A spoonful of bourbon makes the medicine go down!

Hello wonderful people! 

Yesterday was one of the most interesting days that I have had so far here in Kentucky. Although it wasn't medically related, I learned about a topic that I've always been interested in and known nothing about. Dr. Zook had given me the day off yesterday. Susan is taking a summer class and because of this, she gets to go on several field trips to different places throughout the summer. Yesterday, her field trip happened to be to Buffalo Trace Distillery. Most people who know anything about me know that I absolutely love bourbon. I drink it on the rocks in a rocking chair while I knit. Did I also mention that I am an 80 year old in a 21 year old body? Medical anomaly I suppose! Susan was allowed to take guests on her field trip and graciously invited me along! 

One of the things that I suppose you should all know is that when Susan and I get together.... we're trouble. We have a tendency to enable each other to be incredibly inappropriate. I suppose you could say that we feed off of each other and fuel a never ending fire of crazy. Did I happen to mention how much I love spending time with Susan? :-) 

The day started off wonderfully already because I had gotten to sleep in an hour and a half more then I usually do when I go to work. Susan and I got together and rolled out into the car. About ten minutes down the road she and I both decided that we were hungry and stopped at a Steak and Shake. I have found my new fast food heaven. Thank GOD we don't have them in Maryland... otherwise I would weigh about 500 pounds. To give you an idea of what I had for breakfast, mind you this is BREAKFAST, I had a double steakburger with a fried egg, bacon, cheese, and cheese sauce on a deliciously toasted bun with hash browns. I am mildly surprised that my heart just didn't say "I forfeit" and send me into cardiac arrest. *Kids don't try this at home* 

After descending into my first food coma of the day, Susan and I were on our way to Lexington. Susan had a chiropractic visit. While she went in, I waited patiently in the lobby. For those of you who do not know Susan, she is quite loud. It is one of the things I love about her. Before I knew it, I would hear her normal talking voice without making out the words then AHHHHHHH followed by a sigh of relief. The lady at the front desk seemed completely unfazed so I was lead to assume that this was normal. Needless to say, I don't know what they do behind those doors at the chiropractor... but I'm not sure if I want to know. 

After we got Susan back into her truck, she and I headed further into Lexington. Since, Dr. Zook and Susan are remodeling their house, I have quite literally been in some type of hardware store everyday, sometimes twice a day, since arriving in Kentucky. I had a lovely change of pace because we got to go to The Home Depot instead of Lowes. However, I will admit that I did feel as though I was cheating on Lowes seeing as Dr. Zook and I have spent every lunch hour for the past week perusing their aisles. We just won't tell Lowes about our visit to the Depot. I wouldn't want to spring up any jealousy or negativity now would I! After that, things got even MORE complicated since we paid a visit to Ace Hardware later in the day.... this has now transformed from a love triangle to a love square! I could have my own MTV reality shoe. I can see it now, "Love Square: Hardware Edition". 

At this point, it is about 1:00PM in the afternoon and we are expected to be at Buffalo Trace around 2:00PM so we decided to head down the road. Upon arriving to Buffalo Trace, my first thought was.... they would make bourbon here... As soon as you stepped out of your car you could smell the sweet nectar of the drink of champions. Real champions don't put milk on their Wheaties, they douse them in bourbon. That's what I call a breakfast of champions. Take that cheerios, lowers cholesterol my ass. Since Susan and I were there early, we looked around the gift shop. I had my picture taken with a gigantic steel buffalo. Look out for that facebook profile picture ;). 

Let me tell you, that I had no idea how complicated it was to make bourbon! Here's a fun fact, most people believe that bourbon is only made in Kentucky and Whiskey is made in Tennessee however, this is completely false. Bourbon or Whiskey can be made anywhere but over 95% of bourbon is made in Kentucky. Fun fact number 2, all bourbon is whiskey, but all whiskey is not bourbon! As you may have noticed, bourbon is often times a lot more expensive then whiskey. This is due to the fact that whiskey is cheaper to make (Take that Jack Daniels). Bourbon is made using a single new charred barrel. This means that the first time a moonshine mixture is placed into that barrel, no other liquid has been inside of it. When the barrel is filled, it is filled to the brim. However, over time the mixture evaporates out and into the wood and back in. This causes a loss in volume of bourbon, but it is also what gives bourbon its deep brown color. The longer the bourbon is in the barrel, the darker and deeper the taste profile of the bourbon. Whiskey however, can be made in a used bourbon barrel and artificial and natural flavorings and colors may be added. This is not allowed with bourbon. If you're looking for a more organic choice for your whiskey indulgence, go bourbon. 

