Five hours and fifteen minutes

from my in-laws' house in Vegas to the Smith's parking lot in Orem, including a fifteen-minute stop in Mesquite for gas and snacks. I'd taken a cooler full of grapes, carrots, cheese, water, and a ham sandwich, which I ate while driving to save time. At the gas station I decided to make a preemptive attack on potential sleepiness with some kind of caffeine, but the problem is that I really don't like any carbonated beverages and, though I briefly considered the frapuccinos available, I hate the taste of coffee. I opted then for sugar and the small amount of caffeine available in chocolate; I was happy to discover a little bottle of Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie Milkshake. It was, as the bottle says, "a euphoric milk beverage." It was also a bit costly for its size, but Milob had given me a little bit of cash so I wouldn't feel guilty about buying myself a treat, so I splurged.

At Smith's I prepared for the coming week of feeding myself. I'm embarrassed at all the already-prepared food I bought--I fear Foxy J has managed in the past five years to domesticate me, turning me into the typical male incapable of cooking his own meals--but the truth is that I don't have time to prepare meals. I am going to make lasagna sometime this week, though, as that's the only dish I remembered all the ingredients to and knew I could make successfully. I'm also proud of myself for buying a decent selection of healthy foods like fresh fruits and veggies.

Today was the first time I'd made a drive longer than an hour by myself, and the coming week will be one of the very few times in my life that I've lived completely alone, with neither family nor roommates. While I will miss Foxy and Boogie and LD, I am looking forward to this week. I have always valued my alone time and I've not had much of it in the past few years. I imagine about the beginning of next week I'll have had enough of myself and will be more than happy to have my family back. Until then, though, I'm going to enjoy hanging around the apartment in my underwear (which is not to say that I can't or don't usually do so). I hope Foxy and the kids continue to enjoy their stay in Vegas, and I'll be watching S-Boogie's blog for pics.