I'll probably be on WSYX

I'll probably be on WSYX channel 6 (Columbus) sometime around 3:00 today, with Clay Hall. If anyone can record it or DVR it, you rock.

From IU's Memorial Stadium in fewer than 1 001 characters

The temp was in the 40s near Dayton two nights ago. My face was cold as I walked, yet my sandaled feet were very warm. From Dayton I got a ride yesterday to the Indiana state line with a 64-year-old ex-trucker who likes to bang chicks. After waiting at the Richmond on-ramp for a couple hours, I got a ride with a 50ish professional guy named John. When I mentioned to him that I'd taken some geology classes in college, I saw him light up in an instant. Y'see, it turned out that John is a geologist who was on his way to Terre Haute to check out the stability of the ground surrounding a dam. He let me out on the south side of Indy, at Rte 37, so I could head toward Bloomington, where the Buckeyes play tomorrow. A cop gave me a ride a few miles because a driver called 911 to report that another pedestrian was stalking me in the darkness. I found out that my rain gear is awesome in heavy rain
when used properly. I've walked more miles in the last week than I did the previous two months.

Leaving Columbus

Last Friday I wanted to hit the road at 2:00, but I didn't leave until 4:30. Before I left, I thought I was going to walk to the truck stops near London, but since there was a Buckeye game the next day I ended up heading toward Ohio Stadium.

Walking up Norton Road, which has no shoulder and a steep slope off to the side, five miles closer to Columbus I rolled my ankle and ate gravel for the first time since December 2006. My spill may have something to do with the fact that I walk in hiking sandals now, instead of boots with plenty of ankle support. I don't know, but I probably said "God dammit!" shortly after tasting earth.

Half an hour later, only 20 feet from the end of the bad part of Norton Road, I rolled my ankle yet again and hit my head in the gravel on the side of the road. It felt like I dislocated the ankle this time, but I don't think that happened because I didn't hear a pop and the ankle was not horribly swollen. When you fall down while carrying a huge backpack, you end up on your back like a turtle on its shell, unable to get up until you unclip all the straps that keep the pack attached to you. It's probably a pretty funny sight, but it's not fun.

After about 11 miles, a dude name Jim stopped on West Broad Street and gave me a ride the last seven or eight miles to Ohio Stadium. That was cool because it was pretty late and I would've had to walk most of that distance in the morning. Instead, I camped out next to the regular site of Kropkogate.

Saturday was wet. During a break in the rain, as I sat outside the west side of Ohio Stadium, my friend Tara saw me as she walked by with her sister, who was there to sign (not sing) the national anthem. I ended up talking to Tara for probably almost an hour.

Until about March of this year, I hadn't seen Tara since high school. She and I "went together" for about a week just before our freshman year of high school. Even though we've only seen each other twice now after all this time, I feel really close to Tara. She is a special friend to me, and I feel like a special friend to her. (Don't even think about it; she's married and has two kids.) Boy was I stupid for not trying to keep her. Also, I wish I had thought to take a picture of her or us to post here.

After Tara went into the stadium, I walked back to Kropkogate. It rained lightly, and it looked like the weather might be all right until the game started. Then it just poured for the whole first half. Fortunately I had shelter at Kropkogate, but most of the people in the stadium must have been miserable. Regardless, the Buckeyes won 30-0.

Sunday when I got up, I thought I might head for the truck stops, but then I decided I'd walk toward Yellow Springs instead. Walking south on Riverside drive, I rolled my ankle again. This time I didn't fall. Nevertheless, I decided to take a short break because the near-fall caused my ankle to become yet a little more damaged than the first two spills (as if the fall that tore my ligament three years ago wasn't already enough to deal with).

I guess you could say my left knee and ankle are totally fucked up right now, and they probably will be forever.

I made it to West Jefferson late Sunday night, but on the way, as you may already have read, I was nearly hit by a car as I walked north on Amity Road, toward Dellinger. I've had a lot of close calls with cars before, but this one left me nearly in tears because as the car approached me, I literally wasn't sure if I'd be alive five seconds later.

The next night I made it to South Charleston, then last night I arrived in Yellow Springs. I've had lots of crappy weather and wind to deal with, so I feel pretty good about walking almost 60 miles in three days.

I might try to make it to Bloomington, Indiana in the next couple days. This much is sure: It's time to get the hell out of the midwest. Summer is over and winter is coming.

There's probably more interesting shit to say, but I can barely type on this thing, especially with several of the keys out of order. Don't expect many more blog posts because this is just too much trouble.

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Some stupid motherfucker just missed

Some stupid motherfucker just missed running me over by literally a few inches, even with my flashing headlamp that everyone else sees just fine.

Trying to leave

I intended to walk outta here over an hour ago, but after realizing a few keys don't work on my tiny Asus netbook-type thing, I've been trying to fix it, with no luck. It's the 7,8,0, and Delete keys; maybe a couple others as well. The main reason I'm taking it with me is to use a spreadsheet to keep track of my walking mileage, but I won't be able to do that very well without functional number keys.

Add that to the fact that I have no eyeglasses and you may understand why I'm very frustrated right now. Why do I put myself through this shit?

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Missed opportunity

When I just checked my voice mail, I was surprised to hear a message from Clay Hall, the sports guy on WSYX channel 6 (Columbus). I talked to him for a while the night before the USC/OSU game two weeks ago, and I guess he called me the day of the game, saying maybe we could do an interview. Unfortunately I never even knew he had called me, so that's a bit of a bummer.

Now that I've hung around Clay and Jerod Smalley (from channel 4) quite a bit, I have tons of respect for what they do. They really bust ass, and they always have to be sharp and attentive, especially when they're doing live reports.

Well, after a short break, it's time to hit the road again.

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Walk, Forrest!

Right now all I want to do is begin that coast-to-coast walk I've been thinking about. I just want to be alone for real for a while, instead of being alone with everyone. Unfortunately it's the wrong time of year to begin such a journey, regardless of where I start. For example, if I was to start from LA right now, I'd be in mountains and high elevations in late fall or early winter. But if I was to start from New York right now, I'd be in northern latitudes for a few months (where it's gonna get cold soon), then I'll hit the mountains and high elevations in late winter. Either way it doesn't work.

In all likelihood, I'll start from the Santa Monica Pier in January or February. That'll put me in the desert at the best possible time of year, then it will put me at the higher elevations in spring. After that it's all downhill (for 2,000 miles).

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Dead end

It just occurred to me why Aimless will never become a TV series: No network or production company is going to invest in a show that likely cannot last more than a couple seasons.

Am I willing to do this for another five or ten years? I doubt it. And networks already know it.

So there you have it; the Aimless guy admits his brilliant idea is worthless. Or is it?

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Break time

I walked 20 miles "home" from Ohio Stadium last Sunday, and I'll be staying here until about next Friday, only because my parents will be gone for the next week.

