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.”

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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.

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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.

At McDonald's, for some reason

At McDonald's, for some reason I thought about the song Superstar by the Carpenters. A minute later it was the next song to play on their Muzak.

I just wrote a long

I just wrote a long post, but fucking Blogger won't publish it. Maybe I can work it out within a few weeks, whenever I find some more free wifi.

Nevermind. I guess it published. I'm still really pissed off and sick of this Blogger shit.

Catching up

I found some free wifi for the first time in three or four weeks. Since no one gave me any shit for my last post, I'll try to catch up on the last week or so. Thanks to fucking Blogger, I lost a whole bunch of stuff I'd written here and now have to rewrite it. I really wish people would stop commenting anonymously, just so I can tell who's writing what.

All right. Here goes...

First, I sat around at a Flying J in Eloy, Arizona for about two days after getting busted on the freight train that I didn't even want to ride. The only reason I rode it is because about 20 people in Tucson told me the Flying J was only about 5 or 10 miles out of town. However, after walking about six miles out of civilization, I saw a billboard for the Flying J, telling me it was still another 32 miles up the road. So I stopped for the night and slept near what seemed to be a busy exit from I-10.

In the morning I went straight to the northbound on-ramp, hoping to get a short ride to the Flying J, but no luck. Nearly out of water but thirsty as hell because I was saving the few remaining ounces, a northbound train soon stopped at the nearby siding. I didn't plan to ride the train at first, but I might have been fucked if I'd kept trying to get a ride, so I walked down the frontage road and found a spot on the front of an empty shipping container car.

About 30 miles up the road, the train stopped. I was going to get off there anyway, but a Union Pacific police officer pulled up just as I stood up to dismount. You already know the rest of that story.

So after two days at the Flying J, some guy offered me a ride. I thought he was a truck driver at first, but he was actually a tramp with a car and a female companion. They were going to California, so they didn't mind taking me to Quartzsite, where I wanted to visit my buddy Otis, who operates a pizza trailer in the swap meet town. Making a pitstop in Phoenix to buy a bag of weed, they were offered a place to stay for the night, so they took me to the nearby Flying J and said they'd stop by to pick me up at about noon the next day. If they did stop by, I never saw them. So I spent two days at the Phoenix Flying J until getting kicked out.

From the Flying J, I walked about five miles to a Pilot station. Intending to eat and immediately find a place to sleep, I bought a couple hot dogs. Before I even finished my hot dogs, though, I had a ride to Quartzsite with a trucker.

Arriving at the Love's truck stop in Quartzsite at about 12:30 Monday night, I quickly recognized an employee in the dining area. It was Jessica Payne, who I'd met almost two years ago while trying to make it home from California for Christmas. (There is a picture of Jessica on the Photos page.) I said hi to Jessica and asked if she remembered me. She didn't remember me, but we began a conversation. I told her I was in town to see a buddy of mine--the guy who operates the pizza trailer. She asked if I meant Otis, and I said yes. So she asked me, "You haven't heard?" Then she told me Otis died of a heart attack a couple weeks earlier.

I was shocked. At age 58, Otis was in very good shape, both physically and mentally. I think he exercised quite a bit, too. So only a few minutes after arriving in Quartzsite, I found out that I had no reason to be there.

I needed to sleep, so I headed out of the truck stop and looked for somewhere to sleep, which is not very difficult in the middle-of-nowhere swap meet town. Still, I didn't get to sleep until about 2:00 am, which means I didn't get much sleep that night.

I spent the next two days sitting around the truck stop, hoping to get a ride to either Phoenix or Tucson. I finally got a ride to Tucson yesterday afternoon. I wanted to get out of the truck a couple miles before reaching the outer edge of Tucson, but my driver wouldn't stop for me. So I ended up having to ride with him all the way through Tucson and a little beyond, where there is a truck stop, leaving me about 25 miles from where I wanted to be.

I have almost no money right now, but I should be able to round some up. I hope I can find somewhere to watch the Penn State/Ohio State game Saturday. But even if I do, I have to start trying to get back to Eloy immediately after the game because I have an appointment with a judge early Monday morning to determine my punishment for Criminal Trespass, 3rd Degree. After that, I should be free to go wherever I want, although I might have to figure out a way to make a quick $175.

