If I don't get a

If I don't get a really good headlamp, I'm gonna end up seriously injured. If you'd like to help, call me so I can let you know how. Thanks.

Some dude on a bike

Some dude on a bike just told me God loves me. Is that why my ass hurts?

Evil desert

Pic: Chaco feet. Jealous, huh, winter-bound, pale-ass Ohio honkeys? --> My god, yesterday was a bitch. Rain. Sun. Rain. Wind. Wind. Wind. I got off to a great start, with 10 miles before noon, but the weather took its toll, along with the absence of anywhere comfortable to sit. The wind kept me from cooking. I wasted an hour of energy just trying to set up my tent as a windshield... unsuccessfully. In fact, I almost lost the tent a few times. Bent the poles a little more, too. So much more hellish than I can describe here. Was shooting for 30 miles yesterday, and I could've done it with semi-decent weather. Instead I stopped at 8:00 beside a huge stack of hay, which shielded me from the wind and saved me from even more misery. Still did 22.5 miles, though. Slept about a mile short of Westmorland. --> Would someone please contact John Sears at Gregory Mountain Products and ask him to
call me? I have feedback and questions for him, but I don't have his number handy. Thanks!

So I walk into a

So I walk into a truck stop after a smokin' 20 miles, and what's on the TV but Forrest Gump. Ever feel like everything is as it should be?

Desert

I think this means I'll be in the middle of nowhere in a few minutes. It also means I'll be in Arizona in about five days. --> Brad, will you make sure Eric Eves sees this? If you can, also let him know I'll be in Phoenix in two weeks or less and that he should call me. Thanks.

Coachella. Left takes me east

Coachella. Left takes me east of the Salton Sea; right goes west. I'm going right. Lots of water and ramen noodles makes for one heavy-ass pack.

Sbarro's prices have gone up

Sbarro's prices have gone up while their pizza has shrunk by at least 2". You were already overpriced, Sbarro. Guess where I'll NEVER eat again.

Palm Springs to pedestrians: If

Palm Springs to pedestrians: If you want to be able to see where you're walking or if you want a sidewalk, fuck you! Go buy a car.

Machine/badass

Last Thursday, after walking for hours without a break, I realized I'm about 82% machine. Later, though, when I weighed my gear on a scale at REI, I became aware that I'm 100% badass. Thinking I was carrying a little over 40 lbs at the time, I was actually carrying 51.5 lbs. But that doesn't make me a badass. Here's what makes me a badass: For the first couple days of this new adventure, I was carrying an additional 2+ gallons of water. That's 17 or 18 lbs right there, and it means my gear weighed 68 or 69 lbs when my water bladders were full. That's HALF AS MUCH AS I WEIGH, and that number's gonna go up in a few days when I'll need to stock up on water and food to make it across the desert. But here's what really makes me a badass: I don't fear the desert. This'll be easy. --> I have always raved about REI, but they've really pissed me off lately because they won't remove my Gregory
review, which I've asked them to remove twice. So now I'm gonna trade in my beat-up tent for a new one.

Desert Shadow

VERY IMPORTANT! If I should

VERY IMPORTANT! If I should ever be hit by a car and cannot speak for myself, I want the perp to be prosecuted very aggressively. 2 B continued..

If you've never walked by

If you've never walked by an orange grove, picked an orange without asking, and eaten the orange, then you've never eaten an orange. Delicious!

Jim & I are Avatards.

Jim & I are Avatards. We saw it again yesterday in Redlands; ate at Shakey's. He's on buses back to LA now, so I'm gonna try to do 25 miles/day.

Thanks to the Rose Bowl's

Thanks to the Rose Bowl's entertainment committee, the dream police now live inside my head. They also come to me in my bed. Every single night.

I dare sleep in Fuck

I dare sleep in Fuck Fontana tonight. 22.34 miles today; 93.8 miles the last 5 days. Head still hurts. If I'm never seen again, the cops did it.

I just bought 'Into the

I just bought 'Into the Wild,' even though I didn't really have the money. I just turned my head and there it was. Figured it musta been a sign.

A really cool guy just

A really cool guy just stopped and talked to me in Claremont. His name is John Bobo and he played football at Tennessee in like 1953.

SAN DIMAS HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

SAN DIMAS HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL RULES!!!

Ow, my head!

