No, I did not pick the title for this blog. Chuck has changed the template from: "place title here" to the above "Mike has poor taste in clothing". That bastard.



Chuck has been checking prices on Mopeds all morning, we've been talking about selling our cars for some extra cash, so we can ride in style. It hasn't happened to me too many times yet, but the traffic jams here can easily add an hour onto your 20 minute drive to the beach. And another plus to having a moped would be parking, our apartment only assigns you one spot, so the three other cars have to find places on the street, which sometimes can be a block and then some away. Not that I mind the walk, hell, it's never too cold here to stroll down the street. I think this one so far is my personal favorite. It makes me laugh to think of what I would look like cruising down the highway on one of these... but... I will be "cruising" right past everyone stuck in their car under the sun.

Amanda took the picture above. I am 98% sure it's from the first time we went to the beach. I know we've mentioned it recently, but didn't go into much detail, the other day we went to Santa Monica, and "it was good". We stopped by the Emmy's statue, played frisbee on the beach for a while (until the sand pooped us out), walked the pier, snapped some pictures, walked around the Promenade and saw some weirdo in a Yoda costume singing to the beat of a Brittany Spears song (I hate George Lucas). We wanted to make it to Venice but it got dark while Amanda was using the rest of her gift card at Urban outfitters... I hate that place too (I know, I know; I sound bitter. But I'm not, I just think Lucas writes shit to sell toys to his cult following, and Outfitters capitalizes on "cool", which just comes off as a store full of posers).

Maybe someone out there could help me. When I first started using DVD Studio Pro, I managed to figure out 90% of it... except for how to add movies and stills before a menu. If anyone out there reading can help me... I will... umm... send you a free caliblog tee-shirt. We don't have those yet, but I will make one special. How exciting.

This is a sketch Billy did while we (Chuck, Amanda, and myself) were out in Santa Monica. We've been bugging him to start a comic strip about us... so we could post them on the blog. And he came up with this, I don't know if it's final for our characters... but it's very cool none the less. From left to right: Billy, Chuck, Mike, and The Girl. Enjoy.

Holy crap, I've been staring at the screen for too long. As you can see the site has had a bite of an overhaul. Let us know what you think. Because after all this work - if you don't like it... we'll hunt you down and slap your wrist.



[ above: here's a pic that Amanda snapped just before we left Ypsi. Yes... I am aware I look strange, but finding a picture where I don't is too much of an undertaking. So - I'll live with it. ]

We got our mail box key today, wow... if thats all I have to talk about on the blog then I need to get a life. Hmm. Sorry the comments were down all day, I know you all must have been freaking out. All six of you (who actually comment).

Chuck, Billy and myself wandered down into the subway across the street from Universal Studio's before going to drop our applications. It was even cooler than the one here in NoHo. And it's always empty. We wanted to shoot something down there, I don't know what, the short we are working on now doesn't really involve the metro... but you never know (when you'll need a subway... wait. What?). I feel way too tired to be writing, and it's clear to me I've been watching too much of the "Best of Will Ferrell".

I have a game for you, it's called "Where's Michael" ("yeah, I know... not very creative"). Look at the picture below and try to find me. I'm there... somewhere lost in the desert.



Well... I'm sure that was fun. Okay, confession time. I am just trying to post a bunch of pictures Amanda and I took while driving west. But - even though there is alot more - I will stop here. a) because Amanda wanted to write about them when she post. [and] b) because I am tired, and this entry is stupid and uninteresting.

Well, as you can tell, we have been making some changes to the site today, kind of personalizing it a bit. I think everyone should tell Mike what a great job he did (bravo, Mike, bravo), well, actually Chuck took it upon himself to try a few changes and then spring them on us. So, really he got the ball rolling. Then, he went through a bunch of templates trying to find a good one we all agreed on. We ended up kind of improvising. Then Mike struggled to make it work (emphasis on the 'struggled'). Just to let you know everything is back on track, so please enjoy. I'm going to grab a Pepsi and relax. Talk to you soon.

The blog will be experiencing some growing pains this morning. Please, be patient.

We've been here for eleven days now. Billy is to my right searching the internet for guitar tabs, Chuck is to my left flipping through iTunes for a song that doesn't suck... and there is a plastic cup in-front of my with a giant beetle / bumble bee thingy, that Amanda had smashed in the window earlier... but like all great villains; it's back. To exacts it's revenge.

Anyways, onto the news. Apparently CA had it's first power emergency this morning, the whole state is on 1st alert. So far we're okay. Billy is singing "sweaty palms... sweaty palms... what are they feeding you..." to the tune of 'smelly cat'.

Well... I wanted to put more on here, and maybe I will tonight. But for now - the four of us are leaving to go over to best buy to buy... something. I forgot what.

We all went to see our first movie in LA tonight. We decided on the Universal City Theatre, just three miles from our place. It's connected to about 30 stores in a long outdoor walk. It's actually a really cool little strip mall type thing. Only every store looks like they have about three times the budget of a normal store to design the exterior. Hot Topic had giant flaming torches, Billabong had a working "ocean coastline" under their entrance, and the Hard Rock Cafe had a giant Fender guitar. Also the movie theatre had a 12ft Hulk ripping through the wall and smashing the ticket sign. They spend more money on everything here. Even McDonald's on Hollywood Blvd has giant film reels hanging above you.

The movie theatre was absolutely packed, and everyone made a lot of noise during the movie. Their reactions were more like those of people at a premiere back home. Nobody seemed to mind voicing their opinion halfway into the movie, but it wasn't too annoying. Mostly we were all just laughing or jumping at the same parts. Oh, almost forgot. The movie was Dawn of the Dead. I know what you're thinking, but it was actually pretty good. I'd recommend it for the non-squemish. This movie has a lot of history too.

I think we'll be going back soon, just to check out the stores and stuff. Billy and I had fifteen minutes to stroll around before the movie started (since Mike and Amanda went to get something to eat) and we didn't even make it all the way to the end. We did see a few places I'd like to go. Turns out LA has a "Howl at the Moon", a piano bar that Jessica has always told me is really cool. You can request just about any song and they have dueling pianos to play it for you. We had a really fun night. Though the movie tickets were $9 and the parking was $8. That's right. I said parking. Get used to it.



The morning we spent at Billy's cousin's party for her daughter. Her name is Azrel and she just turned 4. I almost took out Crystal's boyfriend's dad with a frisbee, while Mike and I were tossing it around, but he was pretty nice about it. We had some great barbecued chicken and her mom gave us some giant oranges and cake to bring home. The oranges are as big as my fists put together. They look tasty, but I haven't had any yet.

I think tomorrow I'm going to hike up to the top of that hill off Mulholland Dr again. It's been a lot clearer this weekend, and I'm hoping the fog or clouds or whatever was hanging over the city will be gone. It was beautiful before, but there was sort of a point where you couldn't see anymore. I wanted to start running again, but the last time I tried my knee felt really sore. It hasn't bothered me as bad lately, but I don't want it to be bad again.

Other than that it's look for work and keep mental notes of the places I want to take Michelle when she comes to visit me in a month. I've already got the two from yesterday and today. I'm sure they'll be more. I've sort of been wondering when I'm going to stop feeling like a tourist and start feeling like a native.

If you like scary movies, this remake of a horror classic is definitely worth seeing. The group and I saw it tonight at Universal Studios (also pretty cool). From beginning to end, it's worth the money...unless you aren't good with these kinds of movies (Mindy). Anyway, check it out...