I guess that's about it for now. I get so sick of Blogger causing me to lose shit I've already drafted and redrafted.

Rest in peace, Otis Gunn.

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I don't like Arizona and

I don't like Arizona and I absolutely don't enjoy doing this anymore. I've given up on humanity. Most Americans are stupid & miserable. The End.

Shower yesterday. First one in

Shower yesterday. First one in 46 days. A ridiculous record that will not be broken.

The train stopped right about

The train stopped right about where I wanted it to stop, but there was a railroad cop waiting for me. Now I have to go to court in 11 days.

Two trainhops in three days.

Two trainhops in three days. I just want this one to stop after 30 miles.

My suspicions have just been

My suspicions have just been confirmed: I am in downtown Tucson. Now to find a good on-ramp or truck stop (or whatever I end up doing).

Off the train at 2:30.

Off the train at 2:30. Have no idea where I am. Looks like some kind of city.

Hobo soundtrack

I've been on this train for almost nine hours now. When the train starts going really fast, like 50 or 60 miles an hour, the shifting of weight and the wheel imperfections start playing a song. On this spot of this train, the song is something like Dick Dale meets African drumming. It's kinda like on Space Mountain, how they have speakers right in your ears, blasting, coincidentally, Dick Dale. At least that's what they played last time I rode it, which was eleven years ago. This is better, though, because this whole monster is the speakers. It's a rush that, unlike Space Mountain, doesn't end after a minute or two. This is the American Dream and you can thank people like me for keeping it alive. You're welcome.

What a ride! I took that pic a few minutes ago, somewhere east of Yuma, Arizona. I don't know where this train is going, but it won't be going where I meant to go. Looks like Tucson probably; perhaps Phoenix first. Beautiful day for a train ride. And the only reason I'm riding it is because it stopped beside me when I had almost finished walking to the truck stop in Palm Springs.

Does this work?

There should be a short video of me, a freight train, a mouthful of sunflower seeds, and a big desert in this post. Did it work?

I'm riding the rails again,

I'm riding the rails again, baby. Eastbound Union Pacific out of Palm Springs at 10:00 sharp.

No death in the desert

I spent all day yesterday in Indio, mostly in the bowling alley of a casino, where I was able to catch some football on TV. Later I had a phone conversation with someone very special to me; someone I really haven't mentioned since seeing her in San Francisco a couple months ago. Even though I haven't written about her, I think about her all the time. I'm not going to tell the whole story here. Anyway, she called me mostly because I pretty much begged her to talk to me. Y'see, there's a lot I don't tell you here. One thing I think I've hidden well is the fact that I've been pretty messed up in the head for a while, for all kinds of reasons. Well, speaking with her for 20 minutes really helped me in that department, even though our conversation was very far from what I'd hoped for. Sometimes the mind just needs proper closure, ya know, and I received something like that. So I'm not gonna
walk off into the desert now. Instead, I think I'll try to get a ride to Quartzsite, Arizona.

Here in La Quinta, had

Here in La Quinta, had I not just been paying attention as I crossed a street legally, I absolutely would have been killed by a FedEx truck.

Please continue wasting water, California.

Please continue wasting water, California. We'll make more for you, just so you can have lots of green grass where there should be none.

If I can smell your

If I can smell your cologne or perfume when you drive by, you need to use less of it. I don't think I've ever gotten a ride with an Asian person.

Aimlesser

It's a good thing I hung around Rancho/Ontario yesterday because I realized I should get new shoestrings before wandering into the desert to die. I slept across the street from REI last night and bought those laces today, along with several energy bars to add to the 15 or 20 I bought yesterday. A really cool dude helped me today at REI; can't remember his name right now, though. Leaving REI, I bought a day pass and spent most of the day riding various buses toward Yucaipa. I got off in Colton after seeing a laundromat, but the water was shut off, so I couldn't exactly do my laundry there. I found another laundromat in Redlands, did my laundry, then ate at Shakey's Pizza, since I'm good on cash right now. Nonetheless, when I ordered, a lady named Anita offered to buy my pizza for me. Rock! At Shakey's I talked a few minutes with a very cool (and gorgeous) girl who was pouring the drinks.
I've actually been to this Shakey's twice before, with my good friend Jeff, when he lived out here.

