Scion tC

The Scion xA and xB didn't impress me much. Weird looking things, but not something I'd buy.

The Scion tC... a different story. Noticed at IGN Cars (their review), surprised me. I still don't think I'd buy one, but it looks very nice.

'Stang forever.

Meh.

The problem with this is that I tend to post any interesting stuff I find on IRC... It annoys people when I spam it, and one of the things I wanted to do with this was post it here instead... But it's harder without some sort of stand-alone client, annoying to have to come to the Blogger site all the time to post stuff.

Anyway, Rolling Stones has a very interesting article about Jack Idema.

Chevy Uplander

WTF? The Uplander looks like they took an SUV and shrunk it down and rounded it out. It confused the hell out of me the first time I saw it.

I hate minivans. Tiny little things that attempt to squeeze way too many people into too small a space. Give me a full-sized passenger van any day. Someday I'd like to buy an E-350 Chateau or Extended and convert it, put a two-person bed in the back, maybe some sort of computer station... I would love to travel that way.

Asphalt Cowboy

The first two country CDs I bought were Horse of a Different Color by Big & Rich, and The Dreamer by Blake Shelton. I can't remember now why I bought The Dreamer, but on that CD, one of my favorite songs is 'Asphalt Cowboy'. (Lyrics here.)

I think... that it's one of my anthems. Is that the right word? Meh. But the song is just something that has really stayed with me, melody and lyrics both. Parts of it aren't exactly applicable to me, but the parts that are...

The sun has opened up my eyes,
And I don't wanna leave your side
For that lonesome road... But here I go,
Climbing back behind the wheel
Of fifty feet of chrome and steel
And a load they need in Chicago.
Through the middle of the night unknown,
I'm on a ride that won't let me go...

I'm an asphalt... cowboy...
Born to run underneath the stars,
Pay no mind to my lonely heart.
Just ride... ride...

Still I drive these horses through the rain and snow,
This high-speed rodeo is all I know...

And I'll ride (asphalt... cowboy...)
Through the middle of the night unknown (asphalt... cowboy...)
On a ride that won't let me go...

Not the complete lyrics, but the parts I like.

You don't exactly need a college degree for driving... but it's not really something that you can count on as always being there either. 17 isn't really a good age to think about stuff like this, is it?. I should be thinking about how the heck am I going to get into college... but meh. My dad isn't real big on me getting into college as soon as I'm out of high school, and a lot of the Israelis that come through here and stay for a few months, they're generally in they're mid-20's and most of them haven't been to college yet either but are planning on it.

Decisions, decisions.

What will I do?

School frustrates me right now. I have my writing class which is giving me a lot of trouble... chemistry, meh, not too hard yet. Algebra- driving me up the wall. I thought I was brighter than that but it's just so bloody hard for me. Maybe it's easier for other people because they can talk to friends about what they're doing.

Time to go work. I wish I could drive full-time.

The Bleh Strikes Back

Got up at 2AM this morning to go to Chicago, had to pick up some herbs that we needed for today's order. Got back home around 8:30AM. I really liked the driving, then when I came up we needed to take the van to the shop for them to fix something, so I didn't get off my high yet... but then I came home and it's just "What do I do now?" So I slept...

If I go to college I'm going to get OWNED.

Thing is, I don't plan on going to college by getting a loan... I want to pay my way though... No debt for me.

Moo.

I'll post more later. Church and stuff now.

(Composed 5/21/05, afternoon)

Twelve hours on the road yesterday. Go me. This drive was probably the best because my dad slept a lot of the way and my little brother was playing Gameboy and I found a country station that DIDN'T fade out after half an hour.

