Vacay Update

Phew – has it been a whirlwind week! I’ll have to save the story-telling for later, but here’s a few things we did and saw. Stories later!

 

Now I’m here in my hotel room as Skepticon, excited to attend tomorrow’s workshops and hang out with awesome people. Actually, that starts in just a few minutes. I’m stepping away from the computer because there are skeptics to meet and booze to drink!

Vacay Update
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Vacay!

My vacation started yesterday! I woke up, had a leisurely breakfast with The Hubby at French Meadow (nomnomnom), made a half-dozen small stops and then was on the road by 9:30am.

A leisurely breakfast with the Hubby.

I drove down to Carbondale, Illinois to visit my Mom. Carbondale is about an 11 to 13 hour drive given traffic and number of pit stops. Because I drove by myself I had total music control! Mwahahaha! This was my playlist:

  • Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe
  • Shelley Segal – An Atheist Album
  • Atheists Talk Radio
  • Rachel Maddow Show
  • Skeptically Speaking
  • Paul and Storm – Do You Like Star Wars
  • Quackcast
  • Skeptoid
  • Roy Zimmerman – Faulty Intelligence
  • This American Life
  • k.d. lang – Hallelujah single
  • In the Heights
  • Pulp Fiction soundtrack
  • Queen – Greatest Hits
  • Tim Minchin – Ready for This
  • The Dregs – Thank You Sir, May I Have Another
  • Amanda Palmer – Theater is Evil
  • Wicked the Musical

*sighs happily* It was a skeptical, atheist, science, broadway nerd fest. And it helped me get through Missouri and waaaaay too many “TODD AKIN US SENATE” yard signs. Blech. I did pass a neat, unexpected billboard which I wish I could have taken a picture of (it wasn’t really convenient to stop). Here’s what is said:

“Rape is rape. Respect others.”

Really simple design: White letters on a dark maroon background, and a website in impossibly small font tucked along the bottom edge. It made me happy that some group cared enough to speak out, but sad that they had to.

So now I’m here! We had sushi last night at Fujiyama and then came home to crash in the living room for chatting and wine. Today we’re cleaning up the house (Mom’s moving out to the east coast soon!) and then heading down to Vienna, Illinois for Grandma’s 80th birthday. Next we’re off on what I’m calling our Bluegrass Tour:

Carbondale, Nashville, Chattanooga, Knoxville, Lexington, Louisville, back to Carbondale

We’re pretty laid back about the trip. We’re going to see the Parthenon and Golden Athena in Nashville, I want to go to the aquarium in Chattanooga and see Ruby Falls, Rock City and ride the Incline Railway on Lookout Mountain. We’re planless for Knoxville as of yet. In Lexington I’ve been told to drive through the scenic horse farms and stop in Chinoe Grill. And in Louisville I’m meeting the lovely people who run the clinic escorting blog, Every Saturday Morning. They’re going to liquor me up on Tuesday night and then drag my ass out of bed way too early on Wednesday morning to escort at the Louisville EMW Women’s Surgical Center. After that, breakfast with the other escorts and then Mom and I head back to Carbondale. Let me know if there are restaurants or hot spots we shouldn’t miss!

And on Thursday I head to Skepticon in Springfield, Missouri. About Skepticon…well, I’ll save that for the next post. For now, click on the image below to learn more about the event.

Vacay!