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I don't believe I ever finished my story of the time z came to visit, did I?
I left off with us leaving the AG store. To recap: It took like, 6 hours to get to the store and we arrived when kids were in said store with Moms and Grandmas and I stopped counting the blondes (it's weird that I still notice how many blondes there are since everyone in SC goes blond at least once, right?) because Cass was having a meltdown because I Told Her So and z was trying to Get Shit Done.
We left with two large "I got a doll!" bags in tow (I got Molly, z got Rebecca!) and went off in search of a charger. I wish, in retrospect, that I had just asked the AG store people if I could borrow an outlet, somewhere, and we'd killed the time in there. It might have saved us from what was to come. Or not. I dunno.
Found an outlet/charging station outside the Starbucks where we spent a good five minutes trying to determine when the bleached tips hairstyle favored by boy bands of the late 90's came back in style and whether the person sporting said style was male or female. (Female.) My phone takes a coon's age to charge via USB but that's all that was available so... we waited. And waited. Eventually I decided that all I needed was to hit more than 75% and we'd be good to get home. Or 5:10pm. One of the two.
I think I compromised at 5:10 because I'd hit 82% and I figured we'd need all the extra juice we could get. So. The mall. Cass, during our long charging wait, I think was talked into not running back into rushhour by the great and powerful z.
Instead we wandered the mall. Saw cute stuff, some of it most decidedly bootleg, and I realized it's a good thing I don't live alone because I would die buried under a pile of cute stuff. We hit the Lego store and got to see the Cup of Legos in person. We learned the Syndey Opera House was, what, $320? On our way to The Disney Store (I think?) I got shanghaid by one of those Kiosk guys who takes your hand, puts whatever product he's hawking on it and tries to con you into buying something for the low-low price of $200+. Apparently Cass tried calling me to save me, but I couldn't hear it over the sound of "buy this".
I politely declined and we walked the gauntlet of other kiosk dudes, getting called Charlies Angels in the process. Cass proceeded to sulk about in Disney but mostly on her own, and I realized I liked a lot of the Frozen merch. Dammit. :P
We ended up at FYE where Cass debated a CD and I was reminded of going to the mall as a teenager where we spent a LOT of time at Camelot music. Not so much FYE because it was (and is) expensive as hell.
Also hit Torrid where we realized it had lost its edge awhile ago. Sad.
Eventually it was time to leave and so we wandered back to the car and made our attempted escape of Georgia.
Which didn't look at all that possible because, remember, rush hour. There was a WALL of cars in both directions. It was... not pretty. Cass sees a sign for Steak 'n Shake. z and I have never had this, and Cass is all "YOU MUST" so she hits the first exit and... we drive and drive and drive and never see the place. We circle back around, past fancy alley, and look again. I'm hungry, Cass is cranking up again and then z sees the sign! We turn! We go right by the turn for it! No one will let us over even though there's no reason not to! Georgia drivers are pissing me off and I'm in the backseat!
I've condensed this considerably because at the time I felt very much like this:
We finally circle back and hit the drive through and I swear the menu says one thing but the guy says another and having never been to any Steak n Shake, I dunno which is right, and did I mention I no longer cared so long as food was had? So we make our orders and mine is probably the most complicated: no veggies. Cass even kicks off the pickles which isn't a thing I mind on my burger but I've found that it's not worth correcting anyone over, y'know?
We get to the window and the guy is just having the most trouble EVER because "we never have an order this big at the drive thru!"
Um, three meals is not that difficult a drive thru order, sir. Not on this or any other planet. I, too, am from a Southern state where things just move as slow as molasses in Maine on a cold winter's day, and this? This ain't nothin', honey. Near as I could tell there was no one in the place, no one behind us, so it was JUST US and he's flailing like this is the world's biggest order.
We exchange Looks and decide to check our burgers before driving off. I'm given one I am told is mine and take a bite and probably blow out some eardrums because it's got horseradish and I dunno, fried onions or something? z might remember. Turns out it was her burger and I feel bad about that mix-up. My burger is fine, but I do not understand the raving for this place. I can't even blame Cass because Ari and Derrick also rave about it (to the point that she went on for fifteen minutes once about how she misses being able to eat anything from SnS). The burger is maybe a smidge bigger than McDonald's but the cost is more like Sonic, and tastewise it's somewhere between the two. If I'm gonna essentially blow a little under $10 for a meal like this, I'll just go to Sonic, k? I feel bad about this opinion though.
