Back from Dixie

I was cruising along south dixie in my prius hybrid, enjoying the trees and the fancy car, making my way deep into the heart of Dixie. I had a chance to try out some southern specialities, including catfish and hush puppies, which were not terribly impressive, but made my mentor proud and made for some good conversation at work.

The drive from Dallas to Campti was not too bad, and I made good time (though I could not keep up with the crazy drivers in Dallas), so I had a chance to explore the area. There is not much to keep a person busy around Natchitoches, although I can see how it could be an attractive place for a southern raised family to settle down. Quiet, peaceful, and definitely out of the way. Finding decent chinese food, however, was basically impossible.

After Campti, I made my way via Shreveport and Arkansas, back through Texas, and into Oklahoma. It was hot, and fairly uncomfortable, and there was still no sign of good chinese food. Valliant is an enormous mill, with quite a culture, and they are very proud of their operation. They did not seem very enthusiastic about Louisiana, and discouraged a culturally sophisticated person like me from making a home there. They mostly said they would rather come home with me.

After acquainting myself with the operation in Valliant, I made my way back to Dallas for one last day of entertainment and eating. It was another long drive to get there, but I still had some time to go out on the town.

After making the most of Dallas, it was time to head for the airport, so I packed up the Prius and headed out on the crazy Texas freeway. Just four miles from the airport, I experienced one more little piece of excitement - the Prius turned out to be more than just a fun car. It became a car that kept me safe in a dangerous situation. Driving down the road, cruising along with all the crazies, I saw something fall off the undercarriage of the car in front of me. I had no time to avoid it, so I ended up running straight into the muffler that had plopped onto the road in front of me. It took out the tire of the Prius, and left me stranded on the freeway with a flat, all by myself. Thankfully, my cel phone had enough charge for one call to the rental folks, who promptly came to rescue me. They were there in less than 15 minutes, and had me on my way to the airport right away.

Since Friday I have been learning to utilize my negotiation skills, and at this point I feel happy with the rewards and experience that the trip provided. It was a valuable learning experience for me, and also gave me some more tools to help open doors for my future.