We're back from the annual road trip to Northern Wisconsin. Shye, this is for you. (All of our photo's were taken out of the window while moving. We thought it was a more realistic way of capturing our experience. And we saved time.) Here you are, Shye-girl.

Last night I met up with Blogless Molly for some quality knitting/adult time that was needed by both of us. We had dinner at Panera in the mall and then moved down to Barnes & Noble where we scored two cush chairs near the knitting book section and sat for several hours knitting, browsing books, and laughing like the geeks we are followed by a late night raid of the Meijer craft section. :o)

The first round of giggles began when we saw this book across the room:

The book is described as:
The 420 pages of this book contain the most beautiful and provocative black and white and color photos ever created of these iconic women, plus nine original interviews, including the first with Tempest Storm and Uschi Digard in over a decade, and the last with Candy Barr before her untimely death in 2005. In a world where silicone is now the norm, these spectacular real women stand as testament that nature knows best.

It's an interesting book to say the least. And the poor 15 year old kid who picked it up later that night and was as shocked to see inside as we were was a freaking hoot. Poor kid, "I'm scarred for life!" hehe... He was adorable.

Boobs aside though, we also saw something else pretty cool from our spot in the store, check it out...

Cool huh? It was huge!

Knitting was also done... I'm almost done with my lastest Bagstopper. I'm addicted to the damn things. :op I've gotta do the straps and this one will be done.

My iPod sock was finished last Sunday...

And I plan on casting on for sock #2 of my Happy Florida Socks today. They'll now be my official Happy Florida & Backstreet Boys Socks though because tonight is concert night. Wee! Yes, ladies and gents... tonight is concert #18. hehe. I'll be hitting the road shortly and grinning like an idiot for the rest of the weekend basically. :o) After tonight I'm also going to be spending the rest of the weekend with WONDERFUL friends and lots of knitting in one of my favorite parts of the state so it's bound to be a good one.

Now pardon me as I prepare for The Hotness...

Happy Weekend!

Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born. - Anais Nin

Our Scout sits Friday in front of The Lyceum at Ole Miss in Oxford, Mississippi.

I've met people I hope to become long-term friends with. I also reconnected with some old friends, including Jenna from the National Biodiesel Board, who used to be my producer back in my KOMU-TV days at the University of Missouri.

All in all I would mark the trip a success. What do you think?

Now we're arranging to get five gallons of bio before making the trip back to Atlanta. There, I plan to take a two-day nap after we wrap it all up during a CNN.com Live broadcast on Monday. We'll take a look at what lessons we learned from our trip and some of the lighthearted moments.
-- Cody

Trip started out with Marta finding out she would be able to join us and there was some last minute packing. While we are waiting with our friends who offered to drop us off at union station they start telling us about the recent murder/decapitation that took place on a bus in CA. Keep in mind that this is my first time ever traveling with Amtrak. To make matters more awesome, Marta and I are the last two to get on the bus and we are honored with the seats between the only baby on the bus and the bus' only toilet. GENIUS!
So bus trip is miserable and long. We get to Bakersfield where we switch over to a train. Great story about 300 pound dude stubbing his toe, wish I had a picture for that one. Train was awesome and got some sleep...finally!
Adam picked us up at 6:49 (5 minutes late) and the road trip began (after we stopped for breakfast). Other stops included starbucks cigarette break, Sierra Nevada brewery in Chico, and Mexican food in Eugene, OR where we all totally scored and got three blue ninjas from the quarter machine...one for each of us!
Unfortunately my iPhone battery was dead for the most of this trip since I forgot to turn off my 3G. I wanted to test out my new wordpress app though so here are a few pictures and here goes nothing!

In three hours, I will be in a car with SV, my sister, her friend, and my dad. Driving for six hours. To San Diego, otherwise known as Sandy Ago.

I am going surfing.

You'd think that my dad would learn from last time that I have no balance/coordination whatsoever. And that I have absolutely no tolerance for cold. I can stand up to 110 degrees F, but as soon as the temp drops below 65, I start to shiver. Don't ask me why, it is nothing I can control.

So. Me, on a board that's moving, in the North Pacific Ocean ocean, in August, can only spell something catastrophic.

