Errand day

I like to run errands. There’s something about having a large to-do list and checking off items. Even though I have a moderate commute to work every day, I don’t mind spending a lot of time in the car. I have podcasts to listen to. Weekends are when I play catch up.

The main focus of today’s errand journey was the end of one long project. I recently finished my Emory Web Design Certificate program. I actually didn’t know that I had finished. I thought I had one test to pass but found out that was unnecessary. All that was left was for me to pick up the parchment, or whatever they made the certificate out of. I talked to the guy running the program. He said swing by on Saturday.

I figured that while I was out of the house, I might as well do other things. What started out as a trip to pick up a piece of paper and restock the liquor cabinet became an odyssey.

I don’t like to have things perfectly scheduled. I understand that when I’m getting groceries that it’s a good idea to stick to the list. I can’t just do that. I have to buy one or two things off-list that we may need or “just because I can”. Today’s trip was like that.

Wifey asked me where the dry-cleaning bag was. That wasn’t a hint, but I took it anyway. My initial stop was at the dry cleaning shop. The dry cleaning shop always looks like a sweatshop but I know that they're doing fine. Dry cleaning owners do nothing but work all the time so they have no time to spend money.

While I drove to Emory I listened to Sports Guy and Chuck Klosterman discuss the last season of Lost. I don't always like listening to Klosterman. Maybe I'm just confused by people who make a living in part due to their encyclopedic knowledge of pop culture. I like it when he’s coming up with theories about Lost. The bottom line was that even though Lost may not always make sense and you don't know where it's going, it is an enjoyable hour of TV.

I thought it funny that they said in advance that a person who isn’t caught up on Lost shouldn’t listen, but when they referenced a character from The Wire dying, they bleeped it out. I can only assume that this means The Wire is greater than Lost and there’s no debate about that.

I made a pit stop for liquor. Earlier in the week I heard the same Sports Guy discuss how he liked flavored vodka with sparkling water. I had a hankering even though I’ve never tried this drink combination. I researched flavored vodkas online and found the best. The best was expensive. It costs about five times as much as what I like to pay for wine. I said screw it. It’s Saturday and the weather’s nice and I’m wandering through Atlanta. What could be better than that? I bought Hanger 1 Mandarin and I will review it later.

The woman at the Emory admin desk was friendly but not helpful. My certificate was not present. Instead of whining or complaining I merely left a note for the guy in charge and asked that he mail the certificate to me. I took my first class for this certificate in 2007 and committed to it in 2008. I want that paper.

Next I visited the old neighborhood. You don’t know how you feel about a place until you leave. It’s like someone you dated and years later you can’t even remember her last name. I could take or leave Buckhead. The location formerly known as the Home Depot is now a cheap furniture store called The Dump. That’s some excellent marketing. I stopped to check the wife’s P.O. Box.

I said I wasn’t going to go to Target but it was right there so I went inside. They did not have my hair product and I decided just to walk out. When all you need in life is hair product and mouthwash, you’re OK in waiting another day to get a refill.

Next was my last trip to the Fulton County Library. I’ve officially made the switch to DeKalb and I’m in library love. Fulton County was there when I needed it and I learned a few things about myself during the process. I probably checked out a hundred books during the seven years I lived there. It’s time to move on.

My list was complete but I had to make one more stop. The wife and I are having a third date tonight. I know that sounds strange for two people who have been together for close to a decade. Sometimes in a relationship you have to press the reset button on the odometer. No one will know except for the four people reading this. I stopped to buy tulips because she likes tulips and while I was at Trader Joes I got some pita chips, bananas, and wine. I have needs, too.

On the way home I transitioned to Adam Carolla and realized I needed to make one stop. What’s the sparkling water and vodka without the sparkling water? I stopped at a Publix. I had four planned stops on this trip and made seven. I was out for about two hours. Now I’m at home. It's the one with the yard cats and the huge pot hole out front and the friendly bundled up walkers.

And it's the one with my name on the mortgage.