This morning I took an order to Lansing. My mom asked me if I was a glutton for punishment. +) It's just nice to drive again by myself, and not be driving a rental so I don't have to pay so much attention to speeding. On the way back I took the interstate. About half an hour out of Lansing, there's a "right lane closed two miles ahead" road work sign. Then there's a hill, and I come over the hill and slam on the brakes, because a few hundred yards ahead, there's two cars in the median, must have just happened because the people were still inside. Ford pickup truck and a Pontiac coupe, coupe was smashed up pretty bad while the truck just had the front grill smashed in a little. Debris all over the road, and a few yards ahead on the shoulder, there's two semis, and that's what I'm really curious about because one semi, in the middle the side is ripped up, almost like something fell out. I thought something had too, until I came up alongside and could see that the floor was ripped up just the same. The other semi, the rear right corner was ripped up like the first semi. I really want to know what the heck happened but I doubt I ever will.

President Bush came to G.R. today, speaking at a college's graduation ceremony. The highway runs past the airport and there was a helicopter flying around... for a couple minutes, it followed me, and not very high up either. Next time I'm going to paint a Muslim symbol on the roof of the van and see what happens. Take that.

Also picked up Cowboy Troy's CD. Very good. Has the usual mix of very good, good, okay, etc., songs. Going to have to listen to it for a couple days, see how it sounds after that.

(Composed 5/20/05, morning)

Memphis, Tennessee. The hotel we stayed at, they had biscuits and gravy at the breakfast bar. The consistency of the gravy as awful, like water. And no sausage either. I thought biscuits and gravy was a southern creation, shouldn't they know how to make it here!?

The best restaurant breakfasts I've ever had have been at the little auction house cafes that most auctions have nearby. Livestock auctions, that is. The cafes are usually little places, good simple food. The best kind, of course. Haven't been to one in years, should go sometime.

Why the heck does the US Navy have a base in the middle of Tennessee?

Bleh.

Today was long and tiring. I stayed up too late last night so I really wasn't in shape to drive. Fortunately we only had to go a couple hundred miles. Tomorrow, our last commissary- and then HOME!

We drove through Tupelo, Mississippi. We were going to go on the highway but my dad wanted to drive through town... and it turns out, it's Elvis Presley's birthplace. They had a little park with the house he was born in, a chapel, and a museum/gift shop. Also the Presley family car. Guess it's more interesting if you're into Elvis, but it was still interesting. That didn't make sense.

Now we're spending the night in Memphis, which is where he moved when he was 13, but I doubt we'll do any Elvis-sighting here... I've had enough, I'm ready to go home. Maybe if my dad didn't insist on having the air conditioning on all the time and his Israeli music really loud. If it was only the music, I wouldn't mind so much, but having half my body in goosebumps and the other half sweltering... it's not good.

---

Went to supper. Occupants in a table behind me were talking about Episode III, and the table across from us, discussing various anti-spyware apps. And my dad bitching about how all the restaurants HE chose this trip have had bad food. Bleh. And the EpIII discussion was particularly annoying because I haven't seen EpIII yet and can't until Monday. =(

Now reading Space Opera, edited by Brian W. Aldiss. Part of the Introduction:

"Science Fiction is a big muscular horny creature, with a mass of bristling antennae and proprioceptors on its skull. It has a small sister, a gentle creature with red lips and a dash of stardust in her hair. Her name is Space Opera."

And indeed, Space Opera is a big change from Galactic Empires. Heh, even the names give me chills. Galactic Empires. Space Opera. I mean, for heaven's sake.

Galactic. Empires.

Beep

I forgot, I wanted to post this. The story is called "Beep", and it's by James Blish. The blurb: "Earth's Secret Service kept peace in the Galaxy efficiently- very efficiently. It was always there... before trouble started!"

Here's the passage:

"I have heard the voice of the President of our Galaxy, in 3480, announcing the federation of the Milky Way and the Magellanic Clouds. I've heard the commander of a worldline cruiser, traveling from 8873 to 8704, along the world-line of the planet Hathshepa, which circles a star on the rim of NGC 4725, calling for help across eleven million light-years- but what kind of help he was calling for, or will be calling for, is beyond my comprehension."

