Day 105 - Kick Back and Read

I now own a Kindle. And it's awesome. Touch screen is a bit wonky, though, so I'm going to have to have a replacement sent out to California, but this will do just fine for now. I really like the idea of having books with me all the time now, and without taking up a ton of space or battery life on my phone. Now if only the Couchsurfing website will work on it...

Day 104 - Relax

Today I learned that the Kindle 3g no longer has free web access through the experimental browser. This is a sad, sad fact. On the plus side, it does mean that the version of Kindle that I've decided on will be $50 cheaper than what I'd expected. Thanks family for the awesome gift!

Day 103 - Church

The church is a place of many functions. It is a place where God's instructions can be shared. It is a worldwide community that supports itself and others whenever needed. And it is a major part of what 'home' is. Coming back to Idaho, going to my parent's home ward (congregation), and meeting people who have known me since I was eight years old...it's a very rewarding experience for me. There are many new faces that I do not know, and perhaps someday will, but it is those who I've known who make it so enjoyable.

Of course, it's not entirely for these specific individuals that I come. It's because it is a body of believers who follow the same God and doctrine. And that is part of why I attend wherever I may travel.

Day 102 - Thanksgiving v2.0 in Idaho

On the road at 7am today, but not via hitchhiking. My sister-in-law, nieces, and I headed up to my parent's place for our time-conflict-free Thanksgiving dinner (sweet potato pone and rice dressing, the season is now complete :D ), then our traditional early Christmas. We do this a lot: Rearrange holidays to fit the schedules of those who are around, rather than basing them on the day they actually occur. It makes things a lot less stressful, and allows us all to attend events with other family on the day itself. I like this idea quite a bit.

Otherwise, relaxing day. I should begin hitchhiking again on either Wednesday or Thursday.

Day 101 - Utah

A day of visiting family, not much to say on the travel side of things.

Day 100 - Thanksgiving

Today, I give thanks for family. For a brother in Utah. For a sister in law and her family who invited me to join in their celebrations. For nieces who love lying on the ground and drawing pictures of ponies with their uncle. For 100 days of awesome journeying, with a few more still to come. For a secure job in a time when people don't expect it. For all of the incredible people that have helped me on my way, and for a few of them in particular. And for the rest of my family up in Idaho, where I'll see them again soon.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

Day 95 - Relaxing in Fayetteville

Not much to say today, just a day hanging out in town with a friend, making brownies and french onion soup, and adding even more patches to my jeans. Pretty awesome day.

Trip Stats:
Distance Traveled: 0
Total Time: 0
Google Estimated: 0
# of Rides: 0
Total Cost: $8.00

Day 94 - Heading to Fayetteville

There really isn't enough time on this trip to do everything I'd like, or spend enough time with everyone that I should. I see friends for a few hours, then it's off. Hosts for a few hours, then off. Other people that I'd like to meet with I don't end up seeing at all. And yet it's still awesome.

After getting a ride to the highway, I was picked up by a guy on his way into town. He had one of the most interesting stories that I've heard thus far on my trip, and there is no way I will do it justice. But I'll try.

The second ride was very short, and came from two guys on their way back to work as contractors. They'd needed to make a quick run to Lowes, where I was at, and while they weren't going very far they could at least take me to a truck stop.

Next I was picked up by a woman on her way to Hernando, MS. She has two daughters, and almost got charged with child endangerment when she and one of them went to work in the tobacco fields of Tennessee, and her daughter got nicotine poisoning to the point that the police thought she was giving it to her directly. Nope, just through contact. I didn't realize you could get that much in through your skin, I suppose coming up with a patch wasn't that far fetched of an idea.

An older couple gave me my next lift, getting me to the last exit in Memphis. They were interested by the idea of couchsurfing, so I gave them a card so they could look it up later.

My next ride was very short. I needed to get across the river, and the bridge I was by wasn't the walking kind. No shoulder at the onramp, either, but I got lucky: a guy stopped at the light honked at me to let me know he could give me a lift, paused on the ramp long enough for me to toss my bag in the back of the pickup and hop in the cab, and got me the five miles to the nearest truck stop. He was an ex-con, who spent 15 years in jail after a drug run gone bad involving cocaine and a knife fight. His first and only altercation with the police, and not something he has any intention of ever repeating. Now he works for a man who runs all of the horse drawn carriages in downtown, doing whatever job needs done, be it bar tending, maintenance, or, as was the case today, picking up a couple tons of feed for the horses.

