There's a reason why we fought for Texas! It's BEAUTIFUL.

The USA is one of six countries that has claimed Texas as part of their country...err monarchy in some if not all cases. The phrase "six flags over Texas" gave birth to a customary theme for the great state of Texas. There is even an amusement park named "Six Flags" in case anyone didn't know. I think I went there when I was younger, but I don't fully recall, admittedly. And so the US annexed Texas in 1845 and it became part of the nation. However, this was the icing on the cake in a chain of events that sparked the "Mexican-American war" from 1846-48. There was very good reason for this ongoing dispute! But we won thankfully, actually, because the border of Texas was drawn by the Rio Grande river and we ended up with one pretty lookin' piece of property. Anyhoo, I am here today to dispel any myths we may have about about this great state.

Myth #1 - Texas is a bunch of fields of cattle and basically just farms with some big cities mixed in.

Proof #1 -

That is basically what I saw as I drove the whole way through West Texas. And if I looked forward, I'd see something like this:

Myth #2 - Actually...I don't really have one. That was it. Sorry to leave you wanting more. Feel free to propose another myth you'd like me to dispel and I will do so for you asap! ;-)

Really though, I really never imagined I was going to experience this type of scenery across Texas. Now, for those of you that don't know, Texas is the largest of the contiguous states, and 2nd only to Alaska in the U.S.. Houston also currently remains as the 4th most densely populated city in the US. But again....I was in....

AUSTIN!

Did I profess my love for this city yet? Oh yeah, that's right. I did. I'll do it again. Austin was the city that had all the tortilla, meat, cheese, and seasonings to form one tasty burrito of a getaway city. But as I was wooed by it's initial elements of nature and scenery, it also had interesting elements of what I could consider "a good place to live" as well. Knowing all too well that it carries a less-than-temperate climate in the summer time, in the 1940's, they damned off Barton Creek and created a natural, spring-fed pool bigger than any pool I've ever seen before. Take a gander....

And then this is the deep end of the pool/spring:

So the idea is that since it's fed from a spring, the temperature of the pool never varies by more than 68 deg in the winter time (term barely applies) and 71 in the summer. For those days that it's 106 deg out, the place is at capacity, to say the least. It's really deep, so most people bring rafts. Once we had the rafts blown up and I was submersed floating on a worm (featured in the pic below), we formed a "flotilla", which I thought was hilarious and had to ask about it's authenticity immediately, of course. By the way, before I forget, here is Kristin, Rebecca, her fiance Tim, his best man and best friend Josh:

They were a riot to hang out with and took me to some guuuuuud Mexican food afterwards. So anyways, a "flotilla" is indeed an actual term the Spanish used for linking small warships together to make a fleet. And so it went that Kristin, our lead ship, piloted our flotilla around the giant spring, reeking havoc on well...nothing really. Maybe the seaweed or vines under the water...

While we were relaxing on the conveniently placed grassy hills surrounding the pools, which by the way you are welcomed to go topless if you'd like ladies, seriously, we had a roving band of Capuetta dance fighters and singers come up on us and begin to perform their rare art. In my opinion, it sort of looked like a Jackie Chan's "The Drunken Master" meets charades meets the Macarena. I didn't quite know what to make of it, especially when I saw this:

They never actually plan to make contact with the other person, though it happens occasionally. The others, whether participating or not, stand around and sing in Portugese, which is Brazil's native language it turns out. The singing is mundane and badly harmonized by the participants, but it seems to function as a subtle back drop for a dashingly ridiculous performance. As if they needed opera or even some Guns & Roses going while they do this. No no...these were laid back peeps. They liked the comforting repetition of singing their haunting chants. They wore woven hats and smiled and hugged a lot. But afterwards...I heard something leading and conclusive. One of them was complaining about having to pay the $3 entry fee to the beautifully kept park. (which I would pay $6 for) I'm starting to think they were....

HIPPIES!

Oh no! Just kidding... Again, this is NOT something you see every day, nor you think you would see in Texas. Like I said....there's many different flavors there!

So at this point, a HUGE thank you goes out to the whole Holloway family again, for unabashed generosity and good 'ole down home southern hospitality. That is NOT a myth. That exists, and it's wonderful. I had a the nicest stay in Texas. It's much better than most of us "yankees" think it is. Believe it.

