The Catch

And now... It's time for the catch. Don't let anyone tell you there isn't one coming, because there always is. We were 100 miles south of Oklahoma city when we heard the strangest sound.

I was sitting back relaxing because it wouldn't be my turn to drive for another hour or so. The sound, which awoke me from my daze, was a squeal which was audible above the sound of my headphones.

These things never do happen in a convenient place. I guess there really is no such thing as a convenient place to have car trouble. If there is one, this place was the polar opposite. We were in a construction zone and the highway had been limited to one lane going our direction.

Once we got beyond the construction zone, we pulled over to find that the rear tire was flat. If you have never changed a tire on the side of the road while trucks scream past you shaking the disabled car in question, you have never lived.

Now we are enjoying the experience of being in a small town in ok while trying to find performance tires. In my experience, the name was meant to be a joke. I have learned one thing... make that two.

If you ever experience a flat south of okc find a place called Beale's. Those guys can't be beat. Also, when you prepare your car for a trip and someone else insists that you take their car instead, make sure their maintenance is up to date.

Oklahoma is OK

Oklahoma is not what I expected it to be. I only got to spend one night there, but my initial impression was that Norman is a nice town.

I was able to meet an old friend and spend some time catching up. She took me to a great place that is a few blocks from OU. It's called the library. I must be kind of slow, because it has taken me years to realze that most college towns have a bar called the library. This one offers their own microbrews to help beat the heat, and thei IPA is excellent.

I love it when you get to see an old friend. This visit had the added bonus of seeing her at home for the first time. Sadly, it has now become time to head back to Texas. Don't get me wrong, I love Texas, I'm just not quite ready to stop moving yet.

A new day is worthy of a new route

This morning we awoke early in anticipation of a new journey. The question was, "what next?". After tea and fruit, we decided to head east into Kansas and travel south to Oklahoma city. This should give us a change of scenery and help to avoid the disaapointment that one typically feels when driving home. It is a rare opportunity when you find yourself far enough away from home that you are able to travel in a completely different direction and still end up back where you started.

We haven't even been on the road for an hour yet, and I already miss the Rockies. Traveling east across Colorado gives you the sense that a great expanse of flat lays ahead of you. If you strain your eyes and stare to the distance an occasional hill can still be seen, but they are no consolation for the great mountains still visible in the rear view mirrors. We have now entered the heartland; rural america where farming and massive expanses of flat land are the norm. It's hard to comprehend how large the skies are here.

The Real World

There are people in this world who will try and steer you towards, "the real world". What these people are referring to is the illusion or collection of myths that they have ascribed to create their daily life, which they find to be depressing and disheartening. These people should be avoided at all costs. They are referring to this false state of reality that they themselves have created and refer to as real because they are jealous of the path that you have taken. These people want to see you feeling just as miserable and desperate as they are, and they won't be happy until you feel just as sorrowful as they have become. When someone refers to the "real world" you should hold your head up high as you have just received the greatest compliment one can receive. That person just told you that they wish that they could live your life.

Back of a car

Here I sit in the backseat of my parents car listenening to big star on the headphones. It makes me question if we ever grow up, or if our parents always make us feel small. I now know that I can't fit in the backseat of my fathers car. I guess that you really do learn something new every day. If I try and sit up straight, you remember how you were told to when you were young, my head refuses to allow my back to straighten.

To compensate for this oversight, or growth as the case may be, I have to stretch my legs over to the drivers side of the car while keeping my butt firmly planted on the passenger side. There is just enough room to squeeze my feet into the space between the back of my fathers seat and the back seat. With my shoulder planted into the passenger door I can wedge my head in between the headrest and the door frame. Now that I have assumed this slightly awkward position I can't help but think, "I hope we don't have a wreck.". If an accident was to occur I'm pretty sure that the Conroe PD would need to remove their shoes to count the number of broken bones and injuries that I would display.

