Road Trip Across the US

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Once the decision was made to move all of my belongings in storage and in my parents' basement, I had to figure out how to get it all out to California. I looked at a few moving companies, but those ran anywhere from $1,600 to $4,000. I decided to rent a U-Haul for around $900 and did my best to recruit people to go with me. After a few days of trying it was pretty clear that I was going to be on my own. I almost got Lindsay to meet me near the halfway point in Oklahoma City (since she gets free flights from her mom, a Delta employee) but no one was able (or willing) to take the time off for the grueling trek.

I did the trip once before, driving from Bowling Green, KY, to Los Angeles with a former girlfriend. On that trip in early 2005, we got on I-40 in Nashville and didn't make an exit until that highway merged with another in California. We stopped in Shamrock, TX, on the first night and Las Vegas on the second night before rolling into LA after another half day of driving.

This would be a challenge because instead of a Honda Civic I was driving a 14 foot van. When I went to pick it up the night before I left I got another nice surprise - no CD player or tape deck. Listening to my own music (or books on tape as I had planned) was out of the question (the next morning I found that the cigarette lighter didn't work, so I couldn't even use my phone without draining the battery in a few hours). I packed up everything with a little room to spare and headed out around 7 am. My goal was to try to make it to each of the stopping points from my first trip since I would again hit I-40 and take it all of the way across.

Day 1

Fairly quickly into the trip I realized the challenge I was up against. After only a few hundred miles of driving I had to fill up the 30 gallon tank. That means I was getting 6-7 miles per gallon... with gas prices in the $3.40 range that means I was going to drop around $100 per fill up for the 2,100 mile trip, totaling around $1,000 extra. Yikes.

After a full 13 hour day of boring and uneventful AL, tip of TN, AK and OK, I made it to Oklahoma City and called it a night. I was a few hours behind my original timetable, but I also started further to the east. The van only made it up to 75 miles per hour, so I didn't have much of a choice unless I logged more hours. I still made time to do my Insanity workout that night to stretch my legs and get some restlessness out of my body.

Day 2

I got up the next morning and went through some significant changes in scenery over the next day. The plains of OK and TX quickly changed to the arid landscape of NM, with its red dirt, tumbleweeds and rock formations jutting out of the ground. Throughout the day I could see the remnants of Route 66 - it was sometimes used as an access road to the highway or local road as an alternate, but other times it was overgrown with lone standing old telephone poles. About halfway through the day I hit a brutal headwind of 30 mph with gusts even higher. I initially thought that the van was losing engine power since I dropped from 75 to 65 average mph, but the wind blew my door shut when I got out for gas.

I randomly stopped at one of the exact gas stations from my first trip. The only reason I remember is because a really large and tacky/creepy gift shop and Dairy Queen were attached. I got Lindsay a purple raccoon tail key chain to mark the occasion. After a round of snow flurries as I crossed into AZ, I kept climbing, climbing, finally calling it a night after 14 hours in Flagstaff at 7,000 elevation. There was about 6 inches of snow on the ground and the temperature had dropped to around freezing. I definitely wasn't dressed for that weather, so I went into the hotel, hit the Insanity DVDs again and went to bed.

Day 3

I got up early one last time, ready to knock out the last 8 hours of the drive. I hoped to get out of the snow and put my toes in the sand ASAP. It was mostly downhill after Flagstaff and without the detour into Las Vegas I had in the last trip, I powered into California. The temperature quickly rose as I entered the Inland Empire and after a SHORT 7 hour drive I made it "home."

My roommates helped me unpack and find room for most of my furniture. My roommate's girlfriend needed a table and chairs along with a coffee table, so I'm temporarily storing things there. Lindsay took my sofa and chair (I tried to sell them in Atlanta but had no luck). I'm slowly selling a few things off here and there (my road bike, for one) and finding room for the rest. It feels good to be living mono-coastal for the first time in a year, but I'm about to start traveling for work again. Le sigh.

Why Are People Drawn To The Ocean?