Oh and before I left....I did get ONE pic in support of what we traditionally think of when someone mentions Texas. Here it go:

So, I had to leave and made my way towards Las Cruces. I kinda pulled a Tarantino here and I'm linking the beginning to the end, but you already saw a couple of driving scenes. Here is what I was MORE than happy to pull into New Mexico and see:

At this point, I could complain about some things, but I'll just let it die. I hit a small bump in my travels, but this post was about the end of my stay and my drive through West Texas, and I think I made my point. Anything else is superfluous because I'm in SD and I'm happy! I'll pick up with my ascent on San Diego and anything else I'd like to add tomorrow. Thanks for holding on for this one! It's been a BUSY couple days.

All my love,

Chris

What a difference a day makes!

Let me be honest for a second with all of you, twice over. First off, I was WAY too hammered last night to actually pull off a blog entry. So, I should say, what a difference 2 days makes, but I really got a full dose of all angles of this city all day yesterday and today.

Let me start by explaining the above pic. I love this story because it embodies some of the nuances of the geographical differences between where I was at in the D and where I'm at right now. Aforementioned briefly in my last blog entry, all throughout the surrounding areas of Austin, is what they call "Hill Country" due to is almost-mountainous terrain. The Colorado River was damned off in 1942 to form the Highland Lakes, however they're technically reservoirs of the Colorado. Although I can't remember the official terms of the lakes right now (something like free flow and controlled level, I believe), the basic idea is this:

• They damned off all of the river so that they could control the level of specifically Lake Austin, which is incredible. So, the rest of the lakes, including Lake Travis, have a geological responsibility created to raise or lower, depending on the amount of water needed to control Lake Austin. I was told that Lake Austin never varies in depth by more than 4 inches at any point. This is why:

As you would most likely agree, these houses and parks and water front property is something special. So, now, long story long, if you look back up at the 1st picture I took from Spicewood, you may be able to tell that the water level is sorely low. About 40 feet lower than when my family moved in here. Get this...They have floating docks for that are currently sitting in rocks, sand, dirt, and bermuda grass, that they are praying that they get rain any day now so that they can use them again. Seriously, this is wild. THEY WANT RAIN. THEY PRAY FOR IT AND TALK ABOUT IT CONSTANTLY. I can't believe it. I hate rain. I always have awful rainy days. And when mother nature talks, people listen. But I've learned, when mother nature goes into a coma and leaves the knob set to "sunny & hot", people suffer from that as well. But actually, most Austinites, if you will, know about the lakes and why they do what they do, still most, like my family here, would still like to use their boats and jet skis and have a dock that's actually in water after they've worked and are still working very hard to pay for it all. Check this out. Wild stuff:

Isn't that something? At some point here, hopefully really soon, it's gonna rain like cats and dogs and those two docks & that jet ski, and maybe cute little Malia if she's still out there looking for shells for her grandma with her floaties on, are going to rise out of the ground and be floating on top of a 40 ft deep lake. Really, really crazy. Oh by the way, before I forget, while we were taking pictures of the deer earlier, Malia, who turns 4 soon here, boisterously instructed them to "say cheese". That was really fucking cute.

So here's the other crazy difference. It really is true about the weather wherever you go. There's always gonna be a bitch. Currently, it's been over 100 degrees for almost the entire month of July, and more than half the month of June. I've spent probably 4 hours of my day today, at least, underwater. First in a pool, which sat at a whopping 92 deg but was still refreshing, and now I'm sitting on the edge of a jacuzzi. I know you're thinking, "jacuzzi"?!!?!?! WTF? However, right now, I'm as peaceful and comfortable as one could ask to be. You can just really relax in Spicewood. REALLY relax. It's absolutely wonderful here. Have I said that yet? It truly is one of the most complete places I've ever been. And you know why???...

As most of you know, I like to party a little bit. Ok, in the past, it's been a lotta bit, but I still enjoy some good rowdiness when the time and place is right. So, in getting back to the many faces of Austin I've got to enjoy in the last few days, we started off last night in downtown Austin at a wine bar named "Cork & Co." That's where my cousin Rebecca (kinda, not blood, but still family!) was having her engagement party and it was a really nice party. There was a fun mix of people there all getting along wonderfully, it wasn't too snooty or anything like you may expect at a wine bar, and it was in close proximity to the downtown area on a Friday night. Before I go on, I would like to congratulate Rebecca and her fiancee Tim on their engagement. From all I can tell, they're both great people and I know they'll be happy together.