Another interesting thing about the production of bourbon is the fact that two types of bourbon can have exactly the same ingredients when put inside the barrel and have a completely different taste profile based on where they are put to age. This can do with the architecture of a building or the placement within that building the bourbon barrel is located. If a barrel of bourbon is placed in a building that is made of metal, that bourbon will take less time to age due to the fact that the heat will cause a faster evaporation rate in and out of the barrel. That same recipe of bourbon can have a completely different taste profile if it were placed on a middle floor of a brick or wooden building. It would take much longer to age. It was so interesting to see how all of these different factors came together to make a great tasting bourbon. 

Prior to this tour, I had never had Buffalo Trace Bourbon. I typically drink Makers Mark straight up on the rocks (Remember what I said before about being 80?). Makers Mark is great bourbon and is fairly smooth however, Buffalo Trace's signature bourbon definitely had a bite. Buffalo Trace makes a bourbon that sells for $495.00 a bottle. The difference between this bourbon and their signature bourbon which sells for $49.00 dollars a handle is astronomical. We got to taste both and the more expensive bourbon goes down much smoother and is known as a "sipping bourbon" because the natural flavors break down in the mouth the longer it is held there. Susan, being one who does not particularly like bourbon, gave me the remainder of her two samples totaling me at almost 3 shots by the end of the tasting. I also had not eaten since 10:30AM and it was now around 4:00PM. I was a little buzzed. 

During the taste testing, our tour guide allowed us to "wake the dog". White dog is their form of moonshine, also known as the form of bourbon that goes directly into the barrel at the beginning of the process. They bottle it and sell it. Our tour guide poured some white dog in our hands and had us smack it and rub our hands together. Of course, me being clumsy, I "woke the dog" all over my tour guide and shot bourbon straight into his eye! Hey.... at least his eye is sterilized.... Right? The first time you do this, it smells grotesquely of alcohol. Pretty much like straight rubbing alcohol. He then asked us to do it again. This time when we smelled our hands, it smelled like corn. He finally asked us to do it a third time and when we did our hands smelled like yeast. He stated that by doing this, you can tell what the primary ingredient in the bourbon is (wheat, corn, barley, or rye) and what kind of yeast that they used. I found this fascinating. 

After we did this, we got to have something truly unique. One of my favorite types of alcohol is Bailey's Irish Cream. Buffalo Trace makes what is called Bourbon Cream which is basically a cream based liquor with bourbon in it that is BETTER then Bailey's. It is only sold in Kentucky and cannot be distributed elsewhere. Needless to say, I bought two bottles to take home with me. 

Susan and I left the distillery and went out to dinner. We ate more then any two humans should ever eat and I had banana foster for the first time in my life. I don't think I have ever had quite a sensation of euphoria and dysphoria at the same in my entire life. While I wanted to eat more, I was so full that I felt as though I were about to vomit.... talk about a catch 22! 

Tomorrow I will be writing about my day at the clinic today, and trust me we had some interesting patients. You aren't going to want to miss that post! 

Until Next Time,

~Wacko Jacko~ 

Wake me up before you go go

Hello readers! 

First and foremost, I would like to say thank you for all of the positive feedback! I've never written a blog, let alone thought I was a good writer, so beginning this experience was a little bit intimidating for me. I'm glad that you're all enjoying my posts and I hope that you're learning something! By the time I got home from the office yesterday, I was pretty beat so I'm a little behind on posting. Today was really awesome so be on the lookout for that post tomorrow night!

Waking up yesterday morning was incredibly difficult. It was one of those days when your alarm keeps going off and you hit snooze time and time again however, you don't really know how long your snooze lasts. This causes confusion when you do wake up in your half drunken state because your clock says 7:28AM rather then 7:15AM for the time you set it. Iphone... you are a bizarre and wonderful creature. Several snoozes later, I finally read that it was 7:37AM. Panic set in because I registered that I had to be out the door by 7:45AM. So what did I do? What every person in this situation does... You pull a Loonette from the "Big Comfy Couch" and do a personal hygiene version of the 10 SECOND TIDY! I was in the car by 7:47AM. Not too shabby.... 