More aimless than aimless

After a lot of walking and a couple bus rides Saturday, I made it to Rancho a little before 4:00. Low on cash, my first objective was to work the off-ramp just long enough to get comfortable. When I arrived, though, a car had just broken down in my sign-flying spot. Looking like it wouldn't be there long, I made a pit stop at the In-N-Out Burger next door. As I finished eating and neared the ramp, a tow truck was hauling away the kaput auto, so I was clear. (Omitting the details of this session, I made over $50 in 15 minutes because I rule.) I then walked to REI but shortly left for BW3 so I could watch the Buckeyes. (I found a $20 bill on the way there.) --> Early yesterday I went back to REI to see if there was any solution to my backpack problem. Speaking immediately to the manager (Adam, I think), he presented a solution that could fix my most immediate problem without exchanging
the pack. After I agreed to his solution, he replaced the hipbelt for me. Really cool guy. Thanks, man.

Very aimless

First I want to congratulate my cousin Jeff and his new wife Sunshine. Welcome to the family, Sunshine. --> I'd walked as far as Palm Springs by yesterday morning, with a lot of doubling back, covering at least 50 miles twice by foot, before I had to come back to Rancho yet again because my backpack is falling apart. These problems are structural, not cosmetic. I was planning to keep walking east into the vast, unsettled desert, but none of the SoCal REI stores have my backpack in stock. As a result, I'm gonna try to get a ride to wherever I can find a store that has what I need. Or I might just head toward the Gregory factory, which is somewhere in the Bay Area. This is frustrating. Maybe if I can find a store with my backpack in stock somewhere in the west, I'll head back to Palm Springs and resume my hike where I left off. I really feel like I need to challenge myself and disappear
into the brutal desert. --> Those Badgers just can't finish anyone off lately, can they, Badger?

Jeff, I'm happy to report

Jeff, I'm happy to report that the Pizza Chalet is alive and kicking. (For everyone else, that's a pizzeria in Yucaipa, where Jeff used to live.)

Back in Redlands

When I wrote the previous post, I incorrectly said I'd walked 22.5 miles. I actually had walked 23.5 miles at that point and ended up walking 26.17 miles for the day. Having already walked through Loma Linda less than a week ago, I knew there was an orange grove that would make a good place to sleep, so I walked almost another 3 miles instead of just finding the first decent place to sleep. After another 3.45 miles this morning, I'm back in Redlands, where I caught the ride back to Rancho Cucamonga the other day with a cool young chap named Austin McCleod.

So yesterday was my third longest walking day, having previously done a 30-mile day and a 28-mile day. The difference with this one, as I stated last night, is that I started pretty late in the morning and I didn't really intend to walk so many miles; it just happened. After the long walk, I felt pretty good. (Considering I hurt pretty much all the time, "felt pretty good" means I could move.)

That's all I really have to say right now because you don't really have a lot of interesting experiences when you spend every day walking. That is, of course, unless the cops beat you up.

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Aimless Video Evidence

That other thing

Here's what I couldn't remember to say earlier today: I broke down and bought some shaving cream and razors yesterday. I just got sick of dealing with excess facial hair. It sure was fun trying to shave over half an inch of beard with a disposable razor in a Starbuck's bathroom. --> I've walked 22.5 miles today, and I'm not finished yet; probably still another couple miles to go. I didn't even start walking until 9:00 am, after waking up at 6:30, which strangely has been my normal wake-up time for a while now. The reason I didn't start until 9:00 is that I hung around at Starbuck's for a while, mostly writing the previous blog post. Also, with today's mileage, I've walked about 500 miles since mid-August. --> On days when I walk at least 15 miles, I drink about two gallons of water, but I only pee about a quart because I sweat and sweat and sweat. Nowadays it's harder to keep track of
how much I drink because I have a wide-mouth water bottle that I add ice to whenever possible.

Weekend

I actually had kind of a weekend this past weekend. It was weird; I'd really forgotten about the concept of 'weekend' because I haven't had any real chances to rest since I was riding with Vernon. And even though riding in a truck may not be too physically demanding, it's not exactly the same as a weekend or days off.

