My big-ass road trip: Day 0

It's been a while since I've posted to this blog. A lot of shit has happened in my life. Some good, some not so good, some down right terrible. I won't bore anyone with the details; basically, this blog is for me, and the few people who may happen upon it probably already know me, and they know at least some of what's transpired in the past few months.

I've decided to get away from it all, from the good, the bad and the ugly, at least temporarily. I'm taking a much needed vacation, an interlude of open road, good friends, new sights and new experiences. As such, I'm heading West, with a capital W, to lands unknown. Specifically, Seattle.

Besides going just to go – I've never been to Seattle, several days on the open road will do me some good and it'll give me a chance to see an old buddy of mine, Courtney, who's lived out in Seattle for the past few years – I'm also helping two friends of mine move. Jai and Amy, whom I've known for 10 years, are moving from Madison, Wis. to new lives in Seattle. Amy and their daughter, Adia, will be flying out there next week. Which leaves Jai all alone (not counting their dog, Britney) to traverse the great American countryside. So, I'm hitching along to provide some company.

My first port of call, though, is Chicago. I leave Saturday morning at 9 on the Megabus, and, gods willing, I'll be in the Windy City by 2 or so in the afternoon. I'll be staying with my friends Dan and Ann, and a visit to one of the greatest gin joints this side of the Mississippi, The Clipper Club, looms in my immediate future. From there, I head to Madison, and then points West.

I've got my books (my ancient, cracked, maroon tome of The Hugo Winners, Vol. 1 and 2, edited by Asimov; The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass, of which I'm nearly finished; and Of Mice and Men, thrown in for good measure). I've bought season 2 of Arrested Development for my iPod. But more than that I've got that itch to travel, to see what's out there, and to escape from my life, to get away from those things that are great and wonderful and those which sometimes threaten to drag me down, and everything else in between. If just for a little while.