We attempt to escape Georgia and more bad drivers keep Not Letting Us Over.
Eventually z and Cass switch so z is driving and talking begins. They chat, I throw in comments here and there, and sometimes try very hard not to vomit when Cass is discussing the worst periods ever. And other stuff, but again, I had to go to my happy place to block some stuff out because I get squeamish pretty easily.
The night is long and cold each time we get out of the car. There's the gas station where I fear z is in the middle of a hold-up when I realize she's been in the store for another five minutes and now I cannot see her, but turns out the checkout isn't actually at the checkout...? Georgia, stop it. Just stop it, Georgia. Even if that might have been SC, actually.
z gets the non sanitized version of how Cass met her husband and I can't help but cackle when she first asks because, well, that's how I am.
After midnight Cass decides that she'll swing by her house first so she can get Matt to drive us home so she won't be alone. Only I gather he went drinking with Liz or something and will not wake up, or can't drive or something. Cass is pissed and we resume our long trek home. We make it home without any ghost deer incidents and I make Cass promise to text that she made it home safely. I... don't think she does. Before she drops us off, she says she's bailing on the plan for ghost walk/Gilligan's because the trip took more out of her than she thought. Since she has to work in the morning, I can't blame her.
The Ozma kitty is both delighted to see us and annoyed because How Dare I Leave Her. Cats, right? Cats.
Thursday.
I believe z and I cross Bees Ferry to the shopping center where we run into my old boss at the burger place. I try a delicious frozen coffee confection from the coffee shop and we return home to play with new toys. :D
We also spend part of the afternoon trying to figure out whether Gilligan's is still worth it because without Cass's discount, it might be expensive. On the other hand... hush puppies. (The boy finds out we're going to Gilligan's and his only request? Hush puppies.) Oh! The boy's drama kicks in here.
Turns out his kinda sorta girl-friend-with-benefits was in an accident the day before and is in serious condition. They're talking amputation. (They didn't and she's set to get out of the rehab place Dec. 1.) He's a little shaken and pulls me aside to tell me that the money he owes me will be delayed because he'd lent it to her for some reason and yeah, she's not going to pay him back any time soon.
So... we decide we'll go to Gilligan's, he'll go to the hospital, and z and I head off to get the mail.
Where I realize Cass has cursed me with her talk of the Worst Period Ever.
I spend the rest of the night having to hit the bathroom every 15 minutes or so. We'll just leave it at that. It was unpleasant to say the least. D:
Cass sends a text to say she's going to Gilligan's afterall and we meet up. The Widget is sulky and initially not even Matt can cheer him up. (Widget adores Matt.) Food is ordered and hush puppies are consumed and people keep asking z about her seafood. I keep running to the bathroom. It's a weird evening for me.
Cass and Matt talk up the Key Lime Pie but no pie is ordered. When the checks come, Cass pays nothing because her stepfather works there. z is supposed to have gotten a discount and I peek at the bill and I don't really notice a discount, but when Cass and Matt look they're all "Sweet discount!"
Yeah, those two haven't paid for a meal there in entirely too long. I believe the only discount was not paying for a bowl of soup and a soda. That... is not a discount. That's forgetting to charge for something. :P
Thanks again for dinner, z!
We eventually go off in different directions with the promise of meeting up the following night for ghost walk. Cass begs and pleads to go on the Ghost in the Graveyard tour (by Bulldog Tours) and after a stop at Joann's to look for one of those Rainbow Loom things (which they didn't have) we head home. I order tickets for z and I, but Cass calls hers in to save the $2.
Then z and I, and Widget, go off to watch the 13 Wishes movie. Widget ditches us pretty quickly on after much handwringing over how we're totally not gonna let him watch the movie.
In case you wondered, 13 Wishes? Good movie. I just wish they'd release Whisp and the shadow versions of the ghouls. :P
And I leave you with this cliffhanger: Friday! Ghostwalk of suck and drinking makes everything better!
