Day 23 - Leftovers

Today I took the left turn that will take me up the other coast to my final destination. In honor of my left turn, I thought I would write about some leftover stories that didn't make it to earlier posts.


Austin

• I thought deals were good in New Jersey where you can find "Buy 1 get 3 free!" but Texas has "Buy 1 get 11 free!"
  
  
• The nicknack shop, Prima Dona, that is next door to and sells souvenirs for the Magnolia Cafe along with Austin postcards, coasters, t-shirts, etc. also has a corner where it sells Tempur-Pedic mattresses.
   
• The same way it seems like everyone has the same car when you buy a new car, I may just be sensitive to coincidence, but I was surprised to happen across this article about a woman in Seattle who won the right to swim topless at public pools after a double mastectomy. Strangely, the article uses Austin as a counterpoint. It just confirmed for me that if you have to be in Texas, Austin is the place to be!

New Orleans

• While walking around the French Quarter, I passed several psychic and palm reading establishments. As it seemed like the best place to purchase those services if I was ever going to purchase those services, I stopped in at one that said they took credit cards and asked about the prices.
  
  One of the women explained that it was $20 for both palms and that went out a year, tarot readings were $45 but she'd be willing to do it for me for $30 and that went out three years, five year readings were usually $75 but she'd do it for $50, and whole life readings were $120 but she's do one for $90. She also mentioned that it would have to be cash only because their credit card machine was broken.
  
  I told her I'd think about it and continued down the block. I didn't have enough cash for the five year to life readings, but I was considering the tarot reading as it would cover my time in graduate school and that was what I was interested in asking about.
  
  But I realized I'm kind of locked in at this point -- and happily so. If she said anything was going to go wrong, it would just make me nervous and anxious about my impending doom. If she said only good things were going to happen, then she'd just be spoiling the surprise.
  
  Several times I thought about turning back, but ultimately I didn't.
  
  I just couldn't get over the fact that she should have seen the credit card machine problem coming.

Tallahassee

• Do you remember one of the first screensavers that looked like you you were hurdling through space with stars coming at you?
  
  
  
  
  I can't think of a better way of explaining what it's like to drive through Florida at night. Except instead of stars, they're bugs. And instead of flying past you, they hit your windshield. (It sounded like rain!)
  
  
• Lastly, should you be a farmer looking for love, be sure to check out FarmersOnly.com. Because city folks just don't get it. (I saw a TV commercial featuring a bunch of overall-wearing, wheat-gnawing farmers and had to find out if it is real. It is.)

Tomorrow, I tour the town of Savannah and then I'm off to Hotlanta!


Odometer Start: 39340
Odometer End: 39617
Miles Driven Today: 277
Miles Driven Total: 5779
Today In/Around: Savannah, GA
Tomorrow: Atlanta, GA
States Visited: 13 (Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia)
Anti-Choice Billboard Count: 9