Apparently, the second part is what the illustration in the magazine was of, "a whirlpool of space-time, with the cruiser trapped along its spiral."

So yeah.

Beep.

The first TESIV trailer; USS Alabama

Check it out at the official site. It looks frickin' awesome. GameSpot has a preview impression here.

Today we were driving through Mobile and we came upon the USS Alabama. It was HUGE. We weren't going to go there but then we ended up doing so, and I'm glad we did. They had up to the second or third deck from the top, and to the second deck belowdecks(?), open to the public. There were several school groups there but it was still really easy to get away from them all, to where if they hadn't stripped all the equipment, you would think you were alone on the ship. There were a couple rooms of memorabilia from various officers, and some funny certificates that certified that so-and-so had been to the Arctic Circle, or crossed the Equator... I wanted to take pictures but by the time I found my way out, found my dad (Nextel had no service), and found the room again, probably would've been time to go. +) It turns out that it was also the battleship on which the movie "Under Siege", with Steven Seagal, was filmed. I took some pictures, I'll upload them sometime soon.

They also had the USS Drum there. Diesel submarine, not sure what class it is. That was interesting to walk through. Really cramped, and really hot.

But what was most interesting, after the Alabama, was their aircraft collection. They have around 20. The ones I remember are the P-51D, a B-25J, an F4U-7, a Skyhawk, a Phantom, an F-105D-IRE, a Huey, a B-52D, an A-12, an F-16A, an ICBM, and a Mercury rocket. A very nice collection. I wish I had the time to take pictures of everything, I'll definitely have to return sometime.

We're driving through Alabama on a state highway and the landscape is beautiful (again...). Drove with the windows down and a breeze, smells like summer. Really.

Just went outside now and it reminds me of Israel at night. I miss evenings in the city.

The Thousand Emperors

(Composed 5/17/05, late evening)

Driving through Baton Rouge right now. When we were coming east on I-10, between Lafayette and Baton Rouge, most of it was on a bridge going through lake/swamp terrain. Very pretty area. I really like the green in the area, all the trees. The wide-open plains out west were nice, but there's just something nice about being in the south, with all the trees and fields, hot and wet and humid... Yeah. Maybe central flyover country (Iowa, Kansas) would be more me..

On the bridge the speed limit for semis was 55 MPH. Two semis passed me going bloody 90. I wonder where they were going..

Passed one of those "Pass It On" billboards. Shrek. "Ogre achieve." Subtitle "Believe in yourself."

(Composed 5/17/05, morning)

The Rebel of Valkyr, by Alfred Coppel. Very good fantasy-sf story. The story of a corrupt Emperor manipulated by a consort and the revolt of the Star-kings. It has some great imagery:

"Past the tall arch of the Emperor's antechamber lay the Hall of the Thousand Emperors. Kieron strode through it, the flickering flames of the wall-sconces casting long shadows out behind him- shadows that danced and whirled on the tapestried walls and touched the compossed faces of the great men of Earth.
These were brooding men; men who had stared down at him out of their thousand pasts. Men who had stood with a planet for a throne and watched their Empire passing in ordered glory from horizon to horizon across the night sky of Earth- men worshipped as gods on out-world planets, who watched and guided the tide of Empire until it crashed thundering on the shores of ten thousand worlds beyond Vega and Altair. Men who sat cloaked in sable roads with diamon dstars encrusted and saw their civilization built out from the Great Throne, tier on shining tier until at last it reached the Edge and strained acros the awful gulf for the terrible seetee suns of mighty Andromeda itself...
The last few of the men-like gods had watched the First Empire crumble. They had seen the wave of annihilation sweeping in from the Outer Marches of the Periphery; had seen their gem-bright civilization shattered with destructive forces so hideous that the spectre of the Great Destroyer hung like a mantle of death over the Galaxy, a thing to be shunned and feared forever. And thus had come the Interregnum."

Mmm.

HOLY SITH!

I just watched the Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion trailer on an E3 webstream.

