Movie and a bike ride

Tonight has been a very good night.

It started off with a visit to Crown Point Theater. I watched Wanted. If you haven't heard of it, I'm sure you've seen the previews. Yes, the one where that guy who I have never seen in a movie before flings a gun around his waist and casually shoots a bullet that whizzes right by the sexiest woman in Hollywood's face and hits the bull's eye of a target. Yes, he almost kills Angelina Jolie.

The movie was very fake, but still pretty good despite being completely unbelievable. Because it has an R rating, there is a ton of gore. There is some comic relief in a friend who continually bangs the main guy's girlfriend. And, like every great action movie, there is a twist at the end. All in all, not bad.

After the movie, I went home with the intentions of sleeping at my dad's house. I packed up the fresh Osprey pack I bought with my two $50 REI gift cards and set off on my bike. But I had a couple errands to run first: cash a $25 graduation check and return a movie to Blockbuster. 

But when I got to Cotswold I started getting really hungry and thirsty. I know Petro Express could fix that. I purchased a XXX Vitamin Water and some "starbite" peanuts. I may be the only person who buys those things because I always get two packs when I go to Petro Express (2 for $1) and when I come back the same number is always there. Strange.

Anyway, I came out of the store and stood around for a bit eating and drinking. This black guy pulled up in a really busted car. He had no shirt on, and as he emerged from the car he revealed multiple tattoos on his rather large gut. In short, the man gave me quite an impression, and as he struggled to put on his sweat-stained shirt and walk inside, it wasn't a chuckle that came to my lips but rather a silent utterance of one word: "Wow."

The guy came back out and headed toward his car. But then he stopped and turned toward me. "How you doin man?" He said enthusiastically. I paused for a second, not quite believing that this awesome man had graced me with words. "Uh...not bad. How are you doin?" I replied. The man stopped for a second, scratched his head, and then replied bluntly: "Drunk!" He gave me a toothy grin that revealed one gold tooth and several sizable gaps. Probably one of the sweetest face I'd ever seen. "Iz too late to be out on ya bike. Ain't safe," said the man. An excellent point, considering that he was the symbol of safety as he got behind the wheel of a car heavily, and admittedly, intoxicated. But I replied "I know, I know. I'm headed home," as if I had really taken his concern to heart. "Well dats good." After that, there was a not-so-awkward silence for about five or ten seconds. Then, the man gave me some excellent advice: "Get fucked up tomorrow!" The statement was quite shocking, but it did make me laugh. "Hell yeah, will do!" I replied adamantly. He laughed. "Hehe, alright." And just like that, he was gone.

I really cherish this small conversation. I wish these more often. Perhaps this is a sign that I should do more late-night bicycling around the Cotswold area.

...and the insomniac returns..

Man, my schedule is ridiculously fucked up. I hit the sack around 2:30 am, and I may have slept a little. I'm not sure. I just know that I have been going to sleep later and later every night, and I am pretty damn tired of it. Then again, it provides some time to catch up on my summer reading for next year. I won't bore you with the details, but the book is called "Never Let Me Go," and if you are one who enjoys reading, you should definitely check it out. Get at me if you care for a synopsis (good to page 119 currently) and/or would like to borrow the read when I'm done.

I feel like maybe going for a run. I bet that would knock me right out. My legs are pretty sore from all the running I've been doing lately. Hmm...maybe a walk. Okay, actually, I don't think I'm going to go at all. I would much rather remain in my father's cozy apartment. Speaking of which, this thing is damn cozy. I was sleeping in the back room, and the door that opens to the back porch was opened, although the screen was closed to bar insects from entering. It was raining outside. The whole things was very serene, what with the rain and the crickets...and my dad's occasional snoring...and yet, I still could not sleep.

So here I am. Maybe I will watch some TV. I need another season of The Office to come out so I can memorize every word in it like I have done with the past four seasons. After watching episodes in which you can pinpoint when every single word is going to be spoken, when every hand gesture is going to be made, even sometimes (and more often than you would think..scary) when a character is going to blink, it gets a bit repetitive. Still, the episodes are sitting there in my iTunes, should I choose to view them. 

