Setting the scene

Have you ever seen The Truman Show? Whether or not you accept Jim Carrey's attempts at dramatic acting (which I admittedly do), you probably pondered, even if only for a moment, if without your knowing your life was the subject of the world's most candid reality show. If you haven't seen the film, then don't worry, I didn't spoil anything.

One scene that sticks with me is Carrey's character going-through old family photos of his childhood "trip" to Mount Rushmore, which reveals the monument he actually visited to be a much smaller-scale stage prop (dramatic irony!), which he recalls as seeming much larger as a child. The audience can then infer how this "vacation" was staged to seem real to the young Truman, which must have involved an airplane simulation of sorts, etc.

As I grew-up a bit myself, things which were once ominous to me suddenly seemed utterly banal and unimpressive (see Philadelphia Zoo as an example). Furthermore, every time I would fly somewhere, it would almost seem as though I entered a plane, sat down for two hours as the stage hands changed set, and... viola! You have reached your destination!

No, I am not implying that I sincerely think that I am on the Truman show, but I am saying that in recent years I have flown to some pretty cool places (Los Angeles, Miami x2, good ole' Wisconsin x12), but have found the destinations feel increasingly surreal to me, and not in a good way. Then, about 2 years ago, I had to fly to Indianapolis for work to pick-up materials from an abandoned hospital (which is a blog-worthy tale in and of itself) and drive them back home to Baltimore. While Indianapolis is a dusty, barren city which has never been high on my to-see list (oh look, I'm already writing-off somewhere!), something about actually traversing the Earth for 12 hours in contrast to the 1 hour 10 minute flight I took to get to IN brought me to life. I could see the flats of Indiana and Ohio slowly turn into the hills and rivers of West Virginia; I could hear the accents of the truck stop cashiers slowly fade from a Midwestern "o you betcha" to a southern "mhmmm". It was at this point that the idea of this trip was born.

Until I flew to Los Angeles to play The Whisky A Go-Go with my band, Eye of All (check us out at www.eyeofalllive.com) the farthest west I had ever been was Madison, Wisconsin, and the farthest south I had ever been (aside from the Bahamas, which don't exactly give you a taste of southern hospitality) was McLean, Virginia (a Washington, DC suburb). I remember how in elementary school I loved learning about the southwest and cacti, the great plains and bison, the everglades and the Gulf of Mexico, but never got to see any of it with my own eyes. Well, I'm an adult now and dammit, now I can.

This trip was actually originally planned for the month following my college graduation, and my best friend from back in my hometown of Ambler (outside of Philadelphia), Dreddie, was going to come along. Well, the trip fell-through due to Dredds' and my work obligations, and the idea of ever actually going on such a trip was pushed back into the "fantasy" file of my mind.

The past two years of working full-time and being a "real person" have been the most draining of my life, not due to work load but rather to an overwhelming sense of stagnation that comes with the disappointing sentiment of "Yup, this is adulthood! Now get married, have kids, grow old and die."

Don't get me wrong, I am so very fortunate to have been offered a "big boy job" fresh out of college, complete with benefits and the whole shebang, but there has got to be more to life than this! So, like any hero would do when he leaves a comfortable situation to enter a stressful one, I applied to grad school to get the hell out of the real world! I am proud to be one of the less than 5% who applied offered the chance to attend the Physician Assistant (PA) program at Anne Arundel Community College and St. Francis University (AACC for short). Class begins at the end of May, and should I successfully complete the program (which I certainly intend on doing, here's to hoping!) I will enter a very promising profession that (currently) boasts excellent job security and fiscal good fortune. Instantly I knew what this meant for me in the short term...

ROAD TRIP!

Two years older (and a few more wiser), I am now embarking on the cross-country and back expedition for which I had been yearning, and this time I'm riding solo (thank you, Mr. Derulo).

With school coming up, gas prices on the rise and the economy in the pooper, one would argue that this trip is an utterly irresponsible act of immaturity. Well, part of me, maybe most of me thinks that this is probably the case, but considering that I have no clue if I will ever get the chance to do this again, and knowing that not getting to do this would negatively impact any chances I might have in the future of ever being content enough to "settle down," I would argue that going on this trip IS the responsible thing to do. To any other naysayers, fuck you. I've earned this.

So my plan is to spend 30 days doing only what I feel like doing. My cut-off date is May 6, when my grad school orientation will be held back home in Baltimore, MD. I have friends and family scattered here and there throughout the states, and I am trying my best to let their offers of hospitality dictate my major way points as I meander across the US of A. This being said, there large gaps in the nation in which I have absolutely no contacts, and am resigning myself to countless hours (maybe even days) of driving and sleeping in my car. You know what? I'm up to the challenge. Since high school I have learned that I can accomplish anything to which I set my mind, and don't intend for that to stop now.

This being said, if you are reading this blog and know someone with whom I can crash ANYWHERE in the United States, I would be very grateful for your reference!

Yes, legs of this trip will be more work than vacation, and you know what? I'm totally fine with that. I like a challenge. In a month and a half I'll be in one of the most grueling academic programs offered, so a little bit of driving can't hurt. This will be an exercise in determination, occasionally isolation (and hopefully some recreation while we're at it!).

A shout out to any of my followers (presuming that I get anyone to follow this thing): if there is any portion of the US to which you want to travel feel free to fly-in and meet me, and I'll be more than happy to let you tag along, or at least we can hang-out at your destination of choice (Vegas anyone??).

Well, it's 2:30 in the morning and I'm trying to be on the road by 11 to start this trip! My next entry will include more about my anticipated modus operandi for the excursion and my blog posts, as well as my preparatory measures. Please stay tuned!