I should have stayed in Williamsburg

I hate driving in the rain. I can’t see, I am not sure what speed to drive, other drivers are crazy, tractor-trailers make a blinding amount of spray, and windshield wipers are annoying. I went to a very late breakfast with Dad and then we headed over to the Asian Market.

My dad is a bargain shopper and always gets the best deals on food. Karrie and I had been telling him that he should see the Asian market (me because it was interesting, and Karrie because she says there are great deals). So we headed over there for some exploration and entertainment.

The Asian market that I go to is in an old Rite-Aid, so it is not very large, but it is usually busy. I don’t really understand the way the aisles are set up though I have a general idea and there is an overpowering smell of fresh meat and seafood throughout the store. I took Kelley there once and she chose to wait outside. They only take cash and checks, which I always forget until it is time to check out and time to scrounge to see if I even have any cash. I started going to the Tan-A when I needed foods from other cultures for the Fear Factor food tasting we did for Ecology class. We used some things from the Asian markets, but also items like pigs feet, soy milk, and goat cheese which are not all that exotic, but generally rural high school kids have not tried and would not try without the peer pressure we intentionally build up.

Walking around with Dad was hilarious. He is a big teaser and big on stereotypes although I think generally he is open-minded. He does enjoy Asian foods and we are all sad that our favorite Thai place has gone under. Dad was sort of shocked that a lot of the products have absolutely no English on them, or that they may have English enough to know what they are called, but he still didn’t know what it was, and there were no directions as to what to do with it. He was surprised at the amount of fruits and vegetables that he had never heard of (but I knew some of them!) and also by the number of products crammed in a small space. I am sure Ellen and Keegan have this experience every time they head to the markets in Korea.

His main goal was to find the cheese. Some lady that he kids around with at one of his favorite Chinese restaurants says the reasons Americans and non-Asians are fat is because they eat cheese. Sure enough, there is NO cheese at the Tan-A. There was some milk, and some ice cream, but not much.

We didn’t but anything, but it was entertaining. I soon left for Williamsburg and was on the road in the rain. I was headed to my accommodation for the evening, the Powhatan Resort. The reason I was staying there was because I got a TravelZoo email deal for only fifty bucks – that’s less than everywhere else in town. My suite included a master bedroom and bath with a huge tub, an upstairs bedroom and another bath, a kitchen, living area, window seat, and washer and dryer. Hilarious – all of that for just me. And for just one night.

I really enjoyed the Williamsburg Ball this year (known as the George Washington Ball). I hardly sat out – though I did dance with many women and a lot of the dances were really fun. Usually this ball is a lot of difficult dances, but this year I felt they were more enjoyable. The best one is a new dance written by one of their members called Passing Fancies. When we learned it Jerry couldn’t pronounce that phrase ever so we kept referring to it as the Fancy Pants Dance (it was a very giggly dance practice that evening though there was an unusually low number of younger participants). Passing Fancies is constant movement and circling of everyone and it flows beautifully. There is a lot of room for totally screwing it up, but I just love it anyway. When I found out the woman who wrote it I went and thanked her and told her it was my favorite dance. I think she was surprised and flattered. I think it would be neat to write a dance, but seeing as I have no rhythm or ability to count beats, I think it would be very difficult for me.

The after party was in someone else’ suite at the Powhatan – a couple from Texas with ten children – some of whom I danced with at the ball. Jerry calls balls for them a couple times of year and invites me – I think I may go to the next one in June. After brownies, ice cream, coffee, and conversation I headed to bed a little after one. The next morning I exercised and then took a bath in the gigantic bath tub. I cannot even remember the last time I took a bath. Normally I don’t like them because all of me is not underwater. This is why I prefer hot tubs to bathtubs – their size.

After the soak, I checked out and headed to the outlets. I don’t need any clothes, but I still like to look for some bargains. I found a few, but was a bit disappointed. A lady I work with at school is about to give birth. I think she is the sweetest lady and knowing all the kids outlets there, I was on the hunt for the best bargains for ten dollars just because I like her and kids’ clothes are so cute. And I didn’t find any good bargains within my price range. Maybe somewhere else.

I was sort of dilly dallying and wandering around and mom called to see where I was. The weather forecast for Sunday was supposed to be horrible in the evening and she wanted me to be home before dark. Fine, I was in no rush. I continued my errands and headed into Richmond to walk Layla. Mom called again… where was I? It was raining in Richmond and it was my understanding that the snow was heading from South to North. Well it was snowing buckets and 522 was starting to look bad – time to come home she said. As I was walking Layla it started to sleet. I filled up on gas and headed home. At first 64 looked pretty decent, but it got snowier and snowier and I drove slower and slower. As I neared my exit I was only going 40. I carefully exited, pulled over at the gas station, bought the winning lottery ticket, called mom, and then headed home. 522 was covered in snow. 522 is a curvy windy road so I took it easy and drove carefully. Tons of people were coming the other way so their side was clearer than mine, but I eventually made it home – though I could barely see the driveway – and waited for them to cancel school – which they did.