H
O
L
Y

F
U
C
K
!
!
!

Two days until we can download it.

Confirmed as an Xbox 360 launch title too.

Wow.

Wow.

Wow.

Wow.

Holy Sith, holy Sith, holy Sith, holy Sith, holy Sith.

TWO DAYS!!!

Bad restaurants

This evening, I learned that if a restaurant does not give prices for its drinks... don't eat there. Place on the Riverwalk. Ripoff. I didn't choose it though, my dad did. He doesn't have a very good track record with choosing new restaurants to try. +) At least the food wasn't too bad.

The Alamo isn't all it's been made out to be. I don't know what I was expecting, but this tiny little park in the middle of downtown San Antonio... nope. It seems that a lot of the battleground has since been built over.

Insightful Quote:

"Man is mortal- doomed to death, failure, and loss. This lies beyond our comprehension- why do you not despair?"

From the Book of Daedra.

I Remember Mournhold

So we were walking on the Riverwalk in downtown San Antonio. One part, we came to a long covered section (bridge). There was water running into the river from a pipe in the wall and the second I saw it, I thought: "Woah, Mournhold." I did a double-take and the area did rather remind me of Old Mournhold.

Old Mournhold kicked ass. The larger caverns especially, those are breathtaking.

DAMN IT!

(Composed 5/15/05, mid-evening)

ARGH! For the last few weeks, my Progymnasta assignment has been to rewrite the fable of Orpheus and Eurydice. But I just keep smashing into a stone wall. I don't know why, maybe because I have to keep it within a certain setting and it's not something I'm good at, or I'm not good at this kind of setting... I just don't know. :-( It's REALLY FRELLING FRUSTRATING because before I was cruising along, acing all the previous assignments. The few assignments before this one were basically the same thing, just different fables, Progym is really into the whole repetition thing. But this assignment... I want to smash something. I'm disappointing my teacher and myself and I just don't know how to deal with it.

Ruttin' in the ruts!

(Composed 5/15/05, late afternoon)

We're on our way from El Paso to San Antonio and my dad is probably going to drive the last two hundred miles so I'm writing right now. I really should be doing my Progymnasta fable, but I want to get this stuff down before I forget...

We stopped at my dad's friend's house to say good-bye. He's holding a garage sale and they had a fair amount of books. I only had a few dollars but I was able to get a 1930 two-book edition of the Histories of Herodotus, or whatever the title is. I read parts of that for school a few years ago and he's one of my favorite ancient authors/historians, so it's nice to have a "respectable" copy now. Not that I'm saying anything is wrong with the Penguin Classics. ;-) [Blast, I was just reading the introduction and "in the present reprint all these essays have been omitted; the notes have been cut down unsparingly; and the Introduction (on the Life and Writings of Herodotus), which, in the large edition, extends to nearly one hundred and twenty pages, has been reduced to twenty." Oh well, it would seem that my Penguin Classics copy shall remain some time more although now that I think about it I can't remember if it has all that stuff or not..]

There's a lot of fenced ranch land along I-10, and there's some sort of service road that's run along the highway a long ways, with gates to the fenced-in land on that road. At most of the gates, it's funny how there's a set of tire ruts straight from the service road onto the highway. At some places they've been blocked off with a sign saying "Please use ramp!" but I only saw those a few times... heck, we stopped at a rest area and there's ruts from the parking area onto the service road.

Bah. I keep thinking of the 'dirty' meaning of 'rut', can't get it out of my head.

This morning I was driving and I came up on a semi, speed limit is 75 MPH, I was going 80... I started to pass him then all of a sudden we got out of town and his engine roared and he practically leaped ahead... Or as much as a semi can, anyway. I don't think I've ever seen a semi going that fast. Maybe one other time. I hate playing leapfrog on the highway.

