Back from Amarillo

I feel like I was on another planet all weekend. Coming back to Dallas from Amarillo is culture shock to say the least. It was so good for me to get out of the big city, see the country, spend hours in the car thinking, and be in Amarillo with a good friend.

There's just something about West Texas that makes me sentimental. Bobby and I were discussing it on Saturday as a beautiful storm rolled into town. The storms in West Texas are the best because the ground is so flat you can see them coming forever. Despite seeing it coming, it always feels very sudden and violent. Saturday's was mild in comparison to most though I did get a night film of grit from the sand blowing. Then the rain came and brought instant temperature relief. Rain in the desert is so magical. The clouds were completely mesmerizing during the drive back yesterday. There is such little land once you get far enough west and everything flattens out. The sky seems to triple in size and you can see forever.

Friday night the drive was calming after a long day at the office. One-on-one classroom training was scheduled for me Friday but I got very little due to outside circumstances. I was going to leave the office feeling slightly frustrated, but my boss caught me just in time. He made me look at the bigger picture and left me with a good feeling. Traffic was surprisingly light on the way out of town and before I knew it I was one of only a few on the road. Little towns flew by and all ran together. I listened to the audio version “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” rather than listening to music. When I did finally stop for dinner three hours into my drive, I actually had to ask the Dairy Queen clerk what town I was in. I knew I was far away from home when I couldn’t understand the town’s name due to his think accent. After it got dark and back in the car, I watched a lightening show for the better part of an hour. There was something strangely satisfying about being one of only a few cars on the road as it got later and later. Just outside of Amarillo, six hours after I started, I listened to No Doubt’s “Simple Kind of Life” half a dozen times. The lines that I can’t get out of my head are “For a long time I was in love
Not only in love, I was obsessed” and “The longer that I wait the more selfish that I get.” It was 11 o’clock by the time I got to Bobby’s.

Spending the weekend with Bobby was great. We’re comfortable. I think that’s one of the best benefits of knowing someone for a long time. Bobby and I just hung out, getting to know each other better. And we ate tons of great food! (Sushi was awesome.) The highlight of the weekend was seeing ART by Yasmina Reza, the play Bobby co-starred in. It was in a new theater in Amarillo, which is just fabulous. I really enjoyed seeing Bobby’s acting abilities which I had always heard about but never seen. And ART, which was on Broadway not long ago, is a very interesting play.

Saturday and Sunday flew by. It was suddenly time for the drive back. Bobby will probably be performing in another play in a month or so which means I’ll probably make another trip out west. I’ve got to get my fill of the land and the sky. Plus seeing a good friend never hurts. There’s just something about West Texas that makes me feel more connected. More connected to the earth and more connected to people. It’s unexplainable but it’s been like that ever since I set foot in West Texas. Someday I’ll move out there again. But until that happens I’ll just remain wonderfully sentimental.