I have my saved post started about the Virgin Festival, which was back in September. Hopefully I'll finish it tomorrow.

Today has been surprisingly stressful. The space beneath my neck and between my shoulder blades started hurting this morning. Eating lunch seemed to help, but I just feel stressed out. Can't wait for today to be over. I've got Confirmation tonight, which I am also looking forward to being done with. Pastor J and I haven't planned who is doing what, so I am just winging it. Not my favorite thing to do, but that's life.

Friday is my day off and I am planning on sleeping in and not doing a whole lot. I also have plans to make split pea soup. The cold snap that is in the midwest currently will be heading to the mid-Atlantic soon, so soup sounds good.

I feel kind of gross right now. Today is a birthday celebration in our department and I had some fresh pineapple (my favorite!!) and crackers with various spreads. The spreads are why I feel icky -- hummus is good and so is the roasted eggplant in zesty tomato sauce, but the baba gnosh (the roasted eggplant thing) has left me feeling not so good.

I have started reading a VERY interesting book called Cross Country: Fifteen Years and 90,000 Miles on the Roads and Interstates of America with Lewis and Clark, a lot of bad motels, a moving van, Emily Post, ... kids, and enough coffee to kill an elephant. So far I have read about his trip from Oregon through Montana. But (quite exciting to me), there is a whole section which talks about driving through Wisconsin on I-94. Which just happens to run through Eau Claire, my alma mater! Sadly, from skimming ahead, it doesn't look like Eau Claire gets in mention in the book, although the Norske Nook in Osseo does. Too bad he didn't stay further north -- the Bloomer Main Street Cafe definitely has superior pies.

Reading this book is making me want to get on the road and drive somewhere. I really did enjoy the driving aspect of my trip back home with Trip. I had only driven to Maryland, never back to Wisconsin and it was fun to do. Plus I feel like we got to know each other in a different way by spending so much time in the car. Perhaps next summer I'll try to go on a road trip to Maine or Florida. I know a girl who I studied abroad with who lives in Maine (or at least I think so), and I would really love to see it. Plus I imagine driving through New England (once you get past New York City and Conneticut) would be fun.

One last thing. Supposedly I am to be keeping track of ideas Trip has. Since he mentioned one in email today, I thought I would try to list them here for easy access.

1. Rent-a-dog for parties.
2. Rent-a-dog for parties expanded to include office visits for stress relief.
3. Some kind of latch for crockpots to preven the lid from rattling around while you transfer the crockpot from one location to another via car.
4. the Wrap-ture sandwich. (I can't remember what exactly is in it, but I know it includes bacon. Is a sandwich a sandwich without bacon?)

I'm sure there have been more, but that's all I could come up with off the top of my head. Stay tuned for more fun ideas from Trip.