I think this is cause for the traditional Dun dun DUN!!!!!!!

Wish me luck. And by luck I mean no broken bones, because no amount of luck can make me an expert surfer.

Are we there yet, are we there yet?!

Our perception of time is suppose move faster with each passing year but ten hour car rides seem longer and more bothersome as a twenty-nine year old then 2 1/2 day road trips did when I was ten and excited about Disney World. I guess the anticipation of a cold, weak, American beer at the end of a long drive doesn't compare with the thrill of a pantomiming, eight foot Donald Duck. (You never saw Mickey Mouse on the grounds, those adds are full of lies)

It seemed like a good idea at the time.

Twelve hours in a confined space, dark twisted roads and rain that comes down in sheets can screw with your head. The dirt road, narrow, unlit and riddled with pot holes becomes the obvious route. As the main road disappeared into the rear view mirror we did our best to ignore the branches that were scraping against the car doors and the banjo music playing in our minds. Somehow we were confident that a comfortable, welcoming and well lit tourist destination lay directly ahead.

Fortunately, we where only confident for about 5 minutes. We turned around before getting our economy class rental car stuck in one of the two creeks the fire route goes through before ending up in the middle of a state park. We have been told by many people the route is hella fun in daylight, in a 4x4. I'll just have to take their word for it.

A Xin le han dado un fin de semana largo libre, por lo que había que hacer algo... la primera idea fue irnos a NYC, pero planificándolo de un día para otro el precio del billete de avión estaba fuera de nuestro alcance, si queríamos hacer otras cosas en los EEUU como comer, dormir, respirar, etc. Opción descartada. 

Así que nos fuimos a un Starbucks en el centro de Miami y, en poco más de una hora, ya teníamos reservadas dos noches de hotel en Key West y un coche de alquiler para cuatro días. Muchos de vosotros sabréis apreciar lo que es estar reservando un viaje en un Starbucks, con un café con hielo muy fresquito, y que de las otras 3 personas que estaban con sus ordenadores, en todos lucía una manzanita mordida tras su pantalla... Es impresionante la de Macs que se ven por aquí... por no hablar de los iPhones... Bueno, que me desvío del tema...

Gracias a Xin nos ahorramos cerca de 200$ en el alquiler del coche, ya que fue idea suya el reservarlo por atrapalo y, la verdad, a mí no se me había ocurrido... :/

Amanecemos el jueves 7 y nos acercamos al Avis donde teníamos que recoger el coche. Yo iba tranquilo porque, pese a que el coche iba a ser automático, daba por sentado unas instrucciones previas del tipo "esta letra significa hacia delante, esta otra punto muerto, etc." La realidad fue algo diferente:

- "Aquí tenéis las llaves, giras la manzana y ahí está el parking donde está el coche"

- "Bueno, jeje, y eso de las marchas automáticas, ¿cómo funciona?" [Yo soy el de la tienda y no alquilo el coche a uno que haga tales preguntas... por suerte él no era yo...]

- "No te preocupes, es muy fácil". 

Y ya. Nos vamos hacia el parking, y nos vemos el siguiente coche: 

(Disculpad que no ponga imágenes reales, me he me dejado el cable para pasar las fotos de la cámara en el apartamento, sólo tengo las fotos del móvil...)

Xin dice... "Será ese de ahí, no?", y yo le respondo "Ni de coña...". Pero sí que era :D Después de alucinar un poco con el coche, nos montamos y tras respirar profundamente, salimos... Es verdad, es fácil, pero sigo pensando que me sobra totalmente la pierna izquierda... 

Salimos del parking y en seguida tomamos la US1 hacia el sur, con la siguiente ruta: 

El recorrido es impresionante, prometo poneros las fotos que tomamos nada más lleguemos de vuelta a Miami... Para que os hagáis una idea, lo que hemos hecho es ir al Caribe, pero en coche. 

Por la tarde llegamos a Key West, que es un pueblecito con mucho encanto donde tenemos el hotel; os pongo un par de fotos que tomé con el móvil de nuestro paseo por la tarde:

Por la noche cenamos en un Dennis que hay debajo del hotel y estuvimos viendo un rato la TV local (y riéndonos bastante de ellos, la verdad) hasta que caímos dormidos de cansancio... Acabamos de amanecer hace un rato y, después de desayunar me he afeitado por primera vez desde que estamos en este lado del charco (Xin decía que ya me parecía Hemingway) y, mientras ella se ducha, yo escribo este post. 