And of course, I have several Weeds episodes. I really liked that show for a time, but now I am wondering if it was a bit of a fad. The storyline is weak. The actors are not spectacular. And, most importantly (and most disappointingly), I am finding that after I view an episode I have no desire to re-watch it several days later, contrary to my feelings toward The Office. Here is where the, and I have discussed this issue with Preston, probably under a different term, but maybe not, "ReViewability Factor" comes into play. On The Office, I could watch those shits all day for awhile. Sure, now they are getting a bit old, but I wore those things out. I don't think iTunes intended their buyers to watch those episodes as much as I did. For awhile, the only way I could get to sleep was to watch a fuckin Office episode (hmm...thinks to himself, "maybe work now...? **sigh** ah, dunno."). Weeds is certainly not the same as far as this goes. I don't really laugh when I watch Weeds either, although I am pretty sure it is a comedy. Wow, as I write this, I am really finding out that I wasted about eight bucks on Weeds episodes!

Let's back up for a minute, because I am pretty sure I wrote a couple blogs that highly touted the show. I need to clarify; nay, null and void those opinions. Weeds is an extremely average show. It should be watched if a random DVD is spotted on a friend's coffee table and there is no pussy nor alcohol afoot. It should be viewed only under the condition that A. it doesn't take a lot to make you laugh and/or B. you DO NOT smoke marijuana, coupled with C. you like milfs. If you're only meeting C, do not watch. But any combo of A and C or B and C and you're good. A and B certainly. A, ok. B, ok. Not just C. Go online for that.

Fuck it, I'm going to watch The Office. Night all (greeted by no one; everyone's asleep you insomnia-suffering fuck).

And now, I shall drop a deuce of faults...

There are many things about me that no one knows. I will reveal a few.

1. I am a hopeless romantic, but not in a healthy way. Now, don't get scared. I'm not a stalker or anything. But sometimes, I will become attracted to a girl so much that I literally convince myself I'm in love with her. I will spend my hours writing poems to describe her features. Usually, nothing within her personality is of note, so the poems will probably be directed at "pretty eyes" or "gorgeous hair." Part of my curse, I guess; I frequently "fall" for girls who are less-than-interesting.

2. I hide my feelings very well. If I feel this way about a girl, I can usually suppress it very well around everyone else. I'm pretty honest with the actual person, but if you're an outsider, even if you're a fairly good friend, you wouldn't see anything out of the ordinary.

Each of these things has gotten me into trouble in the not-so-distant past. To all those who have been affected, I apologize. Today, I have finally admitted to myself that I am not nearly as guarded about love as I should be. I need to reserve it for those who truly fit the criteria. I apologize to some that I have proclaimed my love to in the past, for I do not love you. 

But as for you (and you know who you are, I am quite certain of it (and if you need confirmation, just check your cellphone for the text you received at 12:59 am)), I cannot tell a lie.

Time to step it up

Today I came to the realization that I was getting fat. Actually, that is not true. I have realized this for the past few months. Ever since I have been out of the pool, I have slowly had this feeling that my body is becoming a sort of massive, gelatin-like item. I don't like the feeling.

This isn't to say that I haven't gotten any exercise. I've been ridin the bike and going to the gym occasionally. But not much.

All this changes, starting today.

I went to the Y with Nick this morning. I got up at 8:40 am. This is a lot better than 3 pm, which is when I have risen every other day for the past couple weeks. And although it is currently 2:20 am as I write this, I have plans to wake up at 8:40 am and run to the J in the morning. 

It just isn't fun to be fat. Okay, I am not fat, but I am a lot bigger than I have ever been. And I do not like it. I love to eat, and I am not going to stop eating shitty foods. So, my only alternative is to work out like a fucking maniac. This beats the hell out of giving up Krispy Kremes and Jack in the Box. Therefore, it is what I shall do.

P.S. Finalized plans on the road trip tonight, but that is for another time...

Solid Night

So I figured my night was over. 

