Long time no update...let's bring you abreast of any recent developments.

Sunday:

FREEDOM! Freedom trail that is. Walked the 2.5 mi strip through Boston that has all the historic sites along it. The best part was riding the bus later and hearing people being told about it:

Lady: "two and a half miles? There's no way I'd walk that, it would take all day"
Kid: "well, at about 15-20 minutes a mile, it would only take, you know, 45 minutes"
Lady: "but still, that's a long way to walk, I'll stick to the bus"

I was just trying to keep from laughing, we American's are so damn lazy it's no wonder the rest of the world thinks we're fat and ugly.

But yeah, I spent another full afternoon in Boston checking out the sights and, again, hanging out in Harvard Square. I could definitely spend a week there and still not get board, there was a lot I missed out on and the public transit (the T), is fabulous.

I later spent the rest of the evening driving to outside NYC. I found a nice (read: awkwardly smelling) Days Inn to pass out in, hence no journal update. I was too damn tired.

But then...

Monday!

Woke up, got in the car at 9am, drove to Chattanooga. That's right, from Nanuet (next to Sleepy Hollow, both not so great destinations) to Chattanooga, TN. That was 853 miles of non-stop driving. Took me about 13 hours to do it. Virginia is a frickin' huge state, take my word for it.

Taylor so graciously allowed me the use of her futon to crash on. So after being force fed pizza (I hadn't eaten in 24+ hours, yeah yeah, I know) and watching princess bride we went to bed around 2am.

So funny story. Taylor had to get up early for work, she gave me a key to let myself out and all.

But the key didn't work.

It worked on the back porch.

Which is on the second floor of the apartment building.

So I could either: A) climb down after locking the front door, or B) leave it unlocked all day.

Naturally these weren't the best of options, so I did what any mentally deranged person would do. I changed the locks. Her porch deadbolt became her front door's.

Hope she has a key for it. I can't think of everything.

One more post and then we're done for this travel session, stay tuned.

Today I spent my time invading Boston. And by invading I mean trying not to stick out like a sore thumb.

Since Hanscom AFB decided to stay booked all weekend I'm staying in another civilian hotel, yay for high rates!

But I digress, I started my day by going to the Sam Adams brewery. This was awesome. It's an hour tour or so of the actual brewing facility (unlike Guinness which uses models) and then you sample the Boston Lager, Summer Ale, and Boston Ale.

Oh, and did I mention this was all free? That's right, free beer, for breakfast.

You really can't beat that. And the tour was given by employees that had flown in from other brewery locations, so they weren't exactly well-versed in policy. And let us have seconds and all. Apparently it is also corporate policy to only hire good looking girls, too. So you Sam drinking fellas might appreciate that tidbit.

I also took a picture of a Homestar Runner sticker placed inside the brewery, I found that rather hilarious.

Moving on I walked around the city, well, as much as was reasonable as the weather sucked patootie

I hung out in Harvard Square quite a bit, watching street performers and listening to bands play a few sets. I got ticked off at this group from New York (break dancers) and they were entirely too disrespectful of the audience. They felt like we owed them our attention, versus earning it. I didn't like them one bit.

But there was a classic rock cover band "That Band" that was pretty good, and another guy who had a physical feats act--he juggled and then hung upside down and juggled machetes. He also got points for having this rotating yellow duck that responded to noise, so the louder the audience clapped, the faster it went. He also set it up so that it was in the middle, and we were all clapping for it, and that was it. He hid in the audience and we watched people walk by and stare. They were all trying to figure out what we were clapping at. It was nicely done.

Anyway, that was about it for today, it just took a lot out of me, I'll find out more tomorrow and then maybe head back to Baltimore. Ciao!

Well I've made it to Maine. I'm in the Camden Library at the moment mooching off their wireless internet--I love being a nerd sometimes.

Maine could give Georgia a run for some of the hick-ness of the backwoods towns, I was duly impressed by the lack of teeth and peculiarity of accents. French people are somehow beloved here.

Now that I've finally reached my destination, I'm at odds of what, exactly, to do with it. I'll definitely have to find a place to stay in the area, and since it is scheduled to rain, find an activity that would become an umbrella carrier.

It's funny, I keep thinking of funny things to write in here whilst on the road, but when I actually sit down to do it, I can't remember them.

