The story thus far.

     People of earth, how are you?  I hadn't had a solid blog since I arrived so I decided to update my status here at Hermosa Beach, CA.  Today was my first day at the beach, 77 and sunny, and it was almost empty.  I need at least a base "tan" at this point, I stand out as a dead giveaway outsider.  I joined a gym and paid a few months of fees, so I'm pretty locked in here.  No turning back now!  The nice thing out here is you get the national coverage of Charlie Sheen and then local coverage as well.  That takes up a good portion of my treadmill time.

     As far as the job search goes I guess you could say it is as expected.  I interviewed for a "wine consultant" opening at a wine store down the road and was offered the position, after scoring a 20% on their wine test.  It must be my boyish good looks.  I also got a call from Saachi and Saachi where I applied who does all of the advertising for Toyota. I am waiting to hear back about a possible interview for them which would be unreal.  I'm not getting my hopes up though.  I apply to any place that interests me, the hardest part is waiting for a call back.  So basically right now it looks like I have a possible job, but still waiting on better offers.  Just trying to relax and take it all in for the time being hoping something good comes through.  Screw this economy.

     I am still getting used to the time out here, I keep falling asleep at 8 and waking up at 6.  Need to take some coffee at night and force myself to stay up.  Last night everyone went out for drinks but I hung back with Jayson.  I am trying to show some restraint for my liver and bank account.  There will be plenty of parties down the road, right now it's more business (excluding beach time, that's for sanity with the job hunt).  I hope my trip so far shows everyone you can do whatever you want when you commit to it.  If you are happy with where you are at you need to stay, if not, then by all means go.  Anyone can do it, and it's not too late.  Love you all.

Broadcasting VIA Hermosa Beach, CA

     The journey is finally over (really it's just beginning) and I made it here in one piece.  I took a few pics for on the road from Flagstaff to Hermosa Beach but not as many because it was kinda more of the same scenery.  The drive itself wasn't bad though.  The only bad part came when I noticed I had 60 miles left on my gas meter and the next station was 70 miles away.  That kept me busy worrying for a solid hour.  But I did make it and payed the obscene price of 4.19 a gallon (its a little under 4 here in Cali).  I arrived at my destination about 12:30 local time.
     This area is really too beautiful for words.  My friends couldn't have picked a nicer spot to live.  It is kind of surreal coming from the hustle and bustle of what back home can be to this relatively laid back beach community.  I am living with my best friend Jayson and his lovely girlfriend LeighAnn they have a spare room that they were using as an office which is now partially my room.  It's really comfortable here, and their place is 2 blocks from the beach.  Everything in Hermosa/Manhattan Beach is set up on a hill so even if your place is a few blocks back you still have an ocean view from your upper windows.  Everyone out here seems to have pets which is great since I love animals so much.  Once I get my place I am definitely getting a doggy.
     After unpacking most of my things we hung out for a while and had a nice lunch at a local restaurant near the beach.  Later on we went out to dinner and I got to meet everyone.  The gang here is great and I think I am going to fit in just fine.  We had a few drinks and appetizers at a restaurant near the pier and then went out to a few bars.  I think I had an awesome time, but I really don't remember.
     I was up for 22 hours straight yesterday so today I am going to kick back and take it easy.  I think I deserve it after that trip.  The goal now is to get settled in, and find work, and eventually get a place.  Easier said then done but you just have to take it one day at a time.  I appreciate everyones well wishes during the trip and continued support, it means a lot to me.  I'll keep everyone posted on how things are going along the way!

Trip totals
Time driving:  about 42 hours
States driven through: 10
Miles: about 2800
Gas cost:  $280
Lodging cost:  $175
Bipolar or Biwinning:  Bi-winning

And that's when I found the dead hooker buried in the desert....TX to AZ

     I woke up to find it was 3:30 A.M. in Amarillo Texas.  That was a first for my trip so far and I realized it was because I didn't take copious amounts of Advil PM to fall asleep like the other nights.  You need a guaranteed sleep when you are on the road over 8 hours alone...don't judge me.  As usual, I got my continental breakfast and ate in silence with the other travelers at the hotel....then back on the road.

