Maybe if I post more often they wont be as long?! And yes I know, I need new pictures or something to break it up. We'll get there. Anyway, It's still raining. It's fun everyone is commenting on it. You get the feeling people almost think school should be canceled on rainy days here. Today the nanny came in and said "Oh, we have art class today... I don't know..." The only ones who really should be worried are Malibu residents, and really, what else do you need to convince you to move? Locusts?
Though we live in a fairly safe area (nowhere here is actually totally safe - except maybe the gated communities - so fairly safe is a good rating) I realized last night there is not ONE night I have been here in two weeks that I haven't heard sirens. Hour long sirens, every night when you are climbing into bed. Maybe we have early criminals or something though because they stop by 11 or 12 and you don't hear them again the rest of the night. Of course then you get the full Lawn Mower/Weed whacker wake-up calls outside your window. It's either ours or the neighbors a few times a week. Takes a lot of work to keep up these 6x6 patches of lawn and rare cacti! : ) Ah well, can't say I don't enjoy the lush atmosphere, even if it is about as natural as Joan River's face.
Friday, January 25, 2008
I Thought I Left Pittsburgh?!
Heeey,
So crazy crazy stuff is going on here. Well DUH you say, you did move to L.A. after all, Megan. Yeah but it's RAINING. Not even for a day. FOR THE WHOLE WEEK! This is Pittsburgh weather. Luckily here it's rain, all around us it's snow. Oh and our highs are still in the 60s : ) Also, I may not have to wash Betty now. Although I will say I'm not sure how clean the rain is here as each time it stops there are little dried brown drops on my windows... nothing like some dirty rain to remind you of the filthy air you live in! : ) Ride bikes people. Ride bikes.
Also amusing, while watching TV this evening (first time in weeks cause of the writers strike but there was a new Ugly Betty)... anyway this scrolls across the bottom, "FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR LOS ANGELES COUNTY." Well duh, dry area, lots of rain, and in Pennsylvania they pop up so much I'm not sure they aren't part of the show, anyway I can handle it. Then five minutes later I see this: "TORNADO WARNING FOR LOS ANGELES COUNTY." Oh well, guess we already knew this probably isn't God's favorite place. But wait, what follows is the icing on the cake. "IF NO SHELTER AVAILABLE LAY FLAT IN A DITCH." Huh, would that be a different ditch than the ones draining all the water? I wont even lie to make myself look cool, it cracked me up for a good five minutes. And I'm laughing again right now.
Ryann and I's work on our thriller is moving along. Today I read The Shining and Pyscho for some research (track plot points, big reveals, etc.) Wont be able to sleep for a week, who knew the original treatment of The Shining was so different from the movie... but just as scary. It's just like adding on a whole different horror movie for me to have nightmares with. We both know we'll have to actually WATCH some scary movies too. We've agreed to do this as long as: it's in the middle of the day, with the windows open, and the pause button is ready.
In order to pretend I'm really a screenwriter/aspiring producer I've been tracking down some local resources. Today I went to the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences library to get out some scripts. (Ok I admit it, libraries are also just a happy place for me). It's a beautiful building on the edge of Beverly HIlls and is kept up by the movie FBI, well maybe not but the security and cold stares of the workers does make you wonder. Anyway, it's a good place to get work done and I'll probably be camping there a lot, even if I do feel like if I break a rule I'll be escorted out and placed on the Movie Terrorist list.
Um other news? The talks for the strike have resumed and are continuing which is GREAT. It's a news blackout though so nobody knows (supposedly) how it's going.
I'm starting for a family next week in Burbank to watch their 4-month-old, they seem great so far. It clinched it for me when they both said "Yeah the first year is hard here... it's just hard to meet normal people."
Very upset about Heath Ledger. Also pretty unfair the way the media immediately jumped to conclusions about it and now are choking it all back. Hope they give his family and especially daughter some space. He may not have been a fan of his movie roles early on but I certainly enjoyed them!
Of course there is some OTHER media I don't mind. And that's all the awesome reviews GLORY DAYS has been getting!!!! Congrats James and Nick (and Matthew) for all your hard work. I'm going to work hard soon too, really I am. Here's a link to the Washington Post review, you really should check out the show
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/24/AR2008012403364.html
Ok well I have lots of other stuff I think of to post and by the time I gets around to it I forget so that's it for now!
So crazy crazy stuff is going on here. Well DUH you say, you did move to L.A. after all, Megan. Yeah but it's RAINING. Not even for a day. FOR THE WHOLE WEEK! This is Pittsburgh weather. Luckily here it's rain, all around us it's snow. Oh and our highs are still in the 60s : ) Also, I may not have to wash Betty now. Although I will say I'm not sure how clean the rain is here as each time it stops there are little dried brown drops on my windows... nothing like some dirty rain to remind you of the filthy air you live in! : ) Ride bikes people. Ride bikes.
Also amusing, while watching TV this evening (first time in weeks cause of the writers strike but there was a new Ugly Betty)... anyway this scrolls across the bottom, "FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR LOS ANGELES COUNTY." Well duh, dry area, lots of rain, and in Pennsylvania they pop up so much I'm not sure they aren't part of the show, anyway I can handle it. Then five minutes later I see this: "TORNADO WARNING FOR LOS ANGELES COUNTY." Oh well, guess we already knew this probably isn't God's favorite place. But wait, what follows is the icing on the cake. "IF NO SHELTER AVAILABLE LAY FLAT IN A DITCH." Huh, would that be a different ditch than the ones draining all the water? I wont even lie to make myself look cool, it cracked me up for a good five minutes. And I'm laughing again right now.
Ryann and I's work on our thriller is moving along. Today I read The Shining and Pyscho for some research (track plot points, big reveals, etc.) Wont be able to sleep for a week, who knew the original treatment of The Shining was so different from the movie... but just as scary. It's just like adding on a whole different horror movie for me to have nightmares with. We both know we'll have to actually WATCH some scary movies too. We've agreed to do this as long as: it's in the middle of the day, with the windows open, and the pause button is ready.
