Partnership for a Bullshit-free America

I'm beginning to suspect this NBC stuff is just another one of those three-part series they show over and over on MSNBC, with each part focusing on a different runaway or homeless kid. Actually, that's what I suspected from the very beginning, until I let my imagination go nuts.

But if it is one of those kinds of shows, why would they ask me for a resumé? I know they don't ask runaways and heroin addicts for resumés (or headshots or videos of themselves), so why ask me for that stuff?

Sometimes I wish they had just never contacted me. I was kicking ass writing a book before they called me, but now I've totally lost focus and I really don't even care about the book anymore.

Why is it so god-damn impossible for people to be honest and straightforward anymore? (Ahem... Missy Green.) Can't anyone recognize the fact that dishonesty is by far the #1 cause of our economy's collapse? Everyone's so busy trying to rip everyone off, looking for immediate payback on risky investments, instead of just doing shit right; instead of designing cars people actually want to buy; instead of hiring good workers and paying them what they're worth.

Well, I've had enough of this dishonesty and secrecy; I've had enough of the bullshit, and I'm not playing that game anymore. From now on, I'm going to say what's really on my mind when I write new blog posts. I'm going to be brutally honest, even when I know my honest opinions will be unpopular; even when I know my honesty may piss off some clueless TV executive, because honest programming is what people want to see on TV instead of the constant barrage of idiotic, fake reality shows and docudramas that last one season or less. Yeah, they still want their American Idol and Survivor, but the also-rans need to go away forever. People are ready for real "reality," without the bullshit. Bullshit has become passé.

Even though you, the reader, may think I'm an asshole for some of the things I say on this blog, the people I meet on the road don't think I'm an asshole. Most of the people I meet on the road think I'm cool as hell and they think Aimless is cool as hell, which is precisely why I ended up in GloZell's video and on WCMH Channel 4 (and possibly as an extra in a short film called Stitches). Bottom line: If Aimless was a series, the people I meet on the road would watch it (and I meet a lot of people on the road). Additionally, if the people I meet on the road are representative of society as a whole (which they are), society as a whole would watch it, too.

Peacock Productions: If you want me to be involved with your project, freaking let me in on it so I can help you make it happen, because the Aimless concept is money in the bank and I am your #1 ally, regardless of whether you ever realize it. But if you don't want me, tell me you don't want me so I can move on with my life. Or at the very least, give me a tiny clue regarding what the show will actually be about so I can decide whether or not I even want to be a part of it. In other words: have a little integrity, eh.

That's just common courtesy, isn't it? I mean, I gave you everything you asked for after only a few days, without even knowing what you wanted from me or what it was for. After two months of waiting patiently, is it really too much for me to expect the same kind of treatment in return?

I feel like if I keep waiting for them to get back to me, I'm either never going to hear from them or they're going to end up telling me they're not interested (after about a year, of course). But if I go out and try to move on with my life, getting a regular job and shit like that, they'll end up contacting me again, asking me to hit the road for their cameras. And if that happens, I'll either have to make another abrupt about-face or I'll have to decline their invitation. So my life is a total stalemate right now, and it's very frustrating.

The funny thing is that I've been paying attention to some of Peacock's productions lately, and most of them are pretty boring and manufactured. Additionally, they cost so much more to produce than Aimless or its identical twin would cost. Something like Aimless would cost almost nothing and it would be so much more interesting than these show ideas they are obviously pulling out of their asses and running into the ground.

URGH!!!

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Aimless
Aimless Video Evidence

Review of Gregory Palisade 80/Whitney 95

The first thing I want to say is that I plan to rewrite and reorganize this review as soon as I have used my new backpack enough to reliably judge its performance. Even in its current state, though, you should find this review very helpful if you read the whole thing.

Update: September 25, 2009 - If you found this post by searching for "Gregory hipbelt" or anything like that, I want you to know Gregory has fixed the problem with the hipbelt materials. After having lived out of my replacement pack for the last couple months, the hipbelt is still in great condition, and I can tell it's going to stay that way. So if you have been hesitant to buy a Gregory pack because you've heard about the hipbelt issues, I want to assure you there is no longer a problem. And if you found this post because you have a pack with the defective part, go ahead and contact Gregory because they will go out of their way to make sure you got what you paid for. (If you don't know how to contact Gregory, just scroll down and look for the dark blue text below my May 12 update.)

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Update: July 17, 2009 - I have packed and unpacked my new Whitney many times the last couple days in an effort to develop a good system of organization before I hit the road again (which I'll be doing later today). Having not even taken the pack outside yet, I already have some bad news to report: A seam near one of the upper cinch straps is coming undone due to the tension created when the strap is tightened. Have I tightened the strap too much, or is it just a poor quality seam? I don't know, but I really don't think this should be happening with a pack I haven't even used. This likely means I will rate the pack at no more than 4 of 5 stars whenever I finally write a new review.

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Update: June 12, 2009 - After some confusion with shipping, my replacement pack (Whitney 95) arrived from the Gregory factory two days ago. I have packed it up with over 50 pounds of gear and laid it on the floor with the hipbelt down to simulate some of the conditions that I'm sure caused my previous hipbelt problems (mentioned in the review below). If the hipbelt material problem has in fact been resolved, I will write a new, detailed review, giving these packs 5 stars (out of a possible 5 stars). Until then, go ahead and read my original review. This review, in conjunction with the more recent updates, may help you find what you're looking for.

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Update: May 12, 2009 - I received an e-mail today from Gregory's Director of Product Development. After reading my review (below), he responded to me regarding the hipbelt problems I've had, informing me that the problem "stemmed from an isolated batch of defective plastic material from one of our suppliers," which has subsequently been fixed. He also offered to send me a new pack, which I am eager to receive.

Since you probably found this page by searching for reviews that discuss the problems some people have had with Gregory's hipbelts, I think you should read the letter I received from Gregory (in blue text) before you read my review:

Hi Ryan,

John Sears here from Gregory's R&D department. Since this response became so long-winded, I thought I would spare your blog and email you personally.

I apologize for the inconvenience this belt panel caused you, and certainly thank you for your otherwise positive thoughts on the pack. Your disappointment with the defective belt panel is justified, as it is certainly not up-to-par with our quality expectations. Please allow me to shed some light on the situation, which we have already taken your advice on and fixed. The problem [with] your belt panel had stemmed from an isolated batch of defective plastic material from one of our suppliers. A variance in the material that they injection-molded this part from resulted in a small number of defective belt panel units. Although each one of these defective units has indeed broken quite quickly in the field (if not quarantined in our warehouse) the number of units that escaped our strict, multi-tiered quality inspection procedures is very limited in scale. This special HDPE compound is an engineered plastic designed to ensure that it retains its strength and flexibility through a large temperature range, and it is important to note that this issue is related to an inconsistent material supply, not the material or part design itself.

Although we have proactively communicated with our customers on this topic to make sure they were aware of this issue, we will continue to talk about this issue on our blog to make sure it is 100% transparent to customers like yourself, jredler and Jordan from your blog, and a few other REI customers that have posted reviews (as you pointed out in your post). We’ve done our absolute best to get customers brand new packs if necessary or quickly replace this component with a guaranteed part, and will continue to do so when customers contact us directly. We of course prefer that we help customers directly rather than indirectly through a retailer, as we’d like to think we have the ability to provide the best possible customer service.

My advice to anyone that is concerned with this panel on their Gregory pack is to inspect the part for visible cracks and fractures, which will be immediately apparent upon bending the plastic part. Take off the belt panel padding so the plastic panel is fully exposed, and physically bend the gray plastic panel with your hands. No need to be gentle, as this panel is a special mix of HDPE composite plastic that was specifically engineered for this application. In the off-chance that you do have a broken panel, from all my experience it will be immediately apparent after this quick inspection.

In terms of fixing the issue, I can tell you that we have changed the material supply source as well as the manufacturing location, now in the U.S., to ensure we have 100% control over this material. At any rate, if you’ve managed to read this far, I apologize for the long-winded explanation and on behalf of Gregory, sincerely apologize to you and anyone else that has had the misfortune of experiencing a breakage on this part. Please know that as we have for over thirty years, we do stand behind the quality, durability, and comfort of our packs and will continue to listen to customers like yourself to constantly strive to find new and innovative solutions to help take us all into the backcountry in comfort and confidence.

Feel free to email me or better yet, give me a call and we can jump on the phone to discuss in more detail. I’ll be happy to answer any questions for you or help out anyone from your blog with this issue. Given your seemingly great experience in the past with Gregory backpacks, and your passion for adventure, I’d hate to see you shy away from Gregory products in the future, as you are certainly one of our most valued customers. With that said, please let me know if there is an address I can send a pack to with the latest and greatest CFS waistbelt panel and adjustment configuration for your upcoming travels.

Take care and I hope wherever you are, life is treating you well,
John Sears
Gregory Mountain Products
Director of Product Development
951-760-3894
johnsears(AT)gregorypacks.com
http://www.gregorypacks.com/
http://www.gregorygoesthere.com/

My immediate impression from this e-mail is that the folks at Gregory want to make sure you get what you pay for when you buy their products. If, for whatever reason, you don't get what you paid for, they are willing to go out of their way to fix the problem and make you a happy customer. I am very impressed by how they've handled my situation, and once I get a chance to test my new pack, I'm sure I will recommend Gregory packs to anyone who asks for my opinion.

