Road Trip: Photos

A few snapshots from the road trip to Charlotte, NC...

This was on Interstate 40 east of Knoxville, TN. We were driving through the Great Smoky Mountains and the trees were just starting to change color. The photo doesn't really capture the color changes, but if we were there two weeks later it would of been spectacular.

That's me... in the shotgun seat. My dad was really into driving... he loves road trips. So I let him do most of the driving which allowed me to take photos.

At the History Museum of Charlotte I learned that the Jim & Tammy Fae Bakker started their PTL ministry (scam). I was impressed with the museum. They should of had an interactive part where you could learn to do make-up like Tammy Fae - that would of been cool.

The History Museum of Charlotte has a PTL Bible as part of the very small Bakker section. Crazy.

A lot of the Carolinas, Tennessee, and Kentucky remind me of the Blair Witch Project. Thankfully we never got lost in the forests.

The Peachiod.

Another highlight from road trip was the Peachiod. No, not a peach hemorrhoid... the Peachoid. What the hell is that? Well you can look it up on some search engine (I can't stand the phrase: Google It) and learn the history of it since I do not know much about it, and really do not care to.

What I can tell you (and show you by the snappy photos I took) about it is:
- It's a water tower
- It's located in Gaffney, SC right off Interstate 85
- It looks like a peach.
- At a certain angle it looks like a big butt.

If you have ever gone in any road trip you have seen many water towers. Small towns are proud of their water towers, and their Wal-Marts. Most water towers display the town (maybe city) name, and some are even painted to look like different objects... roses, hot air balloons, clouds, etc. But Gaffney, SC takes pride in their water tower. The tower has been reshaped, or painted so well that it gives off the effect of looking like a giant peach. I did not stop to check it out... the idea of taking time out of the day to look at a water tower was kind of sad (and by sad I mean pathetic).

OK... this entry is ass boring so I am going to end it. I just thought it was strange passing a big butt looking peach water tower in South Carolina. It occurred to me this would be great to write about, but I am having a hard time putting it all together. I should of wrote about the Louisville Slugger Museum, the PTL bible I saw, the fantastic bourbon I drank, or the Billy Graham Library - all were much more exciting than this dumb ass looking peach.

Back in Chicago.

I am finally back... and after I play some catch up I'll post some things about my trip. For today you only will get one high point and one low point of my trip.

High Point: Gas Prices

Gas prices were cheaper than Chicago in every state and every city we passed. South Carolina had the lowest prices hands down. They were almost a dollar cheaper than Chicago so I took a photo of the gas station sign. Sure you need to live in South Carolina to enjoy low gas, but SC was alright. It's not as bad as one of my low points...

Low Point: Jellico, TN

Jellico, TN gets my "Biggest Dump of a Town" award. And I've been to many dumps in my life. I am truly sorry if you are from Jellico - not for offending you, I am sorry you are from that big pile of crap town. There is nothing good about Jellico, TN. If you need to stop there and get gas... keep going. The people are the biggest hicks and kind of scary looking... imbred scary looking. The map above shows you where Jellico is, so take my advice and just stay away. Drive over to Kentucky or drive down to Knoxville, TN - but don't stop at Jellico.

Off Again.

I'm off again on another adventure. This time a road trip to Charlotte, NC for a cousin's wedding. It's going to be a hoot... with possible stops in Louisville, KY and Lexington, KY (just because I have never been to either). When in Charlotte we are planning a day trip to Greensboro to see some friends.

This is a trip I am so looking forward to. I have never been to the Carolinas. I have not driven through a lot of the area we are going to (with the exception of Indiana and Tennessee). And since my brother and I did not do out baseball trip this year I am itching for a road trip.

I have the camera packed and I am bringing the laptop so maybe I'll post while on the road (but not while driving). See you later...

Teeth Brushing.

I brush my teeth at work every day. Always after lunch (sometimes not until a couple hours later), and occasionally when I arrive at work (noticing I forgot to brush before I left the house). I floss too. Flossing at work is usually the only time I floss during the day, unless I eat a meal that requires flossing (corn).

I have noticed that I am the only one in the office that brushes my teeth at work... keep in mind I work in a small office. But I was still wondering, is it abnormal to brush your teeth at work? Do most people do it, or not?

Thome 500!

Way to go Jim Thome on your 500th home run!!!

Xbox I Need You.

Right now on the top of my want list is the Xbox 360. Yep. It might be the most awesome-ist electronic toy to ever exist... and I have this strong need (not desire, but need) to own it.

