Booked

Matt and I booked our very belated anniversary trip to Maine yesterday! Originally we were thinking we'd fly there and spend a few days in Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park and take the ferry to Nova Scotia at some point. I'm glad we delayed the trip because I think our new plan is better.

We're going to drive instead of fly because a) it's less expensive, b) we can take a lot more stuff, c) we won't have to rent a car when we get there and d) there's not a major airport convenient to Bar Harbor. It's a looong trip so we're going to split it into two days each way -- probably staying in New York on the way there and Pennsylvania on the way back, or vice versa. We got the last available cabin at Emery's Cottages on the Shore, which is just two miles from Acadia, and thanks to offseason rates we're paying only $78 per night. We're leaving four weeks from today.

I'm not dreading the drive because Matt's a great driving companion. First, we have a rule that whoever's driving gets to pick the music with no regard for the other person's taste, and the passenger can't complain about it. This works much better for us than just compromising and listening to music we both can tolerate but don't really like. Second, he is excellent about making frequent stops for drinks, snacks, bathroom breaks, gas or just to stretch our legs. His philosophy is that each stop takes just a couple of minutes but makes the next couple of hours much more enjoyable. That's my philosophy too, but it doesn't seem like a lot of guys hold with it.

Third, long car trips always guarantee good conversation, plus when we're not talking, I can get a lot of reading done. And finally, Matt has amazing driving endurance. He doesn't seem to get sleepy, which means I'm free to sleep. Once he drove straight from Raleigh to Vermont in one day on his way to a ski trip with his guys. Do you know how far that is? Very far.

On another note, I can't wait for the weekend to get here. If work were a tangible object I'd bang it against the wall and then throw it out the window. This was supposed to be my best month of the year (granted, it's been a bad year), with four really good closings. Amazingly, all four fell through. All four! Three buyers had issues with financing, and one buyer was transferred to another county two weeks before closing, so the deal was off. No biggie, I'd only been working with him and his wife for NINE MONTHS.