Berkeley

Some of the Berkeley students made it a point to say goodbye to me this afternoon because they are not going to be around after today. They're still going to be in New Orleans for another two or three weeks, but they'll be working with other organizations, while various other students from their group will be working with Common Ground.

Before they said goodbye, a few of them told me they'd already checked out the Aimless web site, while a couple others asked me for the URL. I hope they continue checking out the web site and reading the blog so maybe I can see them again whenever I end up in the Bay Area, which is very likely to happen because San Francisco is one of three cities I really love. I've never been to Berkeley except when I was riding a train through the city, so maybe they'll give me a good reason to head to Berkeley specifically.

I really liked all the students I worked with and around. They were exceptionally friendly and inquisitive, and they didn't have the I-know-everything attitude that a lot of college students have.

Hey UC Berkeley: If any of you read this, I'd love to hear from you sometime down the road. (Phone number is below.)

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

More things

Despite how it may have appeared in my previous post, I'm not all that worried about getting to know the ladies at Common Ground. In fact, I think I've actually been somewhat charismatic around them lately. (By the way, a whole new batch of 'em showed up last night.)

In case you wondered: No, the previous post's picture is not from the house I was drywalling. It's from a house in the Lower Ninth Ward. I published a different picture from the same house about a week ago.

The writer from New York's name is Kate Lowenstein. She writes for Time Out New York.

I honestly think I'm probably going to leave Common Ground tomorrow. I only have $13, so I really can't stay much longer without finding some work that pays.

I just read the few most recent comments. They were interesting and funny, especially because I mostly have no idea who wrote them.

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

Things

Yup, I'm still at Common Ground. I planted grass in the wetlands yesterday and did more drywall today. --> There is a large group from the University of California that started working with us yesterday. They're all very cool. Some pretty girls, too, of course. --> Kate from the previous post is not alone at Common Ground. She came here with her good friend Sophia, who is also very pretty and personable. Lately I've been imagining a little bit of eye contact and smiles with Sophia. Having talked to both of them a lot since my previous post, I've stopped worrying about eye contact and smiles and shit like that. As long as I remind myself that girls universally don't want me, I can socialize with them pretty well. (I'll probably take a picture of Sophia & Kate and publish it before I leave.)

Haven't left yet

I'm still at Common Ground in the Lower Ninth Ward. I just couldn't leave today. I think I'm going to leave tomorrow, but I still don't know for sure.

There seems to be two reasons why I'm having a hard time leaving: 1) I like volunteering here and being around the other volunteers; and 2) An intriguing girl showed up here yesterday afternoon. Her name is Kate and she writes for a weekly paper in NYC, the name of which I can't recall right now. She and I keep making eye contact and smiling at each other. However, there hasn't been much opportunity for us to talk yet. She's really neat.

I did dishes for several hours today, then helped install cabinets in the future kitchen. I lost the screw for the right lens of my glasses tonight. I really need new glasses (and about a hundred other things). I only have $16.

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

The ice cream man

An ice cream truck just drove through this empty neighborhood playing Music Box Dancer. --> Today I helped lay down a new floor in what will soon be the new Common Ground kitchen (pictured). The existing kitchen must be dismantled and relocated because the homeowners want their home back. --> I think I'm going to leave tomorrow and resume my tramping session.

Laptop

My brother called me this morning and told me he has a couple laptops that are available for me if I'd like to use them on the road. They are not the ultralight variety, so I don't know if it will be possible for me to use either of them. Five or six extra pounds of gear is a lot to add, especially when you already carry as much weight as I carry. He said he'll call me again after he weighs them.

Even if I do end up with one of these laptops, I'll still be hoping for someone to donate an ultralight laptop.

One more thing. To anyone who has ever called me ungrateful or selfish: I know you're already making plans to volunteer your valuable time so you can bust your ass to make life a little better for the people of New Orleans. Right?

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

Web site problems?

Has anyone tried viewing the Aimless front page (http://www.aimlessmovie.com) lately? I just tried opening it, but it won't load. However, when I opened http://www.aimlessmovie.com/index.html, it brought up the front page just like normal. I hope it's just a temporary problem.

I was surprised to see that no one has commented on any of my recent posts or pictures. I guess it's partly because people use the front page as a "gateway" to the blog. I hope I can get everything fixed soon.

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

FEMA

Capitalizing on tragedy

There are numerous "disaster tours" that bring busloads of tourists into the Lower Ninth Ward every day. The buses drive slowly through the mostly unused streets of this lost neighborhood, each with dozens of cameras rolling and clicking behind tinted windows. It's kind of sick that these tours exist, yet it's probably good for people to see how this place looks THREE YEARS LATER. In a way, I was one of these tourists, coming here with no intention of lending a hand, but something made me volunteer, and I feel very good about it, even if it's only for a few days. --> The house we've been helping rebuild is split into three seperate apartments. Its current owner did not own the building until after Katrina. A fellow volunteer told me he'd prefer to work on a house owned by someone who wants to move back into their pre-Katrina home after being displaced by Katrina. I kinda feel the same.
The owner is really nice, but it just doesn't seem right to be helping someone profit off of tragedy.

More drywall

I'm doing more drywall today. --> Here's a picture of the system of communication they used to account for people after the flood. I don't know what the writing means, although I think there's something about it in the Spike Lee film. I'll try to find out something about it before I leave.

Coe College

A group of students (and one teacher/volleyball coach) from Coe College was here volunteering for the last week or so. They were doing drywall at the same house I was at today. One of the guys plays football for the Coe College Kohawks and I think the other guy used to play football there, too. Also, I believe some of the girls play volleyball and maybe basketball. They were all really cool. Five of them were my roommates last night, but I didn't really meet or talk to most of them until today. They took off just after 1:00 today to head back to Iowa, so tonight I have the room all to myself. --> The picture I was looking for in my previous post mysteriously showed up again.

Drywall

I put up drywall all day today in a house near the Superdome. I don't know if you can see the dust all over me, but it's there. (Actually, the good picture seems to have disappeared from this stupid-ass phone, so I had to send a different one that really sucks.)

Home Part 2

Home Part 1

Firehouse

Shelley (sp?) and Richard out at the muddy marsh. (There will be a lot more pictures coming. I can only do one at a time.)

Common Ground

Today I kinda hooked up with a relief group called Common Ground Relief. They occupy a few buildings on Deslonde (Street?), adjacent to where the levee broke. After volunteering to help them in any way I could, I ended up planting some marsh grass in a marsh to the northeast of New Orleans. We didn't get much done because a thunderstorm roared in. When we got back to the Ninth Ward, I washed some dishes in their "mess hall." I'll be staying in their building at Deslonde and N. Roman (my brother's name) tonight. --> The pic is of the new levee, where the old one broke. (Looks like my finger got in the way.)

Not coming home

Someone lived here three years ago.

Reggie Green, Fireman

I just talked to a really cool fireman named Reggie Green for a while after he let me fill up my water bottles at the Lower Ninth Ward "firehouse," which is actually a trailer in a parking lot. --> The Lower Ninth Ward is not a dangerous place. How could it be? No one lives here anymore or has any reason to be here, particularly north of Claiborne (Avenue?), near the Intracoastal Waterway, where the levee broke. (Check out the satellite images on Google Maps because they are post-Katrina. I checked it out from a library today.) Most of the people you see here are construction workers. Believe me, though: Most of the "houses" don't have anyone working on them. In a lot of places, most of them don't even exist anymore. --> The pictured house was somewhere else before the levee broke. Can you see how it has been forced up against the other house?

