Monday, July 16th, 2012
In some ways, it seems a bit odd to be posting today's blog so early. It is not even noon yet, but I've already worked my day. Right now, I'm about 45 minutes outside of Chicago. I plan on driving through after 10 p.m. That's the only sensible option really.
Leaving at sundown, the world takes on a different feeling. Before I left Fargo, however, I happened to be walking out of the Petro, and was walking out the door shortly behind a gentlemen presumably from the South. I only presume that because he was wearing overalls and a faded red ball cap that read "Ole Miss" in dingy black letters. He could have been from Boston for all I know, but we all come laden with presuppositions and judgements. Seeing as there were two doors, I got the first one, and he got the second one. He waited for me a bit, and I could see that he was a bit hesitant to get back out into the truck.
Seeing this, I told him that I was not in any rush either, saying that it was nice to be out of the truck. He agreed heartily, as only a large framed, stocky guy can and we shared a chuckle. Some small talk was exchanged and he then told me that he was getting ready to leave. Another overnight run. I told him that it was the same for me. For a brief moment, there was a deep laugh, borne out from a deep sense of connection and empathy. At least for me there was. It was nice to know that there was somebody else in the same shoes as I was. I'd been waiting for that all day without knowing it.
A little while later, I was off and running, putting miles behind me. At one point, I stopped in a Kwik Trip in Wisconsin, looking for some cheese curds. Why else would you stop there? Going inside, I found the curds in a one pound bag. I thought about it for a while. For $6, you too can have a pound of cheese chunks. I was sorely tempted until I read the nutritional information. A single package had 16 servings. Seriously. Calories per serving? 120. That one pound of cheese could feed a person for an entire day. Knowing that I'd want to eat something else, I instead opted for 2 cheese sticks (80 calories each). I have now come to the conclusion that Wisconsinites like all dairy products (barring perhaps milk) amazingly salty. Having eaten the cheese, happily I might add, I felt a strange need for lots of water.
I will say that the best part of driving through Wisconsin in the dark is that it is dark when you do that. This is wonderful for me because I am unable to read all of the political signs in the dark. Having just come off a recent recall election of nasty proportions and some serious ickiness, I was glad to miss all the signs. I was, however, privy to one sign towards the beginning of the morning, after my 5 a.m. nap It was simple and read "Socialism- spreading poverty equally." This got a reaction out of me, and beggared the question of whether or not this guy actually knew what socialism is. In the end, I decided that it was best left alone. I'm not going to change his mind, and I needn't let him effect me. A good lesson overall.