A cold crown of stars

(Composed 5/15/05, morning)

The Star Plunderer, by Poul Anderson. In the slave holds of a barbarian spaceship, an empire is birthed. A charismatic but cold-hearted savant (the closest description I can think of) is a slave-engineer for the barbaric aliens. A man and woman (a couple, but not married) captured in the latest raid on Terra are 'given' to him as assistants, and led by the savant/slave-engineer, they engineer a revolt and take over the ship. This is the catalyst that leads to the downfall of the barbarians and the rise of the empire. It's not covered in the story of course, the story ends when they return to Earth after devastating the barbarian homeworld and several other barbarian planets. The ending is bittersweet. I keep trying to think of how to describe it but I can't, so if you ever see it, read it. Heck, any Poul Anderson is worth reading.

Nothing like a late night movie...

(Composed 5/15/05, early morning)

Hahaha. It's two in the morning and I'm watching this movie on TBS with Mel Gibson and the heroine is some lady who I recognize but don't remember her name. He's an uber conspiracy theorist/stalker of the heroine and I'm not sure what the name of the movie is but he seems to keep going back to the theory of NASA assassinating the President by causing an earthquake via something deployed via Space Shuttle. Something like that. Anyway, one part just finished where he was in his apartment with the heroine and all of a sudden some SWAT (wasn't SWAT I think, but same idea) team invades. He runs through his apartment setting off some sort of bright-burning explosive thing that torches all of his conspiracy documents. The SWAT team gets pwned big-time while he escapes through a hatch in the floor and leaves the building disguised as a fireman. Now there's a Boy Scout.

I started reading a work of fiction this evening, been reading it off and on all through the night, it's now a few minutes to three A.M. It's an excellent fic, the writer made me dream of what may come someday to my life.

I really should go to sleep. Maybe after this movie (see above)...

Galactic Empires

(Composed 5/14/05)

This afternoon we went on a little hike at the Franklin Mountains State Park. Beautiful. I took some pictures and so did my dad, maybe I'll upload some later. But then I ran out of space on the flash card(?) and even when I deleted some it still insisted there wasn't any room. Stupid camera. But still, got some nice pictures.

Now reading Galactic Empires Volume I (henceforth GE1), edited by Brian W. Aldiss. Aldiss is one of my favorite, if not the favorite, editor. (Groff Conklin, Gardner Dozois, and John Campbell are my others.) Apparently this is part of a series, and I have at least... five or six, I think. The cover art on all of them is neat... or at least weird. I'm lucky to have hardcovers and paperbacks of Galactic Empires Vol I.,Vol. II, and Space Opera. Unfortunately, I wasn't thinking and on this trip I brought along the hardcovers of those three. +)

Space Opera was my introduction to BWA. A couple years ago I was on a committee thing for the local library and one older guy also on the committee gave me a bag full of old books. Space Opera was one of those books and the first time I read it, it just stunned me. I nearly cried when I found more BWA at the local used book store two or three years later. I do so wish I was able to buy stuff online (eBay!!!). At least, I have less than a year to go until I can, and the local used-book store has a very nice selection.

Anyway, getting back to Galactic Empires, each section of the book has an introduction covering what that section is about. He used the original magazine blurbs for the stories themselves and if there wasn't one, made one up. He doesn't tell you which ones he made up though so sometimes I'll look through and compare them. No luck so far though.

One of my favorite stories is called "All the Way Back", by Michael Shaara. I read it years ago but I could never remember where, so you might say I was elated when I found it here. It's about a two-man scout ship that was sent from Earth to find inhabitable planets, this was right after they got interstellar capability. They've been to hundreds of stars and not one of them has a planet, and only a very few have anything at all. They finally find a habitable planet. There, they meet an alien who tells them WHY none of the stars in this sector of the galaxy have planets...

It reminds me of "Rescue Party", by Arthur C. Clarke. I think if anyone has read both of these stories you'll figure out why.

Talk about embarrassing...

Today, I saw not one... not two... but THREE State Police Mustangs. All three of them had pulled cars over. One of them was also driving a Mustang. That can't help your ego...

