"I'm spinning round the room in awe" ryan adams

Saturday, March 26, 2005

spur of the moment road trip to PA

Danielle thinks I am wacky anyways, but she says that working Fridays with me is especially interesting since I am usually in higher spirits. I accredit that to more often that not, I am traveling during the weekend, so I have something to look forward to that is almost there. Yesterday was no different, Maryellen and I were onwards to PA after work.

“I need you to follow me
I’m wanting you to stay
I need you to fall into
This love that’s been waiting at bay” ~ todd martin

I met Maryellen outside of the PATH and we tore it up down 78. I made two CDs for the road trip, which provided a wonderful soundtrack to our random ramblings and thoughts. We were doing pretty good navigating through the countryside until the directions didn’t match up. I had to go to the bathroom, so after we passed the town of Virginville (in which we totally lost it) we found a gas station where we also asked for directions. Maryellen asked for directions, I scoured the convenience store for something that could pass as dinner. Another Friday night meal of Reese cups and coffee instead of chocolate milk – also in PA and not MD. We rule at directions - the road we were on just ended. so we knew we missed the turn, because apparently "right turn on penn street" means "right turn on state street". After a few misnamed roads, rights instead of slight rights, we found the only building within a 5 mile radius to be lit up, which was also our destination.

We go inside this bar, in which immediately we realize that everyone here probably all lives within a stones throw of this place and all probably went to elementary school together. And now the NYC girls disrupted the place. We so did not belong. I mean, our clothes matched! And we didn’t have bad perms! And we don’t have elastic on our pants! Ok, it wasn’t that bad and not everyone was like that, but still. We found Brad and said our hellos then found the bar. “Two Yuenglings, please!” “We’re all out.” How they hell are they “all out”?!?! Pottstown is 20 miles away from here, I’m sure there is like a Yuengling River that distributes the fine beer to all local bars. We settled for a not so tasty German beer. The bar had all imported bottles for only $2. Not a bad deal – I barely finished two. Todd didn’t partake in the international beverages and settled for a domestic twisted tea. We all chatted before the show and during Sauerwine. We also checked out the band bulletin board, most of the local bands being in the harder rock/metal/screamo category. Yeah, I can totally see all that angst growing up in…farm…country…in Pennsylvania…yeah.

Todd was accompanied by a band, an interesting and great alternative to the usual Todd and Brad shows. They played everything that Maryellen and I wanted to hear - she got Follow Me and Mission…wait – no, they teased Mission and it wasn’t played! I was content after She Knows and Feeling Infinite. Some of the Sauerwine guys joined them up on stage for a few songs as well. Midway during the set, the Pretty Girls entered the venue. We decided that they were probably the high school cheerleaders of the lot, and are now in the mid twenties hanging out at the bar in the town they grew up in. They looked nice and weren’t stage whores and bought three cds, so Maryellen and I assumed that we would like them. Oh! So some of the girls had this weird hair thing going on, including one of the Pretty Girls. They took half their hair, twisted in the back with a clippie claw thingy and had a fountain of hair coming out of the top. Not hot. I tried to mimic the look, to much success, and oddly enough, I then fit in. Near the end of the set played Karma Police, in which Maryellen and I also sang along and realized that no one else in the bar probably knew the words. So funny.

After the set, Maryelllen, Brad, Todd, Bill, and I socialized near the bar as Bill shared high school stories of Todd and Brad challenged my musical knowledge. The bartender, who reminded me of the wizard in the Wizard of Oz, kept talking to Todd as Todd looked interested in the fact The Wizard’s mom was the cook and how there was a good turnout. The Wizard had a look of amazement on his face when Brad informed him that Todd was indeed on tour and grew up not too far from there. I wonder if The Wizard has ever left Fleetwood, PA. He did have a cute bar though – neatly decorated and with a fireplace. Like the Northstar, it would make a cool apartment. After hanging out by the van, we left for… WAWA! Maryellen even let me drive her car to the Wawa. We got coffee, sandwiches, and chips. The Wawa was packed at 2am…but I guess aside from the bar we were at, there is nothing else to do in Fleetwood except hang out at the Wawa. We braved the guys whistling at us and ate dinner in the car then proceeded back on 222 and 78 without getting lost. We kept each other up by playing disc 2 of the roadtrip mix and chatting non stop. Two hours later we were back in Hoboken and realized we spent more time in the car than at the show. So great.

“I’ve so much to say
But no way to write it
I’m losing a step
I’ve fallen behind
This life we call love” ~ tm