Upstate

So I rolled upstate for a couple of days to check out SBJFOUR's big wedding day. The plane ride out was fun because every single passenger was watching the Sarah Palin - Joe Biden debates on their little monitors. I kept thinking how Sarah Palin looked like Max Headroom when she spoke, but to be honest, i really loved the way she did it. Don't get me wrong, i'm not voting for her, (and it's none of your business if i did anyway, but I ain't) but i loved listening to her talk and do her thing. On the ground at JFK was a really good time with a few funny moments that reminded me of the glory of New York... For example, when I got off the plane, it was immediately a mad-dash for the carousels, and the thing is, I didn't have any checked luggage, so I just wanted to get to the Airtrain and get myself a rental car so I could get on up to Poughkeepsie.

Now, it's like 1 in the morning, and there's nobody on queue at the rental place, but as i'm approaching the shop, this swishy british yachtsman comes bumping past me, fairly well pushing me out of the way to get onto the escalator right in front of me. Once he's shoved past, he just stops right in front of me, and I immediately found myself wanting to take one step backwards, up a step so I could have a little leverage, and then just KICK him down the escalator. (Amazing how a simple, "Excuse me." might have prevented those thoughts, but there I was, and thinking to myself, "wow. I'm here 4 minutes and already i'm wanting to kick a guy down a flight of stairs..." (- Welcome to New York mutherfucka where we don't play... )

•EDITOR NOTE: Man, that's hard to find a version of a song without the naughty words in it these days.

So anyway, I get down the escalator, and he pulls off to adjust his luggage, and I b-line straight for the rentals, and get in there, work my way through the stanchions and finally i'm at the front of the line. I'm next. I'm gonna get my car and roll.

Son of a bitch if the little yachtsman doesn't come right up to the front of the line, set his bag down just about on my FEET, and step in front of me, and pull right up to the lady at the counter! (my god, i thought I might snap, but figured "well, he's probably got all the ducks in a row, he'll be like 2 minutes..." ) but no. International traveler with all the BS that happens, so he's 40 minutes at the counter. I'm losing my mind.

Finally he's out and it takes him a few more trips back and forth before he figures out how to get to his car and leave, and after a little chatter, it turns out that the car I had reserved isn't available, but the lady thinks my haircut is cute, so she gives me a towncar. (Now I feel like i'm in NY), but that Towncar was broken, so they had to get me another one. Finally i'm on the road, it's about 2 in the morning and i'm on my way.

I get up to the neighborhood of Poughkeepsie, and i'm starving. I don't know how long it's gonna be till I get to the hotel, so i'm trying to find an open ANYTHING to get a snack, and finally I find a 24 Hour McDonald's drive through. Certainly not my first pick, but it's something, and i pull in for a burger and a coke. The woman is saying on the speaker, "we're closed, we're closed..." i'm like, "what? I can't hear you." she says, "i've got a cold, i've got a cold" i'm like, "lady, i'm sorry i really can't hear you." she speaks into the microphone this time, "can you please HOLD?" I say, "sure, why don't i just pull up to the window?" she hesitates, but guesses that would be okay.

So I pull up, and start fiddling with the stereo. I get bored of it, but still no one has come to the window. I fiddle around with the GPS, still no activity in the Restaurant, so i'm like, "man... what's going ON in there?!" so I figure I'll light a cigarette, you know? Kill a little time.

So i'm smoking and still no one, and of course, there's no little microphone by the window for me to start asking questions, so i'm resigned to my fate. Eventually I finish the cigarette, and still no one comes. I can't believe it.

Finally the girl comes, and she opens the windows, and I can see that it looks like she's stuck her hand in the fryolator or something, and she sees me see her hand, and quickly hides it below the counter, "what would i like to order?" I say, "thanks for your patience, it took me a while to decide. I'd like a Quarter Pounder with Cheese (lovin' it!) and a medium coke please." and she looks at me funny for a second, waiting a beat, and then says, "would you like anything else?" and I say, "well, if it's not too much trouble, I'd love to get some fries too. I mean, whatever's easy. I don't need them, but they do taste good." and she says "no problem" and disappears.

A few minutes later she comes back and hands me the coke. I gratefully straw it up, and take a long pull followed by a short bicarbonate hiccup. She disappears back into the restaurant.

Finally she returns and hands me the bag of goodies and begins to close the window. I'm holding out a 10, and start to say something, and she pulls the windows back open, and I say, "The total?" and she mumbles something, "sshumvidsibbida?" and I say "WHAT?" and she does the universal 2 finger victory sign to the lips, "You got a cigarette?"

!!!

"Sure. I say. I've got a cigarette." I tip the pack and slide out 2 of them, and hand them to her through the window. She says, "Thanks, you have a good night now..." and closes the window.

So it was like that.

Little surprises like that along the way, and easily one of the coolest weddings i've been to in all my days. (And I don't need to remind you, I was a weekend wedding DJ when I was a teenager, so i've been to some weddings son. Beautiful location, beautiful gardens, beautiful ceremony, plenty to drink, plenty to eat, I mean, it was just a rock solid stem to stern romantic and rollicking time. I wrestled a little with the idea that things hadn't worked out with my summertime girlie and she wasn't there to see it too, but you know, there's always going to be something. It's the job of the world to keep you from being completely 100% satisfied on all fronts, otherwise I guess you just fall apart or something, and nobody wants to fall apart at a wedding in upstate New York. Think about it.

I wasn't able to make it into the city at all, it was really a "down to the wire, coming and going" kind of trip. Got to the airport with just enough time to pick up a new book and eat a little Sbarro baked ziti.

On the plane, (flying Virgin, god bless it) the RED media system was being all Janky. I had the choice of CNN or PAY FOR STUFF. So I paid for stuff, (i picked IRON MAN) and it cut out on me twice, they had to restart the movie, and i had to manually fast forward to the scene I got cut off on twice, so by the time everything was working fine, we hit the tarmac, and i missed the ending. I suppose it was fun to watch.

Back on the ground, I got to the whip, top down and immersed in the midnight scent of California Eucalyptus and warm night air.

Delicious.

And now it's time to shower it up and go to work.

Good Times,

dTown | Listening to Jim Noir | It's sunny out there. Maybe high 60's, maybe low 70's.