A picture

Here's a picture.

Cajun gold conclusion

Before I left JJ's property, JJ gave me some MREs (Meals, Ready to Eat). You know, the things that come in a green package, usually reserved for military folks in the field. I've eaten two of them so far (of five), and they're pretty good. However, they weigh about two lbs each and I find them very awkward and messy. Much of the weight comes from the packaging, but the food itself is heavy, too, because none of it is dehydrated. Also, each one has about three different meal components that require heating, but it's only equipped to heat one. I would think the military could figure out a more efficient way to feed their guys. Or maybe I just need to learn how to use them. I'm glad I finally got a chance to try some MREs, though. Thanks JJ. --> I spent yesterday walking from Metairie into New Orleans. Spent last night near I-10 & St. Bernard, beside the on-ramp to I-10 East, in a
neighborhood where most white folks would be afraid to even drive. --> Right now I'm in the Lower Ninth Ward.

Cajun gold Part 12

When we pulled into Best Buy's parking lot, I realized I'd been there before. It was back in 2005, during my six-week visit with Jeff, when he lived in Hammond. Anyway, the guys went in and looked around while I bought some tapes. Then we all went outside and prepared to say goodbye because this was my last stop with them. It was awkward and difficult for all of us to say goodbye because they all treated me like family during the two days I spent with them. Not just JJ and Luke, but everyone I've mentioned (excluding Kristina and Pete). And that's what I meant when I titled this series of posts 'Struck Cajun gold.' --> It was really hot Monday and I could tell it would be easy to find somewhere to sleep in Metairie, so I chose not to walk very far. I just walked a couple miles toward New Orleans and hung out for a while in the Clearview Mall (where I'd also been with Jeff). The AC was
pumping hard and there was plenty of electricity to charge my phone as I wrote several blog posts...

Cajun gold Part 11

JJ took a nap for about 3 or 4 hours. Meanwhile, I watched a DVD of the Stewie Griffin Story (or whatever that's called) twice. When JJ was finished napping, we went back over to Greg's house, where everyone else had a cookout while we were away. There was still a lot of food left, so I filled up a plate after someone gave me the green light. --> That night everyone just hung out and watched TV. Almost everyone went to bed pretty early. I wanted to, as well, but I had to wait for my laundry. So at about 12:30 I went back to the bedroom in the boarding trailer, knowing I'd be riding to New Orleans with JJ in the morning. --> Monday morning I woke up early and got ready to take off. Luke joined JJ and I as we hauled 2 tons of used car batteries to a battery distributor in New Orleans. After delivering the batteries, JJ treated us all to a Chinese buffet for lunch. Then we were off to the
French Quarter, where we cruised around for a while before heading to the Best Buy in Metairie...

Cajun gold Part 10

With Pete out of the picture, I went ahead and opened the door to see what Kristina had to say. She said she was back because the cops had nothing to hold her on. She also kind of apologized and said some other things. I told her, "I didn't want to get either of you in any trouble, but you couldn't have expected me not to call 911 after he threatened to kill me." Then I fucked her. (Just kidding.) That was the last I spoke to her. --> Pete's apparently going to be behind bars for quite a while. (See if you can find anything on the internet about this incident. It happened in Lafourche Parish, just outside of Des Allemands, which is in St. Charles Parish.) --> Sunday was a lazy day for everyone, probably because we were all tired from the previous night's drama. I didn't get up until 11:00. When I got up, JJ took me over to his house, where we ate some leftover pizza from Friday, which
was JJ's 40th birthday. We also had some banana birthday cake and some ice cream cake for dessert...

Cajun gold Part 9

Since I haven't introduced any of the females, I'll do that now: JJ's common-law wife's name is Denise, Greg's wife is Evie, Greg's older daughter is Eve, and Greg's younger daughter is Selena. (I'm not sure if I spelled them all correctly.) Now back to the story. --> I sat on the porch with Luke, Greg, Evie, and Denise until about 4:30 AM; that's when the cops finally left JJ's house and a tow truck left with Pete's pickup. The news by now was: 1) The cops found four quarter bags of weed in Pete's truck; 2) Kristina was taken into custody; and 3) The cops finally found Pete sleeping on a friend's porch about half a mile away. --> JJ had already offered to let me spend the rest of the night as his place, but since Pete and Kristina were both in custody, Luke suggested that I just go back to the room where I had been sleeping. It made sense to me, so that's what I did. --> I heard a
knock on my door at about 7:30 that morning. It was Kristina, who I thought was in jail...

Cajun gold Part 8

After all that shit, all I wanted to do was get out of the trailer and go somewhere safe. So as I packed up my stuff, Luke told me some of what had gone down before the cops showed up at my door. First they'd woken him up as he slept on Greg's couch about 100 feet away, then he escorted the cops over to the trailer I was in. He said Pete and Kristina tried to elude the cops by driving on the back road with their headlights off, but the cops saw them and initiated a chase. Pete pulled into JJ's driveway, about a quarter of a mile from the shop, and ditched his truck, leaving Kristina behind and fleeing on foot. --> When I finished packing up, Luke and I walked to Greg's trailer, where Greg and the women were sitting on the porch, watching the light show in front of JJ's house. Someone told me the cops said Pete had tossed out a bag of crack during the short chase. They all found that
hard to believe because they knew him pretty well. They were all surprised by his behavior that night...

Cajun gold Part 7

I told the men in the hallway that I'd only open the door if they contacted the 911 operator and told her to call me. Instead they gave me a phone number to call. Now feeling confident that the men were who they said they were, I decided not to call the number. Instead I went ahead and opened the door, finding real cops on the other side. --> Very cautious, the cops checked my ID and quickly checked my room to make sure no one else was in there. One of the cops asked me, "Where's Pete!? Where's Pete!?" At this point I still didn't know the tenant's name was Pete, nor was I aware that Pete and Kristina had fled the trailer before the cops arrived, so I was very confused again. Thinking he was looking for someone else, I said, "I don't know who you're talking about." --> By now the cops were satisfied that I was not the bad guy, so I went to the bathroom to take a leak. When I finished
and walked back to the hallway, the cops were gone and Luke was the only other person in the trailer...

Cajun gold Part 6

When I finally remembered that the trailer was behind "JJ's Tire Repair," I told the operator that much. She said, "OK, now I know where you are." --> By now it was pretty quiet in the trailer. I guess my 911 call was an effective counter to Pete's murder threat. So feeling much less threatened and knowing the cops were on their way, I asked the operator if there was any reason for me to stay on the line with her. She said we could end the call if I felt OK about it. She then verified my phone number and we hung up. --> Eventually Kristina came back to my door and asked me, in a friendly-sounding voice, if I would open the door and talk to her. I told her the cops were on their way and I was not opening the door until they arrived. Even with knowledge of my 911 call, she seemed surprised that the cops were coming. She went back toward her room, sounding panicky. --> A long time later,
someone claiming to be the cops knocked on my door. For all I knew, it could've been Pete's friends...

Cajun gold Part 5

When Pete came back, he said he had a gun and he was going to kill me. I immediately moved to a different spot on the bed--a spot not directly in front of the door--and I called 911. Busy with the 911 call, I stopped paying attention to whatever was going on outside my room. I was suprisingly calm. --> At some point I remember Kristina saying something to me through the door; Pete had gone somewhere else on the premises by now. Diverting my attention from the 911 operator, I told Kristina I'd called 911. She sounded shocked. Amazed by her shock, I asked her, "What the fuck did you expect me to do? He just said he's gonna kill me!" Sounding distressed, she went back to her room on the other end of the trailer, turning off the hallway light on her way there. --> Unsure of where I even was, it took me a long time to help the 911 operator figure out where to send the cops. That's really not
cool when you're not sure you'll even be alive long enough to think of the right landmark...