Prometo más fotos cuando las pueda pasar!

First is gas: The car kind fortunately. The gas crisis has brought people together. People used to pump and go on their way when gas prices were manageable. Now, they are so frustrated that you rarely get away from the pump without having a "gas price discussion" with the person at the next pump. It may turn the world into a friendlier place.

Second is food: Not all restaurants are equal. Perkins in Wyoming was fantastic. Perkins in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, not so good. They do serve large portion of meat on sandwiches, but I would rather go for quality than quantity. A patty melt should be juicy with melted cheese and friend onions. Okay, even a small portion isn't healthy, but if I'm going to get that cholesterol and the calories, at least I want to enjoy it.

Third is the motel: The motel is great; small, friendly and super clean. The staff are pleasant. Americas Best Value Inn in Stevens Point and I highly recommend it, as I sit her on my free high speed.

The reason and our day, today: The wedding isn't until 6:00 pm tonight, but mom and I are on a quest to find a power cord for her ThinkPad. She thought she would save luggage by taking it out of it's case; unfortunately, she did not take the power cord out. She thinks she can use another one though and I think when she sees the price of the power cord, she may change her mind.

Considering that the only time I got lost was IN Stevens Point, on this whole trip, which may be a record for me, I'm not sure I'm anxious to venture out to find a Best Buy. I will let you know how that goes

Som tidl. annonceret vil jeg over den næste stykke tid give et lille resume af en fantastisk road trip rundt i alperegionen (og ikke centraleuropa, som en kammerat udtrykkeligt læste og påskrev over for mig)

Den relativt nye Volvo skulle luftes, og det blev den - 1. dag gik til en lille familieejet hotel, Johannishof, i Skt. Gerold i det vestlige Østrig, hvor det var bedstefar og -mor, der havde vagten. VISA-skiltet i forruden skulle man ikke lægge så meget i, de tog i hvert fald kun kontanter, da det kom til stykket. Kvaliteten af maden var også på det jævne. Værelset og udsigten var til gengæld helt i orden.

Desuden var der naboen, som også var et gasthaus. De har en fantastisk terasse, hvor man kunne sidde og nyde udsigten over en øl eller to.

Sidst, men ikke mindst, vil jeg gerne kvittere over for min kollega Lars, som fik mig overbevist om det kløgtige i at stå op før en vis herre har fået sko på (dvs. køre kl. 5 om morgenen) og køre sydover. Resultatet var minimal kø på vejen, og at man kunne spise morgenmad i Harzen og middagsmad i det nordvestlige Bayern - lige syd for Würzburg. Det gjorde en lang køretur (godt 1100 km) noget mindre anstrengende. 

Se billeder her

[caption id="attachment_200" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="San Carlos City through Google Earth"][/caption]

Apart from the usual gas-run cars, notably, there is a significant number of bicycle-ran-sidecars, locally called as "tri-sikad" ("tri" means three, and "sikad", kick) and "Tricycles" (motor-run) are around every street for shorter distance or inner city trips. I prefer the "trisikad" whenever time-requirement permits. Leisurely and silent ride. I can even enjoy the little sightseeing while going to the pier or bus terminal ... and take some pictures too.  Good for a little tour and for the Earth -- non-pollutant ride. Yet, during rush hours (arrivals and departures of the buses, barge or ferry, some trisikad drivers try or even manage to outrun the tricyle.  The streets are wider than the usual and it's always a fun race for them ... but not for me. They charge Php6 or Php7 per ride per person. 

TIP 1: Don't miss the Pintaflores Festival every November 5. TIP 2: Get a taste of the garlic roasted peanuts, locally called "mani " (pronounced, " ma-nih ") peddled by some young boys and girls at the pier gate (they are no longer allowed to roam around the port proper). Php20/medium packet; Php40/big packet. I always buy the Php20/packet to keep each feast crunchy-good.  A little help and a great treat! Definitely a must buy for me everytime! you can't help but lick your fingers each flick! -  (just keep waste in the garbage bins only).[gallery]

Distance: 175 miles
Average Speed: 63.5 mph
Total Time: 2 hours 56 minutes
Average Mileage: 26.9 mpg

Austin details later...

