Laid Off Blues Road Trip: Summer 2005

15 minutes of fame

2008-07-31T13:48:00.002-04:00

About 2 years after this road trip, CNN was preparing a series of stories of road trips. I sent in my story.

Not only was it featured in a CNN iReport piece, I was interviewed again over the phone and they developed a multimedia slide show with me narrating!

Home Sweet Home

2005-07-11T12:51:00.000-04:00

Total Miles: 2,685
States Visited: 10

The last Saturday night on the road there wasn't a hotel room to be found anywhere, so I camped out in the backseat of my car in the parking lot. I took my blanket and pitched a tent, draping it over my front seat and wedging it between my back seat and trunk. It was a very long, uncomfortable night but once daylight came, I got up, unbent my spine and treated myself to a huge breakfast. The big pink sun was there to greet me and to follow me the six hour ride home.

Virginia, Maryland, Deleware and finally New Jersey, my home sweet home.

Take me home country roads

2005-07-09T14:15:00.000-04:00

After spending the night outside of Nashville, I was in for some heavy driving through Tennessee. It was the longest, most boring stretch of highway yet. I think it was because I had no more cities on my agenda, just home.

I finally hit the Virginia border and when I got to Roanoke, I got of the interstate and on the Blue Ridge Parkway, one of the most scenic drives in America. All the monotony of the last 6 hours of driving ended and I was left to enjoy the views overlooking the Appalacian Mountains. The road has twists and turns, and without guardrails, I had to be on my guard navigating. It was difficult because I wanted to see all around me, not just the road ahead.

I stopped for dinner at the Peaks of Otter lodge and got dessert to go. There was so much to see and sunset was approaching. I stopped often at overlook points and came upon an area where the Appalachian Trail is accessable. Someday I'll hike part of it, but not this trip.

If every part of my journey was a symphony, then being here is the perfet encore. This is the music that existed before time.

The mountains looked like ocean waves, crashing out to the horizon, and nearing sunset, the firey pink sun followed me for a while defying grafity until it was satisfied that I would be ok. Instead of setting, it simply faded away.

I descended into a dark valley where the road twisted and turned violently. When I exited the forrest, I saw that the sun has sent it's friend, the crescent moon to be my evening sentry with a crooked smirk.

This drive was the most beautiful from my whole trip. Part of me wanted to curse the men who laid this asphalt, destroying the original beauty of this mountian range, but the the othe part of me praised them because without it, I would never had got to see this.

I would be home tomorrow. Back to the job search and responsibilities. But right now I would hold on to this moment and be thankful that I had the courage to do this in the first place.

Live from the Grand Ole Opry

2005-07-08T23:29:00.000-04:00

I finally got everything sorted out and drove over to the Grand Ole Opry. Not only is it a music amphitheatre, but an entire outlet mall sprung up around it. It just looks so wrong and out of place, like a spectacle in a Disney World park. I bought a ticket for tonight's show and went to the mall to kill some time.

I was surrounded by country music, NASCAR crap, christian messages and very wide people waddling slowly in front of me, slurping their milkshakes and eating fudge. Now, the people down here are very friendly, but Thank God I don't live here. I feel like I have to read a book otherwise my brain is just going to rot out from contageous stupidity.

I know I'm sterotyping southerners, but my GOD!, how much John Deere and hunting and fireworks stores can I stand to see?

It was time for the show to start and I went inside the Opry House. There I learned that I was about to see not a concert, but a live radio show that has been going on for 80 years.

Song lines overheard:

"There ain't no slow dancin' with a fast woman."

"If my nose was running money, honey, I'd blow it all on you."

I stayed for about 90 minutes. It was ok. I can cross it off the things to do before I die. Now I'm in my motel room for the night and I have to read a book. Now that I'm on my way back north maybe my brain cells will rejuvinate.

Top 10 from Billy Joe

2005-07-08T16:14:00.000-04:00

I got into Nashville around 2:30 and went downtown to a stretch of boot shops and bars. I found one with a band and sat at the bar to listen to some good 'ol boys.

There was an old man at one of the tables drinking beers, doing shots and obviously having a very good time because every now and then he would get up and wave around his arms giving the thumbs up sign - his version of dancing.

Theres a big guy sitting at the table next to him. Long, stringy hair, scruffy beard, drunken slur. He came to talk to me at the bar. His name was Billy Joe, not William, but Billy Joe. I saw it on his union card.