Cajun gold Part 4

Unsatisfied with my explanation for why I was in the trailer, Pete went back to his room momentarily. Soon he returned with his girlfriend Kristina. This time he had an aluminum baseball bat. Kristina also had a device that could inflict blunt trauma to the head, but I can't remember exactly what she had because I was only half awake and I was very confused. (I don't know why Pete felt he needed a baseball bat. He is a very muscular guy and I was half inside my sleeping bag, posing absolutely no threat.) This time he said he had some friends on the way and that if I don't want to get seriously fucked up, I better leave. Since he couldn't get ahold of JJ on the phone, he apparently decided threatening me with violence was the only solution. --> When a car pulled up outside, Pete walked away to see who it was. I can only assume it was his "backup." While he looked, I shut the door and
locked it. Now kinda worried, I called JJ, but my call went straight to voicemail. Soon Pete was back...

Cajun gold Part 3

After chowing down on crab Saturday evening, JJ and I joined everyone at Greg's house. JJ eventually took me back to the boarding trailers to show me where I could spend the night. (Between the two trailers, seven of the eight rooms are vacant. An unmarried couple rents a room in one trailer; the other trailer is empty.) --> JJ led me to the only vacant room with a bed. It's in the same trailer the couple lives in. He couldn't introduce me to the couple because they were not around, so he just showed me the room and left me alone for the night. I wrote a blog entry and went to sleep a little bit before midnight. --> At 2:00 I was awakened when someone opened the door to my room, shut it, then knocked very loudly, purposely to wake me up. I answered the door to find a very angry guy named Pete. I told him I was JJ's guest, but he didn't seem to care. For some reason, Pete apparently
believed he had exclusive use of JJ's trailer, even though he only rents one room and rarely pays...

Cajun gold Part 2

To make a long (and interesting) story short (because I don't have a laptop): JJ took me to one of his two boarding trailers so I could shower. After he got some things done at his tire repair shop, we all headed across the street to the lake (Dufrene Ponds?), which JJ's family owns. We were joined by JJ's wife, as well as Greg's wife and two daughters. --> We all got onto the pictured boat and began floating, but the boat flaked out in about three different ways, so Luke ended up pulling the boat a couple hundred feet back to the boat ramp. Back on land, the guys tried to fix the problem, but it just wasn't happening, so JJ took the boat home and zoomed back over on a tiny boat, which we all boarded. We had a nice little cruise on the lake, drinking some beers and having a fun time. --> After the cruise, everyone except me and JJ got off the boat and went to Greg's house. JJ and I then
rode the boat back over to JJ's house, where he cooked up a crab boil just for the two of us...

Struck Cajun gold

I slept behind a Century 21 office in Raceland last night, then started walking toward New Orleans this morning. Tired from 4.5 miles without a break, I went into a small truck stop and found a seat in the dining area. Soon three guys sat near me. Seeing all my gear, one of them asked me (with a distinctly Cajun accent) what I was doing. After I told him a little about my travels, he offered to buy me something to eat. Introducing himself as JJ, he instructed me to order some food, so I ordered a catfish and oyster po-boy and resumed my chat with JJ (looking goofy in pic), Luke (pictured), and Greg. --> I figured the guys would leave when they finished their lunch, but they hung around and kept talking to me. Then, when I finished my kick-ass po-boy, JJ offered me a ride eight miles up the road and said something about going for a ride on a boat. Already getting a feel for JJ's
personality, I thought he may have been bullshitting about the boat ride, but I accepted the lift offer...

I just watched (and taped)

I just watched (and taped) a snake as it committed suicide in the road. Don't know what kind of snake; pretty sure it was not venomous.

Leaving Houma

Jen slept on the other couch at Erik and Aaron's place last night. At about noon Jen treated me to lunch at a KFC/Taco Bell hybrid, then took me to a small truck stop at the Bayou Blue Road exit off US 90 (future I-49). It's raining and otherwise dreary right now, so I'm just hanging out. I figure I'll make my way back to New Orleans before heading west along I-10, but who knows; I might just end up going west from here. --> Happy birthday Jen! --> Thank you Jen, Craig, Tanya, Erik, Aaron, and everyone else. --> I have long since run out of the money I started with, but I have not been in any kind of desperate position yet. Also, I have only used 4.5 tapes so far. I don't know if it's because I haven't been in many interesting situations or because I don't feel like sacrificing the experience of an epic journey. Probably a little of both. --> The combination of mosquitoes, heat, and
humidity will probably force me to leave Louisiana sooner than I really want to. It's almost Texas time.

Houma

I got a ride to Houma Wednesday with a really cool guy [from Florida] named Bubba. He dropped me off outside Houma's really awesome library, where I met reference librarian Craig and staffer Jen. After talking to them for a while, Craig said I could camp outside his house and Jen said she could take me most of the way to New Orleans the next morning (yesterday). --> Yesterday morning Jen and her friend Erik picked me up and took me toward New Orleans. After selling his pickup to someone in a parking lot, Erik got into Jen's car and we all went to New Orleans. We stopped on Bourbon Street for a quick slice of pizza, then headed toward the 9th Ward to see the devastation. (Without a computer I can't even begin to describe what that was like.) --> I ended up going back to Houma with them, where we hung out all day at Erik's place with roommate Aaron, cousin Emily, and the sheriff's deputy
from a few doors down. Last night I had a really cool conversation with Aaron, then slept on a couch.

Apparently I just can't stop

Apparently I just can't stop blogging. I just wish I had the right tools to tell the stories how they should (and could) be told.

Comments

I'm at the library in Houma, Louisiana and I decided to read some comments. Not all, just some. One stood out: Jay's comment on my Savannah post.

Well, at least I don't need to wonder anymore about how he might react.

Also, I want to respond to Badger's comment sometime:

I'm no genius, but I'm pretty confident that your hair is now history. That's gotta feel good.

How would you compare this adventure to your last one so far? You seem to be in good spirits and less concerned with the making of the documentary and more in it for yourself this time and challenging yourself, which makes sense to me.

...But I can't right now.

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

$3.73(.9) for regular unleaded gas

$3.73(.9) for regular unleaded gas (the cheap stuff) in Berwick, Louisiana. Someone please tell me why the revolution has not begun yet.

Lafayette, Louisiana.

Lafayette, Louisiana.

Oxford

Can't say what I'd like to say here because I don't have a computer, so here's the stupid, pointless, condensed version. I hope it bores the hell out of you: After walking all the way to Oxford from north of Memphis, I sat on a picnic table in "the grove" on the University of Mississippi campus. My objective was to see the most amazing girl I've ever known. That never happened. --> In the grove, a girl (Courtney) and guy (Josh) stopped to talk to me. Josh let me stay at his place that night. The next night I stayed at Courtney's place, but as a guest of her brother Ryan. Two days ago, as I walked out of Oxford, a guy named Robert offered me a place to sleep for the night. Yesterday Robert took me to Oakland. --> Today I made my way back north to Batesville, thinking I might just go home, then started walking south on I-55. After a few miles, someone stopped. It was Josh and Dorothy. Now
I'm riding to Brookhaven with them. --> This could have been very interesting if I had a laptop.

