Head issues

Sometimes I wonder if maybe I have a mild case of Tourette Syndrome, particularly when I read some of my blog posts. Y'see, the thoughts in my head don't sound as mean or profane as some of the stuff I end up writing (or saying). I really don't know why it comes out that way, just as I don't know why I so easily embarrass myself when I write e-mails to people like Lidia. I also have some quirks that may be described as tics. Nothing major, but it does make me wonder occasionally.

The dermatologist people took a chunk out of my nose Monday. If you know me and have spent time around me, you may be familiar with the mole on the side of my nose. (I rarely notice it myself because my nose is kind of positioned below my eyes.) Well, there isn't a mole there anymore because they gouged a big ditch for a biopsy. I'm supposed to give it a lot of attention for two weeks to make it heal correctly, but come Friday I'm not going to be able to give it all the attention it requires, due to time limits and the unnecessary weight the supplies will add to my pack.

Whenever I get several days to relax, I still hurt pretty constantly. It's like all that weight on my back compacts me over time and now my body needs to spring back into its normal shape. The feet especially.

Lidia, I don't know if you read this blog regularly, but I'm 99 percent certain you did read the posts to which I linked in my e-mail to you. (See, I'm probably about to embarrass myself again.) I can't read your thoughts, but I feel like you want to say much more to me than you have already. Maybe you're just hesitant because the public nature of your job makes you an easy target if you don't say precisely the right things in private e-mails. I don't know, but I need to forget you again if you don't start participating a little more in our correspondence. I'm going to remove your last name completely from this blog, OK. I really want to hear from you again.

--
Aimless
The Quasi-Aimless Trailer
If you'd like to contact me, call me at 614-738-3867.

Florida residents vs. OSU fans

I have met some people along my trek who surely thought I was a nice guy when they met me but changed their minds after reading some of my shit-talking about the state of Florida or religion or whatever. Hey, that's their prerogative. I don't like saying negative things, but negative shit happens and sometimes negative things need to be said.

For anyone who I may have pissed off by saying Florida is full of assholes, I have a very good analogy for you:

I am a very big Ohio State football fan. A lot of other college football fans hate Ohio State, largely because they think Ohio State fans are a bunch of assholes. They're right! Of course, not all Ohio State fans are assholes; I don't think I, as an Ohio State fan, am an asshole. But a lot of OSU fans are dumbfuck assholes who pick fights with opposing fans and otherwise spend a lot of time making the rest of us look pretty bad.

So when I hear someone from Florida, Texas, or Nebraska say they hate OSU football because OSU's fans are a bunch of assholes, do I get pissed off? No, I say, "Unfortunately you're right, and it's really embarrassing sometimes."

If you live in Florida and you are not an asshole, you have no reason to be pissed off or offended by what I said, just as I have no reason to be pissed off or offended whenever I hear someone say OSU fans are assholes. If my words do piss you off, then you're probably one of the assholes and I don't give a flying fuck what you think, nor should anyone else.

--
Aimless
The Quasi-Aimless Trailer
If you'd like to contact me, call me at 614-738-3867.

Statistics and whatnot

When I returned home Saturday evening, my parents had already left town, first to attend a birthday party for my young cousins, then to see my grandpa for Fathers' Day. One of the first things I did after I returned home to an empty house with an empty swimming pool was weigh myself three times. First I weighed myself carrying all my gear, with each water bottle filled. Then I weighed myself carrying only the backpack, without the camera bag or its contents. Finally I weighed myself without any of my gear, fully dressed and wearing shoes.

When I left home on April 22, the combined weight of me and all my stuff was about 217 or 218 lbs. When I returned home, the combined weight of me and all my stuff was 223 lbs. So either I gained weight or my gear gained weight, right? It seems safe to assume that I didn't gain weight, so apparently I acquired about 6 lbs of new stuff during the trip. Are you with me?

Well, I weighed 168 lbs on April 22, but I only weighed 161 or 162 lbs on June 16. So when I left I was carrying about 50 lbs of gear on a 168-lb body (168+50=218), but when I returned I was carrying 61 lbs on a 162-lb body (162+61=223). On April 22 my gear weighed about 30 percent of my total body weight. On June 16 my gear weighed about 38 percent of my total body weight.

I was very shocked to realize I'd acquired over ten pounds of new stuff during my trip.

There have probably been some times when I have carried even a couple more lbs of stuff, like when I've had multiple cans of ravioli in the backpack. (I had no ravioli when I returned home and weighed myself.) But I'm not trying to make you think I carried around 61-63 lbs on my back at all times. There are some asterisks to address now.

* I almost never carried four full bottles of water (1 liter each) because I would drink the water pretty rapidly. I imagine on average I probably carried about two full bottles of water. That's a difference of over 4 lbs right there.

* The camera bag and its contents weigh about 7 lbs. I almost always carried the camera bag with my hand, not on my shoulder or back. That's another seven fewer pounds on my back than the statistic may have suggested.

So instead of carrying 61-63 lbs. on my back on a regular basis, I probably carried something more in the neighborhood of 50 lbs on my back.

Just because I didn't carry the camera bag on my back, though, it doesn't mean I wasn't carrying its weight. In fact I did have to carry it at all times, so my gear's total weight, on average, was somewhere between 55 lbs and 60 lbs toward the end of the trip.

So where did all this new weight come from?

I began the trip with 3 water bottles, but I returned with 4. That's over two pounds right there.

I began the trip with 12 videotapes, but I returned with 29, plus some packaging. (I don't know how much that weighs yet.)

I also acquired 3 books along the way, as well as a pretty big stack of tourist/traveler literature from various areas... One additional pair of swimming trunks... Three baseball caps in place of one Aussie style hat... One additional belt... Dozens of business cards and other small pieces of paper...

There are also some other things I can't think of right now. Maybe later, when I separate stuff from the backpack.

* * * * *
When I finally sat down in front of the computer yesterday to fetch the previous week's e-mail, I was surprised to see that Lidia had sent a response to one of my messages. In her message dated last Tuesday, she didn't say much, but I honestly didn't expect to hear from her ever again. So what should I make of it? I don't know, but here's how I see it: If she had absolutely no interest in knowing me, she wouldn't have replied... EVER. But she did reply, so I suspect she at least has not written me off as a complete loser. And that matters to me. I have no rational reason to give a shit one way or another, but I really do care what Lidia thinks of me... as long as she does think of me.

When I said it was time to forget her, I wasn't bullshitting. I really did leave the thought of her in the past the moment I left Allan and Ann's house eight days ago. But as soon as I saw her e-mail message yesterday, I had a brand new crush on her, even though I have not met her in person. I can neither explain it nor rationalize it, but I believe I adore Lidia [last name removed] and I really hope to hear from her again soon.

* * * * *
Driving to and from a doctor appointment today, I learned something about how Aimless Leg 1 has changed me: I am now incredibly patient. Big difference from before. I was probably more patient than the average person even before I left, but I am ridiculously patient now. I'll probably have a lot more to say about this before long.

--
Aimless
The Quasi-Aimless Trailer
If you'd like to contact me, call me at 614-738-3867.

Comments

For some reason, I have not been receiving e-mail notification of blog comments lately. Anyone else having that kind of problem with Blogger?

--
Aimless
The Quasi-Aimless Trailer
If you'd like to contact me, call me at 614-738-3867.

Paranoid

I've been looking at some of the blog entries I've made during the trip and I just realized I left out a very important word in one of them. There was a post in which I said I made a sign that read: "Please get me out of this stupid city. (I am not a terrorist.)"

The sign actually said: "Please get me out of this stupid, paranoid city. (I am not a terrorist.)"

The stupid, paranoid city was Lake Mary, Florida

--
Aimless
The Quasi-Aimless Trailer
If you'd like to contact me, call me at 614-738-3867.

Complete

I'm home. Leg 1 of Aimless is DONE! (I absolutely cannot believe this: THERE IS NO FUCKING WATER IN THE POOL!!!)

Saturday timeline part 2

Leave McDonald's at 11:04 AM. I should be home in maybe seven or eight hours, at which time I will immediately dive into the swimming pool, probably naked. The trail out of London to the east is gravel, so no mile markers. I have to leave the trail after about 5 miles and switch over to Ohio Route 665 for approximately the final eight miles... Trail crossing over Spring Valley Rd. (near 665) at 12:40 PM. Break 12:40 to 1:27. I wonder how many miles my mom has put on "my" car since I left. It was at 14,000 when I left. (She put on 2k when I was gone last year.) I bet it's at least 17k now... 665 & Glade Run at 2:14. Only 8 miles left. Break from 2:19 to 2:57. Break from 3:58 to 4:18. I dreamed of Missy Green last night. I am in so much pain right now, you can't begin to understand... Enter Franklin County at 5:25! Less than three miles left, but I'm gonna sit here for an hour.
(ThermaRest. Disregard that.)

Saturday timeline part 1

Leave Marker 25.0 at 8:05 AM. Marker 25.5 at 8:15. Marker 26.0 at 8:25. Marker 26.5 at 8:35. Marker 27.0 at 8:46. Marker 27.5 at 8:56. It was three years ago tonight when I shot X X 9- 72 X X X X X XXX for 246, followed by X X X X X X X X X XXX for my second career 300 game. (That's 20 strikes in row to finish the night!) For the night, I went 171, 200, 246, 300. When I shot my 300, my partner Bobby shot 277. Our opponents shot 311 to our 577. Why couldn't they shoot 540 or something? I mean we could have scored 45 or 50 pins below our averages and still won. Marker 28.0 at 9:05. Short break. Leave Marker 28.0 at 9:19. Marker 28.5 at 9:28. Marker 29.0 at 9:38. (End trail.) McDonald's at 10:00. 14 miles to go.

Friday conclusion

Marker 19.0 at 8:21. Marker 19.5 at 8:31. Marker 20.0 at 8:41. Marker 20.5 at 8:51 . (It smells like cow shit everywhere around here.) Marker 21.0, free Willy, smoke, and rest at 9:01. Leave Marker 21.0 at 9:28. Marker 21.5 at 9:38. (My butt cheeks are starting to hurt because they've been rubbing together for almost 20 miles.) Marker 22.0 at 9:49. Marker 22.5 at 9:59. Marker 23.0 at 10:09. (I'm at least halfway home now.) Marker 23.5 at 10:20. Short break. Leave Marker 23.5 at 10:42. Marker 24.0 at 10:52. Marker 24.5 at 11:03. Marker 25.0 at 11:13. So there we go: 23 miles today, give or take half a mile. And I don't feel too bad right now. I'm probably about 5 miles from the center of London, leaving another 14 from there to home. Gonna try to be asleep by 12:00, be up by 7:00, and on the road by 8:00. That means it will probably still be breakfast time when I hit London. Nowhere to
eat between London and home, so I might have to buy a can of ravioli or something for the road.