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Revision of a review I posted on rei.com

I've changed the bulk of this review to strikethru text for at least the time being, if not permanently, because when products change, reviews should change. I chose strikethru as an alternative to deletion because I want people to know the whole story from my perspective. (That is, I don't want people to stumble onto this review and read only part of it, thus receiving only part of my story and absorbing the wrong message.)

Title: An incredible backpack with one deal-breaking flaw

Rating: 1 star (may soon become 5 stars) out of a possible 5 stars.
Pros: Comfortable; Easy To Load; Good Padding.
Cons: Difficult to reach water bottle; Possibly weak seams; Sleeping bag compartment should be larger (all very minor issues); Hipbelt reinforcement breaks with normal use.
Best Uses: Extended Hikes.
Describe Yourself: Avid Adventurer; Tramp; Hobo.
Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend. (See "Important note" at the end of review.)

Here's the deal: If you buy the Palisade 80 (or the Whitney 95) AND ACTUALLY USE IT for more than a couple days, the plastic reinforcement behind the hipbelt will break. It might take a week or it might take a couple months, but it WILL break, no matter how much you baby it. And when that happens, you will probably be nowhere near an REI store, so you'll be stuck carrying 50+ lbs of gear on your shoulders instead of your hips.

The worst thing is that these plastic pieces are not available separately as replacement parts. The only way to get a new one is for an REI employee (or manager) to dismantle a brand new Gregory pack from their stock and transplant a new part onto your broken pack. It takes a lot of time and labor, and then you end up feeling like a jerk for asking them to take care of a problem that shouldn't exist in the first place (and wasn't their fault).

I started using my Palisade 80 in August 2008. Within a week or so (mid/late August), I noticed that the seams holding the gray material at the bottom of the pack were unraveling at every tension point. I was a little bothered by that, but I didn’t rush to REI to have it replaced. Aside from that issue, I still loved the pack because it feels great in almost every way.

But in early October, after spending a couple weeks walking from Santa Monica to Palm Springs, I woke up one morning to find half of my hipbelt totally disconnected from the frame, held on only by the tension strap and a snap. (Upon reflection, I now realize the hipbelt actually broke quite a while before this; I just didn't recognize it until it finally broke completely.)

So instead of walking any further east (into a big, empty desert), I had to try to hitch a ride back to Rancho Cucamonga, to the nearest REI store. I wanted to replace the entire backpack, but since there were no medium Palisade 80s available at any of the southern California REI stores, I accepted the store manager's offer to replace the plastic hipbelt reinforcement pieces, using parts he had to transplant from a brand new Gregory pack.

At that point, I thought maybe I was at least partially to blame for the damaged hipbelt because I sometimes sat on the sleeping bag compartment while the pack was in a horizontal position. Consequently, once I had that part replaced, I stopped putting any kind pressure on the pack whenever I laid it down. Nevertheless, it broke again less than a month later, possibly still in October. I can’t remember exactly when it broke, but I know I found my way to the Arcadia, California REI store on Election Day (November 4th?).

In Arcadia, I ended up trading in my Palisade 80 for a Whitney 95 because there still were no medium Palisade 80s available anywhere in SoCal. With this new pack, I took great caution to make sure there was never ANY weight or pressure on the hipbelt. Whenever I was not carrying the pack, I always made sure to find a way to lean the pack against something, to keep it upright, thus keeping the weight from ruining yet another hipbelt reinforcement.

But guess what: The hipbelt still broke.

Analysis, Suggestions, & Conclusion
From what I can tell, Gregory makes incredible backpacks. Their packs feel comfortable and they do what they’re supposed to do. But Gregory packs have one major design flaw that cancels out all the good qualities. Like I said before: If you actually use one of these Gregory packs how they were designed to be used, the hipbelt reinforcement pieces will break, no matter how much you baby it. It’s that simple. When this happens, it will suck big-time and it will leave you really screwed and pissed off.

I think the problem lies in the hipbelt’s adjustable angle feature (which I also don’t think is a necessary feature). The plastic simply is not strong enough to support unreinforced holes for the angle-changing mechanism. I’ve used setting 5 as well as setting 2, and I didn’t feel like either setting was any more ergonomic than the other setting. They did feel slightly different, but I could have used it either way, even though I tend to be pretty picky--obsessive-compulsive even--when it comes to comfort issues. Additionally, once the plastic part breaks, you can no longer change the angle anyway.

The multiple hipbelt angle feature needs to go. If that’s not an option, then Gregory needs to use a stronger material for the piece behind the hipbelt, and/or they need to put some kind of reinforcement around the holes.

I’m going to return my Whitney 95 for an Osprey or something whenever I get a chance because even though I think the Gregory could and should be a great pack, IT ALWAYS BREAKS, and I don’t want to deal with that anymore. Unfortunately, the nearest REI store to me is 200 miles away.

If anyone from Gregory should stumble upon this review, here is some valuable information I want to share with you: You have to fix this problem RIGHT NOW, regardless of the immediate costs. If you continue to manufacture backpacks with this flaw, you will quickly lose your reputation as the maker of the finest backpacks, most of the packs will be returned, and your business will disappear. While the hipbelt problem is the only real quality issue with your packs, it is a deal breaker. I, like most people, do not need my hipbelt to be adjustable. You absolutely must begin using a stronger material for the hipbelt reinforcement pieces, even though it will surely add a few ounces to the overall weight, because a few extra ounces is much less inconvenient than an imminently useless hipbelt. A few extra ounces is not a deal breaker. As you can see on the REI review pages, a lot of people are beginning to experience the same problem I've had. If you would like more input, feel free to contact me.

*Important note: If not for the hipbelt design flaw [defective belt panel material], I would have given each of these backpacks FIVE STARS. Aside from that problem, these are amazing backpacks.

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Some other gear I may eventually review in more detail:

REI Quarter Dome T2 Tent - Totally awesome tent! Almost perfect. Tons of room (especially head room), lightweight, durable, easy to set up. You almost never need to stake out this tent. It may be 12 ounces heavier than the Big Agnes Seedhouse SL-2 (reviewed below), but the ultralight weight is the ONLY redeeming quality about the SL-2.

Big Agnes Seedhouse SL-2 Tent - Sucks. No room, not durable, too labor intensive, expensive, smells funny. This is not truly a freestanding tent; you always have to stake it out. (I returned it for a Quarter Dome and got a lot of money back. Very good move.) I have no idea why REI customers give this tent good reviews. Probably because most of them haven't used it outside of the back yard.

Vasque Breeze GTX XCR Boots - I've put 1,100 miles on these boots, and they could last another 500 miles. Reasonably lightweight. Comfortable. Good support.

Kelty Red Cloud 6650 Backpack - Huge backpack. Unfortunately the tightest hipbelt setting is not tight enough for average sized people, which means all the weight ends up on your shoulders. The hipbelt worked for me in the beginning because I had a pretty big gut when I started. But within a month or two, my gut was gone and the hipbelt was useless. I'm pretty sure the shoulder straps gave me permanent nerve damage in my hands/arms.

Become a fan of Aimless on Facebook.

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Aimless
Aimless Video Evidence

Life After People

Life After People: What a pointless series.

OK, the original show was interesting. But a series?!? Gimme a break. It's the same freaking thing week after week: First vegetation overtakes a newly depopulated city and then all the man-made shit falls apart. Meanwhile, domesticated pets end up trapped in their dead owners' homes, with only toilet water to keep them alive for a couple months. (Apparently pets and wild animals are immune to everything that might instantly wipe out the entire human race, like nuclear war.)

What do you think will happen on next week's episode? I can't wait to find out!

I have an idea for a new series: Life Before Life After People. They could call it Aimless or something. Each week it would focus on some guy's unorthodox travels to various populated cities. Unlike Life After People, it would be about the people who still live in these cities and towns. It would be about the people who take our host traveler to these populated cities and it would be about all the interesting things that just happen when some dude decides to pack up his life in a 90-liter backpack so he can wander all over one of the largest land masses on the planet.

Unlike all the mega-stupid reality shows, it wouldn't require any manufactured premises or unknown actors hamming it up for the camera while trying to get their big break. It would not require any expensive special effects or time-consuming (and expensive) research. Unlike Bill Kurtis's productions and most of the news magazine shows, it wouldn't be five minutes of content stretched out to an hour of programming, because there would be no need for time-wasting filler material.

It's very cheap and it's very entertaining, and it's in an era with a million channels of nothing good to watch. Additionally, it's the history series of the future because right now is a very important time in human history. We don't know much about what everyday life was like for people in previous crucial historical eras. Everything we know came from people who either held power or were literate. (Yes, I am illiterate.)

You heard it here first.

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Aimless
Aimless Video Evidence

Hey NBC

Hey NBC,

I'm sick of waiting to hear from you. In fact, this silence is starting to piss me off because I know I'm your guy and I know you know I'm your guy. I am the only person out here who does (or can do) what you're looking for. So how about contacting me again so I can share my knowledge with you and help you make this thing happen.

It's tramping season. Let's get this show on the road.

