Filthy Casual Reviews: Talk About Tuesday

What A Day!

Today, I went on an adventure with some friends. It wasn't like we went skydiving (though we drove by a place that offers classes), or hiking, or wakeboarding or anything like that, but I'm a homebody, so for me, an adventure can mean a short road trip with people I like where we go hang out in a town that isn't ours.

We drove to Waterville, today. You may be thinking, if you're from Maine, "why Waterville?" and the answer is: "We wanted Thai Food we haven't had before". Our Destination was Pad Thai Too. Since we headed out around noon, we needed to kill some time before we got to order, so we took a snack break at one of the two Taco Bells and then crawled along the mean streets of Waterville (they're not mean, that's just poetic license). There were a lot of fun stores and restaurants, and honestly, I had to rethink my stance on the town. See, I'd always seen it as a place like Union or Waldoboro - quiet, basically economically dead areas that would be nice to live in but weren't really busy.

Waterville is apparently a small, more river-based Portland.

There were sculptures, monuments, and parks, and honestly, it was very pretty.

I wish I'd taken pictures, but I put my phone away while we were touring the Two Penny Bridge because I didn't want to drop it in the Kennebec. Instead, I just took it in. A pair of ladies jogged past us on their exercise circuit, sending the suspension bridge jumping just slightly. It was just enough movement that you could tell the bridge was held up by wires, but not enough that you'd be truly jostled. I really loved seeing most of the locks, too - much like the Pont des Arts, couples will put a lock on the bridge to symbolize the permanence of their love, and unlike the Pond des Arts, there are nowhere near enough to warrant removal yet.

The fall pollen was collected on the surface of the Kennebec like an oil slick made from powdered ivory. The river itself was so steeped with tannins that it was almost a black brown. The overall effect was suitably spooky for someone wearing a plaid flannel shirt and a neckerchief of lace skulls, and I was enchanted.

Overall, a positive experience. Even the homeless guy who came over and bothered us was in a good mood. We left before that mood could sour. (I hope the dude finds somewhere warmer to stay as the winter rolls in. No one deserves to freeze, and a public park is not gonna cut it come November).

We went from the park to Pad Thai Too and put in our orders. I had the regular Pad Thai with chicken, my boyfriend had the Pik Pow Pad Thai with chicken, and they were both really good. I'd have to say that the Pad Thai is more sweet-and-sour than rich-and-sweet, and mine wasn't at all spicy. The Pik Pow wasn't spicy either, but it was spiced. That was a tangier, stronger sauce, and it went really well with the pineapple. Overall, I'd absolutely eat there again. I am interested in what their Drunken Noodle tastes like!

Now, normally, when there are spicy dishes on offer, I'm all in on that. I love me some spice. Unfortunately for me, though, I've been suffering some of the worst heartburn of my life for the last week or so. It's been bad enough that I've had to listen to my own heartbeat to make sure it sounds normal (a little elevated, but that's fine when I'm anxious and uncomfortable). It's just heartburn, but it sucks. I don't just get the "warm chest/hiccups" anymore, either. I get the "feels like some giant has lodged one set of knuckles under my sternum and the other set of knuckles just under my shoulder blades and is trying to press those knuckles together through me".

Needless to say, spicy food was not an option today.

And I've started a course of Omeprazole for the first time in about a decade. I don't get consistent heartburn often, so I don't take stuff like that often, either. I've also been crunching Tums.

And hydrating.

And apparently that thing about laying on your left side? Not an old wives' tale. It works. Lay on your left side.

Anywho, you're probably wondering about the rest of the week, right? Here ya go:

On Thursday I'll post what I've got for art this week. It's Spooky season, which means I have Art Prompts to fill, and... uh... I may have terrified myself with one of my drawings. Just a bit. Eugh.
On Monday, I hope I have some finished projects to share. We'll see lol.
Next Tuesday I'll be back here for a chatty like today's.

I'm shockingly tired from our little jaunt today (that and staying up until 3AM due to heartburn), so I'm going to go watch Madagascar Giant Hognoses hatch in Minnesota and go to bed.

Go Enjoy Something, folks!

EDIT: My awesome boyfriend sent me a bunch of pics he took on our roadtrip!