30-mile conclusion/Goodbye?

Friday morning a trucker from Missouri named Pete set me up with my first shower in 17 days. After the shower I did my laundry and talked to Pete. It poured down rain all day, so I was unable to resume my walk to Oxford until Saturday. --> This is my final post until someone either figures out how to get me an ultralight laptop or donates one. I am tired of wasting hours to write one or two short blog posts with this phone, and I am sick of Verizon intruding and ruining my posts with their propaganda. --> This blog is not for me; it is for the people who read it. I've paid a huge price to create the experiences that make this blog exist. Well, I'm no longer willing to continue making all these sacrifices if no one appreciates them. I'm not quitting Aimless; I'm just not sharing it anymore because it's too much trouble without the right tools. --> If you want this blog and this project
to continue, it's time to start making some sacrifices. It's simple economics. Goodbye.

Disclaimer

The next post (which I will publish sometime tonight or tomorrow) does not apply to every reader of this blog. Some of you have done amazingly kind things for me; you know who you are. Particularly it does not apply to Brad Perkins, who has gone out of his way to help me make something of Aimless. The post is also very incomplete because I cannot say what I need to say with only 1,000 characters, which is precisely the problem. Some people will think I'm a jerk for saying what I have to say; some will probably call me ungrateful. But those people are selfish and have no idea what I put myself through for their entertainment. --> What I do, no one else does. NO ONE! For me to do what I'm trying to do, I need help/funding/sponsorship, just like every business venture needs some kind of funding. The kind of funding I need is tiny compared to even the smallest business, but after two years,
I've received no funding of any kind. Think about that before you call me ungrateful.

30 miles Part 9

Eventually he left again, this time for good. He was a nice guy; it's just that I'm totally sick of dealing with people who have nothing better to do than try to convince rational people to do a 180 and start basing their lives on fantasy. I mean, just go out and have a fucking beer, or stay home and jerk off or something. Or instead of preaching to people and telling them how to oppress themselves, do something nice for them, like the guys I met in Nashville did for me. Just try to make THIS life count for something, because THIS life actually exists. --> Anyway, after a little more walking in circles, I finally hit 30 miles at 11:32 CDT. --> Stats for the day: 30.02 miles; 65,261 steps; 3,227 kilocalories(?) burned. --> Since getting off the train in Nashville, I've walked 233 miles, not including today. Beginning on April 16 in Nashville, here is my daily mileage: 10.5, 6.5, 7.5, 8.5
, 12, 12, 14, 8.5, 14, 13, 15, 17.5, 19, 12, 15, 30, 1 (rained all day), 16...

30 miles Part 8

I got out of the car at about 10:40 and walked right past the Flying J because I still had another mile and a half left to reach 30 miles. Not too far up the road I turned around and headed back to Flying J, where I walked around the perimeter of the lot, scouting for a spot to set up camp. --> Easily finding a good spot, I walked into the truck stop and bought some cookies. After paying for them, another customer asked me where I was going. I just wanted to take off my gear, take a break, and go eat some of my cookies, but I was stuck talking to him for about ten minutes. Finally he left, so I found a bench outside and sat down, still with another 3/4 of a mile left to walk. From out of nowhere he showed up again, this time with a New Testament to save my rotting soul. (Boy am I getting sick of people trying to push their fucking bullshit fairy tales on me! I really want to start being
as inconsiderate to them as they are to me, but I don't think I can do it.) I accepted his gift...

30 miles Part 7

After walking through the park to the next road with a freeway exit, I began looking for a Flying J sign, but I didn't see one. As I approached the freeway, still no Flying J sign. I walked to the other side of the freeway; there was no Flying J at that exit. So at about 9:40 I took off my gear and sat down at the on-ramp, just 1.7 miles from my perch at the Mississippi park but 27.5 miles from my camp site at the park in Memphis. --> Sitting at the on-ramp, I considered walking along the freeway to the next exit. When my 20 minutes was up, that's exactly what I did. Walking the same direction as traffic, I felt safe because the shoulder was very wide and my backpack now has reflective tape on it. However, when a man stopped to offer me a ride after 7/10 of a mile, I took it. It was a short ride; just two miles to the next exit. The ride left me about a quarter of a mile from Flying J,
but I still had to walk another 1.8 miles to reach my goal of 30 miles in one day...

Fuck you, Verizon!!!

Fuck you, Verizon!!!

30 miles Part 6

I didn't mind all the backtracking, mostly because I anticipated reaching the Flying J at about 27 miles and I intended to spend the night there. If I'd been able to walk straight to the Flying J, I'd end up having to walk around in circles for another 3 miles just to reach 30. I didn't want to do that. --> When I reached the road that ran parallel to the freeway, I wasn't sure if I should take it because it was a park entrance. But there was a lot of traffic coming out of the park, so I asked a driver if the road would take me to the next exit. He said it would take me there, so I walked into the park, where I soon took another break, on a picnic table, having only walked about 1.8 miles since the previous break. By this point, I could only walk about one mile at a time before experiencing intense pain in my feet and left shoulder. --> Like my previous break, my break at the park was
short; only 20 minutes. Once again, I didn't want to get up and walk, but I forced myself to do it...

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30 miles Part 5

I got off the freeway at 8:00, with 24 miles behind me. It was time for a break. --> This is the point where I hit the wall. My break felt short and I didn't feel rested when it was over. Regardless, I picked up my gear and put on my broken glasses so I could see if there was a surface road parallel to the freeway. I couldn't tell, so I walked toward a gas station about a quarter mile to the south. The gas station cashier told me to go back the other way and take the road at the first stop light on the other side of the exit. She said it would take me to the Flying J, which was at the next exit. --> After taking a right at the light, the road only went a couple hundred feet before ending at another road that didn't parallel the freeway. I took another right, back toward the freeway, hoping this road would curve and run alongside the freeway. Instead, it dead-ended at a car dealership,
so I turned around and walked back, eventually reaching a road that did parallel the freeway...

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30 miles Part 4

I've also sent this post to Ron from Part 3, first to thank him again, but also so he can find out something about the stranger he helped yesterday. (Ron, since you don't know what I'm talking about: http://www.aimlessmovie.com. Follow blog link.) Thanks, Ron. --> I walked across the Mississippi state line at 6:01. That's the first time I've crossed a state line on foot. I've also crossed one state line (Washington) on an Amtrak train and two state lines (Kentucky & Tennessee) on a freight train. All other state lines have been via car or truck. --> There was a very strong wind in my face all day yesterday. Not just a breeze; I'm talking about wind that pushes you around. That makes me feel even better about the 30-mile feat. --> Once in Mississippi, my road turned into a freeway (US 78). With a wide shoulder, I stayed on the freeway for a few miles, getting off at the second exit,
hoping to find a surface road that would take me to the Flying J I knew was up ahead a few more miles...

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30 miles Part 3

At 3:00 yesterday, after 16.5 miles, I walked into a Wendy's, hoping their value menu had something worth buying. It did, so I ate. I also tried to rest as much as I could before 4:00 because I was already past the point where the serious pain begins. --> At about 3:15 a man and his two kids walked in. As the man approached the counter, following his daughter, he said hi to me. I wondered if he thought I was eyeing his daughter; his acknowledgment of my presence kind of seemed to say, "Keep your eyes off my little girl, son." They ordered their food and sat somewhere behind me. --> When they finished eating, I was still trying to rest. They passed in front of me again on their way out. This time, reaching out to shake my hand, the man said to me, "Be safe out there." Feeling paper in his handshake, I thanked him. A few seconds later they were out the door. --> The handshake contained
some cash and the man's business card. He is the owner of Ron's Recovery & Towing in Memphis...