I think for my schedule I'll do:
Saturday: Camden/Rockport -> Boston ( Baltimore (7 hours)
Monday: Baltimore -> ??
Tuesday: ?? -> Atlanta (I guess I could do Baltimore->Atlanta in 12 hour go)

Hmm...maybe I will have time to explore a little bit of Boston afterall. Or DC. Or some other city.

I guess I have to figure that out soon, I'm open for suggestions though.

Or I could just come home a day early and sleep in my own bed. How I do miss it.

Bye for now! The library is closing and such.

Driving several hundred miles (well, 1500 or so, thus far) gives you time to think, and think I have done--and sing way out of key with Captain iPod, oh it was criminal really.

Anyway, I figured out that everything I really need to know in life I learned from Duck Tales. As a kid I know that South American dictators are bad news thanks to the Banana Republic episode when the boys convinced the world it was Saturday and not Friday to get their allowance a day earlier than they were supposed to.

Or what about just being yourself, with Fenton and his Megaduck persona? Well, that, and a cool voice gets you chicks--literally.

And let us not forget the best lesson--if you're rich, keep your assets liquid by putting all your money into change, and go swimming in it often. Wear a bathing suit and be sure to dive head first into the piles and piles of change.

In other news, since a large part of this road trip is also to "find myself" and how I want to progress in life, I figured I would do it at a place reknown for such an activity, that's right, I went to Walden Pond.

I didn't intend to, really, I just happened to pass it on the way around Boston. The literary nerd that I am, I could resist going to the legendary Walden Pond. Of course, now it is the Walden Pond State Reserve or some such nonsense, and comes complete with public beach. It is rather pretty and was a nice break from the traffic of Boston--which sucks arse. I-95 was shut down to one lane leaving the state so that they could pave...during rush hour. It also doesn't help that since I'm the foreigner with the out-of-state plates everything is somehow my fault.

Speaking of which, my Aunt's uncle was staying with them in Baltimore, so when I was introduced he was surprised that I didn't have an accent, I guess when he heard I was from Atlanta he figured me for a southern boy. Strange this is, when I was small I had a Bostonian accent, but this is the closest I've ever been to Boston. Go figure.

I drove hard for about 8 hours today, so I went from southern Baltimore to the New Hampshire /Maine border. I'm staying the night in Portsmouth in a relatively ghetto hotel. The outlets don't have grounds, the phone lines don't like to be used for modem purposes, so I'm still using my cell phone as modem that likes to crash my computer. Oh the humanity!

(and the things I do to maintain internet access)

A few other items of note: driving alone doesn't really bother me--I don't have to worry about someone else's stomach or bladder. It helps, because I've been sticking to basically one meal a day. Although my uncle changed that by feeding me constantly. You'll have to ask Andrew, Brandon, or I later about our Myrtle Beach spring break from years ago. We stayed with my uncle...ugh...we probably all gained 5 lbs.

Eating alone, however, is rather discomforting, especially in public. Oh sure, you get to flirt with waitresses (waiters?) and all, but you don't get to go home with anyone. Sleeping in a hotel room by yourself kinda defeats the purpose. I mean, these rooms are supposed to be aphrodesiacs or something, aren't they? No-Tell-Motel syndrome and all.

Tomorrow I'll head into Maine and probably stay there a couple days, then work my way back down the seaboard. I think it might rain, which will suck. Bonus though--my doctor's appointment got moved, so I don't necessarily have to be back by Jul 1, although I think I will anyway. But at least I know I don't have to be completely rushed.

Also bonus: I was wandering through an independent music retailer here in Portsmouth (a really charming town) and picked up a bluegrass tribute to john mayer for 9 bucks, it's great to listen to.

But one of the beds awaits! I just have to pick from the two queens I have in here to see who wants a scantily clad jason between the sheets.

Until tomorrow!

Today my Uncle took me to explore Annapolis and Baltimore. We walked around Annapolis during the morning and had a great breakfast thingy at a small hole in the wall "delly" that was definitely not lacking for business. Breakfast all day, popcorn, pretzels, ice cream, lunches, dinners--a Super Waffle House so to speak. Man was that good.