From Memphis it was truck driver time! I got picked up by a man on a cross country trip, from South Carolina to California. And lucky me, he could get me all the way to the turn off to Fayetteville! Our ride was spent in stories of his somewhat messed up relationship with his estranged wife and current girlfriend, his Harley Davidson hobby and the rallies that he's been to (I'd never heard of a motorcycle rodeo before this trip), and random bits from his over 20 years of driving a truck. Also, his transmission has 18 speeds. I didn't realize that they went that high, and I would not want to be shifting through those time after time.

I was dropped off near the junction of I-40 and I-540, in the little town of Alma. Being as the sun had already set, I figured I'd be stuck for the night then get to head up to Fayetteville in the morning. Still, it's always worth a shot to try, and so I decided I'd stand outside for 200 cars, then start my CS search at the nearby McDonalds. Before I could get my car count that high I had a ride with an awesome family heading up my way. Conversation subjects included the occupy movement as I've seen it across the country, alternative building methods, and the fact that the one of the women in the car is currently collecting stones for building a small studio home. We shared contact information, and the hope is that I'll be able to keep in touch and see the progress as it moves :D

Excellent evening in Fayetteville.

Trip Stats:
Total Distance: 400 miles
Total Time: 11 hrs
Google Estimated: 6:29 hrs
# of Rides: 7
Total Cost: $8.00

Day 91 - Actually into Georgia

I made it to Atlanta! And while Atlanta itself doesn't interest me that much, it does put me within two hours of tomorrow's target, Auburn Alabama. And that makes me quite happy.

I was happy to learn this morning that TA Travel Center's willingness to give free showers to hitchhikers does indeed appear to be company-wide, as I was again given a free ticket the moment I asked for it. Such a nice way to start off a morning.

My first ride came from a CPA exec with a love of driving. I'd decided to try hitching towards Savannah and then back across to Atlanta instead of trying to go west and up, and he was able to get me all the way up to the first truck stop past the Georgia border. He wasn't really headed that way, or that far, but had simply seen me and decided to help, and as he had the time took me as far as needed to get me to a good location. He said that if he didn't have commitments on Tuesday, he'd drive me all the way to Idaho just so he could see it. In addition to working with businesses, he owns a pecan orchard that his wife inherited from her parents, on an estate that's been in the family since the 1800's. Most of the trees are over 80 years old, and have a harvest season that may last several months, as the ones at the bottom ripen faster than the ones on top.

My second ride came from two lawn care / property managers on their way to work, who were quite happy that  I was just looking for a short hop, as it meant that they could help. Two of the nicer people I've met, actually.

Third ride and first trucker of the day, an Albanian-born computer science major who graduated with 3 kids right as the tech economy was tanking. As he'd been trained as a chauffer in communist Albania (an intensive 9-month course of study that required drivers to know everything about their car, including how to fix, not replace, broken parts), he decided to make use his CDL again. He bought a truck, and now he runs his own business.

I made the mistake of getting out too early, thinking a truck stop would be my best bet. Unfortunately for me, the place I chose didn't really have sace for a truck to stop, so it was up onto the freeway and walking for me. Worked out well, though, because I met a great guy with an interest in moving to San Francisco. A bit of an older guy, he'd gone through a divorce and was ready to move on with life and try again in a fresh spot. The city has always held a certain fascination for him, and now may be the best time to explore it.

My final ride came just outside of Savannah, from a Thai man driving back to Atlanta. He works on the funding side of a non-profit that helps disadvantaged immigrants, focusing specifically on the school-aged youth. A very friendly guy, he even arranged for me to stay in an apartment maintained by the company as a school, though when we arrived we learned that since the program as gone on hiatus, some small 6 legged critters have made themselves at home. Not too much of  problem, though. I figure I'll run into much, much worse in the future.


