Nashville was a really exciting stop for me. My friend Megan, and her boyfriend Eric, have a new (6 mo.) baby girl named Panama! When I got there I was greeted by Megan, Panama and the spunky pup, Dulie (I don't know how they spell his name, but it sounds like Julie) at the door. Dulie was very excited and Panama, even though it was after ten, was wide awake!
Megan and I stayed up that night chatting and catching up. We had lots of catching up to do. I haven't seen Megan in years and pretty much everything has changed in both of our lives. They had me staying in Panama's room. It was so nice to snuggle into bed in such a warm place. The home they have built was very soothing after such a long trek.
In the morning we went on a driving tour of Nashville. It's a small city but I really like it. It doesn't look like any of the other cities I passed through. It has a lot of small town traits but also the culture of a big city.
We met up with Eric for lunch at this amazing little sandwich place. Panama was along for the ride the entire day and is such a good baby. Happy and chill. We got along great and I liked getting to know this great little personality. You can get updates and pictures all you want on your friends' lives. You just have to realize that some things, if you don't go and see it for yourself, you will simply miss. Seeing this amazing little girl is something that I am so happy I did not miss.
That night Eric went to work and Megan's parents came over to watch Panama so we could go out and see some of the nightlife that Nashville has to offer. We went to a brewery for dinner (nachos!) and then went over to second fiddle where Eric works. I got to meet a few of their friends and hang out for a bit. It was a blast. We headed back to the house early since I had a long drive in the morning.
When we got back Megan gave me a ton of music! Eric is a song writer (the title link is to his Myspace page) and is very talented. She gave me a bunch of his stuff and then some by other friends of theirs in the area. I listed to it all the way to Charleston the next day.
It was a great visit. I am hoping to get back and maybe take a little trip to Memphis. We were talking about going camping too. I am very excited to get together again soon.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Austin
The drive to Austin was only about twelve hours... Or at least it should have been. My lovely GPS decided that the most direct route was through Oklahoma! Stupid Magellan! So I had an extra half an hour tagged onto my already long ass drive.
I didn't mind driving through Texas as much as I thought I would. Now that I have finished my trip I would even say it was one of my favorite stretches. Once you get onto the East Coast there are so many trees that you can't see much beyond the road. They're lovely, but it can get old.
I got into Austin after nine and was excited to see Marc. I met Marc on my way back from David and Lisa's (my friends I am staying with now in Arlington) wedding. We became fast friends and have stayed in touch ever since. This was the first time we had hung out since the day we met.
The next morning was an early one. Poor Marc. I had to get my oil changed and made an early appointment so that it wouldn't interfere with my one full day in Austin. We had breakfast at Denny's while we waited for the car and then decided to go on an adventure. Kayaking? Don't mind if we do! We spent a good hour out on the water, I won't lie to you, chasing turtles off of the shore. It was a hoot! They would jump off of tree branches, logs, whatever, just swan dive into the water. It was good times.
After our kayaking fun I had to go and get a memory card for my new camera. Lame story short: I lost my camera charger and have to order a new one from Olympus since it's an old model. Bought a camera to return once I got to Arlington and the stupid kid didn't bother to tell me that the camera didn't come with one and that the camera itself only had enough memory for ten pictures.
Once we were done with Target, and entirely over our pond water aroma, we went back to the house to shower and take a nice nap. While in Austin I got to crash out on the couch. The couch was the most comfortable couch ever, and I am sure I will have it on my mind when I'm sleeping on the floor for the month after David and Lisa leave.
We woke up from our naps ready for food and fun. Off to downtown Austin! At this point I should probably fill you on the fact that Marc doesn't have a car. I am a big supporter of those that can do without, but this round Marc lost. My car was packed to the gills and so he had the pleasure of being my entertainment while riding around with his knees to his chest in my front seat that was damn near all the way forward.
We had burgers and $2 beers before heading off to the Alamo Drafthouse. This place is fantastic! Two thumbs way up! We got there and it was the Ferris Bueller Quote Along night. They gave us cheat sheets and kazoos (which neither of us could use, we are losers) and in we went. The place serves food and beer. All you have to do is write what you want on a piece of paper and flag it up for the girl to see. It's a great system. I hadn't seen Ferris Bueller in a long time so it was a lot of fun. After that off to a bar/beer garden. We didn't hang out long since we both got shit on by birds, nice.
I called it a night early. With a good 13 hours of driving to look forward to the next day and I definitely didn't want to be falling asleep at the wheel.