Anyway, I spend a good chunk of Saturday at BW3 watching football. At the restaurant I talked to a guy named Ted Theodore Rodriguez. Like Ted from Bill and Ted, Ted is from San Dimas. He was there to watch the Colorado/Florida State game, rooting for Colorado. Although his #1 favorite team is USC--the real USC, not South Carolina--Ted also roots for Colorado because back in the 80s his brother was recruited to play for Colorado. His brother never ended up playing at Colorado, but Ted became a Buffalo fan nonetheless. Ted was cool to talk to; he also bought me a beer.

I spent most of yesterday at a Starbuck's, largely because I could get Supercuts' free wifi from there, but also because it was freaking hot outside, like usual, and I just wanted to chill out for a while. Starbuck's employees are always very cool with me, even though I don't think I've ever bought anything from the stores I've visited with my backpack. I talked to one of the workers quite a bit while I was there; he was pretty interested in my story and my objective. I eventually found out that he was the store manager, which was cool because I never would have guessed. Seeing him sweep the floors and doing all kinds of grunt work, I figured he was just one of the crew. Usually food industry managers just stand around all the time, trying to look important without actually doing anything, so I was impressed. I never got his name, but I think it may be Ben.

Even with the relatively relaxing weekend, I still walked 14 miles (5 Saturday, 9 Sunday).

It seems like there was something else I wanted to say, but I can't remember what it may have been, dammit.

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Aimless
Aimless Video Evidence

Dirty cops in Fontana, California, Part 2

I kinda feel like this post may not convey the whole picture of what happened between me and the Fontana cops. Y'know, my brain is not always in writing mode at the same time that I find access to both free wifi and an electrical outlet. That's one reason why the book will be much better than the collective series of blog posts.

OK, seeing how I was not injured or even bruised by the violence-prone police officer prick, I concede that my takedown-by-cop probably wasn’t full-blown police brutality, but it was not far from it. It definitely was out of line and unnecessary. The cops really didn’t even need to interact with me at all because they could see clearly that I had almost all my stuff packed up and that I was literally a minute from being on my way. But my story has just begun.

After the takedown, it was already evident that these cops were not on the scene to serve or protect anyone. They were there to show some stupid homeless loser who’s boss around Fontana. They kept no secrets about that, which also showed their stupidity because EVERY other cop has figured out pretty easily that I’m not homeless. Even the Florida assholes. Not to imply that their treatment would have been OK if I actually was homeless; I think the longtime readers know where I stand regarding homeless people.

Anyway, these fuckfaces continued to verbally abuse me for a while until finally I said to them, “I have the right to remain silent.” I didn’t stay silent for long, though, I guess because I quickly figured out that these tough guys were actually mega-mega-pussies.

After the initial shock of this episode wore off, I began seeing things more clearly. I could tell that even though these guys were total fucking morons, they probably weren’t stupid enough to do any real damage to me, so I became a little belligerent with them. Y’see, like always, I hadn’t broken any laws, and we Americans have this thing called the United States Constitution, which lets us say whatever the fuck we want to say, as long as our words don’t cause any harm. It’s the same thing that lets them verbally abuse me. Oh wait, no it’s not. They’re actually not allowed to do that.

Anyway, this bullshit went on for at least twenty minutes, probably more like thirty minutes. They told me how the Constitution doesn’t mean anything because every state and city has local laws that override the Constitution. (Of course, 'override' is my word, not theirs.) Yeah, real brilliant guys. They also threatened to throw all my stuff in a dumpster and all kinds of shit like that. And this was all after they’d been informed that I had no outstanding warrants and that I’d never been arrested.

At one point I asked the cops if they had their video camera rolling. One of them told me there was no video but that they were recording all the audio.

When they finally stopped fucking with me and let me finish packing my backpack, I heard one of the assholes make a comment about the long hair I have in my drivers’ license photo. From ten feet away, I responded like a smart-ass, mocking him in a stupid redneck kind of voice. Of course, he didn't do anything except perhaps mock me back because dirty cops can't just do whatever they want to people. At least not to people who don't put up with their shit. The easiest way to be a victim of serious police abuse is to be ignorant of your rights and their limits. There is a very good reason why most bad cops disappear immediately after I show them some intelligence and attitude.

