Quirk on the Road

It seemed that everywhere we went yesterday brought us interesting interactions. I opened for Susan and Dana Cooper at Opening Bell in Dallas last night (FUN FUN show), but we started the day in Houston. Breakfast was at Taco Cabana, where a man was holding up the line because his receipt was wrong. He was threatening to call a branch manager and report the staff, all the while our glee at walking in before noon so we could score breakfast (11:56 AM) withered away while he ranted. Now, I don't know much about tacos but I do know this place has a menu of things that cost $1.50, so could his receipt really have been that big of a deal? Weird start to the day. We stopped for diesel somewhere in north Houston and a car full of...I believe Buddhist monks (wearing the orange garments, anyway), were getting gas. I was dog-watching, but Susan and our friend Amy who was along for the trip said that all four of the monks in the store bought lotto tickets. They couldn't decide if they should have followed suit because the karma would have been good or the opposite. We drove up 45 to Dallas and decided to stop at the ginormous Sam Houston statue in Huntsville to walk around. Such a neat little spot right off the road, with a giant likeness of Sam himself. The dogs probably enjoyed the big field the most, but we loved the wildflowers that are popping up in reds, yellows, pinks, whites, and the ever-present bluebonnets. The Opening Bell show was super fun and the room was great and the company greater... And then Susan and I had to head back to Austin afterwards because I have a Red Leaf showcase this afternoon. We thought a night drive would be better than sleeping a little and waking up and driving to make it back. So there I am in downtown Dallas, tapping on the convenience store window because they lock up at night even though they are open. The guy behind the counter asks what I want...and since I can't browse the aisles, I ask if he has Red Bull. He goes over to the fridge case and grabs 3 sizes and displays them in the window for me. I point decidedly at the mediums and pantomime "FIVE" at him (long drive...caffeine for two). At this point he walks around to the front of the store and opens it up and says, "Nice girls get to come inside the store in the middle of the night." I'm sure he deals with a lot of not-savory characters. And he probably wonders why this kid pulls up in a van and wants to buy 5 Red Bulls. So I complete my transaction in the safety of the inside and then we're on our way. I told Susan that while that was another quirk for our day's list, that guy probably thought the same about us. So it goes...