part__viii_eight

I just drove a 36-foot RV from San Diego to Santa Ana. Got sunburned like a redneck, and spent last night sleeping on the floor. I'm tired and am going to bed. But before I do, I just have to ask you a question I've been thinking about a lot. 

How valid is the statement "You can never be too safe."?

Let me just help your thought process with a little scenario. So your going to bed, but before you do, you remember that your night light is plugged in. To reduce the risk that the fuse could blow and cause a huge electrical fire in your room, you unplug the nightlight in the name of safety. You fall asleep. But then in the middle of the night, uh oh, you gotta go to the bathroom. You get up to head toward your bathroom. But you can't see anything whatsoever! You stumble in the darkness toward the door, when you trip and crack your head open on your bedpost. To break your fall you put your arms out not realizing that your roller skates are on the ground and roll forward as your hands land on them causing you to slam your face in to the ground, but you forgot, you just bought some new kitchen knives and they are on your floor, so now your face is stabbed and sliced like a piece of meat! Writhing on the floor in agony, blood everywhere, you roll over on your dads shotgun that he accidentally left out and it goes off...shooting you and killing you. 

All I'm saying is, that is a case where safety definitely went to far. It went so far that safety actually turned into it's own worst enemy: death!

Exegete that please.

part__vii_seven

You know you're in California when you're sitting outside at Starbucks and can only smell cheeseburgers. But not just any cheeseburger. An In-N-Out cheeseburger. It is simultaneously disgusting and whimsical. In no way do you wish this was what you were smelling, and yet there is something about it that wins you over.  

First I need to talk to and make aware the fact that I am a certified genius. Not but a day and a half ago I made one of the most important discoveries of my entire life. It all started with me realizing the need to continue this blog while on the road. This obviously requires connection to the world wide web. While on the road I am not sure how often I will have internet access, let alone FREE internet access. Naturally I had the brilliant idea to ask Sprint what the possibilities of getting one of those USB wireless internet cards would be. And after a brief discussion I realized how ridiculous this option was. It is a minimum of $60 a month added to your bill. I slapped the Sprint employee and told her to get a life and left asap. I then started to explore the option of using my phone as a wireless modem. I, being a modern gentleman, have a phone capable of browsing the internet, and had heard rumors of being able to use it as a way to connect my computer to the internet. So with my intensive background in research and execution, I spent some time attempting to solve this debacle. And then it happened! I CONNECTED TO THE INTERNET ON MY COMPUTER VIA MY PHONE!!!!!

It was, without a doubt, one of my proudest moments. Seriously. 

On another note, at work we have been assigned our teams and our routes for which we are to be traveling the next month and a half. My team consists of Sarah, Heather, and Scott. All of whom, are pure and unbridled champions. Our route is the Northern Route. And this is what that route entails:

Needless to say, I am super excited to these parts of the country that I have never experienced before. I was also handed the keys to the RV that we will be driving. His name is Junior, and he's 36 feet long. I look forward to the many intimate moments I will have with and in this fine piece of transportation. No doubt it will be unlike anything I've ever known.

part__vi_six

I took a trip this weekend. From Santa Ana to Los Angeles. Having no car put me in somewhat of a predicament. Then I realized, "Why the hell fire and damnation don't I just take public transportation?" So then I did. 

A 47 mile trip took roughly four and a half hours, and a combination of only two buses, a train, and a bit of walking. 

Normally this trip, done in a car would take about an hour, and be quite a non-event, simply speeding along the highways. Nothing great to see, no one to interact with or watch along the way. Granted if you don't have time on your hands, public transportation is somewhat of a joke; but if you do, its brilliant. 

The first bus I got on was the 57 at the corner of Bristol and Sergerstrom. This bus ride took about 45 minutes. The bus cost $1.25, and I paid in quarters. As I began to look around, I realized that I am literally the only caucasian on the bus. An interesting anthropological fact indeed. Then just when I thought it couldn't get any better, sure enough, we took a turn on a little road called Memory Lane. Literally. Click the link. Now. I'm not lying. Seriously.

That bus took me to Anaheim where I walked toward the Anaheim Amtrak station. On the way was a Starbucks, so naturally, I stopped to get a little something. A young woman was behind the counter, and we struck up a conversation about something or other, and sure enough, one thing led to another, and yes...she did give me my coffee for free. And I know what you're thinking, and no, I did not ask for her hand in marriage. Anyways, I reached the station and realized that I had just missed a train, and had to wait an hour for the next one. Luckily there were some interesting characters to keep me company. 