So then, I went to meet the Avigne brothers and their better-halves Vicki and Janet down on 6th street. Have any of you heard of 6th street in Austin? It's potentially one of the most compelling party scenes I've walked up on in a while, if not ever. It's almost like taking the flavor of a hip, artsy big city and adding a Bourbon street setup to it. Bar after bar after comedy club after bar after theatre after heavy metal pizza place after dueling piano bar after bar after hot dog vendor after bar. Sprinkle in aggressive bums and smelly hippies playing their guitars and asking for change. One guy actually handed his guitar off to Pete for a second and while I was taking their picture, he demanded a dollar from me. Because I took his picture. One whole dollar. That's not really setting your goals very high is it? After I met them at a hole in the wall named "the 311 bar", we took to the streets to hop. I suggested the dueling piano bar (of course), but we some how ended up in "Coyote Ugly". And then...this happened:

I guess it's not at all uncommon for the girls to get up and dance on the bar, but it was the white shirt/black shorts girl's birthday, and so they decided to pull out a cake, smear her in it, and then eat it off of her, and I'm pretty sure that she's thanking her in some way here...err something. I'm also pretty damn sure that's one of the rowdiest things I've ever seen go down in a bar. And I've been in a LOT of bars, only because of music, of course ;-)

We proceeded to close that bar at that point, needless to say. I was definitely ecstatic that I had my camera in my pocket as well, because even aside from the debauchery, I got some funny & cool pics of the 5 of us getting wasted too. There was a blurry cab ride home and an even blurrier couple hours in the pool back at Pete & Vickie's apartment, but it was a really great night. All in all, I paced myself early, and lasted late. I would guestimate I fell asleep somewhere around 5:15am. Not bad at all. Special thanks to Pete and Vicki again for giving me a couch and a snuggy to snuggle up with. It was as good as drunk sleep gets!

Tomorrow, I'm going to swim in a natural spring they've turned into a giant pool because since it's spring fed, it stays at 68 deg all the time. So fittingly, it's the place to go when it's 106 deg outside. It's called Barton Springs. I'll let you know how it is, of course.

So, in keeping to format, I thought I'd share some things I've learned today or saw today for the first time:

• I saw a road runner today for the first time. Just down the road from the Holloway's house. My first thought was, why doesn't it have a coyote chasing it?
• Apparently you can make a LOT of money if you have a little to start. I actually knew this already, but I went to one of the most extravagant homes I've ever been in today. I just can't go into all the details, but just think a blend of grecian, hindu, asian, and texan all tossed into a 2 floor palace with an elevator (just between the two floors), Sony flat screens mounted in front of every bed in the house, imported Chinese mantels carved out of marble, AND a kegerator brewing with a beer called "Shiner bock", which I'm told is one of Texas' finest and I would agree that it is very tasty. So in summation, the very nice fellow that owned all this, he was an airline pilot. That's right folks. You can only hope that you will be able to do as "Ray" has been able to, properly invest, and retire comfortably again someday using the stock market.
• Bugs are not always annoying. I pretty much hate them, but if your lucky, I'll give you the perfect way to get back at them. As you know by now, I'm in a very rural area. There are tons of bugs and no light. But, if I was gonna use the jacuzzi and my computer and whatnot, I needed some light. At first, I had these lights on that were mounted to the house and one of them was over by the jacuzzi. MOST of the bugs I can tolerate, but my late-night stint the other night ended with me veritably running inside because a bug the size of a small donut flew up on me out of nowhere and wigged me out. So sure-as-shit, the same thing happened tonight. But this time I was calmer. I know they love the light. Did you know why? Many insects use the moon as a navigational source, since it's the brightest natural source of light at night. And here comes man with these bright white electrical light that confuses them. The insects mistaken the strong bright electrical light to be the moon as they attempt to keep a certain angle from the moon as they fly, so sometimes, they just keep flying in circles around it. SO...I look up and see two ceiling fans with nice bright lights under them. I jumped up and ran over to turn off the house lights and the fans on, and left the furthest proximity fan light on. That billy bad ass beetle or cicada or something spent the next half hour or more trying to fly into that light and getting thrown all over the porch deck by the fan spinning on high above it. It was hysterical. He kept trying and just kept getting tossed into the siding or pillars, like if you ever threw a coin or something up into a spinning ceiling fan. I got him!
• They pointed out a bird that was really cool but I can't remember it's name and I had never heard of it, probably because it's name wasn't pigeon, sparrow, blue jay, cardinal, or sea gull. Oh yeah, and parrots and parakeets of course. Beyond that I'm no master in ornithology and neither are most of us from the Detroit area. There's just not much variety of birds to learn about. I suggest taking your kids to the zoo on a regular basis! Good thing it didn't close when they were considering it.