We haven't been here very long, but we've seen some pretty cool things, so far. One of the first nights we were here we went down to the Hollywood Walk of Fame. We walked around Mann's Chinese Theatre and the Kodak Theater (where we took some pictures on a little machine). We saw a few museums (Guinness Book, Ripley's, Hollywood Wax, History of Hollywood...), but most of the places were closing down once we got around to them. Three of us wanted to watch 'Starsky and Hutch' at Mann's (which was the current celebrated movie premiere), but one of us thought the admission price was too much of a concession. We'll come back...

It's seems like everytime we go for a drive, we end up stumbling over something accidently. I think we've seen just about every broadcasting station and quite a few production studios already, without even trying. Yesterday, Chuck and I decided to go driving around looking for new grocery stores (food is alittle expensive-$4.40 for a gallon of milk? $3.00 for a dozen eggs? That's crazy!) and ended up detouring and finding Mulhulland Dr., so we took it. The road is a very curvy, up the hill and back down again type of road. As we started on the road, Chuck noticed a great view of the city. I couldn't see it from my side and he looked to find a better view from the road, instead stumbling across a little spectator point. We got out and looked at the city. It was amazing! The sight was just like a helicopter shot of L.A. you would see in a movie. As we started to leave, Chuck exclaimed how after this great sight and all the time we've been here, we still haven't seen the Hollywood sign yet. Just then, I hear, "Hey! there it is!". It was right behind us. How funny is that? We drive down a little further and found a small hiking trail. We trekked around it a bit and fell in love with the area. I think we'll start going there on a regular basis. The day before, we found a HUGE park that seems to go on forever. It's right next to the L.A. Zoo, apparently, but we didn't see it. It had a little Choo-choo for kids to ride on, which is nice. There was a softball field with a lighted scoreboard, and mountains...lots of mountains (very green, very pretty). There was a small film crew there, as well, but we couldn't tell what they were setting up for and we had places to be. Actually we had nowhere to be, but whatever. It's so funny, when I left Michigan I said goodbye to nature, but I've seen more nature in the last few days then in a year of being in Michigan. It was beautiful. If you get a chance, come see it. Our couch is always open...

A week in Los Angeles and I finally saw the Hollywood sign. Billy and I drove along Mulholland Dr today and stopped at a little park on the side of the road. The view was spectacular. We hiked to a peak in the mountain and looked out over the entire city. It's possible I've seen more beautiful things in my life, but I wouldn't be able to remember what. The sun was shining brilliantly, and for a few minutes we were the only two people at the top. I want to go every week. I wish Michelle could have been there.

The only thing I have left to see is the ocean. 2,500 miles and I still haven't seen the ocean.

p.s. It's true. I have been sleeping on the balcony.

So, I'd intended to write a good long post tonight, but then I started replying to all of the folks who've emailed me in the last week or so and now (several hours later) it's 1:30 am and I'm ready for bed.
But I thought I should say at least something (and hopefully I'll have more time to write tomorrow).
Shitty things about today.... A) we got stuck in a traffic jam for and hour and a half then gave up and turned around, so we ultimately spent 3 hours in the car and didn't get anywhere. B) Mike put a completely full, x-large Dr. Pepper on the dash and then pulled out of the Taco Bell drive-through spilling the entire thing all over my car (not fun to clean up), also: they put cheese on my rice, didn't give me a spoon and mike's quesadilla was the worst he's ever had. C) It is sunny and beautiful all 3 hours we spend in the car, then the second we decided to get out and eat our food at the park, the sun goes behind a huge cloud and we're shivering... and of course we get back in the car... the second the sun comes back out (no lie). I know not many of these things would be all that bad by themselves, but one after the next.... kinda made our day suck. So we decided to go home.... and stay there.
On a good note.... A) In the car today, as Mike and I were approaching our traffic jam, I looked over and saw 2 deer eating on the side of a hill (mountain), then a few seconds later I saw 1 more eating from a tree. How nice, I thought. It feels really good to just be driving all normal like, thinking about life and what you've got to do that day, and then you look up and see mountains and mountains, all over in the background, that you didn't even notice before and you think... Damn.. That's beautiful... that's why I came here. B) We put up our giant chalk board (the one we saved from the Whole Foods garbage pile) in the kitchen. C) I got our bathroom all unpacked and set-up, I even put up a toothbrush holder and some towel hooks. D) Mike, Chuck and Billy spent most of the night brainstorming ideas for the short they want to do. I'm not sure if they got anywhere. Eventually, Mike took off for a run, Chuck left on his bike and Billy retired to his room, so I decided to write.
A few side notes: Chucks been sleeping out on the balcony (he says it's great), we can walk to our grocery store in 3 minutes (it's a block and a half away), people hand out free movie screening passes on the street, Chuck and Billy found the Hollywood sign today, there must be like 30 sushi places in a 2 mile radius of our apartment.
I know there's lots more but I'm too tired to think straight now.... more tomorrow.
Night- night.

I was doing some catching up on Die Froschkonigin, and stumbled across this link.

Is there anyone else out there tired of the FCC telling everyone and everything what they can watch, hear & see? Their definitions [restrictions] of "indecent" are beging to effect all forms of media.

"C'mon, give it a look, you don't have to sign anything."
- cristen

Okay. That's all I have to say about that.

O.K. I know I haven't really posted too much in the last week since we left for California, so let me get back on track.



So we're all set to go Monday, the 15th of March, that's good. I'm supposed to pick up the truck at 9:00 a.m., but they call and tell me they don't have it yet. So I finish getting my things together, which it turns out is WAY too much crap. Chuck comes over ready to move...doesn't happen. The truck place finally calls. The truck I was supposed to have needs some work done. I have to take a 20 ft one in it's stead. So now I went from a 10ft. box truck to a 15ft and now a 20ft. truck plus a car dolly. So, now I'm going to be going down the road measuring about 38ft. long. That should be easy enough to get around in. My friend Keith takes me to get the truck. It's huge! He laughs at my situation as only Keith can (friends are funny that way). My first little drive home with the truck...not so good, but I got better. My roommate and I get some things loaded up, but for some reason, the pleasant we had been experiencing had begun to turn piercingly cold, so that was good. I decide finish loading Tuesday during the day, when it warms up.

I get up Tuesday to find out that Michigan has decided it was time for a little snow...ALL DAY! We get a little bit done, but not much. I'm starting to get a reservation or twelve about the move. It's not good. Chuck decides to give me some space for a day. What a guy.

So, we finally leave Wednesday afternoon. We are on the road. It's all down hill from here, right? Thhhhppt! We stop by Target on the way out to clean out my desk and I say some last goodbyes, then we ran to Meijer for some last minute provisions. There I saw Mary, a girl from work. She was the last person I saw on the way out of town. Bye bye, Michigan.

6:15p.m.-We leave Target
7:47p.m.-We leave Michigan and hit Indiana. We stop to fill up just before the border and it costs 60 freakin' dollars! That was not a good sign. By Terre Haute, I was out of it. I hadn't gotten much sleep that week and it was catching up with me. We stopped at a cheap hotel and slept. It was nice. In the morning, the lady at the front desk talked to me about the trip. She actually asked for my autograph, just in case. I obliged her and then wrote the Caliblog address on the back. That was pretty cool.
-THURSDAY-
12:08p.m.-Welcome to Illinois!
12:45p.m.-The time zones changed. It was cool Chuck was looking at his phone and it jumped back an hour. I guess that means we're making better time now. We just gained an hour on the trip. We had to make unscheduled stop around 2:00 p.m. because Chuck had to tinkle-winkle.