In order to pretend I'm really a screenwriter/aspiring producer I've been tracking down some local resources. Today I went to the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences library to get out some scripts. (Ok I admit it, libraries are also just a happy place for me). It's a beautiful building on the edge of Beverly HIlls and is kept up by the movie FBI, well maybe not but the security and cold stares of the workers does make you wonder. Anyway, it's a good place to get work done and I'll probably be camping there a lot, even if I do feel like if I break a rule I'll be escorted out and placed on the Movie Terrorist list.
Um other news? The talks for the strike have resumed and are continuing which is GREAT. It's a news blackout though so nobody knows (supposedly) how it's going.
I'm starting for a family next week in Burbank to watch their 4-month-old, they seem great so far. It clinched it for me when they both said "Yeah the first year is hard here... it's just hard to meet normal people."
Very upset about Heath Ledger. Also pretty unfair the way the media immediately jumped to conclusions about it and now are choking it all back. Hope they give his family and especially daughter some space. He may not have been a fan of his movie roles early on but I certainly enjoyed them!
Of course there is some OTHER media I don't mind. And that's all the awesome reviews GLORY DAYS has been getting!!!! Congrats James and Nick (and Matthew) for all your hard work. I'm going to work hard soon too, really I am. Here's a link to the Washington Post review, you really should check out the show
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/24/AR2008012403364.html
Ok well I have lots of other stuff I think of to post and by the time I gets around to it I forget so that's it for now!
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Random tidbits : )
I have been babysitting 7 of the 8 days I've been here. I have turned down one live-in position and two full-time positions. I have worked a total of 58 hours.
Friday night, my one night off for the weekend I spent over at Ryann's in my future apartment (come the end of February). We are considering writing a pyschological thriller... which should be interesting since we both about died from fright when I accidently leaned against the light switch the other night while we were talking about scary stuff. For those of you who don't know... horror movies and I don't mix, never will. I'm the girl who had to sneak out of class in COLLEGE (that's right a room full of adults mid-day) when we were watching The Shining and The Exorcist. Also left when my younger brother and friends were watching The Omen. Ryann says she turned The Exorcist off during the opening sequence. So... this should be interesting!
Saturday night I was supervising 2 high energy 8 year-old boys. All I can say is I love wii.
If you sit down at Starbucks and don't proceed to pull out your computer/script/book about scripts/etc. you are soooo out of place : ) Not going to lie though, Ryann and I jumped on the train and had our first meeting/brainstorming session there this morning.
I don't like Odwalla drinks. Never will. Even when desperate for a chocolate fix and that's all that's in the fridge, still doesn't work. Kind of like drinking cough syrup cause you are craving cherry, just doesn't work!
All the spanish speaking nannies know one another. Whenever I went anywhere with the little girl I was watching this week every single one I ran into asked where her old nanny was (she's just on vacation).
Betty REALLY needs a bath and unfortunately I can't wait for it to rain here... have to search one out or *gasp* do it by hand.
Some fun (or so I thought) L.A. tidbits from the week (probably happen anywhere but since I'm here...):
-Overheard in the children's art gallery from an expectant mother to an older mother: "I admire your aura. Your mommy-being is just so inspiring."
- At the music class for 6 months -2 year olds, discussing favorite foods "Oh my baby just LOVES edamame" response from other mother "Oh that is SO L.A."
-In response to my query about car washes. "Oh there is one right over on La Brea. Yeah it's just 20 bucks or something." (20 bucks for a car wash is NOT in my budget folks)
-Art class for 2 year-olds "ok kids now PLEASE don't mix the rollers and the paint colors. When you are done with your color just wait for another color and pass the roller with it." Hehehe you can guess how well that went!
Ok off to babysit some more! Miss all that snow you are having back east... oh wait, nope, I really don't! : )
Friday night, my one night off for the weekend I spent over at Ryann's in my future apartment (come the end of February). We are considering writing a pyschological thriller... which should be interesting since we both about died from fright when I accidently leaned against the light switch the other night while we were talking about scary stuff. For those of you who don't know... horror movies and I don't mix, never will. I'm the girl who had to sneak out of class in COLLEGE (that's right a room full of adults mid-day) when we were watching The Shining and The Exorcist. Also left when my younger brother and friends were watching The Omen. Ryann says she turned The Exorcist off during the opening sequence. So... this should be interesting!
Saturday night I was supervising 2 high energy 8 year-old boys. All I can say is I love wii.
If you sit down at Starbucks and don't proceed to pull out your computer/script/book about scripts/etc. you are soooo out of place : ) Not going to lie though, Ryann and I jumped on the train and had our first meeting/brainstorming session there this morning.
I don't like Odwalla drinks. Never will. Even when desperate for a chocolate fix and that's all that's in the fridge, still doesn't work. Kind of like drinking cough syrup cause you are craving cherry, just doesn't work!
All the spanish speaking nannies know one another. Whenever I went anywhere with the little girl I was watching this week every single one I ran into asked where her old nanny was (she's just on vacation).
Betty REALLY needs a bath and unfortunately I can't wait for it to rain here... have to search one out or *gasp* do it by hand.
Some fun (or so I thought) L.A. tidbits from the week (probably happen anywhere but since I'm here...):
-Overheard in the children's art gallery from an expectant mother to an older mother: "I admire your aura. Your mommy-being is just so inspiring."
- At the music class for 6 months -2 year olds, discussing favorite foods "Oh my baby just LOVES edamame" response from other mother "Oh that is SO L.A."
-In response to my query about car washes. "Oh there is one right over on La Brea. Yeah it's just 20 bucks or something." (20 bucks for a car wash is NOT in my budget folks)
-Art class for 2 year-olds "ok kids now PLEASE don't mix the rollers and the paint colors. When you are done with your color just wait for another color and pass the roller with it." Hehehe you can guess how well that went!