So, I really need to turn it in now. It's getting late and I'm getting up fairly early to go to the springs. I hope your all doing well and I send my best Texan love back from Spicewood. Everybody has been amazing and hospitable and a very important thanks goes out to the Holloways for taking great care of me. It's been an amazing stay here in Spicewood.

Peace & Love

Gadgets & Gizmos/The road less travelled...my voyage to Spicewood.

Ok so, I hate to admit it, but I spent $60 today, which is a decent chunk for my unemployed behind to drop, but it was what created, what must seem like malay to most (see above photo), but what was a perfect harmony for myself. Just a stupid little adapter and a decent I trip for my Ipod. (which is sort of a oxymoron because the I trips SUCK, but it worked better than most I've tried and returned to the store) But really, it made another pretty insane day, MUCH more bearable. Thanks again to anyone who contributed to the cause too!!! It was a key purchase, because now I can power my I pod, the navigational system, and charge my phone all at once. AWESOME.

And to continue with the good cheer, after yesterday's bit of complaining, I would bet that I'm sitting in the most serene place I could possibly be to write my blog entry tonight. I'm sitting on a veranda, I think for the 1st time. I had to check it on dictonary.com, admittedly. However, I was right. SO...it's this gorgeous brick and stone modeled veranda overlooking a quite lake and rolling tree covered hills with all this....

Wait a minute....I have no idea what's out there. It's totally freakin black. I'll get back to you tomorrow on the details and with pics.

But anyways...

Willie Nelson has a house here. And btw, here is 'Spicewood' Texas. I can understand quickly why Willie takes residence here. I could sit and play my guitar and write songs out here all night long. There's the perfect mix of no sound and yet still sounds. It's quiet, but you still here crickets chirping, cicadas singing, and I actually just think I heard a deer about 20 yards away. I passed about 7 of them on the way in. NO LIE. All in all, I haven't seen the beauty yet in the light of day, but I couldn't be more pleased with my current state of mind, other than trying to keep the bugs off of the computer screen. I actually succumbed to just lettin 'em hang out as long as they'd like. I can type right through 'em. No worries :)

They haven't had rain here since March. At which point they received larger-than-golf ball size hail, and everyone had to get new roofs because of it. Crazy right? The whole scenario. Anyone remember what we were doing in Detroit in March? I do. I WAS STILL WEARING LONG JOHNS.

Now, I do have to get a little bit off my chest about the drive, now that I've sunny'd things up for you a little bit. Here's the thing. Most of us come from Detroit right? It's the "motor city". Everyone at least knows that, even if you live in another region of the country. Well...I'm sorry, but I have to give Texas the award for the "motor state". Because if you don't motor your booty off on the roads, you're getting your ass ran over by someone. Everything was actually pretty decent on the way from "Texarkana". Texarkana is a city that, if you dissect the name and it's origins, you may be able to discern that it's a city that falls at the exact spot that Texas, Arkansas, and Kansas come together. John Lennon would be proud of the name. Another "combo name" (and no, you can't get fries with that) that I drove through today was "Arkadelphia". This one really through me for a loop, so I looked it up. The city was actually named "Blakelytown" until the settlement agreed to change the name, but we can only guess that they were trying to combine Arkansas and Philadelphia, which at the time was a heralded city in the U.S., and the combination is supposed to mean "The Ark of brotherly love", as opposed to the "City of brotherly love". Sounds like a stretch to me, but of course, I'm over-ran in the Detroit area with French, Belgium, and old British street and city names. But admittedly, those have been SO over-used and I say, "stretch or no", at least they were trying to be unique. Wow, that was a long story. Hope you enjoyed it. Anyways, I did really want to talk about the awful driving I witnessed but more closely related to my current point, here are a couple more unique names of cities or roads today:

• Friendship, TX
• Fate, TX
• And a free way exit, with a exit number included, but then just simply stating, "New Road"

That last one is funny. I'm not sure if I would think, "Awesome! Let's check out the new road!" Or think more along the lines of not buying a new car line in the model year and say, "Let's wait till that pavement settles". Too funny.

