We crossed rather uneventfully into Canada earlier this afternoon, driving along the lake for the most part. Entering Canada is rather easy.

Hi, yes, we’re just driving through to get to the other side. Thanks, have a nice day!

Canada: no worries, we aren’t worried you’re trying to bomb us.

On the other hand, entering the US at the Niagara Falls bridge is a smidge different. First we waited for around twenty minutes while the customs guy gave the car two cars ahead a hard time.

During this time the Porkchop displayed his impatience by alternately shaking his fist and grousing about the customs official.

“Identification.”

We handed it over.

“Take off your sunglasses.”

I did.

“Where were you two born?”

After answering, he looks at us quizzicaly.

“And how do you two know each other?”

Followed rapidly by… “What do you two do?” “When did you two meet?” “Where are you two headed?” and our personal favorite, “Do you have anyone else in the car?”

Bear in mind, we are driving a Jetta that is so packed we pull the luggage out through the back windows when we stop at night—plus there’s a cartop carrier up above.

“Um.. no.”

He looks at us sternly.

“OK.”

USA: HIGH ALERT! We know you’re bringing Osama in, buried under that luggage! We will ask you the DUMBEST questions… and if you’re really lucky, we might just let you slide in. Grrr…

Day two and we’re still in Michigan… albeit around 380 miles from where we were this morning. Tomorrow we’ll cross into Canada and then Niagara Falls—the reason for our roundabout trip.

We managed to drive almost the entire Upper Peninsula without eating a pasty. (I’ve had one before and I wasn’t impressed.)

However, we did: stop and take pictures on Lake Michigan, cross the Mackinac Bridge, debate stopping for deer jerky (him) and at every single zoo (me) and wonder about a restaurant called the Hair Burger (erm.. it was actually Halo, but for about a five miles, we were sure it was Hair).

And Project Runway’s on.. gotta go. 🙂

It’s road trip time and day one began with little fanfare. We covered a little over 300 miles (we’re taking a rather leisurely pace) and we’ve stopped in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

So in our minds, two states down.. woohoo! 😛

I do have a bit of advice. If you’re planning to take a road trip with someone you’re rather..erm..enamored with, be sure to handle that in the morning. If you don’t it’ll be a very, very long drive.

😉

One of my favorite things to do is meet new people. I’ve no problem randomly chatting with someone and their mother in any scenario, and generally about any topic.

That being said, I hate having to meet people who’s opinion of me will be based on this meeting alone. Interviews are one such situation… and meeting the parents and family of your boyfriend are another entirely.

Particularly when you’re the new girlfriend who’s convinced their only son to move 1500 miles away from them.

Erm… ::cough::

Fortunately, his entire family is nice, hugely entertaining and unbelievably gifted: an artist, a musician, a Ph.D., a director of a peace league and mother of two and a lawyer, now professor.

Daunting, isn’t it? Yeah, I think so too. 😛

There’s an unspoken list of things you never want to hear…

“I didn’t know she was your sister.”

“Step out of the car, turn around and put your hands on the hood.”

“I’m sorry, your credit card has been declined.”

“Flight such-and-such to so-and-so has been delayed. Please see a counter attendant to check on the status of your connection.”

Guess which one I got to hear this morning?

I’m sure you heard/read about all the nonsense that happened on planes around the world yesterday—knives, bomb threat, funky smells, etc.—and those things, of course, will inevitably spill over to today.

In my case, the flight crew didn’t get in until early this morning and since they have a required downtime of so many hours, my flight is now delayed a good hour.

Which means I’ll miss my connection.

Which means I have to take a later flight.

Eh. Good times here at the airport.

After many days of deliberation, several astronomers have decided that Pluto is no longer a planet.

Um.

New guidelines? Come on. Who decides that we need new guidelines, huh? I liked the old ones.

And I liked Pluto.

Stupid new rules.

I’m desperately trying to understand why this is a problem… Man trapped waist-deep in chocolate.

They say it was 110 degrees… maybe they should’ve given him some ice cold milk?

😀 hehe

My momma and I were talking the other day and I mentioned that I was seeing someone and oh, btw, since you’re coming to town in a few weeks, I thought maybe you could meet him. Dinner, you know?

She was a little quiet, but said OK, rapidly followed by, I hope your dad likes him.

Yeah, no pressure right?

She called me yesterday.

“What are you doing for birth control?”

No hello, no how’s it going… just straight for the jugular.

“Hi mom. How’re you doing? I’m doing fine. Why are you asking me about birth control?”

“Well you can’t use it and you’re seeing someone so I’m just assuming and what are you doing?”

“Um, well a) who says we’re sleeping together and b) I guess I’m going to use condoms, seeing as how pills and such are out of the question.”

“Condoms aren’t 100% effective you know and ….”

“Yes mom I know, but neither is birth control.”

“You aren’t ready to have a baby yet and condoms don’t always work and abstinence is the only effective birth control method and…”

“Mom, I’m almost 24. I’m not looking to have a baby anytime soon, but at least I’m not 16. I could handle it if I had too.”

She continued with the abstinence speech.

“Mom, did you abstain? OK then.”

“You and your sister just refuse to learn from the mistakes of your mother.”

Sigh.

“Mom, can you just chill? Do you now see why I don’t tell you things? All you’re doing is making yourself and me upset. I won’t be abstaining, just so we’re clear, and I plan to use condoms and if I get pregnant (sweet LORD not for a little while) I can handle it.”

“How do you know he’s the one you want to have kids with anyway? Or would even be around?”

“Geez mom, I hope I know how to pick them better than that… sheesh.”

So it went on like this for a little while.

And now they’re coming to town and we’re all having dinner.

…

In other words, I’ll be starting to drink again in oh, say, three weeks, for sure. 🙂

Friday night was a bit raucous, as J and I and several friends went and heard her boyfriend’s band at a local bar.

And did shots. Lots of shots. I thought we’d only done four, but J informed me yesterday at the beach that we’d done six, and since one of our friends didn’t want one of hers, I had done seven.

I was very ill Friday night, lol. Two vodkas and seven chocolate cake shots and I was one tanked little girl.

I’m never drinking again. OK, well maybe I’m never drinking that much again. Even this morning, a day and a half later, I’m still feeling icky.

One of the best questions in an interview is, “Where do you see yourself in five years?”

Which makes the second best one, “And in ten years?”

I had a really great interview the other day with an interesting multimedia company. I spoke with the people with whom I would work, and then they brought in the owner of the company, who posed, among many others, those two questions.

I smiled at her and chuckled. We had already achieved a good rapport, so I felt perfectly comfortable saying, “Well, in ten years? Hopefully in a position similar to yours.”

Fortunately she laughed and said, “Well that’s blunt.”

I actually had no answer, so I figured going with a joke was the best response. I had managed to parry most of her questions with relative ease, but that one threw me for a loop.

Was she asking about my long term goals? What are they? Well, I mean, I know what they are, but technically they have nothing to do with this job. Ugh… I can’t say that to her, she won’t hire me. OK, OK, option B. She looks like a family lady, and I want kids, so maybe I’ll toss that out…. oops, she really meant in relation to my career…

“Well I’d like to kinda be doing what I’m doing now, but… you know, bigger office.” And I laughed and winked at her.

“And obviously more money,” she pointed out with a smile.

“Well, money isn’t my biggest goal, but I’m a vegetarian who likes sushi, Grey Goose, regular pedicures and facials and traveling, so money’s good too.”

In the end, the interview went well, but who knows.

So tell me, does everyone already have a plan for five years? Ten years? Do you know what you want to be doing?