After 2.5 years on my project with Ingram Micro, it finally wrapped up this month.  The bulk of my professional experience with BackOffice and the majority of my international travel opportunities happened while I was on this project.  I lived in Santiago, Chile, for a few months and got to go to Argentina while I was there.  I then skipped over to Belgium and made multiple trips up to Holland to visit friends.  Then came my amazing 10 months in Australia plus a short trip to Fiji before I 'temporarily' moved to California a year ago.

Choices, choices...

Since the client would no longer pay for my rent in California and I still had a Georgia license, I had to make a choice: move back to Atlanta (I just rented out my house there so I would have to find a new place), stay in California or go back overseas.  The early leaders were returning to Australia or staying in California, but it all depended on where my next project would be located.

I did some initial investigation on my options in Australia and Singapore, but I was told that I would need to give a 2 year commitment for visa purposes if I were to go back.  I loved my time there, but putting that long of a time frame without making it permanent made me anxious.  I mean, if I decided that I was going to live in Australia forever then I would be willing to make the move. As great as it was, I don't know if I could do that.  I started exclusively focusing on west coast US projects and planned to 'settle' in California for now.

As I was making these plans, my company highlighted two projects where they wanted me to be staffed.  The first was a short term gig in New Jersey where I would be the lead.  The cross-country travel would be unfortunate but bearable.  The next project was long term (3 years) and was located in Connecticut.  It provided me with a lot of opportunities professionally, but crossing the country every week?  I must be crazy.

Wave 2 by Jessica Harms

I could always just live in Atlanta, NYC or somewhere else on the east coast to ease the travel.  There is something about living on the beach that draws me in.  It goes without saying that surfing is the #1 passion in my life, but it's not just that.  I bought one of Jessica's paintings back in 2008 - a couple of years before I ever got hooked on the sport.  I have always been drawn to water - maybe we all are.  Think about all of the big cities that are in harbors or bodies of water.  Yes, part of that is because they were transportation hubs.  But there is something else... the balance between awesome power and serenity is amazing.

After living by the ocean for the past few years, I don't think I can leave it.  I've had this conversation multiple times with different people that feel the same way - it's something that is hard to explain unless you've experienced it yourself.  Plus there's this girl out here...

Insanity

New year, new goals. I'm not one to make New Years resolutions, but I asked my parents to get me Insanity for Christmas. You might have seen the infomercial below.



The program is 60 days and is split up into 2 sets of DVDs - 5 for the first month and 5 for the second.  The before and after pictures are pretty convincing.  The program comes with nutrition recommendations but I'm not sure I want to be that strict about it.  I also went to GNC for some vitamin supplements and protein recovery mix.  The Insanity program recommends their own supplements, but I figured that it would be easier and cheaper to get them separately.

I thought I could use the fitness boost since I've been back in Atlanta for a few weeks without access to waves. Paddling on my board along with pullups and pushups over the past year to bulk up my arms has kept my strength up, but the cold weather and travel have pulled me away recently.  One of the best benefits of the Insanity program is that I only need DVDs with no extra equipment.  I can go anywhere and pop in a workout.

Here is one of my 'before' pictures... I'm not out of shape by any means, but we'll see if I can get the results they promise on the video.  I'm starting out at about 12mm body fat on my abdomen (measured by calipers) and 190 lbs.  We'll see where we go from there!

Which way to the gym?

Best Songs of 2011

I've gone through quite a few music posts throughout the year and it's time to compile a list of the best.  Take a look back at my previous posts for 2009 and 2010 (the 2010 post happens to be my #1 post of all time on this blog).

Honorable Mentions

• Foster the People - Pumped Up Kicks
  I know, I know, I know.  Everyone is sick of this song by now. I first blogged about it back in April, before you could hear it on every pop radio station in the country.  They're still a good band though, and this song has logged 52 million + views on YouTube.
  
• Drake ft. Lil Wayne - The Motto
  A lot of people don't like Drake but this collaboration makes me bob my head.
  
• Kings of Leon - Back Down South
  Hopefully this band hasn't broken up for good after they canceled their tour.  I've had a lot of good times cruising to their music over the years.  This song reminds me of my old Kentucky home.
  
• Childish Gambino - Freaks and Geeks
  Half of the time I can't tell if he's serious, but he's also a comedian so I guess that makes sense.  His metaphors are pretty clever.
  