Then I drove up on Waco texas. Remember David Koresh? It was SO long ago. No matter how bad Detroit gets, be glad your not from a mid-size southern industrial city, only remembered for an insane cult leader that convinced people he was Jesus before setting a building on fire and killing 75 people, 21 of them children. Now that's fucked up, scuse my french. (1st time I've used the F word!) And to think, at first, I was actually thinking, "Ya know...I could stop off at that Walmart, get a pair of reading glasses, a cotton plaid shit, and a curling iron and probably freak a couple people out. But...probably even STILL too soon."

So, about the driving. The whole "motor state" thing. People drive really really fast down here. Which, when the road is open and forgiving, is fine and dandy by me. When things get tight and windy in really small lanes at high speeds, people still don't let you set your own pace. And most people drive VERY large trucks, because "Everything is bigger in Texas", ya know? And the entrances to the freeways are barely marked. It literally took me three tries to get on to I-35 south today. I felt retarded, but thankfully a very nice couple that I'm staying with admitted that they had trouble with it too in the past. SLIGHT consolation.

Then, the way the freeway mergers are down here are psychotic, to say the very least. The way it goes down is, there is what I'm gonna call a "short track" in which it's a race to beat the oncoming traffic onto the freeway. It's sort of like throwing a dart at a dart board, already covered from end to end in darts, but the dart was thrown at full speed and it's gotta go somewhere or it will drop to a grave doom. I'm pleased to admit that I saw no grave doom, but plenty of swerving, dodging, and braking because the person getting on the freeway has a yield sign that has about as much meaning the diver's assumed B.A.L is at the time, because everyone just speeds up to 70 on the ramp and says, "Move over bitches, I'm coming on and you better like it". Now that's either inebriated or just takes some serious balls. That merging lane ends in as short as 100-200 feet sometimes. It was scary to watch repeatedly. I just hung out in the left lane and avoided the debacle. But the one time I did have to exit for gas, it again took me 3 times to enter the freeway because I had to follow a dirt road for about a half mile before a very sudden and sharp left that jutted you onto the freeway, in the disastrous yielding situation I just described. The other trick that the roads down here liked to play on you is the..."hey it's a freeway, now it's not, now it's a freeway at pace of 70+, now a red light out of nowhere." I'm glad I replaced my front brakes before I left. Thanks again Hub!

Fyi, they have lots of Sonic burger restaurants down here. That is some guuuuuuuud stuff.

As I was getting close to Austin, I believe right before Rockwood, I looked left and saw a billboard entitled, "Statuary store". Guess what it sold exclusively? That's right...statues. It was an entire store dedicated to selling what looked like plain grey concrete and stone, and potentially other composites of statues of all natures. I don't know. Maybe no big deal, but it just seemed like something I've never seen before.

And lastly, my trek into Spicewood, Texas. I was told by my mom, and then my Aunt Carla that no one had ever made it there without getting lost the 1st time. I cheated and used the navigational system, of course, but I made it! I was the 1st. But, I feel like it's gonna be a Barry Bonds type record, with an asterisk next to my it because I used the nav unit. If it helps my cause at all, I actually used the Verizon VZ navigator to get there instead of the Navigon, which I was having problems with at the time.

But talk about "rural". And I thought Beaver Island, MI was rural. Holy shit. This is about as rustic as it gets. The road I turned down to get here was actually "Rustic Lane", I kid you not. Like I said, I passed 7 deer, turned the car around 180 degrees in short increments 3 times, and drove all the way down to the gate to someone's livestock farm at one point. But I made it! And the Holloway hospitality has been all of what you think when you think of the southern hospitality. I'm so glad to have such good people to stay with, yet again. Thanks y'all! This is where they left me to my druthers tonight:

