I have longer entries about my trip to Arizona that are forthcoming, but for now, I must say:

I am going to find a place to get Red Breast Whisky, and I’m not above ordering it over the Internet. I thought the Crested Ten Jameson’s Irish whisky that Sean and Kat brought me back from Ireland after their honeymoon was good, but this is even better. [Read: Stephen, when I get a bottle of this, I'm bringing it over to your house for a tasting.]

I had lots of interesting stuff to drink while in the Phoenix area—including visiting Four Peaks Brewery—but this took the cake. Thanks go out to the bartender—whose name I now forget—at Rula Bula who suggested that Sean and I try it.

I’ve just walked into my apartment, sat down at the computer, and at least want to leave an “I made it back alive” entry before I go into my room and fall sound asleep. It’s hard to believe that, six-and-a-half hours ago, I was in Phoenix; three hours ago, when I landed in Nashville, I knew that I was back in a land of humidity from the moment I stepped off of the plane and onto the jetway.

“I’m so tired I can’t think” — Nirvana, “Pennyroyal Tea”, In Utero

Unfortunately, that humidity caused all sorts of lovely fog on the way home. It started around Columbia, but when I reached there, I felt fine. It got worse the closer I got to the state line—Columbia is Exit 46 on I-65, for non-locals’ reference—and so I chose to stay on I-65 than go down the backroads cut through Ardmore—the city that lives in both TN and AL—and cut 20 minutes off of my time. I figured that if the interstate was extremely foggy, it’d be even worse out in the country.

Little was I to know that it’d be really, really bad between the state line and the turnoff for I-565, the interstate spur that goes from I-65 to Huntsville. There was one point where I was going 50 mph, running my low beams, and was just groping for the road. At that point, the fatigue of putting up with the fog—plus the long plane ride that didn’t see me get too much sleep—was starting to take its toll. It was then that I broke out my secret stay-awake weapon: my Nirvana greatest hits CD.

I’m here and I’m fine, and the longer I sit here, the more awake I’m going to get. I’m going to try to go in at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow because I have a gut feeling that I’m going to need to be there. At least I slept until almost noon CDT today … make that yesterday.

Oi.

I figured that people would start to freak out if I didn’t post anywhere soon, so …

I left work around noon on Thursday to drive up to Nashvegas. I’d planned to meet up with Jeremy Casella and talk about the things we have going on in our lives and such. That conversation was so interesting for implications that it has for projects we’re both wanting to pull off—eerily similar, I tell you!—and it was just plain good times.

Before I met up with Jeremy, I drove by the Osengas’ house to see if they were home. I was earlier than I’d told Jeremy I’d be, so I thought I’d stop by and pay my respects to Poopsenga. Turns out that they weren’t home.

After I left JJ’s Market—I’ll be going back there —-I drove out to the airport. Traffic was kinda fugly, but I had plenty of time. I got checked in through security and had just picked up my dinner at one of the concourse restaurants when I hear someone say: “Geof Morris.” I turn around and … it’s Andy O. The reason I hadn’t seen the Osengas at home was because they, too, were scrambling to get out of town. What a freaky strange occurrence.

Well, not really; before I’d ducked into the restaurant concourse, I’d had my head on a swivel just in case I saw anyone that I knew. Trey can’t have all the fun for seeing musicians in Nashville! I had a good time shooting the breeze with Andy and Alison. It’s good to know that Share the Well is now finally in the can [as of Tuesday]. Maybe now Cliff will slip us the entire thing. [hint!]

I broke out my CD player to listen to some tunes for the 90-minute wait I had at my gate, but I had no juice. I broke out the battery charger and charged up four AA’s. During the charging time, we were notified that our inbound plane was delayed. I had more charging time, which was good. I sent Sean a text message to let him know about the delay, and then I called once we finally got on the plane–a half-hour late.

As I expected, I crashed pretty darn hard on the plane. I remember seeing the stewardess asking the row in front of me what they wanted to drink, and then the next thing I remember is about two hours later. I’d picked Blues Traveler’s four to rock out to while I slept because I’ve listened to that album so much that I don’t even really think about anything when I listen to it anymore.

Our half-full flight to PHX was a little bumpy, but otherwise it was pretty nice. Predictably, I got put at the farthest gate from where Sean and Kat were waiting. We hugged and then proceeded to try to get lost in PHX. [They always come in on Delta, so Concourse C is unusual to them.] Kat then kept wanting to take wrong turns on the way out here to Maricopa.

As you’ve seen from the photos, they really do have a nice little house here in Maricopa. What’s amusing is that they’re out on the southern fringe of Phoenix; Kat tells me that they’re technically in the metro Tuscon area, but I have a hard time believing that, having just looked at a map. I do know that it was a healthy drive down from the airport. No wonder they car pool.