I stopped on my way out of town up in Rockwall, TX to have lunch with my friend Troy who Nate and I met in New Orleans doing Habitat. It was a short visit but great to stop in and see what he's up to just the same.
I didn't mind driving through Texas as much as I thought I would. Now that I have finished my trip I would even say it was one of my favorite stretches. Once you get onto the East Coast there are so many trees that you can't see much beyond the road. They're lovely, but it can get old.
I got into Austin after nine and was excited to see Marc. I met Marc on my way back from David and Lisa's (my friends I am staying with now in Arlington) wedding. We became fast friends and have stayed in touch ever since. This was the first time we had hung out since the day we met.
The next morning was an early one. Poor Marc. I had to get my oil changed and made an early appointment so that it wouldn't interfere with my one full day in Austin. We had breakfast at Denny's while we waited for the car and then decided to go on an adventure. Kayaking? Don't mind if we do! We spent a good hour out on the water, I won't lie to you, chasing turtles off of the shore. It was a hoot! They would jump off of tree branches, logs, whatever, just swan dive into the water. It was good times.
After our kayaking fun I had to go and get a memory card for my new camera. Lame story short: I lost my camera charger and have to order a new one from Olympus since it's an old model. Bought a camera to return once I got to Arlington and the stupid kid didn't bother to tell me that the camera didn't come with one and that the camera itself only had enough memory for ten pictures.
Once we were done with Target, and entirely over our pond water aroma, we went back to the house to shower and take a nice nap. While in Austin I got to crash out on the couch. The couch was the most comfortable couch ever, and I am sure I will have it on my mind when I'm sleeping on the floor for the month after David and Lisa leave.
We woke up from our naps ready for food and fun. Off to downtown Austin! At this point I should probably fill you on the fact that Marc doesn't have a car. I am a big supporter of those that can do without, but this round Marc lost. My car was packed to the gills and so he had the pleasure of being my entertainment while riding around with his knees to his chest in my front seat that was damn near all the way forward.
We had burgers and $2 beers before heading off to the Alamo Drafthouse. This place is fantastic! Two thumbs way up! We got there and it was the Ferris Bueller Quote Along night. They gave us cheat sheets and kazoos (which neither of us could use, we are losers) and in we went. The place serves food and beer. All you have to do is write what you want on a piece of paper and flag it up for the girl to see. It's a great system. I hadn't seen Ferris Bueller in a long time so it was a lot of fun. After that off to a bar/beer garden. We didn't hang out long since we both got shit on by birds, nice.
I called it a night early. With a good 13 hours of driving to look forward to the next day and I definitely didn't want to be falling asleep at the wheel.
I stopped on my way out of town up in Rockwall, TX to have lunch with my friend Troy who Nate and I met in New Orleans doing Habitat. It was a short visit but great to stop in and see what he's up to just the same.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Albuquerque
Most of you have seen my pictures from my adventure but I figured it would be nice to give a little rundown on here as well.
After Yosemite I drove to Flagstaff. I have heard wonderful things about Flagstaff, but I didn't stay more than a night. It was a means to an end to get to Albuquerque. The hotel was good and I slept like a rock after my twelve hour drive.
The next day I woke up a little late and enjoyed my five hour drive to Albuquerque. On the way I ran into two almost interesting things. The first was a meteor crater. I was going to go see it but they were charging $15 and I wasn't buying, so I left. The second was an exit called Buffalo Pasture, or something of the like, and had cattle grates at the bottom. It looked promising. I was wrong. 0 for 2 I continued on to Albuquerque. What a giant city. Holy cow! Big and brown. Not much appealed me. The mountain backdrop was spectacular but the only color on the city itself was the teal paint on the sides of the salmon pink freeways. Ew. (Yes I'm a snob, no I don't care.) It didn't matter much. The city itself was not the destination. I spent a good couple of hours trying to figure out where I should stay. Finally calling up Holiday Inn (they had many hotels in the area) and asking the guy at the front desk which one of their hotels he would park at if he had his life in his car. I settled in pretty early, leaving once to get food, and try to prepare for what was going to be a completely unpredictable experience the next day.
I woke up early with three very specific goals: food, flowers and, God help me! not getting lost. I went to Whole Foods, icky icky. I got some purple tulips, hot food bar grub and a beer. Turning into the cemetery my stomach did flip flops. All I could think is that she must be getting a hell of a kick out of the entire ordeal. The men in the office looked surprised to see a visitor and were very helpful. He drove with me out to the spot. I had given him her mom's name as well since Jasmine said that had helped on the phone. He pointed me to Donna and left. I was kind of happy he wasn't there when I found Karen. It was nice to have that moment by myself. She is about ten feet from the fence, the sidewalk and the road. At least she has somethin' to look at. Sitting down I wasn't really sure what to do next. I'm not big on cemetery visits. Most of my family is scattered in the Bay and I am a strong believer that living your life to the fullest and thinking of those lost at important moments shows greater respect than sitting in front of a chunk of marble being sad.