There was a party going on somewhere, and initially I had wanted to go. Virginia was going to sneak out and I would then pick her up and take her to the party. But I was really tired, so I said that I was just going to call it a night. I dropped Virginia off at her house and then headed to my dad's apartment. I was just settling in when I got a text from my boy Jeff around midnight. Apparently there was some nightswimming going on. And you know me. I am not one to pass up a rousing night of sneaking into a pool and taking a refreshing dip.

So I was out the door. I headed to Alex's house where I met up with the whole crew, and from there we walked to Rama Swim and Racquet where we spent over an hour just hanging out in what was surprisingly really warm water. It was a very serene experience. As we were walking in, Jeff and I spotted a mysterious four-legged animal walking across the parking lot. Although we couldn't quite make out what it was, we assumed it was a deer. I was a bit fearful, for there have been coyote sightings in my neighborhood recently. And what's more, this animal rounded a bend and started walking right toward us.

It was a deer. I think I knew all along. I guess I just like to scare myself. 

So now, it is 3:14 in the morning and I am sitting on a couch in my dad's living room. I really ought to go to sleep. I have been on one horrible sleep schedule lately. Goodbye.

Seattle, Friday (fuck creative titles)

8:14 am

So, it is official. The Seattle trip has concluded, three days earlier than planned. For reasons I won't cite here, it was decided that this was "for the best." I have mixed feelings about it. I was really starting to enjoy the city, but at the same time, it will be cool to see all of my friends. Even a few days away from home can be a pretty large change. Mix in a time exchange of negative three hours, and you might as well be on a different planet.

I didn't get much sleep last night, maybe about two hours. We ate at this Mexican restaurant and I think that was the cause of my insomnia. I woke up and had that feeling like I was shaking and I was about to throw up. Fortunately, I didn't. Just had several violent burps, sat on the pot for a spell, and felt a lot better.

The conclusion to the trip actually did have a sweet note in the form of a "free" box across the street from my cousins' house. It was a box loaded with free stuff that someone had simply put on the side of the street for anyone who was interested to pass by and take. I found a couple good items: a "Ballard Hoops" tee, and a "Stealth Like Ninja" shirt. Not bad. There were also some corduroys in there, and a baseball bat, as well as a few random other items, but I figured I probably would never use those.

My sister thinks she is a total BA, being a bitch to my mom. Doesn't she realize that I am the only one allowed to do this job? Bitch betta recanize.

I bought another couple episodes of that Weeds show. I bought the second episode from the first season, but I also bought the fourth episode from the third season. Yes, I know that this is random as fuck. When I was buying it, I thought it was the fourth episode of the first season. But still, why number four you may ask? Well, I had watched what I presumed was episode three, season one with my cousins, and didn't want to buy something I had already seen. Hence, I bought the fourth. I fucked up.

I bought my Dave Matthews tickets last night. Used my Ticketmaster gift card, along with rewards points on my credit card. It said I had 25,000 points. I don't know how that's possible. I wonder if that includes my parents' account. Regardless, I used 16,000 of them so I didn't have to pay a cent for the tix. Sweet deal. Hopefully they don't get pissed.

8:14 pm

Back in the QC. Off the plane, in the car, on the way home. Thus concludes a family trip full of highs and lows. Certainly it ended on a bit of a sour note, but what can you do. Just roll with the punches, I suppose. Now it's time to see what's going on in my city tonight. Bye.

Coldplay still rox me sox

Seattle, Thursday

11:36 am

Just watched the first episode of that show, "Weeds." I like it. It certainly doesn't compare to The Office as far as humor goes, but it is decently funny. And it has a pretty good storyline. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of the stuff in that show was actually going on in affluent neighborhoods across the nation. 

No one is in the house right now. It is kind of weird. I have been surrounded by family all week, and now I am the only one here. It is peaceful, but strange. 

I think we are going on that ferry ride in a little bit. I'll bring the video camera. I finally got my iMovie to work on the Mac, so I put the videos that I shot yesterday on there. I still haven't even checked to see if I can put vids on the blog. I am in no hurry to do so regardless. 