Top 10 things I learned from Billy Joe

10. He grew up in Cleveland for 25 years until his parents moved to a farm in Nashvile.
9. He is a stagehand for the union for 15 years, making $30,000 a year.
8. He doesn't drive, but he got out of work early and had been sitting in the bar drinking for 2 hours and will stay until 5. That's when his mom gets out of work a few blocks away.
7. He used to keep a journal - a requirement of AA. He's quit the journal, and apparantly AA.
6. He tried to leave Nashville to go back to Cleveland, but the bounty hunter caught him.
5. Billy Joe was in prison. I don't know why.
4. He had a football scholarship until he hurt his shoulder.
3. Billy Joe was center, and he hated the quarterback's hands under his ass.
2. Billy Joe raises chinese pugs with his parents on their farm.
1. He thinks Secacus, NJ is a smelly place.

He talked to me for a while, and although he seemed harmless, I told him too much about me traveling alone and felt it was time to leave. I lied about the kind of car I drove. You know, just in case.

He tried to get the band to play "Pretty Woman" for me, but they only knew the opening riff and quickly switched to a Merle Haggard song.

I was going to go to the Grand Ole Opry, but that chicken sandwich I ate did something becaue I soon could give a shit about the Grand Ole Opry - I was more concerned about taking one.

The Music Highway

2005-07-08T11:08:00.000-04:00

Interstate 40 between Memphis and Nashville is known as the Music Highway, according to the signs. Now I'm not much of a country music fan, but since this whole trip is themed aroung music, I'm obgligated to stop in Nashville.

On the way, I pulled off at Jackson, TN at Casey Jones' Village. Cute little tourist trap with a train museum and Old Country Store. I got myself a tasty strawberry ice cream.

Overheard:

"If you can't be good, be good at it."

Blues, Beer and Beale Street

2005-07-07T22:38:00.000-04:00

I finally found the blues that made this area of the country famous. On Beale Street you are surrounded with music, from the lone guy who's playing his guitar on the corner, to the band who set up in the open pavillion to the three piece group who's playing in the bar.

I first found a piece of curb and watched this band jam away outside. All the players were black except for this scrawny white guy who made his guitar sing.

Then I walked up and down Beale, stopping in another bar for a beer and the best BBQ ribs that just melted off the bone.

When the sun went down is when the place really got lively. The streets were closed off to traffic so I was able to wander from bar to bar with a beer, getting a taste of each musical style along the way.

The best find of the night was at the Blues City Cafe where this amazing three piece band blew me away. If anyone had sold their soul to the devil at the crossroads, it was these people. The guitarist had fingers like lightning, the stand-up base player had a face like plastic that he contorted into ridiculous expressions and even played that monster base riding it like a mechanical bull.

The Dempseys were true entertainers and had command of the crows with the first strum of the guitar. But the most amazing feet was when the guitarist AND the bass player played a double neck guitar at the same time.

Memphis has it going on here. This is a must visit for anyone who travels out this way. I had such a great time here, I didn't want to leave, but I knew if I didn't then I would have had to get a room downtown and I needed to be back on the road to outrun Hurricane Dennis.

Next stop, Nashville.

Elvis has left the building

2005-07-07T14:17:00.000-04:00

Total Miles: 1,536
States Visited: 7

The stretch of driving through Missouri and Arkansas was boring. More farms, more silos, but I had some crazy country music to amuse me. One of the songs proclaimed "I love drunk chicks, because drunk chicks love me."

Soon I reached Memphis and drove straight to Graceland. You get corraled at a visitors center right across the street and take a shuttle to the house. It was weird to see the neighbors homes from the side and back yards. I wonder what they think about all these tourists.

The home itself was a lot smaller than what you might imagine, but it's presence far outweighs its size. I walked through with a perpetual grin because the decoration was so kitch, gaudy, funny. I loved it.

The crowd here is very diverse: rednecks, white trash, future murders and there's even a family of 'little people'. If you were couting mullets and feathered hair, you'd loose count.

The Jungle Room

Going through the home and grounds, with my audio guide, I didn't think of the fat, fried peanut butter and banana sandwich Elvis, but the hot, black leather Elvis.

After the tour, I had my phone interview in the parking lot. The guy who interviewed me was honored that I would take his call from the hallowed grounds of the King and asked me to pay his requests for him. The call went well and so far, everything Stweart said sounded great. It's just the commute into NYC....ugh.

