IN WHICH I go to Mike's Church, Drive Back to Uncasville, Think About Visiting the State of Rhode Island (Which, by Birthright, Does Belong to Me), Do Not Eat Donuts, See The Jets Embarrassed, Greet my Relatives at their Return from Worcester, Have Two Issues Arise, AND - in the Meantime - Babysit A Crying Dog.

Following Mike to his church was an exciting challenge for me, since our driving styles differ so.  I come to a complete stop at all "STOP" signs, I abide by the posted speed limit on regular roads within a margin of four (4) MPH, and I signal all turns well before I make them.  Mike certainly had a more laissez-faire approach to these three principles - as they really do say in France, and trust me, that's the only time you'll ever see me use that phrase and mean it - and that made things tough on me.  He would pull away from me with rolling stops, go from a 45 MPH zone to a 30 MPH zone without flinching, and then - if I would finally catch up to him - he'd make a sudden turn, for which I was not prepared.  And there were a lot of sudden turns.  I bet if there was a road directly from Mike's church to his house, it would only take about five minutes to get there, but instead it seemed like we would go two miles in one direction, only to promptly turn almost all the way around and go three in another, at which time we would spin around again, like we were in some sick car shuttle run.  I'm tempted to blame the early settlers for their stupidity in building the roads of the 18th century, but they'd probably just shift the blame to the makers of the Indian paths they supposedly followed, and I think we can all agree that they've been through enough; plus, I enjoy the million-dollar fireworks from the Mohegan Sun.

The service and sermon were excellent, as the pastor (Rev. Flashman) talked about the sin of Achan (Joshua 7:1-26), which led to the Israelite defeat at Ai - and showed how the sin of one can affect the many, a point that had taken on special significance in their church.  Afterwards, I talked to him briefly, said goodbye to Mike and his parents, and started my drive back.

As I approached the exit, I stared at the fuel gauge.  I knew I had plenty of gas to get back to Uncasville, and I'd fill up right when I got off the freeway.  But I was also only about twenty minutes from Rhode Island, a state I'd never visited, the state of my ancestors, one of whom was - honestly - the first white male child born there.  I could take the first exit, sample the fresh Rhode Island and Providence Plantations air, purchase some gasoline, and return to Uncasville.  But, when the time came, I decided to just go back, and leave the land of my people for another time.

The rest of the afternoon went by without event.  I got back right before everyone was leaving to visit my aunt's mother in Worcester, but I decided to stay with Tasha the dog and watch the Jets game, a task I didn't stick with long.  Their computer network was so fast, I spent a lot of time cleaning out my email and reading news stories at CNN.  I also drove back down to the gas station and bought a couple papers to read while I didn't watch the Jets get crushed.  Although a Dunkin Donuts franchise was located in the gas station, I didn't buy any, because it was just a little too weird.

After everyone returned, my grandmother called her niece, and it turned out that my great-aunt wasn't doing so well, which raised the possibility of going through Binghamton on our way home.  At the same time, I was talking to my mother on IM, who was telling me that I really had to make it back for the music meeting, because our worship leader had some questions about the song set I had picked out.  I called her to find out what was going on, and explained the situation with Binghamton.  Of course the most important thing was my great-aunt's condition, and getting my grandmother there to see her.  But there was enough time, if we left early in the morning, to spend the afternoon in Binghamton and still get back in time for the meeting.  And after some discussion, that was what we planned on - an early departure, a trip to Binghamton, and then back home by 7.

But we couldn't possibly have imagined what would happen.

TO BE CONTINUED . . .

Round ELEVEN

NHS Speech

"My View" Editorial

The October Surprise
|  Round 1 |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |
|   6  |  7  |  8  |  9  |  10  |
|  11  |  12  |  Final Bell  |

Journey to Jersey II
|  Intro  |  1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |
|   6  |  7  |  8  |  9  |  10  |  11  |
|  12  |  13  |  14  |  15  |

Journey to Jersey I
|  1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |   6  |  7  |  8  |
|  9  |  10  |  11  |  12  |  13  |  14  |
|  15  |  16  |  17  |  18  |  19  |  20  |

An Epic Saga
|  Act  1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |
|   6  |  7  |  8  |  9  |  10  |  11  |
|  12  |  13  |  14  |  15  |  16  |

Christian Rock Email

Freshman Room Draw
|  Part One  |  Two  |
|  Three  |  Four  |  Five  |