Farewell Central time zone, I hardly knew ye

So today was by far the worst day of driving. I don’t know if it was a hangover effect from last nights near accident, or if it was that there was nothing to see, or possibly it was the tragic incident which started off my day.

The tragedy unfolded when I decided that I needed a haircut this morning. There happened to be a Super Cuts just across the parking lot from my hotel. Based on their name one would assume that they are good at what they do, in fact better than good, you might even assume that they are super. Had I known what I know now I would have never chanced myself on their establishment. I walked in and the girl started cutting my hair, then the other hair dresser came in flaunting her beautiful bleached blond mullet. This is when I started to get weary. I respect the mullet as a hair style, how can you not when it truly is business in the front and party in the back, but it is not the type of hair style one expects from someone who styles hair for a living (apparently only in Oklahoma). So I was so distracted by the mullatude going on in the mirror behind me I stopped paying attention to my own haircut. It wasn’t a bad cut, but far from super. When the girl cutting my hair asked if she could style my beard I said no (it is my prized possession and I don’t trust it to just anyone). So she said ok she would just trim around the sideburns. I though she was going to just trim the edge, but no she decided to shave a line between where the sideburn ends and the beard begins, think 1980s flat top with the lines in the side. I was in shock, who would do such a thing. I just got up, paid her, and left without tipping. I firmly believe in tipping, even if they don’t do a good job, but this time I couldn’t even give her a cent, I cant ever remember not tipping for anything. I made it out to the parking lot and started screaming, if you heard a noise around 9AM Central that was me letting loose. Needless to say I will never go to a Super Cuts again, not even if they prohibit mullets on their stylists. There is more to this story continued below.

The drive through Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico was uneventful. All three states have high speed limits and the biggest city I passed through was Amarillo, TX. I was amazed by the amount of open space in all three states. Beyond that they all looked exactly as I imagined they would, Oklahoma was wide open and green, Texas was scruffy, everything was bigger except for the trees, New Mexico was cleaner than regular Mexico and very sandy/rocky looking. I knew that it would me much more wide open than back east, but I couldn’t comprehend how much more wide open it would be. Seriously you could look as far as the eye can see in all directions and see nothing but scrub brushes and tall grass. It was actually pretty cool to see it like this, it makes you appreciate what it must have looked like when the settlers first came through here. I got on Route 66 in Shamrock, TX and followed it for about 30 miles before I got back on I40. I got annoyed because the 2 roads run parallel and the road quality of route 66 was horrible and the speed limit was 10 mph slower. Other than that on the trip there was not much to do but think, sing along to the radio, and see the same 5 or 6 billboards over and over and over and over again. I got really tired about 2 hours outside Albuquerque ( or as they said in the underrated summer almost blockbuster The Goods, “Querquie, Captain Quirk.” I wound up pulling over about every 45 minutes to stretch and relax. If you ever drive cross country I recommend giving yourself enough time and having a copilot. I spend at least 8 to 10 hour a day driving as well as time spend in rest stops, getting food, toll booths, coffee runs, bathroom breaks, and tourist traps. That means that I am on the go at least 14 to 16 hours a day, then trying to see what I can of the places I visit, plus sleeping in strange hotels has left me mentally and physically exhausted. The drive home shouldn’t be that bad, I only plan to drive 4-6 hours a day and do some exploring along the way so maybe it will be more fun. I also plan on getting rid of the Kanye West on my ipod, that guys is a buzzkill. I eventually got to Querquie and got checked into a quality in. Because of the balloon festa all the hotels are booked and the prices are through the roof, I worked my magic on the girl at the desk and she cut the cost down from $140 to $65 (im just that good). I went to an Albuquerque local favorite called Owls and got their signature Green Chili Cheeseburger (which was out of this world) and fried mushrooms (amazing). I think I may start putting green chilies on everything, they act like bacon and make everything better.

I only ate one burrito today, at this little tortilla factory/restaurant in Amarillo. The place had tortillas coming straight out of the machine and into the kitchen. I think the tortilla my burrito was made from was less than 5 minutes old. I almost bought a pack of their tortillas still warm to eat along the way they were that good. OD says that I should have gone to get a 72 ounce free stake at the big Texan, but I was so annoyed by their 100 miles of signs that I wouldn’t be able to walk in there.