As I walked off, I had all kinds of colorful language for them, including at least one very loud “Fuck you.” Oh, and I know they heard me because they responded. Also, as they drove by me, I very clearly flipped them the bird.

Which should teach you a lesson: Don’t fear cops unless they‘re just too stupid to figure out when they‘ve gone way beyond the limits of reasonable police behavior. If you haven’t done anything, they can’t do anything to you. And don’t get me wrong; these guys went way beyond the limit. It’s just that I deal with cops enough that I have a pretty damn good feel for how far I can take it.

I walked maybe half a mile before finding another grassy spot to try to get some rest. This was about 5:00 am. But before long I decided not to bother trying to get any sleep. I was pissed off enough that I had to find the police station and report their behavior. After a little walking, I was in a commercial area where I was able to ask some people where the police station is. With some vague directions, I headed toward the Fontana police station.

TO BE CONTINUED...

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Aimless
Aimless Video Evidence

My third sleeping pad flaked

My third sleeping pad flaked out last night, so I got a ride back to REI in Rancho Cucamonga this morning, from Redlands. Been in Rancho all day.

Dirty cops in Fontana California Part 1

Yesterday morning at 4:00 I was awakened by a security guard telling me to scram. At 4:20, while stuffing my things into my backpack in compliance, a couple Fontana cops showed up. Shining a bright spotlight at me, they stayed at their cruisers for a minute while I stuffed, giving them plenty of time to figure out, without a doubt, that I was absolutely harmless. With only a few small items left to pack, one of the cops approached me and asked me something. I couldn't hear him, so I said, "What?" Apparently providing the wrong answer to his unintelligible question, he immediately ambushed me, grabbing one of my arms and twisting it behind my back, then quickly twisting the other arm behind my back. He then threw me to the ground, face down, and finally pounced on me with a knee to my back to keep me down. He didn't cuff me, nor did he check me for weapons, nor did he keep me restrained
for more than a few seconds because this was not policework. This was police brutality...

A cop here at the

A cop here at the Fontana police station just told another cop that Louisiana is closer to Florida than Georgia is to FL. Wait for this story...

It just occurred to me

It just occurred to me that I topped 1,000 miles walking this morning. That is, 1,000 miles in 2008. Walked about 1,100 last year.

Rancho Cucamonga. Koookamaaaaahnga. Titikaka. Heh,

Rancho Cucamonga. Koookamaaaaahnga. Titikaka. Heh, heh heh. Oh yeah. Thank you, drive thru.

Bum with a camera

For some reason I couldn't figure out how to embed the video of GloZell interviewing me, so here's a link to it.

Oh, nevermind.



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Aimless
Aimless Video Evidence

Yesterday at a gas station

Yesterday at a gas station I heard Prince's cover of 'Erotic City.' Today at a gas station, 'No parking on the dance floor.' Rock on.

Apparently underage prostitution is legal in Los Angeles County.

By the way, Go Utes!

By the way, Go Utes!

(That was for Luke because Luke was the captain of the golf team at Utah and Luke is a very cool guy.)

Intermission

If you watched the Tonight Show last night and heard a bunch of screaming for Dolly Parton, that was mostly GloZell. Shortly after the show let out yesterday, I made my way down to the Universal City subway station and took a train to Union Station in downtown LA, where I transferred to the Gold Line and took it all the way to Pasadena. Yes, that means I'm leaving LA. I probably still have a lot to say about the Tonight Show in general, but I need to tune out for at least a few days. There's too much shit going through my head right now. My brain has been horribly overloaded and I've been kinda geeking out for a long time already because I can't process everything. So I'm going to spend some time walking and trying not to interact with many people. Really I just want so shut myself off for at least a couple weeks, but I can't do that.