Fishbone

Brad Perkins just called me. You may recognize his name from some blog comments (especially if you're him). Well, Brad said he was checking in on Aimless just about every day before I left. But when I stopped linking to new blog posts on the front page, he thought I hadn't written anything new, so he kinda stopped checking. I guess he must have checked in again recently and discovered that I've been VERY busy with the blog. (I think I've written maybe 200 entries since I left.) I just thought that was pretty funny. It was real good to hear from you, Brad. Well, it's 8:00, so I have to start walking again. Gonna try to get maybe another six miles down the road tonight. That would total 23 miles for today, leaving another 19 to go tomorrow. (I really, really hurt right now. Tomorrow's going to be a bitch.)

Friday's timeline part 2

2:25 PM - Lunch break is over, walking toward US 42 & South Charleston... 3:51 - Finally made it to S. Charleston-Clifton Rd. & US 42. Man, that road is a lot longer than I remember it being. I am at least 13 miles closer to home than I was this morning. Looks like two or three more miles to South Charleston, where I'll be eating chicken for dinner. I was right here the last time I saw my parents on 4/24. Right now it's time for a smoke break... 4:21 - Break is over; walking on bike path to South Charleston... 4:29 - Milemarker 16 (from Xenia)... 4:43 - Mile 16.5... 4:54 - Mile 17.0... 5:04 - Mile 17.5... 5:15 - Mile 18.0... 5:17 - Short break (on a bench!). Can almost smell the chicken... 5:32 - Break over... 5:58 - I have my chicken in my hands and I'm about to chow. (No, I'm not going to choke it.) We're gonna take at least a two-hour break right now because I've walked about 17
miles so far today. I have to walk at least four more before I set up camp.

Friday's timeline part 1

9:08 AM - Leave Yellow Springs station (US 68 & Dayton St.) via Ohio Route 343... 10:36 - Main St. & S. River Rd. in Clifton (break)... 11:12 - Break over, walking along S. River Rd... 1:16 PM - Lunch break: S. River Rd. & Selma Pk. Gonna eat ravioli straight out of the can. When I walked this route on April 25, I had to take at least six breaks. Only two today, plus an additional two miles. I'd estimate I'm nine or ten miles down the road already. I feel fine except for my feet. This body is turning into a machine. Strange! I feel very good about my chances of making it home tomorrow, maybe even pretty early. After lunch I'm going to take S. Charleston-Clifton Rd. to US 42, sticking with the trail that parallels 42 all the way to London.

Let the pain begin

I'm sitting at the Yellow Springs station right now (8:00 AM), ready to walk at any time, but not in quite a hurry. Gonna try to walk at least 21 miles today to get halfway home. You may remember it took me 4 days to walk from home to Yellow Springs 8 weeks ago. Now I'm going to try to make it back in only 2 days. It'll be tough, but I think I can do it. I just sent Duke a TXT message, asking him to direct Miss Pathfinder to this blog if he sees her. I think she WAS on a date when I saw her last night, but it didn't look serious. It doesn't matter anyway, though, because I just want to meet her. I'll probably want to date her if I meet her, but right now I just want to meet her. So if you see this, Miss Pathfinder, I hope to hear from you soon.

Close encounter

Miss Pathfinder walked past me tonight at about 7:45. Unfortunately, she was walking with a guy. The question is: Was she "with" the guy or was she merely with him? I don't know. All I know is they weren't holding hands. While they were inside Tom's market, my once-sorta-famous acquaintance Greg "Duke" Dewey pulled up. (Duke was the drummer for Country Joe & the Fish.) When they came back out, I asked Duke if he knows who she is. He said he knows a little about her. He said he knew her dad and he kinda confirmed some of my suspicions about her personality. (Good things.)... I smiled when she walked by. She looked like she wanted to smile, but I can't say she actually did smile. She's pretty neato, I think. I wonder if she noticed that I'm in better shape than when last she saw me.

Missing

Viewing this blog on someone's laptop earlier, I noticed the sidebar is missing. I don't know how long that's been going on, but I hope it returns once this post publishes. That's all for now.

Yellow Springs, Ohio

Unhappy headlines today in Yellow Springs: Antioch University will be closed from 2008 to 2012. It's also the headline on the front page of the Dayton Daily News. The good news is that it could mean more sales for Robert Paschell, with his "Titanioch" t-shirt, which I believe has a drawing of an Antioch building sinking like the Titanic. When I saw the shirt I asked him when, in his mind, Antioch sank. He said either the 50s or 60s, so I guess it's been a long time coming.<p>I met a woman this morning in the men's restroom of the "depot" who randomly found the Aimless blog shortly after I left YSO in April. We'd actually spoken briefly when I was packing up camp to leave town, but I never told her about the web site or anything. (She was in the bathroom hanging a new art display.)<p>I think it's about time for Miss Pathfinder to come around.

Buckeye State

Ivan dropped me off in Fairborn at I-675 & Dayton-Yellow Springs Road at about 7:30. I immediately went to the nearby Skyline Chili restaurant for dinner, where I called Jeff (currently residing in Wisconsin) to let him know I was only a moment away from being served his favorite cuisine. (You won't find Skyline very far outside Ohio.)<p>My server, Zach Davis, took quite quite an interest in Aimless and sat down to chat with me for a while. We talked so much, I held cheese coney #2 for at least ten minutes without taking a bite. He ended up bringing me another one for no charge. That was cool. And for that he gets his name in the credits.<p>I guess I'm only about two miles from Yellow Springs now, so I should be camped out in my favorite camping spot not too long after midnight.<p>I'll tell ya, you meet some interesting folks at the truck stops sometimes. I need a camera crew with me
sometimes, to capture our conversations in ways that I can't. Aimless could so easily be a huge series.

...And my city was gone

I got a ride at about 11:50 with Ivan Angelov. He's Bulgarian and he's taking me to Dayton. I don't know exactly where yet, but anywhere will be fine. I guess I should look at a map to find out what exit might be good for me.<p>We just stopped for lunch in Corbin, KY. I'm hoping to be in Dayton by about 6:00.<p>Forget what I said last night about WWJD. Don't do something nice for someone just because you think Jesus would do it. And don't do something nice for someone just because I told you to. That would be insincere.<p>Instead, do something nice for someone out of the kindness of your heart. Do something nice for someone because you sincerely want to make the world a better place, at least for one person at one moment in time. It might just make the whole world a better place for everyone, at every moment in time. Do something nice for someone because it makes you feel good.

We all need to change

I'm not just frustrated anymore; I'm totally fucking pissed off. Not because I can't get a ride or because people won't do something nice for ME. No, I'm pissed off because about 0.01 percent of the American population jumps at the opportunity to do something nice for someone. That's ONE HUNDREDTH of ONE PERCENT!!! As a nation, is that what we're all so proud of? Well, it fucking disgusts me, so I'm going to start taking every chance I get to do something nice for people. I invite you to join me. So peel off your retarded-ass WWJD sticker and DWJWD. Give someone a ride. Give someone a dollar or five. When you see someone who looks like they need some kind of help, ask them what you can do to help them. God damn, just do something nice for someone, will ya!?! We're all so fucking arrogant. Have you ever stopped to consider that maybe that's why the rest of the world hates Americans? They
are not assholes; WE ARE ASSHOLES!!! Only we can change that.<p>Was that deep enough?

Blah blah

Man, I figured 3+ days would be more than enough time to get me from Exit 36 to Yellow Springs, but here I am only about 100 miles from where I began Sunday afternoon (functionally only 60). Even if I get a ride right now, all the way to Dayton, there's almost no chance that I'll hit YSO by tomorrow at a reasonable time. Forget the fact that I had hoped to walk approximately the final ten miles. A ride now gets me there at 3:00 or 4:00 AM. Then where do I sleep? Or do I get any sleep on the way there? It doesn't matter anyway because I don't have a ride yet. Yes, I am frustrated right now. Very frustrated.

Dammit, that resend button is

Dammit, that resend button is in the stupidest place.

Thanks but no thanks

I've turned down two shower offers and one food offer today. I also turned down a food offer yesterday. Why? Because I wasn't hungry when the food offers came my way and because a shower would further decrease my chances of getting a ride in a timely manner. Besides, I don't stink. If I really needed a shower, you can bet I would have taken one of the offers.

Y'all probably don't realize how much trouble it can be to prepare for a shower in a truck stop when all your belongings are packed into a backpack. You just about need to turn the thing inside out to access all your bathroom items and clothes, then you have to do it all over again when you're done. And if you forgot anything (which usually does happen), you probably have to go through it all again. It's a lot of work and it takes a lot of time. Oh yeah, and you must do it in a very small space while trying not to get your stuff all wet.

I'm still in Knoxville. Figured I'd be gone by now.

No longer stranded

Larry from NC and Jennifer from PA picked me up a little after noon and brought me to Flying J at I-40/75 Exit 369 (west of Knoxville, I guess). Got here at about 2:00. Looks like there are 11 functional diesel islands here plus a line of trucks out into the road, so I don't expect to be here too long. There are also another two truck stops on the other side of the interstate. Larry gave a few "shout outs" on the CB before he left, to help me find another ride, but that didn't seem to work this time. I just want to get back on the road, so hopefully someone will offer a side soon. If I can just get a ride to Dayton sometime tonight, I'll be very happy.

A perfect example

Guess who's still at I-81 Exit 36 in Tennessee. All you have to do is hold your fingertips up to your temples for a second and let a name come to mind... Did you do it? Did a name pop into your head? If the name was Ryan, you won!!! As always, there is no prize, but don't you feel a sense of accomplishment now? Y'see, Aimless is good for your self-esteem, and I'm glad I can offer you these opportunities.<p>Have I said anything deep lately?<p>If I don't get a ride anytime soon, Allan and Ann will be through here at about 2:00 to get me at least to I-40.<p>I think I missed out on a few chances to get closer to Ohio last night. When people ask me where I'm going, I say I'm trying to get to Ohio or something like that. Most of them assume I want to go north from here, but I need to go south first to get to I-75 in Knoxville. If anyone asks me today, I'm just going to say "Knoxville." Then
after they offer a ride, I'll be more specific.<p>PS - The guy in that truck didn't offer me a ride.