I think I may buy another episode of Weeds. It's definitely got me intrigued. Maybe I'll try to BitTorrent it. Gaga.

4:03 pm

We went on a ferry tour around the city of Seattle. It was okay. The tour guide was mildly entertaining, and as a result seemed to garner a large amount of tips at the end. I offered none, and in turn got a "Thanks, buddy," from the guy as I left the ship. He was kind of an asshole.

I know that I need to go on a run right now, but I am just feeling dead tired. I really want to go get a cup of something with caffeine. Yes, I mean coffee, but with all of the coffee flavoring disguised, so that I get the effect of caffeine but not that horrible coffee taste in my mouth.

I think after that we are going to Archie McPhee's, a local legend among joke shops and the like. Perhaps I will find something interesting to purchase.

7:21 pm

Shit's gettin rough...may be comin home earlier than expected...

12:36 am

Trip didn't end well. And yet, some good in it, for me at least. Want to know more, buy the book. This is above blog material.

Seattle: Wednesday (I think this post is extremely boring for the most part, may get more entertaining toward the end.)

9:00 am

We're on the way out the door to breakfast. I am pissed because my dad woke me up out of what had become a very solid sleep. Today we are hiking Rattlesnake Ledge. The video cam will be with me; apparently it's one of the most scenic views in Washington. If it can compare to Rainier looming up above the sound, it has to be pretty close.

10:37 am

Just got back from breakfast. The place was known for its cinnamon roll french toast. Frankly, I was underwhelmed with the product. It was decent though, and got me fairly full. Now we are leaving for the hike. I am taking my backpack; hopefully it doesn't become to cumbersome.

A quick update about the roadtrip: the route has now changed to a jaunt up the east coast, and the departure date has been moved back to July 5th. Details will come later, but I will say that now I'll be able to attend the Dave Matthews concert. So that is a plus.

I really love this Coldplay CD.

4:40 pm

Wow, what a hike. It was four miles round-trip. The first two were all uphill, but the view was well worth it. You can't see anything like that in the North Carolina mountains. Snow-covered caps as far as the eye could see. And below, a lake that was nearly as blue as the Pacific. 

There was this bird up there, I think it was an eagle, and it kept sweeping down at all the people. I guess there was some sort of nest up there. 

I am so fucking tired. We are now about to go to dinner. 

9:28 pm

Dinner was pretty solid, and at the $400 price tag that it carried, it was quite necessary for it to be. We ate at this place called Tilth, which is so hXc organic that most of the stuff has been deemed "wild." But the food itself was extremely good. We tried a bunch of different dishes. My personal favorite was the duck burgers, which is the staple item on their menu. 

During the meal I got one of the worst headaches I'd ever had. The waiter brought me a couple pills, and at first I was a bit skeptical about taking them. But I did, and that thing kicked the headache. I guess it might have been some sort of organic aspirin. Whatever it was, it did the trick.

Just got off the vid chat with Virginia. The built-in iSight on Macs is a very nice feature. I think I am going to read a bit of my book right now, the one mandated by the Dean at UNCW for every incoming freshman to read. I believe it is called "Never Let Me Go." It seems to have a plot along the lines of 1984. I am not sure yet if that is correct. I'll let you know.

11:05 pm

I am about to hit the hay. Still listening to this Coldplay. Shit is gettin more and more legit by the listen. It's that shit that you hate to love, but it is just too damn good to hate, or even be apathetic about. Makes me want to make very passionate, yet very beautiful love all night long. Preferably to two girls at once, although Virginia has repeatedly told me that she does not approve. Yikes, hope she doesn't read that. TMI? Oh well.

I read another chapter in that book, Never Let Me Go. It is getting mildly interesting, and I was pretty sure that I had a good lead as to where the book was going. Sure enough, I was right. These kids are clones, and they are merely being used for their organs so that their "possible," or the person they were cloned from, can live longer and healthier. Got the synopsis off of Wikipedia of course. I think I spoiled the book for myself in a way. Dammit. Oh well, at least now I will know exactly what the fuck is going on.

