solo road trip 08

I'm such a bad blogger, which is odd considering my generally self-absorbed nature. Lots of excellent things going on, but today I am preparing for SOLO ROAD TRIP 2008. I'm pretty thrilled about 21 hours in the car with just little old me (though is it bad that I kind of wish Eloise was coming?).

It's going to be very excellent. I've loaded up the ipod, dug out my AAA card, and found the title to my car on the 30% chance it will break down on the way to Minnesota. I also bought postcard stamps so if anybody wants a postcard from whatever freakish or adorable town I land in to buy gas, let me know! I've been practicing my postcard haikus!

During the course of the 21 hours, in between swooning over Ira Glass and Ben Gibbard (shut up), I plan to do the following:

1. Calm the fuck down. About Ghana. About what happens when I get back. About how I wont feel like a real adult until I can learn to keep my f-ing room clean.

2. Get really excited again. About Ghana. About my trip to Minnesota. About what happens when I get back. I'm thrilled and stoked and kind of scared about things but it's all pretty exciting.

3. Not think about land reform in Kazakhstan.

4. Sing really loud and off-key to some god-awful Tom Petty song.

5. Hold conversations in my head with you.

not in kansas

So, folks playing along at home may know that I just finished my cross-country odyssey and landed in Brooklyn Wednesday night...about the same time as this TORNADO. Yup, a tornado in Brooklyn. WTF?

The subway was FLOODED and trains weren't running into Manhattan, so I let D borrow the car to drive his lady friend to work in the city. (isn't this exciting? D and the Volvo! Recurring characters!) On the way they picked up a desperate hitchhiker on the Manhattan Bridge who happened to work for the Colbert Report and who gave us 4 VIP tickets to the show out of gratitude.

So there you go. Happy first day in New York! We went to the taping and it was for some reason twice as funny in person. I sat in the front row (if you watch it you can glimpse my red shirt when they pan across the audience in between the 1st 2 segments.)

I wish this were funnier. I also wish I hadn't already told the story to 3 of the 4 1/2 people who ever read this blog. But, I'm a New Yorker now, so I guess I just can't be bothered by what you think. I will from now on start every sentence with I.

Choose your path and follow it, take your pill and swallow it. (Alternate title: A Girl and Her Volvo, a tragic love story)

Hi Friends-
Sorry for the long hiatus. I haven't been posting fun blogs for you to read because I've been SPENDING ALL MY TIME WITH YOU INSTEAD.

So it appears the Volvo Gods have caught up with me. After tempting fate myriad times in the past few weeks (how was I supposed to know it was REALLY going to run out of gas) the folks who gave me the car more than a year ago, called me today and, um, kinda sorta want it back. Yeah. Which is excellent timing because I just spent a ton of money on it, I'm halfway through my cross country road trip and my every possession is stuffed inside (save one running shoe, which got left unwittingly under my bed in SB).

But it's hard to stay mad. Life is pretty excellent, I'm psyched about what the next few months will bring, I just got back from a pretty fabulous whirlwind trip to Vegas (thanks), and I get to hang out in a great city for the next few weeks.

Funny post will be coming soon, but for now this is all I got.

#4 Dear Volvo Driver

Hi friends. Wow what a shit storm of emotions these past four days have been. I feel four years older, not four days. Mostly in the wiser/more mature/at peace with myself way than the faster aging brought on by stress way. Mostly.

The plan was to post a Drew inspired blog tonight (can't let guest blogger outshine me) but a) I'm exhausted and b) I still haven't bothered to learn the instructions for how to post wav. files.

I will do this tomorrow.

In the meantime, my sincere thanks to those of you who were around to lend a hand or ear, rescue my cat, or push my car out of the street this weekend.

Relatedly, and just for fun, here's a note I found on my car window yesterday afternoon:

"Dear Volvo Driver,
You car (parked in neutral) rolled out of its parking space and into the street. I pushed it back. Caution, there is now a large object blocking the back passenger wheel. Sincerely, Joe"

#1 So when were you going to tell me livejournal wasn't cool anymore?

I'm trying once again with this whole blog idea because a) I'm relatively hopeful I'll have exciting things to write about soon b) I have zilcho to do at the moment and c) everyone else is doing it, and I mean EVERYONE. My blog can't possibly be the worst one on the internet anymore, so here goes.

Tomorrow I'm driving the Volvo to Arizona to visit the dadster and Johnny B, who I haven't laid eyes on in over 4 years (Johnny, not dad). The other night as I was digging through some old photos I came across a letter that he had written to me from Mississippi over winter break one year. It was a nice letter, and quite long. Full of interesting philosophical ideas and accompanying diagrams. He closes by saying "The apartment will be such a mess to come home to. Did you do the dishes? I guess I'll see when I get back. Don't even think about cleaning anything else, okay you can, as long as you didn't get the idea from me. I think it's okay that you don't miss me very much. See you in two weeks. Love, John"

I don't know what's funnier, the fact that he wanted me to clean his apartment (we weren't living together by any means, though I did have a key) or that I apparently told him I didn't miss him much.

Anyway, will be great to see him again. And thanks Wes for telling me I was lame for deleting this the first time.