Just Back In

I traveled last night to King of Prussia, which is almost in Philadelphia, to visit with my mom who was there attending a beading conference. She said her workshop went well and showed me the nifty wire bracelet that she learned how to make, as well as her haul from the vendors on the show floor. After dumping my things in her room, we made our way downstairs for a marginally underwhelming dinner at one of the hotels restaurants. The only good thing about “Chumley’s” was the really overwrought 80s music blaring over the gathered middle aged Maaco conference attendees. Tears for Fears and Berlin…too good.

I woke up this morning feeling highly disappointed with the Sleep Number full bed in our room (and Mom concurred that hers sucked, too) and with two very large, very sore scratches on my neck. Vampire attack gone wrong? Alien abduction? They are perfectly parallel and completely inexplicable. I don’t remember having done anything to myself that would have caused such an injury so I’m flummoxed.

Anyway…after much pondering, we went downstairs for breakfast. This restaurant in the hotel provided a much better meal – namely lox and cream cheese. There were even capers! The strange elderly French/Spanish greeter-lady at the door called me a “beautiful boy,” blushed and muttered something in French/Spanish so perhaps I was just riding high from that unusual encounter?

Full (and complimented) we departed for the King of Prussia Shopping Experience™. It was just as dauntingly huge as the last time I was there, but we did end up finding everything after NUMEROUS trips to the directories. Luckily, we were not the only hopeless navigators, because there were actually mall staff stationed by these kiosks offering shortcuts and advice for getting around. I even found a Bubbles and stopped in for a spontaneous haircut. Can you say shaved lines on the side of my head? I can…and did.

And now I’m back after only an hour and forty minutes in the car. I used my own intuition to find my way out and beat Google’s estimate by almost 45 minutes. Take that, internets.