When I leave again to who-knows-where, I'm not going to take this laptop with me because it's getting beat up and it's awkward to carry. Although it's nice to have with me on the road, I simply cannot use it enough to justify keeping it with me. Instead, I'm going to take the tiny netbook I had with me last year (even though it's not very useful). Since I can easily fit the netbook in my pack, I'll no longer need to carry a large laptop case, which has performed double duty as a camera bag for the last two months.

I can handle the laptop's weight just fine, especially when I keep it in my backpack instead of inside the carrying case. But keeping it in my backpack is what's beating it up so much. However, when I carry it in its case, along with my camcorder, tapes, and other stuff, the case ends up weighing about 13 pounds. This 13-pound case then dangles from my fingers and swings with my arm as I walk, creating a very awkward weight distribution that throws off my balance and makes every step a chore. Fortunately, now that I'll be carrying the netbook inside my pack as well as trading the computer case for a much lighter camera bag, I won't have to waste so much effort when I walk. (But I won't have a very useful computer, either.)

* * *
It appears as if I'm not going to hear from Ashley, the girl I met at a tailgate party near Ohio Stadium last week. I'm disappointed because she initiated our groovy chat, using my backpack as a conversation starter as I sat on the pack, tired from a long day of carrying it around outside the stadium. I felt like our conversation really could have led somewhere. Friendship? Definitely. Courtship? Possibly. Maybe she just forgot the word I told her to google ('Aimless'). Guess I'll never know.

* * *
After writing this, I realized I've already said this in another post, but yes, I did make it on TV last week in a sequel to last year's interview with Jerod Smalley of WCMH channel 4. Actually I was on TV twice last weekend. The first appearance was live on the news Friday evening and the other part was recorded for the game special that aired Saturday evening. It looks like I'm never going to see either part, though, because no one at "home" recorded them (or even watched them).

* * *
Now that I've had the opportunity to watch a little TV for the first time in a while, I've mostly opted not to watch it. Whenever I flip through the 8,000 listings on the on-screen channel guide, looking for something remotely interesting, I find nothing. And it just leaves me scratching my head, wondering why there isn't a crew out there following me, meeting the people I meet and seeing the things I see.

* * *
I apparently have no eyeglasses anymore, which is freaking wonderful. And no, I didn't lose them, nor did I break them. (It's a long story that I don't feel like telling here.) It would be pretty cool if I could somehow end up with some new glasses because it helps to see when you're out looking for something.

So I guess the unintended message of this post is that almost everything still seems not to be going my way. I'm not complaining, though; just telling you what's up and what's on my mind. I'm not necessarily even unhappy about this kind of stuff anymore because I'm so used to it.

If only you knew the whole story.

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Ashley & Kropkogate

I met Ashley at Kropkogate last Saturday. I met Kropkogate (Scott Kropko) at USC last year. Ashley, if you've found your way to this blog, I want you to know I really enjoyed talking to you. You felt like a friend to me, and I like that feeling. Call me so we can pick up where we left off.

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Bittersweet

Well, the Buckeyes managed to lose yet another big game they should have won. During the game, I spent a couple hours talking to a very sweet girl named Ashley. She had to leave without much notice from her friends, so we were unable to exchange numbers or e-mail. As she left, though, I told her to google 'Aimless.' So Ashley, if you see this, I'd really like to talk to you again. 614-738-3867. I'll be looking forward to hearing from you soon.

I was just interviewed by

I was just interviewed by WCMH channel 4 again, outside Ohio Stadium. Think I was already on the news (live), but will be on game special, too.

Time to go

OK dude, it's time for you to wake up and leave. I'm trying to get a ride, and you're making it very difficult for me by illegally occupying all the ramp space and confusing the drivers who might otherwise stop to offer me a ride. It's well after 11:00 and you've been here long enough (at least three hours). There are five large truck stops in the area, so you have no excuse for this thoughtless act of laziness. Now get your ass up and go because there's a big football game coming up this weekend and I want to make it to Columbus by Friday (from Dandridge, Tennessee) so I might be interviewed by TV crews again. Go Bucks!

Rain and Roldan

Long story short...

While thousands and thousands of people drove on by during my time of need, as a miserable downpour created new rivers eight days ago in Atlanta, only Roldan Smith stopped to give me a hand. With the relentlessly cold rain bringing me ever so close to tears, Roldan got me out of the rain and took me to Stone Mountain, where his family was celebrating his dad and brother's birthdays.

Roldan, his immediate family, and his brother's in-laws welcomed me to their family gathering as if I actually belonged there. They fed me well and left me with food to go. I told them some of my stories and they told me some of theirs. It was one of those magical days in which misery leads directly to joy and all-around good stuff.

I could have made this story more than a few pages long, and I will. Read about it when my book gets published.

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Citation

So here's a citation I received from a DeKalb County Police officer (just outside Atlanta) a few days ago.

 

Oh boy, where do I start?

OK, first of all, I wasn't doing anything. I wasn't flying a sign for a ride, nor was I flying a sign for money, nor was I displaying my thumb to passersby. All I was doing was sitting on a guardrail near an on-ramp (I-85 northbound exit from US 23) with my backpack on my back (about 20 feet from a bus stop).

Like always, most of the on-duty cops drove right by me, not at all worried about the harmless, clean traveler who just wanted to make his way up the road. But one cop, seizing an opportunity to make a huge positive impact, stopped to hassle me.

After asking me what I was doing there, the cop told me I wasn't allowed to be there and I wasn't allowed to solicit. Cool enough; I'm used to being told to leave spots like that. But as I prepared to leave my spot, I wanted to make sure she knew I was not doing everything she implied I was doing. I told her, "I understand if you're going to tell me to leave, but I'm not soliciting."

She didn't like that.

"Yes, you are soliciting. You already told me you're trying to get a ride."

"No, I'm hoping to get a ride. If I was soliciting, I'd be holding up my thumb or a sign, or I'd be talking to people. But I'm not doing that; I'm just sitting here, and sitting here is not soliciting."

After a few rounds of disputing my claim, with me maintaining my stance, she got pretty pissed, I guess because some people just know they're right about everything, even when they are 100 percent wrong. (Or, most likely, it was a case of "You must respect my authoritah!)

Steaming, she turned around and stomped back to her cruiser. Sitting in the driver's seat, she kicked the inside of the door a few times to make it spring back and close. (I guess it's too difficult for some people to just pull the door shut.) Inside the car, she wrote up the citation. After giving me the citation, she continued throwing her fit, then sped off, simply because I dared challenge her authoritah.

And that's the only reason why she wrote up the ticket. It wasn't about me breaking the law (because I wasn't breaking ANY laws); it was about her authoritah and her fragile ego. She's one of those people who just wants to go out an bust people she deems unworthy of sharing this planet with her. And instead of taking the time to learn from someone who knows her job responsibilities better than she does, she felt compelled to show me who's boss by writing a bullshit ticket for something that never happened.

To support my point here, I've included a picture of the citation in this post. If you are able to zoom in close enough on the picture, you might take notice of my alleged offense: "Solicitation in Right Away." I guess that is similar to "Solicitation in right-of-way," but I think it's probably just the gibberish of an ignorant, power-mad cop who doesn't know how to do her job.

