The 40 days 40 nights thing was my nod to Moses, Jesus, the flood, and all of the other religious references that equate the number 40 with a type of cleansing or awakening. Personally, I hadn’t given it any significance other than it feels like a long time to be out on the road. But…
Category: Life
40 Days and 40 Nights
As I approach midnight… today (meaning the new day after midnight) marks 40 days on the road. Apologies in advance – most of the times that I say today in this post, I’m actually referencing day 39… After 40 days, I’m a little exhausted. On the one hand, I’m a tired of the ambiguity and…
Cold Temps, Warm Vibes
It’s cold in Santa Fe. I was thinking of hiking today, but now I’m not so sure (it’s cold). If I don’t hike, I’ll probably walk around and check out art studios and galleries but… it’s cold. I wouldn’t mind sitting around and taking in the colors (and sun if it comes out). Yesterday it…
The Long Road Out of Texas
When the fog lifted and I saw the landscape, I almost cried. The change in scenery was that dramatic. Along the side of the road, there were a handful of red ravines cutting through the taupe earth. The desert, dotted with sage brush, stretched for miles on both sides of the road. To the west,…
Compassion Begins with Seeing
It’s a rainy Thursday morning in Austin, Texas. Yesterday I booked two more nights here. With the rainy forecast, I’m kinda regretting that decision. My Airbnb host told me about a nonprofit project, Community First! Village, on the outskirts of town. It’s a community of tiny homes and RVs designed to provide housing, employment, services,…
Ungodly Early and Out of Practice
It’s 5:30 am. It’s still dark out. For no reason in particular, I’ve been up since 3:30. Unable to fall back asleep, I scrolled whatever it is that I scroll on my phone for an hour. Unable to fall back asleep, I got up. I turned on the dim overhead light. I sat at the…
Dirty Clothes, Cluttered Mind
This busy mind shouldn’t surprise me. I tried to read some poetry this morning and instead thought about where I would go today – Barton Springs, downtown, South Congress…? Two nights ago someone told me to check out SoCo (South Congress). I’ve since been told not to call it SoCo. I’ll sound like a douche…
Everything’s Bigger in Texas (Dallas Sucks Edition)
Being from the Philadelphia area, there’s a natural inclination among my kin and my kind to be against Dallas, TX. Weyerbacher Brewing in Easton, PA has a pale ale called Dallas Sucks. When I posted a picture of Dallas to Facebook, my friend commented, “Dallas Sucks.” … and, of the cities I’ve visited so far,…
In the Company of Others
On this trip around the country, I’ve met up with a few people through dating apps. It’s a good way to meet locals and it can break up the monotony of sitting at bars and staring at screens. Despite trying to live as though I have all of the time in the world (my minor…
Morning Crankies, Nothing Enlightening
It’s early and I’m hungry. A distinct advantage to being at home as opposed to being on the road is that when I wake up at 4:30 and can’t fall back asleep, I can make coffee and breakfast. Here in the hotel room, I can make coffee, but no breakfast. For some reason, I thought…
Travel (and Live) Like an Optimist
The Life Cereal commercial from my youth had the memorable quote “He likes it! Hey Mikey!” The premise of the commercial is that Mikey doesn’t like anything which makes him the perfect test subject for his brothers’ skepticism of this new, healthy cereal, Life. Despite this blog’s many lamentations and complaints, I have many many…
Are We There Yet?
Quite often, this trip is my Jekyll and Hyde, my Yin and Yang. Frustration and despair followed by joy and delight. For a few hours yesterday (and some of this morning), I was paralyzed by indecision. I was ready to give up and go home (though where that is, I can’t quite specify). I spent…