Boredom

(I'm sending this both to the blog and to Allan.) Allan, if you and Ann head back to the lake Tuesday, you might want to give me a call because I might still be here at Exit 36. I'm not having much luck getting a ride here, and it would be a shame if y'all drove right on past me. Oh, wait... I guess you don't actually drive this way to the lake, do you? (To blog readers: The last blog post was not meant to carry a derogatory tone toward truckers. I think truckers are all-right people; I was just pointing out something that's very true among a large percentage of truckers.)

Scenes from a truck stop

A tour bus and a couple trucks pulling "Allan Jackson Tour 2007" trailers pulled in here at about 5:45. Earlier today some Brooks & Dunn trucks went by me, too. I wonder if they're touring together. (I wonder if I know any of their stuff.)<p>It just blows my mind how many truckers I see carrying HUGE hot/cold cups into the truck stops to refill their favorite drinks. I'm talking half-gallon huge or even bigger. I don't know if they fill up with coffee or pop or what, but I think one thing's for sure: it ain't water or Gatorade. I don't know how they can drink that much of ANYTHING, at least just sitting there for hours. And many of them wonder why they're so fat. Really, they do.

Fun fun fun

Damn this is getting unfun. I'm still at Exit 36, feeling really stranded. It's not ridiculously hot outside but it is reasonably hot and humid. The T(&)A truck stop is a dump with no AC, but the Pilot truck stop is fucking freezing inside. I'm at Pilot in the Subway dining area, which is nearly hidden from everyone who might even think about offering me a ride. But I can't get a ride when I stand around the truckers' entrance, either, and at least I can sit here. In addition to all that, there's not enough traffic at this exit to warrant two truck stops. As you may have guessed, the two truck stops are also about half a mile from each other, on opposite sides of the interstate. Urgh!

Regulars

I'm really curious to know how many people read this blog regularly and who they are. If you read it regularly, would you please leave a comment or send me an e-mail (even if I already know you're a regular)?<br><br>Having to be back in Columbus every two months for a doctor visit really sucks because it limits my options on days like today. If I didn't have to worry about time right now, I could just take off walking like I did so much in the beginning. But I can't do that because I need to get a ride toward Ohio (and it's illegal to walk along the interstate). Consequently, I get no chance for important exercise, nor do I have much opportunity to meet or interact with people. Plus I'm stuck in a pretty boring place, where I've been for about 20 hours already.<br><br>If I could just get to Knoxville or anywhere on I-75, I would probably be in pretty good shape.

Mor-nang in the moun-tains

What is it about this one chick that's made me go all irrational thinking like? Is she really something special or am I just being stupid? Maybe it's both. Whichever it is, it's time to forget her. Time for Ryan to forget her and time for Aimless to forget her. She had her chance with both, but she passed on each (unless she's e-mailed me since yesterday afternoon).

Cops are no fare

As far as I can recall, only two cops have ever given me rides anywhere. They were both in Tennessee: 1) Last Tuesday near Dandridge; and 2) Last Christmas Eve near Lexington. I didn't want the X-mas Eve ride, but I was illegally walking beside I-40 (as shown at the very end of the Quasi-Aimless trailer), so I didn't have much of a choice there. Those are also the only cop encounters I've had in TN. (Yes, the subject line is a pun and it was very intended.)

Fear & honesty

I'm beginning to think the availability of mobile blogging is taking away from the documentary because if I couldn't mobile blog, I would spend more time talking to the camera, sharing my thoughts and emotions with the eventual viewers. When I blog, I don't talk to the camera. I don't know; I just feel like I'm not doing it right sometimes. But then if I fill up 200 tapes with just about anything, I'll almost certainly end up with some kind of presentable story. That's the genius of this project.<br><br>I know I come off like an asshole with some of the stuff I write, but I absolutely have to do it. If I don't, I'm only sharing half of the story: the side that makes me look like a heroic protagonist. Now, I admit I am a very nice guy, but I'm not perfect. Aimless is an honest story, and one of the things that will make it great is that honesty. Honesty is compelling; if not in the real
world, certainly on your TV screen. It's something we rarely see. (Watch Chappelle on Actors Studio.)

Is atrophy the word?

I think all this lazing around the last few days has made some of my new leg muscle (of which I'm so proud) disappear. I've probably put on a few lbs, too, thanks particularly to the pizza I mega-chowed on earlier today. It's funny how all the hard work can all be for nothing if you're not careful. I better not eat much the next couple days because I want people in YSO to notice the difference when I show up there.<br><br>Does html work when I use tags this way? If so, there should be more than one paragraph here. If not, you have already seen the tags not working. (Don't answer my question; it was like rhetorical or something.)<br><br>Anything else to say? I still have a few hundred characters left.<br><br>I feel like I've been cheating on Miss Pathfinder simply by thinking about Lidia. Welcome to the lonely world of Aimless Ryan. What no one seems to realize is: That is precisely what
makes me such a good catch. Hey, I just want to find the right girl someday. Maybe it's one of them.

Well, my great uncle Fred Allan Sensabaugh dropped me off here at the TA truck stop (I-81, Exit 36) at about 3:45. Aunt Ann stayed at home, so I said goodbye to her there. I really like spending time with them, as do my parents. They'uns is good people. It's always kinda hard to leave them because they always make me feel so welcome. Understandably, Allan had a tough time just dropping me off at a truck stop in the middle of nowhere. (It's OK, Allan. I'm fine.) Well, it's time to try to get to Ohio now, so I gotsta go.

Time to leave TN

I should be gone already but I'm not. I'm waiting for Allan and Ann to get back with a pizza (which we will likely eat) before they take me to a truck stop or something. They spent most of this morning at church.

I'm just gonna try to get toward Dayton, Ohio, I guess, which shouldn't be too difficult because I'm probably about five hours away. Then, from somewhere in or near Dayton, I may walk to Yellow Springs. Hope I can get there by reasonably early Wednesday. I'll probably stay in YSO for a day or two before walking back home 41 miles or so. This time I'm going to try to walk that distance in only two days instead of the four days it took me to get to YSO when I started. That'll be good for me because I haven't walked much in the last ten days or so.

--
Aimless
The Quasi-Aimless Trailer
If you'd like to contact me, call me at 614-738-3867.

The crush

I've e-mailed Lidia, the reporter, a few times since I've been here at my aunt and uncle's house, with no response. The last message I sent (yesterday) said, paraphrasing: "I won't bother you anymore because, as you can probably tell, I sorta have a crush on you and it's making me feel like a jackass."

Like I said before, it's just a temporary obsession. It's harmless and fading.

Now that I've said I won't bother her anymore, though, I want to ask her some serious questions about her job, "off the record," like: Do the objectives of Fox affiliate stations mirror those of the Fox News channel on cable? If yes: Do you hold the same (or similar) political views that your employer projects to its viewers (or are you just there because they offered you a good job)? If you're just there for the job (and you disagree with the "news" they may be manufacturing), does it drive you nuts?

I'd certainly reword the questions to make them more open-ended, and there are surely more questions I'd like to ask, but I think you get the picture.

Oh, I'm so full of shit; I just want an excuse to talk to her and get to know her.

(The voice in my head just told me: It's not gonna happen, dude. Forget about her.)

* * * * *
One more thing: I plan to leave here tomorrow and start heading back toward Ohio to take care of some things and take a short, comfortable break from Aimless before kicking off Leg 2 at Columbus's Community Festival (Comfest) June 22 (I hope) at Goodale Park near downtown. I have so much stuff to do at home, though, like watching all my tapes to take note of everyone's names and whatnot. I'll probably also look for some good footage to put on YouTube or something, too. I hope I'll also find some time to just chill out by the pool.

--
Aimless
The Quasi-Aimless Trailer
If you'd like to contact me, call me at 614-738-3867.

I, Agenda Pusher

If you come here often, you've probably already read most of this, but I like Jay's commentary on Ryan, Agenda Pusher.

I learned today that I have my own isms. Isms rule!

--
Aimless
The Quasi-Aimless Trailer
If you'd like to contact me, call me at 614-738-3867.

Revolution

I've spent some time checking out Lew Graff's blog, Revolution, today. He's a really good writer and has interesting things to say in a very objective kind of way. I also think he "gets" a lot of the stuff I say, which is evident in his post aimless blog. (For example, I know Lew is 100 percent sure he is not one of the subjects of my shit-talking about Florida. Besides, he's from Michigan.) I left a comment on that post, but it may not show up for a while because Lew "screens" his comments.

I like Lew. I'm glad I met him.

--
Aimless
The Quasi-Aimless Trailer
If you'd like to contact me, call me at 614-738-3867.

Flash

Here's another one, with the flash on. Pictures I take of myself always come out looking shitty, as do pictures in which I pose (like the ones Mom takes). Conversely, I tend to like "action" shots of myself, meaning pictures someone took of me that I didn't know they were taking.

My eyes look so funny in both of these shots.

Haircut

For those of you who have never seen me with my hair down, here ya go. I think I'm probably going to ask my mom to take off about six inches here in a week or two. That's all I have to say about that.

Travis Beechler

Travis called me yesterday. He's the guy for whom I painted in Naples. I was surprised to hear from him because the last time we talked was face to face.

Anyway, you may remember that I left an apology after saying I felt kind of cheated after only getting paid $60 for nine hours of hard work. I doubt that Travis ever saw either the original post or the apology post, but they will both be there for as long as this web log exists. Even though I've already posted that apology, I want to add a little more because as far as I'm concerned, Travis is good people.

Here's how I met Travis and his wife Terri:

I was walking around in the Everglades. They saw me and thought I might want a ride, even though I was off the road exploring. So after they drove by, they turned around and came back to check on me.

It was Travis's birthday that day and they were just driving around aimlessly, with no particular destination in mind. When I got in the car they asked me where I might want to go. I said I'm going anywhere and everywhere, so Travis pulled out a quarter for me to flip. He said heads means Miami and tails means Immokalee (I think that's spelled right). I flipped heads, so off to Miami we went.

On the way, we stopped at some roadside attraction in which they paid $3 apiece for us to see a bunch of somewhat exotic animals like gators, a peacock, some parrot-type birds, several pythons, etc. They were all caged, of course. Later on, Travis pulled off the road into the entrance to a state or national park. They could see that there was at least one gator in one of the swampy areas beside the driveway, so they let me out to get some pictures while they looked for a place to park. A couple minutes later they joined me and we were gone within about another 5 minutes.

