nagi_schwarz | Day 214: Weekend with Erin

Friday morning was easy enough. I was up at the fine and dandy time of eight a.m., so I had time to do things like take a nice warm shower, pack my bags to go and even update my journal. Several times. Yes indeed, Austin did call, and we talked a bit, about Magic and whatnot (once I'm done with some homework, Del, I'll build you a deck so you can play) and then he had to go and I had to run to class. Continental Lit with Aton is always cool. I will freely admit to not having read the piece, but I love Aristotle and have read that excerpt from the Poetics enough times to more or less be able to break it down for someone at a moment's notice. I was so glad that I didn't have to deal with Calland.

Erin and I went to lunch together, and said good-bye to Josh and Seirra before heading off for Erin's place in Holladay. I swung by the bank to pay off my credit card and get some gas money to donate to Erin, and off we went. We listened to some Loreena McKennit and Sons of Somerled. We talked some and I slept some, and woke up just in time for the rest stop at Nephi.

And herein things went sour. Erin filled the car with gas and I went to use the restrooms. I returned and we went to pull onto the highway. Erin waited in the slow lane for some speeders to pass us, and then went to speed up. Her engine temp skyrocketed, her rpm gage was in the red but her car wouldn't go above fifty. She pulled off at the next exit and we pulled into a gas station. We got out and checked the tires - there was the smell of burnt rubber. Erin called her folks, and then - against my better judgment but I was still wearing a knife in my hair - went into the gas station to ask if there was a mechanic nearby. Troy, the uncle of the gas station attendant, was your average small-town hick and spoke with a Utah redneck drawl, offered to come take a look at the car. Erin popped the hood and he checked the transmission fluid (which smelled funny) and the timing belt (which wasn't off). I don't know how good Nick is with cars (and I will be very weirded out if he is good with them) but right then I would have been pretty glad to have him along. Troy ended up calling one of his buddies who knew cars, and then waited around with us. He hit on Erin some, and kept inviting us down to the bar for karaoke night. I didn't tell him that I wasn't old enough to drink. For once I was the quiet one. Erin seems like the quiet one, I know. In the car she talked to me, gave me the rundown on her family, and at the gas station wrangled everyone else. I sometimes forget that she's about three years older than me. Troy's friend Buck (a car salesman) got us the help of a mechanic, and then Erin and I just sort of sat in the convenience store until the tow guy showed up. Troy sat behind us talking to his neice, and even stuck around after she left - although while he was there he bemoaned loudly that he had no woman in his life that wasn't nuts or didn't think he was nuts. He asked us about our schooling and seemed distinctly ill at ease when I mentioned I wanted to be a lawyer. He also commented that Erin didn't look old enough to be a senior in college. Her diplomatic answwer? "Thanks." I think we managed to scare him off when we began reading to each other. She read a passage from her scifi paperback, and I read her the humorous intro from one of my critical theory books. The tow guy showed up about an hour later and toted us to the car place. We hauled all of our stuff out of Erin's car, then sat in the reception room at the autoshop and played a game of mash. Then the mechanic who'd towed us - Derick - told us that the shop was closing up and we could wait outside or he'd take us somewhere. We hauled all of our stuff back into Erin's car and asked to be taken to the Wendy's near the highway where her dad would pick us up (for once I was glad of a cellphone). We ate, and then Erin's dad showed up. He wasn't what I'd expected even though I'd met him at the beginning of the year when Erin moved in - I remembered her mom just fine. The ride up was quiet.

Erin lives in a really nice neighborhood. Suddenly all the prejudices about poor west side kids and rich east side kids seemed to come true. It was weird. But her family is awesome. I met her brother Ben and sister Alex first. I didn't know what to expect about Alex at all. She was chatty and bubbly and something of a new-age punk kid. Not an emo kid. She listened to some emo punk, but also to Celtic punk. She's into Thai food and wears an Ohm symbol around her neck and just cool stuff like that. She also plays Lacrosse, which sort of plays to the standard rich girl preppy stereotype, but I like her a lot. I didn't remember all the time that Ben is only fifteen. He wasn't as big as I thought he'd be from Erin's description, but he is definitely strong. Poor guy was sick all weekend, though. We watched Batman Begins (yes, again, I know) and then I ended up in Erin's room (Alex kindly surrendered her bed) talking with Erin and her mom. It was really awesome.

On Saturday Erin's mom made us a nice breakfast (bacon and French toast) and then Erin and I went to Barnes and Nobles. Yes. We're nerds. We spent a very long time there. I picked up this gothic picture book called "The Plucker." I think at least BenTen will appreciate it. It looked really awesome, and when I started reading it I realized that it wasn't a kid's picture book. Sadly, there was no manga. Erin picked up a philosophy book for her sister and some history books for herself. Alex laughed at us because we read history books for fun, but it was all in good humour. Erin's mom was awesome and picked up some tickets for us to go see a play at the PMT at the U of U campus (never been to that campus before). It's been a long time since I've seen a live stage play that wasn't a musical or Shakespeare, and I loved it. It was called "Sherlock Holmes and the West End Horror" and it was hilarious. Six actors played all the various roles, and it was Sherlock Holmes and Watson wandering through the west end trying to solve a string of murders. They ran into a bunch of awesome literary figures. The first was George Bernard Shaw. My favorite was Oscar Wilde. He was damned hilarious. They ran into HG Wells and also Bram Stoker. I didn't realize which famous authors they were until the end because they were "Herbert" and "Bram." Admittedly I caught on with Bram first, but still. The dialogue was witty and the way they wrangled so many parts with such a small cast was fantastic. Erin's whole family is into British comedy, so I can see where she gets her dry humor from. We met up with Erin's Dad and went to a Chinese restaurant. That night we watched a funnny English miniseries called "Oliver's Travels." Erin and I talked some, and then slept.