• Katie Herzig - Lost and Found
  You're just starting to hear this song in TV shows and on movie previews.  Expect it to make its way to radio soon.
  
• Chris Brown ft. Busta Rhymes and Lil Wayne - Look At Me Now
  I was tempted to post Karmin's cover version, but I'll stick with the original.  I'm still dedicated to memorizing this and pulling it out on a karaoke night.

Top 10

10. Madi Diaz - Let's Go
I heard about this artist via NoiseTrade.  It's a great place to legally get free music.



9. TV On The Radio - Will Do
This band can put out some weird music, but I can listen to this song on repeat.



8. Jay-Z and Kanye West ft. TI - Niggas in Paris Remix
The original is good but I think that TI's verse makes it even better.  I heard that they rap this song 5 or more times in the Watch the Throne concert.  It's a good song, but really guys?



7. Josh Garrels - Ulysses
This is another artist I heard about on NoiseTrade.  The whole album is good... the song says that it was recorded in 2010, but it didn't come out until this year.  So it still qualifies for this list.



6. Manchester Orchestra - Simple Math
This local Atlanta band has made it big and they're great to see live.



Click here to see the Top 5!

Best Songs of 2011 - Continued

Don't forget to check out songs 10 - 6 and the Honorable Mentions here.

5. Adele - Someone Like You
I had to include SOMETHING by Adele since she's the #1 selling artist of the year (worldwide sales of the album have passed 13 million!). This video gives some background behind the song, which is always interesting since she's the one that wrote it.



4. Cults - Go Outside
I expect a lot out of this band in the near future.  Mark them down as someone to go see live in 2012.



3. Dirty Gold - California Sunrise
This was my summer song and it will forever put me in a beach mindset.  It makes me want to go surfing right now... as I sit in Atlanta in December.




2. The Naked and Famous - Young Blood
I saw this band live in Austin back in April at the best concert lineup I've ever seen (along with Freelance Whales and Foals).  You're probably starting to hear them on the radio, but they just finished their US tour.  Catch them when they come back around.



And the #1 song of the year goes to...

Gotye ft. Kimbra - Somebody That I Used To Know
I first posted this song back in April.  I've actually heard this song on the radio a few weeks ago, so you might see them become popular.  The lyrics are powerful and personally relevant to me.  Enjoy!



I know I'm leaving off some really great music.  The Black Keys, Noah and the Whale, Motorcade, Two Door Cinema Club, Grouplove, Matthew Mayfield, Death Cab for Cutie, Peter Bjorn and John all come to mind.  Looking back at this, I definitely could have made it a Top 20 list instead of 10!  But I'll stick with the format, and you'll just have to use the keyword 'music' in the upper left corner of this page to see the posts I've had throughout the year.

So, what else did I miss? Let me know. Post links in comments

Here's to more great music in 2012!

New Music For Your Consideration

Here's the last submission I'll do for the year before I pick my favorite songs from 2011. Stay tuned for my Top 10 list!

Madi Diaz - Let's Go



Crystal Fighters - Follow (song is a year old, but heard it on a new Puma commercial)



Madeon - Pop Culture (mashup of 39 songs... this kid is 17!!! Pretty cool to see him mixing them live on his mixing board)




Drake ft. Lil' Wayne - The Motto

Puerto Rico - Bachelor Party and Surfing

Avery, a friend of mine for about 6 months that serves as my surfing sensei, is getting married soon and invited me to his bachelor party in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He promised a lot of surfing and a good time, so I booked my ticket for Friday - Monday. I actually PAID for my ticket this time... I'm getting pretty close to reaching Platinum status with Delta.

Since Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States, you don't need a passport to go there. However, you definitely know you're not in the US when you land. Most signs are in Spanish and while most people can also speak English, I ran into a few that didn't.

View from our hotel suite

Avery's groomsmen booked adjoining rooms in a corner suite of the El San Juan Resort and Casino for Friday and Saturday nights. I had never met any of them before but they were all friendly guys, most from Avery's home state of Louisiana. The area of San Juan looked like an older, less polished version of Miami. There were lots of hotel and condo towers right on the coast, but it just wasn't quite as glamorous.