The reason that I was in such a panic was because we had a patient (Patient 15) who was coming in for an 8:30AM appointment and had to be at work on time. As much as I love seeing patients.... this was one that I would have rather not seen. I understand fully that I am a woman and that I have the anatomy of a woman however, that does not mean I need to see the... ahem... anatomy of another woman. Patient 15 was coming in for a pap smear. I learned after the last time I came to visit Dr. Zook that I definitely did not want to be an OBGYN because we had to treat a female patient who had chlamydia. (Shameless public service announcement.... PRACTICE SAFE SEX! If you want to be scared into doing it.... google image it. It's not pretty). 

Anyway, for those of you who don't know (most likely men potentially reading this blog), during a pap smear the patient has to remove her lower garments and a speculum is placed within the vaginal wall. At this time, a cotton swab (similar to an abnormally long one ended Q-tip) is inserted into the cervix (the lower part of the uterus) and swabbed for cells. This is then sent off to the lab to check for abnormalities. Not that this patient had anything particularly wrong with her genitals, I just would prefer to not have had to look at it. 

One patient that I found particularly interesting was Patient 10. This patient was a female in her mid forties with severe COPD. COPD stands for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and refers to a group of lung diseases that make it difficult to breathe by blocking airways when trying to exhale. Most COPD is caused by long term smoking. Smoking is extremely prevalent in Kentucky. There are very few patients that, when I walk into an exam room, do not floor me with the smell of tobacco. This particular patient had a severe breathing episode the previous weekend and was hospitalized. She had to be supervised and put on oxygen during her stay. This patient also already had an at home oxygen system. She also suffers from degenerative disc disease between her fourth and fifth lumbar vertebrae. This basically means that as she has aged, there is weakness in the spinal disc (a soft compressible discs that acts as a shock absorber for the vertebrae) which can lead to breakdown. Because of this, she has some pinched nerves which causes a neuropathy in the medial and lateral sides of her left hand. 

Patient 13 was an eleven year old coming in for her 6th grade physical. She received four vaccinations. The first vaccination was TDAP or Tetanus-Diphtheria-Pertussis. This vaccination protects against the previously stated diseases. Tetanus or lockjaw causes painful muscle spasms and stiffness all over the body. It kills one in five people who are infected and makes it so the patient cannot open his or her mouth or swallow. Diphtheria can cause a thick membrane to cover the back of the throat and lead to breathing problems, paralysis, heart failure and death. Pertussis or whooping cough causes severe coughing spells which can lead to difficultly breathing, vomiting, and disturbed sleep. Seeing as none of these sound particularly like a party, I suggest that you get your child vaccinated. The second vaccine was the meningococcal vaccine. Meningococcal disease is a bacterial illness and is the leading cause of bacterial meningitis in children 2-18 years of age. Meningitis is a bacterial infection of the meninges or coverings of the brain. The third vaccine was the Varicella or "Chicken Pox" vaccine and this is just an update of the one that is administered when the child is an infant. The fourth vaccine is the Gardasil or HPV vaccine. This vaccine prevents HPV or  human papillomavirus as well as cervical cancer. Recent studies have shown it also protects against certain anal cancers and throat cancers as well. Both males and females are encouraged to get it before participating in sexual activity. 

Have you ever seen shows like "My Strange Addiction" where people eat chalk or other things that are not supposed to be eaten? This is a condition called PICA. It is usually present in small children or pregnant women and is due to low iron levels in the blood or anemia so they crave the metal in other substances. Patient 17 was a seven year old girl who has an obsession with putting things in her mouth. Her mother stated that she would come home and find her child hiding in a corner putting lotion in her hands and eating it off her hands. The day before, this child swallowed a penny. Fortunately, it did not block her airways and we are waiting to see if it is going to block the pyloric sphincter between the stomach and the duodenum (small intestine). If it doesn't it will pass in the stool and end up being a good story. Dr. Zook sent the child to have blood work to check for anemia because of the possibility that she would have PICA. If so, there is a possibility to eliminate some of her problems. 

 Sorry for the long winded post. I forgot how much happened yesterday! I will be posting about today, my day off, tomorrow and am very excited to tell you all about it. 

Until next time,

~Wacko Jacko~ 

It starts....

Today was my first day at Bluegrass Primary Care & Pediatrics in London, KY with Dr. Zook. Check them out on Facebook! I have been down to visit Dr. Zook two previous times. The first, I worked with her at the White House Clinic in McKee, KY and the second time I was at Bluegrass PCP. Because of this, I was familiar with the staff and they all knew me from my previous visit so there were warm welcomes all around. Dr. Zook shares an office with Diane who is one of the nurses. She is the nicest lady that you could possibly meet. She's got the most adorable southern accent and when she speaks it just makes me smile.