Trip Stats:
Distance Traveled: 397 miles
Total Time: 13 hrs
Google Estimated: 6:33 hrs
# of Rides: 5
Total Cost: $9.00

Day 90 - Ok, this day of hitchhiking probably was dangerous.

Not because of the people, though. Because I did most of my traveling in the bed of a pickup trip on the freeway.

First ride was in a pickup, going about 15 miles. Couldn't say much about that ride, since we didn't have the chance to talk.

The second ride was short, but with a cool guy. He's from New York, and recently moved down to the area. A former hitchhiker, and happy to help others out.

The third ride came from a father taking his 20ish yr old son to a medical appointment. I learned something new on that trip: epilepsy is a disease that the Make-a-Wish foundation works with.

Fourth ride was the longest, and spent in the bed of a pickup truck because (like the other) a couple was occupying the front seat. Can't say anything else about them.

Fifth ride was by far the most awesome. My ride was only going to the next exit, but took me well outside of town to the next truck stop anyways. Wanderlust is a condition he's quite familiar with, starting with when he was close to my age and began hitching around the country, then boat-hitching across the ocean and moving throughout Europe, returning to the US and working as a truck driver, and generally traveling wherever and whenever he wants to. Gave me some good tips on hitching in this area, too. Though the general conclusion is that the south is not very hitchhiker friendly :/

In a nowhere spot near a truckstop, so time to camp!


Trip Stats:
Distance Traveled: 158 miles
Total Time: 7 hours
Google Estimated: 2:35 hrs
# of Rides: 5
Total Cost: $16.50

Day 89 - Seeing Value

You know those moments when you look back on something and realize, 'that was worth it'? Today has been one of those days.

I served a two year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I was assigned to work in the Florida Orlando Mission, Spanish speaking. My purpose was to go out and find people with whom I could share the gospel of Jesus Christ, and to help them apply it in their lives to the greatest extent possible. Missionaries are frequently moved around and assigned to different congregations, and the importance of the work means that once you leave an area you completely change your focus to your new location, and leave the spiritual welfare of those with whom  you worked to the missionaries who take your place. You may the beginning of someone's story, but rarely could you see where it led them. Coming back to Orlando nearly 5 years after I left it, I've seen some of the longer term stories.

I spent the better part of the day with a family that I was honored to help introduce to the gospel. They were not in the best place when I first met them: health, faith, work, personal, and family relationships in problematic states. Now, years later, everything has changed. In every category. And it's easy to see the role that the gospel has played in that. That I was allowed to play even a small part in the beginning of their journey is something that I am very grateful for.

Seeing this was the best part of my day, but not the only bit of awesomeness. A person I'd worked with at the beginning of 2005 will be baptized in two weeks. People I haven't seen in years recognized me and welcomed me back to the ward with open arms. A couple that I introduced to each other while serving now have two kids, an education, and have just bought a house. I learned how to make pupusas.

Today has been awesome.

Trip Stats:
Total Distance: 0 miles
Total Time: 0 hrs
Google Estimated: 0 hours
# of Rides: 0
Total Cost: $0.00

Day 88 - Back to Orlando

Man, I wish I had more time on this trip. I have people I need to meet in Orlando, but great opportunities down in Miami. My CS host last night was awesome, and invited me to join him and a group of his friends (and some fellow CSers) in taking a boat around the coast. It's also free day at the museum from 1-4pm, and there are events happening in the evening. But...I also want to see some friends up in Orlando, go to church at the ward I first served in during my mission 5 years ago, and be able to leave Florida first thing Monday morning. So after a quick wander through downtown Miami (and a peek at Herzog and de Meuron's parking structure in South Beach) I headed north.

First ride came from a guy on his way up to Fort Lauderdale, a shortish hop but good for getting me to my next destination. He's gay, and conversation turned to that scene in the Miami area, and religious rules for gays in the Catholic and LDS churches.

