It's been awhile since I've posted anything in my main blog. Just haven't felt like it. It may be awhile yet. But at the end of March I'm heading on a roadtrip to Texas and back, and I plan on writing about it on the travel blog.
In a way, roadtrips actually require more work than an overseas journey with a multiple layovers. Despite all my daydreaming, it's difficult to just jump in the car and go. My tires are getting old and bulgey, the 60,000 mile tune up was due 14,000 miles ago, the oil definitely needs to be changed, and the back windshield wiper is going to drive me absolutely nuts if it isn't replaced with something that doesn't make a giant fart noise everytime it's deployed. It was probably two years ago that the Jiffy Lube guys insisted that I needed a new battery, I'm sure that the air filter needs replacing by now (and getting a fancy one actually makes a noticable difference) and I wouldn't be surprised if there's an issue with the radiator cap again. I make it sound like I'm driving a disaster on wheels; in reality my car has not once given me a problem over two cross-country trips, a winter in northern New York, and a lot of time sitting dormant on the curb. It's time though that I returned the love and get the little things taken care of.
Other preparations have been taking off, though. I've acquired a partner for the trip, Suzanna, a girl who plays on both of my soccer teams and who will no doubt hate me by the end of the journey. The play-your-ipod-through-the-radio device has been a total flop, so I've instead bought a giant stack of blank CDs and will have my laptop handy to burn onto disc anything that I have a sudden hankering to listen to. I even bought a pack of mini-Sharpies to label them with! Although we're missing SXSW (a big music convention with seemingly hundreds of bands playing in many venues in Austin) by a couple weeks, there are a few shows while we're around, including the one that caught my eye – New Model Army. Sure sure, they're probably older than my parents, but they're pretty fucking cool, and they don't tour the U.S. very often (something to do with visas being denied. They're political or something, heh), so I was excited to see them scheduled when I'm going to be in town. The online ticket buying process seemed a little fishy, though, so I sent Tony into Austin and he procured us some tickets.
It so better be warm at the beach. I've been having drool-worthy dreams about warm sandy beaches, cheap Mexican food, and affordable surf/beach attire. I've been throwing out the clothes I can't stand anymore and the result is I don't have much to wear and very little desire to pay a bunch of money to change that. What I would give to be sitting in a depression in the sand, clad in loose fitting shorts and a tank top, with a beer in my hand.
And to not short change any credit here, I am also looking forward to seeing those snow packed mountains in Utah. The few times Mt. Hood has poked out here, it's been gaspingly gorgeous. The Rockies I'm sure are even more impressive. Be prepared for a lot of through-the-windshield photographs posted.
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