We entered Miami and headed toward Fort Lauderdale, where we ended up at a casino/dog track. Travis quickly turned $5 into $20, then gave me the $20 voucher. He said if I end up with more than $20, just give him the $20 back and keep the rest; if I end up with less than $20, keep it. Shortly after hitting the slots, I was up to about $60, but I was back to $20 when we left. Inside the casino at the nearby horse track, I ended up blowing the whole $20 as well as another $5 or so of my own money.

After leaving the casinos, Travis and Terri also treated me to dinner at the Olive Garden. It was something they were going to do even if they hadn't picked me up (because it was Travis's birthday), but they didn't mind treating me. That was nice.

Anyway, that's the quick version of my time with Travis and Terri. I don't like how I sounded in my post from the library in Naples, so I hope this kind of makes up for it. Also, now you know a little bit more about Travis and how he fits into this epic adventure.

--
Aimless
The Quasi-Aimless Trailer
If you'd like to contact me, call me at 614-738-3867.

Longer mobile posts

I think I can now post longer entries from my phone. For some reason if I send a PIX message rather than a TXT message, the message can be 1,000 characters instead of just 160. I can also send pictures from my phone that way, too (duh), which apparently are stored somewhere on blogger.com rather than aimlessmovie.com.

That will be nice; it'll keep the phone bill down.

Here's one I sent several days ago. It didn't appear until now, though, because I didn't claim the blog until now. Then I told blogger to send it to this blog, so here it is.

...That's strange. The link won't work for me. Maybe it just needs some time. If anyone follows the link successfully, please leave a comment saying so. If it never starts working, just scroll back to June 2, 2007 and look for a picture of my hideous face.

--
Aimless
The Quasi-Aimless Trailer
If you'd like to contact me, call me at 614-738-3867.

For the record...

Most of the cops I've encountered on this journey have been very cool to me. I've said it before and I will say it again (unless it changes). Usually they go by the book, running my drivers' license to make sure there are no warrants out for my arrest and whatnot. Every time they do it, though, they come up with nothing on me (because I am not a criminal), and most of them end up expressing quite an interest in what I'm doing. They usually end up asking me a lot of questions about Aimless, nicely.

However, a few cops have been assholes to me. Whenever that has happened, I've written about it here because this is a web log of my adventure. Whenever it may happen in the future, I will write about it again, just as I will write about the cool cops I encounter.

If you don't like the fact that I write about every side of this adventure, then tough shit. There are no rose-colored glasses here, and I do not play favorites. (I mean, why would anyone say nice things about people who have fucked with them for absolutely no reason? The way I see it, I can ignore it, thus perpetuating it, or I can talk realistically about the things that happen to me, which may actually make a positive difference.) I also will not change my methods or my personality for the sake of attracting sponsorship. I just call it as I see it, and that is one of the things that makes Aimless great.

* * * * *
While I'm talking about cops, I want to tell the story of what happened two nights ago, when my ride dropped me off a couple miles from my aunt and uncle's campground:

Shortly after I began walking down the road toward the campground, I reached an intersection. Having been there only once before, I knew I didn't want to go left and I was pretty sure I needed to turn right. The other option--straight ahead--appeared to be merely a driveway or an entrance to perhaps another campground. There was almost no lighting, so I couldn't tell that it was actually a road. Then I took a right.

After walking about two miles down the road to the right, I was beginning to feel pretty sure that I'd chosen the wrong road. Then a Jefferson County Sheriff's deputy pulled up on the other side of the road. He ran my driver's license and all that, eventually asking me to describe the place I was trying to find. Once I told him, he assured me I wasn't going to find it on that road. So after all the routine stuff, he let me put my stuff (and myself) in the back of his cruiser, then drove me back to the intersection and drove down the road I couldn't see before.

Pretty quickly I knew we were on the correct road. I just didn't know if I'd recognize the entrance to the campground. Well, when we approached the first campground, I recognized it as the one I'd been to before.

Long story short... I found my aunt and uncle's camper reasonably easily, thanking the deputy before he drove off to continue doing his job. That was about 2:00 AM. If not for his assistance, I would have been pretty screwed, probably getting no sleep that night and waiting at least until sunrise to call my aunt (still not knowing if they were even at the campground).

I sincerely appreciate your assistance, Mr. Deputy, and I wish I would have asked for your name so I could properly thank you. If you ever read this, please respond so I can include your name in the credits.

--
Aimless
The Quasi-Aimless Trailer
If you'd like to contact me, call me at 614-738-3867.

You see what I'm dealing with?!?

There is a new comment on one of my short mobile posts, probably from "Deputy Dawg" or one of his retard cohorts. I believe it's worth viewing again. Oh yeah, and I commented, too.

Maybe the comment from this anonymous moron pussy will better help you understand why I occasionally write some pretty angry-sounding posts. Just try to put yourself in my place for a moment and think about how it might feel to be hassled by these fucking pricks all the time.

I'll get me some footage soon enough. Maybe I will go back to Florida, because that kind of footage would mean big money.

Does anyone out there know how to interpret these things?:
152.163.101.13
152.163.100.19
152.163.101.19
206.188.0.22
66.94.237.181
cache-rtc-aa15.proxy.aol.com
cache-rtc-ae09.proxy.aol.com
cache-rtc-ae15.proxy.aol.com
fasta.monitor110.com

--
Aimless
The Quasi-Aimless Trailer
If you'd like to contact me, call me at 614-738-3867.

Lidia [last name removed]

The reporter I mentioned a couple days ago is Lidia [last name removed]. (Yeah, she IS real purdy-like.) I got a chance last night to respond to her question: "What is your documentary about?" Unfortunately, I was so wacked-out sleep deprived that I was unable to spit out my thoughts effectively in my e-mail message to her.

(Damn, she's pretty, don't you think? I'm dying to get my hands all over her countertops and baking chamber so I can make her a hot, mouth-watering pizza.)

Obviously she could not do a story about Aimless right now even if she wanted to because I am now in Mt. Carmel, Tennessee (probably at least 200 miles from her). But I was never worried about that, anyway. If any news crew wants to do a story about Aimless, that's cool, but I don't have my heart set on it or anything like that. Lidia, on the other hand, has repeatedly invaded my mind the last couple days. I have not met her in person or spoken to her, but I did see her walk by, and sometimes something like that can be a bit moving.

Temporary obsession, I guess. It'll probably go away within a week, though, if she doesn't contact me again. Besides, in a week I should be back in YSO, where maybe I'll see Miss Pathfinder and finally conjure the courage to approach her. I may not have mentioned her in a while, but I think about her very regularly.

If you read this, Lidia, this post is a small example of what I was talking about when I mentioned freedom. Y'see, a year ago I couldn't have said any of this unless I was completely anonymous. Even then I may have held back a lot because I lived in fear of what people might think. Now I don't. And let me tell ya: You look good to me and you seem like you have it together upstairs, so I can't help being attracted. And it's not because you're on TV, either.

I think I've been pretty clear about that, so call me sometime if you suspect there might be any kind of reciprocation. Hey, I'm just out here trying to meet the right people; maybe you're one of them.

Update: Actually Mt. Carmel (near Kingsport) is only about 150 miles from Greenville via I-26.

--
Aimless
The Quasi-Aimless Trailer
If you'd like to contact me, call me at 614-738-3867.

Oh yeah, I got here

Oh yeah, I got here @ 2 AM. Didn't want to wake anyone, so I put up my tent. Even though I didn't tell them I was coming, they knew it was me.

I'm out on Douglas Lake,

I'm out on Douglas Lake, hanging with my great uncle Allan as he trolls for crappie. No crappie yet, but he's thrown back about 10 drum(s).

I'm in TN, outside my

I'm in TN, outside my aunt & uncle's camper. The reporter sent me a couple messages tonite. I'm thinkin' she may have been real purdy-like.

To everyone: If anyone thinks

To everyone: If anyone thinks lower of you only b/c you do kind things for a mildly naughty speaker, you have NOTHING to be ashamed of. THEY do.

A local Fox TV crew

A local Fox TV crew did a story right next to us today. "My guys" told them about me & got a biz card from a reporter. I sent a short TXT to her.

If you've wondered, the new

If you've wondered, the new tapes haven't wiped out my funds. I'm actually very comfy now, thanks to Michael Miller, Cheri/David Bungart, & Anon.

Jay called about an hour

Jay called about an hour ago. 1st we've spoke in a while. He had some good ideas re: Aimless shirts & stuff. I dug the excited tone of his voice.

I think Ashton wants to

I think Ashton wants to talk, probably when his shift ends @ 4. Looks like I'll end up hanging around here all day b/c it could be a good story.

I'm finding a lot of

I'm finding a lot of "conservatives" are actually VERY liberal. They just THINK they're conservative b/c they watch Fox/O'Reilly, listen to Rush.

I'm back at the 'Roo

I'm back at the 'Roo station. Gonna head toward TN later. Ashton works at Quiznos at 10:30, so maybe I'll get a chance to let him speak his mind.

Way to go, Luke

Hey Luke,

Way to finish strong in Provo to end up near the top. Keep it up. I want to see some more top 10 finishes.

--

Aimless
The Quasi-Aimless Trailer
If you'd like to contact me, call me at 614-738-3867.

My current whereabouts

After talking so much shit about Florida and flooding readers with apparent negativity, I want to do a 180: Where I am now doesn't suck. In fact, this place has been like an emotional pot of gold for me. The problem is, I can't really say where I am right now because my host is worried about other people finding out that they're associating with me (because I write "fuck" sometimes). Anyway, I'm within a couple hours of Charlotte, Columbia, Asheville, and maybe Atlanta, too. So maybe you can figure out that puzzle.

Anyway, this town has been incredible to me, both the last couple days and a month ago. The story takes place here. I want to say more, but I can't do it in such a cryptic way.

Ashton from Quizno's: If you by any chance are reading this, I want your phone number so we can try to coordinate the things we talked about. I got a great deal on 6 tapes today at Best Buy--$3.50 each--and I want to let you guys tell your story to my camera. I want to hear about Jessie Wright, too, if you want to talk about him.

Everyone else: If I didn't write about him before, Pastor Jessie Wright was the manager of the local Kangaroo truck stop when I came through here a month ago. He was really cool to me in a whole bunch of ways when I was trying to get a ride at his store. Additionally, I watched him lead by example as he swept and mopped the floors and did the kind of work most managers would make the "associates" do. Really good guy.

In the time since I was here before, somehow Jessie managed to get fired. That didn't make any sense to me, and the Quizno's workers also thought very highly of Jessie. Sounds like something fishy is going on at Kangaroo, and I believe someone told me Jessie is preparing a racial discrimination lawsuit (he's black).