Man, I love this MacBook. I hate knowing that I have scratched it up a bit. I am so OCD when I get something new, especially some piece of technology. Why, I don't know. I probably won't care about it in about...a year....

I just want to sit up here all night and listen to Coldplay.

This random dude I used to swim with randomly IMed me a couple of minutes ago. It is 2:10 am where he is, so that in itself made it quite a surprise that I got a message from him. But the true shock was what he said: he told me that my swim coach was gay. He said that he had met a girl who knew his "partner." Sounds like a crock of shit.

I may try to get some sleep now. I really wish my iMovie would stop freezing up. I am not sure what is wrong with it. 

I wonder what is in store for tomorrow. Hopefully nothing too strenuous. I know that I will not be able to handle another four mile hike up a fucking mountain. I think tomorrow's events involve a ferry ride. Should be nice and relaxing.

Some song just came on that I do not know. The Coldplay CD ended, and now I am listening to...."It's You," by Annie Stela. I like it. This is not something that I would typically like. I think in any other setting I would not like this song. But tonight, I am in the zone. Man, this is some baby-making music, and I don't know why. I just know that I want my first born to be conceived as my ears digest the notes of Stela's aforementioned "It's You." Goodnight, Seattle. Chad Thomas, hopefully not sleepless for long.

And goodnight to you too. You know who you are. (I hope that does not sound queer, cliche, etc. That mystery person probably does not know that he or she is the person I am directing this comment to. Yes, you.)

Washington, the end of day 2

I am sitting here listening to the new Coldplay album for the second time. I am lying in bed on this Aero mattress next to my father, who is probably the loudest snorer I have ever heard. It is fucking ridiculous. It seems like he hasn't snored as much since he lost a lot of weight (I was told there was some sort of correlation) but tonight he is back on his jock, if you will. I think I am going to bust out the video camera, night vision intact, and record some of this.

Coldplay CD

The new Coldplay CD has me all tangled up inside. I told myself that I was done with the band. I told myself that they had sold out. I don't like the Viva La Vida single. But I decided to humor myself and sample the album on iTunes. The first 30 second clip of A Life in Technicolor nearly had me in tears. So I had to download the album. I am only on song 6 of the 11 so far. But I must say that so far, I give this thing four stars out of five, with Technicolor getting five stars easily. I was reading the album reviews on iTunes and found that a lot of people did not like Technicolor, which happens to be the first track. One guy said he was about to cancel his pre-order of the CD because he thought it was going to be bad after he listened to this track on a streaming site. And I think the reason people don't like it is because Chris Martin does not sing in it. That's right, it's instrumental. Could that be the reason I like it? I don't think so. I just like the flow of it. It has that indescribable four-note sound of hope that I really like in songs and find in a lot of instrumentals, especially Explosions In The Sky. That's definitely why I like it. But as I said, the rest of the CD doesn't seem to be too bad either. 

So I actually bought the CD on iTunes. I was going to BitTorrent it, but I haven't yet figured out quite how it works on a Mac. Plus I felt like contributing to the already undoubtedly large bank accounts of Martin and Co. So I put the $9.99 down, and did what I had to do. I am still on song six. That is how long it is. Called "Yes," it is seven minutes long, and encompasses a bunch of different rhythms and sounds. The previous song, "Lovers In Japan/Reign Of Love" is also seven minutes, but at least they gave it a slashie title to denote its musical variety. 

I like this CD.

Washington, Days 1 and 2

Monday, 5:14 a.m.

We are in the car on the way to Washington. That's Washington state for all those who don't know. I am extremely tired, and pained by a strange spasm in the muscles along the right side of my body. For the time being, this has subsided. "Yes dad, I brought my iPod and MacBook." 

Once again, it has been quite awhile since I have blogged. This is about to change, for the summer shall come bearing bloggings. Between this trip and the roadtrip to Montreal, I have a feeling that it will be filled with events that are noteworthy blog-wise.