3:15p.m.-Hey! The St. Louis Arch! I've never actually seen it. It's pretty sweet, actually. There are some big riverboats along the river below. Chuck risked his life to get a picture for you all, in case you haven't seen it. We actually circled all around it, so we got a pretty good view.
3:17p.m.-Welcome to Missouri! Just for the record, St. Louis has lot of freakin' brick buildings, Mama!
4:23p.m.-Chuck and I were curious about Route 66, so asked a girl at a gas station across from Six Flags and followed her directions to a road that didn't look all that 'magical'. Apparently 'Business 44' and 'Route 66' are the same. That's why we couldn't find it on the map. Ten minutes of sucky traffic was long enough if not too long. There were no hookers or anything! Back to the highway, where it's a little more interesting. Side note: Don't ever stop in Rolla, Missouri. Trust me.
5:00p.m.-Oklahoma, quite possilbly the worst state in the entire country for more reasons than I care to list. Oh, if you ever go to Oklahoma City, DO NOT stay at the Regency Inn. You'll wish you hadn't. We ended up getting a handicap suite, apparently. The bathroom was about 18 ft. wide and the shower was about 3 1/2 ft. tall and no wake up calls, just an alarm clock that doesn't work anyway. I was awoken half-naked by the cleaning lady. I invited her to jump in and catch an extra 15 minutes of sleep, but she declined...or did she? Rock on!
-FRIDAY-
12:35p.m.-Shake it, baby! Shake it!



3:15p.m.-Welcome to Texas, good riddance Oklahoma! Soon after the border we pass the second of two gaint crosses. The first one was way back in Missouri, I believe. Chuck snapped a picture of the first one. This one, though, has a platform at the bottom encircled with men, possibly Jesus, carrying the cross in a partial circle. At the top of some stairs are Jesus and the two criminals crucified on the cross. No church around or anything, just like the last one. Does anyone know who did these? I'd like to know, myself.
6:58p.m.-We are now in Mountain Time. It feels a lot like the last two time zones, actually. One minute later, we enter New Mexico. Now this is more like it-very beautiful! The desert, the brush, the mountains-very peaceful. As we drive into the mountains the sun starts to set, which is nice, but since we're driving directly west, guess where it's going to be.



The sun falls right on the highway to the point where I can't even tell where Chuck is in front of me. I'm getting a bit nervous. For about an hour, we burn out our retinas to the point that we can't even see anymore, plus we have horrible headaches now. I can make out, just barely, the first sign to get to Vegas at about 9:18, but by this time we just want to get to California. Hey, apparently today (March 19) is Bruce Willis' 49th birthday. My original inspiration to break out of my extreme introvertness when I was younger. Man, I LOVED 'Moonlighting'.
-SATURDAY-
4:20a.m.-We made pretty good time this stretch. We are now in Arizona. A lot like New Mexico. Of course, it's pretty dark right now, so maybe I'm wrong. We pull in to Target to take a quick nap just before we hit the last highway switch before Cali. We wake up to the amazing sight of this huge snow-capped mountain directly in front of us. It was breathtaking, to say the least. Well, time to get back on the road.
1:55p.m.-California, here we are! San Bernadino and the beginning of the Mojave Desert, God's big ol' ashtray. This thing is fierce, man. Neither Chuck or myself would be surprised if we died out here. I thought the deserts in NM and AZ were desolate, but this is ridiculous. It just doesn't stop, for crying out loud! Well, we DO eventually make it out of the desert, but Mike and Amanda are going to be gone when we get there, so decide to stop and eat at one of my favorite eateries, KFC. Not very impressed with it. Everything tastes completely different! This sucks so bad. But not as bad as when we get back to the parking lot and find out there's no through route in the lot. I CAN"T GET THE TRUCK OUT! After a short while of being guided by couple of different by standards, I wiggle it out, but only by inches, if that. Back on the road, as much as I wanted to avoid driving straight through L.A., we are directed differently. It took an hour, a half of a tank of gas, and a lot of control to get that truck down the L.A. freeway. All I could think about was tearing off Mike's legs and beating him with them. That was my driving force. We did, obviously, finally make it. After a short time being stuck in the driveway for lack of other places to put the truck, we were welcomed home as seen in Mike's video clip. That part was pretty nice. We are finally here! WooHoo! Now comes the hard part...
Well, that should cover me for a few days. I'm sure that most of you will skim through this instead of read it. I just wanted to have a small account of our trip in here. Trust me, it's small. I cut out a few things here and there, but you get the idea. IT SUCKED!!!
...but I'm feeling much better now.

Okay - we know you're out there. We know we have followers. The site stats don't lie, but our guest-book does. Just last month we had almost 5,000 hits, and this month (with a week and half left) we have over 9,100 hits. Just today we had above 300 hits... but we're all wondering why none of these people sign the guest-book. Why?

Ok, so none of us sign guest-books either, but we'd really like to know who's watching us. So if you can take even a minute to drop a line on there, we'd appreciate it. And if you've already done it, thank you. We appreciate the heads up.

Well, this isn't the 'tour' of our apartment I was planning on posting [that will be coming soon]. But, this is a sneak peek into the documentary I've been making about our move [which I will put on DVD after I finish 'Bye Bye Birdie'].

What your watching is Amanda and I making our "welcome home" sign for Chuck and Billy only a few hours before they arrived. Then the rest is fairly self explanatory. Stay tuned for more after a quick commercial break.

Internet is nice. Especially when it is free [and wireless]. I'm sitting on the porch right now; Chuck's VAIO on my lap, the silhouette of several palm trees against California's purple sky to my left, the mess of an un-packed apartment to my right. Chuck is busy snapping digital pic's with his camera inside. Billy is chatting on AOL and Amanda is having a blast organizing the bedroom. The night weather feels perfect right now. I could go for a nice walk right now.

This is difficult: there is so much to right about, that I can't decide what to start with, and I keep sitting here getting no where. People reading this are probably under the impression nothing exciting is happening here and it's quite the opposite. Chuck and I drove down the block this morning and played Frisbee for a while, but somehow, it was overcast today. Which was a first, it's defiantly been the least appealing weather we've [Amanda and I] had since arriving.

I've been looking forward to shooting a short my brother gave me before I left. You know the one, Nick. It making me antsy just thinking about it. Actually I have alot of editing I should get to first. Damn t.v. is distracting! Kevin Smith is being interviewed about 'Jersey Girl' on some late night show. Now it's 'Family Guy'.

Chuck today said our daily hits have more than doubled since last month. Looks like were getting a little bit of a following. Amanda the other day at the library got an email from a girl who spotted one of our 'caliblog' stickers at a Love's gas station. It sounds like they might become 'pen-pals'... but not with pens... yeah. Anyways, here are the pic's Chuck was busy snapping earlier. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6] Enjoy.

Well, we've finally spent our first few days in North Hollywood and the reviews are in. California is great! It's been exhausting and emotional, but I think we're going to pull through here. We're all starting to get settled in the apartment. Boxes are being closed up and slid under beds until the next move. Items are being placed where they will probably sit for a long time without being used (i.e. books and movies). It's starting to feel like home and one big happy family.

