Apologies for not writing a second entry last night, but I got kind of drunk and was too tired to type. Ken and Jack procured a bottle of vodka and two six packs of beer, which the three of us worked our way through while watching the Mets lose to the Dodgers (ugh). We were joined by Matt, and the four of us decided to shoot some pool with the remainder of our evening. By the time we were kicked out by an angry old man guard, we were in varying stages of intoxication. Someone (Jack?) thought we should watch Planet Earth, so I tried to get the program to display on the HDTV, but for some reason it wasn’t broadcasting in high definition. I think we missed the entire program due to my constant attempts to fix the television. I even went on the computer and tried to download a manual for both the TV set and the remote control, but nothing worked. This morning I found out I downloaded the french version of the manual. Whoops, I guess I was pretty drunk after all.
I awoke relatively early (again!? AGAIN!?) this morning to shower and dress for a day-trip to Allentown, Pennsylvania. The goal was to visit some old friends from college, explore the campus, and — most importantly — eat at Wegmans. I also decided to stop in at Double Decker to see if their ridiculously good vinyl selection was as great as I remember it being.
The drive from Livingston to Allentown was nothing new. I’ve made the trek several dozen (if not a hundred) times before, so I was pretty much in cruise control the entire time. I don’t have the names of all 50+ Interstate exits and all the overpass street names memorized anymore, but I still remember some of them. The bunny bridges in Summit looked more overgrown than ever. Route 78 was lush and green, but certain stretches of land actually looked more like they would in Autumn than Spring. Nevertheless, it’s always nicer to drive surrounded by electric green trees and bushes than it is barren skeletons of trees.
Before hitting Wegmans I drove through the park, made several stops at my old college campus to see various former dormitories and apartments, the house on Gordon Street where I once lived (which has since become a frat house, ugh), pretty architectural achievements, the new class buildings they’ve constructed, and even the dorm where I lost my virginity…when I wasn’t even officially enrolled in the school! Don’t ask me how that happened. Bad memories.
I actually improvised an original song as I pulled into the Wegmans parking lot. I was that excited about having lunch here. Screw the friends and catching up and trying to relive old times, I was only interested in two things: eating a buffalo-style chicken finger sub, and finding out what the current price is of burgandy truffles. The sandwich was orgasmic. They’ve definitely switched the spicy buffalo sauce that they dip the chicken strips in, and it tasted as good if not better than I remembered. As I ate, I kind of zoned out and watched people shopping below. I don’t remember hearing a single topic of conversation. I guess I’m kind of a dick, but whatever, it’s fucking WEGMANS.
By the way, the truffles are up to $999/lb..
After a few heartfelt goodbyes, I drove downtown (lock your doors!) and over the bridge to reach Double Decker. I spent far too long in the store, studying every imaginable section. I managed to keep my bill under $100, but not by much. I had a brief chat with the owner of the store about how great his selection was, and he actually recognized the name of my store and mentioned that he’s purchased items from us before. Small world!
The drive home was with without incident. Again, I was on auto-pilot as I raced through a tiny sliver of Pennsylvania and a chunk of New Jersey. I arrived home in time to watch the Yankees lose, the Mets lose (ugh!) and drink more vodka with Jack and Ken. Are you seeing a routine develop here?
After today’s little “whoops!” at the record store, I came home and decided to put a few personal items (not like underwear “personal,” but items that held significant meaning to me at one point in my life “personal”) up for auction on eBay. As always, if the winning bidder for any of the items turns out to be a Swan Fungus reader, I’ll include a free blog-related surprise with whatever item you win. You can view my current auctions here. If you’re feeling generous and want to donate some money to my website without the hassle of bidding on an auction, keep in mind that every penny of your donation goes towards my getting drunk and blogging about how good the beers I drank were. Where else on the Internet can you happily give money to somebody you don’t know and really know that your cash is going to a specific cause? Nowhere, that’s where. VIEW AND BID ON MY AUCTIONS!
Until tomorrow…
Harvey Milk – The Boy With Bosoms – (buy this album)
Godz – Alone In Regret – (buy this album)
Leannan Sith – Turn On The Moon
Rolf Harris – Sun Arise – (buy this album)
Miles Davis – Vote For Miles – (buy this album)
Les Rallizes Denudes – Enter The Mirror