Which is strange, because this particular ride to the airport is really not worthy, at least in the eyes of most. I think I am going to document this trip rather closely, just as an experiment. So get ready for detailz! Probably the reason I'm doing this is because I just want an excuse to use my BRAND NEW MACBOOK. I am sure this was obvious with the opening paragraph, but I did indeed receive a brand new comp for college after graduation. It is so sweet, and so loaded. It's black, so it looks a lot more badass than the white MacBook or even the Pro. It's got a bunch of shit on it, and is almost as good as the Pro, save for slightly shittier graphics. But I could care less about this. I'm not a big gamer, so it isn't really an issue for me.

Alright, I think I will try to save the rest of this battery life so I can watch some stuff on the plane.

6:28 am

We are sitting in the luxurious exclusive building in the airport that we got in thanks to my Papa's connections in US Airways. Tis the dankness. Free poundcake, drinks, da worx. Got Led Zeppelin's "The Ocean" crankin on iTunes. I'll wake all the old fucks in here up if it kills 'em. My sister just tried to prank call me sitting right next to me. Didn't work too well.

11:45

Sleeping on planes is not recommended. I have been trying to do so for the past few hours but it is one of the most uncomfortable things that I have ever tried. After waking up freezing and with numerous cramps, I resorted to watching a couple office episodes. I have seen them far too many times, and have actually become tired of them. Yes, that is possible. I know every single word, so it is slightly distressing. Additionally, I am sitting next to my bitch sister who is making every effort to read what I am typing despite her actions to disguise her wandering eyes.

Jack Nicklaus is speaking on the TVs in the planes. Can't here what he's talking about. Don't really care to either. I am really ready to get there. Apparently we have about 1.5 hours until we arrive. I really want something to eat, but unfortunately my lone chewy brand bar has been stored in the compartment above my head. Are we allowed to open those during flight? I am not sure. I should probably ask someone.

I am actually looking forward to this trip. There are a lot of cool things to see in the northwest. I've never actually been there, so it should be a pretty sweet experience. But the marquee event of this summer is obviously going to be the roadtrip. This should be a solid warmup though.

11:40 Charlotte time, 2:40 Seattle time

The five hour flight was negated by three hours backwards in time, making it seem like it hasn't been as long as it actually has to make the trip. We just arrived in Seattle, and after a bit of trouble getting our rental car, we are finally on the road. I am pretty starving, so hopefully we'll hit up a lunch place pretty soon. Maybe a local haunt, but I'm not being picky. I'll take what I can get at this point.

I am fairly tired of my mom's falsely laced "calming" voice. I really want to just get out and see some sights. 

9:00 Charlotte time, 6:00 Seattle time

Just went for a run with my dad. The rest of the day has been pretty cool. We went to Pike Place Market, and just chilled along the water. But the run I just had was probably the highlight of the day. 

My dad is looking jacked, down to a lean 140 pounds. We were running at a pretty hard pace, and I have to say that I am pretty damn beat. But it was really cool just running alongside my dad. This city is so cool; it makes me want to go outside and run. 

I was complimenting my dad on his new physique, and he came back with one comment: "I just want your mother back. She just...." and then, as usual "Well, I shouldn't really be talking with you about this." But it is so obvious what he really wants.

I am going to hit the showers after the run, then we're heading to dinner. Hopefully I will be able to get online later and video chat with my girl. I'm praying for the best.

9:32 pm (Seattle time, just add 3 for Charlotte because I am too lazy)

Ate dinner at a pretty decent seafood place tonight. The waitress was rather shitty, although she did offer an array of colorful vocabulary words such as "muddled." That was entertaining. The meal itself consisted of a 35 dollar piece of salmon known as "Copper River Alaskan King Salmon." I thought it was decent, but possibly not worth the pricetag.

Three strange events occurred on the way home, each exceeding the one prior in levels of strangeness. The first was a man who powerwalked by my father and me wielding a retro walkman. I'm not talking about the ones that play those mini-discs. I'm not even talking about a CD player. No, this thing was straight cassette. I am not one to judge, but this guy was a bit strange. Although I have seen a lot of strange people in this city. I like it; I fit right in.