We spent most of the day lounging at the in-pool bar and went to Brava, El San Juan's nightclub, that night. It reminded me of a few of the dark and low-budget clubs I visited in Santiago, but there was one interesting twist. Sean Kingston happened to be in the VIP section - there goes any chance of getting attention from the girls. They were all too busy trying to get free drinks and pictures.

On Saturday Avery, his other California surfer friend Dave, and I were bent on finding some waves to surf. After checking the swell forecasts and talking to a few locals, we found that our best bet was only a quarter mile up the beach near the Ritz Carlton Hotel (if you're looking for a landmark). There were other breaks across the island that are all accessible and go off with different swells, but we would need a car, long board rentals, straps for the car, and more time. Avery was staying longer than the rest of us so he took notes about these breaks. We just rented soft boards on the beach for $25 per hour and headed out at the local break (I don't even remember if it had a name).

The waves weren't great by any means, but it was fun to get out there and catch some anyway. Most were ankle biters and there were a lot of people in the water to fight off. Not only that, I found a few pieces of floating wood spiked with rusty nails right on the break - yikes. Overall this break was worth visiting, but if you're coming to PR for a surf vacation you should go for the more remote locations and save this for a last resort.

***Note: we met a few ladies in their 40s on a women's weekend that rented SUPs (stand up paddle boards). They accidentally dropped their paddles, which sunk and cost them $250 per. I don't know why you would create a paddle that didn't float, but make sure you check if you go SUPing!***

On Saturday night we got back together with the rest of the crew... a few of them went to a cockfighting match near our hotel. This is still legal and sanctioned, with gambling and telecasts like horse racing back in Kentucky. We all had dinner and went back to Brava. The best man, Avery's brother, reserved a table and it was a special occasion - fight night. Puerto Ricans love boxing, especially when one of their own is fighting. Cotto vs. Margarito II was entertaining, mainly because of the atmosphere it created in the club. Everyone was singing and cheering Cotto's every move. When he won, it made the club go crazy.

Club Brava

The guys ended up running a bar tab in the $1500 range, but it wasn't so bad since there were so many of us. I ended up talking to a really cool girl from Florida for about 20 minutes before realizing that she had an engagement ring on her finger - doh. Oh well.

The next morning we had to be out of the hotel and most of the guys were going home. A few of us were staying for an extra night, but we booked a hotel in Old San Juan. Driving through that section of town really reminded me of Casco Viejo, the old section of Panama City that I visited earlier this year. All of the buildings were extremely old and it really took you back in time. The only downside was the massive cruise ship terminal nearby that kept a steady stream of typical American tourists clogging up the streets.

Dave and Avery broke down and rented a car so they could try to surf the northwest coast breaks on Monday (I was flying out in the morning). Since we had a car, we decided to go explore the northeast coast a bit. We got directions to a break that wasn't too far away that broke right on some rocks. I don't know exactly where it was, but my best guess is near the El Chorro river mouth. Avery convinced a guy to let him borrow his board, but the rest of us just sat on the beach and watched. It looked pretty brutal and I've never seen Avery so shaken up after a session.

Old San Juan

Later that night we got a recommendation for a local dive bar/restaurant called Pa'l Cielo, which translates to 'Of Heaven.' It wasn't in the touristy part of town, which was refreshing. The food was delicious and as it got later the crowd started to pack in. You could pick out the few gringos in the room and Avery made the executive decision for us to leave. Dave and I were having a good time since we had both experienced similar bars in other countries, but no big deal. We left and headed back toward Old San Juan.

It just so happened that the 18th annual Southern Fortaleza Culinary Fest was happening a few blocks from our hotel that weekend. Every restaurant on Calle Fortaleza (aka Restaurant Row) was selling small portions of their menus along with decent mojitos, along with music, art and people walking around everywhere. It was a great way to end the weekend and felt like what the 'real' Puerto Rico would be like without the tourism and American influence.

If I ever get the chance to go back I'll try to explore El Yunque National Forest (the only rain forest in the US), maybe do some snorkeling and diving and tour a rum distillery or two :)