Why Bismarck? Pt. I -Police

So, instead of an epic roadtrip like I'd planned for my spring break, my car took a shit on me a couple days before I intended on leaving.  I stayed in a resident hall for the most part, but along came the Asian's weekend- the Monday and Tuesday.  He decided we'd take an adventure of our own.  This is our story. (It will probably be sectioned off into a few different blogs, watch for them.)

He knocked on my window at about 11:00 am. I let him in the side door and he asked if I was still up for leaving.  "Well, you decide?" We'd passively talked about going to Salt Lake, Canada, Boise, Seattle.. whatever.  Just not really taken the time to think about these things. Rarely are these things thought out.  "I don't want to be driving for the majority of my weekend." He tells me.  "Well. Bismarck is only 7 hours away."  We trolled the tourist page of the city.  Sounded legit.  Water park, zoo, arts gallery, why not?

We set off on our adventure about.. noon-thirty or so. He had me drive. I was thinkin he'd sleep because he just got off work. No big.  I can drive stick.... as long as there's no intimidating Asian glare in the passenger seat watching my every move. Oh wait, there was, that's right... little asshole. So we're off. Not much to tell, had some 4B's soup in Miles City, blah blah blah *FASTFORWARD*

So I have a speeding problem. Big whoop.  Who doesn't these days, eh?  So it was gettin dark and we were maybe 45 minutes from our destination.  Usually I slow down when it gets dark because i can't see the po po when they're out.  We get to talkin- because the Asian never slept- and I'm gettin all hyped about the music we're talkin about when all of a sudden I see berries and cherries coming in the opposite direction.  I look down and my speedometer  and I'm going 95... in a 75. Whoopsie. hehe. So the cop crosses the gaping median - okay lemme paint this for you-

The median is about 3 lanes wide itself.  the median is grass and it dips really big in the middle. Had I not slowed my roll and pulled over like a good law-abiding citizen (irony) i probably could have gotten away.  This po po took a good nose dive into the damn median.  Kinda funny to watch.  But here comes the real gold of the story....

The officer walks up, I'm mercilessly apologizing to the Asian already for this. You see, his insurance card is about 4 months expired at this point and hasn't gotten around to getting it updated.  The po po does the routine, license, insurance, registration. "Miss do you know why I pulled you over?" 
Here it comes ladies and gentlemen, the Gingy people rarely get to witness.
"I believe I was speeding sir."
"I clocked you at 95."
"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! I'm not used to this car, no cruise control and all, oh my!Wow!So sorry!"
"Ma'am, can you come back to my car with me?"
I look at Asian confused, this never happens.  "Uh, sure." I step out of the car and follow him to his cop car. "Does this usually happen in North Dakota? Getting in the cop car?"
He chuckles a little, " I just don't want to get hit tonight standing out there is all."
We get in the car, I'm a little soothed that I'm not going to the big house. 
"Where you headed?"
"Bismark. For a vacation."
"In Bismarck?" He chuckles," Why there?"
Before I knew it I was tellin him all kinds of things and he was asking more questions. Even told him how Asian and I met, what I was going to school for and my plans of heading to Mississippi in May.  This man was just eating it up.  People, you must understand, no one and I mean NO one can refuse southern charm.  Silly things like when he asked what I was in college for and my replies.
"Mathematics right now."
"Who goes to school for that?" He smiles.
"Guess I'm just good with numbers. Clearly not the ones on the road." I chuckle back.  He laughs it up.
"Well, I don't know how they do it in Montana and Wyoming, but we have a point system here. I only marked you were going 90 so you don't have as many points racked up and have your license taken away." 
"Well that's so sweet of you!"
"But I do have to give you a ticket. I'll even give you an envelope so you can mail the money within the next two weeks."
"Thank you sir." A little wink. 

I walk back to the car, finishing up my charming with a quick smile and flick of the hair. I look at the ticket and burst out laughing.  I get in the car, happy as a clam.
"What's the damage?" Asian asks.
"Hehe. Guess. Just guess!"
"Well, somethin like THAT would have put me at a $250 ticket and a night in jail!"
"Hehehehehe try $75."
"WHAT? WHAT?!NO!THAT'S SO BULLSHIT!"
"Hehee no one can resist.."
"Seriously. That's not even fair. I'm mad at you right now!"
I giggle a little more and this conversation goes back and forth for a while. 

We ride up into Bismarck a little later and that fun begins in Part II.

Again, One Smile Calms All

This last week has been hectic for me. 

With a whopping 20 page paper on the mind, artworks to submit to have a chance to be published, and other miscelaneous papers and homework on top of figuring out what the hell is going on with the financial aid office, I think I might have reached a near-cracking point.
I had a few mental breakdowns in a day - of which I even had my mother call me to calm me down.  Those that know me this never happens.  If anything I avoid conversation with the family as not to blow up. 

After work on Friday, I scrambled to get all of my art together to take to a guy who was the photographer for the magazine I was entering in.  Then the submissions go to a panel and they decide what works are awesome enough to get in and which ones aren't.  As I enter the room where submissions are being photographed,  I see there's only two guys in there- the photo guy and just another dude finishing up handing in his submissions.  I breathe a little, knowing I'll be next and not stressing about the deadline which was two hours from where I was standing. 

They seemed pretty chill, just comments about their art and such. The photographer looks at me, "Hey Thibodeaux." Always going somewhere that I'm a familiar face.  It's actually quite nice.  "Hi." I try to force a quick smile.  "Brought your stuff for me to take pictures of?"
"Mmhmm."
"Almost done with this guy, then you're next."
"Do you have any submission forms?"
He looks around, "No, but if I tell you where they are, you wanna bring me a stack?"
"Sure thing!" I was a little excited, wanting to make this official.
After his specific instructions, I hurridly made way to the next building over to talk to some of the panel to get some submission forms.  When I got back, he was finishing photos for the last metal sculpture of the guy who was in front of me.  Patiently I waited, filling out all submission forms, one for each artwork. 
"Alright man, that's it," I heard him say.
"Thanks again for doing this!" The metal sculptist began taking all of his artwork from the room.
"You ready?" The photographer asked. 
"I have some necklaces I made. Glass beads on one and buttons for another."
"Necklaces. Cool! Yeah, bring them over."  He began positioning them in an eye-pleasing sort of way.
"Position them how you'd like them." He told me.
"You're also an artist, do as you please."
He chuckled at me, "Don't tell me that..." and proceeded to take pictures.
"You almost out of here?" I asked, refering to graduation in May.
"Yeah, I've been here too long. Been here three years and I still don't know what I'm doing."
Woah, sounded like me.  Cept he seemed pretty chill about the whole situation.
"Ha, I've been here three years too and will also be graduating this May.  No idea what will come next. I know I'll be going back to Mississippi but that's about it."  He switched necklaces to take pictures.
"Mississippi, eh? I'll be heading to Colorado.  I think I'm just gonna go with the flow, take a year off and see where we go from there."

That made my day.  Finally, someone else that doesn't know what they're doing, doesn't know where the wind will take them, but he just seemed so damn OKAY about it.  I used to be like that.  I have no idea why I let all of this build up and get to me.  Who cares if I didn't get accepted into the Boston program? Who cares that I'm getting some associates I have no idea what I will do with? Who cares if all I know is that I'm going to Sippy and takin my Asian with me?  I'm not dying and I'm not terribly off.  We had a few more little short chats and later on some giggles about my Penis painting that I did. 
I was relieved all over again that I didn't have to explain to him the meaning behind it because he himself was an artist too. 

Moral? No one knows what's going on.  Everyone just has different ways of looking at the unknown.