Although I'm supposed to be back in DeKalb County for court on October 27, I will not be there unless I just happen to be near Atlanta at the time. Instead, I plan to write a letter to the court, in an attempt to get this bullshit citation thrown out.

Here's one of my main arguments for having the citation thrown out: Since the officer doesn't even know the name of the law I allegedly broke, doesn't it kinda make sense that maybe she also doesn't know what the law means? There is a huge difference between the meanings of "right-of-way" and "right away." If the officer doesn't know the difference, there's a good chance she also doesn't know how to do her job.

---

In the United States of America, when accused of committing any crime, the law says you are innocent until proven guilty. It's not "innocent until proven guilty (unless you don't show up for court when there is no evidence showing you did anything illegal)."

If I was doing anything illegal (however petty and victimless), I was loitering, not soliciting. But the police officer did not write me a citation for loitering; she wrote a citation for soliciting, which I simply was not doing. It's this simple: Hoping to get a ride is not solicitation, nor is it in any way illegal, even when you admit you were hoping to get a ride.

I'm not going to pay a fine for something I didn't do, even if the court refuses to throw out the citation. Living in a free country means not having to prove your innocence when bad cops make up new rules and cite you for breaking laws you didn't break. But we don't live in a free country anymore, and killing thousands and thousands of mostly-harmless brown people is not going to change that.

As Americans, our freedom is not threatened by foreigners. Our freedom is threatened by our own government and our complacency. You can keep letting them take away your freedom if you want, but I'm out here fighting for it, even if you can't figure out what I mean by that.

What puzzles me most about this episode is that the cop was a black woman. Why does that puzzle me? Partly because I usually get along very well with black women. Also, I would expect her, like most black Americans, to have a very strong sense of empathy for the little guy (or the underdog or the poor). But she was just a powermad bitch who's probably going to end up finding out the hard way that her badge doesn't mean shit.

If you're lucky, maybe I'll write about some of the other stuff that's happened recently. I probably won't, but it's some interesting stuff.

Now I'm in Mount Carmel, Tennessee, staying with my great aunt and uncle Allan and Ann for a few days. It's nice to get a break with some good people.

Happy birthday, Luke.


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What a waste?

These last five weeks have felt like a total waste. Anything that could have gone wrong has gone wrong. For example, I couldn't get to Minnesota, then I couldn't get to Indianapolis. Having wasted a week trying to get to those two places, my travel options became seriously limited because I ended up having to take any ride offer I received, just to get somewhere else. Then, thinking I already had a ride lined up, that ride ditched me after I'd wasted another two days not trying to get a ride. As a result, I've ended up stuck in Texas and Florida, which are the last two places I wanted to be, mostly because summer only lasts a few months throughout the rest of the country.

I've essentially spent most of the last five weeks sitting around in truck stops, bored out of my mind. By the time I make it to any of the places I can only go in summer, summer will be over and I'll be trying to get out of those places.

Now I'm basically trying to make my way back home, either for a short break or to quit doing this forever. (I still haven't decided if I'm going to continue, although I'm leaning toward more time on the road, and maybe even walking from LA to New York next year.) I've been stuck at a truck stop in Vero Beach, Florida since Friday because Norman (my current ride) hasn't been able to get a load out of here. We'll be leaving tomorrow morning, though, to pick up a load in Georgia and take it to Shreveport.

Looking at the bright side, I do have a lot of new stories to tell. Unfortunately it's been extremely boring and tiresome. Additionally, I've only walked 20 miles, which is normally less than two days' worth of walking (and sometimes less than one day). So even though I don't feel like I've eaten well, I probably weigh more than I did when I hit the road this time. That's a change. (Of course, I only weighed 140 or 145 when I left this time, which is about what I usually weigh when I return from several months on the road.)

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Here's Nathan

Just to prove we were in Louisiana, Nathan insisted on holding up a postcard from his home state. As I said before: If you're ever in the Mandeville Waffle House on a Friday or Saturday night, keep an eye out for this guy. Very cool dude.

Be safe out there, Nathan.

 


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Hey Nate

I also want to say hey to a very cool dude named Nathan. I met Nathan in the restaurant of the Lafayette, Louisiana TA truck stop [dump]. Hey Nathan!

If you're ever in Mandeville, LA on a Friday or Saturday night, stop by the Waffle House near the Causeway Bridge and look for Nathan. (I'll probably upload a pic of him whenever I get a better chance.)

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Some pics and stuff

I wrote most of this post when I was still at the Bosselman’s truck stop in Altoona, Iowa, but I couldn’t publish it until now because I haven’t had internet access. Even when I did have internet access, I could barely get anything done because every time I would try to write something, someone would start talking to me or distract me in some other way. With all the distractions, it takes a lot of work for me to write these posts. It keeps me from getting anything else done, too, so don’t expect many (or any) more blog posts, either from my laptop or my phone. Sorry, but that’s just how it has to be.



Pic 1: Tanya from Bosselman's fuel desk is freaking cool. In fact, everyone at Bosselman's is awesome. Unlike almost every other truck stop I've been to, even the management at Bosselman's did not have a problem with me trying to get a ride out of the place, as long as I didn't bother the drivers, which I never do. Even after ten days, they were still cool with me.

Bosselman's rules.

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Pic 2: Courtany (I think that's how she spells her name) from Bosselman's had an interesting story to tell. I don't think she would mind if I tell her whole story, but I'm not sure, so I should probably skip most of the details. At age 19, after a pretty messed-up childhood, including meth addiction, she has three kids (one of them is 6), yet she really seems to have her shit together.

---

 

Pic 3: Ryan (left, age 33) and Josh (age 17).

Ryan dates Josh's mom. Along with another roommate, the three of them were moving from Binghamptom, New York to the San Francisco Bay Area. Mom and the roommate took Greyhound to the west coast, but Ryan and Josh hitchhiked.

On a Saturday the three of us met a trucker named Doug, who offered us a ride. Leaving from Altoona on Monday morning, Doug's next load was going to Medicine Hat, Alberta. From there he would be going to Seattle, then probably LA. On Sunday night we all watched The Stewie Griffin Story in his truck, then I got out to sleep in my normal spot because there really was only enough room for one person to sleep in the truck. Before I got out of the truck, Doug told me to be back by 6:00 the next morning, so I woke up at 5:30 and made it to the truck at 6:01.

Doug was going to drop off his three passengers somewhere in Montana before entering Canada (because none of us has a passport). After delivering and picking up in Medicine Hat, he would then pick us up again where he left us. Then we would continue merrily on to Seattle and California.

The next morning, though, there was a problem: When I walked out to the truck at 6:01, the truck was gone.

I had Ryan's phone number, so I called him to find out if they were still around, at the fuel islands or something. No answer.

