Lubbock: day one

Scream It Like You Mean It Tour. Photo from http://commonrevolt.com/post/5855729804

Tuesday afternoon to Wednesday afternoon was probably the most jam-packed 24+ hours of my life. I drove countless miles across the state of Texas, saw six different bands, accumulated a handful of scrapes and bruises, broke my phone again, and barely slept a wink.

Tuesday at 3:30 p.m., I dropped everything I was doing and left Austin to go to San Antonio for the Scream It Like You Mean It Tour. The show was awesome, but it was so hot in the White Rabbit that by the end of the show I was soaking wet from my sweat, other people’s sweat, and the water the bands kept pouring on the crowd. My shorts were even so soaked that my phone got some water inside it and completely stopped working (I let it sit in a bag of rice for about 12 hours, and it’s all good now!)

I finally got home from San Antonio around 1 a.m., and it just so happened that Martin and Wes, who had been at the recording studio all day with the rest of Edison Chair, were pulling up to the house at the same time. We were all tired and dirty and beat up from our individual adventures, but we were faced with a dilemma: go to bed now and get 2.5 hours of sleep, or man up, pull an all-nighter, and sleep all the way to Lubbock. We chose the latter.

This is what we looked like yesterday. Photo from http://www.halloweencostumes.com/adult-zombie-costume.html

Was it the best choice? Probably not. Especially considering Martin and I were both complete zombies all day. Even with God Is An Astronaut gently rocking me to sleep the whole way to Lubbock, it was still hard to fall asleep and stay asleep. But my lack of sleep is no concern to me. We used those wee-hours of the morning to throw ourselves a little going away party, and it was definitely worth it.

Even though Martin and I stayed up all night packing and getting ready for the trip, we still left for our trip an hour late (and by “we” I mean my parents decided to push snooze for an extra hour). Big surprise. I bet my parents will be late for my wedding. But we still arrived in Lubbock in the afternoon, which gave us plenty of time to visit with my Granny and go to dinner with a bunch of my aunts, uncles, and cousins. The trip’s taken a unexpected turn, though, because my Granny had to leave for Houston this morning because her last remaining sister died earlier this week. So now one of the main reasons we came to Lubbock is gone. But that does mean we might come home a day earlier!

And we’re house sitting Granny’s now, and you know how much I love house sitting. Just ask Wes’ s grandma…

P.S. Four days til I move out!

I’m taking a trip to Lubbock.

This is the route we'll be taking.

Tomorrow I’m going to Lubbock, Texas. We’ll be packing up the whole Aker clan – which includes five people and one dog – and heading out at 9 a.m. Or at least that’s what we’re aiming for. If Martin and I were in charge of this operation, we’d be pulling out of the driveway at 9 a.m. on the dot. But my mom and dad are taking the reins on this one, and knowing them, we won’t be getting out of here until 11 (Sorry, Mom, if you’re reading this, but in the words of a wise man, “I must not tell lies”). But that just means I get to nap a little longer, and it’s not like I’m that eager to get to Lubbock.
“What’s in Lubbock?” you may ask. Well, not much honestly. My dad grew up in Lubbock, and my mom and him and even met there at Texas Tech. After college, they moved away, but nearly all of my dad’s side of the family still lives there so that’s the main reason for this little trip. And my Granny is turning 84 at the end of this week.

Photo from http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Greetings-from-Lubbock-Texas-Posters_i906226_.htm

It’ll be really nice to see my Granny and aunts and uncles and cousins and my cousins’ kids because I don’t really get to see them that much. But aside from them, I’m not really looking forward to this trip. Maybe it’s just because I’m not a local, but in all the years we’ve been driving to Lubbock, I have never found something entertaining to do in that town. I mean the last time we went up there two years ago, I brought along my at-the-time boyfriend, and we were so bored we just ended up driving around the city looking for something fun to do but eventually gave up and just went back to the house and did nothing.

Also, I know this is another one of my first world problems, but my Granny has NO INTERNET at her house. She doesn’t even have a computer (not that I’d need her computer, but it’s just so strange to think that someone doesn’t own a computer today). But anyways, I know it won’t kill me to not have easy access to the Internet, but what am I supposed to do late at night when everyone else has gone to bed and I’m incredibly bored? As soon as we get settled in at my Granny’s house, the first thing I’m doing is finding a Starbucks.

This is what you're supposed do at a drive-in. Photo from http://advice.lovedetour.com/sdean/date-night-not-just-another-chore.html

But it’s not like this whole trip will be some terribly boring trip from hell. We have a lot of friends and family to see, like my dad’s friend Johnny who owns this huge canyon outside of Lubbock, so that’ll be fun. And my parents even found a drive-in movie theater close to Lubbock so we’ll go see Harry Potter or Captain America one night. It will be a bit weird going to a drive-in with my whole family though. To me, drive-ins are the kinda place a guy takes a girl for a super cute, romantic date. Not the place a family goes to see a movie. But whatever, I’ll enjoy it nonetheless.

Other than that, I have no idea what I’m going to do on this trip. If any of my Lubbock family or friends are reading this, first off please don’t be offended at my lack of enthusiasm for your city. Second, I am open to suggestions on fun things to do and places to go to in your city. Otherwise, Martin and I are going to spend a lot of time aimlessly driving around Lubbock. At least it’ not a dry city anymore.

P.S. 6 days ’til I move into my new place!