     This was a little bit of a different start as my first destination was only a few miles away.  It is called Cadillac Ranch.  Basically it is an artsy hippie era site with Cadillacs buried in the ground.  The original site was actually a little closer to town but they moved it in 1997 further out.  All of the pictures are on facebook plus one I threw in at the bottom here.  It was pretty wild, I had a vague idea of where it was reading on the internet and randomly I looked to my left as I'm driving and there they are.  I had to pull off onto old Rt. 66 (no one uses it anymore but it runs next to Rt. 40 almost the whole ride) and drive back to see it.  Well worth the trip, I'll let the pictures explain themselves have a look.  

     Back on the road again with no stopping point this time except for a 15 min lunch.  I try to do most of the driving in the morning, that's when I am most awake (weird I know).  I didn't want to mention this before because of the fear of jinxing it....but my car is making a funny buzzing noise since Springfield and I can't figure out what it is.  This becomes a big deal when you are staring at 600 miles of 99% desert in front of you.  A belt snaps and suddenly I'm dealing with Uncle Jimbo's garage in the middle of bubble fuck.  No worries though I have a great sound systems that seems to fix the engine noise when I turn it up really loud.  Nothing I can do about it...just keep going.

     Anyways, the scenery just seems to keep getting better, not many old farms to look at but a ton of valleys and mountains.  These aren't our typical mountains from PA though they are the ones you see in any Western movie.  It's exactly like that.  There is nothing but open space out there it just goes for miles in either direction.  I don't know how people lived out there before the modern age, I can't even figure out how they do it now.  I saw more wind farms which is good...and I did see what looked like a meat plant with tons of cows.  That's the only one I saw the whole way though, most cattle and horses just graze in the open plains it's pretty cool.  

     I had my only close call so far when I was 100 miles outside of Flagstaff.  A guy was driving a big "Budget Moving Truck" and was doing 70 in the left lane.  The speed limits out here are 75 so everyone usually does 80.  It sounds like a good thing but it does wear on you, you have to be very aware because everything happens so fast with the speeds.  Anyway of coarse the car in front of me goes around the Budget truck in the right lane after we patiently waited for 5 mins for him to get over.  I followed right behind and you can guess what happened next.  The guy just merged right back into the right lane as I was next to him.  It's weird I could picture it happening as I approached him.  Luckily I floored it and drove onto the side strip before he killed me.  Now I know you aren't supposed to pass in the right lane, but there at tons of signs out here saying slower traffic must stay in the right lane it's a law....so fuck him.  

     But I am alive to tell about it and only 450 miles from the Pacific coast.  Flagstaff is an awesome town, it reminds me more of a skiing town then something in the desert, there are green trees here and snow on the mountains.  Great place to live I'm sure.  Soon I will be leaving though...on my way to the coast...gnarly bro.  Godspeed.

Springfield to Amarillo

     Got my continental breakfast at 6:30 A.M. and was on my way to stop off at Oklahoma City.  It was the usual, more farmland on either side, tons of cows and horses just grazing in wide open plains.  Pretty cool at first, I really wanted to jump a fence and run around with some of them that would have been fun.  But I decided to maintain my sanity and just keep going forward.  Right away I noticed I had a problem because my windows were becoming a bug massacre, kinda hard to take any decent pictures when they are dirty.  So I stopped off locally and cleaned them.  Most of this trip was driving through Oklahoma with an hour of Texas at the end.  I missed an exit right before Oklahoma City and did get to take some pics of moo cows, they just glared at me when I yelled to them, jerks.

     When I got to Oklahoma City I went right to the memorial for the Oklahoma City bombing.  It was the best part of the trip thus far and made the St. Louis arch look like a waste of time.  I got to stand right where the building was and admire a lot of beautiful sculptures and tributes around the site.  The worst parts were the kids playground site and the chain linked fence memorial.  It's so weird there because the city itself ins't that big and the memorial is right in the middle of it, I can't believe it's something they see everyday.  It was just another reminder to seize the day and do what makes you happy because you never know.

     After about a half hour I was back on the road and eventually into Texas.  The grass seemed to get more and more dead and yellow and the soil had a reddish tint to it.  It was actually kind of interesting there were a few small canyons and a lot of old rustic farms to look at.  I stopped off for lunch and got the same "you are not from around here" looks from the truckers and locals.  They were once again very nice in every interaction though.  I did get to see what looked like a drug bust on the other side of the highway and two actual tumbleweeds roll across the road.  Finally I entered Amarillo around 3:45.  Tomorrow I will be heading to Flagstaff AZ.  I will catch you now or I will catch you later....peace.