I hope everything works out for Jessie, and I would like to help him--maybe tell his story or something--if I can.

(Fuck.)

--

Aimless
The Quasi-Aimless Trailer
If you'd like to contact me, call me at 614-738-3867.

Walking vs. riding

In a comment, Jay asked:

What percentage walking/riding do you do to get from town to town? I understand that your goal may be to cover large distances in a short period of time, but maybe just walking through towns, sticking to the local roads, will offer you more rides? Or, have you already tried that? Just curious.

* * * * *
I want to answer this more thoroughly when I get home for a short break in a couple weeks, but it changes a lot. At the beginning I walked 70 miles before accepting a ride. Lately, though, I've been walking very little because I've been at truck stops, looking for a ride to somewhere specific.

Sometimes it depends on where I am. In Florida my forehead was blistered from the sun's daily pounding, so I tried to remain in shaded areas as much as I could. Additionally, in and near the Everglades there is almost nowhere to walk, for two reasons: 1) There aren't necessarily any roads going anywhere; 2) You could easily end up in the middle of nowhere, with gators all around and no clear safe place to set up camp. (I don't know enough about gators to feel comfortable doing that. I don't think they are very aggressive, but I really don't know.)

I have walked about 280 miles so far. I just checked myself out in a mirror for the first time, after looking at a "Before" pic I took of myself on Day 1 or Day 2, and WOW! The gut is almost gone. The titties, too. It's amazing.

More about this in a couple weeks. (Remind me if I forget. And Jay, this will be the year of the Aimless Comfest. I'll be there the whole time, on the job. It will be "the shit.")

--

Aimless
The Quasi-Aimless Trailer
If you'd like to contact me, call me at 614-738-3867.

Lew Graff

Remember Lew Graff? He's the pastor who gave me a ride across Alligator Alley and bought me fish & chips. As I said before, he's a really good guy (and a native of Michigan). Well, here's the URL to Lew's blog. And here's a post he wrote about our encounter.

--

Aimless
The Quasi-Aimless Trailer
If you'd like to contact me, call me at 614-738-3867.

Stupid cop

Below is an e-mail I received, apparently from a cop in Jacksonville. Which cop? I don't know; my paranoid ass can't keep track of all the cops who have never had the slightest justification to arrest me.

First Name: Deputy
Last Name: Dawg
Email Address:
City: Jax
State: Florida
Daytime Phone:
How Heard: I met your sorry ass.
Comment / Question:
Thank god your liberal ass is out of our state. Do me a favor, take your paranoid conspiracy driven ass to Cali and stay there. You are a two face person. I thought u were for real but your not, just trying to push your agenda. Oh, stay away from Michigan too. BTW OSU sucks!!!!!!!!!

* * * * *
I can't help it if your state is full of total assholes, dude. If you were not one of them, I probably made it very clear that you were not one of them. So if it bothers you that I think assholes are assholes, go ahead and be an asshole about it.

Yeah, I'm trying to push my agenda of doing nice things for people. Clearly that is too difficult for you. (I never claimed to be Jesus, so I'm allowed to talk shit about assholes.)

And use your real name next time, pussy.

--

Aimless
The Quasi-Aimless Trailer
If you'd like to contact me, call me at 614-738-3867.

Someone's about to get a

Someone's about to get a big Aimless surprise.

I turned down an offer

I turned down an offer for food & an offer for $$ THU. What the hell was I thinking? Now I really need it. (I know, but I earned the Blizzard.)

The bad news is: I

The bad news is: I only have $27 & about 45 minutes of tape left. So if I find a real good deal on a 6-pack, I'll be broke. Gotta find work ASAP.

I'm so not even close

I'm so not even close to FL right now it feels like heaven. But I've been wearing my last pair of socks for 3+ days; I REALLY need to do laundry.

OK, so what happens if I send a message this way? If this gets through, I'll be able to write posts with 1,000 characters instead of just 160 characters. (Please work.)

A picture

Hey, is there a picture here? There should be, I guess, but I don't know where it may be stored.

When I get stuck in

When I get stuck in truckstops like this, I often feel like the Tom Hanks character in The Terminal. Sometimes it sucks, but other times it's OK.

Rev. A. Perez confirmed my

Rev. A. Perez confirmed my suspicion that Sonny's Pizza is history. (4 those of u who know of my 2005 trip to Charleston to work 4 the retards.)

I got a ride &

I got a ride & a SHOWER!!! 1st shower in ___ days. Fill in the blank with correct # of days between showers to win no prize. Thanks Angel Perez.

Despite the fact that I've

Despite the fact that I've bought 3 meals & smokes here, Pilot's manager is trying to run me off. I have video of the asshole doing it, too.

OK, no more bitching for

OK, no more bitching for a while. I should be able to get where I can rest for a few days soon. Then I can start anew & forget FL ever happened.

I think about Earl a

I think about Earl a lot (the guy who took me from Phoenix 2 Memphis, see trailer). I hope he's doing well. Hope our paths will cross again soon.

Y-day's ride brought me to

Y-day's ride brought me to Pilot in Brunswick, GA. Could've had 3 rides south but none north. Found a spot to sleep @ 12. Now I'll try again.

Thank you so much, Quinn

Thank you so much, Quinn Williamson & Dewayne Adams, for getting me out of Florida & for the $$. I really, really appreciate it. You guys rock.

No way, I'm finally out

No way, I'm finally out of FL! Excluding the handful of kind folks I met in Florida, FUCK FLORIDA!!! I'll probably never B back. Buncha assholes.

Exit 360 Day 2. Think

Exit 360 Day 2. Think I can get outta this freakin state today? I doubt it. Looks like it may rain, too, so I may have to strip & take a shower.

The Florida segment of Aimless

The Florida segment of Aimless will be called Mostly Heartless. Aimless is done w/ FL (or will be if I ever manage to get the hell out of here).

Man I get so sick

Man I get so sick of this sometimes. Walk all day, then stand around & wait for ride for hours more. Can't sit because ants'll crawl all over me.

Busch Dr. @ I-95. Seems

Busch Dr. @ I-95. Seems like a good place to get a ride, so I'll probably be here until next month. If so, plenty of stores & restaurants nearby.

I've walked almost 6 miles

I've walked almost 6 miles to I-95 and the ramps are closed. Detour might add another 2 miles. I don't need any more sun in my face right now.

Just had a cool cop

Just had a cool cop encounter. He was annoyed by the call because it's NOT ILLEGAL TO WALK OR TAKE PHOTOGRAPHS IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!!!

I believe it was one

I believe it was one year ago today when I came up with the idea for Aimless. I've made progress since then. How will it be in a year from today?

I'll wait here for a

I'll wait here for a ride til 9, but I hope no one stops b/c I'm finally in a peaceful place where I can set up early & get a good night's rest.

Funny how when walking down

Funny how when walking down a single street, 1 person offers a ride, 1 person offers a beer/seat, & another person calls the cops.

Y-day a cop asked me

Y-day a cop asked me how many times I've been arrested. Didn't occur 2 me then, but it was very insulting. Never, a-hole, b/c I'm not a criminal.

I know I'm not supposed

I know I'm not supposed to choose where I go, but Leg 2 will begin w/ jaunt to N. Mich & west from there, staying close to Canadian border.

Jax Beach: Cool place, excluding

Jax Beach: Cool place, excluding a few paranoid freaks. Good spot for vacation. I'm on my way out if I can figure out where 2 go. Pretty burned.

I put trust in beachgoers

I put trust in beachgoers & left my stuff alone on the beach for 2 hours while braving the powerful Atlantic. Strong rip current can be scary.

Jax Beach is nice. Big

Jax Beach is nice. Big beach, lotsa people, plenty of nice-looking chicks prompting the semi. I wonder if any of them are checking me out.

You R NOT free if

You R NOT free if U live in fear of a 160-Lb guy w/ a backpack, America. Sadly, that's clearly the prevailing trend. Maybe I'm out here 2 free U.

Lew recently informed me that

Lew recently informed me that he has a blog at revolutionfl.blogspot.com. I'll link to it as soon as I can. Haven't seen it yet, myself.

Ah yeah. Good nite's sleep

Ah yeah. Good nite's sleep in park 2 miles from J-ville beach. Might hang around beach today, relax. Need a shower & pit-stop, charge batteries.

Mason called me tonite. He

Mason called me tonite. He seems pretty interested in Aimless. Guess I ought to start being a better role model now, watching my language 'n all.

Well, the sign worked. It

Well, the sign worked. It took less than 10 minutes to get a ride to Jacksonville, where I now stand next to a beach. That means no Sarasota.

At Exxon I have made

At Exxon I have made a sign that says, "Please get me out of this stupid, paranoid city. (I am not a terrorist.)" If no response soon, I'll start walking.

Another cop said they're getting

Another cop said they're getting lots of calls about me. Bunch of paranoid freaks. Fuck this place; I'm walking somewhere else. Florida blows.

According to the cop I

According to the cop I just "met": If your thumb is not up, U R NOT hitchhiking. People who call the cops when they see someone taping R STUPID!!

Screw this place (Lake Mary).

Screw this place (Lake Mary). I'm just gonna sit at this gas station until someone offers me a ride. Don't care where they're going; I'm there.

That's funny: A car with

That's funny: A car with a WWJD plate just flew by. If yer really that unsure, pal, I can tell you WJWHD: He would've stopped and offered a ride.

WWJD? THIS is what he

WWJD? THIS is what he would do. Yes, & he would get angry sometimes, too, b/c if he actually existed, he was HUMAN! [Notes from the real world.]

You don't need to behave

You don't need to behave as Jesus would. All you need is a fake "Jesus" license plate. If you have one of those, yer good. No, really. Seriously.

It appears big ants are

It appears big ants are afraid to climb Mt. Ryan, while little ants won't stop climbing Mt. Ryan. I'll continue my study as the trip progresses.

Ended up spending most of

Ended up spending most of nite on asphalt parking lot due to sprinklers. Still feel crappy from those donuts. Think I'm in bad place to get ride.

I ate some Winn Dixie

I ate some Winn Dixie donuts at about 10:00, and now I feel sick. Doesn't help that I'm "sleeping" on a sidewalk, either. No tent tonight.

Julie in SC, if I

Julie in SC, if I didn't thank you when you called: Thank you. I tell a lot of people about the morning I woke up on your lawn. Highlight story.

My waist has shrunk by

My waist has shrunk by about an inch and my belt broke a week ago. Now I have trouble keeping my shorts from falling off. A good problem?

