Interstate Mass Murder

Carnage

I completed the first leg of my two-part roadtrip yesterday.  As you can see by the photo of my grill, a multitude of innocent bystanders had to give their lives in order to make this trip possible.  I wonder if there's an add-on at the car wash for the extra scrubbing necessary to properly exhume mangled bug corpses and their associated juices.

The route took me through the beautiful and varied landscapes of California, Nevada, Oregon, Idaho, and Washington.  Lots of hot desert.  I apologize for not taking photos, but you really had to be there in person to appreciate the beauty.  I overnighted in Bishop, CA and La Grande, OR, which I realize is a deviation from my planned itinerary.  Moving out last Friday took me longer than I expected, which meant that I got on the road later and got stuck in leaving-town-for-the-weekend traffic...domino effect with the rest of my schedule.

Nic & John's New Abode in Normandy Park

Arriving in Seattle last night was a relief on many levels.  My blood pressure is dropping, my mind is clearing, and I am no longer anchored in that dark, desperate place where I have been harbored for so long.  However, my heart is heavy and will be for a significant period after saying goodbye to Cesa and Emma, my two faithful companions who have never been without me.

Now that I've put a few thousand miles between myself and Los Angeles, my reflection is that I don't enjoy competing every day with my fellow citizens for extremely limited space and resources.  So much commotion, very little peace.  The allure of the big city and the hollywood limelight is strong, but my tolerance for everything that goes along with it is limited and seems to be diminishing more and more as I get older.  With that thought, the introspective segment of this post is concluded.

Not that I want to think of getting in my car again, but I should preview what lies ahead in the next week for you and also as a gentle confirmation to myself.  After reminiscing with friends here in Seattle and trying to explain the underpinnings of my insane and irresponsible adventure, I'll be heading south to San Diego with stops in Portland (Tim & Cambria), San Francisco (Gil, Edgar, Mark & Maxine), Santa Cruz (Bridget & Sergey), and Seal Beach (Grandma).  Now that I'm officially on the road with laptop in tow, the blog posting frequency should be more reliable.

Here are some closing words that characterize my feelings at the moment:  anticipation, excitement, nervous, money-conscious.  Above all, and not trying to sound arrogant or too self-involved here, I am so proud of myself for putting this plan in motion considering how many obstacles I've faced.  I am going to pull this off after all.

Goodbye STV

Barely survived the day, my last day at STV.  Lots of goodbyes and a mix of emotions.  Last meal at Langers, first happy hour at Soleto's.  I'll miss you guys!!!

Downtown Abbey, Sugarfish Hater, Dirt Farmer, and angry Gelito

Double L

Calendar of Events

No big suprises here, but just wanted to share with you my planned whereabouts over the next couple of months. The obscure places are roadside resting engagements, while most everywhere else is a friend or family member that I'm thrilled to be seeing. 

It's time to begin playing catch-up with all those people and places that have been accumulating on my wish list over the years. Two weeks of vacation annually just isn't enough!

July Travel

August Travel

September Travel

It's Closing Time

Rebecca Hilton and Eva Wachtel

Yesterday I said goodbye to my Grandma Eva and Aunt Becky.  Before leaving, I left my Grandma with a nice parting gift - I found her cousin Beatrice in Yonkers, New York, whom she hasn't seen or spoken to in about 80 years.  They are both 94 years old and enjoyed speaking on the phone after all those years.  Memories that had been hidden away in the deepest corners of the mind percolated back to the surface and brought visible joy to Grandma.  This is what I live for!

Willow and Marta

As I was already in Orange County, I continued further south to Irvine where I met my friend Marta Baillet Crane and her dog Willow at the dog park next to UCI.  The most beautiful dog park I've ever seen with plentiful grass, space, toys, and delectible smells that Emma and Cesa delighted in.  I used to work with Marta at the City of Santa Ana, and her husband taught one of my graduate courses.  Marta's son, Max, worked as an intern at PBS&J in San Francisco, where I worked for several years.  So I guess you could say that I have somehow become interwoven with Marta and her family.  Not sure how it all happened...we just clicked and have found a way to maintain a friendship over the course of the past 14 years with very little effort. 