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Until NBC invites me to be involved with their doc series project, I have no allegiance to them. So if there are any other networks or production companies that want to capitalize on NBC's refusal to communicate with their most valuable player, I'm all ears.

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Aimless
Aimless Video Evidence

I love GloZell

I never told you GloZell stopped attending the Tonight Show (after over two years of perfect attendance). Yeah, I found out the day after Election Day (November 5, 2008), when I returned to Burbank. Armed with two tickets for that night's show, I walked up to the line at about noon or 1:00, expecting to surprise GloZell, but she wasn't there. Max (the crazy guy) was there, though.

When I approached Max to find out why GloZell wasn't in her normal position at the front of the line, he became all cryptic. He acted like something big had gone down, but he wouldn't just tell me what happened. Instead of cooperating with me, he told me to read her blog. He also said something about the Screen Actors Guild, which made me wonder if maybe she got a big Hollywood break or something. But when I stumbled upon the Burbank library, I found out otherwise.

Digging through GloZell's blog, not even knowing what I was looking for, I eventually found out she had been 86ed from the Tonight Show in mid/late September, only a few days after I disappeared. Apparently one of her blog posts really weirded Jay Leno out (or weirded out someone at NBC). I don't know why; the girl is harmless. But then I don't know why NBC still hasn't gotten back to me about this doc series thing. I mean, something like Aimless would be very inexpensive to produce, and it would be 100 times more entertaining than most of the idiotic crap on TV these days.

I can't figure out why GloZell is not famous, or at least on her way to becoming famous. She is personable, funny, witty, camera-friendly, fearless, and so many other things. (Tons of other videos on her YouTube profile.)

Here are GloZell's blog posts from the days she and I hung out at the Tonight Show:
Tuesday, September 16
Wednesday, September 17
Thursday, September 18
Friday, September 19 - This one is the best. (Read patiently or scroll down.) I like Wednesday's post, too. Just check out all of them.



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Aimless
Aimless Video Evidence

This is a real resume

On 3/7/09, at about 3:00 pm EST, I sent this resume to NBC, along with a link to GloZell's video, the WCMH interview video, and links to 4 "headshot" pics on the Aimless blog.

Headshot #1
Headshot #2
Headshot #3
Headshot #4

I sincerely appreciate your feedback. Now on to the resume.

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Ryan M. Powell
1111 Road to Nowhere
Somewhere, Ohio 43XXX
614-XXX-XXXX (Home)
614-738-3867 (Cell)
myusername@att.net

Objective
To collaborate with NBC Universal Peacock Productions in an effort to provide a candid view into the world of hitchhiking by allowing their cameras to follow me as I explore that world and its inhabitants. Also to act as a liaison, opening the door for Peacock’s producers to enter secretive hitchhiking subcultures.

Qualifications
Between April 22, 2007 and December 19, 2008, I spent 388 days on the road, hitchhiking, walking, and trainhopping my way around 38 of the 50 states. I have ridden with 25 or 30 truckers and hundreds of “four-wheelers,” covering at least 35,000 miles on wheels, while walking another 2,700 miles. I have also slept in homeless camps and I once caught a ride with a well-known actress. Having deprived myself of all creature comforts to entertain and educate people, I will gladly do it again, given the right circumstances.

Due to my clean and presentable appearance, in conjunction with my outgoing personality and “street cred,” I attract characters from all levels of society. Wherever I go, people sense that I am both a storyteller and a story finder. It is nearly impossible to find these people by looking for them, but they flock to me and invite me into their worlds. I am your ticket to finding the characters you seek.

Additionally, YouTube viewers rate my road videos extremely high. Of the 13 videos I’ve uploaded to YouTube, only one receives fewer than 4.5 stars (out of a possible 5 stars). These high ratings suggest very clearly that viewers consider me a compelling character.

Experience
Aimless: The Adventures of an American Vagabond
http://www.aimlessmovie.com/
http://www.blog.aimlessmovie.com/
The United States of America
May 29, 2006 to present

Job Titles: Hitchhiker, Trainhopper, Traveler, Host, Camera Operator, Photographer, Interviewer, Director, Producer, Editor, Graphic Designer, Web Designer, Panhandler, Blogger, Author, Asshole, Angel, Eccentric.

Responsibilities: Don’t get killed and try not to go completely insane.

Achievements: I did all that stuff and survived. I have created something out of nothing, yet I am nowhere near finished. I am currently writing a book about my travels (32,000 words so far), and I may eventually use my 100 hours of video footage to make a documentary.

Education
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Secondary Education
Teaching Fields: Social Science and Earth Science
Earned a Grant-in-Aid

Columbus State Community College
General Studies
Dean’s List

Skills

• I am personable enough to fit into everyone’s world, from that of homeless junkies to the nouveau riche.


• I get rides with interesting characters.


• I am funny and often witty.


• I know how to survive via the unsolicited kindness of strangers.


• I remain sober and drug-free, even when the tramping world kicks my butt.

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Aimless
Aimless Video Evidence

Waiting

I don't know what to think about the fact that I still haven't heard anything from Peacock (NBC). I've sent a couple e-mails to the person who contacted me--one a couple weeks ago and another a couple weeks before that--asking if she's heard anything from the New York office. She responded to each of my messages, assuring me that she'll let me know what's up as soon as she knows anything.

I don't even know her position in the company. I don't know if she is an intern or a producer or what. But I do know she called me immediately after seeing the Aimless web site. (Visitor logs and IP address make it very clear.) In her voice mail message, she also sounded somewhat excited, as if she'd just experienced a profound Eureka! moment. I get the feeling she knows something but just isn't allowed to tell me anything. So I guess I still have good reason to feel optimistic about this thing.

The more I think about it, the more I realize I am the only person remotely qualified to do this job, especially if their vision resembles my Aimless vision. I'm not necessarily the most interesting or the most camera-friendly "host." I don't have the most pleasant voice, nor am I as witty as some TV hosts. But this job requires a lot more than just a pretty face and a nice voice. It does require a certain degree of proficiency in each of those areas, but most of all it requires balls. It requires street smarts and fearlessness. It requires personability and the capacity to comfortably mingle with individuals from every social strata, from homeless junkies to high society. It requires living in extreme poverty, with no privacy, no time off for your brain to process thoughts, and no comfort whatsoever for months. It requires staying off drugs and alcohol, which is a very uncommon trait among the people who lead that kind of life. It requires skills and personality traits that I've already demonstrated like no one else, and that's just the beginning. So in essence, I am the producers' ticket into secretive hitchhiking subcultures. I am their guide. I am their guy.

This uncertainty is really starting to wear on me, though, especially because I've been dealing with a very annoying illness for several weeks. And even though I think I'm almost over it, I'm starting to worry that I may be developing a neurological disorder. Consequently, this opportunity becomes more meaningful to me every day.

I really want this to happen. It's not even about money or prospective fame. I see it as an opportunity for me to teach people things no one else can teach them. I've paid my dues, having already suffered permanent physical damage to my body, and I just want it to mean something. I've worked so hard, both physically and mentally, to try to invent a unique and original entertainment genre, and I really hope I am on the verge of realizing the most unlikely success. I need this.

Other than a handful of people, I don't know who reads this blog. I know there are some regular lurkers out there, but I don't know who you are. You probably all think I'm a major prick; I know I often come off that way, particularly when I'm on the road losing my mind (which is inevitable, by the way). But I'm actually a pretty good guy, and I hope I have some support out there.

Within a few days I'll probably post the resume I sent to Peacock. It's very unique and interesting. I may alter the date of that post to make it show up below this one, so keep an eye out.

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Aimless
Aimless Video Evidence

Learn something for once

Since apparently no one can figure this out on their own, even with ten years to think about it, here's how you prevent things like Columbine and 9/11 from happening:

STOP FUCKING WITH PEOPLE!!!

Stop fucking with people you perceive as weaker than you. Stop allowing others to fuck with people they perceive as weaker than themselves. Stop deluding yourself into believing your superstitions are truer than other people's superstitions because they are all bullshit.

Instead, treat people how you wish to be treated. Treat EVERYONE how you wish to be treated.

Don't do it because I told you to do it. Don't do it because some book of fairy tales told you to do it. Do it because you are smart enough to figure out on your own that people don't like to be fucked with. When you fuck with people for long enough, they eventually fight back, killing you and themselves, as well as anyone else who happens to be in their way.

And then we wonder why it happened.

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Aimless
Aimless Video Evidence

This title is longer than the post

I need the Colbert Bump.

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Aimless
Aimless Video Evidence

Only you can make a difference

There are a couple reasons why I've been rather cryptic about all this TV series stuff. First of all, I know almost nothing about it. Second, I didn't want to piss off the people at NBC by talking about things they probably want kept secret.

So now you know it was NBC who contacted me. Specifically, it was Peacock Productions, the non-fiction division of NBC Universal.

I can't keep quiet about this anymore because I was just moved to tears by a 60 Minutes piece about a homeless, schizophrenic cellist in LA. If you saw this piece, I hope it brought you to tears, too, because that was Aimless. It was a day in the life of Ryan the tramp. The difference is that the network people spend years looking for that kind of character, while I live among them and meet them everywhere I go. (If you didn't see the piece, keep an eye out for a movie called The Soloist because it's about this guy.)