I started eating my lunch and decided to call Jasmine. A short conversation but it helped get me into a mode where I believed I was actually there. You have to understand, next month, May, it will be eleven years since Karen died. I have pictured being at her grave site a good hundred or so times over the years but I don't know if I ever thought I would get it together and go. Even this time, I can't claim was all about her, obviously I had other motivations for driving to Albuquerque.
I started chatting with her. I don't know if she would approve, probably tell me I'm crazy, but it seemed like the thing to do. After finishing my lunch I opened the beer. Brown bagging it in the cemetery. I'm sure that most of you are making faces at this, but only those who didn't know Karen. She would think it was hilarious. Plus, I am quite sure that we would have enjoyed a brew or two by now if she were still alive. It was hard to leave. I know I probably won't go back. Like I said, I would rather be paying my respects living my life to the fullest, if for no other reason than to give her a good show from where ever she may be watching.
When I left her I went to the only touristy part of Albuquerque I could find, old town. I wanted to find a little nack for me and something for Jasmine as well. I found just what I was looking for in Butch Phillips. Don't get too excited, he's a photographer. He does amazing work and loves what he does. The title is a link to a site with some of his work. I didn't pay those prices for his stuff, be sure, but it's a good idea of his style and skill. With the shopping tied up I went for food. A burger did the trick while watching some bad TV and eventually going to sleep.
Austin, here I come!
After Yosemite I drove to Flagstaff. I have heard wonderful things about Flagstaff, but I didn't stay more than a night. It was a means to an end to get to Albuquerque. The hotel was good and I slept like a rock after my twelve hour drive.
The next day I woke up a little late and enjoyed my five hour drive to Albuquerque. On the way I ran into two almost interesting things. The first was a meteor crater. I was going to go see it but they were charging $15 and I wasn't buying, so I left. The second was an exit called Buffalo Pasture, or something of the like, and had cattle grates at the bottom. It looked promising. I was wrong. 0 for 2 I continued on to Albuquerque. What a giant city. Holy cow! Big and brown. Not much appealed me. The mountain backdrop was spectacular but the only color on the city itself was the teal paint on the sides of the salmon pink freeways. Ew. (Yes I'm a snob, no I don't care.) It didn't matter much. The city itself was not the destination. I spent a good couple of hours trying to figure out where I should stay. Finally calling up Holiday Inn (they had many hotels in the area) and asking the guy at the front desk which one of their hotels he would park at if he had his life in his car. I settled in pretty early, leaving once to get food, and try to prepare for what was going to be a completely unpredictable experience the next day.
I woke up early with three very specific goals: food, flowers and, God help me! not getting lost. I went to Whole Foods, icky icky. I got some purple tulips, hot food bar grub and a beer. Turning into the cemetery my stomach did flip flops. All I could think is that she must be getting a hell of a kick out of the entire ordeal. The men in the office looked surprised to see a visitor and were very helpful. He drove with me out to the spot. I had given him her mom's name as well since Jasmine said that had helped on the phone. He pointed me to Donna and left. I was kind of happy he wasn't there when I found Karen. It was nice to have that moment by myself. She is about ten feet from the fence, the sidewalk and the road. At least she has somethin' to look at. Sitting down I wasn't really sure what to do next. I'm not big on cemetery visits. Most of my family is scattered in the Bay and I am a strong believer that living your life to the fullest and thinking of those lost at important moments shows greater respect than sitting in front of a chunk of marble being sad.
I started eating my lunch and decided to call Jasmine. A short conversation but it helped get me into a mode where I believed I was actually there. You have to understand, next month, May, it will be eleven years since Karen died. I have pictured being at her grave site a good hundred or so times over the years but I don't know if I ever thought I would get it together and go. Even this time, I can't claim was all about her, obviously I had other motivations for driving to Albuquerque.
I started chatting with her. I don't know if she would approve, probably tell me I'm crazy, but it seemed like the thing to do. After finishing my lunch I opened the beer. Brown bagging it in the cemetery. I'm sure that most of you are making faces at this, but only those who didn't know Karen. She would think it was hilarious. Plus, I am quite sure that we would have enjoyed a brew or two by now if she were still alive. It was hard to leave. I know I probably won't go back. Like I said, I would rather be paying my respects living my life to the fullest, if for no other reason than to give her a good show from where ever she may be watching.