I left off with us leaving the AG store. To recap: It took like, 6 hours to get to the store and we arrived when kids were in said store with Moms and Grandmas and I stopped counting the blondes (it's weird that I still notice how many blondes there are since everyone in SC goes blond at least once, right?) because Cass was having a meltdown because I Told Her So and z was trying to Get Shit Done.
We left with two large "I got a doll!" bags in tow (I got Molly, z got Rebecca!) and went off in search of a charger. I wish, in retrospect, that I had just asked the AG store people if I could borrow an outlet, somewhere, and we'd killed the time in there. It might have saved us from what was to come. Or not. I dunno.
Found an outlet/charging station outside the Starbucks where we spent a good five minutes trying to determine when the bleached tips hairstyle favored by boy bands of the late 90's came back in style and whether the person sporting said style was male or female. (Female.) My phone takes a coon's age to charge via USB but that's all that was available so... we waited. And waited. Eventually I decided that all I needed was to hit more than 75% and we'd be good to get home. Or 5:10pm. One of the two.
I think I compromised at 5:10 because I'd hit 82% and I figured we'd need all the extra juice we could get. So. The mall. Cass, during our long charging wait, I think was talked into not running back into rushhour by the great and powerful z.
Instead we wandered the mall. Saw cute stuff, some of it most decidedly bootleg, and I realized it's a good thing I don't live alone because I would die buried under a pile of cute stuff. We hit the Lego store and got to see the Cup of Legos in person. We learned the Syndey Opera House was, what, $320? On our way to The Disney Store (I think?) I got shanghaid by one of those Kiosk guys who takes your hand, puts whatever product he's hawking on it and tries to con you into buying something for the low-low price of $200+. Apparently Cass tried calling me to save me, but I couldn't hear it over the sound of "buy this".
I politely declined and we walked the gauntlet of other kiosk dudes, getting called Charlies Angels in the process. Cass proceeded to sulk about in Disney but mostly on her own, and I realized I liked a lot of the Frozen merch. Dammit. :P
We ended up at FYE where Cass debated a CD and I was reminded of going to the mall as a teenager where we spent a LOT of time at Camelot music. Not so much FYE because it was (and is) expensive as hell.
Also hit Torrid where we realized it had lost its edge awhile ago. Sad.
Eventually it was time to leave and so we wandered back to the car and made our attempted escape of Georgia.
Which didn't look at all that possible because, remember, rush hour. There was a WALL of cars in both directions. It was... not pretty. Cass sees a sign for Steak 'n Shake. z and I have never had this, and Cass is all "YOU MUST" so she hits the first exit and... we drive and drive and drive and never see the place. We circle back around, past fancy alley, and look again. I'm hungry, Cass is cranking up again and then z sees the sign! We turn! We go right by the turn for it! No one will let us over even though there's no reason not to! Georgia drivers are pissing me off and I'm in the backseat!
I've condensed this considerably because at the time I felt very much like this:
We finally circle back and hit the drive through and I swear the menu says one thing but the guy says another and having never been to any Steak n Shake, I dunno which is right, and did I mention I no longer cared so long as food was had? So we make our orders and mine is probably the most complicated: no veggies. Cass even kicks off the pickles which isn't a thing I mind on my burger but I've found that it's not worth correcting anyone over, y'know?
We get to the window and the guy is just having the most trouble EVER because "we never have an order this big at the drive thru!"
Um, three meals is not that difficult a drive thru order, sir. Not on this or any other planet. I, too, am from a Southern state where things just move as slow as molasses in Maine on a cold winter's day, and this? This ain't nothin', honey. Near as I could tell there was no one in the place, no one behind us, so it was JUST US and he's flailing like this is the world's biggest order.
We exchange Looks and decide to check our burgers before driving off. I'm given one I am told is mine and take a bite and probably blow out some eardrums because it's got horseradish and I dunno, fried onions or something? z might remember. Turns out it was her burger and I feel bad about that mix-up. My burger is fine, but I do not understand the raving for this place. I can't even blame Cass because Ari and Derrick also rave about it (to the point that she went on for fifteen minutes once about how she misses being able to eat anything from SnS). The burger is maybe a smidge bigger than McDonald's but the cost is more like Sonic, and tastewise it's somewhere between the two. If I'm gonna essentially blow a little under $10 for a meal like this, I'll just go to Sonic, k? I feel bad about this opinion though.