Here's a pic I took of my head Monday morning, about 16 hours after I slammed it on a tree root. As I hit the ground, I thought something to the effect of "Oh fuck! I might die now." No bullshit. Fortunately it ended up much less serious than death. Regardless, it was a very scary moment. --> I crossed paths with George Throop a few hours after my spill Sunday. Lots to say about him, but it's gonna have to wait until I make it to a computer. --> Monday night, as I ordered my usual at In-N-Out Burger in Hollywood, I received a call from an unfamiliar number. It was Jim, the guy I hung out with in early January! We met up last night, and he's gonna pop up again here and there. --> This morning I woke up at the intersection where the Rose Parade turns (Orange Grove & Colorado). The manager at Ralph's on Colorado in Pasadena is the biggest cockwad on the planet. I masterfully boosted his
blood pressure today; no regrets. Tonight I'm in Glendora. My head seems to have felt better today.

I just did 4 takes

I just did 4 takes with some guys who are making [goofy?] short films: http://lvxmedia.com & http://youtube.com/lvxmediatv.

Oops, I got the name

Oops, I got the name of that pizzeria wrong. It's Robano's, not Poblano's, and it's at 10057 Riverside Dr. in Burbank. (It's dead at lunchtime.)

NBC-Universal

Hey retards: Look down, I'm right outside your building. Now watch that money go walking away.

A tale of two oceans

Ocean #1: Pacific... Yesterday marked the beginning of my coast-to-coast walk. It started slow, with a couple bus rides to the Santa Monica Pier, then a stop at REI for a 4-liter water bladder. (An unexpectedly disappointing REI experience, I might add.) Several miles up the road (on Sunset), now carrying over 60 lbs, this new journey nearly ended as quick as it began when I tripped and hit my head REALLY hard on a very thick tree root. Scariest moment in all my travels. (When you fall with an additional 40% of your own weight on your back, you don't catch yourself. You're just dead weight, and you hit the ground like a cannonball.) After the fall, my face was bleeding, and I think I had a mild concussion. I also may have a somewhat serious neck/throat/jaw injury. Having witnessed my fall, a man and his daughter (Mark & Cara Friedman) pulled over to offer help. Even though I seem to be
OK, I hope they know how much I appreciate their concern. That gesture really meant a lot to me.

The Hollywood sign is covered

The Hollywood sign is covered by letters that read "SAVE PEAK." Can't get a pic because I'm on a bus on Santa Monica Blvd. Almost time to walk.

No regrets

Yesterday was one of the most amazing days of my life, but not because lots of strangers gave me money to have a great night out. Yesterday was amazing because of what I learned. You probably won't understand this, but I gave so much to the people who gave to me. I gave them real; I gave them truth; I gave them one of the rare 'no bullshit' moments of their lives. And they loved it. They took pictures of it, too. A guy I met at the theater was even about to write me a check after I showed him a pic of my sign, until I said he didn't need to. --> I learned that I don't want a TV show for myself; I truly want a TV show for you. My ego doesn't need the attention. If it did, I'd be walking around with a sign saying "Look at me and what I do. I'm so special and great." But I don't. I can't tell you everything I learned last night, and I don't need to try anymore because all is good. If I die
today, I'll die knowing I truly lived, unlike most people. Like the Irishman said: No regrets.

WOW!!! I lead the most

WOW!!! I lead the most amazing life. Even when it sucks--even when I get bitchy--my life is absolutely incredible. Wish I could let you see.

Damn I'm good

It started slow, but this sign earned me $6.81 in coins, as well as eleven singles, in the span of not quite an hour. Then came the 20, which brought my one-hour Avatar fund-raising total to $37.81. That means I'm gonna have some popcorn and maybe a Dr. Pepper tonight as I enjoy Avatar. Oh yeah, and I was also given some pudding, peaches, a can of "young coconut juice," a piece of cake, and a bottle of water. Someone gave me the cake and water as I walked down Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, carrying the sign but not displaying it. The rest of it came to me at Corson Street & Allen Avenue. --> On my way to see Avatar...

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NBC does it again

I read in the LA Times yesterday that NBC overpaid something like 250 gazillion dollars for the rights to broadcast the Olympics. Seems like every time I look at a newspaper, it tells me how yet another ass-brained decision cost NBC millions upon millions of dollars. --> Does NBC do anything right anymore? I can think of one thing they did right a year ago: They called me and said they thought I might be a "really great character" for a doc series they're developing. And they were right. But, as one might expect from a bunch of retards who blow a million dollars with every breath, they left me hanging and never called me back. --> I expect everyone who reads this to write to NBC and tell them they should make a series out of Aimless. And you might as well include a link to this post. If you don't do it, then you can blame yourself for having 8,000 channels of nothing good to watch.
That's all I have to say about that (until NBC's next fiasco).

