On Tuesday, SMA and I took an impromptu road trip to Chattanooga. We did so as I had not shopped for books in the area in some time and this was our way of thumbing our nose at gas prices. I assure you, the last line was completely facetious.
The day started with SMA trading in his copy of NCAA Football 2009 for the Xbox 360 to GameStop in Turkey Creek. This was his way of displaying his disdain for the Vols’ performance the previous night. He did not want any reminders of this year’s football season. Yes, it is a bit extreme, but that is SMA. He also brought several other games for trade-in. This process took forever as another customer was doing the same thing. Amazingly, both SMA and said customer also waited for the employee to open his previous night’s shipment to purchase the same game, Infinite Undiscovery (released that day). What were the odds?
After watching SMA eat at Mancino’s (I had already sampled from the Shoney’s’s breakfast bar), we hit the road to Chattanooga. I needed some time off from studying and it allowed us time to talk. We stopped for gasoline at a Shell station off Exit 60 in Sweetwater. Next to the station was this store (Joker Joe’s Fireworks) with a diverse array of items: fireworks, rebel flags, and country hams. We resisted the urge to check this out. We already had plenty of all. (For the record, that would be none.)
In Chattanooga, we stopped at the local McKay’s branch, the only other franchise in the state. (There are, however, Mr. K’s operating in Oak Ridge and Johnson City). I asked SMA if there was anything else he wished to do in Chattanooga and he declined.
On the way home, we stopped at Pathway Bookstore in Cleveland. It is one of the largest Christian book stores in the United States. Yes, in Cleveland, Tennessee. It is the retail outlet for the publishing branch of the Church of God. They even have a coffee shop inside. They have a room devoted entirely to discounted books and there are always great bargains, including scholarly works. I highly recommend the store.
Many of the discounted items are haphazardly displayed in bins. We feel that they do this to make it appear they have more titles than they actually do. I knew I had kept SMA there too long when he took it upon himself to find all of the study guides to Desire by John Edlridge and group them together. Had we not left, I feel he would have been compelled to organize the entire room. Such are the hazards of book shopping with me.
I visited with JTH at MoFoS upon returning to town. He updated me on all of the football parties I had missed the previous day. There was some drama as Old Amanda visited JBT’s party. She was not invited and presumably knew to attend only because JBT always has holiday cookouts. While there, she evidently attempted to spill many secrets about her ex-boyfriend JDM whom she had seen at Boomsday the previous night with New Amanda, SH, and his girlfriend, Amanda #3. I really need to learn the last names of the Amandas...
In other news of Tuesday, WAM was approved for his apartment in the Woodview Terrace complex. He has wisely opted for the one-bedroom space. It will be several weeks before he moves in. In the meantime, he faces the dilemma of what color to paint his wicker furniture. His apartment has no color scheme and at present it is purple.
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