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30 miles Part 2

The old lady snapped out of it and stopped her car a few inches from me. Although she may have been moving pretty slowly out of the parking lot, she was going fast enough to break my leg in a gruesome manner had she stopped only a split second later. I gave her an involuntary WTF look and just kept walking. --> During my midday break, I took off my glasses and set them beside me while attending to my shoes and socks. When I'd finished messing with the shoes and socks, I leaned back to lay down on the concrete. However, I never quite made it because on my way down I heard a crunch. Upon getting back up to see what I'd crunched, I saw my glasses all bent up, with the right lens detached from the frame. Just what I needed. I've never done anything like that before; this is not exactly the best time for a first time. So now my glasses are all screwed up. I was able to put the lens back
into the frame, but I definitely need to get some new glasses. More about that later...

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30 miles Part 1

I spent Wednesday night in a large park on what I guess was the north side of Memphis. Had to get up early Thursday morning (6:30) because that's just how it works at big parks. (Park workers and early-bird park visitors just don't seem to like temporary residents.) After quickly packing up my stuff, I wandered around the park for about 20 minutes, looking for my tent pole sack, which blew away the previous night as I staked down the canopy. While wandering the park, I realized it was a good day to try for 30 again. So at about 7:40, with half a mile already showing on my pedometer, I walked away from the park, heading south. (I never did find the sack.) --> After 3.5 miles I took a break. Another 3.5 miles, another break. Then 4.5 miles and a break, which put me at 11.5 miles by noon. Good start. --> As I walked through Midtown before my second break, I was almost hit by a car driven
by a clueless old lady. She was leaving a gated parking lot, paying no attention to her driving...

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I did it. 30 miles!

I did it. 30 miles! Too tired and sore to elaborate right now. Plenty to say tomorrow.

Today IS the 30-mile day.

Today IS the 30-mile day. I just crept past 20 miles at 5:30 CDT. Oh my god it hurts. A lot more about it later.

I'm sitting outside the Studio

I'm sitting outside the Studio on the Square theater in Midtown Memphis. Two years ago I came here to watch the premiere of the pizza movie!

Impressing myself Part 2 (and more)

I finished the second mile at 6:08 and the third mile at 6:26. So it ended up taking me about 54.5 minutes to walk three miles. I continued walking until 6:32 to see how far I could walk in an hour at my normal walking pace. The answer is 3.31 miles. I was really surprised by these results because: 1) I thought my normal pace was almost exactly 3 MPH, and 2) I was carrying three liters of water and a lot of food. --> I'm only 23 miles from the Mussippy state line, on a road that goes straight through downtown Memphis (well before the state line), yet there are still no signs of Memphis's suburbs or outskirts. I can see two miles ahead of me, and there's nothing. I wouldn't normally care, but I wanted to get some cheap lunch a couple hours ago. Judging by the time, though, it looks likes that's not gonna happen today. I guess I just have to stay hungry until I fix some Hungry Jack spuds
in about 5 or 6 hours. Also, this road has a narrow shoulder and lots of asshole drivers. Sucks!

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Impressing myself

Yesterday afternoon when I reached the 1 mile marker on US 51 in Tipton County, I decided to walk a timed mile. When I opened my phone, it was 5:31, so I waited for it to change to 5:32 before walking. Also, my pedometer showed that I'd already walked 7.66 miles for the day. I expected it to take me at least 19:30 to walk the mile, so I set an alarm for 5:51. --> Not far into my mile, I stopped to pick up a nickel from the road. Later I picked up a penny. These two stops probably added 10 seconds to my time. I figured the stops would push me back to about 20 minutes, so when the Shelby County line came into view (Mile 0), I expected to hear the alarm, but no alarm. As I crossed the county line, still no alarm. I consulted the pedometer; it read '8.66,' as it should have. I looked at my phone to see the time. It was still 5:49. So I counted the seconds until 5:50. 40 seconds! That means
I walked the mile in 17:20. --> About half a mile later, I decided to time the next mile, too...

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Munford, TN

I just got a ride from Covington to Munford with a young couple and a baby. While telling them about my plans to swing through New Orleans, particularly to witness the state of the Ninth Ward and the injustices that go unrecognized in these here good ol' United States of America, they told me a story about some military people they know (or know of). They said when the military guys were flying a routine helicopter mission, coincidentally over New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, they stopped to save a black kid who was drowning. Well, the military didn't appreciate their failure to follow orders, so they were demoted from officers to privates and are now "doing time" in Alaska (which is apparently an undesirable place to be stationed). I don't know how true the story is, but if it is entirely true, I hope the privates still feel they did the right thing, regardless of the consequences.
I always thought the military's purpose was to protect the American people.

Flashbacks

I was wrong when I said I-40 Exit 108 is the first place I've hitchhiked (or tried) more than once. Last year I hitchhiked twice from the Roebuck, SC exit on I-26 (Exit 28?); once going south and once going north a month later. --> Not long before reaching Nashville's suburbs, my train went through a tunnel at least a mile long. It was total darkness; pretty cool. Also, something I didn't notice the first time I hopped a train, probably because I was in a boxcar: The dinging noises at RR crossings have a cool, distorted tremolo-like effect when you fly by them at 50+ MPH (something you never experience in a car because your car is always stopped at RR crossings). It's like how emergency vehicles' sirens sound different after they've passed you, except much quicker and much cooler. (What do they call that?) --> If I ever want to catch a northbound or southbound train out of Nashville, I
know exactly where to go. I won't reveal it here, though, because it may piss off hardcore hobos.

Not much to say. 17.5

Not much to say. 17.5 miles yesterday, 19 today. Haven't really talked to anyone; been in the middle of nowhere. Now I'm in Covington. Feet hurt!

The 30-mile day

I woke up at 6:15 this morning. No alarm or anything. Normally I would've gone back to sleep and then made some grits later, but today I just felt like getting up and packing up. Skipping the grits because I was in the middle of nowhere with very little water, I just packed up and started walking. With good rest and an early start, this would be the day. --> I was on the road by 7:30. I hit the 5-mile mark by 9:15. 11 miles at noon. A perfect start for my 30-mile day. But after my break, at 12:30, it started raining. I just kept walking, though, until 1:10 (13 miles), when I reached the first sign of life in Brownsville. It was an Exxon station with a Long John Silver's. Good place to take a lunch break. --> I bought some food and rested, hoping the rain would end. It didn't end, but I began walking again anyway. --> A mile or two later, I've given up. The rain has wiped me out and my
pedometer is on the fritz, which means I may not even have been able to measure 30 miles. This sucks!

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Huntersville

I began yesterday with 199 walk-miles behind me; finished with 214. Not a bad first month, especially considering I went 11 days in a row without walking. --> Late in the day I walked through a town called Huntersville. It's not really a town; more like a small concentration of houses. Right away I noticed a house that looked abandoned. It didn't look old, like its age made it fall apart, or anything; it was just kinda messed-up looking. Soon I passed another house like that, and lots of new houses, too. Then I noticed a lot of trees were torn out of the ground, lying idle. I wondered if they were just demolishing older homes to make space for newer, more upscale, landscaped homes. Finally I passed a mailbox with a sidewalk to no house, and the bells went off. Tornado? --> I feel pretty sure all this damage and new construction must be the result of a tornado, but I have no idea. So I'm
hoping someone will do a Google search and leave a comment about whatever they find out. Thanks.

