Quarters has become sort of a tradition when I come home, particularly me and Lexi's tradition because Brit gets car sick very easily. The rules of Quarters are to flip a coin at every stop. Heads, you go left. Tails, you go right. If you drop it you go straight, if applicable. Sometimes we'll go by the rules, but most of the time we'll just drive around trying to get lost. We always end up back in York somehow, though, with very little effort. Usually, if we saying we're going to play Quarters, it just means drive around for awhile and talk. Talk lots. Catch up on things, bounce things off of one another. My brother has often asked how I get along so well with Lexi and Brit, because we seem so different, but we're not really. We've always been able to carry nice conversation. I usually drive, just because I'm the one with a car that always has gas in it. I don't mind. I like having the control of where we're going.

I think tonight will go under the category of very successful games of Quarters. Actually, I guess we haven't played that often.

The first time we played, which will probably remain the most epic time, it was during the last week of winter break. We originally started out with me, Lexi and Tabby. We stopped by the Toms on Mt. Rose Ave. and got snacks and drinks. We drove towards Arianna's house, and we stopped there to say hi and we ogled over Big Cat. We asked if she wanted to play with us, and she said yes, so we decided to pick her up again later, since we had to take Tabby home to make his curfew. We drove a little more and happened upon a quarry. And there was something about a car being behind us and just seeming to disappear. So then we went back because of Tabby, and then we picked up Brit and later Arianna and continued past the quarry. We kept playing Quarters with the rules, and then we drove up a hill. Then suddenly--Three Mile Island! We could see it, and it wasn't too far away. So we stopped playing Quarters and just tried to drive towards it.

When we got to the town, we were almost at the edge of the lake, then we went over a set of train tracks, which were on a hill, and then suddenly, BAM. Probably only a few hundred feet of us was a straight path into the lake. Luckily I definitely slammed on the brakes in time, but it was still scary. Then we turned onto the adjacent street, parked, and went to stand at the edge of the lake, Three Mile Island right across from us, the red lights blinking. I tried to take a picture with my phone, but it was too dark. Arianna didn't want to come out of the car for some reason. A lot of people actually have houses pretty much right on the lake, and they also have boats. I had to wonder why they would ever want to go boating in a lake next to a nuclear power plant. That just doesn't seem safe, and certainly not sanitary. Anyway, that time, I think I took a wrong turn once on the way home, but I remembered everything pretty well. That was actually a really, really cool experience.

Another time it was just Lexi and I. We drove into Dallastown, on the way to where I used to take baton twirling lessons. We passed by this old movie theater, and it had closed. On the door, there was a sign that stated: "Sorry, we're closed. We tried." Or something along those lines, and it made me really sad. We ended up somewhere, I forget exactly where, but we ended up going past Wisehaven and my old neighborhood on the way back. I like checking up on my old house and neighborhood every so often. Just to see how everything's changed and to feel nostalgic. Sometimes I feel like I go back in time when I'm there. One day I hope the people living there now will sell the house so I can go to an open house, just to see how it's changed, or stayed the same, for that matter.

I think earlier in the summer Lexi and I went again alone, except we took a Tom-Tom this time, just in case. We went into the middle of freaking nowhere, even more so than before. We passed by some really pretty farms, and there was one road with a bunch of identical trees on either side (maples? elms? no idea), and it looked so cool, but it was at night, so any picture wouldn't have turned out well. We then went to a town, and we saw a bunch of heavy smoke and what seemed like a fire, but when we tried to get close to it, we found a factory, and figured it was just part of the factory's doing. Then later, back near farms, we saw a "chicken crossing" sign and that made Lexi's day. We also passed by a church that Lexi apparently used to attend when she was really young.

Then, back in York, we went through the Dunkin Donuts drive-thru because Maple Donuts was closed. The first time around, I didn't roll down my window right away because I had to decide what I wanted. Then, when I finally did, they didn't answer. So in a whiny yet cute voice I said, "Aww, come on, pleaaaaaaaase?" And then Lexi just lost it, which made me lose it, and we seriously laughed hysterically for a few minutes. So then I just rolled around again and they answered this time. Lexi took sips of my chai tea while Tarik sent me pictures of when he was younger and of his dad, whom I had never seen before. People say he looks like Saddam Hussein, but I don't think he does.

Tonight, it started out with just Lexi and I because Brit didn't feel like going at the last minute. We started driving, but then took a detour at Target where I bought Chinese paper lantern lights and cool decals for my dorm room. Then we picked up Chris (Lexi's boyfriend), who always enjoys my company, and we always have interesting conversations. I tried explaining to him why I respect Tarik's religious beliefs and tried to make a better name for Islam that he probably had in his mind.

He and Lexi have an interesting dynamic that I could never tolerate in a relationship. They fight. A lot. About little stupid things. I always try to calm them down, and eventually Chris said, "Ariel, why don't you just join the conversation and stop trying to be a mediator?" And I replied, "I'm an INFP, leave me alone." So yay for leading the conversation to Myers-Briggs! But anyway, I decided to drive in the direction of Nick's house in New Oxford, and eventually I remembered Tropical Treat, which is kind of like a locally owned Sonic, so we went there. So we actually didn't play Quarters at all, but it was still a nice night.