Annapolis is a charming place really. Lots of little places to just sit and hang out along the harbor. During the day it was kinda ho-hum (everyone opens late and stays open late) but at night those randy Midshipmen come out from the naval academy in their whites and hit on all the young lady folk. It was very fun to watch from my perch safely within the confines of the Marriott Harbor Hotel dining facility. Had a great tilapia dish, I need to grill more fish when I get back home.

I met my Aunt for the first time today, really. Cindy is my Uncle's "partner." I'm sure common law marriage must have kicked in a long time ago, so wife is probably the most accurate. Anyway, she's definitely the kindred spirit of a 60's political activist. She accumulated 4 undergrad degrees and a post-grad and is still looking for her purpose in life. Currently though she's working finding funding for various humane societies to take care of animals. She's definitely a dog person and harbors ideas of a national talk show that would feature interviews with celebrities? political figures? She's very vague and wants to guard her ideas in hopes that she'll get her show on national TV.

Right.

There are two ways on national TV, well, three, but the last (and most successful) is to be a minority running from the cops. Bonus points for inflicting casualties. Anyway, I told her she either needs a lot of venture capital and influential backing, or a huge grass roots movement--ie, get her way from public access to local syndication to national broadcast. My logic had no place in her brain. She's liberal and yet conservative, a Nader fan but a bit more practical. She's unique, and she likes it. Good for her. I don't know how she and my Uncle seem to get along so well, but they've done it for nigh on 30 years maybe, perhaps longer. She's outspoken and a wild-child and he's cool and calculating, seems to be a popular trend.

Oh, also visited the National Aquarium at Baltimore today. It was decent, I'd rank it right below Tennessee's aquarium for everything but one bit: DOLPHINS! I'm a sucker for cetaceans and they had a cool show they called "Play." Basically the trainers show off the dolphins they have (about 6 or so) and how they trained them. Dolphins are so cute, and these were incredibly smart--and really enjoyed doing their routine for the kids.

Although I still think the dolphins we saw in vegas were good, except for that little bastard that was trying to flirt with Manda by showing off his prowess with a frisbee. I got a wee bit tired of this "look at me carry this frisbee in my flipper and do so in the cutest/coolest manner possible!" Some dolphins--sheesh.

Tomorrow will be my greatest driving day I think. I'm cancelling Philadelphia and Boston from my itinery. Just not enough time in the week ahead. I figure I'll need about 3 days to drive back to Atlanta, and another day and a half to reach Maine. So it's an all out battle royale for the northern US. I got some navigational help from Cindy's father, so hopefully I'll be able to bypass any traffic caused by that giant traffic mess that is NYC.

My phone still likes to crash my laptop, so I'll have to find another library to check email and such, until tomorrow kiddos!

Captain iPod (yes, the iPod actually has a name) and I would like to complement the excellent road performance of the Camry. I've been getting 33+ mpg and a range of 500+ miles from each tank full of blessed 87 octane. All that with a nice V6 of pure Japanese power. Mr Toyoda can have my babies. (yes, Toyoda)

Anyway, today I paid a visit to the great city of Charlottesville, VA. I would definitely not mind going back and spending a bit more time there. The downtown area has been made into a pedestrian only zone and paved over with crumbling red brick. It's basically a giant outdoor mall of nicely independently owned and operated stores and restaurants. No real chain stores to speak of. Ate dinner at Miller's Bar. It is a lot smaller and different looking than I had pictured, but the food was good.

It dawned on me that that was my first real meal since leaving Atlanta. Monday I had a bowl of cereal, and from that point on I've had a few grapes, a nectarine, and some bread with cheese. Don't get me started on the overpriced "continental breakfast" at Days Inn.

Drove through Washington, DC to Baltimore to stay with my Uncle for the night. Tomorrow we're going to tour Annapolis and then Baltimore. Probably get a lot of good food. My uncle knows how to live. I should get some good stories.

I'm worried about my time table. I think I'm not going to be able to do much of anything at my other stops. I'll barely have enough time to drive up to Maine and back to Atlanta.

Gotta figure out something, I'll work on that though.

A better update tomorrow, hopefully, this one was rather dull.

A journey of a thousand+ miles begins with a few missteps. I'm not in New England yet, still in the South. A few hundred miles away from Atlanta in a place called Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill. That's right, I'm in the Triangle.