That really pissed me off. Since I’d already had a ride lined up on Saturday with Doug, I spent the next two days chilling out, not trying to get a ride. And let me make this really clear: No one owes me a ride or money or anything. But ditching me like that was a really shitty thing to do, especially considering the circumstances. The least they could have done was call me or walk out to my tent to tell me I was no longer welcome along for the ride. I mean, is it really so hard to be honest with people?

Fortunately I found another ride by about 11:20 Monday morning with a dude named Steve. As I’ve said so many times already, I love Bosselman's, but ten days at one truck stop is ridiculous, so I was way past ready to leave.

---

 

Pic 4: Steve and that dude who says 'fuck' a lot.

Steve (the long-haired dude in the pic) has some gear in his truck that allows him to make simple graphics (mostly text) for other people’s trucks. Whenever he has spare time at a truck stop, he uses his radio to offer his services to truckers who may be looking for some new graphics. Offering the graphics (and application of the graphics) at ridiculously cheap prices, he only makes enough money to cover the cost of materials, even when he has help from someone like me. Consequently, even though I spent several hours helping him with this hobby of his, I didn’t make a cent.

In the picture, you can see the graphics we did for some dude who says ‘fuck’ about every third word (“SPECIAL K TRUCKING INC”). He was cool, but damn he says ‘fuck’ a lot.

After I took this picture, we ended up making a couple more graphics to put just below the windows on each door of the truck. For the driver-side door we made a graphic that said ‘Triple Threat,’ which is the dude’s handle. For the passenger-side door we made one that said ‘Keebler,’ which is the driver’s girlfriend’s handle. (She was not riding with him at the time.)

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It's too bad there isn't

It's too bad there isn't a camera crew out here with me because you could learn a lot by listening to some of these truck stop conversations.

The nation's stupidest drivers are

The nation's stupidest drivers are in Miami. No contest. Very stupid drivers.

There's also no milepost for

There's also no milepost for mile 666 on I-10 East between San Antonio and Houston. Apparently someone stole 'em. I hope it wasn't a Jesus freak.

Broke

I'm hungry. I'm tired. It's 100 degrees. I'm sick of waiting for a ride to somewhere with decent weather. I'm down to my last two bucks, but I have no interest in flying a sign for cash. I wrote most of a long blog post with four pics at least a week ago but can't publish it because I have no available wifi. By the time I'm finally able to publish that post, it will be very old news. In all honesty, I just want to cry for a while in the arms of someone special, but I don't have anyone like that. --> This is no fun anymore. I have nothing more to prove without a TV crew following me. I've been planning to stop at home for a few days in mid-September, then hit the road again for a few more months, but I don't think I'm going to hit the road again because there is no point. I think instead I'll go out and get a stupid, crappy job and become an overworked, underpaid zombie like the rest of
you. This could have (and should have) become something really great, but all it has become is old.

Boy I tell ya it

Boy I tell ya it sure is fun to have ants biting your nut sack all night.

My pale, white, honkey-ass torso,

My pale, white, honkey-ass torso, that is.

San Antonio: Hot but not

San Antonio: Hot but not humid; a little breezy. Not bad, really. Standing outside Flying J with my shirt off to tan my torso a bit.

There is no mile-marker 666

There is no mile-marker 666 on I-10 in Texas.

Houston... Hot... Humid... Sucks... Ass...

Houston... Hot... Humid... Sucks... Ass...

Moore: Home of Toby Keith.

Moore: Home of Toby Keith.

Just before you enter Emporia,

Just before you enter Emporia, Kansas on I-35 South, there's a gorgeous house beside a lake off to the right of the interstate.

I finally got a ride

I finally got a ride out of Altoona. Long story; maybe I can tell the story someday. We're Nebraska-bound.

Assistance

I don't have time to tell you this story as it's happening, nor can I capture even a fraction of the story on tape by myself. It's hard enough just keeping myself alive, y'know. You have no idea how much I have to tell you and show you, but I can't do it by myself and I'm sick of killing myself by trying. All I can say is that if my life on the road was a TV show, you'd watch every episode because it's more interesting than everything else on TV. So if you want that, it's time for you to contact NBC Universal Peacock Productions or some other production company and tell them you want Aimless, because that's the only way you're ever gonna get it. I don't mean to sound bitchy or pissy, but that's just how it is. I appreciate your assistance.

Another mystery caller

I received another call from a stranger about an hour ago. It was a Naples native named Daniel who randomly stumbled onto my cop encounter video on YouTube. Now a 31-year-old freshman at Marshall University, he will be taking some kind of journalism class in the upcoming quarter or semester. During this class, he anticipates that there will be an assignment in which he has to interview someone off the street (or something like that), and he asked if I'd be game for that interview.

Yes, I am game.

Actually, we talked about a lot of stuff before he asked me if I'd be willing to do the interview. It was really cool. He even said he kinda expected my phone number to be bogus, so he was a little shocked that 1) someone answered, and 2) that it was me.

So this is weird. I mean, I was getting all geeked out because I'm still stuck at this truck stop, but cool things keep happening here. First the call about being a regular guest on the internet radio show, and now a similar call about being an interview subject, which I think he said could even end up in the school paper. (I'm not sure if that's what he meant when he mentioned the school paper, though.)

Even the truck stop management doesn't care that I'm hanging around. Unlike pretty much every other truck stop I've ever been to, the management here understands that I'm not bugging the drivers or being any kind of nuisance. The people here at Bosselman's in Altoona are so freaking cool, it blows my mind. And these calls I'm getting... Jesus, I'm starting to feel somewhat important.

But that's not even half of the story. Shit, if I don't watch out, I might get another call from NBC, even though I don't really care about that anymore.

Man, I just need to get a ride to Indy now. I'm almost out of time.

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This is frustrating

I'm on my fourth day at the Bosselman's truck stop in Altoona, Iowa. I was trying to get to St. Paul until last night, but I've changed my destination to Indianapolis, where there will be a gathering Saturday with a bunch of people I haven't seen in years. Of course, had I been trying to get to Indy when I arrived here, I would have been gone days ago.

It's hot and humid outside, and it's not easy to find a comfortable hitching post, regardless of whether I hang out near the fuel islands, near the truck exit, or inside the truck stop. Additionally, all the time I've spent using the computer has probably cost me ride opportunities because I'm not as approachable when I'm focused on my computer.

There was a driver here for a couple days who, as I found out after the fact, would have given me a ride to Chicago this morning. He even looked for me in a few different places before he left. If he just would have told me last night that he was willing to give me a ride, we could have coordinated a time and place to meet. Instead, I was sleeping soundly in my tent, essentially right beside I-80. (There is no fence or divider between the truck stop and the interstate. That's weird. Check it out on Google Maps; Exit 142 in Altoona, Iowa.)

I really, really, really want to leave here right now. Fortunately the staff and management at Bosselman's have been awesome to me. I've been here once before, but only for a few minutes. It was the end of a ride from Madison two years ago. I didn't have to stay that time, though, because I had a ride to Omaha (ultimately California) lined up before I even got out of the truck that brought me here.