In the news

2005-07-07T11:04:00.000-04:00

Waking up this morning to the news of the London bombings put a damper on my trip today. I was so sad to watch what such stupid people do.

I'm also keeping an eye on the weather, trying to stay between both of the hurricanes. Looks like any thoughts of heading further south to New Orleans and Atlanta are gone and now I'll be trying to follow behind Hurricane Charley through Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia.

In other news, I have a phone interview this afternoon with an interactive agency in NYC. Wish me luck.

Off to see the King...

Meet me in St. Louis, Louis

2005-07-06T14:30:00.000-04:00

Total miles traveled: 824
Stated visiteed: 5

The scenery through Illinois was pretty much the same: farms, corn, silos, until I got to the edle of the state and greenery gave way to concrete and skyscrapers. Finally after one bend in the road, the Gateway Arch appeared.

I went insde the museum below the arch and was facinated with the artifacts collected from the settlers, farmers, soldiers and indians of the day. Unfortunately I didn't go to the top of the arch because the wait was 2 hours, and I had better ways to spend my time.

It was a strange feeling sitting underneat the arch outside. The Gateway to the West was the furthest west that I would be going on this trip.

I had a late lunch at Laclede's Landing, a restaurant row nesr the waterfront, and then took the MetroLink to Union Station. It was an old train station converted to a mall and hotel. Very touristy, but the original structure was intact and renovated to it's former glory.

I was quickly bored with St. Louis. I had to get out.

I took a detour to Bonne Terre, MO to visit Patty at the bar she owned, Crossroads. Patty screamed when she saw me, it was completely unexpected. She instantly introduced me to her friends as 'the girl I met in Chicago that I was telling you about."

I had a wonderful time visiting her and had the most fantastic filet mignon I've tasted in a long while. Yum!

By 10pm I was ready to head back on the road and took a winding, dark, lonely backroad back to the interstate. I looked out the sunroof and yelled, "WOW!" The view of the stars was amazing, like somone scattered sequence across the sky. Now, this was America.

Get your kicks on Rt 66

2005-07-06T10:29:00.000-04:00

From Bloomington, IL through St. Louis, MO Rt. 66 runs parallel to I-55, so I'd jump off the interstate every now and then to take a ride on the 'Mother Road'. For the most part I'd have cornfields on my right and the interstate on my left but once in a while I'd drive through a small town with little bungalow houses that look slike those on 16th Avenue in Belmar, NJ. Or I'd see a block of shops that comprised of their Main Street, complete with the train tracks running through at the edge of the block.

The best surprise was driving and coming upon this roadside attraction of a huge ax embedded in a stump, and a huge Abe Lincon riding on a covered wagon, This is the Land of Lincon after all.

Sweet Home, Chicago

2005-07-06T09:42:00.000-04:00

Upon leaving the hotel, I went across the street to Grant Park where they were cleaning up from the Taste of Chicago festival. The Buckingham Fountain was amazing...

but was not to be outdone by the beautiful Jay Pritzker Pavilion, the most sophisticated outdoor concert venue of its kind in the United States, designed by Frank Gehry.

From there I roamed the city, ate lunch at Navy Pier, took a trolly up to Lincon Park. On it I talked to a nice woman about places to see while in St. Louis. I walked through the neighborhoods filled with beautiful townhouses, some old with amazing architecture and some new and modern. From there,I took the 'L' to Wrigley Field and stayed just long enough to take a picture.

By 4:00 I was ready to be on my way, but since I'm jobless, I forget that the rest of the world still does work and sat in traffic leaving Chicago on my way to St. Louis.

Last night I stayed in a town just because I liked the name, Normal, IL. I'll leave it to you to decide if I actually deserve to be here.

Yeah, but does She vote?

2005-07-06T09:40:00.000-04:00

Seen on a bumper sticker:

God is not a Republican

I can't make this shit up...

2005-07-05T10:33:00.000-04:00

I came into Chicago through Lakeshore Drive so I was able to see the skyline rise up along the edge of Lake Michigan.

First stop was at Navy Pier, where I took a sightseeing cruise. The Angles of Music interviened again.

On board was a group of older ladies who had enough energy and fire to rival The Quad in our college days. They were hammered and loving life. It was still raining slightly so they were festooned in plastic garbage bags as ponchos and a margarita in hand.