Beard Story continued:

Once I got to Querquie I checked into the hotel and decided to try and fix this epic beard failure. I got my clippers and headed for the mirror. I checked the clippers to make sure that they were on the right level, but something still didn’t look right. I was tired and just decided to get it over with. The first pass of the clippers took off too much hair, and I started screaming again. Apparently though they displayed level 9 they were really set to level 1 so the trim took it down almost to the skin. I had to go with the flow and trim everything off. I know it will grow back probably soon, I also know that I have no need for the beard in the southwest because of the lack of winter. When I was out here for grand council the beard was only a hassle, but I still feel different without it. I have had the beard for over a year and I don’t even recognize my reflection anymore. Hopefully I will have my Adirondack face warmer back before I return home in November. I cant blame this one on the girl from Not So Super Cuts, it was my own fault, but I feel like part of me is missing.

Tomorrow im going to the dawn liftoff at the balloon festa and then taking a short drive up to Gallup, NM to spend the night before I head up to Chinle on Monday. Does anyone else think it ironic that I get a day off of my rotation on the Navajo reservation because of Columbus day… think about that one.

-O

The rest of yesterday

So I was eventually able to sleep after that near miss, but now it is time to reflect on everything else that went on yesterday.

I really enjoyed St Louis. The arch was cool and I was able to make it to the observation deck up top. There was also a gateway to the west museum in the basement that was pretty cool. I made it to the Anheuiser Busch brewery but didnt take the tour. It was an hour long and was a little too much time for me to spend on Budwieser. This place was enormous, seriously the entire magic hat brewery could have fit in the welcoming center, the security desk was the size of the long trail bottling line. It was pretty intense, next time I go to out there I have to go again. After that I made my way downtown and except for a run in with a guy having a psychotic break everything was enjoyable. I went to an irish pub which apparently is run by a non profit which helps give addicts and such on the job experience, it was a nice place with good food and I felt good about having gone there. St Louis was a really nice city, it reminded me of a western Hartford or Baltimore's inner harbor (the good parts of hartford or baltimore, not the murdery parts). It has been the only city that I have seen so far that I really have to go back to. I know what you are thinking "I though Cleveland rocks and Canton was awesome?" They were pretty cool but St Louis was the only place so far that I wished I could have stayed longer. Who knows maybe ill go back to watch the Rams loose a game.

Around 1 I left St Louis and spent about 4 hours driving through MO. Apparently there is nothing better to do on I 64 than advertise. There were billboards everywhere for tourist traps, outlet stores, truck stops, and places with names like "The Pleasure Zone." It was an uneventful ride at 70MPH with a stop in Springfield, MO for a burrito. Once I got back on the highway after Springfield I saw something rare, the sun, which I chased until I saw a great sunset just as I was passing into Kansas. I had apparently been driving through some of the worst rains that the midwest has seen in years. There was widespread flooding along the highway and during my stopover in Kansas most of the roads were washed out, the rivers were overflowing, and it looked like the school was flooded. I was only in Kansas for about half an hour, leaving the highway to get a breakfast burrito at Sonic (i love that place). I then headed towards Tulsa at the Oklahoma speed limit of 75. I didnt realize how big Tulsa was until I got there, that place is pretty expansive, plus I think it is lined up along the highway. I grabbed a burrito at Riocardos Mexican joint (which was clearly a former burgerking). It was good, but not Sonic good. I then headed down to Oklahoma City and passed through unharmed. I figured that I would drive for another hour so that today's drive would be less. I almost made it to Weatherford where I was going to stay before my near accident. Im just glad that it is over, nobody got hurt, and that my car is ok. The scene with the local sheriff was very funny, he was obviously a good old boy who didnt really care that these kids got in an accident. He lectured them on how getting hurt could impact their sports carreer. When I told him I was from NY he did the double take and like that old salsa commercial "New York City?". At that time I explained that there was more to NY than NYC, he promptly asked me if driving wasnt exciting enough in New York. I made it to the nearest hotel and crashed, now im going to go get a haircut then head out to Albuquerque and eventually on to Chinle. Hopefully my driving excitement is over and I can make the next few hundred miles uneventful.
-O

More details to follow

About 10 minutes out of my final destination today (Weatherfield, OK) a car came tearing up behind me, riding in the middle of the road while I was in the left lane. I was going 70 (the speed limit) and he must have been going at least 90. I swerved and hit the breaks and he jammed on the breaks, spun out and rolled down the 30 foot embankment, flipping twice. I immediately stopped and ran down there, I though that I was coming up on a fatality, but no it was just 2 good old boys climbing of a truck on its side. Everyone was ok, and my car wasnt damaged at all. We were able to get the cops out there and the 2 guys from the truck (highschool juniors) called their parents. I pulled into the closest hotel I could find and am now going to sleep off this stress. 1800 miles of smooth driving and then this happens. Ill try to update before I leave tomorrow.

In the land of Lincoln, the birthplace of Walgreens, and the home of the Bears

So today was a long one, not time wise compared to yesterday but yet even more mentally and physically draining.