Well, at least I have four days to make it to Indy for the gathering.

 


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Front yard

Here's a view through the door of my tent during my second night on the road, in Decatur, Illinois.

Don't get used to this rapid-fire sequence of blogging. Once I get out of this truck stop, free wifi will be scarce.

 


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What do you see here?

Click on the thumbnail below and look at the FULL SIZE pic so you can see the details, then leave a comment telling me what kind of mysterious image you see hidden in this picture. It should not be very difficult.

 


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1 days

I couldn't help noticing this sign in the truck stop's restaurant yesterday. I don't think I've ever even seen this kind of sign in a restaurant before; it's something I'd expect to see at a construction site. But when you have such a proud record of safety as they do, I guess you have to show it off.

 

If I haven't mentioned it here yet, I've been trying to get to St. Paul, Minnesota to see my good friend Jackie, with whom I had lost contact for well over ten years (until early this year, when I joined Facebook). I've had plenty of ride offers over the last 50 hours, but nobody's going that way.

If I don't get a ride to Minnesota today, I'm just gonna have to start trying to get to Indy, where I plan to attend a gathering Saturday with a lot of people I haven't seen in years. Also there is a good chance Jeff will be passing through Indy at the same time, on his way to DC and Maine. So if Jeff and I both make it to Indy, it looks like I'll be going with him for at least a few days.

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Paul

OK, since that worked, here's a picture of Paul. Story coming soon, maybe.

 

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Test

I'm just trying something I've never done before. Did it work?



[No, it didn't. This is frustrating.]

OK, yes it did... maybe. As you can see, I may have been in Green Bay recently.

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Altoona, Iowa

I have so much to say, I'll never be able to say even half of it. Let's start here: I got a very interesting phone call today. It was from a guy named Jason Spurlock. (Google his name to find out who he is. I haven't Googled his name yet, so all I know is what he told me.)

Oh yeah, so I'm at a truck stop in Iowa and I am no longer riding with Paul. I'll have tons to say about him whenever I can or someday maybe.

So this dude Jason has an internet radio show, and he asked me if I'd be interested in contributing stories from the road and stuff. But whoa, it's just way beyond that. The dude is a bundle of energy and he gets it.

Like always, I'm extremely tired. I need to find somewhere to sleep now, even though I would like to sit here and type a few pages for you to read. Hey, I'm trying, but this is so much more work than you can imagine. Maybe with Jason's collaboration, one of my jobs can become a little easier.

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I'm still alive

I've been riding with Paul for about ten days. We're between Milwaukee and Madison right now, on the way to Denver. I think I'll get out in Des Moines, though, so I can try to hit the Twin Cities to see my dear friend Jackie, whom I have not seen in nearly 15 years. Also, I don't want to venture too far west right now because I want to attend a gathering in Indy next Saturday. I have a lot to say about Paul, but I'll have to wait until I find some free wifi. I also have a camera this time; I'll try to figure out how to edit and upload some of the pics I take. There are a couple decent ones already. Well, I just wanted to post a short update from my phone because it's been a while. Hopefully I'll be able to say more soon.

Joined in progress

In case you’ve wondered: Yes, I am on the road again. I just haven’t found any free wifi access until now, nor have I had much opportunity to write anything. (I’m really sleep-deprived right now, too, so I hope this all makes sense.)

Last Sunday, after a three-day family reunion near Dayton, Ohio, my parents followed me to a truck stop near London, where I unloaded my travel gear from the car and handed my keys to Mom. Considering it was already evening when we arrived, I didn’t even try to get a ride. Instead, I found a nice place to sleep so I could get up early the next morning and put myself in position to get a ride to anywhere.

At about 9:00 AM on Monday morning, I found my way to a familiar hitchhiking spot near the fuel islands of the Pilot truck stop, only a few feet from where I met Vernon last year. Never knowing how long it might take to get a ride at a truck stop, I hoped I wouldn’t end up stuck there for the next two or three days. Fortunately I didn’t even have to wait half an hour for someone to offer me a ride. Just before 9:30, we were off.

This ride was much different than the rides I usually get when I hang out at truck stops. This time the vehicle was neither a truck nor a car; it was an over-the-road coach. The 50-year-old New Jersey native, Brian, who normally chauffeurs chartered tourists, was delivering a brand new bus from Canada to Dallas, where it will soon become a new addition to the Lone Star fleet. As a pit stop on his way to Dallas, though, he intended to take a slight detour to Decatur, Illinois to visit his in-laws. This meant I'd be getting out in Decatur.

On the way to central Illinois, as I sat uncomfortably atop the steps beside the driver’s seat, Brian expressed a strong passion for cooking. An amateur food scientist of Italian descent, Brian said he often experiments in the kitchen, sharing his creations with family and friends. Taking pride in the fact that his results tend to be beyond satisfactory, he expressed interest in opening his own restaurant someday. However, I couldn’t help thinking he will probably never pursue his restaurant dreams. Although Brian seemed very confident in his culinary skills, something told me he lacks the courage to invest in himself. He showed a lot of passion and conviction regarding food, but he just seemed like a deer in the headlights of his own dreams. Hopefully someday he will realize his hi-beams are not a threat; they are merely beckoning him to take control of his destiny. All he needs to do is take the wheel, press the gas pedal, keep the car between the lines, and stay focused on his objectives.

With each of us hoping to own a restaurant someday, Brian and I shared our philosophies regarding cooking and restaurant operations. Soon, though, we were in Decatur and it was time to split. Brian dropped me off at a Pilot truck stop outside Decatur, where I grabbed a cheap lunch at a fast food joint. After eating, I headed out to the fuel islands to look for another ride to anywhere (except Ohio).

I spent about 24 hours at the Pilot station in Decatur before getting a ride with a very cool trucker named Paul. Paul and I stopped in somewhere in Oklahoma last night, then delivered his load in Dallas earlier today. Now we’re at a truck stop on the south side of Dallas, where we'll stay overnight before picking up a load bound for Florida. (No, I won’t be getting out in Florida.)

I will surely have plenty to say about Paul whenever I get another chance. He’s a real character. Unfortunately it’s not always easy to find free wifi, especially on the truck stop circuit. It’s also hard to find time to write, but I’ll try my best to keep it coming.

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Bleached

I don't know if I ever mentioned the four nights I stayed in a hotel/casino in Primm, Nevada last December as I made my way back to southern California from Vegas. Yeah, well I stayed in a hotel for four nights last December as I made my way back to southern California from Vegas. The first night was free because someone gave me a voucher for a free room, but the other nights were only $22 per night, which I was able to afford because I turned a nickel into $100 on a keno machine. (That's just a small part of the story, so don't go thinkin' I'm Mr. Lucky.)

While I stayed at the hotel, taking a well-deserved vacation, I spent a good bit of time sitting in the hot tub, especially late at night when it was really cold. I can't help it; I love the feeling of standing outside in freezing temperatures, soaked and almost naked yet not affected by the cold because my body is so thoroughly warm from the hot water.

