Texas Loop – Chicago

The target departure time was 6 AM.  We left at 6 AM.  I punch our target address into the GPS and found that our departure time could have been 7 AM.  Oops.  Suzie proposed we got IHOP.  I checked for an IHOP.  There are apparently no IHOPs east of Oklahoma City in Oklahoma but a thick band of them west of that city.  I don’t know why.  We stopped at McDonalds.  We stopped for gas.  We stopped at several points on the Oklahoma Turnpike to pay tolls that were refunded if you got off at either of the two exits past the toll plaza.  I think they should have just put the plazas elsewhere.  We drove through Tulsa at rush hour without incident.  We got gas again.  We arrived in Jefferson City, MO.  We stretched.  I called.  We walked.  We met people.

Brent is Tall

Brent. Tall. Likes Asian stuff. Looks good with a beard.

John with Flowers About

John. Tall. Works at Subway. Going to college soon.

OK Shot of Zane

Zane. Tall. Professional Piano Tuner. Ignited the great space debate of 2009.

Lunch was had at the Madison Cafe where I somehow managed to anger the server by requesting a diet cola.  While I do not wish to say we in any way vandalized the state capital, I did notice that in our passing, TI stickers appeared on some things.  We also saw a lot of drawings of ducks submitted to make a stamp.  Then we stood outside.

Group Shot

The convergence on Suzie and the Ostricization of Zane, beautimus.

We walked again.  Then tried on hats at a book store.

Comfortable with my masculinity

Princess Cowgirl

Sad Tiger

It's funny because his name in game is Frosted Flakes.

Radiant Hat

A hat so garish it produces chromatic abberations around itself.

We walked around more and the group allowed Mike and I the opportunity to mock the capital building’s “Liberty Bell”.  Theirs didn’t even have a crack in it, it was just painted on.   Seeing John, Zane, and Brent was a pleasure even if I don’t have any remarkable anecdotes or quips except to note the bathrooms in the Missouri capital building are regal.

Our next stop was with a friend of Suzie’s who we met at a Steak n’ Shake.

Aaron

There was discussion that the Marvin the Martian shirt’s depiction of Marvin’s centurion helm looked like a bow tie.  I don’t really see it.

It had been a long day in the sun and I was feeling it.  I spilled things and continued eating a spicy salad that rendered my mouth numb.  Mike helped a server recover from a platter drop and received a free Red Bull out of the incident.  Go Mike.  He later drove the rest of the way to Chicago.  That was nice of him.

For some reason, I didn’t take any pictures of Mike driving, so I’ll use this instead.

Mike's determination

We stopped for gas and Mike acquired a Four Loko, a talisman against boredom.  We arrived in Chicago.  I did laundry.

Preparing for Laundry

One day short of not having to do a second load on the trip.

Sometime later, I went to sleep.

The day of short declarative sentences ended.