After that we’ll wander around for a little bit, pick up some souvenirs and then part ways. We’ll head out west to L.A. while my cousin heads back out east to Page. We have about 3 hours of driving, and since we’ll probably get into LA at around 5, we’ll get stuck in a notorious Los Angeles traffic jam, and get to our hotel by 7/7:30 haha. I guess that’s part of the experience.

7:00 pm, now in L.A., well to be more specific, Mission Hills up north of Los Angeles itself, on Sepulveda Blvd. The hotel room is very nice (especially for the price) and the area is alright. The guy at the desk says he lives here in the area, and that going up north Sepulveda is fine, as well as heading west from here, but not so much heading south down Sepulveda. He didn’t recommend we do that.

We’re very close to the major freeways, which will make traveling around the city and getting to where we want (and back) quite easy.

The drive into the city is insane. People drive super fast on the freeways here (which I like, a lot). Lots of people passing and changing lanes in really close proximity.

Took a few shots on film on the way here of the desert, gonna take a few more on the way back, not enough Joshua Trees as of right now, haha.

It’s only about 25 C out right now, which is a big change from what we had in Vegas and Page. My cousin made it back to Page already and says that it’s pouring rain.

I like the surroundings, lots of palm trees and other tropical plants, and its all very lush. At least this part of the city is… we’ll see tomorrow how the rest of it looks. I saw downtown Los Angeles at a distance today on my way in, but due to some (pretty gross but kind of impressive) smog, you couldn’t really tell much apart.

Time to grab dinner I think, I’ll go find out where we could do that. After that I think we’ll hit the pool and relax for today.

The internet connection unfortunately isn’t the greatest, at least in the corner I’m sitting in, so I’ll have to move once my computer charges up and we’ll see how it goes.

9:00 pm, Went down to a little restaurant down the street, and had some really good spaghetti and salad. Cheap food too, but really good. So far on this trip I’ve been pleasantly surprised by a lot of the food I’ve had which really didn’t cost that much at all. I couldn’t even finish the whole plate, I left about a quarter. They had really good iced tea as well.

I listened to Blood Sugar Sex Magic by the Chili Peppers on the way into the city, which was very appropriate I find, since it’s very LA in my opinion. “Under The Bridge” came on just as I started to see the skyline in the distance.

I think it’ll be shower time and sleep time relatively soon, as we spent a while in the car today, and after eating that much, I don’t think I’ll be swimming today. That might be a bad idea.

The plan for tomorrow is to head down to Hollywood and check out Amoeba (for some cool records and maybe like, a t-shirt or something), the walk of fame, Grauman’s Chinese Theater, the general Hollywood area, the Hollywood and Highland Outlets and then after that go up and see Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive, followed by a drive down Mullholland Drive, stop by in Laurel Canyon Park, and then head back up here.

The next day will be more beach oriented, which means Malibu, Topanga Canyon, Santa Monica, Venice Beach, then Griffith Park (unless we do that tomorrow).

We’ll most likely do the Getty Center/Museum on the day we leave, since we’ll have more time to get home this time around then we had on our way down, so we can go to the Museum, look around, then get in our car and head home (slowly….)

I have been essentially homeless all summer, so that's nothing new, but something about being on the road for an extended period of time and being alone makes me feel that homelessness viscerally, as if it just got up and sucker-punched me in the gut.  Yesterday was the first day on the road, and no biggie: upstate New York (ho hum), a slice of Pennsylvania, northeast Ohio.  Seven hours prostrate and exhausted in a classic skeazy motel.  Breakfast of coffee and Advil this morning.  No big deal.  I thought I was doing good.

Then I got to Indiana and took my first stop of the day: bad choice.  Indiana is the state I'm leaving, the state, in effect, that I have already left, spending all of the past two months in Vermont.  I'd put it figuratively and literally behind me.  I stopped for gas not ten miles across the Ohio border and heard the tree cicadas that had been such a fixture for me in Bloomington screeching away and it brought back a host of memories: my first day in Indiana nearly three years ago, the locked house and me climbing through the window, that special Bloomington smell, sitting on the porch with friends, walking to campus in late summer.  And that's never happening again.  It's all over.

