Dude, where's my keys

I thought it was a great idea to get out of the city for a a day or two, since I will be working for the next 12 days straight. My weekend was supposed to start with a trip to the hairdresser for a relaxer and a trim. I even took pictures of my last day with natural hair as a memento. But it wasn't meant to be because I spent 30 minutes looking for my keys. I must say that is a record. I don't think I have ever spent that long - they weren't in any of the usual places and I turned the place upside down looking for them. I became so frustrated I was almost in tears. They ended uo being in the kitchen which is extremely unsusual, since I am rarely there. Sadly, I wasn't even the one who found them. So I still make my way out there, hoping there was a possibility I could be on time, but it was raining and the traffic was not cooperative. As it turns out, I was 30 minutes late to my appointment and could not have my hair done. I would have to be reschedule, but since I have to work 12 days straight who knows when I will be able to go back...I guess I will have to be natural a couple more weeks.

After that it was off to Wilmington, DE - the place where we would be staying since all the hotels in Philly were booked. By we - I mean me and my friend. We are er, um "hanging out". What would normally be about a two hour drive took 4+ hours. It took two hours just to get out of the DC Metro area. It rained and rained and rained some more.

After we got settled, we drove to Philly to hang out with one of his friends. We walked about 20 blocks in the rain and ended up and Jamaican eatery - from there we met with some more people and ended up going to a club called the Five Spot. It was a nice time, but after that we were tired and just ready to get back to the room and that is when the adventure started.

After we got to the parking garage, the attendant claimed that the car wasn't there. It's one of those parking garages where they keep your keys. I have never been too comfortable withthat arrangement especially after my car mysteriously got scrathced while it was parked in one of those lots, but I digress. My friend was getting upset, because the original attendant never gave us a ticket and there was a new attendant on duty. We were both soaking wet from the rain and tired which added to the irritation. The attendant repeatedly said he didn't have the car and at that point I was ready to call the police. The attendant went to search again and this time he found the car - I guess he realized we weren't going anywhere (especially without a car) To top things off, he tried to charge $10, when we had already paid when we first pulled into the lot. My friend was agitated and probably not in the best condition to drive.

We pulled out and then we got a little lost. I suppose he appeared to be driving erratically and neither of us noticed that our lights weren't on. And in no time there were flashing lights. I had no idea why were being pulled over, since we were just trying to figure out how to get back to our room. The officer came to the window and my friend started babbling and babbling. I just wanted him to shut up, because he was just repeating himself. He tends to babble when he is nervous. Well, the officer made him get out of the car and made him take a series of tests to determine if he was driving under the influence. Whoa, I was nervous - he had a couple of drinks, but I didn't think he was drunk.

Why didn't I just drive, I hadn't had a drop of alcohol and I wasn't nearly as agitated as he had been. I mean, would he really drive drunk? I offered to drive, didn't I? I couldn't remember. I should have just insisted. But he didn't seem drunk - surely I know the difference. He can handle a lot more then two drinks - and some time had passed. But was it enough time? I should have known not to let him drive after he was so angry at the parking attendant. Oh my god - this can't be happening. What do I do? I can't do anything - but wait. My mind was numb. I helplessly watched wishing I could take the test for him. It was scary.

He had to say his ABCs - which he did. Then he had to stand on one foot and do this weird kick thing (which I would probably have trouble doing sober) Then he had to walk heel toe, heel toe turn and repeat. Phew, he did that pretty well. Ok maybe things would be ok afterall. Then he had to follow a small flashlgiht with his eyes without turning his head. I was scared because his back was to me and I couldn't see what was happening. I saw his head move a couple of times - dang why didn't I drive? Then, the test was over and my friend came and sat in the car with me. We tried to talk about other things while we waited, but it was hard. If the worst happened, I would just have to come get him, we decided. But he still didn't seem drunk - just nervous. We waited for what seemed like an eternity. Finally the officer came back to the car. A ticket, for driving without the headlights on and he gave us directions to get back to our room. I would have been happier with a warning, but under the circumstances, it was ok. We made it back to the room, without any more misadventures. What a crazy end to our day.

Saturday was much better. It was still raining, but we went to the Ebony Fashion Fair - Fit to be Fabulous. I hadn't gone to a showing in a long time, but it was a good show. Eight scenes - some of which I thought were weird, but I liked the colorful scenes - lots of orange and yellow - nice. I think my friend liked the swimwear ;) The hip hop scene was my least favorite - the clothes were needlessly expensive and too over the top. The showstopper was a two piece number which made me reconsider the virtues of crunches. It was hot!

After the show, we went to Ruth Chris Steak House, which was a first for me. I must say the dish I enjoyed most was the lobster bisque. I didn't have any steak - I just wasn't in the mood for a big ol hunk of meat. So I had the stuffed chicken - eh - it was just alright. The stuffing definitely wasn't worth the caloric intake. But after a little doctoring up, the chicken was bearable. Amazing was a little lemon juice and pepper can do.

We drove back to the room with only a few scares. It was pouring and the car kept getting pummelled with rain from the big wheelers driving by. We made it back safely and settled in for a n evening a college football. It was nice and dry.

And today it was time to return from our adventurous weekend away. It was good to get away even with all of the craziness.