After I hit California, after dark, I called Darkside, who was already mostly asleep, but was amused that I was a Big Girl and driving in CA all by myself for the first time. (It's true! I've never driven in CA before! I've been to CA, and people drove me places, but I'd never been behind the wheel before. However, I was taught to drive by an LA driver. [and yes, I just typed that "LJ" by accident.] )
I had written out the directions to places in pencil until halfway through. Once dark hit, reading them therefore became problematic. So I called
sithjawa, having thoughtfully first created a "call in case I get lost" filter: filtered because the entire internet does not need to know addresses that are not mine, and containing Google map links and instruction text for my planned route. This worked surprisingly well until I misjudged a lane and wound up going the wrong way. Then I failed at finding an iHop, and then there was a cardinal direction fail, and then there were the FUCKING CALIFORNIA DRIVERS. See, I was in the lane that went right instead of the lane that went left like I should have been. So since this was very close to Steph's, I found the convenient parking lot and called. (Again.) We arranged to meet at the iHop that was somewhere along the road. Foolish me, I neglected to ask which direction, and went in the wrong direction, and figured that out after the road took an unexpected and exciting bend. I called back, and we were back on track, and this time I asked further directions. South side, she said. South. OK. So I was in the left lane, looking on the south side. I crossed the freeway, and OH THERE WAS THE IHOP ... on the north side. So I try to change lanes.
The two drivers behind me, seeing me slow down and seeing my turn signal, became vexed with me for slowing down, and promptly changed lanes behind me, into the perfectly clear lane that I was about to change into, blocking me, and forcing me forward into not!iHop territory. I did finally get to iHop, although my good temper was a casualty.
"Never use your turn signal," was the sage advice of my Uncle Davy, lifetime Californian. (SoCal.) "It warns them of your intentions." Truer words were never spoken.
Dinner was awesome and hilarious, and I proved to be more hungry than I thought I was. We then adjourned to the apartment, where more hilarious fun was had, as evidenced by the quotes.
"OK, I'm going to be frolicking naked with cleaning supplies for a while."
It will soon be something like bedtime.
I missed IRC a whole lot. I also completely fail at remembering my voice post settings.