That brings my count of "undercover" cop cars I've seen to six. One Firebird, saw it pulling over a dump-truck on the Chicago run, one Camaro, somewhere in Iowa or Missouri, one Impala right after we crossed the New Mexico-Texas state line, and today these three Mustangs. Haven't seen any back around home.

Disjointed, Pt. 2

(composed 5/13/05 evening, posted 5/14/05 morning)

Janissaries is pretty good. It's about a team of American CIA mercenaries on a mission somewhere in Africa and the hill they're holding is about to be attacked, and them killed, when a flying saucer flies in and takes them away. They soon find out they're being given the chance to work for a team of alien merchant-adventurers. From there it gets pretty interesting, couple plot twists. I'm not quite done with it but the protagonist, Rick something, reminds me a lot of Lord Kalvan. Both are students of military history who are able to use their extensive knowledge for the benefit of their new hosts-friends against a superior military force. The rulers of the kingdoms both have beautiful (is there any other kind?) daughters who are well-trained in the art of war, and both Kalvan and Rick win the hand of the daughter in marriage. I wonder how influenced Jerry Pournelle was by H. Beam Piper. Should look into the writing dates for those stories, see which one was written first.

We went to Holloman AFB today, it's right on White Sands Missile Range. Took a state highway along the east side of WSMR, we had mountain ranges 30-40 miles away on the west, 10-15 miles east. There's a fair number of snow-capped mountains, surprised me. I would love to go up to the top of one of those mountains and go stargazing some summer night. It must be wonderful here at night, away from the cities.

South of WSMR we saw this big cloud of dust a couple miles east of the road. When we finally got alongside it, it turned out it was this C-5 Galaxy airplane, must have been pilot training, landing on dirt strips. Is that even possible? I was under the impression craft that big needed a paved surface to land on. But that freighter of the skies was definitely on a dirt strip, the amount of dust it kicked up was amazing. It actually took off while we were driving past and I couldn't watch it because I was driving, but in a few moments I could turn a little and see it in the air... breathtaking.

My dad knows a guy here in El Paso so we're spending the evening at his house. Nice guy. His ex-wife and new wife and some friend though... Holy Sith. Welcome to suburban America.

My dad wants to go across the border to Mexico tomorrow, or go hiking... I'm not so big on either. This trip, I came along for the driving. In a year or two I would really like to take a road trip across the U.S. Just load up the van, no schedule, take back roads (or at least, state highways, and stay off the interstates.) It would be nice to have a person with me to share the experience with but seeing how I don't know anyone it doesn't seem likely, at least right now.

Heh, I just noticed that my left arm is a LOT darker than my right arm. I guess that's what comes with having my arm hanging out the window or sitting on the window sill all day.

Where are the drawings?

One of the books I brought was Janissaries, by Jerry Pournelle. I haven't read it so I'm not sure what it's about but one of the reasons I originally bought it at the used-book store was the cover has a neat illustration, and there's a little blurb at the bottom "MASSIVELY ILLUSTRATED!". Paged through it and it has some cool illustrations. Looked through it just now and some of the illustrations look rather like sf. They all look neat though. I wish there was more illustrated books like that.

Jerry Pournelle is also the guy who H. Beam Piper gave rights to all of his works, to continue or do what he wished. It's too bad he doesn't legally have those rights, because even though he wouldn't be the same as HBP, it would be bloody awesome to see more of Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen, or the TerroHuman Future History. What happened to Merlin? Or Lucas Trask? The questions are endless.

Dry, flat, windy.

New Mexico in three words.

We didn't leave Amarillo until around 11:30. Dad wanted to go to a boot store, Cavender's I think it is. Big place. I stayed in the car and read. Sue me.

Landscape was nice again. Alternated between really frickin' flat, and mountainous/hilly. There was this one road that ran along I-40 forever... I finally figured out it was the old Route 66. That was cool, would've been nice to take. I wonder what happens when it dead-ends in pasture though, because I noticed that happening a few times. Stopped in Tucumcara(?), NM for lunch, little wannabe-diner place. I liked it, great atmosphere, food wasn't half-bad either.