One thing I didn't consider, though, as I sat in the hot tub with the legs of my convertible pants zipped off, is that the hot tub was bleaching my shorts. Consequently, I ended up with multi-colored pants--light green shorts with darker green legs--which looked pretty goofy. By this time of year, even in Vegas and southern California, it was cold enough to necessitate wearing pants, so I had no choice but to look goofy every day following my mini-vacation, as that was my only pair of pants.

Before I hit the road again, I need to try to bleach the legs of those pants to make them the same color as the shorts. That'll be fun.

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It ain't over

If anyone still reads this: I plan to hit the road again soon.

I can't wait to get outta here in a couple weeks. I have too much time right now to think about shit I don't need to be thinking about, and it's not doing me any good.

On the road there's no time to process thoughts, and it eventually makes you really crazy. Considering how much time I've already spent on the road, though, and how much time I've had to reflect and learn, I think I can handle it better this time. But at less than 140 lbs already, will my body be able to take the punishment?

I don't have any more bullshit to worry about, so I think this trek will be much better than the previous adventures have turned out. Also, I think it will be better for the people who put up with the things I write here.

What will be different this time?

Well, for example, I really don't care anymore if I ever hear back from NBC, so no more bitching about that. Yes, I want to hear from them and I know I'm money in their bank, but I'm not the slightest bit worried about it anymore.

Also, that girl Missy who's been in my head for almost five years. I finally realized yesterday that she simply is not a good person. For so long I refused to believe it, and all I did was make myself look crazy in her eyes by trying to reach her. But now I know the truth, and unfortunately she's just not a good person. I think deep down in her heart she is a beautiful person, but she doesn't listen to her heart (or the voice of reason), so I can't continue hurting myself by wishing she would.

Anyway, that's a big weight lifted from my back right there. It's just one of many things that should make the next trek more enjoyable to the three people who read this blog. Another thing that should make it better is that I don't expect to update very frequently. I've put too much pressure on myself in the past by trying to do too much and trying to share too much. I'm gonna be selfish this time and try to enjoy the experience a little more, and that should help you enjoy it a little more, too.

But who knows if I'll stick to my plan once I hit the road?

P.S. - I hope you see this, Missy Green, because... Originally I was going to say I want you to see it so you can misinterpret even more of my words and perpetuate the lie in your head, but that's not why I want you to see it. I want you to see it because I still hope you and I can forgive each other someday and become friends or whatever. I just don't know if I'll ever be able to forgive you now.

Update (7/16/09): Forget that; there will be no more forgiveness.

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GloZell at The Comedy Store

My pal GloZell (whom I met at the Tonight Show, as you probably know) had a stand-up gig at The Comedy Store in Hollywood Saturday night. Here it is:



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Fibromyalgia

You hurt all over, all the time. I hurt all over, all the time.

You feel confused and can't trust your brain. I feel confused and can't trust my brain.

You call it Fibromyalgia. I call it Candida overgrowth.

You fork over big money for countless doctor bills. I gave up on doctors because doctors are clueless and their "expertise" only makes me worse.

You spend even more money for 15 different prescription drugs that only target your symptoms. I spend my time reading and researching, looking for the cause of the problem and its cure.

Your symptoms have no cause. My symptoms all have the same cause, which I have identified.

You suffer painful, crippling side effects from your prescription drugs. I changed my diet and suffer no side effects.

After ten or twenty years of treatment, you keep hurting, dying. After two weeks of treatment, I feel like a million bucks. (Well, maybe 700 grand.)

Fibromyalgia? Candida overgrowth? They're the same damn thing, but they exist in two separate worlds of thought. One of these diseases cannot be cured by the medical establishment's life-draining and expensive treatments. The other is not even recognized by the medical establishment but is easily cured by kooky "alternative" medicine, in conjunction with a little hard work and discipline from the sufferer.

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Role reversal

Tuesday, as I drove into Columbus (Dublin) to buy some raw, organic apple cider, I passed a man walking alongside Norton Road, at the Grove City Road intersection. Having spent my fair share of time over the last couple years hoping someone would stop to offer me a ride somewhere, I pulled off the road to ask him if he needed a ride. Even though he was walking south and I was driving north, knowing I would have to turn around and go out of my way, I didn't mind offering him a ride because I've been that guy so many times and I was in no hurry.

When he got in the car, I asked him where he was trying to go. Replying "Sunbury" or something like that, my immediate thought was that he was really in the wrong place and was walking even farther away from where he was trying to go because Sunbury is north or northeast of Columbus and he was southwest of Columbus. Even more strange, he thought he had been walking west, roughly parallel with Interstate 70.

To better understand his objective, I reached for a road atlas in the back of the car and opened it to the appropriate Ohio page so I could show him where we were, and also so he could show me where he was trying to go. After looking at the map, he pointed to a little spot called Gillivan, which I'd never heard of, even though it is in an area I'm pretty familiar with. (It's a couple miles from the truck stop where I met Vernon Mack last August.)

As I drove toward Gillivan, my 40ish passenger kind of cleared up my confusion regarding Sunbury. Apparently he was trying to get to a "Sunbury Retirement Home" (or something like that), where he was supposed to meet up with a girl he knew when he was younger, who works at the retirement home. Even though the guy was really clean cut and had decent clothes, it didn't take me long to realize he wasn't quite all there. Not crazy, but just not all there.

From I-70 west I used exit 81 north (State Route 29) toward US 42, then headed north on 42 toward the spot where Gillivan exists on the map. There was nothing there. So after several miles, instead of heading deeper into Amish (or Mennonite) country, I turned around and headed back toward the interstate, thinking maybe the retirement home is near the truck stops and fast food joints.

Nope.

We asked one of the workers at a gas station if they knew where the retirement home is. They'd never heard of Sunbury, but they did know of a retirement home in sorta-nearby West Jefferson. When the cashier said the name of the retirement home ("Arbors" I believe), my passenger seemed to have a change of heart; something to the effect of "Yeah, that's where I'm trying to go," even though he had never mentioned any word that remotely resembled 'Arbors' to me.

So we headed toward West Jefferson, which is nearly ten miles away from the truck stops (and nowhere near Gillivan). First, though, I took a short detour into London because after driving around aimlessly for over an hour, I was hungry for some Sonic (which I'm not really allowed to eat right now). I got us both something to eat at Sonic, then headed back toward West Jefferson.

Entering West Jeff from the west, I quickly spotted the retirement home. I doubted that it was the one he was looking for, but he wanted to go there, so I took him there. My passenger got out, feeling good about the prospect that he was in the right place, but he asked me to wait, which I didn't mind. After about ten minutes of waiting, though, I was sick of running around all over the place and waiting for him.

Not seeing him anywhere, I hesitantly decided to take off. Turning left (west) out of the parking lot to go back to the interstate and resume my errand, I quickly turned around because I realized I'd have to go several miles out of my way to get on the interstate that way. As I approached the retirement home again, I saw my rider walking near the parking lot, looking for me, so I stopped and asked him if he found the girl he was looking for.

