Non-Gaming Stories

Way back on June 2nd of this year, my wife and I were driving through Missouri . We stopped for gas and Road snacks at the T-Ref Mart in Lathrop. Within, we made a glorious discovery... the T-Rex Chomper. This simple snack is, to the untrained eye, a dill pickle spear wrapped in a slice of ham. We nearly purchased this seemingly divine culinary delight, refraining only when she remembered the Potential Threat of Listeria lunchmeat poses to pregnant women and unborn babies. We spent two and a half months haunted by this decision (especially since we learned that the threat is so small that it barely constitutes a threat at all). We made our own at home with slices of Black Forest Ham, Jalapeños, and Dill or bread and butter pickles but thoughts of the Real T-Rex Chompers continued to taunt us. Until last night... Last night we once again found ourselves at the T-Rex Mart in Lathrop. I picked and purchased a four pack of Chompers. I popped the lid,...

Monday morning, my wife and I woke up at a rest stop on the western outskirts of Joplin, Missouri. A quick consultation of Google Maps revealed that we were, in theory, about 5 hours from our destination. It also revealed that we were less than five-minutes from the Tri-State Area ! (Oops... I meant this one ). I'm talking about that spot on the map where Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma meet. I was excited and thought that this would be a cool thing to see. I also expected that this Particular Point of Geographic Synchronicity to be a Pretty Big Deal. ... ... Turns out, not so much. At the end of what looks like a gravel driveway there is a pile of stones that have been mortared together. Off to one side, there is what looks like a manhole cover. The rock pile had four smooth rectangles where commemorative plaques (most likely) of some sort had once been mounted. Only graffiti remains. I was crestfallen. My wife and I climbed...