What I did on my last summer weekend

Reporting from Winston-Salem, NC:

I ate well. I had shrimp and grits at two different restaurants, some delicious fried pickles and...well, what I'm about to tell you is in no way made-up. I ate a {pause for emphasis} Krispy Kreme bread pudding. It made my knees buckle. It made me swoon. It made me hallucinate slightly. It was very very very good.

I went to a symphony. Let me just say in all seriousness and as much objectivity as I can muster when my parents are both very involved: the Winston-Salem Symphony rules. Bob Moody is as much of a rockstar as a symphony conductor could be, and both times I've been have been as much fun as just about any show I could imagine this side of LCD Soundsystem. Saturday night saw me seeing a world premiere, an Elgar piece, and—a bone tossed for those us who are classically ignorant—the 1812 Overture, which was made amazing by captions on a screen behind the orchestra saying which part of the Moscow invasion each part of the piece represented. What a great night. For those of you who spend time in the Triad, it's a highly recommended night out.

I went shopping. My little sister Mary is the BEST shopping companion ever. First of all, she's the only one with the strength to tolerate me at my shopping grumpiest, and she's also has enough sense of style and strength to tell me, "Ummm...no."

I took a road trip. For the last year+, I've been flying back to Winston, but this time, I got to drive down in a rented car with my dear friend Rebecca. I'd forgotten how much fun road trips could be, picking out songs on the iPod, expanding on conversations that would have been 10 times shorter if they'd taken place anywhere but a car. Plus, we took a back route to Winston and I got a short tour of Reidsville, where Rebecca grew up, which afforded me a chance to make the kind of joke that only I find funny:

Rebecca: Oh, coming up here is the big "Jesus Saves" neon sign on this church up here.

As we drive by...

Rebecca: Oh, it's not turned on now.

Reid: Maybe it's like the Krispy Kreme "Hot Donuts Now" sign: Jesus is only saving when it's turned on.

I crack me up. And yes, that's the second Krispy Kreme reference in this post and the third in the last week. Serendipity.

And thanks to Rebecca for her patience and she discovered the levels of babble I'm capable of when I'm in a confined space and pumped full of caffeine. It scares even me.