s Thoughts from the Physics Chick: Thoughts on I-80

Friday, January 13, 2006

Thoughts on I-80

Road trips aren’t as much fun without Melyngoch.

Buying the Book of Mormon on CD for the trip was a good idea. It’s interesting enough as a story to relieve the boredom a bit, and it’s been a comfort to listen to. Also, I could stand to be more familiar with that work of scripture.

I really like Holiday Inn – they’ve got free wireless internet, breakfast delivered to your door, and it’s really not that much more expensive than some places I could be staying.

Wyoming is much more pleasant to drive through when there’s not a huge storm.

My back is killing me. I sort of threw it out coughing over the last few weeks and I have yet to “throw it back in,” so to speak. Must remember to stretch before bed tonight.

I miss my Utah friends already. My last week in Urbana drove home the fact that I have yet to make a real friend in Illinois. Mostly I realized this because there was no one I felt I could talk to when my life was falling apart in several ways. I think I’ve about exhausted the friendship possibilities in my student ward, but I might be able to make some friends in my program. I will pray, at least, to find a genuine friend.

The advantage of driving east is that the sun doesn’t blind you when it’s setting.

I really love cruise control.

Wheat Thins do not constitute lunch.

The CD of organ music my grandma gave my two years ago that I never bothered to listen to is actually really good.

My voice is still a little hoarse; at this point no one would marry me for my singing voice. (Probably no one would anyway, but I can usually hit a note, at least.)

“How Firm a Foundation” can be a very comforting hymn. Especially the parts about being away from home. (I’m not sure if home is Utah or Illinois at this point, but it’s definitely not Wyoming.) I copied out the words to take with me so I could read them as I drove. (And ended up crying every time I read through them, but I would have been crying anyway.)

Taco Bell is not as good as Wendy’s, in my opinion, but it still beats McDonald’s.

High winds aren’t much of a problem in a low-profile vehicle.

I miss NPR. Christian radio is no substitute.

When you have short hair, random bits of it stick out in odd directions. Most of it was tamed this morning with water, gel and a comb. Had I had more time (and been more concerned with my appearance), I would have attacked the rest with a curling iron. Heaven only knows what my hair will look like this summer when it is more humid. At least it will be longer.

My Mom said I was a lot happier over the break than I’d been when I left. (I was a bit of a pill to live with last year.) In fact, she said I was happier than she’d seen me in years – that I was mostly back to my perky self. This would imply that something’s going right in Illinois, even if it currently escapes me. In the end Illinois is where God wants me to be, so He needs to make it OK for me to be there.
Hmm. I think that any one of these thoughts could be turned into a full scale blog entry. Maybe I’ll do that in the coming days. Or maybe I’ll just write some more about knitting.

3 Comments:

At January 14, 2006 2:02 PM, Blogger editorgirl said...

I know this will sound awkward, but one of my best friends is in Urbana while her husband complicates his life with a PhD. They are married, but they've moved out of the self-satisfied married stage and into the chill married stage. If you're not opposed to it, I could do an e-intro. I think you would get along very well.

 
At January 15, 2006 8:06 PM, Blogger Tolkien Boy said...

Best wishes as you get back. There are good people in Wyoming, but the land miles you have to cover to get to them make actually meeting them prohibitive.

Sorry. Better luck in Illinois.

 
At January 20, 2006 3:16 AM, Blogger Thirdmango said...

Can I marry you for not having a singing voice? `

 

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