Graduation weekend, off to a rough start

So the plan was for a whole group of us to come up to Rhode Island to celebrate Jen's graduation. The graduation ceremony is set for May 20 at 12:30, and Jen and her housemates plan a barbeque at their house afterwards. The group consisted of me, Drew, Rebecca, my parents, my three sisters and our good friend J and her 3 kids -- her sons and my daughters think of each other as cousins. Later Becca asked if she could bring a girlfriend. Plan was to drive up Saturday, attend festivities Sunday and drive home Sunday night.

There are only two hotels near the university. Both required a two-night stay, prepaid. It didn't make sense. So I booked a block of rooms in Warwick, a 30 minute drive from the school. Well, J decided not to come up Saturday night. She and her boys are driving up Sunday morning and driving home Sunday night -- her son M is at a sweet 16 tonight.

Then my mother decided that it would be too much for my father to drive home Sunday night after the party. So she booked two rooms - one for herself and my father, one for my sisters H, A and F - for Saturday - Monday, in the university town. I kept two rooms in Warwick, one for me and Drew, one for Beca and her friend.

Well, as you know, my dad has been in the hospital for over a week, and won't be released for at least another two days. So that meant a change of plans. My mom and H stayed home. Becca's friend cancelled, so she wound up with F and A at the hotel near the school. They took one room - H is fighting with the hotel to get my parents a refund on the second room.

So Drew and I wound up driving here alone. Hit a huge amount of traffic on I-95. Took at least 90 minutes more than it should have to get through Connecticut. Almost got killed when rubberneckers stopped short to look at a tow truck and a broken-down car on the side of the road. Got to Jen's house shortly before she planned to go out with her friends for a last hurrah (at least the champagne I bought for tomorrow will be chilled).

So Drew and I find ourselves in Warwick tonight, all alone. At least we had an excellent dinner at Legal Seafoods. I'd been to one in Boston and he'd been to one on Long Island. So we decided to try the one in Warwick. From the outside it looks like a seafood shack. Inside the decor is more upscale but still nautical. Bread was served piping hot with butter. He had the lobster bisque and I had the Rhode Island chowder - a tomato based chowder which contained chorizo. Both soups were excellent. We both ordered shrimp with garlic -- succulent shrimp cooked with cherry tomatoes, scallions and mushrooms in a garlic sauce, served over al dente linguini. Drew loved the sangria, but my pina colada was lacking.

Tomorrow, on to graduation!