Going East

This was supposed to be posted on the train, but I lost wi-fi before it sent...

I'm pirating internet at a train stop somewhere in Colorado.

Riding a train long distances is kind of weird. I watched the sun go down behind Los Angeles last night, and slept in the Lounge Car because my awesome seatmate smelled like he hadn't showered in a week, and when I went back to lie down he was taking up both seats. It was awesome. Hoping I can actually get a chair tonight.

I pass out in an arid desert area and wake up in the mountains. Pass out again and I wake up staring over flat plains stretching as far as the eye can see. Free roaming cattle, gazelle. I saw an Ostrich farm.

This country is so big, and so varied. There was a line in Neil Gaiman's American Gods about how San Francisco is no more in the same country as New York as Berlin is in the same country as Paris. Sure we share the same currency, the same flag, but the land and the people and the culture is so different.

Anywhoo we disembark soon. I'll be in Chicago tomorrow afternoon and in Haslett tomorrow night. And I'm back to Freaks and Geeks and Writing.

The Goings-On

Lots to catch up on.

I've been busy (and not writing (go figure)) for the past week enjoying my time out here in LA. Here's the skinny:

Saturday we celebrated the Catholic St. Patty's day. Much drinking followed by much passing out followed by a strained attempt at remembering the blacker parts of the evening. We played lots of darts.

Sunday was recovery from St. Patty's day. Mostly it was a day of reading and generally keeping to myself, and that day I finished the Road. It was very good.

Monday was spent also lounging around. That night Granite and Red came over to the gent's house and attempted to throw another St. Patty's day and it fell flat.

Tuesday I found myself some trails, and I climbed a small mountain. The smog was clear that day so much so that I could see snow on the mountains and downtown LA from as far away as Buena Park.

Wednesday I went out again on another hike to find a comic shop, and it was an utter failure. I walked about 10 miles that day, got a terrible farmers tan and many blisters on my feet. And I rediscovered the reason I don't wear sandals on long treks.

Thursday was spent more or less off my feet. I discovered that I made the cut for the University of Michigan School of Information for their Master's in Library and Information Science. That evening Paul threw a bachelors party for his friend Robert. There was lots of meat, and lots of beer. It was very much a success.

Friday I spent with some friends from Columbia College who are out here for their semester in LA. We went down to Long Beach (which was kind of touristy and on the whole not worth the drive). That night they dropped me at Ben and Kate's and then we hauled ass north to San Francisco for Easter weekend with Kate's aunt, Annie.

Annie is a character. Ben and Kate warned me about how she likes to grill people with questions and her very pressing personality. She liked me, and kept telling Kate how cute I was and if only she were a few years younger.

Saturday I climbed a mountain in the morning and saw a giant cross and the entire Bay area. Then we went down to Haight street and had some pints at some bars and went to Amoeba records and then we went into San Fran proper and wandered around aimlessly there. Then that night we went back to Annie's. Kate went to pick up her sister from the airport. Ben and I read, and watched Dazed and Confused.

Sunday we drove to pick up Kate's sisters from Stanford and then went to Muir Park and saw really big trees (we also drove over the Golden Gate Bridge (it really is orange)). Then we came back and had dinner with her family, packed up, dropped her sisters back at Stanford and then hauled ass back to Los Angeles.

Today I rode with Kate to where she works in Culver city. Now I'm sitting in a Starbucks updating my blog, discovering the location of a comic shop, figuring out how the bus goes to Santa Monica, and listening to my iPod. I'm debating about writing, but I'll probably end up walking and taking pictures all tourist like, especially considering that I am about to have two whole days sitting on a train back to Chicago and then to East Lansing.

And here we are. I'll get around to posting pictures when I get where I have a cable. I'll also toss down impressions on San Francisco soon.

Westward Expansion

I'm in Los Angeles!

I flew out yesterday evening and got in with enough time to grab some sushi and watch Lost.

The plane was packed. I ended up sitting next to a mom and her two kids (12 weeks and 1.5 years) and their great grandma. Subsequently I got very little reading done again. Large portions of the flight were with the 1.5 year old girl sitting in my lap looking out the window. It was cute but a little frustrating.

On the descent my ears didn't pop properly, so for most of yesterday I was deaf out of my right ear. And it aggravated my sinus cold, so now I'm chugging water trying to get healthy as quickly as possible to enjoy the weather.

And enjoyable weather it is. It's 10am right now and 62 degrees! I'm in sandals and shorts!

I started chapter 5 of the Rider's story. Maybe finish that in a day or two. I've got a really strong idea where he's going for a few chapters now.

I also think I've come to grips with my process a little bit. When digging through my flash drive I found a plethora of unfinished novels, novellas, short stories, snippets of scenes. And what I do is riff on them, and then let them cool. It gets a ton of writing done right away. But leaves me with a lot of half-finished projects. And then I go back and continue chipping away. Maybe what'll happen is eventually I'll just start getting lots of things done at once. Have like three novels finished in a sitting...

Anywhoo, it's nice, and though I'm sick I want to go for a run! Pictures and adventures to come soon