Many many things are very different here. Los Angeles is a crazy place. The people drive like maniacs (Mike is adapting well), the women are beautiful (thanks to the latest scientific advances), and the gas is very expensive. I've applied for work at a few places and seem to have gotten some positive feedback. Hopefully, I'll be working at a place called Trader Joe's soon, which is a lot like Whole Foods in Ann Arbor. They sell all the stuff you can't buy at the regular market, and they're apparently in the top twenty shopped stores in LA.

The apartment is great. There's tons of space and the price is right. Billy and I share a room, and Amanda and Mike live across the hall. The neighbors next door sold us a really great table for all three of our computers. Speaking of which, we have internet right now thanks to sort of an accident. We're piggybacking on another tenants wireless connection. It happened today when I turned my wireless card on. So, we have a cable modem and cable TV without paying for either. What a country. :) And just so nobody gets crazy, yes, we will be paying for our own connection. (Only because Mike's computer won't hook up.)

There's so much I'd love to tell everyone, but tonight is another night spent settling in. All I can say is this. It was worth it.

Here's a picture we took for free at a photobooth in the Chinese theatre. More on that tomorrow.

Well, I finally get to post online from California. The trip was the most excruciating three days EVER. Luckily, Mike and Amanda were here in our new place to welcome us with open arms. So far, besides the different businesses, it's not all that different. The place we are living is pretty laid back, we are in the Arts district of NoHo. No job so far. It looks like I definitely have one unless my Human Resource person is absolutely no help or even damaging to my transfer (She does have a habit...) I'm getting kinda used to the area around where we live. I mean I could find it...eventually. I would have written sooner, but I couldn't seem to log on from any outside computer. Still not unpacked or unloaded, for that matter. I did get to go to Mann's Chinese Theatre, though, and that pretty much satisfies my Hollywood sightseeing needs. I'm not going to write much, right now. We're in the middle of moving some things around, but I will definitely have plenty to say tomorrow, so please come back. I'm glad we had this little talk. Ciao!

With some degree of difficulty, we've finally arrived here in California. The trip was long and difficult, the gas was expensive, sleeping in a car sucks, and I'll be sunburned for a couple days, but we're alive.

I can't say much, because I'm in a public library and I only have fifteen minutes, but I just wanted everyone to know we were here and we'll have internet in a couple days. Thanks to everyone for your support. We love you all. I'll talk to you all soon. : )

p.s. the weather is perfect.

In about 15 minutes mike and i are meeting the landlord to pick-up our keys. i'm so happy, i don't know how to describe it. i can't wait to unpack my things and settle in, buy groceries, decorate with candles and pictures of my friends and family. i can't wait to RELAX.

i changed our time zone (for the blog) so from now on when we post it will list it in our (cali) time.

we are getting our internet turned on on the 23rd, so there won't be any new posts for a while, sorry. but when we are back on they will be good, promise. lots of pictures and everything:)

i wish i could write more but we have to go now. billy and chuck are doing fine, they are almost to new mexico by now i think.

thank you tim and tricia for all you have done for us, (letting us stay with you and making us feel at home, cooking us great dinners, the wine, the great talks, the maps and cool books, the list of apartments you talked your friend paul into getting for us, the jobs at nielsen, the intern list, the help with resumes, cover lettters, apartment search, all of the great advise, anything else i forgot about...) we'll never forget it. i wish there was someway we could repay you (if you ever think of anything please let us know).

bye for now.

I keep thinking I move in tonight... I've told myself ten times today; "no... it's tomorrow night". I'm getting antsy though, last night after Amanda and I ate at our favorite Chinese food restaurant we thought we would go take a look around, maybe peek in the windows (even though it's on the second floor). Plus; Amanda hadn't seen it yet. Since everytime we went together to view an apartment, no one seemed to buy that she lived here and was just my friend... they all wanted her to fill out an application (but... her credit is, well, bad). Anyways, I'm starting to ramble. Onto the point:

It was around 10 o'clock here and we had been busy walking around looking at the greenery and scoping the porch from the sidewalk, trying to figure out what parking space would be mine (I'm in number 7 even thought we have apartment number 9... strange), for whatever reason we decided to try the door, and for whatever reason it was unlocked. So, we wandered in, but it was pitch black because the power isn't getting turned on until tomorrow afternoon. Long [and boring] story short: We couldn't find a flash light in the car - the neighbors across the hall (while we looking for a flashlight) locked the door because they thought someone was breaking in - then they saw it was me - let me back in - and gave me a flashlight.

Amanda really liked it though, I did good, she said. It has lots of space, a fridge (which is rare here), lots of storage space, tiled kitchen counters, a balcony, two baths, two bedrooms (obviously), a dining room area, a big living room, lots of water pressure (Chuck will like that), it's in a nice neighborhood, surround by palm trees, two blocks from the red line (which goes straight to Nielsen), and a whole list of other little things which are no more exciting to read about than any above.

Chuck and Billy have been keeping us up to date from the road. They crashed a hotel last night and are hoping to bust out a good twenty hour day (I think they might be crazy... Billy can only drive 60 mph since he's dragging a car behind his half-a-semi). Yesterday I was in a book store (that used to be an old styled movie theater) reading 'Dude, where's my country?' (very good book actually) and Chuck called me up on my cell, he was so excited to finally be on the road. He said just before leaving, while eating at Bob Even's, he started to wonder if this was right, but as soon as he got in his car and hopped on the highway, he knew this was it. This was what he was supposed to do. No regrets.

I agree [more and more everyday].

To answer some quick questions people have been leaving in the comments:

...what does your jobs involve and did Amanda quit the other one?
- Love ya, Mom

Our jobs at Nielsen are pretty much just market research (a fancy term for telemarketing) but we don't sell anything, just ask people about their movie going habits, who they like, and vice versa. It's easy and it has very flexible hours. And yes, actually just today Amanda left her job at j. jill to work at Trader Joes (basicaly Whole Foods) and part time at Nielsen.

Awesome! You gotta place! That's an answer to prayer. Hey, I have been reading all your postings, and haven't seen any kind of credit given to the kentobean for playing a MAJOR role in bringing the California Dreamers together! SUP WITH THAT!?
- Kentobean

Kent... It's good to hear from you. I don't know how that happened :) but Amanda is going to soon give credit where credit is due, and write a very nice long blog entry about how different our lives would be if it weren't for you playing Cupid. So, stay tuned.

Well, I was planning to answer more questions... but the internet here is starting to take a crap.

The lease has been signed. We move in the 19th. The walls need painting and the carpet is going to pulled up and replaced. In the mean time:

It was Amanda's day off from j. jill and we've been waiting for a nice day to go to the beach. Since it was sunny as hell all morning we decided after a few errands we would head out to Venice. Traffic was backed up on the 405 but we eventually made it and then out of no where: fog. Or more like mist, coming off the beach with the wind, it became very cold, and very hard to see. We still strolled around walking in and out of the different shops, watched a few boom-box performers do there thing infront of small crowds. Bought a Mexican-styled throw to cuddle up with on some rocks by the shore. It was relaxing... a little chilly... but relaxing.

Well, I'm a little sleepy and both Amanda and I have to wake up tomorrow and get to Nielsen in the morning for our training. Only three more days till we move into our new home. I can't wait to buy groceries... is that strange?

