Monday, April 10, 2006

Halfie with a Mission.

I was on my way home today around 1:45pm and desperately needed to get a Borders Scholarship Application into the mail by 5. There's a P.O. on Dresden, just off Clairmont a mile or 2 from my duplex. Upon exiting 85-N I notice the whole off-ramp is backed–up like getting preshow tickets to Episode 1. I think "accident", no big deal. 5 minutes later I get to the light and cops have the left turn blocked off. I'm forced to go straight to Shallowford and turn around on the feeder. No big deal. Getting back to Clairmont there's more cops, but traffic is moving. No big deal.

I see muchos gente de Latino Americanos walking around wearing white t-shirts. Brain flips on. Immigration law, Atlanta Farmers Market, barricades I saw leaving my house this morning, Dresden Rd, Buford Highway, Taco Veloz, QT @ Buford and Clairmont, pan dulce, elotes, Brownsville, Charro Days, Elizabeth street, parades, P R O T E S T, post office.

Traffic halts.

A Very Big Deal.

As the Tripping Daisy disc I started when I left school fades into The Verve Pipe, I inch closer to Buford @ Clairmont, it's 2:38 and the rest of Clairmont is closed to thru traffic. Without lunch and an umpteenth personal realization that I'm Hispanic and wish I spoke Spanish, I call Lyndsey for assistance. She wants refreshments and offers a potential shortcut to her office (which come to find out everyone else knows) where there's a PO box that picks up at 4:30.

I'm there by 3:25 and Lyndsey gets her Dairy Queen Chocolate Sundae. I hope I get the scholarship.

Addendum:
Funniest thing I saw while in traffic (at least it's funny to me): guy-in-a-tie steps out of a silver Land Rover, passenger side, to smoke a cigarette. Driver rolls the window down as not to halt conversation. As the car crawls, smoker hops onto the side rails grasping the luggage rack, takes a drag. Apparently you should not smoke in a Land Rover. Got that, Anne?

1 comment:

Anne Elser said...

Yup. Got it, Jason. Thanks. Even when I was a smoker - I hated smoking in the car.

Loved your description of your journey and that a craving solved it for you. DQ is the expectant mother's heaven.