almost there... I can taste the Chicago air...

so, my parents took me (plus my little brother and his g/f) to see Stomp tonight at the Fisher Theatre downtown. I've seen it twice before, but it's been a number of years (12, to be exact?). It was even better than I remember it, except for the 3 year old boy two rows behind us whose mother made NO attempt to shut him up. "What's that guy doing?" every FIVE MINUTES, during quiet parts and segues. Seriously, I LOVE kids. But put a muzzle on him, or take him outside. my family didn't spend $250 on 5 center mezzanine seats to hear your son perform, okay?

but, regardless. AMAZING. if you've never seen Stomp, PLEASE, go see it. it's more than just people making noise on stage. it's a celebration of the rhythm inherent to life, in the everyday, and it's fantastic. At the very least, locate/rent/download a copy of "Stomp: Out Loud" and view it with the volume way up. the video version is outstanding in it's own right as well.

anyway. so it's 11:00, and i'm driving home from my parents' house. now, the fuel gauge in my truck has been acting rather wonky (yes, it's a real word, I swear) as of late, bouncing all over the place and cutting out completely from time to time. I put ten bucks in yesterday morning, and that should've gotten me to and from work twice with tons to spare.

well, it didn't.

my truck starts shuddering, gauges start going wacky, and my engine cuts out, so I coast to a stop on the side of I-96 west, just past Novi Road. Try to start it, it roars up, then sputters and dies again.

did i mention that i'd accidentally left my cell phone at home this morning when I left for work? yeah. i did.

thankfully I bought a new winter parka Tuesday. zip in down liner, big furry hood. it made the 3/4 mile walk back to civilization bearable. still not awesome, but definitely not completely full of suck.

I walk into the BW3s at Fountain Walk, the closest open facility to the field I hiked through, and ask a server if there's a phone I can use cuz i'm stranded, and she hands me her cell phone, no questions asked.

I <3 you, Buffalo Wild Wings server girl. I shall come back and buy wings from you in the near future. and tip well.

after failing to get ahold of my friends who live in the area(and whose numbers I can actually remember), I finally bite the bullet, say "fuck it," and call my parents. my dad's already in bed, he has a doctor appt. at 7 am, but he does the awesome father thing, grabs a gas can from the garage, pulls a coat on over his PJs, and gets to my truck in under 20 minutes. 2 gallons later, I'm on my way to the Spedway (sic) by my complex, where I put my last 5 bucks in the tank, and make it home safe, finally.

at this point, I decide I'd better get my shit packed for Chicago, since my vehicle loaning situation and the scheduling of rides determines that I will not be coming home thursday night. and since I'm all amped up on adrenaline and Mountain Dew's delicious and suitably named energy drink Amp, i talk Amy into driving me to work at 2 in the morning, so I can at least attempt to get ahead in my workload and not stress out about taking Friday off for a much-needed vacation.

I love my job, i'm very dedicated to the company i work for, and i get personally involved in my profession. this makes for a lot of stress when things are not up to speed.

So, I'm done with the turkey sammitch i made in the lunch room to buffer my stomach from the rich energy drinky goodness, and I'm gonna go get some work done, then maybe crash on the couch in the boss' wife's office for a few hours.

god i can't wait to be on that train.

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