I actually went to church on Sunday. It wasn't bad at all. I really liked Erin's ward. Erin's ward liked me a lot, too, which was kinda weird. But I had a pretty good time. Maybe it's just my home ward that sorta sucks. After church Erin and I retreated to her room to attempt to study, but I fell asleep over the Foucault. I tried - honest! The man is just damned impossible to read. Erin and I also helped Erin's mom prepare Sunday dinner. Erin's grandparents were coming down for dinner to meet me - I guess it really was strange for Erin to bring a friend home. Both of her parents hugged me when they met me, which was sort of weird, but they were really glad to see me. I'd hate to see what happens if she ever brings a boy home. Dinner was awesome - fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy (courtesy of grandma), broccoli and lemon meringue pie. We sat around talking lots, and then Erin and I did the dishes. After doing the dishes Erin set about making her famous cinnamon rolls (which are truly delicious) and we would wander around and talk between steps (because dough had to rise and stuff). We played some more mash, talked some, all that jazz. We looked up some history on the internet (because we truly are nerds) and just had fun. We finished off the cinnamon rolls and headed to bed.

I got to eat one this morning, and wow. Yeah. Wish I was a better cook. Erin and I trundled off to the mall to get that funny picture for Ericka (Victoria's Secret right next to Dressed in White). The only bookstore that Erin knew of was the Deseret Bookstore, but when we checked the directory I saw that there was a comic book store. Erin assented and we went. Oh boy. I probably spent too much money this weekend. I bought the first graphic novel in a series called "Kabuki." The art is pretty trippy, and the female hero appealed to the latent critical feminist in me. I totally dug the storyline too, although it also dug up some uncomfortable past. Yeah. Maybe I'll talk to Del about it later. Not that I need to talk about it, so don't worry, girl. Now I want to buy the rest of that series, the Inferno series that's a spin-off of Lucifer from Sandman and, of course, Black Orchid. The guy who ran the store was pretty impressed when I asked about Black Orchid because it's old and rare and a little obscure, but hey, I'm from the cult of Neil. Maybe I'll ask my mom for them for Christmas. As well as Neil's new book Anansi Boys, which hails from Mr. Nancy of the American Gods universe. It should be in paperback by Christmas.

After the book shopping Erin and I went to Pierre, this awesome little bakery where we got high on sugar. Wow that cake was rich, but the huge slice was totally worth the three and a half bucks. Erin got this rich, fluffy chocolate cake and I got a white chocolate cheesecake. It was sort of like a repeat of Thursday, sitting around in a cafe and being sophisticated. I like talking to Erin. She does tend to be quiet but she can make good conversation. Being around people like Erin and Nick makes me really self-conscious about my chattering. Erin and I saved the rest of the cake for Alex because we knew she'd like it, and on the drive home we stopped at the Stake Park. We played on the carousel, the swings, and the monkey bars. I felt so old, watching the little kids play. I sort of miss being a kid. It comes up in my head a lot after being in critical methods with Petersen, but would I really want to go back to that state without the knowledge I have? I really can't read any book without going through at least some criticism (except for theory books, but then they're in the realm of textbooks. It's like dating professors - you don't date your professors and you don't criticize critical theory books or most other textbooks). It makes me uneasy, like I'm doing homework when I don't have to, but I enjoy how books can be more thought-provoking in this fashion. Erin's parents drove us home. We stopped in Nephi to see how her car is doing, but it doesn't even look like it's been moved. I slept some, played a quiz game with the others, and then we arrived in Cedar City.

Erin's parents bought us dinner at the Pizza Factory but in true Nagi spirit the bagel I'd snacked on during the ride filled me and I wasn't hungry. It must have really weirded them out.

And here I am, back in the dorms. I should be doing homework, but I've sorta been thrown off my groove. I'm not sure what I'm meant to be doing. Grrrrr. BenTen is asleep and Rowsdower is driving her to work. Not sure if he's picking her up. I don't know if Josh and Seirra are home. I called Del to apologize for not calling her and hooking up with her over the weekend. Erin is in her room. She's probably doing homework like a good girl.

I did miss Nick all weekend. Sometimes I'd let myself miss him. Other times I wouldn't, and it annoyed me. I hate being so emotionally...stupid. I really don't know how to deal with my own emotions. I guess I need a new hobby.

But hey, I'm home and safe and for once I don't have a sleep deficit - although that is probably going to change tonight. As usual.

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