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Lexington & Jackson

I woke up just west of Lexington yesterday, thinking I had about a 20-mile walk to Jackson. Getting off to a quick start at 8:20, I walked over 4 miles before taking a break. (Just a few days ago, I would usually have to stop after only 2 miles. This must mean I'm starting to become somewhat of a machine again.) Two miles later, a couple named Brian and Theresa stopped to offer me a ride to Jackson, which was good because Jackson ended up being more like 30 miles than 20. --> I hung out by a couple different on-ramps in Jackson yesterday, with no luck, so I found a place to sleep at nightfall. There were thunderstorms last night, but I was prepared. I made sure to choose a spot that wouldn't get flooded, and I did well. --> Today I screwed around for a while, waiting for the tent to dry and stuff. I don't feel like waiting by an on-ramp for hours, so I'm walking south, looking for US 70
west. I just don't seem to have the patience for on-ramps lately.

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Lexington TN

I waited at the Exit 108 on-ramp for about an hour last night, secretly hoping no one would offer me a ride after I'd noticed all the awesome places to camp out. I ended up leaving the on-ramp before it even got dark because I just had to spend a night in the field northeast of Exit 108. It turns out that the field was the site of a Civil War battle called Parker's something or other. --> I made it back to the on-ramp this morning at 10:15 or 10:30, but after about an hour I got sick of waiting. The weather was much nicer than yesterday--cooler and cloudy--so I just started walking south. I'd hoped it was only about 6 miles to Lexington, but I soon passed a sign that told me it was 10 miles. I had no idea if Lexington was even big enough to have any grocery stores, so this was a gamble, considering I only had enough food to get me through tomorrow (eating lightly). Well, the town is big
enough, so I bought some grits and a couple other things. I estimate Jackson is about 20 more miles.

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Happy Birthday, Jeffy!

Happy Birthday, Jeffy!

Quake

People have been telling me there was an earthquake in this area several days ago, asking if I felt it. I can't say for sure that I did feel it, but I remember one night, while I was about one-fourth awake, thinking something like, "Uhh, was that an earthquake?" I'm really not sure if that thought ever actually happened, though. Someone said the earthquake's epicenter was really close to Evansville. Is that true? Did you feel it, Brad? --> It's really hot today. I need to get somewhere where I can stay inside for a couple days and then hang out outside the next day without a shirt because I'm getting a major farmer's tan. --> Speaking of shirts, I've been wearing the same shirt ever since I left Brad's house and it still doesn't stink. I haven't done laundry or taken a shower since then, either. --> Made it to Exit 108. Now to get me some Subway.

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Exit 108

If you have watched the Quasi-Aimless trailer, you may remember that the video ends late in the afternoon of Christmas Eve, 2006, with me stuck on the side of an interstate about halfway between Memphis and Nashville. It didn't actually end that way, though; I did make it home for Christmas. But first I was removed from the interstate by a highway patrol officer. He took me back a couple miles, to Exit 108, where I eventually got a ride to the Nashville Greyhound station with a guy named Matt Reel. --> I am now walking along Tennessee Rte 22, several miles south of Huntingdon, hoping it's only a few more miles to I-40 Exit 108. Yup, the same exit. I think this will be the first time I've hitchhiked from the same place two different times. This time, though, I'm going west instead of east. I hope this time I can get a ride as quick as I did on X-mas Eve (less than a few hours). --> I
don't like my newest tent. I want my previous tent back. More about that when I get a chance.

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Man, that's annoying

I just stopped at the library in Camden, Tennessee to make sure all my posts have published so I can delete them from my phone, and I saw the crap that Verizon is putting at the end of my posts. Man, that's annoying. I hope I can find some way to keep it from doing that.

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

Waverly TN

Several miles west of McEwen last evening, I stopped and set up camp on some grass between US 70 and the railroad tracks that run parallel to the road. Feeling pretty sure there would be no rain, I pitched the canopy without the rainfly or stakes, then cooked some rice. I knew I was very visible to passing drivers, especially with my headlamp shining through the mesh canopy, but I wasn't too worried. --> The warm day quickly turned to cold night, so after my meal I crawled inside my sleeping bag to warm up, not intending to sleep for a while. Still inside the bag, maybe 15 minutes later, I heard the sound of a car door shutting about 20 feet away. Seconds later I heard the distinct sound of law enforcement communications (CB radio), so I popped up out of my bag as three cops approached me. --> The cops were very cool; they would've let me stay if it'd been their decision. After I packed
up all my stuff, they ended up taking me about 20 miles, a couple miles west of the Tennessee River.

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Dickson Part 3

(I forgot to mention that I also bought instant grits at Kroger. Grits is good, cheap eats, as long as there's enough water to fix 'em, clean the pot, and stay hydrated.) --> Upon returning to the Pilot station, I cooked some rice and decided I'd had enough of the truck stop. So at about 8:00, I walked away from I-40 and into Dickson, figuring I'd start walking toward Memphis on US 70. --> On the western edge of Dickson, when I found a nice place to camp at 11:00, I decided to try something new with my tent. Instead of pitching the whole tent, I only set up the footprint, poles, and rainfly, leaving the canopy in the stuff sack. This creates more of a shelter than a room--it won't keep the critters out--but it creates a lot more space than the canopy allows. I liked it; however, my campsite was in very tall grass, which is probably one of the worst places to set up a "fast fly"
configuration. --> Five miles out of Dickson, a strange young guy named Brandon gave me a ride to McEwen.

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Dickson Part 2

It stopped raining at about 11:00 PM, so I looked around the perimeter of the truck stop for a place to sleep. I found a nice spot in a big grassy field beside the truck stop. The field was wet and muddy, but I managed to keep my stuff pretty mud-free. --> Saturday morning was sunny and breezy, so my tent was dry when I woke up. That's always nice because there is usually a lot of condensation on the inside and outside of the rainfly, which takes a while to dry when utilizing the combination of sponge and morning air. --> When I went back to the truck stop late in the morning, the weather turned ugly again; it got cold and rainy. Finally, in mid-afternoon, the rain stopped, so I went to the on-ramp for a couple hours. Wearing shorts, I got too cold to stay outside, so I walked back to the truck stop and changed into my train-stained jeans. Then I went back to the on-ramp for another
couple hours. No ride and I was cold, so again I went back to the truck stop, but not for long...

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Dickson TN

Friday after the cop deal, I stopped at a Kroger a few miles up the road. I got some clam chowder, peanut butter, and Chef Boy-Ar-Dee, as well as a couple other things I couldn't have prepared before my stop at REI, where I bought a pot for cooking. For the first time, I bought smallish packets of rice and instant mashed potatoes. Each packet is cheap and constitutes a filling meal; however, four servings of mashed potatoes makes for boring eats. It would be nice to have some meat with that stuff, but I can neither afford nor store meat. --> I reached I-40 a few miles later and waited by the westbound on-ramp. After waiting a couple hours, I had a ride 20 or 25 miles, to the Dickson exit, where I immediately walked to the Pilot truck stop. Shortly it began raining, then it kept raining. There was nowhere dry where I could hang out and let truckers see me, so I spent several hours
sitting in the attached Wendy's, hoping someone would ask me where I was headed. No one did...