Ok off to babysit some more! Miss all that snow you are having back east... oh wait, nope, I really don't! : )
Monday, January 14, 2008
Safe and Sound!
Hi everyone,
Dana and I made our last leg of the journey Saturday, arriving in Los Angeles around 5 on Saturday evening. We immediately were welcomed by Los Angeles traffic, sitting in gridlock for about a half hour before we finagled our way around it (Jane helped a bit). After unloading our bags and visiting a bit with Kristin, Charlie, Stella, and Boden we headed to dinner at a nearby 'hotspot' serving only organic food. I figured Dana should be plunged into L.A. culture head-on! It was very good and then we headed to a local Irish pub which is usually packed with local film types... we weren't disappointed. Quite amusing to see Betty being valet parked with all the other cars. I pity the poor guys when they got in if they looked in the back-seat, Betty was quite a mess!
I also introduced Dana to the fun parking garage detectors. Literally we drove to the Grove just so I could show her, it shows you which levels are full and how many spots are available on each level, very cool! : )
We were still on the wrong time setting so we weren't out too late, but it was a good night. Dana decided she'd like to move here (sorry Kurt!).
Sunday we met up with my friend Ryann at the Farmer's Market for brunch then headed to the walk of fame. I actually had never been there before either so it was fun to see, the 75 degree weather didn't hurt our spirits either. To top off Dana's intro to LA we passed Marilyn Monroe in the hallway and then what seemed to be some shady exchanges going on between Captain Jack Sparrow and a Kodak Theater employee in broad daylight, but I'm sure he just needed to borrow some money. Quite honestly The Walk of Fame area is one of the grimier places but tourists keep it bustling.
Then it was off to the BEACH. We drove up to Malibu so I could point out some fun spots like where Mel Gibson got arrested and then walked out on the Santa Monica pier and down to Venice Beach. The beach was busy, plenty of people out on the rides, riding bikes, roller-blading, playing chess, fencing, juggling, gymnastics... you name it, someone was doing it. There were dogs everywhere, everyone seems to need a little dog accessory no matter how big and burly a man they may be! We ate dinner at yet another organic restaurant while the sun set and watched street musicians 'sing the sun down' complete with interpretive dance. What can I say, this place is anything but boring!
Sadly I had to drop Dana at the airport around 8:45 but her flight went off without a hitch and she is safely on the East Coast. I already miss my last bit of Gettysburg company! I need visitors ASAP... well you may want to wait till I get an apartment... Although Elmo Betty would be glad to house you : )
Dana and I made our last leg of the journey Saturday, arriving in Los Angeles around 5 on Saturday evening. We immediately were welcomed by Los Angeles traffic, sitting in gridlock for about a half hour before we finagled our way around it (Jane helped a bit). After unloading our bags and visiting a bit with Kristin, Charlie, Stella, and Boden we headed to dinner at a nearby 'hotspot' serving only organic food. I figured Dana should be plunged into L.A. culture head-on! It was very good and then we headed to a local Irish pub which is usually packed with local film types... we weren't disappointed. Quite amusing to see Betty being valet parked with all the other cars. I pity the poor guys when they got in if they looked in the back-seat, Betty was quite a mess!
I also introduced Dana to the fun parking garage detectors. Literally we drove to the Grove just so I could show her, it shows you which levels are full and how many spots are available on each level, very cool! : )
We were still on the wrong time setting so we weren't out too late, but it was a good night. Dana decided she'd like to move here (sorry Kurt!).
Sunday we met up with my friend Ryann at the Farmer's Market for brunch then headed to the walk of fame. I actually had never been there before either so it was fun to see, the 75 degree weather didn't hurt our spirits either. To top off Dana's intro to LA we passed Marilyn Monroe in the hallway and then what seemed to be some shady exchanges going on between Captain Jack Sparrow and a Kodak Theater employee in broad daylight, but I'm sure he just needed to borrow some money. Quite honestly The Walk of Fame area is one of the grimier places but tourists keep it bustling.
Then it was off to the BEACH. We drove up to Malibu so I could point out some fun spots like where Mel Gibson got arrested and then walked out on the Santa Monica pier and down to Venice Beach. The beach was busy, plenty of people out on the rides, riding bikes, roller-blading, playing chess, fencing, juggling, gymnastics... you name it, someone was doing it. There were dogs everywhere, everyone seems to need a little dog accessory no matter how big and burly a man they may be! We ate dinner at yet another organic restaurant while the sun set and watched street musicians 'sing the sun down' complete with interpretive dance. What can I say, this place is anything but boring!
Sadly I had to drop Dana at the airport around 8:45 but her flight went off without a hitch and she is safely on the East Coast. I already miss my last bit of Gettysburg company! I need visitors ASAP... well you may want to wait till I get an apartment... Although Elmo Betty would be glad to house you : )
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Grand Canyon has a Birthday!
Good morning from Las Vegas! Today is the last traveling day of our trip, except for Dana's flight home tomorrow night... I suppose that counts as traveling too. We had the luxury of having lots of time yesterday to be super lazy and sleep in... but that's hard when you are set to a different time zone! We got on the road around 11 and headed up to see this thing they call the Grand Canyon. Did I mention there was snow everywhere? It's a BEAUTIFUL drive up 180 from Flagstaff to the South Rim of the Canyon. Snow covered mountains and snowy forests, really pretty.
