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2004-06-08 - 4:08 p.m.
out here on the beach
After the first two weeks of my surprisingly rigorous summer work schedule, I felt due for a little vacation, and so when I realized that campus would be closed down on Memorial Day and I’d be off from my day job, I decided I’d take off the next two days after that and extend my 3-day weekend to a 5-day weekend so that I could pay Mom an overdue visit. It was a busy semester so I hadn’t been home in a while, I missed Easter, I missed Mother’s Day, all kinds of stuff. Plus J.G. is out of school too, and she’s always up for a trip to the beach, so she came along too. Since I had to stay in town for the Zuul radio thing on Sunday, J.G. headed down there on Monday, and since it was the last day of the holiday weekend, most people who went to the beach were coming home that day, so we were going against the grain, with most of the traffic going in the opposite direction, so we made good time. Mom had to work til close that day, so we weren’t worried about getting there by a certain time and didn’t get on the road til the afternoon, after a late lunch at Cheeburger Cheeburger. We got to Mom’s house around 7 and Joe was home and made some burgers and dogs for dinner. It hadn’t been long enough since our last meal for us to be really hungry yet, but we partook in some grub and caught up with Joe. Then after dinner we went to see Mom at her new job before they closed. She’s only been back to work for a couple months now, after taking off to recover from her surgery last year. She started working at the LL Bean store at first, but didn’t like it there and quit, and within days got an offer from another store, because she has such a good reputation in the tax free retail community in Delaware. So she’s working in a new Gail Pittman store, which is more to her liking, although apparently business isn’t too brisk. After we got home from the store, we caught up with Mom and played a weird game with round cards shaped like coasters called Lucky Seven. We played for quarters, and I lost almost all of the change I brought to J.G., but she let me use it the next day for the parking meter. On Tuesday we headed to the beach, and it was about as empty as a nice day in June gets in Rehoboth, plenty of parking and room on the beach. It was a little shady but we laid out and got whatever sun there was, and we both ended up getting a little burned. After an hour laying out in the warm sun, we decided to venture into the water, which was so so so cold. The lower half of my body was pretty much numb. It was fun, but man, I can’t wait to go back in July or August when the water isn’t so unbearably cold. After drying out for a bit, we decided to go get a snack on the boardwalk, so we got some funnelcake with powdered sugar, which was super yummy. J.G. wanted to sit on a bench and eat it outside, despite my wariness about taking food out in the open air amongst the hungry seagulls. For a while it was ok, but then they caught onto us, and a ballsy gull actually swooped in and snatched a piece of funnelcake right from my fingers so fast I had no idea what happened until after. I didn’t really get annoyed until a few minutes later when one of the gulls circling overhead pooped right on my pant leg. At least I had my trunks on underneath so I could take the pants right off, but it was still pretty gross. We came home shortly thereafter so we could be at home in time to let in a repairman to fix the closet doors for Mom. Grammie came over for dinner, and after dinner Mom took us shopping. I always make a point to save shopping trips for when I’m in Delaware, the land of zero sales tax. I needed a new pair of shoes, and new laces for an old pair that’s in otherwise good condition. I got a new pair of the same kind of old school Reeboks I’ve been wearing out a pair of for the past couple years, they’re the most awesomely comfortable shoes I’ve ever owned. Unfortunately I left then in Mom’s car when I went back home, so I’ll probably have to wait til I visit again later in the summer to get them back, unless she mails them to me. After that, we went pants shopping. J.G. was excited because she’d convinced me to buy jeans. I haven’t owned or worn a pair of jeans since before I started high school. For almost ten years, I’ve almost exclusively worn slacks, khakis, regular pants, no denim at all. But I figured what the hell, so I got a pair. It took a few trips to the fitting room to find a pair I was comfortable with, but I got a good one. But I also got two pairs of dress pants. I called work on Tuesday to get my work schedule, and unfortunately got word that I had to work Wednesday night, which meant we’d have to leave early in the afternoon the next day, when I’d hope to stay for another day at the beach and another homecooked dinner. But we’ll probably be back soon enough, and hopefully next time will get to stay for longer. On Wednesday we stopped off at Grammy’s to visit with her and my little cousin Johnathan, who she watches twice a week. He’s two years old now, and really getting around now. It was fun to hang out with the kid, he’s growing up so fast. Grammy’s knee is bad these days, so we took Johnathan out for a walk in the stroller for her before we left. Then we stopped off at Mom’s store one more time on the way home. Traffic was bad and I ended up getting to work a bit late, but it was no biggie. All in all a good trip and hopefully I’ll get to visit home more often this summer. -al
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