At the end of the day, I asked Marta for a picture of her waving goodbye to me so that I could post to my blog...I decided to do this as I say my goodbyes and make my way across the country.  Well, she punked me by taking a photo of me waving goodbye and posting it to Facebook last night before I could finish this blog entry.  She beat me to the punch and took the wind out of my sail.  My original idea was hijacked.  Boo.

In other news, my itinerary is coming together nicely.  Confirmed cross-country stops in Seattle, Santa Cruz, Las Vegas, Houston and St. Louis.  This week I'll work on Portland (OR), Phoenix, and Boston.  I found a flight from Boston to London via Reykjavik that looks promising at only $399 with a 10-hour stopover in Iceland.  Those of you who know me know that the stopover is a good thing.

No more procrastinating...back to packing.

Free Money

This is going to have to be a brief entry due to the fact that my full attention will be required shortly for part 1 of the Real Housewives of Orange County reunion show.  I know you can all relate.

Can I just say that First Republic Bank is INSANE?  By insane, I mean it rocked me like a hurricane, shook me to the core, brought me as close to G*d as I've ever been.  I found FRB when researching ways to access my money from abroad without getting raped by exorbitant ATM fees and foreign exchange mark-ups.  FRB offers basically everything under the sun for free, including the specific attribute that I sought.  Not only that, but they gave me a goodie back with chocolate.  I don't care about all the other trinkets...but the chocolate, now you've got my heart [and a hefty initial deposit]. 

My personal banker...let's call her Rosario...is going to perform all of my banking commands via email, and even offered to FedEx necessary items to me in Europe at no cost.  I told her that they're going to lose a lot of money on this new client, and she told me "it's okay, FRB has plenty of money".  Classic.  Why didn't anyone steer me in this direction earlier?

I can also proudly report that I sold the last large piece of furniture in my possession today.  My Crate & Barrel Axis sectional sofa has served me well over the past four years in three residences and as many cities.  It also turns out that it retained its value better than any of my other furnishings.  Who knew?  The proceeds are going to buy me at least one additional month in non-Euro lands, or more likely, afford me the opportunity to lodge in 6-person rooms rather than 10+ person rooms in the highest-rated youth hostels.  I'll try to avoid a hostel in Bratislava...no need for another installment of that gore-fest featuring yours truly.

The Countdown Continues

I quit my job today.  It was easier than I thought it would be, due mostly to the relatively warm reception by my boss.  Although I bitched and complained periodically about my job (true to form), I do realize that I learned a lot and was given many opportunities that I might not have had somewhere else.  Of course I have my grievances with my soon-to-be former employer, but who doesn't?  No need to get into that now, as I'm about to take a gulp from the glass half full.

Now that the secret is out, I can lay out here in writing a brief chronology of where I'll be heading between now and the flight to Europe (Air Berlin anyone?).  Once I drop the dogs off in Spokane with their other daddy, I'll be heading back down the Pacific Coast via Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, and Santa Cruz spending a day or two in each place visiting friends and family.  Then on to San Diego where I'll be cycling the Bayshore Bikeway and indulging in other San Diego sights and sounds with the folks.  I need to remind myself while I'm there to soak up the sun and warm temps, as those meteorological conditions will be in short supply where I'll be wintering.

From San Diego, the irreversible trek east begins.  Mom will accompany me to Vegas where we'll spend a few days doing what we do best - trading war stories of bonus rounds and progressive jackpots.  We'll also see some cousins and will likely eat at least once at PF Chang's...because that's how we roll.  Then I'll drop my Mom off at the airport for her flight home, as I venture alone across the vastness of our politically-divided land.  The itinerary is flexible and undecided at the moment...there will be trade-offs involved, that's for sure.  Potential visit opportunities exist in the following locations:  Phoenix, Denver, Houston, Kansas City, St. Louis, Philadelphia, New York, and Boston.

More on the cross-country portion of my journey in a future post!