When we got there we had a great surprise... it was the Grand Canyon's 100th Birthday! Ok well obviously it's a little older than 100 years but yesterday in 1908 Teddy Roosevelt declared it a National Site. So we saved bunches of money because admittance was free! AND the big kicker was there was free birthday cake. I'm not going to lie it was a little strange singing happy birthday to the Grand Canyon but Dana and I were happy to pitch in our vocal talents. My brother said you can kind of get a feel for the canyon from pictures... I have to say we politely disagree. It is an amazing feeling as it comes into view and you walk towards the edge. The magnitude of it is indescribable. Definitely want to come back and hike it another time. They do allow you to hike even in the winter but the shortest hike is 2-4 hours and Dana was whining... something about slipping on ice and falling to her death or whatever : ) There are railings but when it is icy and slushy you don't want to move too fast or lean too far, you kind of have to shut down that panic part of your brain because it really is terrifyingly far down. Jane (our GPS) was giving us directions and at one point advised us to turn left... into the canyon, we are thinking she wasn't very happy with us muting her earlier in the day.
After the canyon it was on to some historic route 66 driving, we didn't go far though because although there were amazing restaurants and memorabilia they were all closed either for the evening or forever, very very sad. So it was on to Nevada where we drove over the Hoover Damn, also pretty amazing, even at night. Into another time zone we went and on to Vegas! Coming into Vegas is a little overwhelming, you come over this mountain and then BAM in front of you for miles upon miles upon miles are just lights. It looks like an ocean... as far as you can see... except of course of lights!
Brett was a wonderful host and we were out to see the town. Unfortunately with all the time changes and being in a car all week we weren't quite up to a full night of Vegas revelry but we made it respectably late. Walked the strip, visited several of the big casinos, a few slots machines, took in a light show or two. It's all pretty overwhelming!
Today we face only about a four hour drive and then we are at our destination! I'll be honest, as amazing as Las Vegas is... some of the sights and people and just extreme 'gluttony' on the strip makes Los Angeles look like a true city of angels (who would have EVER thought I'd say that?!). I know some of you are shaking your heads thinking "VEGAS! It's supposed to be that way!", call me a prude I still think it's ridiculous! : )
Plenty of pics but no time to post them till later.
When we got there we had a great surprise... it was the Grand Canyon's 100th Birthday! Ok well obviously it's a little older than 100 years but yesterday in 1908 Teddy Roosevelt declared it a National Site. So we saved bunches of money because admittance was free! AND the big kicker was there was free birthday cake. I'm not going to lie it was a little strange singing happy birthday to the Grand Canyon but Dana and I were happy to pitch in our vocal talents. My brother said you can kind of get a feel for the canyon from pictures... I have to say we politely disagree. It is an amazing feeling as it comes into view and you walk towards the edge. The magnitude of it is indescribable. Definitely want to come back and hike it another time. They do allow you to hike even in the winter but the shortest hike is 2-4 hours and Dana was whining... something about slipping on ice and falling to her death or whatever : ) There are railings but when it is icy and slushy you don't want to move too fast or lean too far, you kind of have to shut down that panic part of your brain because it really is terrifyingly far down. Jane (our GPS) was giving us directions and at one point advised us to turn left... into the canyon, we are thinking she wasn't very happy with us muting her earlier in the day.
After the canyon it was on to some historic route 66 driving, we didn't go far though because although there were amazing restaurants and memorabilia they were all closed either for the evening or forever, very very sad. So it was on to Nevada where we drove over the Hoover Damn, also pretty amazing, even at night. Into another time zone we went and on to Vegas! Coming into Vegas is a little overwhelming, you come over this mountain and then BAM in front of you for miles upon miles upon miles are just lights. It looks like an ocean... as far as you can see... except of course of lights!
Brett was a wonderful host and we were out to see the town. Unfortunately with all the time changes and being in a car all week we weren't quite up to a full night of Vegas revelry but we made it respectably late. Walked the strip, visited several of the big casinos, a few slots machines, took in a light show or two. It's all pretty overwhelming!
Today we face only about a four hour drive and then we are at our destination! I'll be honest, as amazing as Las Vegas is... some of the sights and people and just extreme 'gluttony' on the strip makes Los Angeles look like a true city of angels (who would have EVER thought I'd say that?!). I know some of you are shaking your heads thinking "VEGAS! It's supposed to be that way!", call me a prude I still think it's ridiculous! : )
Plenty of pics but no time to post them till later.
Friday, January 11, 2008
PICS and an update
Hey everyone,
We are sad our trip is almost over but we've been loving the old route 66 stops. We are in Flagstaff right now but set to leave to view the Grand Canyon and then spend a night in Vegas. Then it's to LA tomorrow and showing Dana around there a bit. We splurged for a hotel last night as we didn't know anyone in the area and wanted to take our time getting around the sights in the area. It was dark when we got here and we were surprised when we got near a streetlight and realized there was snow everywhere! But we REALLY like the old route 66 memorabilia and a lot of the area almost seems untouched in decades...take that as you will! Also we'd like to point out that although we seem to be wearing the same clothes in all the pics... we DO shower and at least change our underwear once in awhile : p
The pics here are from Albuquerque, the Painted Desert (with snow in parts!), the Petrified Forest, and the National Petroglygh monument (the rock pictures).
We are sad our trip is almost over but we've been loving the old route 66 stops. We are in Flagstaff right now but set to leave to view the Grand Canyon and then spend a night in Vegas. Then it's to LA tomorrow and showing Dana around there a bit. We splurged for a hotel last night as we didn't know anyone in the area and wanted to take our time getting around the sights in the area. It was dark when we got here and we were surprised when we got near a streetlight and realized there was snow everywhere! But we REALLY like the old route 66 memorabilia and a lot of the area almost seems untouched in decades...take that as you will! Also we'd like to point out that although we seem to be wearing the same clothes in all the pics... we DO shower and at least change our underwear once in awhile : p
The pics here are from Albuquerque, the Painted Desert (with snow in parts!), the Petrified Forest, and the National Petroglygh monument (the rock pictures).
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Clarification
Hey all,
Added some captions to the pics. I know they are hard to read, tried to change the color to help a little but that's the best I can do right now, sorry!
My mother is concerned about one of the pictures and what you will think of us so let me clarify. The pic of the 'dispenser' was taken in a truck stop in nowhere Oklahoma and we thought it conveyed just what kind of place we were in. That's it.