If NBC recruits me to go back out on the road with their cameras following me, that's the kind of stuff you're going to get to watch, except there will be 100 times more of it and there will be hundreds more compelling characters, each of whom will make you laugh and cry and learn and grow as a human.

People seem to want me to provide that kind of stuff here for free, but I can't do it all by myself. With NBC behind me, I will be able to give you everything you want, in a way that no one else on this planet can do it. However, I'm beginning to doubt that I will ever hear from NBC again.

If you want to see the story I've been trying to show you, then you need to help me. You need to e-mail these people and tell them I am the guy they're looking for. You also need to spread the word about Aimless and get other people to tell NBC I am the guy they're looking for, just in case they can't figure it out on their own.

There is no one else who does what I've done. If you let NBC choose someone else to do the job I created, they're going to end up producing a watered-down, sensationalized version of Aimless, and you're going to end up feeling ripped off. Do you want that?

Even with all my blog posts and videos, I still have not shown you anything yet. This is your best and last chance to help me give you what you want.

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Aimless
Aimless Video Evidence

Memphis reader and stuff

Hey you, the regular nighttime visitor from Memphis (or near Memphis): You seem eager for a new story. I feel like sharing a story from the road, perhaps something I was never able to thoroughly write about before. Is there anything you'd like me to write about? A story I never finished or any questions about the tramping life?

I've been in a stalemate with the book for a couple weeks. One reason is because I've been distracted by the prospect of being a character in a TV series, which I'm still waiting to hear about. The production company asked me to send them a resume, headshot, and video, which I did right away. (That's why I made the WCMH interview video.) Coolest resume ever, by the way.

Also, I have felt like total crap for a while due to sinusitis, which has given me a constant, horrible headache, toothaches, really bad nausea, disorientation, and general pain throughout the head region of my body. It's hard to think straight (or write) when dealing with this kind of discomfort. I saw a doctor about it today (yesterday), but I haven't picked up the prescription yet.

So what do you want to hear about, Memphis? Or how about you, MadTown? Are you still out there? (The visitor logs suggest you are still around.)

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Aimless
Aimless Video Evidence

Here ya go, Ron

Here's a new video. It's me being interviewed by WCMH Channel 4 (Columbus) outside the LA Coliseum in September 2008, before the OSU/USC game.



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Aimless
Aimless Video Evidence

I might have to unretire

I received an interesting voice mail message Monday from Hollywood. I don't mean Hollywood, the place; I mean Hollywood, the industry. The voice in the message said she'd seen one of my videos on YouTube and she'd also checked out the Aimless web site. She then informed me that her company--a company you've heard of--is "currently developing a new doc series and I thought that you might be really great for one of the characters."

I don't know much more than what I just told you, and I don't want to lead anyone on, but I kinda think big things are about to happen. That's all I have to say right now.

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Aimless
Aimless Video Evidence

Disappearing act

Ron said:

So, you carry around a camera and don't shoot video or take pics? What kind of journalist are you? No wonder you can not get anyone to fund your endeavor. If you want people to read your book (or blog) you really need to work on your marketing skills.

Oh yea,...post more pics.

(If you can't read the quote above, just highlight it.)

Hey Ron,

You go out and try to create something out of nothing, OK. You'll end up with A LOT less than I have. I never claimed to be a journalist or a photographer or a writer or a filmmaker.

This has nothing to do with marketing because I'm not selling you anything; I'm giving it to you, and I was giving it to you from the beginning. I knew there was essentially no market for this [documentary] before I ever started. I tried to create a market that I already knew didn't exist, but I may have also begun creating that market, despite obstacles like you. And guess what: It didn't cost me any money. (It cost me some feeling in my left hand and it cost me some of the functionality of my left ankle, as well as some other things, but it hasn't cost me any money.) If I end up creating a real market and getting my book published, well then I think that means I will have won.

I'm gonna close my web browswer in a minute, and I'm not going to open it (or check my e-mail) again for at least a week because I don't need to be distracted by you or any of the other crap that has sucked America's brain out through its nose.

P.S. - I used pink for your quote because you seem kind of wimpy.

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Aimless
Aimless Video Evidence

Dear Anonymous in Cleveland, Tennessee

Hey Anonymous,

Um, I'm trying to write a book right now. I have not been on the road for two months. What kind of pictures do you think I've been taking with my phone lately? There are some pictures in there that surely have good stories attached to them, like the picture I took of a guy named Ramses outside the In-N-Out Burger in Henderson, Nevada. But I'm too freaking busy writing a book right now to spend time giving the story away to people who don't understand or appreciate what I've put myself through. And I was too busy starving and walking 3,000 miles, with 50-65 lbs on my back, to stop and tell you the whole story as it happened.

Do you think I'm making any income from this blog?

I'd like to give you what you want here, OK, but I'm busting my ass on something I hope will put some money in my pocket someday because there is no money in my pocket right now, nor has there been since I can remember.

This web site and blog have been here for over two and a half years, and it still does not see much traffic. Way back whenever, when I had hope that people might visit this site and tell their friends about it and help me generate some buzz and support, it didn't happen. A few people, like Brad, Jay, Luke, and Lew, tried to help me spread the word, but basically no one else did. And whenever, if ever, I am in position to give something back to these guys and the other people who have helped me, I will, even though I doubt that any of them consider me in debt to them. Especially Brad, though, because Brad has gone out of his way to help me promote Aimless.

Do you know who constitutes the largest demographic of visitors to the Aimless web site? People looking for pizza recipes. Yes, and I have given them almost all of the secrets behind the best pizza on the planet, for free, just as I have given you something you want for free.

There's a brand new web site called Pimp This Bum that has generated tens of thousand of hits in less than a week because people talked about it and wrote about it and told their friends about it. You could say it's very similar to what I've been doing--and I'd say it's less interesting than what I've been doing--but people are going there and helping these guys create something out of nothing. Maybe the guys behind that site are just smarter than me. Or maybe they knew someone who had the power to get the word out for them. I don't know. But they took about half an hour to interview one homeless guy, and now there is tons of buzz about their site, and there are probably people lined up to help them further their cause.

All because one person told someone else about that web site, just like I've done by telling you about it and linking to it. That's precisely the kind of snowball effect I hoped to create when I began this project, but it hasn't happened and I'm over it.

I don't care if you stop reading this blog, all right. Obviously, according to your comment, there is at least a little demand for what I've tried so hard to give you. Sometimes when people bust their asses to give you what you want, you have to give a little bit back. If you don't give back, it goes away.

If you haven't already seen this, here is a response to your comment. (Since the anchor doesn't appear to be working, scroll down to the comments.)

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Aimless
Aimless Video Evidence

In case you've never seen this

I just watched the Quasi-Aimless (Revised) video twice for the first time in a long time, after receiving an e-mail from the drunk guy ("Character" #2) who recently found this blog after Googling his name. Even though he let me stay at his place one night, he had no memory of meeting me or knowing me.

I have to admit I like the video.

One thing I noticed in this video for the first time is the "BL" sign to the right of the "Beverly Hills" sign. As I walked around LA last September, after seeing a few of these signs, I became curious and followed one of them to find out what they are for, and I figured it out really quickly. These signs help cast and crew find their filming locations. All the locals know what the signs mean, but all the locals are used to having Hollywood in their back yard. Tourists have no clue what the signs are for, so they never become a nuisance.



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Aimless
Aimless Video Evidence

Basketball

This is a nice story. Sad but nice. Sometimes the smallest gestures in a meaningless game of basketball can be the kindest, most memorable acts in one's life. People like the DeKalb High School basketball coach and his players are awesome. I salute you.

By the way, Brad "Fishbone" Perkins and I (and probably a few Aimless Blog lurkers) once called DeKalb High School home for a day or two, as members of the Limited Edition Drum & Bugle Corps. (A bit of worthless trivia: Cindy Crawford is a graduate of DeKalb High School.)

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Aimless
Aimless Video Evidence

Two miracle cures in one day

Disclaimer: To anyone who found this blog post by searching for either 'XanGo' or 'mangosteen,' I am not in the business of either promoting or opposing XanGo or any other "miracle cure" drink. I am merely relating a true story here, of which XanGo is a major theme. Nevertheless, I invite you to read this entire post because this post is more informative than any of the propaganda you're receiving from the people who are trying to sell you XanGo.

Trying for a couple hours to get a ride beside the on-ramp in Cedar City, Utah, I ventured back to the gas station where Dennis dropped me off, hoping I could go inside and warm up. Shortly after my arrival, a lady walked in and proclaimed that she had just won a 1976 Corvette in a 35-dollar drawing. (You may remember this from the Quasi-Aimless video.) While she was in the restroom, her travel companion came inside and began talking to the attendant and me.

Lady #2: “XanGo. Have you ever heard of it? It’s a functional health beverage. It’s just a fruit juice, but it has, like, medicinal qualities. It’s really delicious and it’s a natural anti-inflammatory. So if you have joint pain or arthritis or, you know, migraines…

"She actually had cancer and [now] she’s cancer-free. This is listed on the Sloan-Kettering Institute. It outperforms the top five chemotherapy drugs in a petri dish. There’s a cancer clinic in Arizona with Level 4 cancer patients that, I understand, have like a 65 to 72 percent recovery rate.