From Indy to Springfield MO

     Started the morning early in my horrible Indianapolis hotel.  I kept checking out the window to make sure my car wasn't being broken in to after I decided to go to the market across the street.  The people in that area were...interesting.  I noticed I seemed to be the only person purchasing food at this market, the other customers were either there for cigarettes, cashing food stamps, or getting lottery tickets out of the machine and then running back to the counter to claim their winnings, then back to the machine to put the winnings in and get more tickets.  I was excited when I left because I would actually get time to spend in St. Louis and I really wanted to see the arch.
     After 4 hours of farm land driving again listening to Howard Stern (interviewing Charlie Sheen about WINNING) I got to St. Louis.  The arch is obviously huge, it looks just as big as any other building in the city.  I actually tried to visit this arts/gardens portion of the city but I couldn't find it and people we getting pissed watching my tourist ass drive in circles.  So I went straight to the arch and took a ton of pictures of it.  It is really hard to put into words is so random but so cool.  Then after the amazement and excitement went away and I was ready to hit the road again.  St. Louis as a city is absolutely beautiful in the center city and downtown area.  I know many people love Philly and don't want to hear it but it really makes Philly look like garbage.  The weirdest thing though approaching the city is just nothing on either side of the highway, not lots of housing on either side like when you go into Philly.  I could see myself living there.
     For some reason these next 3 hours driving were really rough.  I felt like it was taking forever until I finally got to my hotel in Springfield MO.  It is a typically rural town/city and the people are the "salt of the earth".  Everyone who I have dealt with is extremely nice, but they can tell I am not from around here because I am not wearing overalls and have all of my teeth.  The hotel is nicer then the last one, for some reason I feel safer with rednecks then with crackheads.  I took a short run when I got here in the neighborhood it was so nice out.  I'm pretty exhausted overall though.  Tomorrow I'll be heading to Amarillo TX, I have one stop planned it should be pretty cool.  Until next time!

First leg of the Cali Trip

     Today was the big day...my car was packed to the gills and I left my home of 24 years at 5:15 A.M.  The first hour of the trip was terrible, not because of the drive, I just felt an uneasiness in my gut leaving.  It was like my house had a magnet on it and it was pulling me back in.  I felt like I was taking off my security blanket for the first time.  It took a few hours until I got out of familiar territory when I felt a sense of calm over me.  It's so strange that being in a different area calmed me down but it did for some reason.  Maybe I am secretly a junkie for an adventure.  During the whole trip I had one common thought; this blog is going to suck.  The ride was so uninteresting.  If you are looking for adventure from Philly to Indianapolis, forget it.  It is run down farm land on either side for 650 miles.  So instead of the sites I will talk about the feelings of leaving home
     So many people were worried about this trip, including me at some point.  It is for good reason I admit.  So many things could go wrong.  Car breaks down, dangerous trip, find no job out there and stuck with no money.  What really keeps me calm, as corny as it sounds, is my passion for history.  The reality is I'm driving 2800 miles in an air conditioned car with leather seats, satellite radio, and a navigation system.  At the end of the trip I will be embraced by friends of 24 years, giving me shelter and support.
     Here are some things I am not doing: Storming the beaches of Normandy, building the transcontinental railroad, walking in support of civil rights through the South in the 1950s, or supporting 5 kids with no job during the Great Depression....the list could go on for several pages.  The idea I am getting at is while this trip is a risk and can be stressful, people have gone through so much more then I ever will no matter how far I drive.  So I take some deep breaths, and close my eyes, and just go...
     Tomorrow I have a short drive to Springfield, MO (7 hours) and I will be stopping in St. Louis half way for a few hours.  I hope I have more interesting things to write about and I will be taking many more pictures for facebook....stay tuned.

It's not goodbye...It's I'll see you later...