Love you Mom : )
Added some captions to the pics. I know they are hard to read, tried to change the color to help a little but that's the best I can do right now, sorry!
My mother is concerned about one of the pictures and what you will think of us so let me clarify. The pic of the 'dispenser' was taken in a truck stop in nowhere Oklahoma and we thought it conveyed just what kind of place we were in. That's it.
Love you Mom : )
Some pics
Hey everyone, here are the pics we have but they took so long to load they are out of order and without captions... and they hardly convey the beauty of the area but they are fun anyway. We are off on two days of rambling, the goal is Vegas by friday night. Probably a hotel tonight around Flagstaff, we will be in and out of service areas on our phones and may not blog till Friday in Vegas so don't worry, nothing is wrong we are just being adventurous!
Day 3: I don't think Oklahoma City is in Texas...
Today was a GREAT day! Actually our favorite so far. Everyone has told us how we'd hate the drive because there is nothing to see for miles upon miles. Quite honestly though we LOVED it. No glitches except a wee little side trip into Oklahoma, but hey, it's always fun to see another state... that looks just like the one you were in before. Jane (our British GPS guide) threw us for a loop when she took us on the 'motorway' to Oklahoma.
Poor Dana fell asleep and when she awoke the wind was sweeping down the plain (yeah we sang it a few times). While she was sleeping I snapped a picture of the Red River... only later when we pulled out the map did we realize the Red River is the border of Oklahoma/Texas... guess that and the sign saying OKLAHOMA should have been a clue. I may have been busy fantasizing about cowboys and racing across the country on horses hair flowing behind me and settling the west (sans spiders/scorpions/snakes of course) But really, I just thought Jane sounded so trustworthy. Jane was subsequently punished for the rest of the day (put on mute), we used those antique paper maps and sped our way back to Texas.
The things that made our day? We saw camels, a big fake giraffe, lots of abandoned towns, and didn't pay over 3 bucks for gas all day! We saw lots of white stuff, realized it was cotton fields and snapped away at that, after a really deep discussion about how they pic cotton now ("wasn't it something to do with a cotton gin?" "can we pick it?"). Drove past a big ol' brushfire and that kept us busy for about 20 miles (not cause it was that big just cause we were trying to figure out the smoke). Sang along to the radio A LOT. There is something so liberating about all this space (and again I may have a thing for old movies and riding on horseback and all of that).
We stopped at Del's Diner in Tucumakari, New Mexico (or something like that) and it was GREAT. Home grown vegetables and real food and so on. Followed it up with an amazing sunset and then stargazing, well kind of. It gets a little cold and windy when that sun drops so we stayed in the car.
Some other fun stuff we saw/discussed/experience:
- if cacti are seasonal (that one goes 100% to Dana)
- jackalopes and if they are real
- why the traffic lights are hung horizontally here
- What happened to Wichita Falls?! Literally a whole city practically abandoned
- what to do when it gets dark and more likely that animals will cross the road (Dana's response: "i'm going to lock the doors" I'm sure that helped)
- the time change
- how much betty needs a bath
Our license plate count is way up to 33, only 17 to go!
Pics are taking awhile to load, hopefully have them up in the morning!
Poor Dana fell asleep and when she awoke the wind was sweeping down the plain (yeah we sang it a few times). While she was sleeping I snapped a picture of the Red River... only later when we pulled out the map did we realize the Red River is the border of Oklahoma/Texas... guess that and the sign saying OKLAHOMA should have been a clue. I may have been busy fantasizing about cowboys and racing across the country on horses hair flowing behind me and settling the west (sans spiders/scorpions/snakes of course) But really, I just thought Jane sounded so trustworthy. Jane was subsequently punished for the rest of the day (put on mute), we used those antique paper maps and sped our way back to Texas.
The things that made our day? We saw camels, a big fake giraffe, lots of abandoned towns, and didn't pay over 3 bucks for gas all day! We saw lots of white stuff, realized it was cotton fields and snapped away at that, after a really deep discussion about how they pic cotton now ("wasn't it something to do with a cotton gin?" "can we pick it?"). Drove past a big ol' brushfire and that kept us busy for about 20 miles (not cause it was that big just cause we were trying to figure out the smoke). Sang along to the radio A LOT. There is something so liberating about all this space (and again I may have a thing for old movies and riding on horseback and all of that).
We stopped at Del's Diner in Tucumakari, New Mexico (or something like that) and it was GREAT. Home grown vegetables and real food and so on. Followed it up with an amazing sunset and then stargazing, well kind of. It gets a little cold and windy when that sun drops so we stayed in the car.
Some other fun stuff we saw/discussed/experience:
- if cacti are seasonal (that one goes 100% to Dana)
- jackalopes and if they are real
- why the traffic lights are hung horizontally here
- What happened to Wichita Falls?! Literally a whole city practically abandoned
- what to do when it gets dark and more likely that animals will cross the road (Dana's response: "i'm going to lock the doors" I'm sure that helped)
- the time change
- how much betty needs a bath
Our license plate count is way up to 33, only 17 to go!
Pics are taking awhile to load, hopefully have them up in the morning!
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Day 2: That illusive Dairy Queen
Sorry we are posting late but bed seemed much more important last night! We arrived safely last night at my friend Will’s house in Plano at about 11. Yesterday really was not a lot of driving but we didn’t get on the road until 1:30 PM so we could grab some lunch with Abby (ok we admit it, sleeping in after that LONG Monday was a factor as well!).
Aside from a pretty ferocious thunderstorm (“what did the radio just say about tornado warnings Dana? Oops lost the station.”) near the Mississippi/Louisiana state line the trip was uneventful and Elmo Betty did a stellar job. 8 hours at 75 mph (give or take a few haha) and no incidents is pretty awesome we think! That Mississippi river is one smelly river, UGH! When we started off there did seem to be some noise somewhere under the hood/in the dash that sounded like rubbing or wind squeezing through a tight spot occasionally. But we did what we do best and ignored it till it went away. Our mechanically wise theory is that the raccoon damage on the front simply directed the wind in a little bit different air flow. So we’ll go with that for now.