Again

Yes, I went to the Tonight Show yet again today, with GloZell. I also interviewed her as we waited in line. (Has anyone seen her interview of me yet?) Dane Cook, Kristen Bell, and Hawthorne Heights are on the show. Dane Cook said something about having never had hair as short as it is right now because as a kid he was bitten by a dog on the head, leaving a scar. In a strange parallel, I too have never had hair this short until earlier this year, when I cut off the mop in Georgia. Except I've had either very long or longish hair for almost all my life. Also, I was bitten in the face by a dog when I was like 5, requiring stitches and leaving a scar on my cheek. The dog was at my great grandma's house in Tennessee: Pat the Brat. I'll be going back to the show again tomorrow. Two of the guests will be Brooke Shields and Dolly Parton. I forget who else will be on. I'd like to see next
Friday's show, with Jimmy Kimmel, but I'll probably be long gone by then. Might come back to LA soon, tho.

Round 2

As you may already know, I went to the Tonight Show again today; sat with GloZell this time, unlike yesterday when I was all by myself. John McCain's daughter seemed pretty cool. I could tell she was pretty nervous to be there, which made it very real. I thought the other dude was kind of boring. If you didn't see me on your TV last night, you may be able to this time, when George Clinton goes over to the audience. He was right in front of us and one of the cameras was pointed at us. Also, when Leno said something about living in a dumpster during the monolog, I blurted out something by accident. Maybe that made the audio track. --> Another camera crew interviewed me Saturday, which I haven't mentioned yet. It was Josh Helmuth of palestra.net. Additionally, GloZell kinda interviewed me today. She's going to upload the video to YouTube unedited. I don't know if she'll link to it from her
blog or what. One of the guys from Clinton's band walked by and talked to us while she was taping.

Me & GloZell are the

Me & GloZell are the only ones in line for the Tonight Show right now. We just talked to one of the guys from Parliament Funkadelic. Kick ass.

That guy

There was a guy in the Tonight Show line that I talked to quite a bit as we waited. I didn't get his name, but he was really witty and funny. (He also took the picture of me and GloZell.) After the show, as the crowd filed out, I bumped into him again. He gave me a little wad of cash so I could get something to eat. I thanked him. Without looking at the specific bills, I thought it was about $4, which would get me a nice meal. After he was gone, though, when I transferred the cash from my pocket to my wallet, I saw that there was actually $14, which will get me at least a few nice meals. Although I'm not sure I clearly let him know how thankful I was for his kindness, I did tell this man about my web site. I hope he checks it out so he can see I appreciate his kind act enough to write a post about it. Thanks, man. You're a good guy. (And if you've read this, please leave a comment so I
know.) --> I just got a ticket to tonight's Tonight Show. George Clinton will be in the house. Rock!

I ended up pretty much

I ended up pretty much right in the middle of the Tonight Show audience, in the first elevated row behind the floor chairs. Watch the show 2nite.

After walking east out of Burbank for a little bit, I changed my mind and started walking west so I could take a train to Pasadena. On the way back through Burbank, I walked a different route and ended up outside the Tonight Show theater, talking to the people waiting in line for tonight's show. Long story short: I'm going to the Tonight Show today. The girl in the picture is GloZell Green. She goes to the show every day and blogs about Jay Leno. Here's her blog: http://glozelllovesjayleno.blogspot.com. I might have more to say about this later.

Filming

This movie shoot is on a basketball court on the corner of Riverside Drive and Beachwood in Burbank. I'm pretty sure it is a Disney movie because a couple trucks drove up with Buena Vista something or other on the doors. I've only seen two actors so far--a twentysomething man and a 40ish woman--and I have no idea who they are. All I know right now is that the guy's character's name is Sam... I stand corrected. They're not shooting a movie; they're shooting for Ghost Whisperer, a show I've never seen before. One of the crew told me Jennifer Love Hewitt (sp?) is on this show but she's not here. --> Man, I really blew a chance to generate a lot of new traffic to this web site Saturday. Sometime reasonably early in the day, I wrote 'aimlessmovie.com' on my 'extra ticket' sign, but I should've done it much earlier, like Friday. Dozens of people took pictures of me and my sign, while
thousands of other people took notice of it. I'm probably not going to get another opportunity like that.