"When we got involved with it, it wasn’t for anything other than just to drink the juice, to keep your immune system up. But three months later, when the doctor went in, she was declared cancer-free…

“It helps arthritic fatigue, depression, anxiety, cardio-vascular, cholesterol… It’s just a natural food, just like aloe vera is natural.

“We really shouldn’t be surprised. God put aloe vera on the earth. What, thirty years ago nobody had ever heard of it, right? But now it’s in every toothpaste and hand lotion; y’know, everything. And so they’re saying that mangosteen juice, which is the name of the fruit, is going to be bigger than aloe vera.

“But just in four years, the company itself, as far as businesses go, it has outsurpassed [sic] Wal-Mart, Cisco, Yahoo, Dell, and Microsoft; in just four years, outpaced only by e-bay, with just one small product.”

---

It’s interesting that the lady brought up the “Sloan-Kettering Institute” because here’s a little bit of what the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center’s web site has to say about the mangosteen fruit and XanGo:

Scientific Name
Garcinia mangostana L.

Common Name
Numerous brand names. XanGo is a dietary supplement that contains Garcinia mangostana and other fruit juices. But it is not synonymous with the mangosteen fruit.

How It Works
Bottom Line: Mangosteen has not been shown to treat cancer in humans.

Research Evidence
No clinical studies have been conducted to evaluate the effects of mangosteen in humans.

Clinical Summary
Despite claims by several marketers, the efficacy and safety of mangosteen products for cancer treatment in humans have not been established.

Warnings

• Several Mangosteen products are sold via a network marketing approach. There is no conclusive evidence regarding the efficacy and safety of mangosteen in treating cancer. Patients should consult their oncologists before using any supplements during cancer treatment.


• Mangosteen products have antioxidant effects. They may interfere with the action of certain chemotherapeutic drugs and radiation therapy.


• Due to the sugar content, diabetic patients should use mangosteen juice with caution.

Literature Summary and Critique
There is no clinical data available to support the beneficial effects of mangosteen in humans.

---

To me, it doesn’t look like the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center has anything good to say about either XanGo or the fruit that XanGo is made from. The funny thing is that most of the mangosteen juice retailers’ web sites link to the page on Sloan-Kettering’s web site anyway, as if they don’t realize the web page has nothing good to say about mangosteen juice. Perhaps these juice retailers realize that their target market consists entirely of a special demographic: people who can be easily swayed by their emotions, ignoring all evidence that contradicts their emotions. (Hmmm, sounds A LOT like religion.)

These ladies were nice and seemed sincere, but I've now realized they were completely full of shit when it came to this XanGo stuff. (Mostly it was just the second lady, not the lady who won the Corvette.)

Having done a little research yesterday, it's clear to me that some of the things they said were "talking points." Like the thing about the cancer center and probably the allusion to aloe vera. I also read something on a more reputable web site that said studies in petri dishes are not generally reliable because they don't simulate real-life conditions. These studies just give you a preliminary indication, which may lead to more substantial, in-depth research.

But I haven't looked into everything she said. It's probably ALL bullshit, though, because people generally believe bullshit if you feed it to them in an authoritative tone.

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Aimless
Aimless Video Evidence

There's something about Utah

Today, as a tool to refresh my memory of Aimless events, I've been watching video I made while riding with the first person who ever picked me up. During the drive from Richfield, Utah to Cedar City, the driver, Dennis, was quick to mention a drink called Reliv. Reliv is one of those "miracle cure" drinks that people get tricked into selling as part of a pyramid scheme. He told me about how it "cured" his chronic fatigue and his wife's head pains, but that's not all he said about it.

I don't think Dennis was trying to sell me Reliv--I haven't watched all of it yet--but while watching this footage I realized for the first time that he was a "distributor" of the drink. In fact, he was only driving through Richfield because he had just taken (or sold?) a bunch of Reliv to family members in central Utah.

I had no idea at the time how many snake oil salesmen I would end up meeting in Utah, but damn near everyone I met in Utah tried to turn me on to this kind of shit. If I didn't show any interest in buying it, they tried to get me to sell it. (Remember, pyramid scheme.)

So I did a little research today, just hoping to find a little information about Reliv, Xango, and the blueberry drink some old ladies at a Salt Lake City truck stop were selling. Why Utah, specifically?, I wondered.

Are you ready for the answer? You're never gonna guess this...

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Yes, the mormons.

These companies are not necessarily sponsored by LDS, but almost all of them have LDS folks at the top of the pyramid. I haven't looked too deeply into it yet, but it's pretty creepy.

I wonder how Dennis (a mormom) is doing now, almost two and a half years later.

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Aimless
Aimless Video Evidence

The scary part

After a very slow start, my first attempt at writing a book is really starting to come along. Almost 6,000 words into it, I'm just getting to my first hitchhiking experience. It's hard to write about the "Quasi-Aimless" leg of the adventure because there is so much I need to leave out. But there is also a lot I can't leave out, like the story of my first time hitchhiking. I can't wait until I get to the experiences I actually want to write about. There are so many of them.

It's not going to be difficult to write a 300-page book about my travels. The difficult part will be writing it in a way that will make it easy for people to read and enjoy. Am I a good enough writer to turn an incredible story into an incredible book? I know sometimes I am, but I also know sometimes I'm not. That's the scary part.

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Aimless
Aimless Video Evidence

Lexington, Tennessee

Here's one of many observations I've been wanting to share for a long, long time.

At I-40 Exit 108, near Lexington, Tennessee, beside the westbound on-ramp, there is a sidewalk that ends about twenty feet down the ramp. Seeing how pedestrians are not allowed on the interstate, there's not much reason for people to use this sidewalk. But the ants use it like crazy. There is a constant line of ants doing ant work; walking back and forth from whatever to whatever else. And they always use the same route. They've used it so much over the years that their tiny little legs have actually carved a visible path into the concrete sidewalk. (Do ants have feet?)

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Aimless
Aimless Video Evidence

Retardoland

63% Reject Darwin's Theory of Evolution. And Americans wonder why we can't do anything right anymore. Oh wait, no they don't. They just keep PRETENDING we're the best at everything and that fairy tales are real.

Let's all have faith that the banks will have enough faith to use our trillion-dollar gift wisely, even though they've already proven their incompetence by ruining the whole economic system. (What could you do with $789,000,000,000? With that kind of money, I could open at least 4 million pizzerias!)

I think they should start teaching bullshit--I mean creationism--in science classes. But instead of teaching science as an established set of facts or information, they should teach science for what it really is: an objective analysis of observable physical evidence. That way, the "creation science" chapter would last about 30 seconds, because there is no evidence supporting the tenets of creationism. Zero evidence.

Oh, but evolution has a missing link. Yeah, well creationism has a missing chain.

If you want to base your entire existence on total bullshit fantasy, there is already a place where you can go to do that. It's called church, and no one's stopping me or anyone else from going there to learn about things that aren't real. When I want to learn a little bit more about things that are real, though, I'll go to a science class.

How many thousands of times does God have to let you down before you realize he either doesn't exist or doesn't give a shit?

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Aimless
Aimless Video Evidence

Beginning

Composing the beginning of a true story is a very difficult task, especially when there are about 20 different events that could be considered the starting point. You have to figure out which of those points in time is the most interesting moment to grab prospective readers, and then you have to string together the best possible combination of words to make it readable.

If you're obsessive-compulsive (aka a perfectionist), like me, nothing is ever good enough. However, if I am able to write something that does manage to satisfy my own high standards, I'll know I'm on the right path.

My story began way the hell before I ever thought about hitting the road with a backpack, but I think the story begins the night I watched Wanderlust, a documentary about road movies. I never even finished watching that movie because one quick image started the ball rolling in my mind.

I've written a few pages' worth of stuff so far, but I don't think it's right yet. Of course, the right opening came to me while I was driving earlier tonight, but I've since lost it. I think it will be back soon, though.

Focus, Ryan, focus.

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Aimless
Aimless Video Evidence

It's on

Tonight at 12:17 am EST, with my brand new HP Pavilion dv6-1030us, I wrote the first sentence of the book Aimless. It's all downhill from here.

Also, my "sourdough" starter has already begun bubbling a little bit. There's a bit of a sour smell brewing, too.

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Aimless
Aimless Video Evidence

Sometimes life is good

Tonight I had a three-hour chat on Facebook with my dear old friend Jackie. I just joined Facebook a few weeks ago, so this was the first time we've communicated in over a decade. Now married, Jackie lives in Minnesota and has a young son. He's four years old, I think.

Jackie and I used to be really close, beginning in high school and continuing for at least a few years after high school. I don't know how we lost touch with each other, but I sure am glad we've reestablished contact.

I love you, Jackie, and I've missed you. You are an angel, and tonight you've inspired me more than you'll ever know.

(OK, so it's 'pithy,' and it must be on page 53, right?)

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Aimless
Aimless Video Evidence

Wingless

Sometimes I feel like I was sent out into the world as a catalyst to inspire and make good things happen to people, but without anyone ever realizing I had anything to do with it.

