didn't have cable.) The house is up on the front of the property, so there's plenty of room in the back. . . now, back to the story.
Well, Thursday morning, we wake up and head out to spend the day with my grandparents, rain still coming down. We get there and mom's cousin has driven his 18-wheeler and parked in the back yard. We do the whole introduction thing and after we found out he's been on the road with some fairly large musical acts (Madonna is the only one I can recall with certainty, but there were other big names as well), he was deemed "cool" by my brothers and me.
After a full afternoon of sharing stories, reminiscing about old times and generally just having a good time, someone points out that it's been raining for a few days and mom's cousin may want to move his truck to the side of the road to ensure he can leave early the next day. (You see where this is going, don't you?)
Well, he gets in to move his truck and it's hopeless. He's stuck, sunk in the mud with no hope of getting out. So now we have to find a tow company that's open on Thanksgiving to get him out of the mud so he'll be able to get to his job Friday.
We find one (by the way, it's no small feat that we were able to find a tow company open on Thanksgiving. My grandparents lived in a really small town) and it comes out to help get him unstuck. Only the ground is drenched and as the tow truck is trying to get the 18-wheeler out of the mud, it becomes stuck as well.
So, we do the obvious thing and call another tow company. (Thinking back, I'm shocked there
were two tow companies in the town, much less that they were open on Thanksgiving.) At this point, it's starting to get late in the day and light is starting to become an issue. The second tow truck arrives and . . . yep, you guessed correctly, it also gets stuck. Now we have an 18-wheeler and two tow trucks in the back yard of my grandparents. And it's now dark. And he's got to leave early the next morning to make it to where he has to be for his job.There's comedy. There's high comedy. And then there's having three large vehicles stuck in the mud behind your grandparents' house.
We eventually eat dinner, realizing there's nothing we can do at this point. My mom's cousin is obviously tense, wondering what he's going to do and how he's going to explain his predicament to his boss if he can't make it to his destination.
Finally, my parents decide it's time to head home since dad has to work the next day. We leave not knowing how mom's cousin is going to get out or what will become of the two tow trucks in the back yard. On the way home, we even discuss driving back up there Friday to watch the festivities unfold again. However, mom called up there Friday morning and was told her cousin was able to get out early Friday morning and get to Macon on time.
As a post script, I guess I should mention we haven't seen or heard from him since.
Fantasy update: Although I've never seen more than two minutes of The O.C., I have
watched enough VH1 celebrity countdown shows to know that Rachel Bilson is 1. on that show; and 2. is hotter than Mischa Barton (Despite the fact that Mischa seems to get all the publicity from the show). Sadly, Rachel hasn't called yet asking for me to be her boyfriend in the show. In other fantasy news, the Fighting Squirrels once again split this week, leading 86-38 in one league (barring a miracle, I'll improve to 5-6 and still in playoff contention) while falling 131-105 in the other league to fall to 8-3. However, I'm still in first place in that league and appear to be cruising to a playoff spot.Weekend update: Yes Dear woke up early on Saturday (and by early, I mean 9:30 a.m.) and went to do some school work at school, so I watched ESPN's College Gameday. Then, when she got back, we went to watch Michigan/Ohio State with my brother, followed by watching more college football. Sunday, after church, I watched more football and did the laundry while Yes Dear took a nap.
Desperate Housewives update: Bree finally broke her engagement to the creepy pharmacist George, who proceeded to torch the car of an old boyfriend of Bree's. Meanwhile, Susan found out her father wasn't in the Merchant Marines, but is, in fact, a merchant in town. Lynette paid a coworker to kidnap her children to prove a point.
Thanksgiving plans: I'll be leaving Wednesday morning to spend Wednesday and Thursday morning with Yes Dear's family for Thanksgiving before returning home Thursday afternoon to spend the rest of the day with my family. Sadly, I've got to work on Friday, but not Friday night. My editor has promised me I don't have to work that night.
Georgia Southern Update: While you've read about the Eagles from time to time here at the Nexus of the Universe, Saturday you'll have the opportunity to see them for yourself. On ESPN2 at 3:30 p.m. (Eastern), the Eagles will face Texas State in the first round of the 1-AA playoffs. If you've got nothing better to do, why not check them out.Posting update: I've got no idea when I'll be able to post again this week. Friday may be a slow day at work, so there's a chance I could do it then. I may try to give a quick update from the satellite office of the Nexus of the Universe outside of Charleston, S. C.
posted by Luke at 6:00 PM
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