Today was a relatively slow day in the office. Although most people think that this would be boring, in some ways it's good because it allows me to see another part of the profession and deal with the reality that you are not going to be slammed with patients every single day. It comes with a natural ebb and flow which I think is healthy. I will give some of the highlights from the day.

Our first patient (I will call her "Patient 1" due to confidentiality. From now on all patients will be numbered), is a recovering narcotic addict. A common treatment for people in this situation is to be put on a medication called Suboxone. Suboxone helps people addicted to narcotics by evading the symptoms of withdrawal due to it's ability to bind to opiate receptors in the brain. Unlike other opiates, Suboxone works without producing a high. The unfortunate reality of this situation means that the opiate addict may abuse this medication or potentially be on it for the rest of their lives if he or she would not like to face an ugly withdrawal period. Patient 1 was a 25 year old female who was also taking Abilify and Celebrex in order to manage severe depression. She was also on a medication for seizures. Since going on Suboxone, this patient's quality of life has improved dramatically and she was kept on the treatment program.

Patient 3 was a 35 year old female who seemed to believe that her spine was crushed. In reality, her MRI stated that she had a herniated disc between her 4th and 5th Lumbar vertebrae as well as a severe lordosis (exaggerated abnormal curvature of the lumbar vertebrae). A neurosurgeon recommended her as a candidate for surgery but she was searching for a second opinion due to reservations about the surgery. She is in severe pain but was still able to work full time as a nurse's assistant. Her pain prevented her from sleeping. It was determined that she see another neurosurgeon at a different group for a second opinion.

My favorite patient of the day was a male in his mid thirties (Patient 4). Patient 4 had decided that he wanted to join the "Iron Butt Association" which is a motorcycle club that requires its riders to ride over 1,000 miles in less then 24 hours. While on his trip, he was crossing a bridge and hit a bump. This bump threw him from the seat but not off the bike and he landed hard back down on the seat. He noticed on the way home that he felt as though his boot was falling apart because he could no longer feel sensation in the side of his foot. Although his back hurt in the first 24 hours after getting off the bike, the numbness in the foot persisted afterwards. Interestingly enough, when Patient 4 hit the bump, he had inflamed his sciatic nerve in a way that caused a neuropathy (numbness) in his S1 nerve that leads all the way down along the outer edge of his foot. It's amazing how the human body works! He was prescribed Percocet and told to return if the sensation persisted.

Every time I spend time with patients, I feel more and more at home. I love sitting and listening to their stories and trying to help them. I've never been more happy to wake up and go to work in the morning!
After coming home, I moved out of Sam's room (goodbye superman sheets.... you will be missed) and into the guest room. It's great to have my own space but we're still working on teaching Sam to knock before he just walks in. This time when I'm here we want to avoid any and all wardrobe malfunctions! I helped Susan screw some spindles onto the deck and we're making pretty good process. I'm becoming quite the carpenter and can read a level like nobody's business!

Can't wait for another great day tomorrow!

Until next time,
~Wacko Jacko~

Kickin' Ass and Taking Names 6/23-6/24

Dear World, 

I am sitting here with my good friend Sam who is 6 years old. Sam is Dr. Zook's son and was adamant about helping me write my blog! Explaining the concept for a "blog" to a 6 year old was a little bit difficult however, he's quite the existentialist and picks up on things rather quickly. Right now he is currently talking to my Ravens pillow pet and telling me that his stuffed pet tiger, Logan, said that, "You are the best Amanda in the world". I am incredibly grateful to have such high esteem from a stuffed tiger. Sam is very concerned about Edgar's (my pillow pet's) diet. He wants to make sure that Edgar is well nourished and gets along with Logan.  

On Saturday morning, we woke up and Sam, Dr. Zook and I went to karate. Sam showed us his moves and he is quite the Jackie Chan. After that, we came home and immediately got to work on the house. Saturday was what I would call a Renaissance day. Susan and I did everything from helping to build a deck, doing electrical work in the bathroom, installing molding in various rooms of the house, to beginning to organize the garage. I have become quite the wiz with a shop-vac. We worked form 8:00AM-2:30AM in the morning. Needless to say, we were pretty beat but Sam's snoring kept us up all night! (Sam denies that he snores) 

After falling and hurting my knees walking UP stairs on Friday, I now have welts the size of grapefruits  on both of my shins. They're ripening nicely and turning a beautiful blueish purple. Thank God I wear pants to work most days. Sam spent his days playing in the pool down the hill from Dr. Zook's house in his grandparents' backyard. He's quite the deep-sea-kiddie-pool diver. 