On to the remaining two odd events. The next thing that I observed was an African-American male of middle age sitting in the bed of an old pick-up that was towing a camper with the words "Fifth Wheel" emblazoned on the front. This in itself might seem a bit out of the ordinary to some, but certainly not blog-worthy. But get this; sitting adjacent to this man, and only noticed after observing this scene for some time, was an old white lady of about eighty years old. These two were sitting awkwardly next to eachother. My dad pointed this out, although I had already noticed it. We quipped as to what the occupation of each was: perhaps caregiver and patient? Perhaps a strange form of robbery? We came up empty-handed.

Thirdly, as we neared my cousins' house, I noticed a fire truck with lights flashing pulled over on the side of the road. I quickly crossed the street and tried to figure out what was going on. I am nosey. I found some homeless people lying on the grass with some paramedics surrounding them (SIDENOTE: there are a ton of homeless people in Seattle). One of the paramedics was holding one of the homeless guys and was giving him some sort of shot. A sedative perhaps? Liquid heroin? Impossible to tell. This event is so strange, and sounds so dumb while describing it that I have a feeling some people think I am just making it up because there were actually only two strange things that I saw on the way home and not three. This is not true. It actually happened...I think.

Tuesday

10:27 am

Got up three hours earlier than I typically do back in Charlotte. Obviously I am not yet on Seattle time. This morning has actually been pretty productive so far. I got up and grabbed a shower, then joined my dad downstairs for a rousing 70 push-ups on those damn push-up handles he brings everywhere. My hands are still shaking from the deed as I type this. The old man did 104.

Right now I am munching on a whole grain poptart I found upstairs. I wonder if it still has the hydrogenated shits...? Who knows.

We're out the door. Headed to a rock and roll museum, followed by a tour of the space needle. Should be cool. I may bring the vid cam...

4:11 pm

The day has not been too eventful, although I have seen many sights that one must see when one comes to Seattle. Went to this music project museum. It basically highlighted all musical artists with Seattle roots. Obviously the highlight was Jimi Hendrix. They had much more Hendrix stuff than anything else. It was a pretty cool place, but I have never seen more weird people in my life than I did in there. It was like everyone was on shrooms or something, just slinking around and looking at a bunch of shit, then looking up randomly and staring at me. 

Had some of the best coffee of my life in the Cherry Street Coffee House. I say this because I hate coffee, and this drink was basically chocolate and caramel with just a hint of actual coffee. Not bad.

This video chat is really coming in handy. I have been chatting with Virginia on it for the past couple of days. The quality isn't that great, but I think that is because we are using the bootleg Yahoo! version. Her iChat is messed up. But it does get the job done.

This city is really cool, but it can be a little bit depressing. It is always cloudy. Yesterday we got a good but of sunshine, but apparently it was just an anomaly. I am listening to Band of Horses right now, and although it is some dankness, it is doing nothing to brighten my mood. 

I can't believe it is only 4:17 right now. I am extremely tired. I guess I am still not yet adjusted to Seattle time. I'm getting there though.

5:45 pm

Another run with my dad in the bag. This time we went far as hell, all the way to the beach. I think it was about four miles round-trip. The total time was 40 minutes, a pace that felt much faster than that. Plus, coming back, we had the wind off of the water against us the whole time.

On the first half of the run, about three minutes in actually, we saw a group of about nine caucasian kids and one black girl, all of which were about fifteen, strolling around. As we ran by, all of the kids got out of our way, save for the girl. She was smoking a cigarette, and I guess she regarded herself as the resident BA of the group. "EXCUSE ME!" she screamed as we ran by. She had a cigarette in her hands and was smoking it in a fashion that you or I suck on Dum-Dums or Tootsie Pops. In other words, improperly. As we passed, I heard her scream a few profane words to no one in particular. My dad turned to me. "Tough crowd," he said. Touche, Tom. Touche.