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My confession Part 3

I also used the credit card to pay for the motel room in Georgia a couple weeks ago. And why have I bothered volunteering this information? Because it should show this blog's regular readers that I'm an honest, trustworthy, objective storyteller. --> Anyway, I don't expect to use the credit card again unless I have some kind of major emergency. Additionally, I did not use the credit card to pay for the stuff I bought Wednesday night; I used my gift card and my REI member dividend thingy to pay for that stuff. --> The things I bought at REI are already making a huge impact. For example, the headlamp helped me see much better last night as I walked along a busy road that has almost no shoulder. It also made me much more visible to oncoming traffic. The shirt has kept me warm and protected both my arms and neck from the sun. I also bought a fleece hat-type-thing that covers my head and
ears. It's awesome! I wish I'd had it when I was riding the train the other night. --> I'm tired.

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My confession Part 2

The cop proceeded to do all the usual stuff, like ask for my ID and SSN (to which, like always, I claimed ignorance). He then wrote up a report, which he said will function as a warning, meaning the next time--I mean the FIRST time--I get caught "camping" on "Such and Such Metro Parks" property, I'll get fined something like $100. Actually, this guy was cool; I don't know why he felt he had to take it so far, especially considering no cops even saw me there. [End interruption.] --> ... I used the credit card to pay for some of the things I bought at REI. I'm OK with that, though, because I only bought things I absolutely need. I bought things that will keep me safe (like a headlamp and reflector tape) and I bought things that will keep me from suffering any more lifelong injuries. I used the credit card to buy this stuff because I don't have anything else to prove. I've used inadequate,
unsafe equipment for long enough. But I still don't have everything I need, like a good backpack...

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My confession

I didn't have enough time Wednesday night to do everything I needed to do at REI, so I slept right around the corner and went back to the store yesterday morning. I ended up getting a new, lighter, better fitting jacket, a long sleeve shirt with a half-turtle-neck & zipper, and some other minor things. I also packed up some stuff to send home via REI's shipping folks, including 5 shirts, my old jacket, and a heavy book I bought in Savannah. --> I feel compelled to let everyone know that, unlike last year, I have an emergency credit card for Aimless 2008. My own rule says I'm not allowed to use it to buy food or anything that can make this journey easy for me. However, I have used it a couple times so far... --> I must interrupt these thoughts because I just had a strange cop encounter. Nearly 90 minutes after I packed up camp and headed down the road, as I sat writing this, a cop
stopped and asked me if I'm the guy who camped out near the golf course. As an honest guy, I said yes...

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Nashville

Not much to say about early yesterday. First I walked a loop around downtown Nashville, then I headed south toward Brentwood. After about 10 miles, a Toyota SUV with 3 college-aged guys stopped. They offered me a ride the last couple miles to REI and bought me a meal at Chick-Fil-A, where I also met 2 of their friends. They're students at Lipscomb, a Christian college. Very cool guys. They didn't ask me if I know Christ, nor did they try to introduce me to Christ; they simply did something nice for me. In other words, they DWJWD, as opposed to driving around with a WWJD plate, not doing anything nice for anyone. They certainly earned my respect, for that and other reasons. --> I spent a couple hours at REI last night, picking up some things I need, like ripstop tape to fix the floor of my tent. REI employees are awesome! Everyone is helpful and knowledgeable. The guys are cool and the
gals are sweethearts. Even though REI won't sponsor me, I'm happy to promote them in some small way.

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I've been thinking about a couple things I said in my Evansville post; things that came out wrong and probably made me sound, well, ungrateful to Brad and his friends. Brad, I want to make it very clear that you were an awesome host. I just hope I was half as good a guest. I'm really glad I was able to make it to Evansville to see you after all these years, and I really enjoyed staying with you. --> Not walking for ten days has really done a number on me. After walking 6 miles yesterday and 6.5 so far today, my legs are killing me. Particularly my upper legs, which I don't remember hurting so much last year. --> In case you were wondering: Yes, I did call my mom last night (after getting off the train) to let her know I didn't get dead or nothin'. --> I don't think I have anything else to say right now. Just walking south out of Nashville, to Brentwood, where there is an REI store. -->
Oh yeah... Luke called me last night, shortly after I got off the train. That was cool.

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Totally different experience

Wow! Now that was a train ride! Doing it alone without anyone's assistance is way the hell different than shadowing a couple seasoned hobos, especially when you don't get kicked off after 60 miles. The best word I can find to describe my first solo freight train ride is 'surreal.' It's just you and a train and everything that goes by for 5+ hours. --> The train finally stopped in downtown Nashville at about 8:15 CDT. Once it stopped, I quickly picked up my stuff and climbed off. Good thing, too, because it was moving again within a few minutes. It was probably a crew change. --> Train riders have a word for trains that go hundreds of miles without stopping--not even to let other trains pass in the opposite direction. I think they call these trains 'hot shots,' but I may be wrong. Anyway, I think this was one of those trains. --> My mom called me an hour or two into the trip. She hadn't
read the earlier blog posts, but with the roaring noise, she figured out pretty quickly where I was.

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Just went thru Springfield, TN;

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

Am I a hobo now?

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

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My first solo ride

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

Squat the planet

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

Just about time to go.

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

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

Collier County

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

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

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

---

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

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

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

Evansville

Just after crossing the Illinois/Indiana state line last Thursday, while still in the truck, I called Brad to find out a good place for Pat and Salim to drop me off, as they were routed straight through Evansville. An hour after receiving the coordinates, the truckers let me out, about half a mile from the intersection Brad named (because there was plenty of room on the shoulder to pull the truck over, while we were unsure whether there would be such space up ahead).

At 4:30 I arrived at our meeting place and lit up a Pall Mall from a pack Pat had given me. I figured I'd finish the smoke, then call Brad to find out when he'd be around, but Brad pulled into the gas station's parking lot before I finished smoking my evil cancer stick, shortly after 5:00. While loading my backpack into the back of Brad's Jeep, he introduced me to his son, Kam, who was riding in the back seat. On the way to his house, Brad showed me a little bit of Evansville, including the railyard.

At his house, Brad immediately dug out his hair clippers and fixed my scissorjob with the 1/4" attachment. I took a shower and started on my laundry, most of which I'd not even worn but needed washed anyway because, as you may remember, all my stuff was soaked in Georgia. (I'm going to redo my head with the 1/8" attachment before I leave Brad's house.)

I had some clothes that were still clean enough to wear in public, so sometime Thursday evening we headed out for dinner at what I guess is Brad's favorite Evansville pizza joint. I think it's called Turino's. (Brad, correct me if I'm wrong.) First we took Kam to Brad's ex-wife's house and picked up Brad's good friend Ben (who marched with Brad in the Limited Edition Drum & Bugle Corps the year after my final season). Then we headed to the pizza joint.

I usually prefer a simple pizza with only cheese or pepperoni, but Brad and Ben were Jonesing for something with a lot more stuff on it, so I decided to try a pizza loaded with toppings I've never considered eating before. I think it had pepperoni, sausage, black olives, green olives, and a couple other things on it, but I didn't pick anything off of my pieces and I enjoyed it. (Thanks for helping me broaden my repertoire of tastes, guys.)

Shortly after the pizza arrived, Steve Groves and his wife showed up. Steve marched in Limited Edition one of the years I was in the corps, but I didn't know him very well. It was cool to see him again after all these years; his wife is very cool.

Since Brad had to work early Friday, we didn't stay out very late Thursday night.

