Half the World Away

Hello again from Wendover UT. I am again in their lobby adding an entry to my blog. As some of you may remember (actually none of you), I was at this same Days Inn on my way to Ann Arbor this past August. I was supposed to add an entry yesterday when I was in Cheyenne, WY which is about half way to California from Ann Arbor. Anyway, just wanted to give a quick update on how things are going. The drive has been pretty uneventful. Seeing that i have done it three times before, I suppose nothing much can be surprising at this poing. Here are some random thoughts from my drive:

1. I saw the most hydrated SUV probably in existence. I passed it by on I-80 and it was towing about 20 cases/flats of bottled water.

2. I drove through Iowa and I drove through Madison County in Iowa which is where the Bridges of Madison County takes place, which for those of you who don't remember, was an apparently sappy novel from back in the 90's. It was made into a better movie I hear, which is one of the few times the movie actually turns out better than the book it was based on.

3. I am really appreciating my sunglasses during this drive. Some of you may think it was crazy to spend that much on sunglasses but my Oakleys really make a difference when it comes to the intense sun I have been experiencing on this trip. Plus I look mack-daddy cool too.

4. Almost essential as sunglasses for a long road trip, is good road trip music. I made some road trip mix CDs before I left. Grooving along to some good tunes while punching 80 to 85 mph makes those hours pass by quicker. I can't imagine those people who have to listen to whatever is avaiable on the radio in some the truck stop towns I have passed by. My condolences to whoever has had to do that.

5. Oh yeah, some other people have noticed this too but I'll mention it anyway. All the hotels I have stayed at(by no means 5 or even 4 star places) all offer free wireless internet access. However, all the really nice hotels I have stayed at recently all charged for internet access. It would seem like the other way around but maybe this small places need to offer the perk to attract as much road trip and touristy guests as possible.

6. Like Erika, I decided to go on a dork book buying binge on Amazon in preperation for my new job. So I am reading Norman's Design of Everyday Things to start off with and then I have three others after that. Yes, everybody laugh and point out about how much of a hypocrite I am because I mercilessly mocked everyone else for dong the same. On a side note, Marissa Mayer the much talked about VP of Search Products and User Experience at Google said that Norman's book was on her bookshelf according to Businessweek. So I guess it is some consolation that I am reading a book that someone and probably many others smarter than I hold in high esteem.

7. You know that saying that you should practice getting up early or at a certain time? It's true. I wanted to wake up early for my drive out of Ann Arbor so I went to bed at around 10:00 PM the night before. I couldn't sleep at all since I usually went to sleep around midnight to 1 AM. So yes, old of the few times that convention wisdom actually turns out to be true.

Anyway, I think that is all from me for now. Next stop, California! I hope everyone has a lovely and festive 4th of July. Until next time, peace.