8:47 pm

Dinner tonight was crucial. We had fresh Alaskan crab legs as well as some sort of local variety. Each was spectacular. The Alaskans were giant. I was a little wary at first because of my last experience with seafood. Although it didn't directly affect me, it was quite scary. Max and I made some shrimp a couple weeks ago. He cooked his slightly less than I did. We used the same pan. That night, he started puking, and the next morning had some sort of rash. He went to the hospital. Thank god, none of these things befell me. But it was quite scary. So this time, I made damn sure that the crab was cooked well enough.

A bit prior to dinner, my dad demanded that I have a beer. I said No at first, knowing full well that I would ultimately take him up on the offer. I just wanted to see what he would do. "Chad, have a beer for your old man, dammit." Who could deny a request like that? The variety was (and I pause for a moment to walk upstairs and find out, because this beer is that good)(well I fail because I couldn't find any, I guess we drank all of them, but it was a local Seattle variety. I'll let you know once I find out.). Anyway, disregard those last couple sentences because they are pointless. It was damn good beer. Light, but not watery. Had a good taste, not too bitter. I liked it, and I am very particular about my ales. So you know it was good.

Noticed that the Celtics wrapped up the NBA Championship. I guess it was a pretty decent series. I expected LA to get about two games, and they came through on that premonition at least. But I would have liked to see a game seven for sure. Good news is, I don't give two shits about the NBA. Maybe a shit and a half come playoff time.

The Trip

It's quite obvious that I haven't written anything in nearly a month. I don't really know why this is. It's not that I haven't wanted to. Something interesting will happen and I'll be like "Man, that is really worth a blog entry," but I never get around to it. But finally, an event is on the horizon that is so huge that it absolutely warrants its own blog entry. And no, I am surprisingly not talking about college, although that will inevitably show up in entries to come. No, the event I am referring to is my 1-month trek across the United States and into Canada with Preston Lennon and Nate Brown.

Oh, you weren't aware I was doing that? Thought I might be bullshitting? Guess what folks, that shit is going down. Up until this afternoon, I still thought I had somehow daydreamed the whole thing. Yet I found myself calling up Dick's Sporting Goods, the place that had hired me to run their climbing wall this summer for a solid wage of $8 per hour, and telling my manager that I was going to have to decline the job.

Now jobless, there is no turning back. I will be making this trip.

Yesterday, the three of us met with Nate's grandfather and mapped out what our presumed route is. The tour includes stops at all of the crucial landmarks: time in Yellowstone and at Crater Lake, a hike up Mount Whitney (get familiar with it bitch, tallest peak in the lower 48), and a few days visiting our neighbors to the north, those crazy Canadians.

For the latter, I am a bit worried. I don't have a passport, but supposedly there is a way in which more money can be shelled out to get one in approximately two days, so hopefully this will pull through. If not, the fellas said they had no problem hiding me in the trunk. It's fucking Canada, do you honestly think they'd check?

Eh......maybe.

I'll do some googling once I conclude this entry. I really don't have much more to say, because we haven't actually sat down with the rents and talked budgeting yet. Oh, you know how those rents love to budget. For now, here's the basic plan: Fly down to Modesto where Nate's grandparents live from Seattle (I will be there for a week visiting my cousins); Hop in the car that Nate's grandpa has gotten for us (we will resell it later once we get back into Char-town); make a phatty loop of a shitload of Western states and see everything we possibly can; hightail that shit back to Charlotte. Again, this is a very condensed version. I'll be sure to let you know once I know the exact route. All I know is that I am about to shit myself just thinking about how phat this trip will be.

True, it will be strange being away for a month or more. But I am looking forward to it. A break from my rents will be crucial, although I'll certainly miss my lady-friend. But this is a trip that I really need. I have never participated in something that I really anticipated finding piece of mind in. I feel like this trip is going to be a way to release my mind and make me gain perspective. I am sounding slightly queer right now I realize, but I speak the truth.

Right now, I am going to go see about that passport. Hopefully I'll write something else before I leave for the trip. I am pretty sure I will. Gaga.

UPDATE 12:33 a.m: Apparently no passport needed since we are traveling by land. Hurrah!