Nope.

But he still seemed convinced he was in the right place. (Conversely, I was sure he wasn't in the right place, and now I'm not even sure the girl he was looking for exists.) Since he had previously indicated that he might want a ride back into Columbus, I asked him if he wanted me to take him there, but he decided to stay in West Jeff. He then thanked me for the ride and I took off toward Dublin.

I'm glad I stopped to offer the dude a ride and everything, and I would do it again, but man that was nonproductive and even kind of stressful. Basically I spent two hours running him around for probably nothing, ultimately ending up only 15 or 20 miles from where I found him.

To the people out there who read this because you met me by giving me a ride, consider yourself lucky. Seriously.

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The confusion of marriage

A tip to all females who have never been married: If you get married, make sure you marry someone you truly love; someone who truly loves you back.

Here's why: If you end up in a marriage that doesn't last, your new last name(s) will confuse all the people who knew you in the past when you show up on the future's version of Facebook. It might keep you from getting dates with some of them, too.

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Stop killing yourself

If there is one blog post I ever wanted you to read and remember, this is it. I know it may sound like I'm trying to sell you something, but I'm not. I just want to help you figure out what makes you hurt all the time, so you can start feeling better like I have.

Do you feel like shit all the time, in a bunch of different ways? For example, do you regularly experience any or all of the following problems?

• anxiety
• depression
• headaches
• athlete's foot
• toenail fungus
• confusion
• loss of coordination
• "brain fog"
• nausea
• sinus infections, pressure, and pain
• rashes or other skin disorders
• unexplained pain
• fatigue
• tender throat
• jaw pain
• vision disturbances
• numbness
• tooth pain
• thrush
• yeast infections

Are you taking a million different prescription medications that all seem to hurt you more than they help you? Do you often wonder if your doctor is a total moron?

Well, maybe you have a Candida overgrowth.

Most people have never heard of Candida overgrowth, yet it's slowly killing most of us, or at least decreasing our quality of life. Most of the illnesses we all have nowadays are not illnesses at all; they are symptoms of Candida overgrowth. The drugs our doctors keep giving us only make the problem worse, especially if the drugs are antibiotics, because most prescription drugs only target symptoms, not the underlying problem.

DO NOT TAKE ANTIBIOTICS EVER AGAIN UNLESS IT'S THE ONLY THING THAT CAN SAVE YOUR LIFE!!!

Yes, antibiotics kill harmful bacteria inside us, but they also kill the beneficial bacteria our bodies absolutely need, which opens the door for Candida albicans, an opportunistic fungus that already lives inside everyone, to take over our bodies and make us miserable FOREVER.

After months of misery, I've been on a Candida detox diet for about a week now, and I feel tons better. I'm nowhere near healed yet, but I feel so much better physically and mentally because I stopped feeding the yeast that has taken over my body.

I created a new blog last night to chronicle my battle with Candida so people can understand what the whole process is like. If you feel like shit all the time, spend at least several hours checking into Candida and read my new Candida blog to get an idea what you might expect to experience if you attempt Candida detox. This may be the most important thing you've ever read.

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Don't forget to turn out the lights

Yeah, so um, I think Aimless is done, perhaps excluding the book I've sorta been writing.

Tomorrow will mark three years since the idea for Aimless came to me, and that's just too much time to devote to something that will never be anything. Besides, I'm pretty caught up in this new anti-Candida diet and lifestyle, so I don't know if I'd be willing to hit the road again at all this year, even if NBC called me right now and offered me big bucks to do it. I've tried to make this thing grow, and some other people have helped me try to make this thing grow, but it hasn't happened and it's not going to happen.

For the first time in six or seven months, my head doesn't hurt, nor do I feel all spacey and confused, and making that problem go away for good is the most important thing in my life right now. The absence of major head pain is just the beginning, though. Now that I understand why my head hurt so bad for so long, I want to devote at least a few months to fix the problem permanently, so I can eat pizza and cereal and ice cream again without worrying that it will put me in misery.

I'll probably still write some stuff here, which may or may not be Aimless-related, but I've lost interest in killing myself to entertain no one while remaining broke. However, if you've been a regular reader of this blog for a while, you probably already know I'm going to end up changing my mind and hitting the road again, and going crazy again, and getting an endless headache again, and failing to turn this into something people know about AGAIN.

No, I don't think that's going to happen this time.

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Hollywood Trucking

Sometimes when I watch TV shows (specifically on-location dramas), certain props stick out to me. Like 18-wheelers, which I've gotten to know pretty well over the last couple years.

If you spend any time around movie studios or film sets, you can't help but notice the trucks the studios use to transport equipment to on-location sets. For some reason that I can't explain, all the trucks in Hollywood are white cab-over models that all look the same regardless of which studio they're from. (Cab-overs are the trucks that are totally flat in the front. The cab is above the engine, thus "cab-over.")

You hardly ever see cab-overs on the highways anymore, but that seems to be the only kind of truck they use in "Hollywood." (I put 'Hollywood' in quotes because I've noticed the same kind of trucks near film shoots in New York, too.) Also, the trucks have very unique, specialized trailers, which makes them easy to recognize.

Every once in a while, one of these trucks shows up as a prop on a TV show, and it just bothers me a little bit. It makes the artificial world inside my TV just a little less believable to me because I know the truck isn't what it's pretending to be.

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Associated Content

Update (May 30): Might want to add ezinearticles.com to this new list.

I just read what appeared to be a news article on a web site called "Associated Content." This web site looks all professional and stuff, and its name is a lot like "Associated Press," so I wondered at first if this was another news service like the AP; a news service I'd just never heard of because I don't pay much attention. However, as I read the short article about aspartame, I quickly noticed the writer had a clear agenda. I also couldn't help but notice how horribly the article was written.

As soon as I left the page, I Googled "associated content scam" just to see if there would be many hits. Oh yeah, there are tons of hits.

So I guess the lesson of this story is: You can count on me to help you sift bullshit from non-bullshit.

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Cheap transportation

Sitting in the waiting area of a doctor's office last week, I glanced to my left and noticed some magazines on the chair beside me. Lifting one of the mags to see what was beneath it, I quickly noticed another publication I'm not sure I'd ever heard of: Budget Travel. Needless to say, I left it there and quietly snickered.

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Decision time

Here's an e-mail I sent to Ashley at Peacock Productions about an hour ago:

Hi Ashley,

I was just wondering if you've heard anything from whoever you've expected to hear something from, regarding my prospective involvement in this doc series thing.

You know what's more frustrating than not "making the cut"? Being kept completely in the dark for months, especially after I took only a few days to do what you asked of me.

If Peacock Productions does not want me to be a part of this hitchhiking-related doc series (or even if they do want me), then I'd really appreciate if they would let me know something. It's just common courtesy, don't you think?