Friday deserves its own entry …

“I am out of the office from noon on Thursday, August 19th through COB Friday the 20th. If you need me, please call my cell phone: (256) ###-####.”

However, if you’re calling from (256) 726-####, fat chance that I’m going to take your call, unless it’s 5011. [I know where my bread is buttered, folks.]

Time to make sure that I’ve got everything I need out of my office for the weekend—mainly being the digicam I’m not supposed to have in here but do, since I have work purposes for it—and I’m going to get the flock out of here.

Photos, videos, and goofy-ass postings to follow … FROM ARID-freakin’-ZONER!

Still wound up!!! I’m completely rudderless this morning, though. I’ve done the one thing I absolutely needed to do—pay the power bill—before I left town. Something else is stuck in my mind as something I really need to do, but for the life of me, I can’t remember what it is! Grrr.

Right now, I feel as if someone looking at me would see a nervous hamster eyeing a room full of hamster wheels, unable to choose the best one merely by visual inspection. Of course, I don’t exactly look like a hamster.

At this rate, I’m pretty darn likely to crash absolutely dead to the world on the plane. When I do that, I have a tendency to snore like there’s no tomorrow. Maybe I should have the stewardess hand out hearing protection to everyone in coach right as we board.

I think I’ll try and catnap while I’m waiting for the last load of laundry to dry. The fitful four hours of sleep I had probably aren’t enough.

Man. I’m twelve hours from leaving for Nashville, probably seven hours from leaving for work in the morning, and less than 24 from actually arriving in Phoenix.

I just started the last bit of laundry that I have to do before I leave, and …

… I don’t think I could go to sleep in the next half-hour if I tried my dead-level best. I’m about as amped up as I was back in my hockey days; I feel like I should be driving through the night to get to Phoenix or something.

I don’t really, as a rule, take vacations; due to a glitch at work, I haven’t been able to for some time, as I went 60 hours in the hole for vacation by unknown means sometime between the end of the 02-03 hockey season—when I was pretty much at zero vacation time, having burned what little I had left after a taking a week to go on a mission trip in our trips around the country following Charger Hockey—and the end of 2003. I can’t get that glitch repaired, either, because we don’t have paper records at all.

I’ve resisted saying anything about it here for a long time because, well, I wouldn’t know what to do on a vacation anyway. I’ve already talked about taking some work with me. I’ve even thought about tying into Friday morning’s 0900 telecon [which would be 0700 Phoenix time], and the more I think about it, the more likely I am to do it. [Must stop thinking about that NOW.]

But right now … I need a vacation. I could just use a good week at home to do next-to-nothing, but three days with beloved friends who split town three months ago will suffice for now, and over Labor Day, I’ll go bother the other adopted sister and her boyfriend.

Good times.

[I'm still scheduling myself for a nervous breakdown next July. I'll be saving up the vacation time, let me tell you.]

Le suck!

I thought I’d see Randy Johnson pitch on Saturday night. I won’t. He’s pitching on Friday. [I checked after Sean's comment about Arizona's suckitude factor had me go and look it up one more time.] I will get to see Brandon Webb toss for the Diamondbacks, though, and that’s still pretty good. I like his style.

Oh well. At least I figured it out before we got to the park.

And yes, by the way, I am very ready to 1) get the hell out of town and away from work for a couple of days and 2) getting to see my beloved friends whom I haven’t seen in three months.

Except, of course, I think I’m going to take a little work with me. Some stuff cropped up today that is stuff I think that I can take and peruse on the plane or on Friday while I’m chilling at Sean and Kat’s house. It will keep me from spending too much time in the garage, lusting over Sean’s workbench and helping him hatch more evil plans. In 24 hours, I’ll be halfway there!

SWEETNESS! I just ran the probable starters for the Diamondbacks for the next couple of weeks, and if everything stays on schedule, I’ll get to see Randy Johnson pitch on the night I’m taking Sean and Kat to see the Reds.

Awesome. The best starting pitcher I’ve ever seen live was Tom “Bulldog” Browning, before he broke his arm.

Thursday, August 19 – NASHVILLE TN(BNA) to PHOENIX AZ(PHX)
Flight 905 V
Depart NASHVILLE TN(BNA) at 07:15PM and
Arrive in PHOENIX AZ(PHX) at 08:40PM

Sunday, August 22 – PHOENIX AZ(PHX) to NASHVILLE TN(BNA)
Flight 2623 V
Depart PHOENIX AZ(PHX) at 06:05PM and
Arrive in NASHVILLE TN(BNA) at 11:30PM

Lucky dog that I am, I get to go see Sean and Katharine in two weeks. I can’t hardly wait!