Keep these things in mind:
1. I own a crappy TV that I am not sure is even stereo. So I'll need to pick up a high-def TV at the same time.
2. I have never liked video games... because I suck at them (yes, I even suck at that Guitar Hero game). My parents were not too keen on me playing them when I was a kid so I had to go outside and run around or play with Legos. I was never the coolest kid in school because I sucked at video games, BUT I never got fat, and I was the first boy to make out with a girl in the 6th grade... so that made me cool for like a day. I think I was also the second boy to kiss a girl too. BTW, the first girl I kissed became a nun. Really. I wanted to make out with a third girl but never did... and then years later she told me that she wish we would of made out, but it was too late. Crap!
3. I've never played with an Xbox. I've never even seen one.
4. I really don't have the money to buy a new TV and Xbox.
5. LP might kill me if I did... she wants new earrings.

So then, where is all of this coming from? When I was in Portland I was at this shin-dig and my friend TK, who I had not seen in a couple of years, started talking about his new Xbox. He was so excited about it I could not help but jump on the bandwagon and get excited too. It sounded better than drugs. It sounded better than snuggling with twenty dogs, twenty cats, five rabbits, and one llama. The way he described this Xbox thing... it was basically the electronic gadget that is here to save the world. I want to be saved electronically... even if it is by Microsoft. I want to be down. I want to learn to love an Xbox.

Dogs.

Each morning when I walk to work I seem to see the same people walking their dogs. It's funny how most people look like they are stilll in their pajamas just walking down the street. I have noticed that most people who have a pug... have two pugs. Also people who walk their dogs in the morning are fairly nice - they say "hi" or "good morning" to me. And almost all dog owners clean up after their animals, which is nice - this isn't Paris.

But there is one lady who sucks. She walks her dog and passes me each morning and never acknowledges my existence. She is always dressed very sharp and looks like she holds some high-up-there position. I always say hello and she does not even flinch. Nothing. I've been walking past her four to five times per week for over a year now. What is up with that? I am sure she notices that I am the same one on the skateboard from time to time and thinks I'm trash.

Southwest.

If you read this blog on occasion you probably know how much I hate to fly. It is one of my least favorite things, but I do it because the idea of some petty little fear holding me back from life is ridiculous. The time in the air is not so good... sweaty clammy hands and all... but I get through it.

Flying Southwest is another thing. If I liked to fly, I still would hate flying Southwest. It just brings out the worst is some people. Pushing, shoving, bickering. Southwest feels like a bus ride to camp... like the bus ride on Sixteen Candles ("score! a direct hit") or Meatballs ("are you ready for the summer?!"). Before getting on the bus ride it's the lines... A, B, or C. Like cattle people sit on the floor to start a line more than an hour before even being let on the plane. Do people not have lives?

Flying home from Portland the flight attendant with the microphone giving safety instructions (that most people ignore since they are always the same) was in a bitchy mood. When informing people to not line up near the front lavatory she added "because we know why we can not do that, because of that one day that all of that bad stuff happened." Holy Crap! She freaked out most of the plane. The unspoken rule of flying: Don't talk about 9/11 while on a plane.

Sure, Southwest tries to be the airline with love, or something like that. They still give out snacks and all the free non-alcoholic beverages you want. So people get greedy for the free stuff. Passengers hit their little call buttons requesting another snack box just so they can put it in their carry-on bag. Maybe they are feeling like they are getting a better deal if they take more goodies and drinks. They probably even steal toilet paper from the bathrooms.

It seems like once a year I am on a Southwest flight... it might be less than that. I must say that most of my flights arrive ahead of schedule, and for being a tall person I seem to have a little more room on their airplanes. But the people that Southwest attracts is the pits.

Survey Question.

Last night I was thinking about this survey I did a couple weeks ago, and wondering if I should of changed one of my answers. The question was: "What is the last name of the most famous person you've met." My answer: "Roth." - Yep, David Lee Roth.

Working in the music industry for more than ten years I've met lots of "famous" people... but for some reason Diamond Dave was such a trip to meet when he came to the office I was working at in NYC. Diamond Dave only referred to himself in third person the entire time... he was going 110 miles an hour and sweating like crazy. I'm sure he had some help cranking out energy - but it was complete entertainment.

Then last night it hit me... you dumb-ass Niner, you've met President Clinton when he was in office. Sure he did not give me as much attention as the girls I was with, but I did meet him and it was certainly a surreal experience. Plus, I got on the news that night - and being on television is cool. So shouldn't I have written down "Clinton" as my answer to that question? Isn't a current president more famous than a rock singer?