Daily bread

This is probably the most interesting donation I've ever received while flying a sign. (The 18" baguette, not the apple.) Standing on a concrete median beside the left-turn lane at an intersection (rather than an off-ramp, because some loser asshole bum was "working" the ramp), I received the baguette from someone driving the same direction I was facing, which is unusual. I'm guessing the donor must have already passed me from the other direction. Supposing he did, it means he probably put a good bit of thought into his gift idea. Hmmm... Hey, I'm not bitching; I'll eat the baguette, and I sincerely appreciate even the tiniest donations because no one owes me jack. I'm just saying it was a strange gift. --> The Avatar sign I mentioned last night may have to wait a while because I haven't found any cardboard yet. (Cardboard is a very precious mineral here in southern California.) Having
devoted a little more thought since last night, I'm now leaning toward writing 'DYING TO SEE AVATAR.'

Tomorrow in Pasadena I'm gonna

Tomorrow in Pasadena I'm gonna fly a sign that says 'MUST SEE AVATAR.' I'll let you know if it works (as I walk to the theater).

Couch surfing

After hearing about couchsurfing.org from several people over the last year or so, I finally checked it out. According to the web site, couchsurfing.com is a free service, although they encourage you to make donations. The site's rhetoric goes on to make quite a big deal about the virtues of sharing. However, before you can use the site, you have to make a $25 minimum donation.

I have $6.

But that's not my point. My point is that the word 'donation' has a meaning, and implicit in that meaning is the concept of 'optional.' When a donation is required, it's called a 'fee' or a 'price' or one of a few other terms.

I really don't like dishonesty. Although couchsurfing.org claims to be a non-profit public service, somebody's making money off of it--probably good money--which is fine, as long as they're honest about it. But they're not honest about it.

I know of another web site that has never generated a penny of revenue but is still able to operate and give something new every once in a while, thanks largely to one true donation, in the form of web hosting, from Net Acceleration. I'm pretty sure the creator of said web site would appreciate donations and a little more general support from the site's visitors, yet all support remains (and will remain) optional.

Couchsurfing.org, you disappoint me.

Time to go back to California.

Become a fan of Aimless on Facebook.

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Aimless
Aimless Video Evidence

Vegas

Just relaxing alone at Josh Ellis's apartment in Vegas, near UNLV.

Oh, who am I kidding? Actually I'm cleaning Josh's filthy, disgusting bathroom. (I've already cleaned up the kitchen.) His girlfriend will love me forever because the bathroom, along with the rest of the place, is like grody to the max. (I'll upload a pic soon.)

I've known Josh for about ten years; met him when I lived here.

It's cold and rainy outside, like it always is when I show up in Vegas. Go figure. So it's nice to have a warm place to hang out and relax. Aside from the less-than-clean conditions, I've got a real good set-up here. It's almost like it's my own place because Josh has been with his girlfriend most of the time since I've been here. But usually when I come to Vegas, it's mainly to see Josh, although this time I also came to see someone from high school who lives here now.

I was planning to head back to California either today or Monday, but the rain has made that decision easy for me. It's supposed to keep raining tomorrow, too, but I wasn't planning to leave tomorrow anyway because ya gotta watch the Super Bowl, even if you're not a fan of either team.

When I get back to LA, I want to try to hang out with Brian as much as possible, as well as GloZell, if she ever calls me. Then on about Valentine's Day, I'm going to start my walk, probably with George Throop, as he should be passing through LA at about that time.

A million interesting things to say right now, but not enough time to share even a fraction of it, as always. Like I've said so many times before, it's too bad this is not a TV show; you don't know what you're missing. But whenever I try to tell you everything, all it does is stress me out and make me crazy. And you know what? I've stayed pretty damn sane this time out and I've had a great time even when I should have been miserable. I've finally found a winning formula, and part of that formula is less blogging.

If you want to know about the things I'm not sharing here, then help me get a TV show. I can't do it all by myself.

Become a fan of Aimless on Facebook.

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Aimless
Aimless Video Evidence

Except...

Just before I sent the previous post, as I began retracing my steps east along the Sunset Strip, I saw a familiar face. Not a famous face or anything like that. It was a face I hadn't seen in 9 years; a face I was sure I'd never see again. The face was that of Brian Manning, an eccentric guitar genius who became my very close friend the last year I lived in Vegas. Out to see a band with a lady friend, Brian could only talk for about 5 minutes, but he gave me his number and we talked for a while today. --> I cannot accurately tell this story in 1,000 characters, but when I met him, Brian was an ex-junkie, clean for two years. Months later he relapsed. When I left Vegas, he was still struggling with his heroin/methadone demon. A few years later, I heard he had moved to Long Beach and was still battling that demon. Having often worried about him and even wondered if he was still alive, you
can't possibly understand how good it was to see him. And best of all, he's off the junk!