American Heartland

My goal was to leave town around 9 am. It ended up being noon.

There were a few leftover tasks that needed to get done, such as packing, handing in final documentation, books, and models, and a quick cleaning of the apartment. And then I bought some new shoes. I needed something low for days that are kind of cold, kind of wet, but not necessarily insulated and waterproofed, so I took a trip to Nordstrom's rack and found a pair in the clearance section of the shoes. So that took awhile.

The drive to Oklahoma city from St.Louis took about nine hours, including two stops for gas and a break for McDonalds somewhere outside of Springfield. I brought my road atlas with me (I'm a MAP!) and realized I had no idea what town I was in.

Interesting radio selection. I tuned to this religious channel for awhile and listened to the risk factors for Satanic possession, followed by a tirade about how all Muslims want to take over the world, impose Sharia law and outlaw all other religions. Welcome to the American Heartland. Also drove underneath the world's largest McDonalds, which actually spans the freeway, floating about twenty feet above the road surface. It was quite a beautiful drive, actually. There's something really poetic and epic about the landscape, with the masses of dense bare trees, the rolling topography, and the huge horizon.

I got through the fatigue of driving and my general exhaustion from the past week through a combination of sweet tea, coffee, singing, and dancing in my seat. My car became a one-person dance club as I roared through rural Oklahoma in the dark at 80 miles an hour.

Uncle Jeff navigated me to the house, so I'm here now, safe, fed, and tired.