The second and final ride was very enlightening. I'd never known much about Alcoholics Anonymous, but my ride has been sober for a year thanks to them. He shared a bit of how the program aims to help people solve their problems through relying on a higher power. 'God,' for lack of a better term. This power may be in the understanding of an actual religion, or it may be something else that the specific participant is comfortable with. It also puts a large amount of emphasis on problems ultimately being caused by selfishness, and that it is through selflessness and service that life becomes good. I also learned that they have a book that describes the principles they strive to follow, divided into a hundred and some pages of fixed explanation of the steps to freedom from alcohol which were written back in the 1930's, and then 40 stories that are periodically swapped out, detailing the struggles, experiences, and ultimately successes of modern individuals. I read a few chapters of the book, both from the beginning and the stories. It's a very good program, that's for certain. It's more spiritually based than I would have ever guessed. And it is so steeped in principles as opposed to quick fixes. I recalled Stephen Covey's comment in the beginning of the Seven Habits of Highly Successful People, that when looking at self help books you can see a trend of principle-driven writings up until the more modern era, then it becomes technique based. AA's 'Big Book' obviously follows the path of the former. It appears to be a very wonderful system.

The evening was just as good as the rides. I had the opportunity to meet up with a family that I knew on my mission, and make plans to visit two others tomorrow. It's incredible to see how boys I knew when they were 7 and 9 are now 13 and 15. I've been out of the area for so long...it's rather incredible how things change, and how things stay the same.

Trip Stats:
Distance Traveled: 216 miles
Total Time: 4:50 hrs
Google Estimated: 3:34 hrs
# of Rides: 2
Total Spent: $3.50

Day 87 - Boca and Miami

Again, meeting up with old friends, especially page friends, is awesome. Going to Boca was well worth the time it took :)

Then after a relaxing morning, hanging out at the beach, and picking up lunch, it was off to the commuter rail and on to Miami. Not much time to look around, but I did explore Biscayne and the Miami Modern architecture that it holds. Then I met up with my rather awesome CS host, headed out for a cuban dinner, and went home to crash. Not much to say about today, but don't let that fool you. I still had a blast ;)

Trip Stats:
Distance Traveled: 0
Total Time: 0
Google Estimated: 0
# of Rides: 0
Total Cost: ~$13.00

Day 86 - Late start

You never really can tell how long something is going to take. I didn't begin my day's trip till much later than I'd planned, but it still worked out great. Also, today was quite different than my experiences hitching in South Carolina. I have indeed left the south and reentered the north.

My first ride came as I was walking to the onramp, thumbing as I went. Sped up my day quite a bit, thanks to a drummer, programmer, and college student who picked me up.

Getting to the turnpike onramp, I started out with a generic sign saying 'East.' I had to give it up fairly quick, though, after two people stopped and offered to take me just a few miles down the road. I needed to give people a better description, so that the many kind people who couldn't get me to a better spot wouldn't stop. So I said 'Cocoa,' and soon I was on my way to Cocoa with a retired NASA engineer, Marine pilot, and currently a hobby pilot who has owned as many as 5 airplanes at a time, and has made connections with doctors and others through his flying. Really solid connections, too, who performed operations when he needed them at no cost. These are also doctors who buy $400,000 planes.

Ride number three came from a member of the Air Force returning home from work. With no history of twins on either his or his wife's side, they've still managed to have two sets.

Ride four was a very short hop, 3 exits down but I was glad for them, as they moved me to a truck stop and a better location.

Ride five requires more description than I care to write tonight, because he got me all the way down to Boca Raton to visit my friend, and had an awesome life story to share. I'll edit this later to include a bit :)

And that brings me to my evening activity: meeting up with another awesome page friend and seeing where our lives have brought us.

Trip Stats:
Distance Traveled: 192 miles
Total Time: 4:30
Google Estimated: 3:07
# of rides: 5
Total Cost: $12.00

Day 85 - Truckers!

I made it out of South Carolina! I'm sure it's full of wonderful people, but it wasn't a very hitchhiker friendly crowd. I think I'd like to explore it more some time when I have my own means of transportation.

I had three rides today, but barely spoke to any of them. The first I had take me a mile up the interstate, only to find that the nearby rest area was shut down, and so I walked back to where I'd begun. A nice guy, but I can't say anything more about him.