When I left her I went to the only touristy part of Albuquerque I could find, old town. I wanted to find a little nack for me and something for Jasmine as well. I found just what I was looking for in Butch Phillips. Don't get too excited, he's a photographer. He does amazing work and loves what he does. The title is a link to a site with some of his work. I didn't pay those prices for his stuff, be sure, but it's a good idea of his style and skill. With the shopping tied up I went for food. A burger did the trick while watching some bad TV and eventually going to sleep.
Austin, here I come!
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Last Days in California
I spent the last few days as a California resident running around like a crazy person. I visited my grandma and aunt in Napa one day. Hung out with my neighbors and got to sort out some fun stuff that I got for the fam in Japan.
I was able to go to the best concert EVER with Ms. Shannon! Steve Miller Band played for three straight hours. Bonnie Rait and Joe Satriani were two of many amazing guests that turned the show into a jam session that left me and Shannon mesmerized. Did I mention it was my first time at the Fillmore? Well it was, as ridiculous as it sounds since I lived only a few minutes away. I will be back.
Off to Yosemite with my mom, dad, Nate, Skinner, Yiming and Jon. It was daaaamn cold but I had a wonderful time just the same. Skinner, Jon and Yiming got it late on Friday night and we hung out by the fire for a little while before going to bed. In the morning Jon made breakfast for everyone. We then set off on a hike that was supposed to be six miles. Half way along it started to rain. Good thing Yosemite is amazing rain or shine. As we got within what should have been our "less than a mile to go" marker, we saw a sign that said we had four miles left! We decided to hustle our asses back to the shuttle. When we got there we swore we missed it but that wasn't the case. Thank goodness! When the rain started my dad had bribed us all with dinner at the lodge if we didn't make him go back to the campsite (he and my mom were staying in a tent cabin). We all agreed, no problem!
That night the rain stopped and we were happy to scrap our plans of rummy in the tent. In stead my mom came to the site after my dad went to sleep and we all played with Jon's camera! Yey extended exposures! It was really fun. We all posed in the woods and Jon and my brother ran around with a flash and a yellow light. The results are hard to describe but hopefully Jon will post them soon.
The next morning we had breakfast at the coffee shop as it had started to rain again. After we drove out to Yosemite Falls. And this is where I said goodbye. When Jon, Yiming and Skinner decided to go I knew it was time. Figured balling my goodbyes into one would make them something I could handle and still be in some kind of shape to drive to Flagstaff, ten hours away. Plus if I didn't get on the road soon I would get in way too late to be able to shop around for hotels.
I just have to keep reminding myself... I'll be back.
I was able to go to the best concert EVER with Ms. Shannon! Steve Miller Band played for three straight hours. Bonnie Rait and Joe Satriani were two of many amazing guests that turned the show into a jam session that left me and Shannon mesmerized. Did I mention it was my first time at the Fillmore? Well it was, as ridiculous as it sounds since I lived only a few minutes away. I will be back.
Off to Yosemite with my mom, dad, Nate, Skinner, Yiming and Jon. It was daaaamn cold but I had a wonderful time just the same. Skinner, Jon and Yiming got it late on Friday night and we hung out by the fire for a little while before going to bed. In the morning Jon made breakfast for everyone. We then set off on a hike that was supposed to be six miles. Half way along it started to rain. Good thing Yosemite is amazing rain or shine. As we got within what should have been our "less than a mile to go" marker, we saw a sign that said we had four miles left! We decided to hustle our asses back to the shuttle. When we got there we swore we missed it but that wasn't the case. Thank goodness! When the rain started my dad had bribed us all with dinner at the lodge if we didn't make him go back to the campsite (he and my mom were staying in a tent cabin). We all agreed, no problem!
That night the rain stopped and we were happy to scrap our plans of rummy in the tent. In stead my mom came to the site after my dad went to sleep and we all played with Jon's camera! Yey extended exposures! It was really fun. We all posed in the woods and Jon and my brother ran around with a flash and a yellow light. The results are hard to describe but hopefully Jon will post them soon.
The next morning we had breakfast at the coffee shop as it had started to rain again. After we drove out to Yosemite Falls. And this is where I said goodbye. When Jon, Yiming and Skinner decided to go I knew it was time. Figured balling my goodbyes into one would make them something I could handle and still be in some kind of shape to drive to Flagstaff, ten hours away. Plus if I didn't get on the road soon I would get in way too late to be able to shop around for hotels.
I just have to keep reminding myself... I'll be back.
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