I know the past two weeks must have been a test of some kind, cause I feel whipped, and it's not over yet, it's straight onto job hunting for me. But, yes, the good news is just in: we have a place! We did it! Actually, we had alot of help (Thank you everyone! You know who you are). But I go in tomorrow at noon to sign the lease. That was a close one... to be honest, I was starting to get really, really worried. Best of all this place, is a month to month lease, so we can keep looking on the side - there are far bigger and better apartments in the area there's just a wait - so this is even better than we had imagined.

The interview at Blackbox digital went really well today (thanks again, Tricia), they just finished doing the effects for HellBoy [I thought Billy would like that], but the place was awsome; like some dream office: artsy, sleek, friendly, laid back, but still fast paced, I loved it. And best of all: they use Mac's. They got a whole room of G4's and G5's connected to run the effects programs. I almost wet my pants.

Amanda and I went for a walk down the Santa Monica pier last night. Thats where Palisade's Park is at (like the song... and the movie Confessions of Dangerous Mind) but while we were busy watching a crazy guy balance all kinds of stuff using his mouth, the rides all shut down, we turned around and it was dark. But we still wondered down to the end of the dock, looked out at the black ocean. It was nice to relax for a moment, and not have to be driving around like mad looking for jobs and place to live. Actually work doesn't seem to be too hard to get around here, its just a place to call home. Very different from Ypsi.

"Ever notice that 'what the hell' is always the right decision?"
-- Marilyn Monroe

I've been here for two weeks and its finally starting to set in: were going to be okay, things are going to work out.

Well, today's the day. I have a few things to take care of and then that's it, but the computer comes down now, so I figured I get in one last entry. I picked up the truck today and it's huge! They had to give me a twenty foot truck because my truck was having mechanical problems. I don't like it... Chuck doesn't think we'll make it out today, because my apartment is a mess, but I'm going to try. He and Michelle are actually in the other room. He thinks I'm packing as we speak, so 'SHHH', don't tell him. I still have to pick up Amanda's couches too, but she didn't leave me a number to get in touch with her mother.

Before I go I just want to thank everyone again for their support. You've all been great. The next time I talk to anyone I'll be on the road with Chuck. So everyone take care and pray for us and for those I didn't get to see, it wasn't because I didn't want to, there just didn't seem like enough time in a day to do everything I wanted to do. I'll make it up to each you. Well, it's been fun, but back to work. I'll talk to you all soon enough, God willing. All my love, Billy...

This post will be brief, since there's a lot of work left to do today, before we leave. I just wanted to thank everyone that helped me out so much. Jessica, Andrew, Joe's parents, my boss, Michelle, Mark & Linette. I love you all. And to my family, since it might be a while 'til we see each other again. You guys take care of yourselves. Keep the clan tight.

Billy and I will be leaving at dusk today. We're packing up his truck, chillin' out for a little bit, catching an afternoon matinee and maybe something to eat, then we're headed off into the sunset. Well, actually, we'll be going south first, but you get the idea.

It's been incredibly hard to let go. There are so many exciting opportunities ahead of me, and all I can think about is all the things I'm leaving behind. My family, my friends. A girl that treats me much better than I deserve.

It's been emotional and I can't think of anything to say. I miss my friends and I look forward to seeing them. I wish it wasn't going to take three hellacious days of driving to get there, but it's a small matter.

I hope we make it. I hope I can see my friends and shake their hands. I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams... I hope...

As for now, it's radio silence...

I went out tonight with some friends for a last night out type of thing and I have to say, I don't think I can take saying goodbye to many more people. Friday, on my last day of work, they had a small goodbye party for me, which was really nice. People each gave a little speech about me and a got more than choked up. Afterwards, I went to Stockbridge, where some of my family and friends live and it was more of the same. I think I cried on ten different occasions that day. The strangest thing was, most of the people I've seen to say goodbye to are people I haven't said 'Hello' to in quite a while. I know I haven't seen them much more than I will when I get to California, but it just seems so permanent. My cousin, Danny, is having a dinner for me today, sometime after I actually go to sleep. That will be the last of my goodbyes, I believe, and then Monday is all business. I am so burned out, emotionally. I'm trying not to even think about the trip. I'm just going to go through the motions until I hit the west coast and then let all of this hit me like a bombshell.

Just in case people think I don't write on here very much, the truth is I have written some very long, thought out, and personal comments. The problem is my computer cuts me off sometimes after, like, an hour of typing and I lose everything that I've poured out on the screen. It's so emotionally discerning that I just say 'screw it' and give up. But I promise to do better...maybe. Perhaps not so much on the road, but a little bit.

Don't have much to say, so goodnight Chuck, Amanda, Mike and everyone else who's probably already asleep, so it's actually moot, but whatever.

*Your winning lottery numbers are: 10, 15, 23, 28, 40 & 43. If you are one of the lucky winners, please come to the Forrest Hills crematorium for immediate disposal. Thank you.*

i love you chuck, i know i don't always act like it but i do (please don't ever forget that last part). i can bearly see right now, i'm all teary-eyed (havenig just read your last post). it has been great haveing mike here to lean on, i couldn't do this without him, but i can't wait until you get here. you're right, if we weren't a tight unit before, we will be now. we are eachother's best friends, we are very lucky. it's so hard to leave our families behind, and now, hopefully, we'll become eachother's family.

i love your optimism. that you say you're not worried, it feels right, you have faith. and you're right ,we couldn't be in better hands (we're in God's hands). i believe that everything happens for a reason and everything is happening just the ways it's suppoessed to (just the way he's planned).

Crazy. Chuck's entry was "posted" at 1:09 AM [Detroit Time] and my entry was posted at 1:08 AM. Strange to think that him and I being 2,600 miles away decided to write at almost the exact same time. We must be made for eachother. Oh! Wait... what? I've said too much.

I know the last post was mine, but it's been a very long day back in Michigan. The party just roared on. We had Aurora's birthday, hung out all day, and watched videos at night. Andrew took me out for chinese food and my fortune cookie read "You will conquer obstacles to achieve success." It seemed general, but it's still a welcome omen.

To tell you the truth, I'd been a little numb to the goodbye parties up until tonight. I've said goodbye to so many people at so many different times that it's like I've already left. It wasn't until tonight when Courtney got all teary-eyed on me that I realized the truth. I'm leaving my family for what might be a very long time. It's kind of scary. We spent a few hours watching old home movies of the parties we have and weddings and such... I spent so much time talking about what a tight crew we are, that I had forgotten what it was really like.

I have basically one day left. Tomorrow is cram packed with last minute goodbye and errands. Picking up my letter of reccomendation from Greg, saying goodbye to my parents, Jess & Andrew, hanging with Michelle one last time. My sister. I wish I could take them all with me. Actually, I just wish they had movie studios in every state. (I mean they might... well you know what I mean.)

If Billy, Mike, Amanda, and I weren't a tight unit before, you can bet we will be soon; because there isn't going to be anyone else to rely on. I'm not worried though. I don't think I could be in better hands. This just feels right. I know it's an unplanned, uncalculated risk, but it's right. I have faith. And for whatever it's worth, this might be my only chance. So I'm taking it.