     I have talked to a lot of people since making the decision to move out to the west coast.  I am overwhelmed with the support I have received in my decision and I want to sincerely thank all of you.  A lot of people have been asking what I have been up to the past few weeks before I go, with me not working.  Basically I have been trying to find closure in portions of my life that are associated with this area.  It is hard for me to say or admit, but for me this will be a final goodbye to many places and people I have known in my 24 years living here.
     I made the huge investment of $29.99 on a camera on ebay (it's actually really nice) and have been taking some pictures of places in the area that have special meaning for me.  Regardless of your current life situation, I highly recommend documenting as much of your "childhood" as you can, because you will thank yourself when you get old.  It is a liberating and emotional experience to enter a place you spent so much of your time and held so much meaning to you and say a goodbye.  Most of these places where right near me, but I abandoned them for years with disinterest.  What a mistake.  If you ever lose your way, visit a place of meaning to you from your childhood and relive the memories, it really puts life back into perspective.
     Most of these sentimental grounds involved schools I attended.  Gilbertsville Elementary, New Hanover Elementary, Jr. High East, and Boyertown High school.  I visited them all...remembering days of sports, dances, girls, lunches, fights, and friends.  You invest so much of your childhood into these places, saying goodbye is heartbreaking.  You step on the same ground that you were last on when you were 10 years old and the emotions flow right through you.  There I was, little Brad.  The most important part of my day was catching a pass in between the two trees so I could get a high five from my buddies; not a care in the world.  When did life become so serious?
     What really makes these places special though, is the people that were there with you.  I was once told by a Boyertown teacher that I would inevitably lose all of my childhood friends after high school.  I would love to take her for my trip out west, and see her face when I hug my friends of 24 years.  So many beautiful, kind souls that guided me through life here.  I just want to say I appreciate everyone and all they have done for me.  Every human interaction I had added up to the man typing this blog.  I hope you all can find peace in your lives.  Just remember, in the end it will be the people that mattered, and the moments you shared with them.  Don't regret a second of it.

A Southern Celebration of the Old Days (Slavery)

     Yesterday marked the 150th anniversary of Jefferson Davis being sworn in as the Confederate President.  Certainly a regretful time for the whole country, the only war America lost more lives in was World War 2.  Germany, of coarse being one of the losing countries from that war, had Adolf Hitler as Chancellor (Dictator).  Hitler and his supporters all believed in a certain way of life.  The Aryan Race was the superior race and all others were subhuman.  The subhumans were forced to work as slaves to support Germany.  Southern American states in the 1600's-1800's had a very similar system.  They had their own superiority system, kidnapping their subhumans from Africa and selling them into slavery to support their economies.  This was the southern way of life back then, just as Germany had their own way of life 75 years ago.  Do you know what Germany doesn't do in 2011?  Germany doesn't celebrate Hitler's inauguration date.  Modern Germany is shamed by that portion of their history.  
     But what about the former Confederate States here in America?  Certainly they are also shamed by their supporting of slavery.  Of course they aren't.  They are throwing celebrations this weekend in memory of Jefferson Davis's inauguration.  They are celebrating their "good old days", when they rose up against the oppressive Union and said you can't tell us how to live our lives.  Where is the disconnect here?  How is it OK to not just reminisce, but literally throw celebrations honoring the kidnapping, selling, and forced labor of thousands of human beings.  How can you be proud of this history?  In modern Germany, it is illegal to wear a swastika and punishable by jail time.  I can't walk outside my house (in Pennsylvania) without seeing someone driving a pickup truck with a confederate flag proudly hung in the window.  Clearly these friendly southern folks are too thick headed to change, so I am having my own celebration today.
     Today I will be celebrating a moment in history that holds a special place in my heart.  Many of you will know it by the title "Sherman's March".  This fine gentlemen, Major General William Tecumseh Sherman, took it upon himself to crush the southern way of life into submission during the Civil War.  He employed a "scorched earth" policy, meaning that not only would he invade and conquer the southern slave owners, but he would burn their homes to the ground, steal their food, and do anything in his power to ensure this way of life would be ruined forever.  Scars from Sherman's March can still be seen today in the good old south, a brutal campaign that put slaveholders in their place.  Here is a quote from Garrison Frazier, a black Baptist Minister summing up how African Americans in the south felt about General Sherman.  
     "We looked upon General Sherman, prior to his arrival, as a man, in the providence of God, specially set apart to accomplish this work, and we unanimously felt inexpressible gratitude to him, looking upon him as a man that should be honored for the faithful performance of his duty. Some of us called upon him immediately upon his arrival, and it is probable he did not meet [Secretary Stanton] with more courtesy than he met us. His conduct and deportment toward us characterized him as a friend and a gentleman"
     So this toast is to you Mr. Sherman, a counter to the misguided and disgraceful southerners of this country. You are a true American hero sir.

Get Busy Living, or Get Busy Dying....

