Cru Jones Society

Even though I was unfortunate and wasn’t able to go on the trip to Tucson, or maybe because I couldn’t go, I have been thinking a lot about vacations. I am more than ready to take one and I keep thinking about possible ones. However, it seems silly to speculate about how future vacations will turn out, after all I don’t know which vacation it will be that I get VD, hopefully none, but you never know. So instead, I though I would look back on my favorite trips I took as an adult.

I wanted to specify adult trips because there is something different about the trips one takes as a child and the ones as an adult. As a child almost every trip seems awesome. There’s no school and no cares. Your parents are taking care of all the arrangements and planning and everything. You just get to show up and have fun. But at the same time you’re at the mercy of your parents. They call all the shots and are just there. Plus the one key element that can change a lot of trips: booze.

Now that that’s set, let’s get on with it.

 

Las Vegas

Unlike some things, the first time in Vegas was the best. I think all other Vegas trips have paled in comparison because the bar was set too high on this. I went out with Dagger, Lady E, and our other friend Brian. We got drunk before we even got to the airport, well not Lady E, she was nice enough, or drew the short straw or something, and drove. Unbeknownst to us, Brian was on an empty stomach and through friendly mockery I encourage him to drink more and he passed out before the plane took off.

The lights, sounds, and general awesomeness of Vegas quickly consumed me. I was never without a drink in my hand, a friend by my side, and a smile on my face. This was the only trip to Vegas where I won money, and the only time I was not intimidated by the craps table. But to be fair it was 3 in the morning, the table was cheap, and we were at the San Remo while it was in transition to become the Hooters, which was as intimidating as the Orphans were to the Warriors.

So while I was surrounded with great company the last time I went, I fought heartburn the whole time and didn’t have nearly as much fun as that first trip. But thinking about Vegas I am ready to go back, and ready to try and capture the magic again.

 

Tucson

Like Vegas, the first trip to Tucson was superior to the following one. Even though the last trip I was able to stay longer and appreciate the trip better, even had one of the best St. Patty’s Day I’ve had in years. The first trip was magical, if I can choose a phrase that makes me sound fairly homosexual.

That first trip consisted of only Dagger, Limon and myself. Now I’m not saying that Lady E made the next trip worse, but I am implying it. No, Lady E is great, but there is a whole different dynamic when it was just the three of us. From an impromptu trip to Tombstone where a slow draw on the nose game put me in a dress to a 3 am game of Hearts with a friend of Limon’s, this trip felt like the college years all over again and that was something I needed after starting a real job.

But what really made this trip stand out was drinking on the porch well into the night, talking about life with my best friend. It’s these kinds of moments that I look back on fondly and make me truly appreciate life. But I think Dagger covered that yesterday, so I’ll move on.

San Diego

This trip was kind of spontaneous. My friend, roommate at the time, and CJS reader Kristatothemax had a brother graduating from Marine boot camp in San Diego and asked if I wanted to take a trip out there. I had a friend going to school at SDSU and I had never been so I said, “Absolutely I want to go.”

There were exactly three things planned on this trip: when we were going, when we were coming back, and when the graduation ceremony was. Other than that it was completely played by ear, and that made it exciting and fun. From the moment I was picked up at the airport by my friend I had no idea what was in store.

The first night we just drove down the highway blasting the Clash and ended up at some Indian Casino. The next night we made prank phone calls with a website of Arnold Schwarzenegger audio clips (btw, we were 20 years old). The day after that we contemplated a trip to Tijuana, which ultimately fell through, and judging by the people involved, that was probably for the best.

San Francisco

This was my first trip without any adult supervision. I was right out of high school, and again my friend Kristatothemax asked if I wanted to take a trip. I wasn’t doing jack else that summer, so I quickly agreed and we were on our way. We stayed in a hostel which was a new experience and a fun way to meet new people, but off putting as I really enjoy my privacy. We met some chick from Ireland, complete with an accent, who hung out with us for a day, and wasn’t detered by our jack assery.

But like a couple of touristy idiots, we thought we could walk everywhere, up every giant hill. But that gave us a great opportunity to see a lot of cool stuff. Ok, mainly a bunch of awesome looking houses. And while we did do tourist stuff like Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the Wharf; we still went off the beaten path to see amazing things like the Japanese Tea Gardens and Sausalito.

I think my favorite part of the trip was hunting down places from the movie  So I Married an Axe Murderer. Obviously a movie we were really into at the time. We found Charlie’s parent’s house, the diner they ate at, the coffee house (which had been turned into a bar and we couldn’t go in) the palace of fine arts and that park that’s also in the opening to “Full House.” At all these places we made sure to reenact the scenes that take place there. Clearly I used to be way cool.

If you ask Kristatothemax what her favorite part was, she’ll probably say the fact that I am a total idiot and just assumed all of California is sunny and nice and didn’t pack sock. Thus I had to buy some and wear them with my sandals like a massive tool. Oh well, live and learn I guess.

In the Mighty Mighty Bosstones song “Shit Outta Luck” the chorus contains the line, “It’s more fun when you don’t give a fuck.” I never realized how true that was until I looked back at all these trips. There was no agenda, I didn’t know nor did I care what each day had in store, and I enjoyed the hell out of them. Now I just need to learn how to do that in my everyday life.

So here’s to good trips, great friends, and a fun life.

See ya at the terminal…

lee.s.hart@crujonessociety.com