Friday, May 30, 2003

Certainly after a trip across the country I have much to say. But I'm tired and feeling a bit ill. So I'm sorry. My thoughts tonight will be an exercise in brevity.

Here are some of my thoughts from the trip:
- Our country is absolutely gorgeous. Wonderfully beautiful. Especially the South. It's just the people that get in the way and mess it up.
- Everyone should see a sunset at the Grand Canyon in thier lifetime.
- Route 66 is a fun road to take, but make sure you have plenty of gas when you're on it....you may get stuck in the middle of nowhere passing through 100 yard long "Old West" towns where donkeys and mules roam freely.
- You don't have to stop at the first "Historic Route 66" museum you see....there will be a 37 more along the way.
- "Authentic Indian-Made" shops are a crock and an insult to Native Americans....from the little old white ladies working at these stores to the stereotypical, generic products being peddled as "made by" the very people they're exploiting.
- I love the smell of desert heat.
- You haven't really lived until you've stayed in a "Motel 76" or a "Quality Express" motel room (complete with dents/holes in the walls, broken shower heads, and backed up drainage systems."
- Furthermore, it's fun to feel like you're "living it up" by staying in a Motel 6 with two double beds and the mysteriously ubiquitous scent of Chicken Curry wafting about.
- Any restaurant called "Old Smokey's" is worth going to.
- Texas really does have the best tasting steak.
- You should try and stay on the main highways in Arkansas. It's just a good idea.
- I love the smell of mountain pine trees.
- There should be a mandatory 20 minute waiting period between finishing a meal and taking shots of Jeagermeister.
- I can drive, change a cd, and text message someone at the same time.
- Having a cop pull out behind you after you've been speeding is one of the worst feelings.
- Having a cop pull out behind you after you've been speeding and then go past you to pull over someone else is one of the most relieving feelings.
- You can never take too many pictures.
- You can take too much video....especially when it's the same scenery over and over again.
- Much like when drinking at a bar, after you've taken the first pee on the road, the time between stops grows shorter and shorter.
- It's fun to not know where you're going at the beginning of the day.
- Russian guys named Vladamir and Boris living in Tunica, Mississippi make great blackjack dealers and will help you win $40.
- No matter how funny the comedians are, if there're only 14 people in the audience...it's gonna be painful.
- However, having an emcee/comedian named Chestnut who drinks on stage, slurs most of his words, and keeps saying the words "doo doo" is strangely hysterical.
- Dreaming about Angelina Jolie but waking up next to Adam Young can be frightening.
- Having my neice puke on me was somehow a good experience.
- Driving into a new time zone makes you feel like you've won an award of one more hour (at least when you're going East to West).
- I want to do this a million more times.


My drive cross country was SO rad. I can't wait to do it again. Perhaps with an RV next time and a few more friends. It's something everyone should do.

Now I'm going to bed. I'll get to all the new adventures unfolding before me when my head is not bobbing and I don't have that weird hot/cold sensation I get when I'm getting really tired.