Anyways, it's just my kind of scene. I really can't wait to see it in the daylight. The entire area sits on a connectivity of lakes and rivers, mostly consistent of Lake Travis and the Colorado river (accurate!) intertwining in an elaborate system of damning and water level control tactics. And here at 4am right now, I just may get a glimpse of some of it.. It's hard to go sleep in a bedroom inside when there is so much fresh air and nature to take in. I've been restricted from the freedom of nature for too long now living in the concrete paradise, some of us call Detroit and home. Don't get me wrong, there are redeeming qualities of all areas, but what's redeeming to me at this point is what's important, (only since I'm the only one awake and blogging) is that I'm completely and wholeheartedly the fact that I am safe from the outside world where I'm at. And I've had to be on guard big time in the last few days with so much of my life riding on four wheels and my best judgement. There was an abundance of stress and long, fatiguing driving. BUT...I'm finishing off the night with one last Budweiser and a listen to Jason Croff's "A cake for a file". See his MySpace for a great listen if you'd like. It was really hard to leave such a talented group of musicians and a great songwriter and great friends. I hope to find it again someday....

And on the topic of music, I'm going to explore the "music capitol of the south tomorrow". I'm hoping for a nice day...oh wait...right. No rain. Remember the bee-girl video by Blind Melon? That was priceless, even still today.

I think I'll like Austin. We'll see. I'll be honest and tell you if I don't, but my magic 8 ball in my head says:

Just kidding. Thanks for reading. I'll get back to you tomorrow with details from the city of Austin and the engagement party!

Peace and love

Chris

Illinois is a LONG FREAKIN STATE (but very nice actually)

And most of it outside of Chicago looks pretty much like this, substituting the rolling grass lands at times for really foul smelling corn fields and also what I'm going to call "shit farms" for short. The actual contents of those particular fields remain unknown, although perceived unnecessary. Here's the thing though, cow manure or not, the areas surrounding the highways are really well kept. I figure the tax base of Chicago keeps the whole rest of the state looking beautiful. But seriously, it took me more than half the day just to get through the state. It's 372 miles, just from Chicago to Cairo, which isn't even the full length of the state. (But close) It took me 6+ hours just to accomplish that portion of the route. And you know why

(mainly)...

EXCESSIVE TRUCKS

Do we really need all the trucks we have on the road? I bet to some, that seems like an absurd question. To me, it seems like gratuity in it's rawest form. I would love to know how many of those haulers really dignify the wages, gas, repairs, and effort that goes into hauling, in an efficient manner. Seems like the ultimate job right? No boss around. Sleep on the side of the road. Have cool sayings like the following airbrushed on the top and back of your cab...

"Scales and clocks just can't be trusted!"

Doesn't that prove my point right there? Funny or not? (which it is, imo)

In addition, in regards to construction now, I don't get why the token woman has to always be the one standing there holding the sign. Look at the guys! There's seven of them not doing anything! One guy was standing and texting while there's a woman out on the side of the road and outside the orange cones, risking her life holding the "slow" sign. I'm not sure, but this seems like a conveniently misnomered plot to me. I'm sure that any woman that can stand out there and hold that sign, can sit in a back ho and move a lever too. Shout out to all the "women's libbers" out there. (and hopefully that will get me laid at some point, lol)

And...at the risk of complaining a bit too much (it's been a LONG day), I was also a little perturbed about the average speed of the highway today. To be specific, it was mostly I-57 all day. Take what I just said about WAY too many trucks on the road, factor in the speed limit was ONLY 55 (ridiculous), and then every 30-40 miles or so there would be one lane closure, down from the original two, which would push the pace down to 45ish or so. WOO HOO.

Ok, so now on to some more amusing stuff. Sorry about the complaining. I hope it was entertaining, at least. :-)

I listened to 4 of my 5 favorite albums today. Yes, I still say "albums". Sorry if you don't like it. (not really) The reason I did so was two-fold. First off, my I-pod seems to be a bust for right now. Multiple problems. Oh well. I still have my circa 1995, ultra-thick, black pleather, zippered up book FULL of cds. The second reason I re-listened to them is because I think I'm going to have to make the 1st change to my "top 5 favorite albums of all time" for over a year now, and even that is negotiable, potentially dating further back to East Lansing days. (You'll see why...) So, anyways, without further ado, the winner winner chicken dinner that cracked the top 5 list is....(drum roll)...