Need more space to recap

Need more space to recap this one, but I got a ride from Penny & Michael to Deltona, where they fed me @ Perkins along w/ Penny's son Mason. Wow!

Man I hope my pal

Man I hope my pal Mike in Sarasota will let me hang 4 a few days. I need a break so bad, & a shower & laundry facilities & rest. I'm so beat now.

The 2 quickest rides (by

The 2 quickest rides (by far) I've ever received were both from natives/residents of South Carolina. Between the 2, I waited MAYBE 3 minutes.

My face has been burned

My face has been burned for 5 weeks now; blisters on my forehead. When will it end? Need a break. Calf muscles are showing some definition. RAWK!

OK, maybe it's just SOUTH

OK, maybe it's just SOUTH Florida that's full of a-holes. I'm getting a much friendlier vibe from the folks up here around Daytona.

Snoozed my alarm a few

Snoozed my alarm a few too many times this morn & got a knock from the New Smyrna Police. They were very cool from the start. Sarasota next?

I almost never get a

I almost never get a chance to sit or sleep in comfort. Not even when I'm riding w/ someone. It's rough, tiring. I need a couple days to relax!!!

Got my phone charged! I

Got my phone charged! I guess I'm near Daytona now. Good spot to sleep, but I'll have to get up before 6 because the rising sun will expose me.

I say plenty about the

I say plenty about the good people out there, so I'm entitled to reveal the bad ones, too: Florida is jam-packed w/ assholes. Serious assholes.

I say plenty about the

I say plenty about the good people out there, so I'm entitled to reveal the bad ones, too: Florida is jam-packed w/ assholes. Serious assholes.

Someone Google "Marley Elena Ortiz"

Someone Google "Marley Elena Ortiz" for me. I found her ID in strange place, can't get cops to stop for me. In case she's missing or something.

Phone battery low, so can't

Phone battery low, so can't update for a while. Still in Davie, FL. Don't know if I'll head to Cape Canav or not b/c James may be gone already.

What I said about Travis

What I said about Travis sounded shitty. I didn't mean it that way. I will explain when I get a chance. I want to apologize to Travis for that.

Oh, it's Lew, not Lou.

Oh, it's Lew, not Lou. (Let me consult my pocket atlas about that one, Lew.) BTW, Lew also gave me a hat, which is making things easier already.

Got another ride to Davie

Got another ride to Davie w/ Lou Graff. He bought me fish/chips & a beer. He's a pastor, nice guy. Glad to be outta Naples. Now where do I go?

And I'm not forgetting you,

And I'm not forgetting you, Bobby Ware. Thanks for the ride. Wish I'd had more time to capture some of your stories. Interesting and compelling.

As usual, the shit turns

As usual, the shit turns to gold. A ride 5 miles took me to Tim, an Irishman w/ a gift for gab. 90 mins. of footage w/ him + $20. Much more L8R.

Lexus, Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Cadi,

Lexus, Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Cadi, 'Vette. One after another. Naples: City of Assholes. I know it sounds negative, but it's true. You shame Italy.

If I get arrested, there

If I get arrested, there WILL be footage. So if it happens & I end up w/ no footage, y'all will know the cops took it, unless I say I otherwise.

Remind me to never come

Remind me to never come back to Naples. This place sucks! I just want outta here NOW. When I get rich, I'm gonna live among the real people.

If you enjoy your liber-ty

If you enjoy your liber-ty (aka freedom), thank a liber-al. Yup, them's two different forms of the same word. I heard one of them is bad, though.

...I have 19 full/used tapes,

...I have 19 full/used tapes, 1 partially used, 1 cleaner & 3 blank. Someone please copy & paste these 2 posts into comments ASAP to verify time.

Please leave comments on previous

Please leave comments on previous post ASAP in case anything happens 2 me or my shit. It'll be evidence if the cops destroy stuff. All is OK now.

Another cop fucked w/ me

Another cop fucked w/ me @ 9:20. She said she'll take me to jail if she sees me here again. I'm still here. I dare you to fuck w/ me again, lady.

15 mins later 2 more

15 mins later 2 more cops stopped. I matched the description of perp. They were cool. Then an investigator. Held me up at least an hour. No ride.

So much for cool sheriff's

So much for cool sheriff's deputies. 1 just fucked w/ me on on-ramp but bolted when I reached for my camera. I want him to come back & try again.

Fatburger is a total ripoff.

Fatburger is a total ripoff. No way I'm eating there for almost $10. I'd pay up to $5, but no more. I can't believe people pay that 4 so-so food.

Fatburger in Naples!? I'm there,

Fatburger in Naples!? I'm there, dude.

Collier County Public Library

I am at the Collier County Public Library in Naples, Florida right now. Can't say much here because I only have 17 minutes left and I don't want to stay here long.

Travis showed up about ten minutes ago with my cash from yesterday's work (mostly painting). He paid me $60 for 9 hours of work. I believe the current minimum wage is over $7 an hour, so I feel a little cheated (do the math), despite the nice things Travis has done for me (all of which were voluntary on his part).

Naples seems pretty nice. Sheriff's deputies seem cool, too. Weather has been nice here.

Gonna try to get back to the Atlantic coast as soon as I leave here. I want to meet back up with James (the bicyclist) in Cape Canaveral, to return the swimming trunks he left in his Beaufort, SC motel room, as well as to get some footage of him recapping his adventure. I think James said he would be around until the 26th, so I should make it there easily before he heads back to NJ.

I wish I could show the pics and footage of my gator encounter, but there is just no way for me to do that right now. I was about 8 feet from the gator, in or near the Everglades. Some kid kept throwing rocks at the gator, which really pissed me off for a couple reasons: 1) It drove the gator away; and 2) That's just not cool. And his mom just stood there and allowed him to do it.

Gotta go. Hope I can get some more computer access soon. So much to say.

--

Aimless
The Quasi-Aimless Trailer
If you'd like to contact me, call me at 614-738-3867.

Unpublished post

For some reason the following mobile blog did not publish two nights ago (5/20/07 - 10:45 PM):

I've been zig-zagging FL. Going to Naples right now. Might do some painting tomorrow for the dude who picked me up today. Good timing because I'm down to $30.

--

Aimless
The Quasi-Aimless Trailer
If you'd like to contact me, call me at 614-738-3867.

Waiting 4 dude to show

Waiting 4 dude to show up with my $$ so I can leave Naples. How much will he bring (if he even shows up)? Should be $90 or more. My guess is $50.

Busted ass 9 hrs today

Busted ass 9 hrs today for $40. I gave it back so dude could get gas. Says he'll give me more in morning. Maybe he'll up it to the OLD min wage!!

I've been zig-zagging FL

I've been zig-zagging FL. Going to Naples right now. Might do some painting tomorrow for the dude who picked me up today. Good timing because I'm down to $30.

In Miami for 3rd time.

In Miami for 3rd time. Got up close w/ a gator in wild today. It's so hot here; need to get away north. I may take A1A up to Cape Canaveral next.

Alone in Everglades tonite with

Alone in Everglades tonite with gators, panthers. (Wearing OSU shirt = prime gator bait.) US 41 @ FL 29. Kinda eerie. Tomorrow should be awesome.

I went into the Miccosukee

I went into the Miccosukee casino. After a few mins, guard told me I can't be in there w/ my pack. I said: Fine, I'll leave & take my $$ with me.

Attention: Brad & Jeff

Since Brad will probably see this long before Jeff, I guess this is directed more toward Brad than Jeff. Anyway, I'm going to ask you a favor.

As far as I know, both of you guys are very active on the drum corps forums like Drum Corps Planet. Knowing that, I hope one of you will post something for me: I think I would like to volunteer with a touring drum corps after I return home from Leg 1 of Aimless in late June. So would you please post something on the message boards that might reach the corps directors or whoever they put in charge of touring? It doesn't matter to me which corps or corps (plural) might be interested in allowing me to volunteer (in conjunction with Aimless). I might even want to spend time traveling with various corps, possibly all the way through Championship week.

I don't know how I might be able to meet up with an interested corps, but I do know I will be in Columbus in late June. I also don't know if there are any shows in or around Columbus in late June, but if there is/are, it might provide a good opportunity for me to hook up with a corps looking for some assistance. Additionally, Aimless could provide some valuable exposure for whatever corps snaps me up. Or maybe not. I don't know for sure. I'm not writing the story; I'm just finding it.

Brad or Jeff, if you are willing to do this for me, give me a call so I can elaborate on what I've said here. Basically I will be in Columbus at least from June 20 to about June 25. I'm almost sure there will be lots of drum corps in or near Ohio during that time span. Depending on where I am in early June, I may arrive home a little sooner or hang around a little later than those dates (to get some badly needed rest and relaxation).

Also, Brad, would you mind sending an e-mail to the LE list for me, letting them know that I've been out on the road for almost a month, as well as inviting them to follow my adventure through the blog? I've probably already been in the neighborhoods of many LE alums but never even knew it. I think I may venture into Mike Heineman's area very soon, so it'll be cool to see him. (He already knows I might be around.)

OK, I think I said what I needed to say. Hope to hear from one of you soon. And thank you.

--

Aimless
The Quasi-Aimless Trailer
If you'd like to contact me, call me at 614-738-3867.

Still at FIU

As I mentioned in my short mobile post, I had a very cool spot to camp last night. I also said quite a bit in the longer post, but I neglected to mention a guy I met on the bus to FIU. His name is Rafael (can't quite make out the last name on the piece of paper he gave me). He is a musician and teaches history at FIU, I believe he said. Anyway, he told me about his myspace page and I wanted to link to it here, even though I haven't had the chance to look at it yet. Here it is: www.myspace.com/rafasso. (Rafael is from Venezuela.)

Well, there are lots of people here trying to use these computers, so I better go. Not sure I had anything else to say, anyway. I guess I'm in no hurry to leave this place, considering the abundance of internet access and a great spot to camp out, but I will probably be long gone by the end of the day.

--

Aimless
The Quasi-Aimless Trailer

If you'd like to contact me, call me at 614-738-3867.

Haven't used tent the last

Haven't used tent the last 5 nights. Feels good to be back "home." I'm camping by a pond on FIU campus. FIU doesn't even know how kind they are.

Live from Florida International

I am now west of Miami, at Florida International University's library. I'm not supposed to be using their computers, but they don't have any special login criteria, like passwords & stuff, so I guess I win.

Don't know where I'll stay tonight. Haven't really gotten a feel for the area because I came here straight from the 8 bus. Additionally it is getting dark, so I probably won't be able to get a ride west on US Route 41 through the Everglades.