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Aimless
Aimless Video Evidence

Heart of glass

I received an e-mail from Beverly Hills Police Officer Tyler Blondi (aka Axel Foley) tonight. Really cool guy. You may remember my post about my encounter with him a few months ago.

Anyway, I was just thinking about the half-hour or so that I interacted with him, and it occurred to me that it would have been awesome if I somehow could've caught that encounter on tape. That and a million other things.

Here's one thing I learned from my time on the road: If a TV network or just someone with money to invest ever manages to find enough insight to send a camera crew out on the road with a tramp--could be me or ANYONE who does what I've done--they will end up with hours and hours of some of the most interesting, most intriguing, and most valuable video footage you could ever imagine. In other words: Yeah, I had a brilliant idea when I decided to hit the road as a bum with a camera. I just didn't have the resources or connections to do everything right. Fortunately I have what it takes to write what I think will be an incredible book.

Maybe my book will be the trigger that finally awakens prospective investors.

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Aimless
Aimless Video Evidence

My final day on the road, Part 1

Unlike most Americans, I learn from my mistakes as well as from other people's mistakes. I'm not afraid to share the knowledge I gain from this method of learning, even though I know most people are stubbornly unreceptive to ideas that contradict their own; even when their own ideas cost them thousands of dollars every month (like most independent pizzeria owners).

Some people think that makes me a negative miser. However, I think it makes me something more like a scientist--a valuable asset in a society that no longer functions. Y'see, there are always reasons for why things happen. There are reasons why our economic system is in a world of shit. There are reasons why American automakers and fast food joints are failing. There are reasons why most of our kids are stupid when they graduate hy skule. There are reasons why Americans often attach Canadian flags to their backpacks when traveling abroad.

From morning until well after midnight, my final day of Aimlessness was filled with screaming examples of why the United States of America doesn't work anymore. Here's the story of December 18, 2008, my final day on the road, and what I learned from it...

On the day I left California a few weeks ago, I arrived at the Ontario airport a couple hours before my flight was scheduled to leave. Talking to my mom before I checked in, she informed me that Delta Airlines now charges $15 for each checked bag, something their web site did not make clear when she arranged the airfare a day earlier. As we talked, she was logged on to their web site again, trying to find a way to edit my ticket so the bullshit baggage fee would be added to her credit card along with the airfare, but there appeared to be no way to make such a simple change.

Inside the airport I approached the lone human working at the Delta Airlines check-in desk and asked if there was any way to add the baggage fee to the original bill. He said it can't be done. He told me the only option was for me to pay the baggage fee myself, which really pissed me off because: 1) That's fucking retarded; 2) I was lucky I even had enough money to pay the baggage fee; 3) I hadn't eaten all morning and I was about to spend the whole day in airports, where food prices are unreasonably jacked up, leaving travelers with no options other than to pay too much for something they wouldn't normally buy anyway; 4) They now also charge for meals on flights that would have been part of the cost of airfare less than a year ago.

Anyway, since all these brilliant American companies have replaced humans with computers wherever possible, I had to venture over to a very unintuitive kiosk to check in for my flight. When I told the machine I'd be checking one bag, it gave me ONE option for how to pay the baggage fee: credit card. Yeah, well I didn't have a credit card, so I had to flag down a human employee to help me get through everything, thus keeping him from doing the job he's paid to do for a couple minutes.

Am I to understand that Delta Airlines, a large corporation with tons of resources, can't figure out a way to make their web site give you the option to add a bullshit baggage fee to your original bill instead of putting you and their own employees through all this crap? Are they unable to put 2 and 2 together and recognize the fact that people are fucking sick of horrible service, which is precisely why the airlines are in so much financial trouble in the first place? Because I'll tell you what: I love flying, but I don't want to fly ever again. Not with Delta or any other airline because instead of providing me just a hint of service, they give me a miserable experience just about every time.

At this point in my day, I already wished I would have just stayed at the truck stop and kept trying to get a ride. Yes, I would rather spend a week or two hitchhiking my way across the country than put up with the bullshit that has become standard with the airlines. And I'm not even close to finished with this part of the story yet.

Airport securitah
Whoa, now this requires its own post, but I'll say something short about airport security: We don't need all these ridiculous extra security restrictions. If airport security employees had only done their jobs correctly on September 11, 2001, none of that shit would have happened. The World Trade Center would still be standing tall and proud, and 3,000 people would still be alive today. There was no need to change any rules regarding what people can or cannot carry onto a plane. The only thing that needed to be changed was the competence level of airport security personnel. There is a reason one of the hijackers didn't make his flight: It's because someone did his job correctly, without creating new rules.

Enough about that.

The flight to Atlanta was fine. A Marine in the seat beside me let me borrow a pair of earphones, so I was able to watch Wall-E for free. That was very cool of him.

In the Atlanta airport I spent most of my remaining money on some baked ziti at Sbarro. Surprisingly, the Sbarro menu prices were not a whole lot higher than they would be at a regular Sbarro. Of course, every regular Sbarro is way overpriced as it is. So I spent $7 for a meal that didn't fill me up, and I didn't have any water to wash it down because you can't take water through airport security. As everyone should know by now, one semi-filled bottle of water will take a plane down, but only if it is carried on, rather than bought on the plane.

Yeah yeah yeah. Atlanta to Columbus. Smooth flight, but very late. Mom and dad were there waiting outside the securitah checkpoint. Time to fetch my backpack from the baggage claim.

By now I'd already noticed that my baggage claim voucher had someone else's name on it, and Someone Else's stuff was supposed to go to Raleigh. Whose stuff do you think went to Raleigh? You guessed it: My stuff went to Raleigh! And all the people who were already on the plane before it landed in Atlanta, their stuff was somewhere other than Columbus.

Oh, I haven't even started yet.

TO BE CONTINUED...

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Aimless
Aimless Video Evidence

Search keywords

Have you ever wondered what kinds of search phrases bring people to the Aimless blog? Well, here's how they got here last month:

droopy titties 8 11.2 %
aimless 4 5.6 %
restaurant makeover failures 4 5.6 %
jay rivers 3 4.2 %
big droopy tittys 3 4.2 %
aimless film 2 2.8 %
ugly titty 2 2.8 %
titties to ride 1 1.4 %
ron stromfeld columbus 1 1.4 %
matt reel tennessee 1 1.4 %
pictures of ryan powell arrested 1 1.4 %
beverly hills police officer blondi 1 1.4 %
aimless.no 1 1.4 %
naples florida city of assholes 1 1.4 %
pizza shope oven 1 1.4 %
raul gomez in california 1 1.4 %
richard denlinger farmersville ohio 1 1.4 %
huge droopy udders 1 1.4 %
why i never get what i want lyrics 1 1.4 %
aimless blog 1 1.4 %
glozell kicked off the tonight show 1 1.4 %
old droopy titties 1 1.4 %
otis gunn 1 1.4 %
the excuse me company in colorado 1 1.4 %
my confession part3 1 1.4 %
kate lowenstein writer 1 1.4 %
dan dosier 1 1.4 %
sleeping bag too large for compartment in gregory whitney 1 1.4 %
stella royce charleston 1 1.4 %
erixphoto.com 1 1.4 %
best donut shop 1 1.4 %
belinda babbage 1 1.4 %
cops in fontana 1 1.4 %
california 1 1.4 %
harry roland wtc 1 1.4 %
quartzsite az prostitutes loves truck stop 1 1.4 %
troy bracken 1 1.4 %
failing restaurant makeover 1 1.4 %
fuck crap 1 1.4 %
jay nivers 1 1.4 %
znomads 1 1.4 %
missy gilroy 1 1.4 %
marialyn drost 1 1.4 %
fontana california police abuse 1 1.4 %
fatburger tuesdays 1 1.4 %
white2@nationalcity.com 1 1.4 %
starbuck 1 1.4 %
aimless people 1 1.4 %
assholes in naples florida 1 1.4 %
big droopy titties 1 1.4 %
otis gunn pizza wheel 1 1.4 %
fuck shit crap 1 1.4 %

By the way, I might have some more fuck shit crap to say soon. It's time to start writing the book. It won't be anything like the blog has been because now I have time to think clearly and write about the amazing things instead of just the things that pissed me off.

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Aimless
Aimless Video Evidence

It's over

The last several days (or weeks) have been miserable. I didn't eat much for the 2 weeks I was in Vegas, plus the weather was pretty crappy most of the time. Then I was stuck in Primm for several days, where I also didn't eat much. However, I did have sort of a short vacation in Primm because hotel rooms are really cheap there. From Primm I came back down to SoCal (Ontario) so I could try to get a ride with a trucker east along I-10 to make it home for X-mas. I stood outside two of the biggest truck stops in the country for over 3 days in the very cold, rainy, windy weather, not getting a ride. Finally yesterday, cold and wet and sick of all the shit, I decided to take my mom up on her offer to fly me home. So now I'm sitting at Gate 208 of the Ontario airport, about to board a flight to Atlanta. After a three-hour wait in Atlanta, I'll fly to Columbus, where all this Aimless crap will
officially be over forever. The airlines are a joke, yet they wonder why people don't fly anymore.

At 10:22 am PST, on

At 10:22 am PST, on Las Vegas Boulevard South (a couple miles south of the strip), I officially topped 1,000 miles walking since July 31.