I asked where they were from and they said St. Louis. Well that happens to be my next stop and soon we were chatting away. They were so excited to hear that I was traveling around on my own, and Patty, the self appointed leader instantly adopted me as a daughter. She was havingme pose here and there to get the perfect shot with the Chicago skyline in the background.

These women, who were old enough to me my mother and grandmother soon invited me to not only spend the rest of the day with them, but because Jackie, the soon to be 70 year old party girl, had an extra bed in her room, I was invited to stay the night in their hotel!!

After the cruise, the St. Louis Ya-Ya's took a taxi back to their hotel and I drove the men of their group, Ivan and Jim back. Poor Jim, someone's grandfather, was wedged behind me in the backseat with my dog's hair keeping him company.

The group met up in the lounge - where else. Patty, 48, has the mouth of a truck driver and a heart of gold. Jackie, 69, was the sweetest person I've ever met. Her line was "I love it", unless she was talking about her dearest friends, in which case she addressed them as "you assholes". Patty had called Jackie's husband on the phone. Patty handed the phone to Jackie and she responded:

"Who's on the phone? Dave? F-U-C-K." She took the phone, "Hi sweetheart, you asshole."

Marlena, also in her 60's was the middleground between Patty and Jackie. She could cuss with the rest of them, but seemed a little more innocent than Patty.

Patty, Me, Jim, Marlena, Ivan and Jackie.

We had dinner at Miller's Pub where I had a great steak and Jackie and Marlena made friends at the next table with a Chicago native who lived there for 70+ years.

After dinner we went to the John Hanckock's Signature Lounge on the 96th floor to watch the fireworks. It was so beautiful to watch the sunset over Chicago and the flickers of fireworks all over the city, like fireflies. Patty and I left the others and went to a table on the other side of the building to watch the fireworks display over Navy Pier. We wound up losing the group, so we had one more drink at the bar then took a cab back to the hotel. But Patty and I weren't done yet. We wanted to hear some Chicago blues.

We walked to a blues club a few blocks away, but unfortunately it was closed. Actually it was probably a good thing as I was exhausted and with Patty it was bound to be an intersting night. The ladies asked me if I was sure what I was getting myself into going out with Patty.

I finally called it a night and joined Jackie up in the room for a good night's rest. This morning, I packed up my gear, thanked Jackie for her hospitality and got the name of the bar that Patty owns outside of St. Louis so I can be sure to vist.

Now, the city of Chicago is calling me and I have a lot more to see.

Chicago, baby!

2005-07-04T15:51:00.000-04:00

When I got to Chicago, the rain did too

R-O-C-K in the USA

2005-07-04T10:17:00.000-04:00

Once I got some rest, it was back on the road for more adventure. I drove across Ohio and once I got into Indiana, I put John Mellencamp on the iPod as a tribute to him.

The scenery was all farmland, with the occasional wiff of horse shit.

The heart of rock & roll is still beating...

2005-07-03T22:47:00.000-04:00

...in Cleveland!

The Angles of Music are watching over me. Huey Lewis and the News had me dancing in the aisle, SIXTH ROW CENTER, sweating my ass off. And the best part was that it was FREE!!

After I signed off from my last update, I went over to the ticket window to buy me a ticket for the show when a family approached me asking me if I wanted a pair of tickets. They already had other tickets and didn't need the ones they had. I was ready to ask them how much they wanted for them when he just gave them to me. Holy Crap!!

I was walking back to my car to change my clothes and put on some deodorant when some guy asked me if I had extra tickets.

"As a matter of fact I do. Here you go. See you inside."

The venue's stage backs right up to the river with the Cleveland downtown skyline as it's backdrop. It was pretty small, about one third the size of the PNC Bank Arts Center in Homedel, NJ and not all the seats were filled, but Huey was on fire and was determined on getting every person in the crowd on their feet.

The most beautiful moment is when the sky darkened and the lights of city help light the stage.

I have had a fantastic day and I'm sorry to have to call it an end, but I'm sweaty and gross and I still don't have a place to sleep tonight. So I'll hop back in the car, head out of town and find somewhere to spend the night. Cleveland, you've shown me a wonderful time.

THANK YOU, GOOD NIGHT!

Hello, Cleveland!!

2005-07-03T18:49:00.000-04:00

Total miles: dont know yet.
States vistied: 2

Nothing is better than the taste of a cold beer in the summer sun on the banks of Lake Erie.