If this thing is not going to happen, I want to move on with my life; y'know, get a job or something. But I can't do anything until someone from Peacock lets me know something, because you can't just walk out of a "normal" life to do something like Aimless. This refusal to communicate is making me lose interest, which is a shame because I have no doubt that I am the person y'all are looking for.

Thank you,
Ryan M. Powell

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Yeah, I know it might totally piss them off and cause them to scratch me off their list (if I'm even still on it), but I don't care anymore. Everyone deserves to be treated with a certain degree of honesty and integrity, and they haven't treated me that way. So if my letter pisses them off, fuck 'em.

If I want to watch good TV, as opposed to Dateline NBC, all I have to do is think about the things I've done and the people I've met on the road. That shit is 100 times more entertaining than watching a bunch of interviews about some missing person.

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Always waiting for something

Boy I wish that new backpack would hurry up and get here so I could try it out while walking on the treadmill. The wait has become frustrating, considering it's been about 10 days since the dude at Gregory told me he'd send me a replacement pack.

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Candida overgrowth

Disclaimer: My knowledge of the following topic is limited, so please do not assume I know what the hell I'm talking about here.

I've never been a fan of alternative medicine because most of it is bullshit. But then, I'm not much of a fan of doctors, either, because most of them are totally full of themselves and even more full of shit. Every time I go to a doctor, they spend 30 seconds with me, hand me a script for a medication that'll most likely do more harm than good, and then I leave without an explanation regarding what may be wrong with me.

During these past few months of constant pain in my head (not a headache), which now seems to be spreading to my respiratory and digestive systems, I've spent a lot of time scouring the internet for answers. I once came across some stuff about treatment for "Candida overgrowth," which I didn't pay much attention to. But I stumbled onto it again tonight, and I read a lot about it. Apparently "Candida overgrowth" is unrecognized as a legitimate condition by the medical establishment, thus its treatment is greeted with skepticism by doctors. But after reading the stuff tonight, all this "alternative mumbo jumbo" is beginning to make a lot of sense to me, at least with regard to the problems I've had.

Candida is a yeast that we all have in our bodies. Usually it is kept in check by proper diet and good bacteria in our bodies, but the alternative medicine people claim certain factors can help Candida get into the blood stream and run wild throughout the body. Antibiotics can kill the good bacteria that control Candida, and the overgrowth can be further fueled by a diet rich in Candida's favorite foods, like sugars and carbohydrates. As you may have guessed, the alternative method of treating this problem is to eliminate these kinds of foods from your diet, thus the Candida will have no food source of its own, and it will die off.

Now, seeing how I've been mega-obsessed with making pizza for the last 12 years--you might call me a pizza scientist--I've dealt a lot with yeast. And here's some of what I've learned about how to keep activated yeast alive: First of all, both flour and sugar provide food for the yeast, which the yeast consumes. When the yeast has eaten up all its food, all the yeast dies (unless you give it more food, like when you feed a starter).

So here's how I see what's going on inside my body and how to fix it, supposing it really is a growing Candida fungal infection: If I don't give the Candida the food it needs to survive (like pizza and candy bars), the Candida will die. It's that simple. So I'm going to make some major changes to my routine, beginning tomorrow, which means no sugar or carbs for a while, along with some other food items I'll have to 86 from my diet. So basically I'm going to be eating a lot of chicken, beef, peppers, eggs, yogurt, and garlic. NO PIZZA!

I'm also going to start drinking tons of water and walking at least several miles a day on the treadmill while carrying my backpack, because this shit is driving me nuts. I have a feeling this is the path to finally feeling better. I don't care if it is considered alternative medicine because it actually makes complete sense. But apparently the medical establishment has their heads so far up their asses that they can't see how much sense it makes.

If you have any puzzling pains and shit like that, you should check into this stuff because I suspect there are a lot of people going through this out there.

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I think I can

We, the Republican Party, do pledge to win back our supporters by calling Democrats even more childish names than we've ever called them before. And with the assistance of the Fox News Channel, which is fair and balanced, we will tell their mommies on them because they are all doo-doo heads.

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Feeling that wanderlust again

I'm starting to think about hitting the road again. If I do, though, it probably won't be until July. Every time I return home and chill out for a while after being on the road for a long time, I get a chance to digest how everything went down, and it makes me learn and evolve. Then, when I go out again, I have a new and fresh perspective, with a deeper understanding of how it all works and how to survive and what I want to do.

I love being on the road; it's the most amazing thing you could ever imagine. But as amazing and awesome as it is, it's also hard on the mind, and it only gets harder the longer you stay out. It's impossible to find a nice balance, or equilibrium, between the good and bad. You just keep going back and forth like a ping pong ball, usually multiple times a day.

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I really like the movie The Astronaut Farmer because it's so similar to the story I've been trying to create.

Also, I started writing again today. Hopefully I'll be able to get refocused on that again and crank out another 100 pages over the next couple weeks or so.

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Wilson

With Cast Away showing on the TV in the periphery, Tom Hanks just went nuts because he lost Wilson to the ocean. Most of y'all probably never think about how real that can be, but yes, you can do similarly crazy shit when you find yourself in an unusually lonely position like that. And you don't have to be all alone to be that lonely.

On the road I found myself incredibly lonely. With each passing second, the loneliness grew, constantly pushing me deeper into an alternate reality that no one else can really understand because no one else has ever been to this place. In time it even caused me to say and do a lot of things I never would have said or done before.

While I did meet people almost constantly, that didn't ease the loneliness because these people were all in and out of my life in an instant, creating an even more lonely experience than when I was all alone. With all these people coming in and out of your life, it's like you're no one to everyone. Conversely, you're also someone really special and unique to most of them because you're doing something they all wish they could do. But then, just as quickly as they showed up, they're gone forever. And then the next one is gone, and the next one after that is gone, and it never ends. When you're stuck in that kind of environment for long enough, it can really fuck with your head.

However, when you get back to the sane world where you know people and have a couch to relax on, you eventually become something resembling sane once again, just like Tom Hanks's character did. Not completely who you once were, but close.

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Aimless on Facebook

Become a fan of Aimless on Facebook. That way, your friends will see that you are a fan, which will make them check out the Aimless page. Then if they become fans, their other friends might also become fans...

Do you get it? Yeah, it's a snowball effect. And it doesn't require you to do any work.

If you would someday like to see what this was all about, even if you think I'm a total dick, then become a fan of Aimless on Facebook. Do it as a small thank-you for the hard work and suffering that went into making the videos I have been able to show you. Do it because, like you, other people want Aimless; they just don't know about it yet.

Oh yeah... And if you have the Documentary Channel, keep an eye out for Pizza! The Movie. They've been showing it a lot lately. I'm in it (about 32 minutes in).

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Partnership for a Bullshit-free America

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

URGH!!!

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Review of Gregory Palisade 80/Whitney 95

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hi Ryan,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Revision of a review I posted on rei.com

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

Title: An incredible backpack with one deal-breaking flaw

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

But guess what: The hipbelt still broke.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Some other gear I may eventually review in more detail:

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

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

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

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

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