my son and i leave on a road trip to the rest of his life in the morning.

[mopinko]

i am driving with him from chicago to salt lake city so he can get his phd in math. he just graduated first in his class from uic. i am so happy for him. i am so proud of him.
i hope we both survive the trip.

we have a lot of issues based in my depression during his childhood, and the damage done. and his own several year depression after dropping out of high school. but he picked himself up and followed a rigorous daily regime of clean living and exercise, regular sleep habits, and only the most healthy foods.
as he got out of his depression, went to college, etc, we have gotten along better. but we still have our moments.
really, he has stacked up many impressive accomplishments, almost exclusively devoted to proving me, and his father, to be completely wrong about everything everywhere ever. i think a deep study of successful eccentrics would reveal a great many mother haters.

anyway, he does not need me to drive him, but we are doing it. he is a little nervous, but i think it will be ok. i am grateful for a little quality time with him, since he swears he will never return to chicago.
he really is an amazing and amusing person. i think he will have a great life 2.0 as he says.

send us a good vibe if you can.

[NYC_SKP]

1. hugz n vibes!

Making memories. Starting not tomorrow morning, but right now.

Happy travels!

[elleng]

2. So happy for him, you, and all of you,

and will be thinking of you. If possible. check in with us about your travels!

[mopinko]

7. will try, tho

the plan is chicago to salt lake in 2 days. we shall see.

[elleng]

10. Well, good luck with that!

I did Denver to Chicago in 2 days (MANY moons ago!) Nebraska went on FOREVER!!!

[snappyturtle]

3. Safe travels down life's road...

[postatomic]

4. Sounds like you have a good vibe going

But I'll throw in my good vibes just to sweeten the deal.

He'll be living in one of the most scenic states in this country. Very good for his spirit. Calming.

[mopinko]

8. calming

that is one of the big reasons he picked the school. that and that few people there drink. iow, the anti-chicago.
but that's cool.

[Denninmi]

5. Nice. Best of luck to him.

PhD in math, eh? Gotta be brilliant. You should be proud.

Life 2.0 - the chance to reboot and start over after a fatal systems error. I like it.

[mopinko]

6. he is so brilliant

that i knew he was a genius by the time he was 6 months old. he is not real happy about the path that i chose for him, but he chooses his own now.

[Bertha Venation]

9. powerful good vibes coming your way, mopinko

I hope that this trip will create great memories for the two of you, and that any friction is kept to a minimum.

[fizzgig]

11. you've got them!

i'm assuming you're taking 80 all the way? just set the cruise and take a nap, flattest and straightest drive ever

i'll be waving to the north

edit: if you are taking 80, DO NOT eat in ogalala. gave my stomach fits the only time i did.

[mopinko]

12. made it to cheyene

450 mi to go. no bloodshed so far.

[Denninmi]

13. Good.

Thanks for the update.

I went through Cheyene, WY once. Not much "there" there. And that is their metropolis, IIRC.

[mopinko]

14. well mission accomplished

flying home in the morning.
tears of regret but also much pride and joy.

[mopinko]

15. well, everything went well. great closure for us both.

the reason we were driving is that the only graduation present he would accept was a used car, which his sibling have been given when they needed one, iow, got a job. so, we passed on our old honda and got a lightly used subie.
he, however, would need to get a drivers license. with his sisters help he did it. his dad and i sort of assumed that he would be good to take some turns, and it would do him some good. this was a stupid assumption. i80 is no place for a nervous novice with his mom in the car. duh.
when it got to be time where we might have switched, he said- you are a lot braver than i am. we will get there a lot faster if you drive. so, i ended up driving the whole way. we got along fine. had a pleasant enough trip. more time than we have had together, alone, in eons.

so, he got proof not only that his mom loves him, but that she is bad ass and he can't deny it.


i think by the time we got there he realized he was going to miss it all more than he thought, which was zero.
but he will be a very big fish in a nice little pond, and he will start off feeling a million pounds lighter after all that went into this move. he has a couple friends out there already, too.

i am one proud mama. and he isn't mad at me for saying that any more.

[fizzgig]

16. i'm glad you guys had a good trip together

and of course his mom is a badass, we could have told him that

i've driven i80 more times than i can count and the truck traffic makes me so nervous.

[mopinko]

17. no offense tobin, but the trucks drove me nuts.

not for how fast they drove, because they can't do that anymore. they all go about 5 over the limit, but they must pass each o†her anyway. and it takes forever, i was boxed in so many times!

[fizzgig]

18. that drives me nuts

there are always a lot of trucks on the road when i go down to denver and it seems like one is always passing another, going five under the speed limit, of course. and then there is the terror of being in their blind spot.

my language gets pretty colorful.