Making movies

I was beginning to make my way out of LA, from Universal City east through Burbank, until I noticed a sign with an arrow pointing the way to "SET." I didn't know for sure if it meant *movie* set, so I took a detour to check it out. There was nothing going on, but the road beside a park was lined with orange cones and 'No Parking' signs. A few of the cones had pieces of paper stuck to them, explaining why you can't park there right now. It said the road will be closed on September 15th and 16th for filming, which will be between early morning and 1:00 pm. Aha! I'm talking about a long stretch of road here, so I suspect they're gonna be bringing some big trucks with lots of costumes and stuff. Also, this street is about a quarter of a mile from Disney Studios, so it stands to reason that it's probably a Disney film. Now that I know about this, I'm going to try to find somewhere to sleep
nearby and check out the movie shoot tomorrow. This should be pretty cool.

Walk of what?

I can't figure out why everyone is so freakin' obsessed with these stars on Hollywood's sidewalks. Everyone's all stopping to take pictures of them and stuff. They're just stupid stars on a sidewalk, people! And there's like two million of them. I've never even heard of half of the names I've read. It's not like you have to be Superman to get one of these things.

Pink's

A few days ago I expected to start heading out of LA by about this morning, but I decided to stick around at least a couple more days because a cop at the Exposition Park told me about some things I might want to check out. One place he said I should check out is Pink's (pictured, at La Brea & Melrose), which I've seen on travel and food shows before. He said Tom Hanks is known to hang out there. Considering I am Forrest Gump (according to some guys outside the stadium yesterday) and that I've had unusually intrusive thoughts about Mr. Hanks since I've been in LA, I thought I should stop by Pink's and keep an eye out for him. Haven't seen him yet. (But I haven't really been looking, either.) There is over an hour-long wait just to get in the door of this hot dog stand, which I believe also offers burgers and other kinds of "fast" food. --> Now I'm hungry, but I'm not going to wait over
an hour to eat at Pink's. It probably doesn't fit into my budget, anyway.

What a fucking joke. No,

What a fucking joke. No, I didn't get into the game.

Boeckman, you're fired. Put Pryor

Boeckman, you're fired. Put Pryor in for good, Tressel. Jesus.

My mom called me to

My mom called me to tell me she saw me on channel 4. Apparently they said I walked 6,000 miles to get here. I never said that. You saw my sign.

Very big game tomorrow

If you've been wondering why all these media people have been interviewing me, this picture should give you a pretty good clue. --> Hanging around the LA Coliseum for much of the day, I picked up some inside information about the state of the Buckeyes. Word is that Beanie Wells looks pretty healthy, despite reports that he is doubtful to play. (Some ESPN people seemed a little puzzled about what to report.) Also, having talked to a couple former OSU players, I think tomorrow night will likely be the coming out party for Terrell (sp?) Pryor, the prized quarterback recruit. Don't expect him to start, but expect him to play quite a bit. I think this will be a very good game, and I think the Buckeyes might have a lot of surprises in store for college football fans. I think I have more to say, but I'm really tired. I won't dare make a prediction for this game. All I have to say is Go Bucks!
(Also, I'd say there is a very good chance I'll end up with a ticket to this game.)

I was just interviewed by

I was just interviewed by a couple more reporters: Rob Oller from the Columbus Dispatch and a guy from the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Schweeeet!

I was interviewed by the

I was interviewed by the WCMH Channel 4 (Columbus) sports guy a few minutes ago. Showed my sign and told a little bit of my story. More later?

Erin Andrews just walked by

Erin Andrews just walked by me at the Coliseum. I wonder if she remembers me from the Giants game when Barry Bonds broke the home run record.

Found the best donut shop

Found the best donut shop ever on the SE corner of Washington & La Brea in LA. It's called Good Day but the sign says Donuts & Chinese Fast Food.

Rodeo Drive

One thing I noticed pretty quickly as I walked along Rodeo Drive was the handful of women who appeared to be masking their identity. Based on the time of day (after 6:00) and the tall buildings blocking the sun to the west of Rodeo Drive, there was really no reason for anyone to need sunglasses, yet I walked by several women wearing sunglasses with really big lenses. That alone didn't make me think they were all famous. The thing that made me suspect they may be famous was all the other common characteristics: 1) They were all knockouts; 2) They were all alone; and 3) They were all dressed really nice. Not like they were having a nice night out on the town; more like they were famous, thus they wear what famous people wear. I don't know; I could be wrong. But there was just something that really made these women stand out from all the tourists and regular poor people. Having decided not
to hang around Santa Monica, I'm working my way back to Rodeo Drive for some more people-watching.