Don't you [let me] forget it. Well so far there has been the expected ups and downs along with the occasional slaps in the face. But I remain optimistic... I believe in retrospect this will be a valuable test of patience and determination. But, you know what: I knew this would be hard... you knew this would be hard. Lets talk about something different.

I went for a swim the other day. You know when you eat too much ice cream, and the front of your brain starts to sting with a sharp cold numbing sensation? Well, diving in the second time was less shocking than the first, but my eyes were closed because I still had my contacts in, and so I was running my hand along the bottom to feel where I was at in the pool. It was starting to slope upwards and I knew I was almost to the opposite wall when my forehead began to feel considerably colder than the rest of my body. Almost there... then came the cold burn. Any second... the ice water rushed across my head harder as I kicked faster to reach the end sooner, it was almost unbearably freezing. I was ready to break any second. Then: Yes! The wall - I jumped out of the pool and clutched my forehead with both hands. Thank God the California sun was beaming down in the backyard, it was my only saving grace. Hmm... I was considering erasing this pointless story, but I'll leave it just because I can.

I have an interview Monday morning in Santa Monica for an internship at Blackbox digital. I'm trying not to get my hopes up, actually - I probably shouldn't even be mentioning it just yet. Chances are: It won't be that easy. I need to be prepared to go through fifty interviews with no sign of luck. But there's always a chance I guess.

Well, I keep writing paragraphs of crap and then erasing them. So, I think I'm feeling a little too groggy to be writing an entry right about now. It must be past my bed time. "Till that day".

Actually before I sign off. I need to post this because I find it extremely funny, especially with all the republicans hard balling Kerry for being too "wish'y washy". I love facts like these... they are so easy to fotget. Enjoy.

I went to workout with Courtney on Friday. I'm not sure why I went, since I can't exactly start a regular workout program here right now. I was the only guy in the class, even though she said there are usually more. At first the stuff they were doing was really easy. Some of it just looked silly (ex. jumping jacks). But after they really got rolling, I was getting my butt kicked.

A whole day later and I'm more sore then when I was in my car accident. I didn't tell Courtney, but I almost puked in the locker room. Housewives kick butt. The lady running it asked me if I had any comments at the end. I said "Yeah. If any of you are doing this because a guy told you that you could use it. Go home and punch him in the face."



Today is Aurora's 2nd birthday party (my cousin Jessica's baby). We're also having a going-away party for me afterwards, so hopefully there'll be some of that 3 ft sub left over. Today is my goal for getting all my stuff out of their place, which is mostly just my clothes and computer. Fortunately, both are packed away quite easily. Jessica and Andrew are awesome hosts if you ever get the opportunity. Not only did I live here for free, but they also feed me all the time. I'm grateful.

It's almost been two weeks since Mike and Amanda left and I can't believe it. The time has gone so quickly. But I really feel like I got everything done that I wanted to do. I saw all the people I wanted to see and got together all the things I needed to. I think this worked out really well, considering Amanda and Mike have been able to stay at her Uncle's for so long. I know it might have been awkward with the three of us there.

It looks like we'll be leaving Monday. I'm not sure if in the afternoon or morning or what. So if you've got anything to settle with me or Billy, I suggest you give us a call. Meantime, I'm going to go finish my laundry now. This might be the last time I ever do it for free.

I must say I'm getting a bit worried about our future living situation. I talk to Mike and Amanda everyday and it seems a bit discouraging. I'm not worried about a place to sleep, my fantastic cousin, Crystal, is out there if I need her, but I will have to give my rental truck back, eventually. I do have an interview for a transfer next Friday at the NoHo Target, so cross your fingers on that. If I get it, that will be a lateral move, otherwise I will probably have to demote for now to stay with the company. The last thing I want is to go somewhere else, especially when filling out applications for apartments.
Speaking of apartments, everyone ask Mike about how it's possible to get someone to raise the rent of an apartment you just finished looking at. I just find it funnier than I do anything else.
I thought that work was going to be easier the closer I get to leaving, but they're working me harder this week than the last few months. It's 2:00 a.m. right now. I probably should be in bed for work already, but I just freakin' got out of work a little bit ago. I'm too wired to sleep. For those of you who want more pictures on here, I'm sorry I don't have a camera or a scanner, so I'll have to rely on Chuck's eagerness to that part. I should be done packing in another day or so. I've just worked some odd shifts and haven't had a lot of huge blocks to do anything, except for when I'm being lazy. Anyway, five more days and then we're on the road. Punch me in the face and black my eye! That sure is soon! I should probably go ahead and exchange most of my Michigan currency for California currency before I get out there. I hear there is a lower exchange rate there. It's good to stay ahead of the game.
Well, I'm going to try and get some sleep before morning comes. Everyone take care and if you dream of me, remember, whatever I did in the dream doesn't count against me in real life. Until next time...

"Ugh..."

Breaking news: we were turned down for an apartment in NoHo [North Hollywood]. It was our first. I could just scream: "I have money... lots of it... take it! Now"! But, I don't suppose that would do much else besides scare away the landlords. I dropped off more applications for another apartment just a few feet away from the place mentioned above - Billy and Chuck still have to fax in their info, before the lady will even look at us. So, since that is anything but promising, I have been calling every apartment in the area, and time is running out fast. Only seven more days... maybe eight. It's getting down to the wire. I did however have one pleasant conversation on the phone with a landlord today - a nice guy named Ted, another place over by NoHo. Anyways, enough my running in circles.

Amanda is at work right now, she got a job at a snoody clothing store for 30'somethings in the mall, a place called j.jill... she hates it though, her boss is a real power hungry snob, who after walking Amanda around the store for an hour, showing her which [overpriced] cloths she should buy to: "look the part", told Amanda that if she had interviewed her first; she wouldn't have hired her. Even though she kinda' did interview her first, but that's besides the point.

I had an interview at Kinko's yesterday for an opening during the graveyard shift, but that didn't go so well. To explain: Amanda's interview was at 2 pm, I dropped off a resume and was asked to come in at 3:30 pm. So these two interviews are less then 10 minutes down the street from each other, the thought that an hour and a half wasn't enough time never even crossed our minds. But the [expletive deleted] interviewing Amanda had to take her shopping for an hour and screwed it all up. I was hoping Amanda would walk any second, Amanda hoped I had already left, I didn't know the number or the street name it was on. And you get the idea: I showed up late. They weren't impressed. I'm still unemployed.

But, I have an interview tomorrow afternoon at Nielsen Entertainment, thanks to Tricia (whom we're staying with at the moment), she works there doing box office research [among other things]. She has been helping out a lot... a lot, a lot. Yesterday she came home with a job list for interns, one of those "underground list (you can only get if you know someone who knows someone)". So that of course is: 'crap-my-pants exciting'. Then ontop of this favor, she helped my write a resume last night, along with a cover letter that she assured me looked great [she said she reads thousands of them]. So I spent a while last night emailing my cover letter & resume to people on the list, I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Mark and Linette have paid [undisclosed amount] for the exclusive rights to the story of my California trip. I'm honored to be the first recipient of the Crimewave Art & Culture grant, though I believe the best possible use of the money will have nothing to do with either. Mark also paid for dinner, which was very nice, and very expensive. The guilt will be enough to write a fabulous article.



Billy is still working on packing up his stuff. All those white boxes are just comic books. He still has a crapload of stuff in his room, and just 5 days to get the rest of it into corrugated cardboard. I'm not too concerned though. I'm sure he'll get it done in time. He said most of his packing has to be done by himself, so I can't really help him with anything at this point.

