Here are a few things I learned on my Christmas^* vacation to the The Great White Middle.

Flying is Boring

I am in awe at how thoroughly the experience provided by commercial air travel can drain all the wonder out of something as amazing as flying through the fucking air.

Virginians Hate Ginger Ale

We stopped at no less than two gas stations in the Virginias and none sold ginger ale. It's not that they don't know what it is. The clerk got angry when we asked for it. There is bitterness there, deep bitterness. I need to know why...

Chick-fil-A^** is Crazy Good

If you've never been to Chick-fil-A, here's the deal. Everything is chicken, real, white meat chicken. Oh, and waffle fries. Hot damn!

Forget the food, though. They have someone who comes to your table and brings you refills.

Then the second time we went they were mad busy, so they took our order then brought our food to our table. They didn't give us a number or anything. The guy brought our food straight to our table, too - no wandering around, looking confused. They did it for everybody in the place, not just us.

We asked the guy how he did it. He smiled and said "We can't give away all our secrets." He sounded cheery, but there was sadness in his eyes. This was a man burdened with a dark secret.

_{* This atheist digs his secular Christmas.}

_{** This atheist digs his Focus on the Family supporting, gay and atheist rejecting (allegedly) Fundie fast food joint.}