Days One and Two on the Road

I've always performed beautifully under pressure and even after preparing for this move for months, I just couldn't bring myself to pack the car until the very last moment.  So while things were in piles in my room, with some relative sense of organization, they were not actually boxed and put into my car until Sunday night, which by some people's standards, is cutting it a bit close.  However, it did work out.  I was able to comfortably fit all of my remaining belongings into my car, with no need to ship anything, which was a nice surprise.  I was even able to pack it in such a way that the passenger seat could still recline, meaning whoever wasn't driving, could sleep more comfortably.

After finishing my packing around 12:30 Sunday night (technically Monday morning) I made the quick decision that it was senseless to go to bed for a few hours in order to leave at 5 AM.  I knew I would barely be able to sleep and would wake feeling incredibly drowsy... so instead, I sent a few texts messages to Jay to see if he was up for leaving immediately.  When he didn't answer, I called, and woke Jay up, and asked him... "hey, sense, you're awake, you want to go ahead and leave?"  He was game. So after running around town to give a few hugs and get a few kisses from very dear friends, I was on the road...

I drove for a few hours, through the rock slide area on I-40, as you enter Tennessee, and then traded off to Jay around 3:30 in the morning.  After Jay drove for a few hours, he decided (and I concurred by silence) to stop and sleep for a while at a rest area.  We slept for about an hour, and was back on the road by 6:30 AM.  After 30 minutes, we came upon one of the most important stops we would make - Hardees!  Deciding that we should try to spend some time outside of the car (and me not wanting the car to get too dirty on the inside) we dined inside at the yummy good biscuit fast food establishment.  It wasn't the same as the Hardees in NC, but fulfilling all the same.

Back in the car, Jay continued to drive, and as we were both pretty tired and unrested, we traded off driving every few hours... with the other person sleeping.  We listened to a variety of music selections, a David Sedaris Book on Tape, and began the Chelsea Handler book on tape, "My Horizontal Life."  Totally inappropriate for anyone under 18, but hilarious as you can imagine, it helped pass the time.

With the early departure and time change, we arrived at our destination, Fort Smith, Arkansas just after 3:00 PM.  It was nice to have the extra time to relax.  There weren't many people in the hotel (not many in Arkansas for that matter - I'm not sure why people live there... I wasn't impressed), so we had the run of the place.  While Jay napped, I took a dip in the pool, thinking that a little physical exercise would ensure that I slept well, like I needed any help sleeping with less that 4 hours of sleep accumulated that day, but still, I was preparing.

Dinner was served at the hotel at 5:00 PM.  Jay and I were there at 4:55... we are growing boys!  It was a simple vegetarian meal, but filling.  We thanked our server and returned to the room.  I had taken a shower before dinner (and after the pool) so I put a movie on, and decided to just relax for the rest of the evening.  I fell asleep just before the movie ended, at 8:30 PM.

The next morning, I woke up to a glimmer of daylight piercing through the curtains around 5:45 AM.  My alarm reinforced the wake up time just a few minutes later.  My alarm also woke Jay up, which he was fine with, apparently he had fallen asleep just a few minutes after the movie finished, and after I had.
Jay took a shower while I collected our belongings.  My dad called around 6:30 AM, and I used this phone call as my first opportunity to remind him that 7:30 AM phone call, which was a routine for him, would no longer be appropriate.  Our family has never had many friends or family members in other time zones, and adjusting to this change will surely be a bit difficult.  Regardless, I was up already, and Dad and I chatted for a while.  As Jay finished up the shower, we took our first load of things to the car (momma taught me how to pack!).  After loading the car, we ate breakfast and I returned to the room to retrieve my remaining belongings.  Because I was taking longer than expected (because my key had failed me, and I had to go to the front desk to have it reprogrammed) Jay met me at the room.  With one last sweep of the room, we hit the road.

Oklahoma was just over the river, and flat state was pretty boring.  I drove for the first 5.5 hours, well into Texas.  Things became a bit more scenic in Texas, but nothing serious.  It amazes me how much vast, empty spaces of land there is in the US.  The empty land, empty roads, and full night of sleep empowered my mind to wander a bit... I thought about this transition.  With all of my belongings in my car, I felt a bit like a vagabond.  It was just now starting to sync in that life is permanently transitioning away from Brevard.  The packing, the wonderful send-off, the empty room, none of this had done it.  For now, I still feel to be on vacation... taking a fun road trip seeing a part of the US I've never seen!  But I suspect it may start to set in soon... for now, at best, I just feel intentionally missing, and I like it.

Jay and I had a late lunch in Amarillo, and after putting my 4th tank of gas in the car, we were back on the road.  The car is performing well.  In spite of being fully loaded, acceleration seems fine.  The back springs are weighted down a bit, but I'm hoping it won't cause any long term issues.  After a few more hours of Texas, where anti-littering signs are constantly reminding you to "Not Mess with Texas," we were into New Mexico.  Now this state knew how to make a landscape.  The barren plains were speckled with large rocky mountains full of shape and color.  The bushy plans would fill specific areas, undoubtedly following trains of water that forged through the dessert.... it seemed so designed, but so incredibly simple.   In the distance, Jay pointed out a dark cloud with rain filling the space between it and the earth, it was so amazing to see so far in the distance, to practically anticipate the future with your own sight.