What happened to everybody? Am I the only one posting on this website anymore? We're not going to be able to hold our audience for much longer. I'm adding one more picture to this several picture post. Joe's parents gave me a hundred bucks for the trip. They were extremely generous, so here's a nice picture of me with them. I'm sending them a thank you note from California when I get there.



Everyone, please keep reading and I promise I'll kick everyone in the butt for not posting for so long. If any more problems come up, I can deal with them in a timely fashion. I forgot, my boss gave me fifty bucks too, but I don't have a picture of him.

Well, everyone at work decided to have a going-away party for me this Sunday. For some reason, I was sort of dreading it. I wanted to go, but I haven't really known them all for very long, and I didn't want it to be some big phony awkward scene. But I went anyway and man... it was crazy.

From what I remember, we did something like 6 shots. Which ended up being 10 for me, since Maureen made me drink the last two of hers. Bridgette got me an 8x10 photograph of myself in a frame that everyone signed. My boss gave me fifty bucks, a box of condoms, sunscreen, and an inhaler. Then he gave me a hug that lasted a minute while he told me how much he'd appreciated working with me and how he knew I was going to be successfull. He wrote it on the picture frame too.

I had to crash at Maureen's place, because I didn't want to drive anywhere. I couldn't go to sleep because the 10 shots were Jager-bombs (pronounced Yay-ger), which is a can of Red Bull mixed with a shot of Jagermeister. You get drunk and hung over, but the Red Bull keeps you awake for half the night. I woke up on the couch with my fists clenched over my belt. I had terrible nightmares about falling and my car not working.

Needless to say, this will be my last indulgence of alcoholic beverages. At least until my wedding. Suprisingly, I didn't wake up with a hangover, so I walked back to Zoup (since Maureen had split for work) and got a ride back to my car from my boss.

All this from people I've known for just three months. It's amazing how beer brings people together, (even when they don't really want to be.) I've always had a lot of respect for Mike for not drinking occassionally, like the rest of us. But I think it's easier to understand why this is something people do so much, if you drop yourself in every once in a while.

Work is done now, and all I have left to do is say goodbye to a few more friends and take care of just a couple more things. I have it all written down on a calendar to remind myself. After that it'll be coming up with enough money to make it. If we get this place Mike and Amanda found, it shouldn't be hard to come up with next month's rent. So I should have a little while to find a job.

Chuck... Billy? What are you guys doing?

Mike already fell asleep and I need to join him, cause we have to get up early in the morning. I just wanted to thank a few people, for without whom this move would not have been possible.

Thank you to my Mom and Ray for your financial help and your promise that I will always have a place in your house to call "home".

Thank you to my Dad and Badria for you financial help and for your incredible encouragement.

Thank you to my Uncle Thurman and Tricia for opening your home to us and going out of your way to help us find an apartment.

I also noticed that we forgot to mention the caliblog stickers. We put them up in just about every restroom we visited and a few other places too. However, we must've over estimated our bladder control because we ran out somewhere in NM. If anyone has reached this site due to seeing one of our stickers, please leave a comment and let us know.

That would be cool.

Got introduced to everyone at a bar in Hollywood. Finally met dennis face to face. Saturday we hiked up to the Hollywood sign with Amanda's Godfather. My shins still are recovering. We ate at a great little restaruant and saw the fat kid from "The Sandlot". Drove around NoHo and Studio City for hours. Called twenty apartments from their front lawns hoping to get a tour. No luck there. Tried to buy a Thomas Guild at several different places. No luck again. Apple wasn't currently hiring. Went to the mall for applications. Amanda picked up fourteen... I got two. Walked past Tommy 'Tiny' Lister Jr. sitting infront of the escalator. Watched Moulin Rouge with "Thurman" and Tricia. Ate shrimp for the first time... ate some more. Talked movies after dinner by the pool.

"Gasp'

And thats just the half of it. I'm so exhausted. But it's not over with yet. Tomorrow morning we are turning in our apartment applications and hoping for the best.

Billy sugested we bring the landlady some cookies because they're "straight from the heart".

Then we are going to (hopefully) open bank accounts here. Then I have to go into Kinko's to talk to Kim. Both of us need to call Nielson to set up interviews. Drop by Bed, Bath & Beyond... Pet-co...Staples... and who knows what else. Look up theaters in the surrounding area and see who's looking for help.

But on a lighter note: Amanda and I decided to take a short break, and actually enjoy the best thing California has to offer: the beach. I know it's snowing in Michigan, but it was 70 plus today. We walked barefoot in the sand at the spot where the ocean washes over your feet (I missed that). Spent eleven dollars on a hot dog and two drinks. And drove ten minutes in the wrong direction on the 101. Actually I believe its the first time we have messed up on directions since leaving Michigan.

I tried to call you Mandy, but you had already gone to bed. Sorry. I told Mom to have you call Amanda's cell when you get home from school and we can finally talk... I miss you very much. And that goes for you too, Nick, Dad & Mom. I will be calling soon (hopefully during some point in between our mad dash of erands).

I know, I know... I've been here for days now, and haven't posted more than a paragraph, I'm sorry... and I will attempt now to do some catching up. Where to begin: We've been out all day long (again). We starting this morning by helping Amanda's, Uncle Thurman, and Tricia [his wife] clean out their Hagen-Dazs shop out in Santa Monica. They donated all the left over tubs of ice cream (fourteen plus in total) to a homeless shelter. Then Amanda and I dropped by [unannounced] Sarah G.'s apartment... but she wasn't around... great neighborhood though ("...right near the beach, boey!").

Then we [Amanda and I] started calling every apartment we could find, setting up visits and asking all kinds of questions. But, aparently not too many landlords stop by the office on a Saturday evening. So we only got to check out one place, but, that one place was very promising: Roomy enough, nice neighborhood, close enough to downtown Hollywood, and best of all - in our price rang.

Actually: you know what, people... I lied - this is going to be a terrible attempt at "catching up", because they are out there cooking diner and it's calling my name. So, as for the rest of the story, you'll have to wait :)

I can't write much. We have to go apartment hunting today... or actually: all day. So - I will try to post our progress tonight.

We miss and love you all.

Who's to decide what's good and bad?

I won the Crimewave grant! Wahoo! I sent a proposal over to Mark Maynard and he called me a lazy bastard and said I won. So I guess maybe I was just a favorite from the beginning. I drew a really cool schematic using only characters on the keyboard, but apparently that wasn't good enough. Anyway, I'm going to use my newly found grant money to pay for gas. Which, by the way, I can't stop hearing about on TV. The national average is now like $1.70. It's over $2 in California.

Mike called me from L.A. He said the weather is perfect and everyone is being really positive. They have a huge list of places to check out. He said we might even be renting a house instead of an apartment, which would be awesome. We're going to be just like a sitcom. Consequently, I'm holding a competition to see who can come up with the best name for a sitcom with Mike, Amanda, Billy, and me. The winner gets a special prize. You can put your submissions in the comment thing. (I promise the prize doesn't suck.)

Everyone at work is throwing me a going-away party. Bridgette posted a sign at work that said "Chuck's going to LA, So we're having a going-away party!" I'm going to marker over the sign to make it say "a go-away party". Greg is even putting the tab on the store, so everyone can drink for free. And all I did was put in my two weeks...