There was nowhere to sit on the train so I just found a wall to lean against and observe the surroundings. An old man sitting and talking to anyone and everyone that accidentally makes the slightest bit of eye contact with him. The Asian teenager shamelessly popping and locking to his portable compact disc player. Or the painfully awkward college freshman attempting to strike up the most forced conversation ever...with me. Most forced conversation of my life, and no doubt, hers too.  But, honestly, that was the only thing making the conversation interesting, so I reveled in it. 

The train got me to downtown LA, Union Station. From there I hopped on a bus that took me practically to my brother's front door. It was a long ride, so I listened to Old World Underground, Where Are You Now? by Metric, and read some of Jack Kerouac's On the Road. And four and a half hours later I was eating some Pad Thai with my family.  

Mostly this trip made me wonder why on earth I've waited this long to do this kind of stuff. Really a mystery. But you know what they say: better late than never. There is something extremely liberating about traveling long distances on nothing but your feet and the reliability of some public transportation. I saved money, and helped the environment just to put the cherry on top of this delightful journey. I plan on traveling like this more often when I can. 

part__v_five

Excuse me? What?

You don't know?!

You haven't heard?! 

Oh my GOOOOOD!

It's BATTER BLASTER! 

It's all ORGANIC!!!!

Step 1: Heat up your skillet!

Step 2: Squirt your pancakes on said skillet!!

Step 3: COOK THEM!!!

Step 4: Eat those effing pancakes!!!!

Step 5: ABSOLUTELY NO CLEAN UP!!!!!

Commercial idea:

Kids wonder down in there pajamas rubbing their tired eyes. They've obviously just woken up, and are soooo hungry. They meander into the kitchen where mom is. 

cut to:

Mom in the kitchen, cute dress on, a red and white checkered apron on over that. She turns around and looks at her kids lovingly.

cut to:

Kids looking up at mom and saying, "Mom, we're hungry! Where's breakfast!!?"

cut to:

Mom getting a crazy and fun look in her eyes. "You want breakfast kids? I'll give it to you!" And from her hips pulls up to canisters of BATTER BLASTER! like six-shooters in an old cowboy western draw!

short cut to:

Kids getting so surprised, and slightly scared.

back to:

Mom pointing the BATTER BLASTERS at the kids and shooting a squirt out of each can toward the kids.

cut to:

The kids raising plates in the air and catching cooked pancakes on them. So excited they sit down and start devouring pancakes like fiends. 

back to:

Mom looking so happy and proud, blows the top of each canister and throws them over her shoulders like she doesn't even care!

Title screen "BATTER BLASTERS" smacks on the screen like it would smack your face if it could, and a MASSIVE explosion noise is heard.

on last cut to the three of them:

(yelling) AND YOU DON'T EVEN NEED TO CLEAN UP! as they throw their dirty plates and skillets out the window.  

THE END

part__iv_four

I'm realizing more and more with each day, how great this job is, and is going to be. Yesterday, some sponsors came in to talk to us about a campaign we'll be participating in. The sponsor was CPB, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. They helped explain what Public Broadcasting is and why it's so essential to our society as a whole. 

Frankly I've never thought about why public radio, or public television is so important. There was a strange sensation listening to all of this be explained to me having grown up on a good amount of public broadcasting. Like a lot of children, who's parents didn't believe in cable, PBS was the staple of my childhood. Everyone remembers Arthur, Lamb Chops, Sesame Street, Bob Ross Paints, Bill Nye the Science Guy, Mr. Rogers, Wishbone, Magic Schoolbus, Reading Rainbow, and the Antique Roadshow. And at the end of all of those shows the tag-line, "This show is made possible by the Corporation of Public Broadcasting, and viewers like you." Now being an adult, I find there are still facets of my life where public broadcasting has played a massive role. Whether it's my obsession with This American Life, or the fact that I have a job now with a series made possible only by PBS. Either way it really made me realize that public broadcasting is so important for our country, to receive news, entertainment, music, etc. from a source that is not controlled by the agendas of a media corporation or commercial empire. It made me realize how pro-public broadcasting I am, or should be. 

On another note, today, we learn how to operate cameras. What is my life?

part__iii_three

I drove a 36-foot bright green RV today. I drove it on the freeway, which was terrifying. I cut one person off, turned to sharp causing a tree to protrude one of the windows ravaging a fellow roadie, and got mildly lost. All in all, it was a great day of training. 