PDX: The good, bad, and ugly.

I am back from my trip to Portland which had it's good and bad and it's ugly. I survived... so it could of not been that bad, right? Instead of writing all about (since I am playing catch up at work today), I'll just make some lists. Lists are easier, and I do not have to write with good grammar.

The Good:
- MusicFest NW has gotten a lot better. Bigger. More Bands. People from out of town (like me) come to it. Hopefully it will keep going and growing.
- Good bands: Valiant Arms (x-Oswald Five-0) were awesome... Superchunky. Laura Gibson might have the best indie-folk voice out there. The Builders & the Butchers were fantastic... it's like a gypsy version of the Decemberists (think: the Decemberists meet God Speed You Black Emperor).
- Eugene Mirman: I'm not too into stand-up comedy, but Eugene was super funny.
- Pizza: I miss Escape from NY and Hot Lips. I ate like a pig at both. Yum.
- Went Powells Bookstore and found Willy Vlautin's first book. I recommend both Powells and Willy's book... hell, and Willy's band Richmond Fontaine.
- Drank plenty of good beer: Bridgeport Blue Heron. Heaven in a bottle.
- Seeing old friends and getting to spend time with them.
- Beautiful weather... four days of perfect sunshine.
- Both flights arrived early.

The Bad:
- I did not have time to see my friend Fred's new daughter. Major major bummer.
- I did not meet up with Not Carrie Bradshaw, but we got to text each other for a day or so.
- Two of my really close friends who live there were both out of town... poop.
- I forgot my camera.
- Bridgeport Brewery is now some fancy restaurant, a big boo.
- The Nice Boys were terrible... how can anyone like this band? Same with the Goddamn Gentleman... they are still awful.
- Smokey venues. Yuck.
- Missed more bands than I saw.
- Thursday night is was hard getting into any club which was frustrating.
- I had to go for work.

The Ugly:
- Still too much polar fleece there.
- Lots of dudes wear mohawks there... not punker dudes, more like frat dudes. Really. It's strange.
- Skinny Jeans are really big there. Not good.

PDX

I am off to Portland, OR for MusicFest NW. I really just want to stay at home, but I know I'll have fun. I'll get to drink some good beer (Bridgeport), drink some good wine (Black Rabbit Red), smoke some cigars with LJ, and see some friends I have not seen in forever. So I'll probably not be writing for the rest of the week. AND I just realized I forgot my camera so I'll have to find some stock photos of Portland.... something better than this postcard from the 1950's.

3 Years.

Note: I'm done with the funk. I am done with writing about the funk. I am moving on, or at least trying very hard to move on.

Today marks three years in Chicago. It was three years ago that LP and I took that long ass flight from PDX to ORD where Georgia (our cat) flipped out and made it one of the longest trips ever. We learned to never take our cat on planes... and even though it was a bumpy start, we are so happy to call Chicago home. To celebrate our relocation anniversary, here are some of the things I love about Chicago:

1. Hot dogs. Really. This city is all about the dog, and they do it so well. Hot Doug's is my favorite, but Murphy's is tops as well.

2. The Lake. Yep, Lake Michigan. It's not the Pacific Ocean, which I do miss, but you cannot see across it so it does feel like the ocean... kind of. I dig it.

3. The Neighborhoods. Chicago is all about the neighborhoods... so many hidden gems in the city that most tourists will never find. And in the hood comes the bars/clubs. Danny's, the Map Room, and the Village Tap do me well.

4. The White Sox. We moved here, start cheering for the South Side... and they win the World Series. Not bad. Even though they are absolutely terrible this year, the Sox are a great part of our life in Chicago.

5. Friends. Even though we have no family here, or really anywhere close, we have met some of the best people in this city. Friends make a city feel like home.

6. Snow. Love the snow! We seem to get enough to make me happy... but the winter seems to have just as many sunny days are the spring and fall. How can people not like snow angels?

7. Music. It's a big city, so the music is always going. It's one of the parts of NYC I missed... and Chicago's music scene is great. Love Schubas and dig the Beat Kitchen and the Hideout as well.

8. The CTA. Love them (on time) or hate them (waiting forever)... the public transportation is great (the area it covers), and it keeps us from having to fill up the gas tank every week.

So there you go. There are plenty more... but those are some of my tops (at least the ones I can think of right now). Hope Chicago is home for LP and I for a long long time.

Lounging Day.

I'm totally honoring Labor Day... I'm sitting on my ass today!