So I teared up, inevitably, and listened to John Mellencamp for far too long, and then was in a funk all throughout Illinois.  Now I'm hunkered down in Missouri for some ungodly reason.

And my thoughts are: can I really do this for another three days?  I have to, because I live in California now.  Do I really live in California?  Do I even have a name?

I took a road trip. I headed east. I had no idea where I was going, just that I wanted to go. I had an entire week in between my last day of work in Arkansas and the first day of band. I wanted it that way. I wanted to go somewhere. I looked at trains, airplanes, buses...and ended up taking my car. I have a little 2001 Kia Sportage. Not that great of a car, especially since the air conditioning doesn't really work that well. But it gets great gas mileage.
Saturday and Sunday were spent with my sister here in Arkansas. I thought about leaving on Sunday, but I wanted to sleep so badly. I did wake up around 10am or so to an empty house. I was tempted to leave, but that would not be kosher, so decided against it. (Yes, I know that "kosher" was not used in the correct context...but I don't care. I just like the word.) I decided I would leave Monday morning.

Monday: I woke up around 8am. No reason, other than lacking the ability to sleep any more. I got a shower and started looking at packing. I had no idea where I was going, what I was going to do once I got there, or how long I was going to be gone. What the flip was I going to pack? I ended up taking about 3 changes of clothing and one pair of shoes besides the ones that were already on my feet. My mother was already off at work. My father was waiting on the nurse to arrive for my grandmother. No one was taking me seriously. No one thought I was really going to leave.
"Hello?"
"I can't believe what I'm hearing. Is that...wind?"
"Yeah."
"You really left."
I hit the road. I followed the signs that said "East"...nothing else. Not even 45 minutes away, I came to a town I have been to a few times before. I remember the food, grape juice, winery tours, the church. St. Mary's Catholic Church in Altus, AR. It's absolutely gorgeous. I'll have pictures up on Flickr before the day is out. I went and just sat in awe of the beauty. The church is located on the top of a large hill...or mountain. Not quite sure. Either way, the view is breath-taking. After seeing the church, I hit the road again. I went all the way through Arkansas and ended up in Tennessee. I was tempted to stop in Memphis, but I toughed it out and stopped in Nashville. I arrived at about 8:30pm. I was beat. So, I rested.

Tuesday: I woke up in Nashville. Home of country music legends. I checked out of the hotel and headed to Downtown Nashville. I found my way to Broadway. Union Station. CMT (Country Music Television). I walked around for a while. It reminded me so much of New York City. The only real difference is it's a lot smaller. It has the same feel, just less crap. Not to mention, it's spotlessly clean compared to NYC. I wondered around Nashville for a few hours, ended up paying $1.50 for a can of coke, and hit the road again. I went back west. I drove about two hours and ended up in Memphis. I remembered Beale Street from late junior high and wanted to see it again. But it was way to early for anything really interesting to be going on, so I found a hotel again. I chanced into a cheaper one. With internet. And a pool. I chilled for a little and went swimming. I even made a friend. I get to the indoor pool and there were two people in it already. But I had to get in the water, so I just intruded. Turns out it was a father and son. 7 year old Conner and 29 year old Ryan or Bryan or Randy. I feel bad, I didn't really get his name. Anywho, we talked for about an hour while Conner splashed around and played games. He is from Nashville, owns a restaurant/catering service, has a girlfriend with an 18 month old daughter, did this, did that...basically, we talked about anything and everything. We ended up parting ways and I went back to the room to get ready for Beale Street. I didn't head out till about 8pm. Nothing starts till late at night anyway. I figured that out after I got there and saw signs up. It's pure nightlife. I walked around. The street is blocked off between such-and-such hours. One guy came up to me for cigarettes. Three times. A group of males were standing in the middle of the sidewalk and one turns to me, has a beer in one hand and waves at me with the goofiest smile on his face. The others follow suit. I get to the end of the street and there is an officer of the law standing over a male handcuffed face-down on the street. I laugh and turn to walk away. I see a park. Not well lit, so I don't venture in. I leave Beale Street and head back to the hotel after making one purchase. I buy my father a shirt. He is the only person I bought anything for. Go Dad! I get back to the hotel, still no internet (didn't have it to begin with) so I hit the sack.