My car gets lighter each day as I decide more and more things to leave behind. I'm still amazed at how not packed Billy is. His apartment looks exactly the same. I went over tonight to help him pack and he put one statue in a box. Then he sat on the couch and watched friends. "This could take a while...", Chuck thought. We've also decided to maybe leave on the 14th, instead of the 15th.

I made a list yesterday of things I had to take care of. My bank says I can close my account from LA, if I just send them a letter with all this info and they'll send me a cashier's check. I'm glad I thought to check on that. I made a little calendar too with my last week and a half planned out. I've got three parties and about 4 people to see separately. Only two days of work left!

Additionally, if anyone out there reading this owes me money, I have to collect now. No? Alright, well just checking.

Well, Mike and Amanda have made it to California, and they couldn't be happier. I only talked to them for a second, but they have a lot of plans to get ready for our coming. Hopefully we'll be able to get a fairly reasonable place, which I'm sure Michael will talk about when he writes very soon. My cousin, Crystal, called me today. She's pretty excited about me coming out. She said I could actually stay with her until we get settled, if I need to. I thought that was sweet of her, but she's always been one of my favorites, anyway. It will be nice to actually know someone who lives out there, so that's something to look forward to.

My friend, James, e-mailed the other day warning me that California wasn't everything he had expected. He gave me a bit of forewarning. He had just gotten back from there that morning. He has a movie he's going to be releasing sometime this year titled 'Ritual Season', I believe. He's really into the horror genre. Keep your eyes opened for it. I can't wait, myself. He's a pretty cool cat. I really miss his company. So, you hear that Mike and Amanda...watch out! California is a shifty place. Don't lose my money or I'll throttle you with my bare feet!

Chuck just left a few minutes ago. I get the feeling he and his girl are not prepared for his departure. I think they're trying to soak in as much time together as possible and tear apart at the last possible second. That's cool and all, I mean, from the time I've spent with her, she's really cool, definitely a keeper. I'm just really worried about both of them when it finally comes to the last second. I just hate the idea of how much this going to hurt each of them. They seem so happy that it's almost bittersweet. I'm really happy for Chuck, but I know what's coming around the corner. Just be careful, guys-and be ready. It's really, really close.

I went into work today and they had the new schedule up, and under my name it was just 7 'U's (for unavailable). It was a little surreal. It's right there in front of me and it still isn't completely sinking in. My cold feet are freezing up. I feel like I'm going to have an anxiety attack when it finally hits me really good. My heart's already beating a little fast just thinking about it. Don't worry, there's no backing down, but WHOA! What the heck am I doing?

Before I go, I just want to say how great Mike's family is. They are so supportive...of all of us. I just wanted to say a quick 'thanks' to all of them: Tim, Deb, Nick, and Mandy. Mike's a very lucky guy.

Until next time...

I had a few more things to say before the prudes at the last library cut me off (even though they had more empty computers and we were the only people there). Doesn't matter..... Tucumcari is a ghetto place anyways.

I wanted to tell my pot hole story....

It was close to 1am and we were trying to get to my cousin's before we fell asleep. We got off the exit ramp and were driving slow down the dark streets looking for her street sign when I hit the biggest pot hole in the world, my car stalled and I pulled it over down a side street (this area of town was a bit creepy) I knew right away what had happened. My gas cut off switch had been triggered. I had to empty out most of my very packed trunk to find the button and push it back in it only took a minute, and we were back on the road. I guess that's a pretty boring story but I only mention it because if I had not had that exact thing happen to me with my first car, in high school I wouldn't have had any idea what it was and surely would've freaked (Mike knows zip about cars so he wouldn't have been able to help) but I didn't .... I was proud... I felt experienced or something.

So I wanted to say thanks to my cousin, Michelle for making us a nice bed and letting us spend the night in her nice house. I'm sorry we got there so late and we didn't have time to visit like I'd hoped. Congratulations on your engagement. I love you!


P.S. Bonnie, will you please take a picture of Millie's puppies and email it to me or something, I know they are probably so cute! Man, do I wish so bad I could have one..... I miss having a pooch :)

Arizona is amazingly beautiful. We decided to skip the grand canyon due to snow [it has been snowing since New Mexico], and have been making great time across the desert.

We stopped off here in Kingman to fill up on gas (at 1.99 a gallon... don't worry Chuck, and Billy. That's the most expensive its been... by a lot) and grab something quick to eat. We figured since we skipped driving up to the grand canyon we are half a day ahead of schedule and wanted to catch up here on the blog.

Everything has been going great. The drive has been a little on the lonely side, but thanks to my Dad lending us a pair of (awesome) walkie talkies, it's been tolerable. I can't wait to see Vegas, I can't wait to shower either. We won't be gambling, but it will be nice to have some time to spend with eachother for once on this drive. We should be in Hollywood by 7 pm tomorrow. I'm gonna give Amanda a chance to post now (plus: I have to blow my nose). This post is boring (says Amanda) but I'm under pressure to keep it quick.

they left on sunday
i wish we could have all gone
but we have work still

money makes this hard
i wish i had more of it
I'll go all the same

less than two weeks left
work is getting much slower
i miss adventure

Well I only have about 15 minutes until I have to give the computer up. The connection is so slow so it might not be long enough, it took 5 min already just to check my email. I just made a comment on Billy's last entry from the visitor information center about 45 min ago, then I got so excited and so happy to be in NM that I blasted "one more time" by Daft Punk (it's a 13 min song and I listened to it twice) and danced all the way here. Finding the library was a bit tricky but we made it (Mike had to go #2 so we were in a hurry :) hee hee).


The trip hasn't been too bad so far, actually today has been great. We woke up at sunrise in Mike's car parked at the super 8 motel in Elk City, TX. Yesterday when we left my cousin's in Kansas City, we hit the worst wind I've ever driven in all the way through Kansas, the bikes were catching wind all over the place, it was crazy. Eventually Mike figured out a better way to secure them and they haven't moved an inch since. Then we took a nap at a rest stop and when we woke up the wind had passed.

I talked to my Uncle Thurman on the phone at a gas station in Witchita, Kansas yesterday. He is anxiously awaiting our arrival, I think. He said he now has a whole list of places for us to check out when we get there, he and Tricia (his wife) have been so incredibly helpful, they are awesome. Really I think my uncle just doesn't want us to be there for ever. So we shouldn't have any trouble finding a place before Chuck and Billy get there.

time to go... ahhh!!!

Well, Mike and Amanda left out on their trip yesterday morning. I know I'm going to see them again in a couple of weeks, but It was kind of sad. Plus, there is no promise that any of us will make it out there in one peice. Not that I think anything will happen, but you never know. I hope you guys are having fun, if you get this message.
With the two of them leaving it really gets the ball rolling with a resounding 'BANG', doesn't it. There really is no turning back now. That's fine, just a bit scary. We're in it together, though, so at least we have each other (wherest thou goeth...and all that jazz). I tried to leave a message yesterday (Sunday), but, as I'm sure some of you know, the site was down most of the day. Today I reserved my truck for the trip. I was able to get a fair deal, which is good, but still expensive. My projected date to leave is the 15th of March. Hopefully that is cool with Chuck, but I don't know, because his phone is not working (So call me, Chuckles, if you read this.) Well, this is just a quick update and a 'Howdy', so until next time, be good...and Mike and Amanda, be safe!