We attempt to escape Georgia and more bad drivers keep Not Letting Us Over.
Eventually z and Cass switch so z is driving and talking begins. They chat, I throw in comments here and there, and sometimes try very hard not to vomit when Cass is discussing the worst periods ever. And other stuff, but again, I had to go to my happy place to block some stuff out because I get squeamish pretty easily.
The night is long and cold each time we get out of the car. There's the gas station where I fear z is in the middle of a hold-up when I realize she's been in the store for another five minutes and now I cannot see her, but turns out the checkout isn't actually at the checkout...? Georgia, stop it. Just stop it, Georgia. Even if that might have been SC, actually.
z gets the non sanitized version of how Cass met her husband and I can't help but cackle when she first asks because, well, that's how I am.
After midnight Cass decides that she'll swing by her house first so she can get Matt to drive us home so she won't be alone. Only I gather he went drinking with Liz or something and will not wake up, or can't drive or something. Cass is pissed and we resume our long trek home. We make it home without any ghost deer incidents and I make Cass promise to text that she made it home safely. I... don't think she does. Before she drops us off, she says she's bailing on the plan for ghost walk/Gilligan's because the trip took more out of her than she thought. Since she has to work in the morning, I can't blame her.
The Ozma kitty is both delighted to see us and annoyed because How Dare I Leave Her. Cats, right? Cats.
Thursday.
I believe z and I cross Bees Ferry to the shopping center where we run into my old boss at the burger place. I try a delicious frozen coffee confection from the coffee shop and we return home to play with new toys. :D
We also spend part of the afternoon trying to figure out whether Gilligan's is still worth it because without Cass's discount, it might be expensive. On the other hand... hush puppies. (The boy finds out we're going to Gilligan's and his only request? Hush puppies.) Oh! The boy's drama kicks in here.
Turns out his kinda sorta girl-friend-with-benefits was in an accident the day before and is in serious condition. They're talking amputation. (They didn't and she's set to get out of the rehab place Dec. 1.) He's a little shaken and pulls me aside to tell me that the money he owes me will be delayed because he'd lent it to her for some reason and yeah, she's not going to pay him back any time soon.
So... we decide we'll go to Gilligan's, he'll go to the hospital, and z and I head off to get the mail.
Where I realize Cass has cursed me with her talk of the Worst Period Ever.
I spend the rest of the night having to hit the bathroom every 15 minutes or so. We'll just leave it at that. It was unpleasant to say the least. D:
Cass sends a text to say she's going to Gilligan's afterall and we meet up. The Widget is sulky and initially not even Matt can cheer him up. (Widget adores Matt.) Food is ordered and hush puppies are consumed and people keep asking z about her seafood. I keep running to the bathroom. It's a weird evening for me.
Cass and Matt talk up the Key Lime Pie but no pie is ordered. When the checks come, Cass pays nothing because her stepfather works there. z is supposed to have gotten a discount and I peek at the bill and I don't really notice a discount, but when Cass and Matt look they're all "Sweet discount!"
Yeah, those two haven't paid for a meal there in entirely too long. I believe the only discount was not paying for a bowl of soup and a soda. That... is not a discount. That's forgetting to charge for something. :P
Thanks again for dinner, z!
We eventually go off in different directions with the promise of meeting up the following night for ghost walk. Cass begs and pleads to go on the Ghost in the Graveyard tour (by Bulldog Tours) and after a stop at Joann's to look for one of those Rainbow Loom things (which they didn't have) we head home. I order tickets for z and I, but Cass calls hers in to save the $2.
Then z and I, and Widget, go off to watch the 13 Wishes movie. Widget ditches us pretty quickly on after much handwringing over how we're totally not gonna let him watch the movie.
In case you wondered, 13 Wishes? Good movie. I just wish they'd release Whisp and the shadow versions of the ghouls. :P
And I leave you with this cliffhanger: Friday! Ghostwalk of suck and drinking makes everything better!