The second person to pick me up was a truck driver on his way back to Georgia. He was hauling a load of paper, supposedly 45,000 lbs worth, but wet. Because of this he was avoiding the scales by driving on back roads, and could only take me the first 80 miles or so to Savannah. His AC didn't work, and so we kept the windows down. Unfortunately, because of the noise and me being a bit hoarse, we had almost no conversation.

The third person to pick me up was another awesome truck driver. He'd taken out the second seat in the cab of his truck, and said that he couldn't take me up front, but he did have a solution: he was driving a trailer with 6 cars on it, and offered to let me ride in one. However, he could get in trouble if I was seen, so it was on one condition: I needed to lay down and stay out of sight, especially when he slowed down for scales. Also, not only was he going through Savannah, he was going all the way through Orlando! I decided that, as nice as Savannah probably would have been, I wasn't going to risk another day stuck on the side of the road. Plus, I could do the whole thing while riding in my own car, laying back and taking a nap. Way too awesome an experience to pass up :D

I made it to Orlando at around 11pm, caught a bus into the main part of the city, met up with my CS host, and promptly joined him in making a menthol/eucalyptus vapor tent on the stove, strong enough that after standing under it for a few seconds I couldn't see a thing. So, being good friends, we got his roommate and his girlfriend to come experience it too. We then sampled his spice cabinets. So many things I haven't tried!

Trip Stats
Distance Traveled: 451 miles
Total Time: 15 hours
Google Estimated: 7:26
# of Rides: 3
Total Cost: $6.75

Day 84 - Quick Quick Quick...stop.

Hitchhiking is a funny thing, isn't it? You can get ride after ride in no time flat, then spend hours with no luck at all. Today was pretty much that situation, doing all of my traveling in the first few hours of the day, then staying on the same patch of ground for the next 5 hours.

After getting a ride out to a nearby town to begin my day's hitching, I caught a ride within minutes from a doctor on his way to work in Sanford. Originally from Pennsylvania, he moved down for the better weather (can't really blame him, I'm back to wearing short sleeves and carrying my warm gear in my pack.) He dropped me off near his hospital, then I had the chance to get some exercise and hike across town.

My second ride came from a salesman representing a contracting service, primarily involved in remodels and other projects that don't require pulling permits. He also has good tastes in subs.





My third ride came from Brother Stevie, a native american man who had went from a rather dismal life to one full of life by coming to God. Since then, he's committed an impressive number of scriptures to memory, especially around the theme of baptism. We spent the ride looking up scriptures on my phone, mostly relating to the names of Christ, the concept of trinity (his belief is very strongly that Christ is our sole God, and the concept of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are all titles he uses.) If I was going to be in the area, he invited me out to church with him this evening. He also asked that when I mentioned him, I share this reference: Acts 2:38. Reading that scripture is probably the best description that I could give of this trip, actually.

My final ride came from a man whose picture I won't share. A nice guy with some interesting stories, I'll save them for those who are curious. I'll just say that he brought my proposition count up to four.

And thus ended my rides, but not the people I met :D While I stood trying to hitch south, I had a few people come up to me who were heading in other directions. One was a Assistant Chaplain up at Fort Bragg, and overall an awesome guy. It didn't take long to juxtapose concepts from military service with the gospel, and it was obvious that he knew both very well. Talking about the concept of the physical man and the spiritual man being in opposition to each other, he made an important point. The one that wins is the one that is fed the best. The world constantly feeds the physical/natural man, filling it with ideas and actions that are contrary to the will of God. It doesn't take any real effort on our part to do this, we just have to let it happen. To combat it, we have to feed our spiritual side, through scripture study and prayer, to the point of making it a habit. I wish we'd been heading in the same direction, I would have liked to spend more time listening to him share his feelings and belief.

I also met a couple on their way back to San Diego from Deleware. The woman said that she'd left with only $150 in her pocket, needing to make the trip to take care of some business out on the East Coast. And with that and her trust in God, she's made her way safely here and is now on her way back. The kindness of strangers and the kindness of God provide for her until she can return to work in California, and it's a kindness she shares freely, knowing that it's a temporary gift, to be spread not kept.

