Living it up with Mom and Dad

Yesterday, I officially moved down to A-town, Texas. I spent this past summer living back at home--which was really wonderful--so yesterday felt a little like leaving home again for college. Except that I'm a little older, a little wiser, and a little more aware of what life on one's own entails (and probably a little bit crankier and more set in my ways too).

Last week, Travis, Blake, and I took a road trip to Mt. Rushmore. One the way back, we stopped in Kansas at the house of our good friend Stephen. We had an evening to hang out, and after a killer game of ultimate frisbee in the park, we went back to his place and watched some Seinfeld. At one point during Jerry's stand-up (yes, we're on a first-name basis, Jerry and I), he made the joke that there's no way to move back in with one's parents and make it sound like a good thing. Observe:

A: So how's it going, Joe?
B: Great! My job is unbelievable; I'm dating the woman of my dreams; I've never felt better--and I'm moving back in with my parents. Life couldn't be better.

And I think Jerry's pretty much correct--there's just no way it's cool in current American culture. Contrast that to Japan, if you will, where it's completely normal for unmarried people (though more so for women) to live with their parents... indefinitely. Two of the 3 unmarried English teachers at my school lived with their parents--and their average age was over 40!

Anyway, I was thinking if I ever get done with all of this schooling, and by a cruel twist of fate, I'm no closer to being married than I am right now, I might just like to move back in with good ole Mom and Dad. Think in 7 to 10 years living with one's parents will be socially acceptable in America? One can only hope.

Travels

I made a trip down to Texas earlier in the week. On Tuesday, my brother and I had breakfast at the McDonald's near my university. While we were enjoying our food, a well-dressed woman walked by, and she was packing heat--a handgun holstered to her torso.
That's my kind of woman. Only in Texas.

Some buddies and I are planning to take a road trip next week. Originally, we wanted to go to Yellowstone but then decided it was too expensive and too far. That kicked off a long series of setbacks: We made plan after plan, only to have them quickly unravel. Currently, we're only scant days away from departure, and without a clear plan, much less a destination.
So: Any input? Basically, we don't want to travel more than 2500 miles (unless flying), and we'd like to be able to do the trip without consulting a loan shark or auctioning of our kidneys on ebay.
Those are your criteria, ladies and gentlemen: Do your best.