Wednesday: I wake up in Memphis, Tennessee. 9am. Take a shower. Check out. Hit the road. West (again). I drive all the way back to my "hometown". No stops (other than gas stations). I make a few phone calls once I am back and go back to the work place I quit only days before. I had to pick up my paycheck. My aunt already had it though, so I didn't even go into the building I worked in. I went into the one right next to it. I talk candidly with several people who are quiting in the days to come and those who wish they had somewhere to go so they could quit. I meet up with a friend. We grab lunch and I head back to the house. I unpack and do some laundry and generally relax....some more. I watch movies and catch up on the internet part of my life.

So, I move out in a matter of days. I am moving out for good. I have an apartment with a friend and her boyfriend. We have a pretty good deal on the rent and all, so I'm really excited. I start packing tomorrow.

Here's the video from the trip....

Here are some bizarre statistics:

States visited: six
Knitting completed: two sock-heel flaps
Yarn stores visited: one
Yarn stores spotted but not visited: three
Ravelry members met: three 
Great-grandmothers visited: two
Number of times Tom fell down the stairs: one (the first day)
Knitted items photographed: three
Blogs I read: none

So, I still have a lot to catch up on. Unfortunately for everyone who's waiting for me to catch up to them, tomorrow is the start of the Olympic Games and, more importantly, the Ravelympics. I am only doing one project, but there are many more people planning to do many many more projects. It seems a little silly when I try to explain it to non-Rav people, but we of Team TARDIS are having lots of fun already. I have new friends all over the world because of mutual love for Doctor Who (keep it clean in the comments, ladies) and it's just one more fun thing to do. Oh wait, one more stat.

Anthropomorphized fat globules knitted and sent to to England: one.

So, the deal is I cast on for my project during the Opening Ceremonies, and try to cast off before the Closing Ceremonies. I'll be knitting a pair of Rose's Wrist Warmers, the ones Rose wears in Doomsday (last episode of season 2 of Doctor Who). This should certainly be doable for me. I'm slow but I can crank out a pair of mittens in a weekend if I need to, but there's just one thing. The pattern is....charted. The backs feature traveling-style cables with seed stitch in the middle, and the Very Colorful Chart is something I've never followed before.

We'll see.

Because I spend more time on Ravelry than I should, and I feel guilty, I will make an effort to post on the blog every day during the Ravelympics instead of just hanging out over *there* with my *Ravelry* friends. Who knows, I might even try to post a picture.

Progress report: Pre-Ravelympics

Bamboo socks: Sock One at foot, Sock Two needs gusset stitches picked up. 
Silk Lace Stole: Still stalled.
Tyrone: Still stalled but I'm getting encouragement from afar to finish.
Secret Christmas Project: conceptualized, begun, and hidden. This is a **new** project and I'm looking forward to the Reveal pictures at Christmas. But I can email details if you're interested.
*Sheesh, am I doing anything else?*
Heelflap scarf: Still stalled. 
Irish Hiking Scarf with cursed yarn: Still stalled.

I sense a theme.

Anyway, hi to everyone in Blog-Land, and I'll try to catch up on your blog (and revamp my own) soon.

From the road,

d/

We didn't see Willie Nelson nor did we see an open Bio Willie biofuel store.

We'd heard that it had closed, but the giant billboard looked practically brand new.

Alas, as we rounded the curve it became obvious that "Bio Willie" had indeed shut down -- its shelves were clearly empty and its pumps were dark. There was still a ton of signage proclaiming the brand name. Odd and sad.

We filled up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with B20.

Since we've mostly been buying blends, the prices have been quite close to what you might pay for gasoline. "Bio" might've even been a touch higher in some places we've stopped.

Remember, demand sets price, and there's a huge demand for all fuels right now. The only way biodiesel would be cheaper was if no one wanted it.

Hope that answers your question!

--Cody