It's now late, and time to go set up camp. I haven't had a need to camp since leaving Chicago, and I've been glad for it. Much too cold up north. But down here? With a low in the high 40's, it looks like an excellent evening to be under the stars :D


Trip Stats:
Distance Traveled: 150 miles
Total Time: 10 hours
Google Estimated: 2:54 hrs
# of Rides: 4
Total Cost: $0.00

Day 83 - Down to the Carolinas

Back on the road, and happy for it :D It's been a nice break being in a bus, but it's more fun hopping into random cars.

Today's experiment was also seeing if being in a white shirt and tie increased the response from drivers. While one experience isn't really enough to reach solid conclusions, my preliminary thoughts are that it helps in citified areas, and it hurts in rural areas. Though my last ride (in a rural area) did say that he stopped because I was dressed like he was (he was wearing a white shirt and tie, heading in to manage the bar at a hotel).

Quick info on my rides:

The first ride was a man, born in Pakistan but raised in the DC area. He'd rarely been to Pakistan, but still had a noticeable accent. He runs a used car business, and throughout the ride would get calls relating to various problems that he would need to resolve. Obviously a very busy individual, and I was quite fortunate to get a ride from him. I only had to wait about 5 minutes, too.

My second ride was a man on his way to Florida from Long Island, NY. Retired for 10 years, he used to be a guidance counselor in Brooklyn, and before that was a special ed teacher. It was a profession that he was at first very gratified by, but by the end of his 29 years of service was more than a bit disillusioned. He'd also served in the army for a time, has several successful kids, and family scattered around the country. He's heading south to find an apartment to rent for a few months this winter, then will return and bring his wife down with him.

The third and final ride of the day was with a man who tried for the American Dream (or American Game, as he later referred to it), made it, then lost it. He was an application developer for some software company, and eventually the bottom fell out. He went from being enamored with technology, to getting rid of as much as possible, and was impressed with the advancements, such as the fact that I could quickly do transit routing through google maps. Still, not a part of life that he wants to return to.

And finally, in the evening I had the opportunity to meet up with an old friend and roommate from Page School down in Chapel Hill. Home of a great burrito place, I might add. Meeting up with old friends is perhaps one of the best parts of this trip. I wish I could stay here longer, though. Apparently he and another page are participating in a stand-up act next week, and it would be really cool to see both of their routines. But alas, in the morning it will be time to move again. And come to think of it, it is also time to sleep.

Trip Stats:
Distance Traveled: 258 miles
Total Time: ~5:45
Google Estimated: 4:33
# of Rides: 3
Total Cost: $17

Day 82 - Sunday in Virginia

I've mentioned it before, but I'm a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. A 'mormon.' And one of the things we do is create congregations based on geography, language, and one other criteria. Marital status. Entire congregations that consist solely of singles, either in the 18-30 age range, or in the +30. It's a pretty awesome system, and really does help you to associate with people who are in a similar stage in life and with similar problems and successes. And if you're looking for singles units, DC is one of the best places to be.

I attended the District of Columbia YSA (Young Single Adult) second ward, just across the border from Bethesda, Maryland. It's one of the largest YSA congregations I've been to, and it had some interesting features because of it. Generally new visitors and members are invited to introduce themselves in the second hour, when people move into a smaller classroom and things are a bit more intimate. Because of the number of people in this ward, though, introducing  yourself in that group would have only introduced you to a third or a quarter of the members, so they do it at the end of the first hour. I introduced myself as being from San Francisco and currently hitchhiking across the country. Immediately after the service, a number of people came over to introduce themselves and ask about the experience, including another couchsurfer. One of the girls invited me over to a potluck dinner being done at a friend's house. I love people like that, who go out of their way to make someone else's life a bit more fun.

Church was wonderful. The dinner was excellent, and the company enjoyable. I was able to find a late night response to my CS requests for Arlington, and I feel ready to move on in the morning. After over a week of relaxing in cities and taking buses from place to place, it's going to be nice to be thumbing it again. Here's hoping for the Carolinas by sundown!

