wednesday wank
August 26, 2007
so close i can taste it
I’m stopping for the night in Vacaville just east of the bay area for the night. Stella and I are both very tired of being in the car at this point and are looking forward to being stationary for a while. I took her for a nice long walk along the strip of Vacaville while searching for something to eat. She’s currently passed out at the foot of the bed like when we’re at home.
The drive today was a combination of dull, boring nothingness and lush green mountain hills and valleys. We left Salt Lake City early this morning and crossed the great salt flats before it got too hot out. Miles and miles of flat white nothingness before crossing into Nevada and the casinos crowded right along the state line. The bulk of Nevada was filled with amazingly large rolling valleys bordered by steep mountains and large areas of scorched earth from a recent fire. At times, the car filled with the scent that reminded me of the fire that engulfed my great-grandfather’s house when his robe sleeve caught fire while he was frying his Cheerios for breakfast. I was very young when the fire took his life and I don’t remember much of him or the fire, but I remember the few ancient books and pieces of furniture that were salvaged, and the smell of fire that stuck within them for many years to come. That was the smell that traveled along highway 80 with me, filling my head with memories.
Tomorrow, I finally arrive into San Francisco to begin searching for my new home and prepare for my new job.
August 24, 2007
pitstop - Ft Collins
I’m taking a little break from the drive to San Francisco to hang out with my friend AP in Ft. Collins, CO. I’ll be here tonight and will be back on the road tomorrow headed to Salt Lake City for the night.
I left Chicago Wednesday about 3 and half hours later than planned, just in time to sit in stop n go traffic until I was well outside of the Chicago urban area. (Think the Aurora area). Once I extricated myself from the traffic, I was on my way. Past the rolling cornfields of Illinois and into Iowa, past the world’s largest truck stop and through one of the most amazing Midwest thunderstorms I’ve ever driven through. I was picturing Dorothy, Kansas, and tornadoes lifting my little VW, Stella and all of my belongings into the air and dropping us down on the wicked witch in San Francisco. I kept a vigilant eye on the horizon for funnel clouds until the daylight faded and my eyes started to tire of the road. We checked into a Day Inn someplace just east of Des Moines for the night to catch some sleep and let the storms pass.
Yesterday morning, bright and early, we were back on the road, headed west. I tried to imagine myself as Kerouac in his vagabond ramblings, but with the cruise control set at almost 85 mph, the air conditioning pumping out ice cold air and the GayPod pumping out show stopping numbers, it was difficult to compare. I screeched along to the music, Stella not minding at all, through the rest of Iowa and into Nebraska, where I was amazed to discover that not only does Omaha have legitimate skyscrapers, but that it also smells sweetly of corn meal. Lincoln, too, had a few high rises and my opinion of Nebraska was about to be updated, allowing it to join the modern age of motion pictures, automobiles, and fancy electronics. I stopped to refuel at the local Kum & Go before rejoining the traffic on highway 80 headed west.
After I passed through Cheyenne, I detoured south to spend some time with AP here in Ft Collins, a lovely college town full of some of the hottest men I’ve seen in quite some time. We visited the New Belgium Brewery today, makers of Fat Tire Ale, their most famous brew. The beautiful man behind the bar commented that I was the easiest man he’s had in a long time (after my purchase of 5 t-shirts, all large). He repeated his comment thinking that I hadn’t heard him. “I hear that all the time” I replied to a confused expression on his face. Tonight, AP is taking me out to see the nightlife in this college town. I’m hoping to make out with a college boy that looks like that bartender.
Tomorrow, I’ll be back on the road headed toward that bastion of Mormonism, Salt Lake City. Pictures to follow…
August 21, 2007
Goodbye Chicago
I’m getting ready to leave Chicago for new opportunities in San Francisco. I’ve been in Chicago for close to eight years and have had a bittersweet love/hate relationship with this place. On the one hand, I’ve developed some of the closest friendships I’ve ever had while living here; however, those relationships were usually with people I left back in California. In the last 7 and a half years, I’ve managed to expand my debt, my waistline and my depression. I’ve also managed to start this little project and have learned the value of stability and longevity.
I leave Chicago, wiser and not too much the worse for wear. I won’t miss the steamy hot and humid summers, nor will I miss the bitterly freezing cold winters. I will miss the small neighborhoods, walking to the park benches in Andersonville on Sunday mornings with Stella for a coffee and bagel while watching the people of the neighborhood walk past. I will miss my Saturdays the most. I will miss meeting Tom for tater tots at the Salt and Pepper diner before we head off into the city to partake in a multitude of shopping options. (From Hermes to the Maxwell Street Market) I will miss my neighbors who took such good care of Stella (and I’m sure Stella will miss their dog Jack a great deal as well), while I traveled, taking her to the beach and letting her frolic with Jack in Lake Michigan. I will not miss the 15-mile, hour plus commute to the airport because the traffic lights are timed to stop you at every single intersection. I will not miss the horrible construction traffic. I will not miss paying a toll to drive 1 mile. I will miss the people I worked with for the past 5 years. I will miss my friends, yes even the ones that never called; but were always there with a warm smile and a cold drink when I walked into a bar.
I’m not sure yet how I will close the chapter of my time in Chicago. It will take me some time to review the time I spent here and the people that have colored my stay. Though we just started getting to know each other, I will miss my potential soul mate with the amazing view of downtown Chicago. We got each other from the first word and that is a rarity indeed.
To everyone that has touched my heart, thank you. To everyone that I’ve touched in other ways. THANK YOU!
I look west now. I look to my future with trepidation and worry. I also look west with excitement towards new opportunities in familiar surroundings. San Francisco, regardless of my day-to-day perception of it has always felt like home. When I was frustrated and stagnant and complaining about the cost of living there, it was still a glorious place to live and returning just feels “right”.
August 15, 2007
wednesday wank
August 10, 2007
home…
I’ve been dying to share the news for a few days now, but needed to wait until my ducks were all in a row. I hate leaving my 3’s of readers out in the cold but I hope you can understand and forgive me just this once.
I’ve quit my position today in Chicago after accepting a position with a firm in the Bay Area. I’ll be finishing up, helping with transition and doing a lot of packing in the next week since I’ll be driving out on the 20th of August.
I’m excited. I’m sad. I’m overwhelmed. I’m so many things all at once that I’m surprised I’m functioning. So much to do… but first… a weekend away camping with Stella. She needs a break.
I’ll take some time on Monday and share all the dirt