It's days like this that I really wish that my father wasn't so scared of my driving. We could all be comfortably lounging in the xterra right now. Hell, we'd probably already be there! Anyway, don't forget to think of this amateur contortionist as you make your way around town today, comfortable in your own vehicles...

Happiness Is DVD Release on July 30th

NEW FILM EXPLORES THE ROAD TO HAPPINESS

July 30th Austin Premiere and DVD Release

The pursuit of happiness. The men who wrote the Declaration of Independence famously put that idea on paper and called it one of our “inalienable” rights.

And do we ever pursue it. In fact, Americans spend great amounts of our time, money and energy chasing it. The biggest problem is, for many people, we’re not even sure what it is we’re chasing.

That’s the enigma that led documentary filmmaker Andrew Shapter to his latest film, HAPPINESS IS, a cinematic road trip that explores the myths and the truths of the “pursuit of happiness” in America.

HAPINESS IS begins a nationwide screening tour in Austin on July 30th at the Alamo Draft House Cinema, 1120 South Lamar at 9:30pm. Tickets are free and can be reserved through the HAPPINESS IS website: www.happinessisthemovie.com.

Coinciding with the screening is the release of the film on DVD, including a release party at Waterloo Records, 600 North Lamar from 5:00pm – 7:00pm, also on July 30th.

Shapter, director of the critically acclaimed documentary Before the Music Dies, spent two years crisscrossing the country talking to a diverse and fascinating range of people. Average working men and women, authors and happiness “experts,” celebrities like John Mellencamp and Willie Nelson, even the Dalai Lama talked with Shapter about what they believe it means to be happy.

“Happiness doesn’t discriminate; it finds – and eludes – people regardless of background, position or accomplishment,” said Shapter. “So we had to talk to a true cross section of people to help us get a clearer picture of what happiness really means.”

If you are looking for pat answers, you won’t find them in HAPPINESS IS. Instead, the film offers thoughtful insight and explores common ground that will help guide viewers on their own personal journeys towards the elusive but obtainable goal of leading a truly happy life.

The Alamo Drafthouse screening benefits Mobile Loaves and Fishes, an Austin-based organization that figures prominently in the film.

One Week Layover

I have been in Nacogdoches for a week. Since I have been here I have had to deal with billing issues, a summons for jury duty, and many other distractions that have kept me from moving on. On Saturday I will be heading to Conroe, TX to go see my grandparents and I will be hitting the road next week. Last night I ran into some old friends and I have now been invited to my first divorce party. My friend signs her divorce papers at 5pm and the party starts at 9! I'm not quite sure what to expect, but I'm pretty sure that it will be good times. A new stop is now being added to the list. I forgot that I have people in Albuquerque, NM. I don't know how I forgot them, as they are some of my favorite people. On a sad note, one of my friends from Korea and another from Rhode Island will be visiting Austin July 20-24. Such is life. There was a period when I thought that I wasn't going to be able to handle being in my parents’ house but for the last two days I have been getting back into running. It is incredibly hot outside, but the rewards of exercise more than make up for the extreme heat.

I can’t wait to hit the road!

Great stories are coming soon!

Trapped

East Texas makes me feel trapped. Being behind the pine curtain seems to make time stop. Hours become ridiculously long and yet days disappear without anything to show for them. Every day I feel like I have failed in some way. Surely there was something I could have done to a avoid being here. Hopefully atonement will come in the form of escape soon.

I'm already trained

It has only been one day and the dogs have already got me trained. I fell asleep last night watching Citizen Kane with both dogs in bed with me. I awoke this morning to a strange sound. As I looked over the edge of the bed I saw Chipper and Sammy wrestling on the floor next to the bed. I got up and made sure they had food and water, and I gave them both a treat just like my folks instructed. It took a few minutes for me to realize that it was 6:30am probably the earliest I have been awake in months. Once I adjusted to the time, I had some cereal and shared some with them of course. As I sat in my father’s chair I realized that these two animals were now looking to me for a source of entertainment. There is something really funny that happens when you look around the room and see two dogs staring at you. I really love those two they are something else.