I used Friday to catch up on my e-mail and mess around on Brad's computer. When he got home from work, we went to his girlfriend Lora's house, then to another pizza joint, where we ordered their signature item, "stromboli." I was confused with the menu because they did not have a list of several different types of stromboli. "Stromboli" was just listed at the top of the "Sandwich" menu, and there was just one variation, which the menu does not even describe.

When our "strombolis" arrived, they turned out to be sandwiches. They were sliced sub rolls with ground beef, cheese, onions, peppers, and maybe some other stuff. Considering this pizza place was clearly a favorite hometown joint (with three or four locations), I just sat there and wondered, "Has anyone ever told them that this is not a stromboli? How do they not know already? What the fuck?!?"

Confused, I ate my not-stromboli. I thought the previous night's pizza was much better.

After dinner, we spent most of the night hanging out at Lora's house.

Saturday was very interesting. We wasted the day and prepared to have a night on the town. Sometime in the evening, we picked up Lora and headed toward downtown Evansville. They wanted to show me around, but the warm day had turned into a cold and windy night. We parked about a mile from the heart of downtown, beside the Ohio River, and started walking toward the action. But after five or ten minutes of walking, Brad (who had no jacket) couldn't take any more, so we headed back to the car. That was fine with me because I was cold even with a jacket, particularly because I'm used to having thorough insulation atop my head. Without my signature mop on top, I now get cold much quicker.

Upon returning to the car, we headed to one of their favorite bars.

Just before we entered the bar, they informed me it was a gay bar. No, it didn't freak me out. I've been to gay bars on many occasions before. And no, I'm not gay; I'm just not a fearful bigot.

So we all sat at the bar, consumed some adult beverages, and eventually began talking to a very gay guy named Stephen. Stephen was cool. He was also into drum corps; however, he never marched in a drum corps.

A couple hours later we went upstairs, as the show was about to begin. What show? The drag queen show.

I couldn't really get a good picture from where I was sitting, so here's a crappy one.

I have another picture that might be a little better than that one. Maybe I'll get it up here some other time.

Anyway, I got some video footage of the drag queen show. You'll probably never see it because it's not really all that interesting, especially if you're gay and have seen 50 such shows already.

Since this is getting pretty long, I have one more thing to say right now about my time in Evansville: Yesterday, at Lora's house, Lora decided to make some food for me and Brad. She started by rolling out a canned pizza dough into a rectangle. To the dough she added ham, turkey, and cheese. Then she rolled up the dough lengthwise and sealed the ends before adding an eggwash and putting it in the oven.

In other words, she made us a stromboli. Not just a random food creation someone just decided should be called "stromboli," but a true stromboli. She didn't know it was a stromboli, though, because she thinks the pizza joint's sandwich thing is a stromboli. I can't remember if I pointed that out to her.

I preferred her stromboli to the pizza joint's "stromboli."

Also, Lora's really nice. And Brad, you are a very good dad. It's obvious that your kid loves you, so keep doing it right.

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

Suicide Solution

I've been listening to Brad's Motley Crue Shout at the Devil CD because for too many years I have been deprived of one of rock and roll's greatest albums. Looking through the liner notes, after all the thank yous and whatnot, it says, "Caution: This record may contain backward messages."

That's funny because it's obviously a smart-ass response to the hysteria generated by all the shitty, uptight parents who, in the early 1980s, made harmless metal lyrics a scapegoat for their horrible parenting skills.

I want to thank you, Motley Crue, Ozzy, Iron Maiden, Dokken, Queensryche, Dio, King Diamond, young Metallica, Ratt, Twisted Sister, GNR, Slayer, and all other "Devil Music" bands for refusing to numb my young mind and for helping me develop a personality and a sense of independence while most of the other kids my age were sedated and brainwashed by top 40 bullshit.

A double devil sign to all of you, even those of you who went on to suck. (I'm not positive, but I bet Pastor Lew gives me an Amen on this one.)

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

Transcontinental tales

All right, so let's see if I can stop talking about myself and start talking about some of the people I meet.

Patrick Clancey is a trainer for a large trucking company. He is originally from Long Island but now lives near Knoxville, Tennessee. Equipped with more of a Brooklyn accent--as opposed to a Long Island accent--Patrick is a huge Ozzy Osbourne fan, which seems to drive his current trainee Salim ("SAH-leem") Napier a little nuts sometimes because, as you might have guessed, Salim is black and likes R&B music. It's not a hostile kind of nuts, though; more like a "Jeez, I wish he'd turn that shit off" kind of nuts.

Patrick and Salim get along very well, and I got along well with both of them for over 5,000 miles. In their cab you'll hear a lot of playful references to chicken, watermelons, and crackers, as well as some other usually-racially-derogatory terms, but it's all in fun in their particular Freightliner.

On to Patrick: When Pat is sleeping, he is both funny and scary. He apparently has narcolepsy and sleep apnea, along with some other custom-made, freaky sleep habits. When he sleeps, his snores sound like a lion's roar. He often sleeps sitting up, occasionally talking in his sleep, making for many confusing moments.

There is a fine line between consciousness and unconsciousness with Patrick. When he is not driving, he bounces back and forth between sleep and not-sleep just about every few seconds. There were many times when he would be sitting on the passenger seat asleep, only to wake up and light a Pall Mall, take a hit or two, then fall back asleep in an upright position with the lit cigarette between his fingers. A few seconds later he would wake up and take another hit, then likely fall back asleep for ten or twenty seconds. During these episodes, Salim and I usually paid pretty close attention to Patrick because, well, that's kinda freaky.

Even more freaky was when Patrick "drove the truck" in his sleep. Sometimes when Salim was driving and Pat was sleeping in the passenger seat, Pat would reach for various instruments on the truck's instrument panel, like the parking brake controls. Salim would have to keep a close eye on Pat at moments like this because even when asleep, Pat's brain seems to remain operating an 18-wheeler.

Thursday morning while sleeping in the passenger seat, Pat reached for his door handle and pulled on it, slightly opening the door. Salim was quick to notice this and vigilantly shouted something to Pat, in an attempt to snap him out of it. It worked; Pat woke up and pulled the door shut.

This kind of stuff happens very regularly when Pat is not driving. Obviously it is kind of stressful for the other people in the cab. But when Pat is behind the wheel, he's as solid as a rock. He does not drift in and out of full consciousness; his attention is totally on the task at hand. He is a very safe driver.

As of right now, Salim has about a week of training left before he becomes a regular employee. Even with the good relationship between Salim and Pat, I'm sure Salim is more than ready to move on. His nerves must be totally shot by now. He told me he is going to be a team driver when he finishes his training with Pat. I don't know if that is his choice or if you have to start out as a team driver; it sounded as if he chose to drive as part of a team.

Anyway, I'll probably see one or both of these guys somewhere down the road. Pat and I exchanged phone numbers, so I can see myself potentially climbing back into his blue Freightliner again someday. It certainly will not be for a ride back and forth across the entire country, though.

Here's a pic of Salim. I never got around to taking a picture of Pat.

In other news, I'm going to wait until tomorrow to leave Brad's house, rather than today, because the weather is supposed to be a little better tomorrow. I intend to write another post later today about some things we've done here in Evansville.

---

In something totally unrelated... Brad, I looked up the lyrics to that Pretenders song we heard at the airport. Here's what she says:

GONNA USE MY ARMS
GONNA USE MY LEGS
GONNA USE MY STYLE
GONNA USE MY SIDESTEP
GONNA USE MY FINGERS
GONNA USE MY, MY, MY IMAGINATION

I've been wondering for years what the hell she says there. (I'll probably forget in five minutes.)

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