me, i disconnect from you

"It's the only way to live, in cars." - Gary Numan

This past weekend I went to La Rochelle with the other students in the critical studies program. I started out with good intentions, I wanted to reconnect with people. I'm not sure if this happened.

I did, however, enjoy myself. I smoked a couple of times and I felt like I was vomiting poetry every time I opened my mouth. We had some great laughs. On Friday we all went out to dinner, then we separated and found different bars. I was with a large group of girls. Across the street from us was another small group sitting outside, and I joined them later on in the evening.

After joining Jared and Dan for a smoke, I went back to the table outside and asked myself if I should get another beer. James told me I should manifest my destiny, and I liked that, so I got myself a pint and then joined Jared and Dan again. Brittany was there, too, and they were giving her shit for one reason or another. I decided to go investigate the other group again. As I approached their table, I noticed a group of about four English-speaking tourists lined up, pretending they were sitting in a car. One of the said, ‘we need a driver.’ They look at me. ‘There’s our man!’ they said. I was feeling pretty fresh, I had my track coat on, so I figured I was up to the job.

I got in front of the line and told them that I was driving a six-speed, and that we would be doing some serious racing, and that they would have to give me good sound effects. I proceeded to narrate a drive, so to speak, which entailed me describing what gear I was in, how fast we were going, and any obstacles or sharp turns that came our way. They were really into it. After reaching about 150MPH and several hit and runs, I ended the joyride. We shook hands and said our goodbyes, and I spent the rest of the night recounting the tale. Finally, in the hotel room, I wrote poetry and Jared acted as my enthusiastic audience.

Other than that, we spent our times going to museums, touring the town, etc. I walked around a lot by myself and introspected. On Sunday we went to the aquarium. I wanted to see a giant squid kill a whale, or the piranhas rip up a motherfucker, but even without these things it was entertaining.

On the train ride back, I felt reflective and drowsy, and relieved that my paltry attempts to reconnect were finished.