Four Days ’til LA

Tonight I greet you  from Harriman, TN. When I was planning my trip, I assumed for some reason that Harriman was just short of Nashville. In fact, it is not. It’s not close. It’s not even a short drive. It’s still a good 2-3 hours away, I think. I could have kept going to Nashville tonight, but I didn’t want to drive with the sun in my eyes for two hours.

I checked in to the Harriman Comfort Inn about two and a half hours ago. There was actually quite a line at the front desk. I got to the front desk clerk and he says something about the hotel being almost completely booked. I asked him if there was anything special going on. He said, “Oh, the ‘World’s Largest Yard Sale’ is going on.” Then he explained it, which I only paid half-attention to. The “World’s Largest Yard Sale” is not going to keep me from resting up in the hotel room, no matter how tempting clothes from the ’70s and action figures with missing limbs may be. I don’t quite know why an entire hotel would be booked for a yard sale, no matter how big it is, but I didn’t see anything else to do in Harriman, TN besides going to the Ruby Tuesday’s down the highway.

The first stop on the agenda was a side trip to Blacksburg. The route that Google told me to choose (and Google is always right) had me going up I-64 to I-81, which would put me close enough to Blacksburg to warrant a stop for lunch. A few friends (and Daron) met me at Cabo Fish Taco, where we talked about how great I am for moving to LA. One last dose of the familiar before I headed off to the unknown. I did, in fact, take a picture of everyone with the camera I had re-discovered after years of non-use. However, I failed to bring a USB cord with me, so that will have to wait.

I continued my journey after lunch and stopped for gas just outside of Bristol. I opened my wallet and found, to my dismay, that my check card wasn’t there. After a brief venting session consisting of various four-letter words I shall not repeat here, I exchanged the following texts with Rachel, who was at lunch:

Me: hey, when you’re off work, could you run by cabo and see if I left my check card there?
Rachel: Yep they’ve got it! You want me to mail it to you somewhere or cut it up or just use it to buy myself things?
Me: actually, just hold on to it and once I get a permanent address, just mail it to me. And get yourself something nice (under $1)
Rachel: Hahaha i was thinking more like a trip to vegas but whatevs. I suppose they make tiny diamonds at that store across the street
Me: fo’ realz, if you want to fill up your gas tank or something for your trouble, go ahead. thanks a bunch!
Rachel: Haha, no way you crazy. It’ll give me an excuse to send you a blacksburg care package with draught beer and a fresh new undergrad
Me: if you can, send a brunette, 36-24-36
Rachel: LOLOL alright. But the extra packing peanuts are coming out of your checking!

So, that was my first day. I’m in Tennessee, elected not to go to the Yard Sale to End All Yard Sales, I abandoned my check card, and I’ll be getting my check card and a comely young lass in the mail later. Not a bad start.

Oh, I did take a few pictures with my phone while driving, though all but one turned out terribly. My excuse? I was driving, dammit. This is along I-64 in Virginia, I think around Waynesboro.

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