Today after a slightly shorter workday, we went to see the movie "Brave". I was so happy to finally see a Disney character who looks similar to me! I've already decided that I'm going to be her for Halloween this coming year. Sam just asked me if I would be around for Halloween and when I told him no he said, "COME ON!" I'm disappointed I will not be with him on Halloween too. Pixar has an uncanny ability to make me cry in every single one of their movies. I don't want to give anything away, but I was bawling quite loudly hoping the mother bear would change back into a human. 

Tomorrow is my first day of work with Dr. Zook. I'm so excited to work with patients again and I'm sure I will have some great stories. Susan and I plan to continue the deck tomorrow so I'm getting a multidiscipline internship in construction and medicine. Sam says that, "Can we be done blogging now? I really wanna be done now...." So I suppose it's time for me to sign off because Sam says so! 

Until Next Time,

~Wacko Jacko~ 

Finishing The Voyage 6/22

Day two began leisurely. After waking from a dead sleep in a panic because I didn't know when my checkout time was, I found a paper that said they wouldn't kick me out until around noon.  I got myself together and was out of the hotel around 11:00AM. I have come to realize that my Garmin GPS (who I have lovingly nicknamed "Garmy" or "Skank" for when I get particularly mad) is a dirty, rotten liar. Finding a gas station in Charleston was like attempting to find a needle in a haystack. Garmy told me that there were three gas stations within one tenth of a mile around me. This couldn't have been further from the truth. I eventually found one in the parking lot of a grocery store called "Food-a-lot" (only in West Virginia...) the store should probably have been renamed "Sketchy-R-Us". After fueling up I was on the road and only about 200 miles from Berea. 

I've always heard that the further you go south, the nicer people are supposed to be. However, Kentucky must have missed that memo. Even though I am from Maryland, I live South of the Mason Dixon Line. I would not consider myself a northern or a "yankee". We're just kind of floating in limbo. Of course my license plate does not explicitly state this and therefore I have been labelled a "Damn Yankee". 

At first I wasn't sure what to make of my new title. I was first introduced to it when I stopped at a Starbucks in Hurricane, West Virginia. After ordering my drink I took a seat and an elderly gentleman walked in. He ordered his drink and proceeded to stand so I got up and offered him my chair. When I opened my mouth to speak, he immediately knew I was not from the area and asked where I was from. When I said that I was from Baltimore, Maryland, he said, "We'll you're the nicest damn yankee I've ever met. Yer parents should be proud!" Look at that mom and dad, next time I don't do the dishes, think about that one. 

Not knowing exactly how to react, I soon found out that my new nickname was not necessarily a positive thing. You see, in WV and KY the speed limit is typically set at around 70 mph. However, the speed that this actually means for those who live around here is between 85 and 90 mph. Being from out of state and not wanting to have to go to jail for being "brassy" with a police officer, I chose to abide by the 70 mph speed limit and stay in the right hand lane. This seemed to work out quite well until I crossed the state line into Kentucky. 

Being from Maryland, I am used to people having some serious road rage. I-95 and 695 traffic is no piece of cake. However, if someone is usually unhappy with the way that you are driving they go around you and it is over with. In Kentucky, things are a little bit different. First of all, there is no admissions testing in Kentucky. This means that I passed everything from men on motorcycles going 95 mph with no helmets, bumpers falling off and dragging on the ground, break lights were considered optional, and who knew hand signals were still used instead of a functional blinker? In Kentucky, if you are not driving up to par with other people's expectations, you will be cursed at, honked at, flipped off, etc. This will last, not just while the people pass you, but for the next five miles up the road while you are still in the sites of their rearview mirror.  My highlight of this included a small child hanging out the window of his parents mini-van shaking his fist at me and screaming "Go home ya damn yankee!" while his mother in the drivers seat flipped me off. Keepin' it classy, Kentucky. 

When I finally made it to Dr. Zook's house, I was greeted by Susan (her partner and a dear friend of mine) and a crew of workers. Dr. Z's house is currently under renovations so I was immediately put to work. After helping the Doc cook dinner, I served some botulism watermelon. You know that watermelon that you cut up and it smells a little weird but you taste it and it's fine then once you serve it, it seems to have completely rotted through? No? Yep.... this just happens to me. 