At the Ohio border I stopped to take a picture of the "Welcome to Ohio" sign. A biker had the same idea. He asked where I was going.

"Oh, around."

"Around??"

"You know, Cleveland, Chicago, St. Louis."

He seemed astonished.

I got into Cleveland around 2:30 and went to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. I didn't go into the museum because I was there in 2001, but I did stop in the gift shop to grab some things. From there I went to the Great Lakes Science Center which was really cool because I'm a science geek, but the most incredible exhibit was the Body World exhibit. It was plasticed bodies, skinned, disected and posed. But as gruesome and morbid as it all sounds, it was absolutely fantastic! I can't recommend enough.

There wasn't much else going on Downtown, maybe because it was Sunday, so I went to The Flats for dinner. The Flats is a converted industrial district which now has bars, restaurants and other various fun stuff. That's where I am now, drinking a beer and taking advantage of their wireless internet connection. Apparantly Hewey Lewis and the News is playing here tonight. Maybe I'll try and get some tickets.

Harrisburg, PA

2005-07-03T08:12:00.000-04:00

Day Two.
Miles traveled: 177
States visited: 1

I spent the night just outside of Harrisburg, PA. It had been a long day and the train delays, the crowds and the heat had taken all the energy out of me.

I knew when I got into Amish country not by the signs or the scenery, but by the smell. Horse shit. Nothing but the smell of horse shit was in the air.

After a quick dinner at the Eat 'n Park, I got a room at the Holiday Inn which was fantastic for the wireless internet access and jaccuzi. It was just what my body needed after a crazy day.

I was finally able to see what was happening on the Live 8 stage from the tv and from the online replays. Damn, there were a lot of people there!

So now I have some breakfast in me and I'm ready to hit the road. This will be the first day of read driving. I have 6 hours to Cleveland.

Live 8: Philly

2005-07-02T17:00:00.000-04:00

I got to the Trenton train station to catch the SEPTA train into Philly. It's a diverse group of people going to the concert: Dave Matthews wannabe hippies in their Birkenstocks and dreadlocks, hip hop thugs, preppie kids, surburban mom and dads. Very quickly the train fills up and there's excited chatter from everyone.

Overheard:

"No body puts Baby in the corner."
- guy with a spanish accent

"Why is this in Philly? It's being held in other capital cities, Paris, London, Rome..."

"Come on, do you really think they want a million people in DC?"

"Maybe they're planning for a huge 4th of July celebration on the Mall?"

- twenty-something year old kids

Dumbasses. I wonder if they were even alive when Live Aid was in Philly.

I pulled into 30th Street Station around 11am and followed the crowd to the Ben Franlkin Parkway. Holy F'n crowded!! At first, there was room around me, but as I walked closer towards the art museum, the crowd closed in on me. In the middle of the road people were staking their claim with blankets and chairs. They were right in front of one of the jumbotron tvs so it was like being at a drive in movie. I walked further up past the food vendors and found myself stuck by another jumbotron tv but at least I was in the shade.

I had come with the idea that this would be a lovefest. That everyone would be in a great mood here to enjoy the music, the message and to celebrate our freedom. I think most of those people stayed home because I heard a lot of this:

"If one more person touches me I'm gonna hit someone."

"We should make people pay a toll to walk across my blanket."

"I'm fucking sweating!"

When the Black Eyed Peas came on I was able to get my groove on on my little patch of sidewalk, but soon the crowd grew to overwhelming proportions and I had to make my escape. I was able to listen to Bon Jovi in a more comfortable place where I could lay out on the grass. It was the perfect place to watch the world go by, I was in the shade, I had my lunch, Destiny's Child was shouting out to all the Independant Women and all was beautiful in the world.

By 2:30 I had enough and was ready to head back. It was crazy, sweaty and I couldn't get anywhere near the stage to see. But I'm glad that I went because at least I can say that I was there.

The train to take me back to Trenton was 30 minutes late, then when it did finally arrive we boarded only to be told to get off 10 minutes later because the train had mechanical problems and had to be replaced. Ugh. All I wanted was a shower and food.

Philly bound

2005-07-02T09:33:00.000-04:00

On the train to Philly and it's starting to fill up. I can't wait to get there!

Mental preparedness

2005-07-01T09:20:00.000-04:00

It's finally here, the day I've been waiting for. My last day at work.