Come on feel the Illinoise - by Sufjan Stevens

This CD is amazing and it redefined "apropos" better than anything ever has to me today. It's a concept album, engulfing funny quips of history and knowledge about the great state of Illinois. It's whimsical, textural, and rocking when it needs to be. The instrumentation on the album is 2nd to none. When I 1st got it, about 4 years ago now, I really didn't think much of his voice though. But that, and EVERYTHING else grew on me like moss on a rock in the river. (Oh by the way, I crossed the Mississippi and Arkansas river today!) But the color and depth of this production, ramped up by highly ingenious song writing, make it a must listen immediately. I am forever smitten with it. To make things even better, he was born in Detroit, lived there till he was 9, and lived in Petoskey for the rest of his childhood. Michigan, born and raised baby! He has also written a concept album about Michigan too and fittingly, it came first, in 2003. Unfittingly, it's not nearly as good as this epic production, but still a solid listen as well. I hope you get a chance to check him out. I listen to 200 different bands, so this is quite the accolade I'm throwing down here.

The loser was greatly unfortunately, Bob Marley's "Live" album. It actually was a big loser because it bumped back to #7th place, due to the ungodly amazing sounds of Of Montreal's "Hissing Fauna/Are you the destroyer" or "The Sunlandic twins", whom I'm going to award a tie for 6th place only, in lieu of being kind to Bob's memory. Plus I gave Radiohead a tie too, but their my favorite band, so that's just how it's gotta be...

So here's the top 5 now, in order...

• Pink Floyd - Animals
• Radiohead - TIE: The Bends/Ok Computer/Hail to the thief/ In Rainbows (disk 1 & 2)
• The Who - Tommy (the original recording only)
• Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese dream
• Sufjan Stevens - Come on feel the Illinoise!

Anyone wanna comment and add their top 5? I hope so!

Here's a couple things that I thought were pretty amusing today:

• The GM of the Hotel I'm staying in is named Daryl Gates. For those who can't recall, that name also fits for the former Chief of the LAPD and co-founder of the now world-wide program DARE, whose career was brought down hard core by the Rodney King riots, after it was said that the LAPD we're two bit, racist beat cops that were accountable only to arrogant, out-of-touch leadership. (Gates) I just hadn't thought about that story or Rodney King for some time. I wonder how many times this hotel GM gets commented to about that?
• Why are there always random porn shops on the side of the highway in BFE? I passed one today named "Adult Time". That's just weird or wrong or something icky. Does that mean that when my parents threw Christmas parties and put us to bed saying it was "adult time", that it actually meant an orgy broke out in my basement? And in addition, isn't that name just asking to entice a kid to sneak in and buy something too? We have a strange culture sometimes....
• When I hit Missouri and all through AR, I saw light up state road signs saying, "New law!" So naturally, I paid attention right? It was..."Click it or ticket". WOW. Didn't we have that in MI for 10 years + now? Talk about behind the times. I've been wearing my seat belt since I was 5. It's easy. Just do it. Nike.
• And without throwing any of my own ideals in at all, I thought it was funny while inside a Mcdonald's today in Peotone, IL, I heard a man who had previously been dogging foreign car buyers (seemingly speaking extra loud so my Honda driving ass that just pulled up and walked in could hear him), say the following, "Heard good news comin outta Ohio tiday...did ya hear? Obama's approval is down ta 47% dere now!" Now...Isn't that cheering for the country to lose? I just think whether you voted for him or not (and 46% of the country didn't, remember), you just cannot outwardly and openly cheer for him to fail. That's just crazy talk. If you wanna think it, cool by me. Just don't throw it out there in a loud voice inside a busy lunch time at Mcdonald's. Come on man. Geez.
• I really don't know what part of my appearance scares southerners, but they look at me like I'm a damn extra terrestrial. I know I have long hair and I'm wearing nice clothes with have a Detroit Tigers hat on backwards and flip flops, but does that truly qualify me for a "swerve and stare"? Not just a "double take", but multiple "swerve and stares" today. I should wear a costume when I drive through rural areas or something. Maybe dress up as Mother Theresa in full garb or something. That would really freak 'em out.
• I just can't sing for multiple hours to all my favorite cds in long car rides anymore. My diaphragm, lungs, and jaw (especially), are all killing me currently. Good think I don't have to talk to anyone right now. My fingers are just fine. I've been rolling around these Chinese stress relief balls in my hands to keep myself occupied on the ride and I think it's really increasing my dexterity. That or this post is WAY too long and my fingers are just really warmed up.
• Illinois impressed me in one very interesting way....they have the most well designed, attractive rest areas of any state. I know Ohio has those big fancy stop offs on the Turnpike. But check this craziness out too. I just had to do it...