At a Starbuck's in Vegas,

At a Starbuck's in Vegas, I just heard a piano "cover" of Radiohead's 'Paranoid Android.' Wow!

I personify aimless

Having just Googled 'aimless' for the first time in a long time, I was surprised to see that the Aimless web site is now near the top of the list of search results, second only to the definition of 'aimless.' I guess that means there is no one on this planet more aimless than myself. Shouldn't that make me famous or something? Well, I guess I picked the right title for this dying project.

It's too bad Aimless never reached the consciousness of anyone important (like a network or cable bigwig) because I've met some of the most interesting characters on this planet. I haven't been able to tell even a fraction of my story or the Aimless story here, but I can assure y'all that it would have been a fascinating series or movie if only I'd had some people (like a crew) to help me capture the story. Y'see, no one can do it all by themself. You may not realize this, but simply keeping myself alive is the equivalent of working three full-time jobs.

I'm tired now. Unless you've done this tramping thing before, you will never have any idea how tired I am. I've literally had a nearly constant headache for at least a few weeks. I have a hard time interacting with people--even the coolest, most down-to-earth people--because I can't cram any more information into my head. I don't trust my senses anymore because nothing seems real. I can't seem to feel happiness or sadness or any emotions anymore. I'm not even rattled by extreme hunger.

So why do I feel like crying just about all the time?

Something inside me knows this is all wrong, but something else inside me is trying to hide the truth from my consciousness.

It doesn't matter where I am, but I'm not in California anymore.

I'm nearing 1,000 ped-miles since July 31.

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Aimless
Aimless Video Evidence

What a messed up day, Part 2

Continued from What a messed up day, Part 1.

After a time-consuming struggle with the strong and constant wind (which, by the way, is what fueled the nearby fires last weekend), I made it back to my campsite, totally beat. Fortunately none of my other gear had blown away while I was off chasing the tent. But it wasn't nearly over yet.

My next objective was to figure out how to get my stuff into my tent. Y'see, it's not easy to keep a tent-kite in place when you have to use your hands to grab the stuff you want to put in it, partly because you need to hold on to the tent at the end but throw your stuff in through the side. Even if you manage to get all your stuff inside the tent, the wind still wants to blow all of it to freaking Mexico, and it can almost do that, even with the weight of all the gear inside.

Seeing how there was no point in staking out the tent (due to the loose sand and hard rock), I had to try to put the heavier pieces of my gear on the windward side of the tent. But when almost everything is out of the backpack, there is only one remotely heavy piece of gear: the backpack and the few pieces of gear that I don't take out of it at night. So I threw the backpack onto the area where my head would be if I was sleeping. The backpack alone is not enough to cover that whole side, so the tent was blowing like crazy, the poles bending to an uncomfortable extent, while I tried to get everything else inside the tent canopy, including myself.

Eventually I worked out that part. Me and all my stuff were inside the tent, sans rainfly, and I was relaxing, with the tent blowing like crazy beside me and in my face. Then came a huge gust of wind, and along with the wind came sand. With the sand particles being smaller than the holes in the tent canopy's mesh, I was now in the middle of a sandstorm, being pelted by the little pieces of earth-rock, which only blow into the tent, not out.

Now remember, I'm in the midst of a migraine right now.

Immediately I grabbed the rainfly, unzipped a door, and slipped my bare feet into my boots, not tying them. As I exited the tent, there was no longer 150 pounds keeping one side of the tent relatively in place, so the tent began flapping everywhere once again. But somehow I managed to attach the rainfly and get back inside the tent without it breaking or going on tour of Mexico.

Now that I'm safely inside the tent, this episode may seem over, but it's not even close because the wind kept up all night. So as I spent the night with my body keeping the tent from blowing away, I couldn't keep the wind from blowing the tent violently back and forth and in my face. I also spent much of the night worrying that the poles would break. Fortunately the aluminum poles did not break, but one of the poles ended up bent about 15 degrees in one spot.

I'm sick of typing, so I'll say one more thing: With the strong wind continuing the next morning, it was a bitch tearing down the tent and packing everything up. Also, all my stuff had tons of sand in it, which also is not very pleasant. I hesitantly slept in almost the same spot the next night, but there was barely any wind that time.

I think that's about it for the time being. I've felt lingering effects from the migraine for the last week. Actually, my life has been one constant headache for quite a while now.

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Aimless
Aimless Video Evidence

Eloy report

Now that I have some space, here's what happened yesterday, regarding the arraignment: As soon as I finished packing up in the morning, I called my mom and asked her to look up the Eloy District Attorney's phone number, then call the DA. I gave my mom all the important details as I walked a mile back to the Ontario TA truck stop.

Important details for the DA to know: 1) I'd been trying to get a ride from Ontario to Eloy for the previous three days, but I can't make it on time; 2) Greyhound doesn't stop in Eloy; 3)Even though I can't make it on time, I'm still trying to get there. Maybe some other stuff, too.

We were still on the phone as I arrived at my perch across street from TA's truck exit with a sign reading 'Phoenix.' Five or ten minutes after our call, my mom called me back and told me the charge was already dropped.

So that bullshit is over, thankfully.

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Aimless
Aimless Video Evidence

Happy birthday, Jay

Happy birthday, Jay. I know I'm five days late, but I actually thought about it four days ago, if that's any consolation. I've had a lot of shit on my mind, y'know. I hope things are going well.

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Aimless
Aimless Video Evidence

You'll never believe this: The

You'll never believe this: The trainhop-related charge was dropped... before my mom even called the prosecutor on my behalf. More later maybe.

An eternal headache

Oh Jesus Christ, where to begin? First, I'm not gonna make it to Eloy and I really don't care. So I'll be in contempt of court, eh? Yeah, well Eloy is in contempt of Ryan. They've already taken a month from my life and they've probably cut some time off the end of it, too. I've been punished enough; they're not gonna get a cent from me. I might have gotten a ride if I'd been quicker to realize that some guy at the truck stop is way beyond a compulsive liar. I can't even begin to tell that story here. --> Today I watched a big truck push a BMW sideways about 300 feet, with the front of the truck against the BMW's driver's-side door. Got some of it on tape, too. The lady in the BMW was seriously freaked out and crying when the truck finally stopped, right in front of me. I really felt for her; I can't imagine the terror of what she went through. The trucker had no idea she'd even hit the
car, and if I hadn't been there, she probably wouldn't have stopped as soon as she did. Very surreal.

The one time I absolutely

The one time I absolutely HAVE TO get a ride, it's beginning to look like I'm fucked. If I don't get a ride in the next 8 hours, I'm in contempt.

Family man

This dude is Family Guy. Not only does he look like him, but he also kinda talks like him and has a very similar personality and sense of humor. When I told him he reminds me of Peter from Family Guy, he said other people have said that to him, but also that he has never even seen Family Guy. Kinda like me and Into the Wild, I guess. He's a trucker/firefighter named Tom.

What a messed up day, Part 1

You have no idea what kind of shit I go through out here on the road sometimes. Let’s recap yesterday:

I already mentioned the citation for soliciting or whatever. That was early in the morning, and I really don’t think there will be any serious consequences when I don’t show up for court next year. The only reason the cop cited me is to keep some worthless bum out of Montclair forever. Y’see, he profiled me because I carried a large backpack, first writing a citation and asking questions later. When he figured out that I was actually a traveler, not a bum, he became a little less of a dick (but he was still a dick). After taking some time to think about signing the citation, I told him there’s no way I’ll be here in January 2009. That’s when he told me there will only be serious consequences if I show up in Montclair again.

Totally unnecessary bullshit.

Shortly after that, I took a bus to Rancho Cucamonga to put myself in position to see some football on Saturday before heading to a nearby truck stop to get a ride to Stupid Arizona.

In Rancho I ate at In-N-Out Burger. (I’ve been meaning to write a very detailed post about In-N-Out Burger for a while because In-N-Out is by far the best model of how to operate a business in this country. Maybe I’ll get to that sometime.) After eating, at about 5:30 pm, I became very tired and light-headed. It wasn’t lack of sleep or In-N-Out Burger that did this to me; I think it was a few short glimpses of direct sunlight that caused the strange feeling. So, as it was almost completely dark by this time, I began looking for a spot to set up camp for the night, or at least a place where I could lay down and rest a while.

Quickly finding an undeveloped desert area where I would not be seen at such an early hour, I began looking for a flat spot to put up my tent. As I walked around on the dirt and sand, I became more disoriented. I had tunnel vision and I felt very clumsy by now, but I knew I was close to finding a good spot. Feeling like I was in the early stages of a migraine, all I wanted to do was set up my tent and try to turn myself off.

I found a nice spot right away and began setting up. With my tent canopy unfolded on the ground, I assembled my tent poles, which only takes about 30 seconds. While putting together my poles, though, a light wind began blowing. The wind made it difficult for me to pitch the tent canopy, so I grabbed a couple stakes and stuck them through two corners of the tent and into the loose sand.