Axel Foley

Not long after the Cake guys drove by, I had a visit from a Beverly Hills cop. Asking me first if I was all right and then asking me why I was sitting on the street corner, Officer Blondi was very cool from the start, mostly because I speak like a living human being. After I told him a little about my travels, he was intrigued. So as he went through the routine I've become so used to, I continued telling him my story. When he was finished doing his job, we talked for maybe another ten minutes. He is yet another person to mention Into the Wild. This was definitely one of my Top 2 cop encounters. --> Expecting to keep walking right on down Santa Monica Boulevard upon reaching a famous road, I surprised myself when I decided to take a left onto Rodeo Drive. I've never seen much reason to walk down a street full of stores I can't even get into, but I actually had a fun time people-watching.
Although I did not recognize anyone, I think I walked by some famous people. More about that later.

Some dudes in a convertible

Some dudes in a convertible just rolled thru the intersection where I sit (Foothill/Elevado), with Cake's cover of I Will Survive blaring. Rock!

Walking around Hollywood and Beverly

Walking around Hollywood and Beverly Hills for a few days, I haven't seen any famous people. I wonder how many famous people have seen me.

I hope y'all realize Whole

I hope y'all realize Whole Foods Market is a total scam... OK, it's not a TOTAL scam, but about 90 percent of it is a scam.

Stuff and things

After working the off-ramp yesterday, I got donuts at the same shop as the other day, on Highland at Hollywood. Had my two faves--buttermilk bar & Boston creme--along with a dozen donut holes. The lady working there also gave me half of her breakfast burrito, which was huge. First time I've pigged out in a while. Didn't need to eat the rest of the day. --> Slept at Griffith Park again last night, then walked to Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank today to deliver a message to Tony Morgan, the head of security, on behalf of Vernon. Tony's been promoted or something, so my task was more difficult than I expected. No luck at first, but then I talked to a security guy who said he knows Tony. When I gave him a little message on a piece of paper, he said he'd try to get it to him. I thanked him and moved on. Now I'm working my way toward Santa Monica to exchange yet another defective sleeping mat
--> The injury near my rib has improved quite a bit. I think it was a pulled or strained muscle.

Good tramp

After a cheap lunch at a Taco Bell near USC yesterday, I was down to my last $5. Following lunch, I went to a USC library for a few hours to charge up and get some wifi, then began walking toward Warner Bros. Studios, even though I don't plan to go there until tomorrow. Walking up Vermont from Washington to Los Feliz, I figured I'd try to sleep in Griffith Park, but I got stuck in some wealthy neighborhood way up in the hills. Fortunately, after a resident stopped to talk to me, I learned of a way into the park from the neighborhood, so there I slept. --> This morning I tried to find an off-ramp ASAP so I could make some money. The first ramp I found was in Hollywood, at Franklin & Vine. It didn't seem to be a good ramp when I arrived, but in an hour I made $26, holding a sign that says 'PLEASE HELP A HUNGRY TRAVELER - THANK YOU.' I think I made all but one of those dollars in the first
35 minutes. Now it's time for donuts. --> Notice the Capitol Records building in the pic behind me.

Another day at USC

Picture, from left: Gisela, me, Lindy, Jon. --> I watched the USC band practice again yesterday afternoon. They began learning more drill for their Stevie Wonder medley show, working mostly on the song that goes something like 'You are the apple of my eye,' and also learning the very beginning of 'Superstitious.' Early in practice, during warm-up, the band played Tusk. It was so awesome because although it may be Fleetwood Mac's song, it was USC's band that made it a great song, both on the Fleetwood Mac recording and throughout the years at USC sporting events. I love the USC band, especially all the school songs. --> There was a film crew on campus a few nights ago when I first arrived. I didn't know, though, until pretty late in the evening, when I walked by all the trucks and campers. By then it looked like they were wrapping things up for the night, but I guess they were wrapping
for good because everything was gone the next morning. --> I only have $7. Gonna fly a sign soon.