Kudos to our buddy Ben for some excellent Dairy Queen location searching. He scouted out one right next to the highway for us all the way from Wichita, Kansas… it was wonderful and would have been even better if we’d followed his directions correctly and not wasted 25 minutes looking for it. As soon as we gave up and got going again it was literally a half mile down the highway (whoops!) And of course there was a Dairy Queen at every stop for the rest of the way just to rub it in our faces! Texas sure does love their DQ!
Today we are on to Albequerque, New Mexico and from our buddy at AAA yesterday we are pretty sure there is not much to see along our route, but I’m really hoping we can scrounge up an armadillo… just as long as it doesn’t come in contact with Betty! We stopped by a AAA yesterday (the ONLY one in Mississippi) and are pretty excited about the rest of our trip now that we are loaded with guide books and have an extra day built in. I got pretty excited about the Indian Country map and Dana was very patient as I oohed and aahed over the possibilities with the agent. We are thinking we will drive some of route 66 as well for you more ‘mature’ folk who are familiar with that road.
Ok we are fixin’ to move on now. Now where is my Stetson…
P.S. You wouldn't believe how cheap gas has been here in Texas... 2.85 this morning, go figure.
Aside from a pretty ferocious thunderstorm (“what did the radio just say about tornado warnings Dana? Oops lost the station.”) near the Mississippi/Louisiana state line the trip was uneventful and Elmo Betty did a stellar job. 8 hours at 75 mph (give or take a few haha) and no incidents is pretty awesome we think! That Mississippi river is one smelly river, UGH! When we started off there did seem to be some noise somewhere under the hood/in the dash that sounded like rubbing or wind squeezing through a tight spot occasionally. But we did what we do best and ignored it till it went away. Our mechanically wise theory is that the raccoon damage on the front simply directed the wind in a little bit different air flow. So we’ll go with that for now.
Kudos to our buddy Ben for some excellent Dairy Queen location searching. He scouted out one right next to the highway for us all the way from Wichita, Kansas… it was wonderful and would have been even better if we’d followed his directions correctly and not wasted 25 minutes looking for it. As soon as we gave up and got going again it was literally a half mile down the highway (whoops!) And of course there was a Dairy Queen at every stop for the rest of the way just to rub it in our faces! Texas sure does love their DQ!
Today we are on to Albequerque, New Mexico and from our buddy at AAA yesterday we are pretty sure there is not much to see along our route, but I’m really hoping we can scrounge up an armadillo… just as long as it doesn’t come in contact with Betty! We stopped by a AAA yesterday (the ONLY one in Mississippi) and are pretty excited about the rest of our trip now that we are loaded with guide books and have an extra day built in. I got pretty excited about the Indian Country map and Dana was very patient as I oohed and aahed over the possibilities with the agent. We are thinking we will drive some of route 66 as well for you more ‘mature’ folk who are familiar with that road.
Ok we are fixin’ to move on now. Now where is my Stetson…
P.S. You wouldn't believe how cheap gas has been here in Texas... 2.85 this morning, go figure.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Randy the raccoon: May He Rest in Peace (or How Betty got a Nose Job
Ok we wrote the previous entry on the last leg in the car. And true to our trip so far we just keep having ‘incidents’ to add. On our very last leg of the trip we were on a smaller highway when Randy ran out right in front of us. True to our driver’s ed. teacher (Uncle Perry) Dana did exactly what she was supposed to and hit him right on, no swerving or anything! Way to go Dana!
As a tribute to further southern hospitality we pulled over to check out the car and tires and with-in 30 seconds had a car pull up behind us and offer help. He was a police officer, off duty and with his wife. He checked out the car with us and offered to file a report. He had seen Randy and offered his opinion that he had looked ‘fresh.’ We are hoping that means fully recovered… right?
Betty’s lower bumper is cracked but nothing major. Duct tape would fix it right up but she’s a little vain. We would like to state that in no way does Elmo Betty Shaffer aspire to look like the car in ‘Tommy Boy’ at the end of this trip, we swear!
But really we are being safe, we are ok, the car is ok, and we are done with day 1 after 18 HOURS in the car!
As a tribute to further southern hospitality we pulled over to check out the car and tires and with-in 30 seconds had a car pull up behind us and offer help. He was a police officer, off duty and with his wife. He checked out the car with us and offered to file a report. He had seen Randy and offered his opinion that he had looked ‘fresh.’ We are hoping that means fully recovered… right?
Betty’s lower bumper is cracked but nothing major. Duct tape would fix it right up but she’s a little vain. We would like to state that in no way does Elmo Betty Shaffer aspire to look like the car in ‘Tommy Boy’ at the end of this trip, we swear!
But really we are being safe, we are ok, the car is ok, and we are done with day 1 after 18 HOURS in the car!
Monday, January 7, 2008
Day 1: Betty has a Boop Boop
Hi everyone! We are posting a little late which we’ll explain in a minute but the important thing is we have safely arrived in Starkville, Mississippi at Abby’s!
We started off at 6:15 this morning a little tired but ready to go! Kurt dropped Dana off and my brothers were up to do papers and say goodbye. Dad and David stood on the porch and waved while Mom wondered if our car would even move with all our stuff : ) We took turns driving so we could both get some naps and soon we were wide awake… and wondering what exactly we were doing! (Mainly through Virginia, which went on and on, yes we know Texas is going to be much bigger!). So far everything looks just like Pennsylvania but with bigger hills. We eventually hit Tennessee and were pretty excited because everything else was comparatively short after 81.