The landscape only improved as we entered Albuquerque.  The town itself is very clean, painted with colors of red, tan, and green.  Many of the buildings have painting schemes of bright red and blue accents on clay colored stucco, emulating perhaps Adobe dwellings.  Our hotel is no different.  We arrived around 5:30, and after checking in we settled into our room.  The most imposing part of New Mexico and Albuquerque is the incredibly bright sun.  It's rays shine down on you so hard, that you feel as if you are walking on it's surface.  I actually think I can feel the UV rays penetrating my skin and breaking the bonds within my DNA, so I quickly looked for the shade.  In the shade, the dry heat is actually quite tolerable.  As the evening approached, we even got a nice breeze.  I'm assuming that in the evening, it's going to get quite cool.

Jay and I wandered the nearby shopping center.  The hotel is pretty busy, so there was some competition for the complimentary dinner.  Jay, who wasn't horribly impressed with the free pizza, decided he'd just eat out.  (Always quick at reducing the space between me and a buffet, I was able to snag enough pizza before it ran out, so I wasn't hungry). We went to California Pizza Kitchen where Jay had an appetizer (and I had a few bites) and then we each had dessert.  We hit a few other stores, and then strolled back to the hotel.

Tomorrow we'll leave for Farmington, NM to have lunch with Allison Swan, then meander our way through Northern New Mexico and Arizona back down to Flagstaff for the night... till then, sweet dreams.

The Summer Solstice

In two weeks I will begin traveling across the United States headed towards my new home and a new phase of life. I'll be starting a Masters of Public Policy program at UC Berkeley's Goldman School of Public Policy in the bay area of California.  I'm excited and anxious to say the least.

Today, the Summer Solstice, the day when the sun stands still in the sky, is a day which symbolizes both reflection and change.  It is a day when after pausing for a moment, the sun from our perspective, changes direction.  In addition to marking the beginning of the summer season, it also marks numerous holidays and festivals that have been practiced in tandem with this event for centuries.

I too have been in my own sort of festival over the past several months, which has been both exciting and demanding.  I've seen friends and family all over the region in effort to spend time with them before I leave for the west coast.  I have spent countless hours purging, sorting, cleaning, and packing belongings.  Belongings, which force me down memory lane to revisit past experiences, those that were happy and regrettable. It has been worthwhile; I've enjoyed spending time with my beloved friends, the feeling of having less stuff, and discovering old memories, but all the same it has been pervasively taxing on my being.

 So perhaps, as Solstice teaches us, it is time that I too pause and reflect.

Seven years ago, when I moved to Brevard, I was a different person.  I'm proud of the changes I've worked to make, the parts of my personality I've worked to develop, and the experiences I've been lucky to have.  More than anything I'm particularly grateful for the individuals that have graced me with their love, compassion, thoughts, hopes, dreams, goals, and energy.  They've helped me find my path and I hope that I too have positively influenced them.  Perhaps my greatest self-discovery is that it is deep in the realm of the impossible for one to trod this earth alone: that community is a living, breathing necessity, and that mortality is real and our own eternity is found in the lives we impact for tomorrow.

So, my friends, this blog is dedicated to you, our common journey, and our mutually beneficial future. I hope, through this blog, I'll be able to capture my journey in graduate school, that we will be able to stay connected and that I will remember occasionally to pause, to stand, and to reflect. I've named the blog "sistere" which is a latin form of the verb sisto and a derivative of the word solstice.  Sistere means to cause to stand. So whether I am pausing and reflecting, or talking about some issue for which I am taking a stand, or sharing my hope for upcoming change, I feel this blog is approrpiately named.  Named to capture the future, to remember the past, and to remind us all of the incomporable value found in the journey.

Changes...

All,

I'm working to transition my blog into a forum for me to capture my transitions to Berkeley and subsequent life in graduate school... So hold tight, change is around the bend...

Rediculous

I'm watching this stupid "How Do I Look" show which usually redecorates the lives of middle aged people with a spin of humor. However, this episode, (709) is changing the clothes of a poor 14 year old girl named Danielle Robertson.

I'd like to clear up a few things as I see them.

1.) Older Sister - You are a STUPID SELFISH SHALLOW IDIOT. Grow up and be nice.

2.) MOM - You are HORRIBLE (as a mom, person, etc.) and to boot - STUPID SELFISH SHALLOW... etc (wonder where your daughter 1 got it?). Think about it - you chose to take your poor 14 year old daughter on a TV show to renovate her "style." What a good way to teach her about what is really important in life... clothes.

3.) Danielle - Poor thing, I'm sorry you suffer in a life with people who you care so much about and who are so shallow and selfish. You are an obviously deep person who will mature into a very caring and diverse individual. Look forward to moving out - finding your niche, and not caring about "fashion" as you solve real world problems like hunger, health disparities, and peace.

Dress for Function.

http://www.stylenetwork.com/ssms-site/style.do?actionId=1&showId=6143&navId=d6257c01d185645251672e2291a625&showFeatureId=d6257a4cd185645251672e26dd92c9&pageIdx=0