Just went thru Springfield, TN;

Just went thru Springfield, TN; getting close to Nashville. I hope this train stops there. It hasn't stopped yet. Been hauling ass! I'm hungry.

Am I a hobo now?

We've reached cruising altitude and are now at least 20 or 30 miles into Kentucky. I think some maintenance people may have seen me when the train was only a couple miles down the road. But if they did see me, they didn't give a shit (because I'm still on the train). --> This train is much smoother than the one I rode last summer. It's almost certainly going to get me a lot farther, too. Considering this train is at least a mile long and is loaded with shipping containers, I suspect it is going all the way to Jacksonville. Maybe not. Wherever it's going, though, I know it's the right place.

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My first solo ride

I'm about 3.5 miles from Brad's house and, as you may have figured out already, it looks like I found my ride. This shipping container train slowly passed me, then stopped, as I walked beside the south end of the yard. Instead of getting on the train, I kept walking toward the engines until I saw a tanker truck parked beside them. (My guess is that the train was refueling; a good sign.) After walking past the engines, the train started moving again; I felt like I'd missed a good opportunity. But it didn't pick up speed, so I thought it might stop again. It did stop, so I got on. --> Since I got on, the train has gone a couple miles, but it stopped again. I'm in a very comfortable, very safe-feeling spot, as long as I don't get caught. I just want this thing to start going for real. It may take me to Nashville, but I really have no idea where it'll go. --> Unlike my first trainhop, there
has been no drama yet... It just started moving again. Let's go this time!

Squat the planet

While I'm thinking about it, check out this page. It's a discussion someone started on a squatter site about one of my videos. I just stumbled onto it a couple days ago.

Just about time to go.

(Brad, I left you something. Look behind the stack of CDs above your desk.)

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Aimless
Aimless Video Evidence
Call me sometime; I get lonely. 614-738-3867

Collier County

I received an e-mail this morning that instantly inspired me and will surely help my state of mind once it starts getting tough out there and I start getting bitchy and pissy. (You all know it's going to happen, so don't act surprised when I turn into Satan in a month or so.) The e-mail is from a guy named David in Naples:

I stumbled onto your aimlessness while up late one night screwing around on youtube. I saw the cop video and clicked on it thinking i was going to see some funny clip i related to on the horrible cops in my county(collier). I ended up watching all the youtube clips and stayed up all night watching your adventures gaining inspiration with every one. If every American took the same approach to life this would be a much more beautiful country. I wish i knew about this when you were down here so i could throw you a few bucks that i was going to waste on a dying economy. You woke me up dude and i'm going to start following my dreams now. I actually work in a pizza place (Aurelios) ironically. I thought i would just fly you this kite to let you know that you are doing something special and i bet you have inspired more in people than you know. If you aimlessly roam back down this way give me a call i'd love to do anything i can to help you and your cause out.

David, I hope you're right about me inspiring people because you've certainly inspired me. Thanks for contacting me and giving me a boost. I'll think about your message when things start getting tough.

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I didn't have a chance to explain why I'm not going to read blog comments while I'm on the road, so here goes: I know sooner or later there will be some comments calling me ungrateful and generally criticizing certain aspects of my personality. Even though there probably will not be many such comments, those kind of comments affect me profoundly. I'm a pretty sensitive guy, so it's hard for me to just shake them off. Consequently, I decided it would be better for me to just not read any comments while I am in position to be damaged by them.

Well, it's just about time to hit the road again. I'm washing a few clothing items right now and charging the things that need one last jolt of electricity. The weather looks nice; reasonably warm with clear skies, after a few days of cold, wet, and cloudy. I estimate I'll be out of here by about noon local time (CDT), then it'll be time to start learning a little bit about how the railroad industry operates.

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Aimless
Aimless Video Evidence
Call me sometime; I get lonely. 614-738-3867