The homeless shelter wasn't bad. I think I slept well and no one bothered me. Also, there were a couple guys there who I met on the bus down to Key West, so that probably made it easier.

First thing this morning I walked about two miles from the shelter to the bus stop for the bus that takes you 50 miles to Marathon. The $2 bus showed up maybe 15 minutes after I arrived, and we proceeded down the road. When we arrived in Marathon, at about 9:40, I figured I might have to wait maybe an hour, tops, for the next bus to Florida City. But when I walked to the nearby gas station to buy some smokes and take a whiz, I asked the station attendants if they knew what time the next bus was supposed to come. They said 1:00. Fucking great! Almost a three-and-a-half-hour wait, after I'd gotten off to such a good start.

So I waited for a while before going to McDonald's to cheaply acquire some comfortable seating and AC. Then I went back to the bus stop and waited. It sucked. Finally the bus showed up at about 1:10. I waited almost three and a half hours for that bus ($1.85 plus $0.50 transfer for the 38 bus in Florida City), hoping to get the front seat, but it was already taken when I boarded the bus. One thing I have to say about the bus drivers around here: They can make it a little scary.

Arrived in Florida City at about 3:30. At 3:42 I boarded the bus and asked the driver for a transfer to the train. I expected it to cost me another fifty cents, but she just gave it to me. That was cool of her.

Let's see. What else did I want to say?

I want to say more about the planetarium thing, but that would take too long. (I only have 31 minutes left.) And I think I already made it pretty clear that I don't like Key West.

Man, it's really difficult to keep my thoughts organized. This really is a lot of work, and I'm in constant sensory overload mode.

I think there are real students waiting to use these computers, so I'm going to get off now. Hopefully I'll encounter another computer soon so I can continue the updating game.

I'd love to hear from people while I'm on the road. Feel free to call me at 614-738-3867.

Aimless
The Quasi-Aimless Trailer

I've now walked over 200

I've now walked over 200 miles. Not sure of exact dist. Keeping notes to figure it out L8R. Outta Key W, waiting 4 bus back to Miami. Where next?

Homeless shelter tonite. They make

Homeless shelter tonite. They make you take a shower b4 you enter the sleep area. I wanted a shower as much as I wanted somewhere 2 sleep anyway.

I just went to a

I just went to a planetarium to feed my appetite for science, but I had to leave because it turned out to be creationist propaganda. Ridiculous!

KW is boring as hell.

KW is boring as hell. It is so ordinary & predictable. YSO is a much cooler town. I'm tempted to leave right now. But should I take bus or walk?

Feel more like homeless tonite,

Feel more like homeless tonite, my first all-niter. Nowhere to camp/hide. Just have to pass a few more hours, then head to beach for some rest.

Galen in SC just called.

Galen in SC just called. Said he & wife read blog every day. Wished me the best. Awesome people! Thanks. Made it to Key West for $4 via 3 buses.

Riding an L train north

Riding an L train north of Miami right now. Gonna take it back south when it ends, then head toward Key West. The road there should be very cool.

Miami, Florida

Arrived in Miami at about 11:00 tonight, riding from Beaufort with Daniel Dosier. So many places to go from here. I'm going to be depressed when I get back to Ohio after being in all these beautiful places for so long.

I'm tired and I think I'll stop sending all those short mobile blogs. I get the feeling they're kind of annoying.

Guess I'll see all the Forrest Gump stuff some other time. It's OK that I left town, though, because the Gump stuff is not really in Beaufort; it's actually quite a way away from town. Would have been too much trouble trying to get there. I do want to go back to Beaufort, though. It looked like a very cool city.

Thanks for buying the shirt from Robert, Jay. That was really cool. (Did you see Dave around?)

Aimless
The Quasi-Aimless Trailer

My god I'm so completely

My god I'm so completely aimless. Here I am on my way to Miami. Who'd've figured? (Jeff would've.) So what next? Who cares? I'll be there.

Aha! I found a Best

Aha! I found a Best Buy & got 6 tapes for $24. Not 2 bad & should last a while. Time 2 find a ride 2 Savannah or something, overtake James maybe.

Live from a real computer!

It just never stops: the good, the bad, the sun, the rain, everything. Crazy, man.

Yesterday there was hours and hours of clear, sunny skies. Not good when you're walking west or south (which happens to be the two directions I've been walking exclusively). Then, out of nowhere, it rained. Still walking along US Route 17 South, the hospitable southerners just kept driving by.

About a mile into the rain I passed a house. I looked over for a second and saw two figures sitting in the garage. A split second later I heard one of them yell for me, clearly inviting me to take shelter with them in the garage. I welcomed the invitation.

I hung out with the two black gentlemen--Al Edwards and Robert E. Lee--for about four hours before they took me about ten miles down the road to a truck stop. Lots more to say about this, but not much time right now. Awesome guys. Really great people.

Earlier in the day I encountered a bicyclist who had seen me walking the previous day. His name is Peter Masiello (from near New York City), and he is riding the entire Atlantic coast (or most of it) from Florida northward. Having just purchased two videotapes at a drug store for way too much money before our encounter, Peter asked if he could take care of the cost of the tapes. I obliged. He ended up giving me $22. (The tapes cost about $13). We talked for probably close to an hour. It was nice conversation. Thanks Peter. You're too kind.

Not ten minutes after Peter took off in the opposite way from myself, another bicyclist passed me going the same direction. He stopped and we talked for 20 or 30 minutes. His name is James Dolan, and he is also from the NYC area (northern New Jersey). Oddly he is biking the Atlantic coast from NJ to Kennedy Space Center (where his son lives). Another great guy. He gave me his phone number and told me he would be staying in Beaufort (BYOO-fert, locally). He said if I make it that far and see a bike outside a motel room, knock and he'd let me get a shower and stuff. But after getting a ride to Beaufort, I ended up calling him. He told me where he was staying, and "Wayne & Kim" (need to double check those names) drove me right up to room 111.

Unfortunately, somehow I lost my Aussie type hat during the ride in the back of Wayne and Kim's pickup. That sucks because I really like that hat. I got it in Panguitch, Utah close to ten years ago. It helped me keep hair, sweat, and sun out of my eyes and face. Now I need to buy a new hat. Not an expense I planned for. Well, the way things are going, expenses don't matter much because Wayne & Kim also gave me a 20. (I'm trying to get desperate, but people are too damn good to me.) Thank you Wayne and Kim. (Jeez I hope I'm getting all these names right. I have them on tape instead of my notebook, so it's hard to reference.)

Correction?: I said I camped near Ten Farms Creek or something like that. I think it may actually be Tea Farm Creek. Still not sure, but that's what the fellas told me.

Oh yeah, and I think Al and Bobby are Gullah people. They speak with very Jamaican sounding accents, as do many (or most) of the black people in this area, even though they were born and raised here. I can't believe I have never learned anything about these people or their history. I need to come back to get some more time with Bobby.

From here in Beaufort, James took off about an hour ago. Hopefully I'll catch up with him again for some more video opportunity. This is a good story. I'll probably keep going south all the way to Cape Canaveral (instead of Jacksonville) just to keep the correspondence with James. Oh yeah, and here is a URL about his journey: tourdejimodyssey.blogspot.com.

If you checked out Robert Paschell's web site, you haven't seen anything yet. His best designs are not on the site. (My favorite is "Pink Freud.") I'll try to post some pictures of his shirts whenever I make it back home, but I won't be there long, so I may not have time.

This is so much work. 18 hour days almost every day, and that is just the walking. Weird thing is that I can go several days without taking a shower and I don't get smelly. I guess it's all the water I consume. Instead of sweating toxic crap like usual, I'm sweating damn near 100% water. I had a shower this morning, though, so I feel very refreshed.

Time to find the Gump House, I guess. Beaufort seems to be a very cool town. I hope I didn't forget to mention anything important. (Oh yeah, there is a Best Buy around here somewhere!!! Now I can get some reasonably priced tapes.)

Aimless
The Quasi-Aimless Trailer

Walk walk walk, no one

Walk walk walk, no one stops. Hot hot hot, I'm bout to drop. Southern hospitality is BULLSHIT! Most kind folks I've met in south are from north.

Heading toward Gump House in

Heading toward Gump House in Beaufort, SC (aka Greenbow, AL). Mostly I just want to get new tapes, take a shower, & charge batteries, though.

Awesome campsite last nite. US

Awesome campsite last nite. US 17 @ 10 Farms Creek, beside marsh. Almost outta tape, so couldn't get any footage. Luckily no gators to eat me up.

Unbelievable how many 10s of

Unbelievable how many 10s of 1000s of cars have passed me by as I turn purple under this brutal sun. US 17 South toward Savannah.

Lotsa walking in C-ton. Talked

Lotsa walking in C-ton. Talked to a guy named Rich & his beautiful girlfriend Sarah for a while, mostly about music. Better find a campsite ASAP.

Sick of Myrtle B. Got

Sick of Myrtle B. Got a ride to Charleston y-day. Woke at 6 today, gonna try to find soup kitchen downtown. Living like I'm homeless, I guess.

E-mails to my phone can

E-mails to my phone can be a maximum of 160 characters. Jay, yours ended at "jour."

Leaving Myrtle Beach

I'll be heading south along the beach beginning in about an hour. Where will I go? I don't know. I might end up in Maine or something. That's why I call this Aimless.

Remember this number: 6147383867. That's my phone number. If you add @vtext.com to the end of it, you can e-mail my phone. There is probably a character limit, but I'm really not sure yet. Give it a try if you want to say something to me without calling.

Also, now that I know how to mobile blog, expect more blog entries. If there is a character limit on text messages, these entries will be short, as well.

I have to go now so Billy can finish his work on this computer and so I can finish getting ready to leave. Check back soon.

Aimless
The Quasi-Aimless Trailer

I am sending this from

I am sending this from my phone. It is just a test.

Aimless side effects

When I finish this adventure, I will have the baddest-ass calf muscles you've ever seen. All this walking with an additional 1/3 of my body weight upon my back has put a lot of new muscle on my legs. There's new muscle on my upper body, too, but not to the extent that there is on my legs.

I noticed yesterday that my ankle feels a lot better, at least in the spot where it has been hurting since December 16, when I dislocated it and likely tore a ligament. There is still a lot of pain when I walk long distances, but long walks make me hurt everywhere. I think I strained another part of the same ankle when I was in Yellow Springs, but that was one of those things that probably only lasts a week or two.