If there is any one goal throughout this trip it was to avoid excessive exposure to the horror that is South Carolina. As some of you may know, SC was the site of my one and only speeding ticket...given to me by a highway patrolmen in a Camaro Convertible! Needless to say I'm still bitter about the experience. Redneck cops in redneck cars have no business giving me tickets. Therefore I did what any sane person would do and drive at exactly the speed limit. In Atlanta that would get me killed, in SC it only makes the truckers do their best impression of alien posession from "Maximum Overdrive" starring Emilio Estevez.

Upon arriving in Raleigh I immediately regretted choosing it as a destination. I mean, I pictured rolling greenery and a picturesque campus of NC State dominating the landscape. Every street should be named MLK, Jr. Blvd if you know what I mean. Yeah, it's all ghetto.

Next stop, Durham and Duke University.

Duck Fuke. No wonder they all worship basketball, that's the only thing to do in that town. Since three colleges (well, plus a few minor ones) are located relatively closely in the Durham-Raleigh-Clay-Chapel Hill area, I'd figure there would be a decent college town atmosphere. That's a negatory, Ghost Rider, the pattern is full.

From what I was able to find, Duke has about one main "drag" on Ninth Street consisting of a few ghetto restaurants and "bars" that seem to pass for nightly entertainment. Not only that, but the whole town doesn't really exist. It's a Duke "campus" and the ginormous Duke University Hospital (Durham is the 'City of Medicine') and that's about it. Then again, maybe I was unable to properly find the local hangouts within walking distance of campus, but it shouldn't be hard folks! I mean, Tallahassee has the Tennesee strip that has Momo's! FSU has a great little town, wouldn't like to live their due to flooding and the hazards of working at the local restaurants (Now Hiring Assistant Manager to replace one in hospital due to parking lot brawl!).

So carrying on my voyage I arrived at UNC - Chapel Hill. Now, by this point I'm rather tired and hungry, so my exploration of Chapel Hill was mediocre at best, but what did I find? A proper collection of stores, boutiques, shoppes, bars, and eateries located on something quaintly called "Main Street!" I was flabbergasted! It was nicely walkable, reasonably cleanly, and my idea of what a strip would look like. But still, no wild partying or the like, then again it is summer.

Moving onward I was in dire need of a location to hang my hat - if I had a hat to hang. Ah, a location to facilitate communication via ghetto rigged cell phone modem-itude!

Days Inn kindly offered a military discount (but also took exhorbinant amounts of money, in my opinion), that continental breakfast better be damn good, that's all I'm saying. But at least I have a king sized bed to frolic in for the night. I'm pretty tired after driving 500 miles today. Hope everyone else is doing well, tomorrow I'm off for Charlottesville, Virginia - another college town for UVA. I know that town is at least pretty decent musically, afterall, the Dave Matthews Band started there. I'll keep you all posted.

Well this is it, I'm off for the great unknown of our nation's eastern seaboard. Today's goal is to get the the Research Triangle area of Raleigh-Durham , North Carolina. It's a relatively short drive and I figure since I might have to live there one day, I might as well pay a visit.

I think I've figured out the internet access while traveling thing, it won't be free per se, but then again, nothing ever is.

Take care everyone, I'll be back home (barring some unfortunate mishap with some back-woods county police) on Wednesday, June 30th. Until then, look for more random updates of my days gone by.

So Dena bought a car.

My Uncle Stevie works for Honda of Oxnard, so we test drove a civic there, and also a used Corolla (2001, white). The Honda's offered 1.9% financing on a new car, 5.9% on a used. Good deals were to be had on a Civic EX.

And then we went to Toyota of Oxnard, where my cousin Scott works (although as a service head guy, not a salesman) We'd still get a family discount though, at 100 dollars over invoice. Dena really liked the 2003 Corollas, so she got herself one. That's right, a 2003 Lunar Mist Metallic Toyota Corolla (that's silver for the rest of you) Grey cloth interior, moonroof, alloy wheels, etc. She didn't want any of that really, but the car she was looking at sold after we left to sleep on it. Oh well, that's how that works.

So we got the car for invoice price _and_ got my uncle stevie a finder's fee of 100 dollars. So we basically made off like bandits. Which leads me to... ...el nombre del coche. You see, my family likes to name cars, perhaps yours does too. Dena needed a name, and I provided her with one: Bandito. This serves two purposes, one, we made off like bandits and the car will know it's heritage, and two, she can yell "HIYO SILVER!" when driving the car. I also pointed out that Dena Bandito! sounds nice as well.