After two days I have a better idea of what the hell I'm gonna be doing for the next couple months. We are going to be here in the offices training for the next two weeks. Then we have a week of events locally. Then finally we hit the road officially. October 4th is the estimated date of departure. We will take a week or two to make it to the East Coast. This trip will be completely up to us. We have a certain amount of people to interview. These people will be of our choice, and all the interviews will be set by us. Depending on which interviews we book, our route will look different. So it is all essentially up to us though. Then once we reach the East Coast and finish our interviews. We will take the next four weeks to make it back to the West Coast. All along the way we will have different events largely at college campuses. Each team will have a general route during this leg of the trip: north, central, or south. By the end of this week or beginning of next, we will have both our teams set, and our routes. 

With each day, the reality of what I am doing sets in more and more. This makes room for excitement to start taking the place of anxiety. I'm getting to know everyone slowly, and acquiring skills, like driving RV's, that I may never use again. It's amazing.

part__ii_two

It is the morning. It's the morning of my first day at work. I'm here at the Roadtrip offices for the first time.

The offices embody what I've always imagined the ethos of this organization to be. A very handmade, DIY look through and through. Probably because it all is handmade and DIY. Except when it comes to technology. I love seeing a Mac computer, that costs a couple thousand dollars, sitting on a handmade plywood desk, half painted, or not painted at all. Oh and did I mention green. Everything is nearly painful, yet somehow, comforting green. A shade that is abrasive enough to ensure that it has your attention, but not so abrasive that it offends. But hey every organization has to have a trademark right? 

Anyways, I've recieved the tour, and have sat in the drivers seat of one of the RVs. The rest of the roadies have yet to arrive yet. 17 minutes, and they should be here. I'm early because I'm living with Jason and Jimi. Both of them work for Roadtrip Nation, and Jason is in charge of everything I will be doing. So I rode in early with them, waiting partly in fear and partly in excitement. 

Today will be an extremely informative day on all fronts. I'm hoping to walk away with a clearer idea of what I'll be doing from day to day, as well as getting a feel for the kinds of people I will be hanging with. 

part__i_one

Here is the synopsis of the next two months of my life. I most likely will not repeat this, and will continue to blog as if you've already read this, and know what's going on. So be forewarned. But not forlorned. Thank you.

Being in LA all summer, I met several people, one of whom was Jason Manion. He is a friend of my sister, as well as one of her artistic cohorts. Jason works for an organization called Roadtrip Nation. And this is where it all started. Obviously I was hanging out a lot with my sisters friends, because I had no friends of my own. So, naturally, Jason was one of these people. And after we had successfully won each others hearts, Jason found it apropos to ask me about a job opportunity with the Roadtrip Nation. 

Roadtrip Nation is an PBS documentary series, and a grassroots organization. It started with four friends graduating college and entering the inevitable, and all too cliche, "what now?" phase of life. In attempts to remedy this, they proceeded to jump in an old RV and travel around the country in order to see if other peoples stories could possibly help them learn their own. They set up interviews with all sorts of people from CEO's, to celebrities, and those less glorified individuals that are simply successful in their own right. They compiled film of both these interviews and of their own journey as they attempted to find some answers to their ever-pressing questions. Thus, the PBS series began. They now host trip for students and post-graduates to travel and collect their own "success" stories. 

My official role for the next few months is going to be roadie. However, it's not a roadie as you would typically think of it. Our role is mainly to function as a form of publicity, as our events will be focused at college campuses across the country. I will be in a team of four, two girls, two guys. And we will be in a huge green RV traveling across the country. From the West Coast here in Costa Mesa, to the East Coast, and then back to the West Coast. As for actual routes, I have no clue as to what specific roads we are to take. 

The first two or three weeks we will be here in Costa Mesa training in the office, attempting to learn how to drive the green giant, among other things I'm sure. Then, the beginning of October, we are on the road. I'm not sure what exactly I'm getting myself into, but I'm sure that if I'm going to do something like this, that this is the most time-appropriate time I could dream up. I am at a perfect halfway mark in my "higher" education with my Associates Degree in the most impressive General Studies. I have no one that needs me anywhere, no job that I am indispensable to. There simply is not one excuse or obstacle keeping me from this. And that, for what it's worth, is my best attempt at justifying the next few months of my life. As if it needs justifying. 

Learning everything is my goal. Extreme attentiveness, the means by which I will achieve the goal. And simple recklessness because I can, and just because I'm 21. 

introduction__