Then Dana nicely pointed out while she was driving that our rpms were no longer registering… then the speedometer stopped… and about two seconds later out cut the radio. With all our car wisdom we thought this might be a bit of a problem so we scooted into the next rest stop… literally, as our car shut off as we pulled into the lot! We popped the hood and peered in, ready to use our mechanical wisdom. Unfortunately, the oil, coolant, and washer fluid were all full… so we peered under the car and turned the key a few times to look cool as some people were starting to look at us curiously. We even checked the belts… well the one we could find (lessons from a past road trip).
So we did the next logical thing, we called Uncle Kirby. He was very very helpful and soon I was less inclined to break into hysterics, Dana already being in them, although hers sounded suspiciously more like laughter. Some friendly fellow rest-stoppers helped us jump the battery and soon we were on our way to a Wal-Mart Supercenter… where they very kindly informed us we’d be paying for a lot more than just a new battery – we needed a new alternator AND they could not help us. So down the road to a garage where Bill of Lyle’s Garage looked at us and laughed when we told him our problem.
Poor Betty was distraught, she’d been doing her best but soon with some TLC and a hefty wad of cash she was feeling like new! The garage was honestly very nice and very helpful, although they did wonder why in the world I would want to move to California and work with those ‘idiots’ : ) So while we lost 4 hours and didn’t arrive till closer to 12 AM Eastern Time, all in all it was about as pleasant as a new alternator experience could be!
Other notes from the day:
- We love our phone calls from friends and family!
- Apparently we lack creative naming in America, we’ve passed Cleveland, Philadelphia, Columbus, Dayton, Fairfield, Dublin, Glasgow, New England and so on…in the Southern United States… who knew?!
- Sometimes when you need a new alternator, pb&j just doesn’t cut it and you have to spring for some Wendy’s comfort food.
- Our favorite radio station so far was THE HOG from Knoxville. Go ahead, say it in a deep voice… see you love it too.
- Gas is always cheaper at the next station right after you fill up!
- Butts go numb after hour number 2-right thru 18… OUCH!
- Funny suddenly applies to many more things after about hour 10…
States so far : Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi
State License plates: 19
We started off at 6:15 this morning a little tired but ready to go! Kurt dropped Dana off and my brothers were up to do papers and say goodbye. Dad and David stood on the porch and waved while Mom wondered if our car would even move with all our stuff : ) We took turns driving so we could both get some naps and soon we were wide awake… and wondering what exactly we were doing! (Mainly through Virginia, which went on and on, yes we know Texas is going to be much bigger!). So far everything looks just like Pennsylvania but with bigger hills. We eventually hit Tennessee and were pretty excited because everything else was comparatively short after 81.
Then Dana nicely pointed out while she was driving that our rpms were no longer registering… then the speedometer stopped… and about two seconds later out cut the radio. With all our car wisdom we thought this might be a bit of a problem so we scooted into the next rest stop… literally, as our car shut off as we pulled into the lot! We popped the hood and peered in, ready to use our mechanical wisdom. Unfortunately, the oil, coolant, and washer fluid were all full… so we peered under the car and turned the key a few times to look cool as some people were starting to look at us curiously. We even checked the belts… well the one we could find (lessons from a past road trip).
So we did the next logical thing, we called Uncle Kirby. He was very very helpful and soon I was less inclined to break into hysterics, Dana already being in them, although hers sounded suspiciously more like laughter. Some friendly fellow rest-stoppers helped us jump the battery and soon we were on our way to a Wal-Mart Supercenter… where they very kindly informed us we’d be paying for a lot more than just a new battery – we needed a new alternator AND they could not help us. So down the road to a garage where Bill of Lyle’s Garage looked at us and laughed when we told him our problem.
Poor Betty was distraught, she’d been doing her best but soon with some TLC and a hefty wad of cash she was feeling like new! The garage was honestly very nice and very helpful, although they did wonder why in the world I would want to move to California and work with those ‘idiots’ : ) So while we lost 4 hours and didn’t arrive till closer to 12 AM Eastern Time, all in all it was about as pleasant as a new alternator experience could be!
Other notes from the day:
- We love our phone calls from friends and family!
- Apparently we lack creative naming in America, we’ve passed Cleveland, Philadelphia, Columbus, Dayton, Fairfield, Dublin, Glasgow, New England and so on…in the Southern United States… who knew?!
- Sometimes when you need a new alternator, pb&j just doesn’t cut it and you have to spring for some Wendy’s comfort food.
- Our favorite radio station so far was THE HOG from Knoxville. Go ahead, say it in a deep voice… see you love it too.
- Gas is always cheaper at the next station right after you fill up!
- Butts go numb after hour number 2-right thru 18… OUCH!
- Funny suddenly applies to many more things after about hour 10…
States so far : Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi
State License plates: 19
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Whoa! Where did all my time go?!
I've fallen behind on my posts already. I've been trying to maximize my time between planning, family and friends, and errands, and still have managed not to start the actual packing! So the rest of today will be purely packing. Our route is planned, with some flexibility. We'll be in Dallas after Starkville, Mississippi, then on to Albuquerque, New Mexico. LOTS of driving but the hope is to be able to relax a little more towards the end of the trip than the beginning.
Betty has been serviced, luckily (it's back to Betty today)! They found a nail in the back tire so we would not have gotten far! I have had so many wonderful well-wishers it is so nice to know that people will be holding us in their thoughts and prayers! I've also had lots of people help out with contacts which will be absolutely helpful once I am in Los Angeles.
As for the weather... 60 here tomorrow... and cold temperatures in California... just our luck! We'll actually be driving from warm weather to cold at first instead of vice versa. Can't say God doesn't have a sense of humor! Ok it's back to packing for me, possibly one more post before we depart. Goal time is 5 AM... I'll just be happy if we are on the road by 6AM!
Betty has been serviced, luckily (it's back to Betty today)! They found a nail in the back tire so we would not have gotten far! I have had so many wonderful well-wishers it is so nice to know that people will be holding us in their thoughts and prayers! I've also had lots of people help out with contacts which will be absolutely helpful once I am in Los Angeles.
