n o w p l a y i n g - s c r i p t b i n - f a n c l u b - s t u d i o

make love to the camera



April 29, 2002 - 10:03 am

Various Ways To Get My Kicks

Man alive. I haven't shaved in about five days.

It's not that I'm going for some new look. It basically comes down to laziness and a general lack of any official weekend obligations. I think I'll be rectifying the situation today, as I'm about ten seconds away from going completely Unabomber.

I've even got a shack set up in the wilds of Montana and everything.

Not to mention all those threatening letters to the New York Times, but it's not like that's really a new thing.

Anyway, hey there. Good morning, good morning, good morning.

I want to remind everyone up top: Tomorrow is Show and Tell. For me, this means that it's going to be picture day. I hope you like images of various things, because that's what you're getting. If you're on the dial up, you're going to go want to make a sandwich once you click that 'FadeIn' link, I tell you what, because you'll have the time.

Let's see if we can make it official. I hereby proclaim that:

Tomorrow is Diaryland Show and Tell Day!

If you gots stuff to show, you show.

I realistically expect about 1% compliance. For the rest of you: death.

So, this weekend, I had planned on cleaning my apartment. I wanted to take one last big shot at the Bleeding Bathroom Walls of Doom and the former site of Garlic Ground Zero. I figure that the bulk of the next month is going to be consumed with preparations for the move, and that I'd have one last big cleaning day and then do touch ups as required once the Last Day arrives.

I plan on setting out somewhere around the last few days of May. Essentially, I have one month left in Chicago. Sadness.

Anyway, the cleaning: I didn't do any buffing, waxing, or scrubbing Saturday because, hey...there's always Sunday, right? Theoretically, that's true, except that Sally called me and asked me to join her for coffee at Katerina's, and, well, when faced with a choice between inhaling harsh bleaches or caffeine fumes, I go with the latter.

Five hours later, I was so hopped up on "the Bean" that I almost entered treatment. I'm still feeling it today. Coffee hangovers do exist, I swear to you.

So, maybe next weekend.

In Move News, this is proving to be difficult. I have the attitude that nothing is ever easy, so I'm not put off or discouraged too easily by a bit of a struggle. I would prefer, of course, that the universe would spare me the pain, but it apparently is not in the mood to cooperate.

Here are my options:

1: The 'Driveaway' Thing - It seems that the driveaway industry is in a bit of a lull. I'm being told that people are no longer too hip to the idea of paying a company to find a stranger to drive their car around. Surprise! It's not hopeless here, yet, though, as this company does seem to send cars to Los Angeles from Chicago occasionally. Unfortunately, they keep telling me to call back a week or so before I want to go, and that's cutting it just a tad too close.

2: Movers - I went to MonsterMoving and got quotes from four companies on my small move. I want to take my mattress and box spring, my desk, my computer, and possibly my television. Two of the four companies gave me a quote of less than $500 on that. I'm suspicious, as that seems a bit too good to be true, but I'm going to look into it.

3: Van Rental - Something I just thought of last night. Is it feasible for me to rent a car or van for a few days and then drop it off in LA? If so, would any adventurous Chicagoan want to split gas and hotel for a chance to see historic Route 66? We shall see.

4: Some Poor Sucker Agrees to Go With Me - Basically, I find a Chicagoan who wants to go to Los Angeles around the same time I do. I pay for the use of their car by buying the gas. It should be someone I know, as the prospect of being killed and/or robbed in a hotel room outside Tulsa is unappealing. This option seems unlikely.

5: The Farfetched Idea - Someone from California who has always wanted to visit Chicago drives in, and we drive back together. Don't you have a van, Jeffy? I'm reasonably certain we'd get along, and, if not, I'm pretty sure I could take you in a fight. Any other Californians in the mood to see America...twice?

6: Flying - I don't want to do that. First of all, I miss out on the drive. Secondly, I have to leave a lot of stuff. The pro, of course, is that it's a three or four hour flight as opposed to a four day drive. Then again, that drive is the fun part.

So, those are all the options I can think of at the moment. Input? Thoughts? Advice? Suggestions?

As for the drive itself, I was originally planning a more westerly route, but, within the past two days, the charms of Route 66 have been presented to me through various forms of media. If it happens a third time, I may think that someone is trying to tell me something. Besides, I hear that Amarillo, Texas has a 72 ounce steak, and, if you know me, you know that I find that mighty tempting.

Last thing: Tell me if I'm optimistic or crazy, but I think I can drive 12-14 hours on the first day, and arrive in Oklahoma City late on the first night. Then, the next day I drive nearly as long, and arrive in Flagstaff. The third day, there's a side trip to the Grand Canyon, an hour or so north of Flagstaff, to be followed by the final push into Los Angeles.

I checked on YahooMaps, and they seem to think it would take longer than that. I disagree. Personally, I think the YahooMaps guy drives like a pussy.

You didn't hear that from me, though.

I'm a half hour late for work. I still have to shower and shave. I will now go.

Remember:

Tomorrow is Diaryland Show and Tell Day!

I'm really good at bolding and centering. Really good.

Last Time On FadeIn - Next Week's Show

i am one bad updater:

enter email to find out when i update. powered by notifylist.com