I wanna go fast!

Today my parents left to go celebrate July 4th with one of their friends. I decided that I would stay at their house and dog sit my siblings. As an added bonus, my folks left the keys to their 350z track edition. I had almost forgotten how fun it is to drive fast cars.

When I first started driving, all that I drove were sports cars. My first car was a 1979 Triumph Spitfire. My father brought it home when I was 14 and it became a father son project for the next few years. To date it has been my favorite car, ever.

When I was 17 I was no longer physically able to drive the Triumph so my father was kind enough to purchase me a '94 Camaro. The Camaro met an untimely death in 1997 (I wasn't driving), and with the insurance money I was able to purchase a 1997 Z28 that was fire engine red with T-Tops. I have never driven so fast before in my life. The governor would kick in at 165, and I am proud to admit that I experienced that on more than one occasion. When I was young I was a much more aggressive driver and I assumed that speed limits were suggestions for people who didn't know how to drive.

In 2005 I traded in the Z28 on a 2005 Xterra, and I have never regretted the decision. After switching to the SUV, I no longer travel at dangerous speeds and I don't get speeding tickets anymore. It is almost as fun to drive over stuff as it is to drive fast. It doesn't hurt that the X is no slouch. It has a 0-60 time that would beat the first Camaro that I had.

That being said, having the keys to my parents’ 350z today made me feel like I was a kid in a candy store. When I drive the Xterra I'm always listening to the stereo. It is a Rockford Fosgate system with an 8" sub under the drivers seat. The stereo in the 350z sucks. It has never sounded good. From the beginning it has sounded like the speakers are blown and no one seems to be able to fix it. Funny thing is, when I drive the Z I don't care. I don't even turn the stereo on. It is more fun to listen to the engine than music. It responds like you are stuck to the road, and it corners like an ice skater on razor sharp blades. There are no amenities, and the car makes no apologies. They didn't call it the track edition for nothing. It is loud and unforgiving. The ride is rough, and the throttle is so responsive that I swear you just have to think faster and you are there. I really wish that I could take this car cross-country. It's a shame that there is no storage in that wonderfully impractical car.

A New Chapter

I left home for college when I was 18 years old. At the time it felt like I was leaving the small town (Nacogdoches, TX) and moving to the big city (Austin). I remember being nervous and excited, and I still remember the first day I arrived and having the help of many who would become my new friends helping me move into my new dorm room.

The college years came to a close as the 90's did, and I officially finished my coursework on December 8, 1999. That date will forever have a strong memory in my mind as it was also the evening that I went on my first date with a girl that led to one of the most intense relationships that I have ever experienced. More on that later if you are lucky or if I get bored.

The reason that we are gathered here today is to discuss the fact that after I was liberated from a small town and moved to the capital of my state I have continued living in Austin for the last 14 years. I have worked at many jobs, some large and some small. I returned to school and received my MBA. All in all, Austin has given me some of the best friends that anyone could imagine while constantly providing growth opportunities and entertainment.

In May, I graduated with my master's degree and I decided that I should finally expand my horizons outside of Austin. The town, which once seemed so overwhelming and strange, has now started to feel stagnant and confining. I still have the greatest friends in the world, so at least they can understand why I feel the need to leave their comfort for at least a little while.

To celebrate my graduation and liberation from rent, I have decided to pack up the car and travel across the country. I don't want to plan this too much. To foster the excitement I will be sleeping on friends couches. This is my opportunity to see people that have moved away that I haven't seen for some time. I know that I want to visit Norman Oklahoma for the first time. After that I will be traveling west to San Diego, LA, Big Sur, San Francisco, and then who knows. I also really want to make it to Seattle, Portland and maybe Vancouver. It all depends on how long it takes me and how much fun I am having.

From here on out, this blog will be dedicated to keeping everyone posted as to where my journey has taken me, and what I have learned.