wow. so. i've been up for just about exactly 24 hours now... no rest.. here was my day since my last entry:

drove to flora. had no idea where i was going.. took a bunch of backroads. here ive mapped it out for you on mapmyrun

ok so i had some idea because i didnt get lost at all. i ended up doing 60-80 most of the way with a lot of intown slow downs from going through all those little towns.
i didnt start my trip odometer until about 15 miles into the trip i think.. maybe 10. anyway:

Left Springfield: 0800
Arrived: 1016
Trip odometer: 109 (plus that ten maybe.. so.. 119)
Time travelled: 2h 16m
Average MPH: 52.50

wound up in flora an hour and a half early.. definitely fucked google's prediction for the same route:

123 mi (about 3 hours 23 mins)

so i sat there awhile.. ate an apple.. read the newspaper.. then i went to subway. got a chicken parmesan 6" that was good, but extremely messy (the other chicken parmeseans ive had werent). went back out to my car.. called liz back.. then drove to the seminar so i could get there about 20 minutes before 1200, the official start time; of course i need time to change and id like to talk to the guy first.
soooo i get there.. nobody there. ok fine.. 20 minutes early.. but im still worried. 15...10...5..still no one. the whole time im thinking "WTF did i get the wrong day?" because he did have a typo on his website that said the 7th, but on another website it said the 6th and i even emailed him to confirm it was the 6th and he said yes.. .. so i was a little upset at that point and was ready to explode thinking i had drove all that way down there and there was no seminar. it would be on ething if HE didnt show up, but NOBODY was there.. no students.. nothing.

so.. lauren calls me since i called her earlier.. i tell her the story.. and as im telling it mr jim greenwood pulls up in a bright yellow car. wheew.. sigh of relief supreme. so i hang up and go talk to him.

we talk for some time.. la la la. he is also wondering why no one else has shown up.. calls a few people.. "you came here from SPRINGFIELD? fuck." or words to that effect. so anyway.. ends up that nobody else shows up and its jus me and him. so i got a whole one-on-one seminar instead of your traditional 25+ person seminars like im used to... actually i guess im more used to 50+.

learned quite a bit.. i have all my notes down in here.. ill probably scan it or something.. maybe redraw it and rewrite it and publish a private entry on here or something... id do public, but it wouldnt make sense t oanyone but me anyway. overall it was a very rewarding experience and i might go back sometime. he's a really great guy.. fun to work with.. wasn't uncomfortable with him at all.. wasnt too fast or too slow.. jsut right. really surprising. i was impressed.

sO! 1500.. we start wrapping things up.. i talk to him a bit more.. i leave.. its about 1515.. start driving.. i decide this time that im going to take a different route home than i did coming there.. im not going to map this one.. ill just let you know that it was I70 -> Rt 127 -> I55. all very decent roads.
i was definitely getting tired by this point. thought about pulling off the road. on 70 i was really tired and i think the sun was making me more tired. anyhow.. woke back up as soon as i got on 127 and out of the direct line of the sun.. no sleep problems after that.
lalala.. got home.

Left Flora: 1515
Arrived: 1755
Trip odometer: 264 (minus 119 = 145)
Time travelled: 2h 30m
Average MPH: 58.00

Looks like there wasn't really too big of a difference. looks like i travelled about 30 miles extra on the way home. the roads were much easier to follow though.. i probably did that right too.. doing the backroads during the day when i really could see and then main roads home at night.

Anyhow. 264 miles. looked like my gas tank was about down to a little about 1/4... although.. that thing isn't always that accurate. i figure i spent about $20 on gas.. jim gave me a discount on the seminar... $20 for the seminar (it was $35 originally). subway was $4.

Total trip cost: $44

that really was worth it though =)