     I am sure many people aren't aware that I am doing this, so for some it may be a little eye opening.  I wish I could have the exact moment down to the second of when I made the decision, but subconsciously it has been brewing in my mind for months, maybe even years.  In early March 2011, I will be packing up my VW with all of my worldly belongings (that will fit) and heading West.  My destination is California, as cliche as it may be.  Unlike some of my brothers who ventured there before me, it is not because I am in need of the ocean or warm weather.  What I need is a fresh perspective on my life.  So many old, wise people have insisted I live my life to the fullest and do everything that makes me happy while I still can.  I mainly shrugged off the comments as a unrealistic dream they never could achieve they chose to project on to me.  But I found it hard to look at myself in the mirror and know I was living life to the fullest.

     So I did all of the "right" things.  I went to college, got a degree, and eventually took a corporate job in the area, inevitably setting myself up for a secure existence with the comfort of home.  I noticed quickly that comfort is hard to achieve when your life is mirroring the movie "Groundhog Day".  The same area, the same town, the same store, the same room, the same bed.....the same.  I had sucked all of the joy out of my homestead when I was younger, and I quickly discovered there was none left to sustain a happy, and more importantly, fulfilling, life here.  

     I know some of the reactions I will get to this choice.  Some will scoff at the decision as unrealistic and an impending failure; while others will look at it with envy, as a decision they would make too if not for "insert job-money-family-kids-security, here".  Either are right, it's all in your own perspective.  The only thing I know is that if I didn't do it, I would be inevitably looking back on this moment in my life and wondering "what if"....maybe for the first time in my life I can answer that question....

"I find I'm so excited, I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head. I think it's the excitement only a free man can feel, a free man at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain. I hope I can make it across the border. I hope to see my friend and shake his hand. I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams. I hope...." - The Shawshank Redemption

I was lied to....

Remember when you were young and you were told you could grow up to do anything you want?  I definitely do.  "Well what do you want to grow up to be?", they would ask us.  "I want to be an astronaut!", I would say  "Great, if you work real hard you can be on the moon one day!"  What a load of shit.  If kindergarten teachers had a dime for every snot nose kid that wants to fly to the moon they would have....well about 5 dimes I would assume.  But this demonstrates the general idea that we fill our kids with all of this fluff that just causes disappointment when they finally grow up.  Maybe we should just start being honest with our kids.  "Well Billy, I know you want to be a doctor, but if you can't put the square block in the square hole at this age, why don't you try driving this toy garbage truck, see how that feels."  You know what everyone said I should be when I grow up?  A fuckin comedian.  As it turns out the only comedic talent I have is to make short phrase comments on everyday situations that generally makes people dislike me.  I guess it worked for Seinfeld.  The bottom line is I never flew to the moon, or even hallucinated enough to pretend I was there.  It is time to be honest with our kids and give them a stiff dose of reality at a young age....because the world needs ditch diggers too.

Try this pickup line

It only works before a snowstorm:  "Tonight you should expect 5-8 inches, with a 33% chance of a foot".....who knew the weather channel could be so sexy.

The clock is ticking...

As I sit here and watch the State of the Union Address I can only feel a sense of sadness.  President Obama speaks about us being a family as Americans.  We are one country together for better or for worse.  But we are not that way, we are a country divided by petty differences, greed, self serving acts, racism, sexism, and hate.  I can only imagine how great this country could be if we could magically wake up one day and agree on everything.  Could you imagine everyone agreeing to switch to 100% green energy and passing a bill in a week, starting work on the ground in a month?  Instead we become stuck in a mire of arguments and bickering.  We literally bicker about every single political point available.  What we have become is a nation of self interests, refusing to bend to another's ideas because we prefer to live in our own perfect world.  A world built on our stubborn opinions that in our minds are the only way to do things, the correct way to do things.  I am just as guilty as the next person.  But I would be willing to sacrifice some of my stances in order to have other get passed.  Because right now all we do is argue and nothing is getting done and won't be anytime soon.  Which beckons the quote "A wrong decision, is better then indecision".  What Republicans and Democrats need to do is line up their most important interests and split them down the middle.  While we are sitting here screaming at each other, China is making cars, planes, and tanks.  It is time to quit the nonsense and get down to business, or start learning Chinese.

First Post

Hello world!  Why am I writing a blog?  I don't know really.  Maybe it's because people tell me I abuse my Facebook status updates and this will cut down on them.  Maybe it's because I'm a wanna be hipster and this is a posh thing to do right now.  Maybe it's because I'm too opinionated for my own good.  The truth is I really enjoy to write, and I don't have the opportunity to do it anymore.  So here it is.  My thoughts on life and everything in it.  I'll be the first to admit I'm not right about everything....most things....or possibly anything.  But I have things to say, and I it would be super cool if you listened.