I Love Skunks.

There's nothing I like more than trucks on Route 81 South through rural Virginia. Especially when, as you are trying to pass a truck going 70 in the left-hand lane, you hear a big pop in the back of your car. At first I thought it was my tire, which went flat about a year ago on my way up to Boone. But right outside of Staunton, Virginia, I'm not too excited to think of changing a tire while trucks blow past me. I pulled over, called my mom, insisting that I had a flat tire and that I would need to call AAA. I climb out the passenger side seat, get out and realize that my tire is fine. But next to my car is a large ball of hair. And as I bend over to see the damage, I notice an even larger ball of hair extending out of my exploded muffler. Exciting.

I do what any self-respecting feminist does. I call my dad. I pull over at the next exit. I find a mechanic shop and they replace my muffler in an hour. The clerk at the front tells me that the skunk felt no pain. I watch the soap opera Passions while I wait. Hours later I arrive at my friend's apartment in Louisville, Kentucky.

We go to bed early. The next day we hang out, watch some Felicity, make plans to go to Nashville, go get coffee and tea, and go out to Waterfront Wednesdays on the Ohio River. We can see Indiana in front of us. Like Charlottesville, Louisville is a pocket of liberal-minded folks surrounded by a red state. Kentucky's also trees and hills and green surrounded by buildings and roads. There are local businesses as well as Target's and Wal-Mart's.

My friend is about to move back up to Northern Kentucky to become a 5th grade math teacher. In Boston, we both worked for non-profit education organizations, helping students have equal access to resources. The Supreme Court decided today that the Jefferson County schools can't assign students to certain schools according to race. There's the idea that every student deserves the same education. There's the idea that a woman who wants the best for her child, no matter how it affects society, should be entitled to do so. It's reassuring to know that my friend is going to be a teacher and really stand up for the kind of education that every child deserves. At the end of the day, at least there's that.

There's a point where you realize that some friendships make you understand why you don't allow crappy people in your life. When you realize that all friendships should be as meaningful and supportive as those that make you feel completely comfortable and relaxed. Where all the bull shit things that happen in life tend to fade.

Tonight we are going to one dollar beers and minor league baseball. We head up into the mountains next week to celebrate our nation's independence. I'm hoping to miss the fireworks for the fourth year in a row. But there will be sparklers involved.