Trip Stats
Total Distance: 0 miles
Total Time: 0:00
Google Estimated: 0:00
# of Rides: 1
Total Cost: $3.70

Day 81 - Slow and Relaxing

Late night yesterday meant a slow day today. A bit of wandering around Bethesda (site of a fun farmer's market and craft bazaar), then off to College Park to hang out with a friend from last night's event. The University of Maryland has a very nice campus out there.

Meeting up with a friend of the friend, an excellent dinner on U street, then deciding that we were tired enough to skip the original plan of finding somewhere to dance (and all feeling too cheap for the cover at the ones we did know), and the night was over. Overall a very calm, relaxing Saturday.

Trip Stats:
Distance Travelled: 0 miles
Total Time: 0 hours
Google Estimated: 0 hours
# of Rides: 0
Total Cost: $21

Day 80 - Back in DC

It's good to be back in DC :) Time to see a few things that I hadn't been to before, like the Museum of the American Indian, and the new Congressional Visitor's Center. It was under construction back when I was a page, and not wanting to throw away my water bottle kept me out of it the last time, but I came prepared this time! It's definitely interesting to see what they've built. It was also nice to take a Capitol tour - I'd never taken the one typically provided for tourists, it was nice to see it from another side.

I also found a bit of nostalgia in going to the Longworth House Office Building for my standard page lunch: pizza and a build your own salad. Just like I remembered it, though the slices are now square rather than wedges.

The Occupy movement also took up a bit of my time: Unlike in most cities, they have two parrallel movements happening in DC, in two separate parks. They also have slightly different motivations: one is the standard mix of economics and general discontent, the other has more of a focus on politics and social issues, a protest that began on its own then aligned it with the general 'Occupation' method of doing things. The more general site is probably the largest one I've seen outside of NYC, and definitely the most bustling (partly because I was around for their 6pm 'General Assembly'). Well organized by the look of it, too. The park service has even distributed flyers explaining how to correctly use generators should they be necessary. That evening they were on their way to protest outside of the Republican presidential candidate debates happening, and it was interesting seeing their precautions: 25 members had been selected and given identifying arm bands (marked with either a peace sign or the flag of DC), tasked as peacekeepers to calm down anyone who starts getting out of hand and giving the police cause to react. They also briefed people that they should expect to see Capitol Police and Secret Service in full tactical gear, and to remember that while there was a chance of tear gassing, they shouldn't go out of their way to provoke anything.

To top off the night, my CS host invited me to the French CS group hangout, an affair that included a hot tub, cheese fondue, a French film, playing with cats, and dancing at the end. Overall, a nice cap to the evening. Or morning. In any case, off to sleep with me now!

Day 78 - Slight Change in Plans

Hooray for the Chrysler Building!

I've realized a few irritating things: one, New Jersey and Delaware have the most restrictive hitchhiking laws I've seen thus far. It's effectively illegal to ask for rides while standing anywhere related to the roads, including shoulders and sidewalks. Two, on inner-city transit fares alone I'm burning through more per day than I have in my budget. Three, I've been straight up spending more than I'd originally budgeted.

Add this to the fact that I'd originally conceived of this trip as a 60 day venture, and I've since decided to make it closer to 100 days, and I reach the inevitable conclusion: I'm poor.

Columbia's chapel.

Though, not broke! And based off of tonight's calculations, at my current rate of spending I won't hit that point until the very end of this trip. So....yay! I've also realized that I spend more in New England than I typically do, and it behooves me to leave it quickly. So I'm going to do just that. I've purchased a Megabus ticket to DC, leaving Thursday afternoon. I'll leave DC on Monday, and hopefully be back into warmer weather and cheaper locales. It almost feels like cheating to use a bus for the second time, but I feel pretty justified with snow on the ground and power outages still dotting northern New Jersey. And laws that are much harder than usual to get around.

Cuban dinner :D

Korean Lunch :D

Enough of the money-talk, though, because today has been an awesome day of catching up with old friends! As some may know, I spent a year of my high school career as a page in the US House of Representatives. And since arriving in NYC I've been able to catch up with two of my former classmates, and hope to see more before I leave. And not only page friends, but an HKU friend studying at Columbia. This trip has been such an awesome chance to meet up with old friends, and I'm looking forward to seeing more in the next few weeks :)