I've had a lot of numbness and swelling in my feet and hands. I wouldn't think it's anything serious, but it's pretty constant, so I worry about it a little bit. Knowing my luck, I'll probably have to get my feet amputated when I'm done with this.

Billy made some awesome spaghetti sauce last night, along with linguine. I would like to make these guys some pizza while I'm here. (Billy has two roommates: Daniel and Joe.) I also went down to the steam room and hot tub with Billy for a while last night. I love hot tubs. There is also a very nice pool here, as well as a sauna, I think. Steam room was a first for me. It feels kind of strange in there.

Don't forget about my lady in the black Pathfinder, Yellow Springers. I'm counting on you. I'm sure it's the only black Pathfinder in town, and she spends plenty of time on Xenia Avenue, so you've got to see her once in a while. I think I forgot to mention the look she gave me in the previous post about her, but it was one of those looks. I gave her the same look, and we both know it. The problem is, I can't reach her from here without your help.

Aimless
The Quasi-Aimless Trailer

For all we know, he might be an angel

Wow! So much to say, but there is no way I can possibly say it all right now. Believe me, though, there will be a book about this.

Right now I'm in a condo in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I camped out in a forest last night, then started walking toward the beach at about 10:00 AM, when a guy named Billy De Lorenzo stopped to ask me if I needed a ride. I didn't really need a ride, being less than a mile from the beach, but I hopped in anyway. In the car he said I was welcome to hang out at his house, take a shower, do laundry, etc., so I came on over. He has since told me I'm welcome to stay as long as I want.

Now flash back about a week...

When last I checked in, you may remember I was in Covington, Kentucky. After writing those two entries, I stood around the I-75 on-ramp for four hours before a guy gave me a ride about ten miles down the road to Kentucky Route 371. (Can't remember his name right now, but I have it on tape. It will be in the credits.) I waited on the on-ramp for a few minutes before just deciding to walk along the road intersecting the interstate. I walked a couple miles and ended up at the Dixie Highway. Took the Dixie Highway south to Florence. Being off the trails, I had a difficult time finding a good place to pitch the tent, but I eventually found a pretty decent place.

I've had four encounters with cops so far, with the last one occurring not long after I woke up in Florence. No problems with them or anything; just cops doing what they're supposed to do.

From Florence I had to backtrack a few miles because I had managed to venture off of the Dixie Highway. So I found my way back to the Dixie Highway and headed south. Walked miles and miles with no luck getting a ride, so I walked over to a Pilot truck stop where the Dixie Highway met up with the interstate.

Within about three minutes of my arrival at the Pilot station, a trucker walked by and asked, "North or south?" I responded, "South. How 'bout yourself?" He said he was also going south, to Duncan, South Carolina (between Greenville and Spartanburg). At this point he didn't seem to be offering me a ride, but after a little more chit-chat, it was on. I rode with Bruce overnight through Lexington, Knoxville, and Asheville, to his destination in Duncan, South Carolina.

From upstate South Carolina I thought I might as well head toward Charleston or Savannah since I was so close, but I was in a bad spot to catch a ride that way. Where I was (beside I-85), it would have been much easier to get a ride to either Charlotte or Atlanta, but I really didn't feel like going to either of those cities, so I started walking west, thinking I was only a few miles from I-385. After walking five or six miles, I realized I'd put myself in an even worse spot than I was before. But I waited for a ride anywhere, and it didn't take long for someone to stop and offer me a ride closer to where I wanted to be.

I was now next to I-26, where I waited for a ride south. After four hours, no luck. I got sick of waiting, so I just started walking somewhere. I ended up walking through Roebuck, south of Spartanburg, about three nights ago, but again I had trouble finding a good place to set up camp. After about 12 miles of walking, at 11:00, I plopped down in someone's front yard, not pitching my tent because it just wasn't a good place to camp.

I unstrapped my sleeping bag from the backpack and tried to rest a little bit, using the sleeping bag as a pillow, thinking I would continue heading down the road after a few hours. Didn't happen, though. I woke up at about 1:00 AM cold and still tired. I decided to just pitch the tent and hope I don't wake up with a shotgun in my face.

Instead of a shotgun in my face, I woke up with a flooded tent at around 7:00 or 8:00. I got out of the tent and stood around for a while, trying to figure out what I might be able to do. Then I noticed a carport at one of the houses nearby, so I walked over to it. At that point I heard a voice from the front of the house. Someone wanted to know what I was doing, so I walked to the front door and explained what I was doing. I then asked the homeowner if I could keep standing under his carport. He said it was OK.

I can't tell this story right now; it would just take too long. But I want you to know it's an amazing story and it will probably be a very moving scene, the scene that will let viewers know this thing is gonna be good.

Anyway, Vernon Payne ended up making me breakfast--eggs, toast, grits, and a biscuit--as his initial apprehension gradually turned to friendliness. I also met his next door neighbor, who is related to him, before Vernon drove me to the nearby truck stop. At one point while we talked, the neighbor, Galen, said something like, "For all we know, he might be an angel." That's when I started realizing that I'm somehow enriching the lives of the people who help me. I can't really explain it because I don't really understand it, but somehow I am making a huge positive impact on the people I meet. This is all really amazing; it's beyond comprehension.

After Vernon took me to the Kangaroo truck stop, I stood outside for a while, trying to stay out of the rain. Eventually the manager of the place stepped out to ask me what I was doing. I said I was just trying to stay out of the rain, maybe get a ride somewhere. He then invited me to come inside and sit in the dining area. His name is Jessie Wright and he is also a minister.

I sat inside the gas station for hours, talking to a few people while not getting a ride. I ended up talking to a group of four people (two couples) I estimate are in their 60s. Like most people I talk to, they were intrigued by my story. They were heading toward Myrtle Beach from Peoria, Illinois. I mostly talked to one of the men. His name is Ken Waggoner or Wagner (or something like that). Before they left, he slipped a 20 dollar bill into my hand, even though I said I'm not hurting for money. (Vernon and Galen also gave me $5 each.)

Immediately after they left, I turned around to see a woman handing me a styrofoam clamshell and an empty cup. It was a meal from Aunt M's chicken, located inside the truck stop. The woman was Leslie Browning; she works at Aunt M's. Inside the clamshell was a piece of chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, macaroni, and a biscuit. I thanked her and just couldn't believe what was happening.

Later on, Jessie asked me if I needed anything, like a shower or food or drink or whatever. In awe of this undeserved kindness, I told Jessie I might take him up on the shower offer, as I had not had a shower in about four days. Shortly after, I told him I'd love to take the shower offer.

The kindness just doesn't stop. It takes some breaks for days at a time, but it never stops. I don't deserve all this kindness, and I just can't tell you how it feels. It's amazing.

I can now verify that Aimless is aptly titled. Even though I had some vague plans for where I would go first, I've ended up doing something completely different. I never expected to be anywhere near South Carolina at this point, but there I was in Spartanburg. And Myrtle Beach, no way. But here I am. Even when I walk, I take roads I don't know, not knowing where I'll end up. I know I am doing this right.

OK, so I hung around the Kangaroo station for about 12 hours Saturday, and I finally realized I was not going to get a ride that night. Business was dead and there were no lights near the on-ramp. I decided to pitch my tent near the lot where trucks park, and I got to sleep at a decent time.

I woke up pretty early yesterday and headed to the Kangaroo station to brush my teeth. After eating some soft batch cookies for breakfast and having a smoke, I made my way to the on-ramp.

Before I even reached the spot where I intended to wait for a ride, someone stopped to offer me a ride. Gaile Myers (I need to check the spelling), a 70-ish man, said he was going to North Myrtle Beach. Sounded perfect to me, so I put my backpack in the bed of his Dodge truck and joined him up front. Mr. Myers is an interesting guy--a reasonable conservative, I'd say. He reminded me in some ways of the character in American Beauty played by Chris Cooper, the dad of the boyfriend. He bought me lunch at McDonald's and showed me the town of Little River before dropping me off at North Myrtle Beach at about 12:30.

I walked about 15 miles yesterday, reaching the north (or northeast) edge of Myrtle Beach. I found my way to a McDonald's for some cheap eats when a mother and daughter initiated a conversation with me after noticing my red face and backpack. The mother (Linda Drost) offered me a ride to wherever I was heading, which I accepted, although I was not completely sure where I was headed. All I knew was that there were some woods where I might be able to find a clearing near where I'd already been.

Linda drove me there while her daughter Marialyn followed. We talked for maybe half an hour before finally separating. Marialyn gave me a lot of useful information about fire ants and bug bites, which I appreciate immensely. These two women were both very friendly. I enjoyed talking to them quite a bit. (Marialyn, if you see this, will you please leave a comment with a pronunciation of your name? I was so exhausted when you said it that it just went straight through me.)

After the ladies split, I walked around the woods, shortly finding a decent place to call home for the night. The clearing was of decent size, and the ground was reasonably soft. Unfortunately, like every other night I've slept outside, it got pretty cold overnight. (I've only slept inside two nights since I left on April 22.) Still, I got a lot of rest, and my very sore body feels much better now than it did last night.

As I already mentioned, I'm now sitting at a computer in a condo. Billy and his roommates are very friendly, and Billy has told me I can stay as long as I want. I think I'll probably hang around for a bit. It's cool and windy outside, so there's probably not much excitement (aka titties) at the beach.

I can't remember if I mentioned Robert Paschell in my previous update, but I know I didn't link to his web site, so I want to do that now. Robert lives in Yellow Springs and makes t-shirts. He's a very talented and unique guy, but he hardly makes any money at all. So I want you to take a look at his web site (which I haven't seen yet) and consider buying one or two of his shirts. He works so hard making them, one at a time, and he deserves better than what he's getting from life right now. I want to help him, and I hope you'll help me help him, so please tell your friends about his web site, too. I think he sets up shop every Saturday and Sunday in Yellow Springs, too, between Tom's Market and Ye Olde Trail Tavern. (If you go there looking for him, he has a long gray beard. Santa Claus-esque.) If you buy something from him, tell him I sent you.

I have now walked about 115 miles with 50+ pounds on my back. Unfortunately my shitty pedometer is toast after only two weeks. I hope I can manage to get another one--a better one--somehow, because I really want to keep track of my walking mileage. So if there is anyone out there who'd like to supply a new pedometer for me, I'd love to meet up with you (and it'll get your name in the credits at the very least). I can't check e-mail very frequently, but I always have my phone around. 614-738-3867.

Also, this will be a fucking incredible documentary when I'm done. I have absolutely no doubt about that anymore. This is going to be much bigger than I ever wanted it to be.

Aimless
The Quasi-Aimless Trailer