As for the weather... 60 here tomorrow... and cold temperatures in California... just our luck! We'll actually be driving from warm weather to cold at first instead of vice versa. Can't say God doesn't have a sense of humor! Ok it's back to packing for me, possibly one more post before we depart. Goal time is 5 AM... I'll just be happy if we are on the road by 6AM!
Friday, January 4, 2008
Three days and counting!
Woke up this morning and realized I need to accomplish a gazillion things in the next two and a half days so I'm trying to keep on a quick pace. Everyone has been wonderful with their responses of contacts and friends and well wishes! All of your prayers and thoughts are appreciated greatly. I am VERY happy that at least two families I know will be coming out to L.A. for visits in the near future (for varying reasons) so I can count on some familiar faces in the next month to come.
Elmo is in visiting the doctor today. Nothing wrong, but a check-up doesn't hurt! I told them to check EVERYTHING... Dana's car was serviced before our trip to Florida four years ago... and the alternator belt broke almost immediately so you can't be too careful! And of course we realize we'll still have to roll with whatever punches may come but hopefully we'll avoid any huge mishaps.
For those of you who watch late night television I ask you to only watch David Letterman and Craig Ferguson, they are the only shows which have reached agreements with the writers guild and supporting other shows will only allow the studios to drag this thing out further!
And finally, as with every other time I've mentioned I'm thinking of moving to L.A., California is being slammed with bad weather and possibly blizzards/floods depending on the area! I hope it will all be gone by next weekend, and am trying not to interpret everything into signs! I'm sure the wildfires, earthquakes, droughts, and floods are purely coincidental : )
Elmo is in visiting the doctor today. Nothing wrong, but a check-up doesn't hurt! I told them to check EVERYTHING... Dana's car was serviced before our trip to Florida four years ago... and the alternator belt broke almost immediately so you can't be too careful! And of course we realize we'll still have to roll with whatever punches may come but hopefully we'll avoid any huge mishaps.
For those of you who watch late night television I ask you to only watch David Letterman and Craig Ferguson, they are the only shows which have reached agreements with the writers guild and supporting other shows will only allow the studios to drag this thing out further!
And finally, as with every other time I've mentioned I'm thinking of moving to L.A., California is being slammed with bad weather and possibly blizzards/floods depending on the area! I hope it will all be gone by next weekend, and am trying not to interpret everything into signs! I'm sure the wildfires, earthquakes, droughts, and floods are purely coincidental : )
Thursday, January 3, 2008
The jokes continue...
I received phone calls today from two of my old roommates. Both of them were laughing as they asked me to please explain my 'plan.' For some reason they find it amusing that I'm driving Elmo Betty Shaffer cross-country, in the dead of winter, and setting up in L.A. during a strike where it is almost absolutely certain I will not immediately find film work. I'm sure you all are thinking 'wait... they have a point', but I would appreciate if you'd suppress those thoughts right now.
My friend Dana has agreed to come with me, which is AWESOME!!! (By the way Virgin Air has AWESOME prices, even when you wait till the last minute!) We purchased her ticket today so I hope we are in L.A. by 10:30 PM on the 13th or else she'll be missing her flight!
Our first day has been planned. We are going to visit Abby at Mississippi State in little old Starkville, Mississippi. We are planning on leaving by 6 AM so we can get there by 9 or 10 at night. Yeah we know we're being optimistic! From there we are still juggling the possibilities.
A friend suggested Elmo and the kids I babysit immediately picked it up. When there aren't kids in my car I'd like to think it has a little more attitude so Betty is for Betty Boop. Of course Jackson also used to point out that it 'tickles' him when we are stopped (yeah ok so the car shakes a little) so maybe it's really a tickle-me-Elmo at heart!
My friend Dana has agreed to come with me, which is AWESOME!!! (By the way Virgin Air has AWESOME prices, even when you wait till the last minute!) We purchased her ticket today so I hope we are in L.A. by 10:30 PM on the 13th or else she'll be missing her flight!
Our first day has been planned. We are going to visit Abby at Mississippi State in little old Starkville, Mississippi. We are planning on leaving by 6 AM so we can get there by 9 or 10 at night. Yeah we know we're being optimistic! From there we are still juggling the possibilities.
A friend suggested Elmo and the kids I babysit immediately picked it up. When there aren't kids in my car I'd like to think it has a little more attitude so Betty is for Betty Boop. Of course Jackson also used to point out that it 'tickles' him when we are stopped (yeah ok so the car shakes a little) so maybe it's really a tickle-me-Elmo at heart!
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year everyone! Well I sat down today with a map of the United States and mapped out a general route. Of course if I stop everywhere I want to, the trip will take twice as long so there may be a lot of jumping out of the car, snapping a picture and jumping back in. I really want to see a few of the national forests and the Grand Canyon, of course my brother Bill helpfully pointed out that the average snowfall for that area is 12 inches in January and the high there for tomorrow is 3 degrees... not exactly how I had envisioned it so we'll see. When I showed my niece and nephew (Alise and Garrett) where I'd be moving on the map they were not very supportive. Immediate concerns were voiced; Garrett would like to know if they speak another language there and why I can't just stay here at home forever!
Lots to do in the 5 (yikes!) days left. The earliest I'd be back on the East coast would most likely be end of May for Missy's wedding (my cousin) so that's 5 months... that's a long time, I'm getting shivers just thinking about it. I'm glad I've gotten to see most of my family and friends over the holidays, there are still a few visits I hope to squeeze in before I leave. Then there are those little details... like packing!
Lots to do in the 5 (yikes!) days left. The earliest I'd be back on the East coast would most likely be end of May for Missy's wedding (my cousin) so that's 5 months... that's a long time, I'm getting shivers just thinking about it. I'm glad I've gotten to see most of my family and friends over the holidays, there are still a few visits I hope to squeeze in before I leave. Then there are those little details... like packing!
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