So that's our car shopping misadventures.

Today I think my father and I will be roof repairmen for my nana, either that or roof-patch-it-up-best-we-can-men.

I think I shall also be returning 10lbs heavier,if that was even possible.

There has not been a let-up in the amount of food provided. It's nuts. But all my cousins are so cute. Well, second cousins I should say, I'm one of the last of my generation, there are two more under my level! FIVE generations!

On the bonus side, one of them I call Mini-me. Poor kid. I'll show pictures later.

Anyway, I'm keeping some better stories for when I might see any of you in person. So I'll leave you with semi-baited breath. Good times.

Oh, and Jono is now cool, for he has a TiBook, and it is good.

Sorry for no update, but we've been having some phone difficulties. You see, California is simply screwtated. The 805 area code extends north from los angeles all over the area, and you'd think that everything within that area would be a local call, but nooo...you have to look at the prefix! The 555 in the 555-1212, isn't that weird?

So yes, the "local" internet calls that I made were not local at all, and depending on which number I called, I was charged anywhere from 0.01 to 0.05 dollars per minute. Frickin' nuts.

Other than that, our lives have been rather normal. Today we went car shopping for Dena, she's fond of the Toyota Corolla, and we're currently looking at a 2001 and 2003 models. My father and I were doing back of the envelope calculations (only without the envelope) and figured it was a difference of 100 dollars a month combining both payments and insurance.

Yay guestimates.

On other news I went to go see Gangs of New York. I've determined that I can no longer go to movies. The greeks did everything and I can pretty much figure out the movie if not by the trailer than by the opening act. It's very disappointing. I've become Jono II: The Movie Snob.

GONY was okay, but not overwhelming. Go see it if you have an extra three hours. Still have to see Catch Me if You Can and LoTR: TTT, probably wait to see those in the ATL, paying 8.50 for a movie is absolutely insane. Along with phone bills, this state blows.

I forgot to mention something about my trip to the San Diego Zoo, the pandas were quite cute, but as I think I mentioned, the zoo is loosing 2/3 pandas to china so they can be sent back to either A) retire, or B) put out to stud. All pandas in the world are property of China, and they can request them back at any time so that they can breed them. If anyone else finds it ironic that an endangered species is sent to china to breed, well then, speak up. I hope i'm not the only one.

With that said, i better let dena use the computer.

Spent the day hanging around in downtown LA. We went to drop off Dena so that she could take her Real Estate Exam thingy, so while she was in there, we went to the Fashion District to look at all the good bargains.

Well, I must say, if I was a female between the ages of 12-34, then I would have been in heaven. As I was not, it wasn't the greatest thing since sliced bread really, but if any young ladies out there are looking for prom dresses for ten dollars Just take the 110 down to Olympia and Find Sentee, and you'll be in heaven.

They also have lingerie jeans, toys, watches, sun glasses, leather goods, etc. Oh, and rugs, carpets, blankets, comforters. You want it, some guy will have it for four dollars.

We think Dena passed, too.

Also saw the new LA cathedral. Very sleek and modern. The entire thing is built to withstand an 8.38 on the richter scale. So naturally the entire thing floats on springs. Although my father and I did notice some cracks in the walls. So we pondered how a building that can move 27" in any direction could settle, oh well. Some of life's mysteries are better left unsolved.

Like why women who are two hundred pounds want to wear spaghetti strapped tank tops. It just boggles my mind.

Oh, tamale update, after all was said and done we made a little over four hundred tamales. Yeah, when we like to eat, we like to eat.

So we're in Santa Paula now, visiting my main set of family. We're staying at Port Hueneme (why-knee-me) on the coast, making the daily trek inland to Ventura/Oxnard/Santa Paula through lemon groves and orchards. Oh, what a terrible few mile drive. (Incidently, we also pass the church seen in the last scene of The Rock, it's in Saticoy, not Fort Walton, Kansas)

Tonight we spent sitting around the table making tamales, and man, as good as they are to eat they are that time consuming to make. The masa has to be spread evenly on the ojas (husks) and then the chile is placed in that and rolled up and then steamed. We had a nice little assembly line going for a couple hours. We made probably about 200 of them. And that's a conservative estimate. We mexicans like our food.