Spending the night at Albuquerque. Multi-story hotel, has wireless internet but apparently we're too far away from the WAP. So I'm sitting in the little lobby on our floor.

I hate how I always think of really cool things to post while I'm driving, but then when we reach wherever we're going and I can actually type I can't remember what I was going to write. So yeah.

The first in a long series of disjointed posts.

(Composed 5/10/05, posted 5/12/05)

We spent the night in Wichita, then went to McConnell early. Security is tight there. At Riley we went in a back gate and went through the storage yards, lots of tanks and artillery, looked pretty cool. But at McConnell we had to go in the main gate, after we first got an escort... oy. USAF is a lot more strict than the USA. Same deal at Tinker.

Finally got back onto the road around 3:30-4:00 P.M. The landscape here is awesome. From Okla. City to about the OK-TX state line it's "flat, but hilly", but a ways (ten-fifty miles... I really have no idea.) into Texas it became pretty much flat, flat, and nothing but flat. Windy too. We stopped at one rest area to take some pictures, it was right on top of a hill, lots of gullies to the north, I've never seen wind so strong except in storm conditions. And they say this is normal...

At least it's warm here. I love the heat. I wonder what it would be like to live here. I would love to live an hour from anywhere, only problem would be supporting myself. After, of course, buying the land and building a place (if needed). Hell of a commute...

Somewhere along the way I came up on a semi with its flashers on, moving pretty slow. When I finally passed it, it turned out the guy was "guarding" a little sedan. Don't know what was going on but it looked rather cool from the rear-view mirror. This big tough semi following a dinky little sedan...

Spending the night in Amarillo. Holy Sith, I've never seen so many truck stops so close together. Something like five in two miles. Even so, each one had semis spilling out onto the road. Wow.

Truck stops. Seems like there's a 50/50 chance that the dirty/older it looks on the outside, the nicer (or at least, cleaner) it is on the inside. Especially the bathrooms, which is VERY important. Flying J's, Petro, those are usually good places. Sometimes TravelAmerica, but I'm not so big on those. They seem more dilapidated.

That's all I can think of right now. Not sure when this will get posted, the motel we're staying at has free broadband internet but it's wired and not wireless and I'm not sure if we have an ethernet cable.

Good night, America.

Oh give me a home...

... where the buffalo roam...

Drove through Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas in the last two days, Oklahoma and maybe Texas tomorrow. I love the land here. Flat, but hilly. Nothing but fields, pasture, cows, brush, all that stuff, for miles and miles, not a lot of traffic either, at least out in the rural area. Really warm (80°F, at least) and really windy. I could see myself living here. Shame I don't plan on going into any occupation that will bring a lot of money. ;-)

I wish I could drive with the windows down though. My dad hates that, has to have the air conditioning blasting away. Ugh. And I only brought three of my CDs too. Sigh. I can only listen to Big & Rich (Horse of a Different Color), Blake Shelton (The Dreamer), and To Touch the Stars so many times... I wish I had ordered the iRiver H320 before I left. Having all my music with me would make the drive much more bearable.

Peasant flight!

So we left home yesterday around... 7:30 A.M. We were supposed to leave at 5:30, but my dad is never on time. Ever.

Anyway, when we finally actually left, a couple miles down the road I was getting ready to pass a minivan when a pheasant ran onto the road and lifted off... it looked like it was going to crash into the minivan but apparently it sort of slid up the windshield and crashed into the luggage rack-thing on top, there was this huge explosion of feathers. Surprisingly, the bird kept on flying and made it to the other side of the road before crash-landing. Crazy bird.

So, yeah.

I got bored while sitting in the motel room here in Wichita. I thought about all the cool things that have happened in the last two days and not having anyone to talk to... Figured "what the hell", I'll see how long I remember to do this.