Burnt Rubber and the Twilight Zone

Ever feel like you really stepped into the Twilight Zone? This happened to me Friday night. I get a notice on my cell that I have a new message on MySpace from a friend and it reads something along the lines of "call me as soon as you get this no matter how late" with a phone number attached. Well, thanks to technology, I can just write back immediately. Semi-long story short, this friend offers my husband and I tickets to the race the following night in Richmond, which, if you are a Nascar fan at all, you know that this is a TON of fun... and pretty expensive. I'll get it into the actual race later, but I feel like maybe I should get out a bit of back story.

Hugely long and personal story (for all parties involved): My husband and our friend met a long a time ago, and my husband screwed this friend over royally. Meanwhile, I worked for this friend, although, at the time, I wouldn't say we were friends at all. Perhaps expectations were skewed, perhaps we were just too much alike in an alarming way. You know when you meet someone and you really like them on first impression, but then maybe, they are just TOO much like your own personality and you don't know how to combat it? To work with it? You're probably so thrown off, things start to get bitter, anyway... I digress. Obviously, at the time none of us know why we clashed or gelled the way that we did, but it happened. Anyway, said friend and my husband have just recently reconciled, and we also had another friend join us that worked with us waaay back when and has her own set of histories, but none of which are really important to this story today except that here we are, all at a race, after some insanely rough times in the past year. One friendship destroyed and slowly being rebuilt, one friendship cautiously but eagerly being built, and then, this third friendship where I really like this girl (as a person, I don't want to have sex with her... not that I wouldn't but I've put those days behind me..). She has a positive energy. She's easygoing and fun-loving. She seems immediately trustworthy and honest. It's as if you know, if you put in the effort, you have made yourself a genuine friend for life. I always liked her as a person before, but getting to hang out with her for the night really made me appreciate her personality and hope that our friendship grows. Because I need and want good friends in my life. And honestly, who the hell else will kick off their shoes (besides me) and walk barefoot for a while and then log roll down the hill to the car?? Fucking sweet.

This isn't to say I am not excited about the first friend, but this is where I suddenly felt like I was in the twilight zone. It's like I met the person I first met over a year ago all over again. It was like, everything in between, the person that he became for a moment, it was like, that person was gone. Not gone in the respect like he had changed himself, but found... re-found... himself? The guy I met was confident, fun, eager, hard-working... And while I can say he always stuck by hard-working I felt like the rest was lost, but after spending the entire night hanging out with him, he just seemed happy. And like himself. And like the person I always knew he was... and the person that I am glad to call my friend. The person I wanted to call my friend.

So, the race was a blast... we did leave early, but I really wanted to just hang out, and you can't do that so much at the race, I think we left about 200 laps in. Denny led for over 200 laps but finished 24th, that must be disappointing. I was disappointed. I rubbed the skin on top of my feet raw by wearing brand new flops. Once you have enough alcohol, it doesn't really register anymore that it hurts. Because Trevor thought you could bring bottles (and I'm never right) we had to chug a LOT of beer when we first got there. Trevor got cut off at the bar later (by a bartender I am good friends with) and then broke a glass or something... Then he passed out on the grass next to the main road by the bar. His other friend who is going through MORE drama ended up coming to spend the night, and they left the bar, but I stayed with our original friends who thankfully said they would drive me home when last call was made... That got them both a bunch more cool points from me, because I love people that can "hang". Trevor is always passed out drunk by, like, 11. MAN UP! Anyway.. Then when I got home he was laying in the front yard. Eventually he was inside and wouldn't wake up... So I proceeded to write all over with him sharpie marker and cover him with an entire can of shaving cream. Brad (Trevor's friend) and I found it quite hysterical, especially because I was PRETTY DAMN drunk by that time. I don't think I ever laughed that hard in my life.

The next day we got up. We went to breakfast at Aunt Sarah's. I was righteously hungover as was Trevor. Let me tell you, Aunt Sarah's pancake house roasts their coffee and grinds it RIGHT THERE and makes your coffee. It's like, as fresh as humanly possible. I don't drink coffee like that, but just so you know. Anyone that knows me, knows that I think the cure for a hangover is a real breakfast. The works, eggs, greasy meat, toast, potatoes. Aunt Sarah's perfect for that. I bet they are loving the plug. Anyway, I got kielbasa and eggs (over medium) with pancakes and home fries and they serve it with a tomato slice. Tall glass of Coke.... Hangover gone. After that we took Lily and Brad down to the river and hung out at the rocks for the day. I am slowly layering on my tan... This year I WILL be tan, dammit. We came back, I made tacos... early night. The walk to the rocks is at least a mile or more so total you walk a few miles... I like the exercise and it's beautiful.

So, Trevor is at work, Lily is sleeping, and I am starving, so I am going to fix dinner. Times are tight, so I am really going to have to improvise for dinner. We'll see how that works out.