A couple minutes later, with my poles fully assembled in conjunction with the canopy and just a couple more clips to attach, a strong gust of wind came along and instantly I was running as fast as I could, chasing my tent south through the desert alongside I-15, toward a reasonably busy east-west road. As my tent blew across the road, about a quarter of a mile from my camp site, I was thankful that there was a gap in traffic, but I still didn’t know if I would ever catch up to the tent, especially because there was not a gap in traffic when I reached the road.

By the time I had crossed the road (with my head still not working properly), my tent had come to a stop, thanks to a chainlink fence. So I grabbed the tent and began carrying it back north, into the now constant wind. It was like I was flying 50 kites without a string. I worried that my tent poles would snap with the strength of the wind, and I also worried that I would lose my grip on the poles, possibly resulting in another chase.

TO BE CONTINUED…

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Aimless
Aimless Video Evidence

Stuff

Yeah, right. Like that girl will ever call me. --> I just received a citation from a dickhead Montclair cop for "Solicit from freeway offramp." Interestingly, I was walking down a surface street when he saw me and 'pulled me over.' Guess who is not going to appear in a Montclair courtroom on January 14, 2009. It wasn't me on the off-ramp and I really don't care if they put a warrant out for my arrest; I'm not going to be here. I may write a letter to the court or something, but I won't be here. And right now I really don't care if I make it to Eloy by next Wednesday. Fact is, I'm not a criminal, which is why I've NEVER been arrested for ANYTHING. And when I'm not on the road like this, I don't deal with cops, so I really have no reason to fear any prospective arrest warrants. I'm sick of this shit.

We're all Jekyll and Hyde

Walking east on Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena this morning, looking for a bus stop, I passed a very immobile man in a wheelchair--the kind of wheelchair with a control stick. The man had a sign that said something to the effect of "Please donate to stem cell research." Even though I am very comfortable with money right now, I walked right on by the guy without giving him anything. I felt like a dick before I even passed him because I knew I should've slipped him at least a dollar. I mean, how do you think I got the money that's currently in my pocket?

As I bought a cup of coffee a few minutes ago at The Coffee Bean in Upland, I found some money on the floor. For a moment I thought about keeping it without saying anything to anyone, but I couldn't just hold on to it without asking everyone if they were missing any money. So I asked the two girls behind the counter if they were missing anything. Nope. Then I asked the one other customer inside. He said he didn't think he was missing any money, but he looked inside his wallet and asked me, "Was it a 20?" His question was an adequate answer, so I handed him the $20 bill I'd found.

How many of you anonymous critics would've given up that 20? Better yet: How many of you anonymous critics, while living functionally homeless, would've given up that 20? (I don't expect you to answer. You already know the answer.)

JJ the crazy Cajun guy from Des Allemands called me this afternoon for the first time in quite a while, but I couldn't answer right then. I called him back about half an hour later, but I got his voice mail. I had been wondering lately if I would ever hear from JJ again, so his timing was interesting.

One of the girls working at this Coffee Bean is absolutely beautiful. She has the kind of beauty most guys probably can't recognize (because most guys are stupid). I want to tell her how beautiful she is, just so she knows at least one person sees it, but I probably won't because I'll end up saying the stupidest, most ass-brained thing possible. And it won't be adorably ass-brained, like a Ben Stiller character; it will be stalker ass-brained because I seem to have some kind of selective Tourette Syndrome whenever I dare talk to girls that attract me. She hasn't even given me "a look" or anything like that, though, so it really doesn't matter anyway. (But if you see this and I'm wrong, I'd love to hear from you: 614-738-3867.)

Oh yeah, and I returned my backpack to REI yesterday because it just kept falling apart. I couldn't exchange it for the same model because it's impossible to find the Palisade 80 in Medium right now. Luckily they had one Whitney 95 in stock. It's a little bigger than the Palisade 80, and it also costs $30 more, but I found an unplanned way around that. Y'see, I also returned my fifth(?) Therm-A-Rest Prolite 4 "self-inflating" sleeping pad yesterday because it lasted about 4 nights before getting a small puncture. This time, though, I exchanged it for a heavier, bulkier, more durable, and cheaper model. So even though I had to pay an extra $30 for the new backpack, I gained an extra $38 or so from the sleeping pad exchange.

Interestingly, I met a homeless guy/tramp last night that has a Palisade 80. He said he also has had problems with the hipbelt breaking, which was my major issue. (It's gonna happen with my new one, too, because the design is flawed big-time.)

I'm thinking about making a sign that says something like: "I'll use your donation more responsibly than God does." I need to figure out how to say the same thing in fewer words, though.

Also, I topped 1,400 walking-miles for 2008 yesterday morning, shortly after departing my temporary home near the Rose Bowl.

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Aimless
Aimless Video Evidence

Film crews

I talked to quite a few people from the NCIS crew yesterday. Actually they initiated the conversations. One thing I've learned while watching film shoots around LA is that the people on the crews tend to be very cool and personable.

I'm seriously starting to consider moving to LA to try to get a job in the film industry. I don't even care what kind of job; I just think I'd like working in that environment, and I actually like LA a lot. If I happen upon any more sets while I'm around here, I may ask some of the crew members how to get a foot in the door for some kind of entry-level position.

At the NCIS shoot, unlike the other TV shoot I watched (Ghost Whisperer), all the main actors were on the set. The only name I know is Mark Harmon, but I recognized a very pretty actress and a young male actor, each of whom plays an NCIS agent.

I had never seen NCIS until recently, when I was stuck at a truck stop in Hell; I mean Arizona. If you didn't already know this, the TVs in truck stop driver lounges are almost always on either USA or TNT, which means Law & Order is almost always on. Lately, though, USA has been showing a lot of NCIS in the daytime. From what I've seen, anyway.

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Aimless
Aimless Video Evidence

NCIS

They're filming a scene from NCIS today in downtown Pasadena. After I watch a little of this, I'm going to treat myself to lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. A good meal like that is long overdue.

Excuse me... Colorado Boulevard.

Excuse me... Colorado Boulevard.

This is weird: The heart

This is weird: The heart of Pasadena (Colorado Avenue) actually feels A LOT like Manhattan, especially at night with reasonably cool weather.

No more Aimless

For anyone who hasn't figured this out yet: Um, I'm almost certainly done blogging and this Aimless thing is effectively over, even though I'll be on the road for at least a little while longer. I'm just tired, lonely, mega stressed out, a little cuckoo, and I don't care anymore. --> To Amanda from Flying J, if you're out there: I'd really like to hear from you ASAP (like as soon as you read this). Your smile makes me feel good and your eyes seem to have spoken nice things to me, which I'm probably all wrong about, only because I feel like I want it to be true. Anyway, I'd just like to talk to you. I walked five unnecessary miles tonight, just hoping you'd be around so I might be able to talk to you a little bit. Obviously things didn't go as I'd hoped. (For everyone else: This Flying J has a rent-a-cop who thinks he makes a difference by kicking out very good customers simply because
they carry large backpacks.) Call me, Amanda. A few people think I'm a really nice guy.

The judge said I won't

The judge said I won't have a public defender because there's no chance I'll go to jail. Also because the charge is a misdemeanor.

Testing the system

I met with the judge just before noon today. Without first having the chance to speak to an attorney, I was given the choice to plead either guilty or not guilty. The judge told me a guilty plea means I'll have to pay a $450 fine, which is not gonna happen without a fight. I wanted some time to think, though, before deciding on a plea. So when the judge gets back from lunch, I'll be officially pleading not guilty, which means I'll have to be back in Eloy on November 19th to meet with a prosecutor for some kind of preliminary hearing. I do intend to take advantage of my right to state-appointed legal counsel. However, if there is an attorney out there somewhere who would like to represent me pro bono, or at least give me some good advice, I'd like to hear from you. Or if anyone out there knows someone who could give me a hand, I'd really appreciate your help. You can call me at
614-738-3867.

Delayed again

So now they're putting off my court appearance until at least noon because the railroad cop apparently can't be here until then. However, I've been informed that the judge will be taking lunch at noon, so I'll possibly have to wait another two hours beyond that. It seems to me that the police officer, who himself set my court appearance for 9:00, should be held responsible for showing up on time, just like I was. I've had to figure out how to survive the last 11 days in a state I wanted to leave long ago, then find my way back to this nothing town for a court appearance, which I did. But he's allowed to show up whenever he wants, while I sit around for several hours? This is total bullshit! They asked me if I wanted to put it off until Wednesday, instead of waiting all these hours. No, I just want the court to have some integritah, and I want the cop to be held responsible and
accountable for his actions. Let's get this show on the road.

Eloy, Arizona

I had all kinds of weird dreams and thoughts last night. In one dream, OJ Simpson committed suicide by jumping off a building; presumably a prison. It's weird that my unconscious brain would dig up something like OJ Simpson because I have not had any significant conscious thoughts about him in years and I almost never have a chance to follow the news. All I know about current Juice events is that he was recently on trial for something in Las Vegas and I'm pretty sure he was convicted. --> I showed up at Eloy Municipal Court before 9:00 this morning, as directed, but I soon found out there is no court on Mondays. The clerk or cashier looked at my citation and couldn't find anything about my case in their computers or files. Eventually she told me that the judge is in a meeting and will see me at about 10:30. So I'm just waiting right now, bored as hell. Since the railroad cop apparently
is not going to show up, I have the feeling my punishment will be a wag of the finger.