After doing some odds and ends around the house and helping out as much as I could. I found out that I apparently am the incredible hulk of sandbox lifting. It was a great first day and I can't wait to see what the rest of the weekend brings. I'm getting a dual internship in medicine and construction whether I wanted it or not! To be honest, it's pretty bangin'. 

Until Next Time,

~Wacko Jacko~ 

May the odds be ever in your favor....6/21

Well hello everyone!

I am writing this post from the comfort of the Fairfield Inn Marriot in Charleston, West Virginia. As I sit here, directly in the center of my king size bed, I am reflecting on my first day of travel. It's hard to believe that it is already June 21, 2012. I'm about to be a senior in college.... when did that happen?

Today I drove a total of six hours west on my voyage to Berea, Kentucky. Upon waking this morning, I would be lying if I said I felt completely confident. This could be due to the fact that I've never driven this far on my own, or the fact that I was half asleep fumbling with my phone as I try to check and see what time it was. Do you ever have mornings where you wake up in a complete panic because you feel like you've slept 8 hours, yes 8, past the time you were supposed to be up only to realize that you are 3 hours early? Welp, that's what happened to me this morning. After the adrenaline rush, my sympathetic nervous system was roarin' away so I decided I might as well get up.

After wasting away two hours drinking coffee and watching Lost (I know I'm behind the times), I decided to load up the car only to find that absolutely EVERYTHING WAS COVERED IN GRASS. Thanks Dad, ;). Finally, I cleaned everything up a bit and was on the road.

When I say on the road, I actually mean on my way to Target. You see, the Doctor who I am staying with in Kentucky (Dr. Zook, she's awesome by the way), used to be from the East coast. Obviously it would be cruel to go there without taking a copious amount of tastycakes and Utz Potato chips! I barge into Target on a mission, amidst the old people and housewives with screaming children, I take to the snack aisle like bull in a china shop. I tell you that aisle didn't know what hit it! Three family sized bags of potato chips and four boxes of tastycakes later, I flee to the checkout counter.

Of course, everyone working the checkout at Target at 9:30am is well into their social security checks. I chose a line that I think is going to be the fastest but to my dismay, I am wrong. After she checks out the three people in front of me, she decides to scold me about the horrors of eating so many snacks so early in the morning. Did she really believe that I was going to eat three bags of potato chips and four boxes of tastycakes for my breakfast? I mean, I love food.... but not that much. Talk about a sugar crash. She then tried to get me to sign up for a Target credit card for another 15 minutes. I finally left and was on the road. About 10 miles down I-695 I realize, FOR SHAME I HAVE LEFT MY DIET COKE ON THE COUNTER AT TARGET! (Oh hey first world problems...) However, it is not worth the trek back so I carried on.

The first two hours of the trip went surprisingly well even though the Carly Rae Jepsen "Call Me Maybe" count was already up to twelve. It had gotten to the point where I even danced to it a little bit.... It was mildly terrifying. As I crossed into West Virginia, I began to get concerned. I passed such things as "Negro Mountain" and "Biscuit World", there was a man who looked like anorexic Santa Clause with overalls hitchhiking on the side of the road. As much "future husband potential" as he had, I decided not to pick him up. Did I mention this was all on a major interstate?

As I proceeded on, I decided to stop in Morgantown to grab some grub and fuel up. I stepped out of my car, took about three steps and two young gentlemen called me over to their car to ask for a favor. Of course I was hesitant at first. While one boy slid a ten dollar bill over the side of his car I started to back away. Then he said, "Would you be able to go in and buy us some 40's?" Not registering at first, because in Maryland we do not sell booze at gas stations, I was a little concerned. I politely told them no and that I was from out of town. After the paranoia that I looked old finished setting in, I got back on the road and drove the rest of the way to Charleston.

Mother Earth must have known I was coming because about ten minutes outside of town, BOOM pouring down rain. I pull up to the hotel and wait in my car for about fifteen minutes hoping the rain will stop. Of course, it didn't so I braved the weather into the Best Western. As I go through the doors, all of the lights are out and there was a HUGE line. I thought to myself "Screw this!" and went next door to the Marriot where they had both power and free internet with your stay. After checking in, I look out side and the sun is shining...

We'll see what adventures tomorrow brings and hopefully I'll be in Kentucky by the afternoon!

Until Next Time,
~Wacko Jacko~