I have already submitted my unemployment claim online and I've gathered the files for the projects I was working on in a box so I can can dump it on my replacement. As soon as I clean out my personal files from my computer I'm done. The only real reason to stick around for a few hours is to score a farewell lunch from my manager. There's not much reason to stick around after that. Hell, it's the Friday of 4th of July weekend. No one will be around.

Someone asked me why I was leaving on my trip right away and not chilling out for a few days. I think the answer came to me this morning. I don't want to think about being out of job. I don't want to think about filing for unemployment and collecting checks. I don't want to think about what I'm going to do with myself again for the weeks that I will be hanging out around the house because I'm trying to be responsible with my money.

Instead I focus all my energy on this trip - reading travel sites and books, devouring state maps, gathering my music and techno gadgets - so I don't have to think about anything else. I will enjoy the moment because that's all I can really do. And I can't hesitate from making the first step because if I do, then I will think too much about it and I definitely don't want to do that.

Part of the excitement of this road trip is that it carries it's own bag of fears. While a woman traveling alone isn't as scandalous as years before, it's not without it's worries. My ultimate goal is to arrive from my destinations with my body parts attached and un-violated. But beyond that, inconveniences really do make for great stories, and you know that's why you're really reading this. It's the 'what will she do now' syndrome. I may not be able to share in your stories of wedding preparations, pregnancy woes and baby's first steps, but I can wow you with my tales of car troubles in Orlando, busted ankles, singing karoke in Spain and crapping in the sink.

What I have to be especially conscience about is being able to blend in. I generally like to be a people-watcher. I can spend hours sitting in a sidewalk cafe watching the world go by. If I can listen in to their conversations it becomes an added bonus. But because I'm doing this alone I don't want to be spotted across a busy street with maps in my hand and video camera strapped around my neck and be labeled TOURIST. So, there might not be as much video on this trip but I will be snapping away with the camera. I also want to be able to explore everything about where I am, but I know that I will only experience as much as my courage allows.

I don't know why I feel more concerned about this trip more than my Key West road trip. Maybe because I've done the Jersey to Key West run before and I feel like the entire east cost is an extension of my backyard. Could also be that I had family waiting for me in Florida. But I do know that the experience itself was the most exhilarating thing I had done. Moreso than my European tour where I was also solo, but with a group of 40 others.

This will be a test of my independence, my explorer spirit. My justification for me being who I am while the rest of my friends and ex's are all settled down, married and procreating.

Tomorrow the adventure begins in Philadelphia where me, and a million of my closest friends will merge upon Ben Franklin Parkway were we will sweat, get stepped on, barely see the stage or hear music and find the least smelly place to pee. How can I miss this opportunity? Turn on MTV and look for me.

On the road again

2005-06-29T21:07:00.000-04:00

How many people do you know who gets laid off twice - in six months? Well now you have the privlidge of knowing such a person. Me. My manager said it was due to budget cuts and that all the consultants would have to go. Curiously enough, I'm relieved. Sure, I'd rather be earning a paycheck than an unemployment check, but at least I can turn my misfortune into opportunity.

My last day is Friday, but since I found out last week, I've been putting more of my energy into gathering ideas together for my road trip. I've decided that instead of going south like I did in February, this time I'll head to the mid-west.

This is my proposed route, starting from home and driving to Cleveland, Chicago, St. Louis, Memphis and Nashville, (Atlanta and Charlotte are maybes,) Washington DC, then back home. But a lot of that depends on how long I take. Notice that I'm not caling it my 'plan' because plans always change. And knowing me, I will change my mind quite often.

As I was researching the cities, I noticed just how heavily music influences them - or maybe it's the other way around. In Cleveland there's the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Chicago and St. Louis blues, Elvis' Graceland in Memphis and the heart of country in Nashville. To adequately prepare for this musical pilgrimage I've been preparing my iPod for the ardeous task in the days ahead. I've been downloading like crazy. If you have iTunes installed, you can check out my Road Trip mix.

I find it serendiptous that I'm celebrating my independance as the U.S. celebrates hers, and there's no better way to do it than with my hands on the wheel and my foot on the gas.

Job ends Friday, my journey starts Saturday with a brave trek into Philadelphia for the Live8 concert. If this whole road trip is centered around music, then it's only fitting to start it off with what promises to be the musical event of the decade.

Well I have bags to pack, music to download and a thunderstruck dog to attend to. Stay tuned for more...