Keep Rollin'!

Ever have one of those days where everything feels "off"?

This weekend, my friend Mark took me on a little road trip to celebrate my birthday. He arranged for us to stay with friends in Rhode Island on Friday and then in Boston on Saturday. As he picked me up and we prepared to hit the road, you could feel excitement in the air.

Little did Mark know what fate had in store for him.

First off, Mark recently lost his job as a result of the economy, which has to be stressful. Rather than sulking, however, he was as upbeat as ever when he picked me up in Manhattan. Parking in the city is always a hassle, so to kick off our adventure, he decided to run into a Starbucks that was around the corner for some coffee.

I was waiting in the car, in charge of sorting through his iPOD to prepare the ultimate play list. Then, all of a sudden, it started POURING outside! I'm not talking a gentle mist, or even a strong precipitation but an all out thunderstorm!

A few minutes went by and I began to wonder if Mark had realized that it was cloudy outside and brought an umbrella.

The next thing I know, I saw Mark sprinting from around the corner completely vulnerable! He was carrying two cups of coffee (what a soldier) that were spilling all over him. The image alone was ridiculous. He had gotten OBLITERATED! Plus, Mark had only brought one pair of jeans for the trip, so changing clothes was out of the question. What a way to start the drive...

A few hours later, we stopped for gas and a few drinks. The weather had slowed our pace and we weren't making good time, but thanks to a phenomenal music playlist (he contributed as well) the energy was great and we were enjoying ourselves.

Then Mark opened his Pepsi... and it EXPLODED all over his pants! Again, we aren't talking about a few drops, but rather a full scale bursting of the pipes! Half of the bottle had relocated to his sole pair of jeans.

Fortunately, he realized that complaining wouldn't help so we laughed and moved on. When we reached our destination, we had one thing on our minds. What are we going to drink tonight?

We settled on Tanqueray and prepared a batch of gin & tonics (Mark's friend had arranged a designated driver for us). As the drinks were flowing, his friend asked us if we wanted to take shots of a cheap vodka that was popular in Rhode Island, called Burnetts. I was fine with my gin but Mark was all about trying a new drink.

"Just don't go too crazy, this (Burnetts) will have you feeling sick in the morning". His friend left an EXPLICIT warning to drink with caution. Mark didn't care.

About 5 shots later, we hopped in the car, ready to see where the night would take us. As we hit the main road, I smelled something terrible. Before I could investigate, Mark tugged on my shirt and whispered that he had puked and JUST noticed that residue was on his shirt. You just can't make this stuff up.

What were we going to do? I wasn't going to embarrass him and we tried to play it cool.

I watched the front seat to see if anyone else in the crew had noticed. The reaction to such a smell is quite entertaining. Allow me to share the process with you:

1. A few moments after the news was broken to me, I saw the facial expressions of the passenger riding shotgun. It was a gradual shift, as if the odor had just set in and she still needed confirmation.

2. About 45 seconds later, his friend seemed noticeably bothered. Still, she hadn't yet reached the point of bringing it up in the conversation. Meanwhile, Mark and I were scrambling for a solution - opening the windows and throwing a barrage of questions their way to keep their minds occupied.

3. The breaking point. Finally, everyone in the car had become DISGUSTED. It was like the Black Panther cologne scene in Anchorman.
"What is that awful smell!?! It's like a used diaper... filled with... Indian food!"

It was terrible and hysterical all at once, yet we somehow managed to escape with the perpetrator left unidentified. Unfortunately, Mark, did not escape the wrath of Burnett's and was out of commission. We called it an early night and got him back safely.

The next morning really impressed me. You would think that Mark would be flustered or worn down by his disastrous day. He wasn't. Throughout it all he remained smiling and never complained. He refused to let it throw him off. Rather than crying over spilled milk, we immediately set out for Boston and had an amazing time.

Life will not always go your way. Learn from Mark and when you feel like you're taking a beating, roll with the punches. That's Sprezzatura.