Atlanta to New Orleans

So, after another seven hours in the car, I'm here in New Orleans.  Nothing exciting to report just yet, but it's Mardi Gras and the French Quarter is all set up for the nightly parades.  Chris is joining me here in a few minutes, and he got us a free hotel room right in the thick of things, so it'll be a short stumble back to the hotel tonight.  I wish I had more to say, but I'm discovering that this blogging thing isn't my forte.

More Atlanta

So I'm still in Atlanta, with nothing to report except that Chris is flying down to New Orleans next week, and we'll stay there a few days before I head to Baton Rouge to visit Staci.  Besides for that, everything is still on track.

Atlanta

So I've been in Atlanta a few days now, and all is well.  The drive here was uneventful, although South Carolina is rife with Christian rock radio stations.  Now I've made my way down most of the east coast, and next I start the actual cross-country drive.

Rachel's house is very comfortable, and I've settled in, claiming a chair as my own.  Her dogs are used to me being here, and they're learning to leave me alone and not bark.  The first night I was here, she had to pick up some frozen rabbits to feed her dogs.  They came in a box labeled "medium smooth sliced carrots," which is incredibly funny.  Since I'll be here a few weeks, I joined a gym for 30 days; now I'll have more to do during the day.

My phone broke, for some unknown reason.  Don't buy the LG Chocolate.  I lost all the phone numbers in it, so if you read this, email me with your number (and address and birthday... for my address book).  I got a new phone, which I've dubbed my "Zoolander phone."  Beth is gonna love it.

Durham & Raleigh

First off, Raleigh-Durham is not a city, it's an airport.  Raleigh & Durham are two separate cities.  I know this confuses some people.  Especially since Winston-Salem is one city.

It was good to be back in Durham, visiting the old stomping grounds.  Some things haven't changed: James Joyce, Satisfactions, and Cosmic Cantina are all still there and still awesome.  Duke's campus has changed a lot since I've last been there: the BC walkway is no longer industrial-looking, there's some huge building behind Perkins now, and the Physics & Bio-sci buildings have somehow merged.  And the hospital just keeps on growing, making Erwin Road unrecognizable.  I know this is terribly boring for non-Duke people.

Downtown Raleigh is starting to become a cool place, finally.  There's all these new condos going up, and more cool bars and restaurants around.  I randomly ran into an old friend while visiting the club where I used to bartend, and he showed me some of the new places around town.

All in all it was good to be back in North Carolina.  But I won't be moving back there.  Now it's off to Atlanta!

New York to Atlantic City to North Carolina

By popular demand, I'm writing about my cross-country trip on this here blog.  I'll try to keep everyone updated on where I am, and where I will most likely end up.

I left home on New Year's Eve, with the first stop being Atlantic City.  Ringing in 2008 at the Borgata was a blast, although I had my butt parked at a poker table for the entire night.  I didn't win any money, but I managed to make $100 last two whole days.  I left Atlantic City on January 2nd, and drove the 7 hours to Durham, NC.  The time flew by.  It's a good sign that I didn't get restless at all during the trip down here, especially since I've got a lot more driving to do before this whole trip is all over.  The GPS system I got for Christmas (thanks Mom & Dad) turned out to be extremely useful.  It showed me a quicker way to get around D.C., and helped me find my way back to the highway when I stopped for lunch.  Some interesting sights on the way down here: a Jeep with the Jolly Roger on the wheel cover, and a license plate that read, "AARRR," as well as an old couple driving with a cardboard box caught in their car's grill.  The Starbuck's gift card I got from Sharon & Michael helped keep me alert, and Margarita's gas card kept the car running.  I'm here at Carla & Hadley's, and will be here until sometime next week.  I'll post again soon.