Table for One

It has been a day.

Since I will be in training for the next five days down at an Army base in Arizona, today was a travel day.  I have been dreading, and I mean da-read-ing this trip since I first signed up for it many months ago.  Needless to say that when last night rolled around and I had to accept the fact the time had come, I was not in the happiest or highest of spirits.  But, in the words of my sister-in-law Haley, it is what it is so I had to put on my big-girl-britches and buck up.

My trip to the airport and flight into Tucson went smoothly.  I am always very apprehensive and nervous about traveling to places that I have never been before.  I'm sure a lot of people feel like that too.  Whenever I travel for work it seems like I have a really hard time adjusting to being away from home, being away from Ryan and the pups and sleeping in another bed.  There were two particular reasons why I was dreading this trip a little more than others.

[1] Fort Huachuca is about an hour and a half south east of Tucson in Sierra Vista...

...Yup.  About 20 miles from the border of Mexico.

Awesome. 

 [2] About a week ago I received an e-mail at work from someone important that had the subject title: Monsoon Season Warning.

Doubly awesome.

The e-mail warned that I am coming to Ft. Huachuca in the midst of monsoon season in Arizona, and it gave some info on what we should expect weather-wise.  The list was nothing short of flash flooding, violent winds, violent thunder storms and dust storms (which I recently learned are called a "haboob").

I thought to myself, "Gosh, can this trip get any better before it even starts??"

The drive down was pretty uneventful.  The Nissan Versa that is my rental car has the get-up of a pumpkin, so trying to drive 75 mph down I-10 was interesting.  I drove through bouts of rain and lightening, but made it to the base unscathed.

As soon as I drove onto the base, I got another sign that this is going to be a good trip.

  Joy of joys.

I was quite hungry by this time, and feeling pretty down.  I hopped in the Versa and headed down the main drag to find some dinner.  Olive Garden was calling my name.

I walked inside, and the hostesses greeted me warmly.  They asked the usual, "How many?" and I plainly responded, "Just one.  A table for one, please."  Then she gave me a very pitiful look and put the other menu she had in her hand back down on the desk. She stopped back by my table for one twice while I was eating to ask, "Are you doing ok, honey?" in a very "I'm so sorry you are sitting by yourself and reading a book at dinner" kind of way.  I felt like one of those elderly men or women who come to restaurants by themselves because their partner has passed away.  And then I felt like one of those creepy guys who goes to their staple-restaurants to people watch and schmooze (aka: make everyone really uncomfortable).

After a disappointing dinner, I headed over to Walmart for a few things and it quickly became one of the most interesting trips to Wally World that I have ever experienced.  

I am notoriously (at least with Ryan) to be a really bad line-picker.  I swear, I could pick the shortest line, and it is the slowest line.  Anyway, tonight was no exception.  I got behind a lady who had a good amount of items in her cart, but its not like I was in a big hurry to get back to my hotel room, so I figured - whatev.  I soon realize (after I put my 3 items on the conveyor belt) that this woman has separated her items into "normal" and those items that need to be "price adjusted based on her large-o stack of competitor coupons."

Still, no biggy.  I am in no hurry.

The woman behind me, however.  Was in a hurry.  

Her ice cream was going to melt.

This woman started throwing b-words, s-cans and f-bombs like it was nothing.  And I was caught in the cross-fire.  The woman who was asking for the price adjustments heard it all and got quite "frazzled" and at one point gave the cashier the wrong coupon.

Oh, boy.

I'll spare the details of the cat-fight, because I surely don't usually use the words that these ladies were using... But sheesh.  Incredible.  I don't think I've seen anything quite like it.

I need a Tylenol.

Take Luck,

LP