Sorry actually...that's just silly. And I really didn't think I was going to have an adventure to write about today. What a foolish thought! Spend 12 hours in and out of a car and drive 650 miles, and there is bound to be something that pops up. Off to Austin tomorrow. Another challenging 8.5 hour drive, BUT...I'm greatly looking forward to seeing the Holloways for the 1st time in a LONG time, and celebrating their daughter's engagement on Friday! I should have some killer pics from this stop as well. Finally, I'm going to try to do a night out on the town in the "music capitol of the south" too! It's been a long time in the making....

Thanks to anyone who is reading this and especially if you're still reading this particular novel I just spewed out. Sorry to anyone I offended. Oh wait...no I'm not. :-p

Peace & Love

Chris

What about Chicago don't you know?

The Sears tower is a 108 story, 1,450 ft (422 m) skyscraper in Chicago, IL. At the time of its completion in 1973, it was the world's tallest building, surpassing the World Trade center towers in New York. But...that accolade has been sorely undercut, as we all know and remember.

So...NOW... in terms of absolute height, the tallest structure is currently the Burj Dubai, although it will not hold the official title of "Tallest Building in the World" until the building is officially opened. The current official holder of the "Tallest Building in the World" is held by Taipei 101.

Ok, but really, what don't you know about Chicago? Well, don't look at me for too many answers. I drove here effortlessly, drank 3 beers, had an AWESOME burger at a local restaurant, which btw was doing 1/2 off burgers and $5 pitchers of PBR, qualifying it for the least expensive trip I've made to dinner in Chicago yet. Then, spent the rest of the time relaxing with my friends Kevin and Sarah. Sarah helped me with details regarding my financial aid and I really think it's going to go over without a hitch. That was a HUGE relief. Kevin hooked me up with a navigational system for the rest of my trip too! What wonderful people. As if putting me up for the night wasn't enough....

So, I'd call the 1st day a success. Oh wait, actually, the 1st day was actually the 2nd day and the 1st day was a hungover disaster. SO...the 2nd day was a success, if you're keeping score at home.

Here are some of the other things I learned today:

• You CANNOT spit an entire mouth full of mouthwash out your window when your driving 70 mph on the freeway. Needless to say, I ended up looking like Paris Hilton after a busy night out. However, it lead me to my second thing I learned today:
• Mouthwash (specifically Aquafresh white rinse) really does buff up a pair of sunglasses nicely!
• Supposedly gas stations charge you for ICE now. Seriously...$0.42. I hope they don't do that when I'm driving through the desert.
• No matter how much you try, your left arm always gets more sun than your right. I can't decide whether or not to spend the extra gas money on AC and wear long sleeves, in spite of the situation, or just hope things "even out" when I get to sunny SD. I'll probably just look like I have, what I'm suggesting we either call a "trucker's tan" or a "polish farmers tan" for a while. Take your pick. (footnote: none of this bothers me in the slightest)
• I CAN take pictures through my front windshield and side windows. That will undoubtedly mean I go totally freakin over-board with my camera in the next week.
• Unless your as crazy as I am, don't ever try this.....

I really only have enough room in the whole car for me, myself, and I. When I get lonely, I figure I'll assign names to the various items in the car, give them fake voices, and develop my own dramatic saga. I'm thinking the conflict is....territory, right?

Off to Little Rock tomorrow. (Big shout out and thanks to Brian G.) I'm going to try to get there during some daylight, but it'll most likely just be a hotel stay. We'll see! Anyways, hang on for some great stuff from Austin and Gila National forest, later in the week. Enjoy! Thanks!!!

Chris

10 days left in the D...

I am growing ever so nervous about my ensuing trip. I know that I will be fine, but it's still unnerving to remove myself from my comfort zone. (even if my comfort zone ain't so comfy..)

However, I really thought that this pic was the best way for me to remember it. Ahh...the waterfront. I really hope they continue to beautify the D while I'm gone. But until then, out of 106 pictures I took in one day, this is the best.

Thanks to any of you who follow me along my journey.

peace & love

Chris

Testing testing...123

This is gonna be awesome. I will use this blog, as the NHL uses Sidney Crosby, as my flash and pop through my trip. I'll be able to add photos and you'll be able to keep track of my adventures daily. Enjoy! I know I will. Thanks again to my friends and family that helped make this happen. I am forever grateful.

Love and peace,

Chris