On the plus side, I get to drink some wine. :) Which is never bad, so yeah, yay wine.

Hope everyone is relaxing back home. I hope to check back in before the X day. Bye now.

Also have many good stories re: zach, stay tuned.

You know, it came to me in the shower as I was digesting my thoughts... ...what came to me?

Delicious Irony.

To communicate over distance we first had letters (well, we had screaming and shouting, but that didn't go so well). Then came the telegraph, whoop. Telephone was next, that was very nice, you could hear someone's voice, have a good conversation. That's all well and good.

Then comes the internet, and the advent of email. (well, there were BBSs and such, but you get the idea). Again it's fast and easy (like Ian's mom), but there was that one-sided aspect that was annoying, like snail mail was.

Then came instant messaging (or IRC prior to that) and now two people could type in real time to one another.

Finally, i'm hearing through the beta-testing grape vine that there will be "talking" IM, where you can talk your message and the other person's will be read back to you.

Sound familiar?

Hello telephone!

Anyway, I just find it deliciously ironic that we're adding more layers to the conversation process than what is optimal. And layers are bad, no one likes parfait.

That is all, I'm off to LA. I have a few stories to share, but I'll save those for later.

Today my father and I made the drive to the San Diego Zoo. It was a most enjoyable diversion. Much better than sitting around my aunt's house all day long. The zoo is nestled next to Balboa Park, which is absolutely gorgeous. (No, I did not climb up the cliffs and yell "ADRIAN!") I'm never that cliché.

The animals were only halfway into the act, a lot of them are taking the Dena path through life, ie, eat much, nap often. So they were a bit on the comatose side. Actually, they reminded me of a certain Arkansoian roommate of mine, only much more adorable. Specifically the Pandas. Although they are much less randy than the aforementioned member of the human species.

I believe it was Tyler Durden who said it best "I want to put a bullet through the brain of every panda who wouldn't screw to save it's species."

But they are so cute! This one youngster was playing with a big screen TV cardboard box, it reminded me of my youth, actually. I'm sure the fellow military brats can relate to building huge forts out of wardrobe boxes that we used when we moved. Oh man, those were the days. When some excess packing tape and cardboard could build HUGE forts. Yeah, good times.

Gorillas were also fun to watch, again, with the knuckle dragging and false bravado it was like watching Ian.

So yeah, we spent a good while there, expensive, but rather enjoyable.

We also went to the Navy Exchange, now, for those of you who are non military aware, there are these locations on base where you can buy goods. Like the BX (base exchange), and for the army and air force we have AAFES (try the mouthwash next time you want to remove paint). The navy is special (ie, whimpy) and has their own service, the NE. But they do get a whole lot more stuff at better prices. I guess that's their recompense for living in huge boats filled with seamen.

Have to do some shopping before we head back I think.

Oh, and the following vehicles are amazingly annoying:

Ford Windstar
Saturn VUE
VW New Beetle

That is all.

Jason, now that you've stopped the computer from smoking and blowing up the house please do the following:

- Fix Zach's computer, it's so slow.
- Rewire the dimmer switch
- Put in new sockets with the three-prong ground

Etc etc..

So yeah, the cousin's computer had spyware galore on it. I cleaned out most of that crap (apparently he likes young Czech teens and hentai) he had on the computer by hand (his father bought AdSubtract, works like a piece of crap) "Honestly dad, I don't know where the porn popups come from"

Oh I do.

So yeah, chalk up another copy of Win95 that know's it's my bitch. Dimmer switch works perfectly, and four new sockets were installed. Even though the ground pin isn't hooked up to anything, the wiring is so old it has paper insulation. That's not my fault though.

Anyway, that was my day, I'm still hoping for some zoo action. But it's twenty-five bucks now. It's a zoo for crying out loud! That's a lot of money.

Damn I'm old.

At least my parents let me have wine during dinner, a glorious red. My uncle is somewhat of a wine afficionado, even though he's allergic to alcohol. He turns a nice shade of red. Very amusing.

Yes, I know these updates are boring, but I'm sure your lives are sooo much more interesting.

Stay tuned.

Oh yeah, waking up and going for a morning stroll on the beach is absolutely wonderful. I highly recommend it.