Apparently the Super 8 that I stayed at last night provides a complementary breakfast, which I was going to take advantage of this morning. I get downstairs and check out and head for the breakfast table, only to find nothing but white bread and individual packets of jam. Now I wasnt expecting anything gourmet, or even bacon and eggs, but I was expecting some bagels or doughnuts or something. Nope just white bread, no toaster, and not even peanut butter to make a PB&J. Needless to say I was pissed. My mood was soon lightened by the bright sunny weather and the knowledge that I would soon be visiting the football hall of fame. I made it to the hall and spent almost 2 hours exploring and checking out all the exhibits. The amount of history and just seeing everything there was a bit overwhelming. I really need to visit that place again when im not on such a time crunch so I can take full advantage. My only possible gripe is that they didnt have any Bears hats in my size. I figure that wearing a hat from the hall of fame will get some of my favorite players in there some day, but apparently I have to wait for next time.

Heading through northern Ohio the weather was clear and bright and I had a nice ride through rolling hills decked out in fall foliage. Grassi does a similar thing that I do with burritos, he likes to Jwalk in every state capital, so when I got to Columbus I purposely jwalked to rub it in his face (Owen 1, Grassi 0). I then headed from Columbus to Cincinatti. The weather was fine until about 10 miles outside of Cincy when it started to rain (note this is where my day started to go downhill). I drove through Cincy and passed about 100 yards from Paul Brown stadium (where the Cincy Bungles play) and whatever the stadium is called that houses the Reds. In the rain I passed into Kentucky where I grabbed a Steak and Egg Burrito at Margaritas in Erlinger, KY. I then made my way down to Louisville through patchy rain. Once I got to Louisville it started pouring, I mean POURING. I made it over the Ohio river and into New Albany Indiana. The rain was coming down like crazy and the other drivers were all over the place so I decided to swing into a Mexican restaurant (forgot the name) and have a relatively forgettable pork burrito. Its funny, I drove through a similar rain storm outside of Rochester yesterday and people were going 80, and in Indiana they were going 40 and apparently freaking out, what does this say about the crazy bastards from western new york. Riding through Indiana was relatively sedate and easy, I did take a detour to visit Santa Clause, IN which is the hometown of new Bears quarterback Jay Cutler. This place is set up along the similar premise as North Pole, NY, a place that turns a Christmas theme into a tourist trap/summertime adventure. The one thing different is that they have an actual amusement park in Santa Clause (HollidayLand). I didnt get to see a lot Indiana or Illinois because it was raining and night came. I hate driving in the rain for long periods of time because it is so mentally exhausting, but im sure rain wont be much of a problem out in Chinle. I know that tonight I am going to have another nightmare about falling asleep at the wheel, but that always happens to me during/after road trips. Illinois was a relatively sedate drive, but I was messed up by the change in time zones. My GPS said that I would arrive at 10:20, but that was adjusted for the time zone, my car's clock is not so around 10:25 EST there was some confusion. This is the first time I have made it to the Central time zone, im kind of curious to see what it is like watching prime time TV an hour early. I did see more police in Illinois (4) than in Ohio (2), Kentucky (1) and Indiana (0) combined. This led along with a less generous speed limit (65 rather than 70) led me to keeping my foot off the gas, which cost me some time.

After about 10 hours of driving and over 650 miles I finally made it to Belleville, IL just about 15 minutes outside St Louis. I grabbed a vegetarian burrito at a Qdoba (kind of like Chipolte or Moes) which I am currently enjoying. Once again I am at Super 8 because they are cheap and easy to find, but hopefully this one has a better breakfast. I plan to go see the Gateway Arch and the Budweiser brewery tomorrow. But wait Owen dont you hate Budweiser (answer: yes), so why are you going? This is the biggest brewery in the US if not the world, I would be remiss if I skipped it simply because of my anti shitty beer stance. After that I plan on getting some St Louis style BBQ and heading on to Oklahoma. I will do my best to grab a burrito, but there is only so much that I can handle during such a short time.

Ill update tomorrow after I get as far as I can. I really dont want to go to Oklahoma City, so I will probably just drive until I cant take it any more then crash for the night. I am really excited about catching the last days of the Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon festival on Saturday and Sunday.
-O

The Rundown
Miles: ~650
Money spent on Gas: $105
Hours spent driving: ~10
Burritos: KY, IN, IL
Overreaching though: I hate driving in the rain for 7 hours
Plan for tomorrow: Brews, BBQ, Arches, and singing songs that spell out the name of the state that I am traveling to

On the first day God made pepsi max

Ok its been a long day so this will hopefully be a short one.

I am currently sitting at a Super 8 motel in Kent, OH a little more than 500 miles into the 2400 mile road trip.

Today started with my typical rush hour empire state plaza commute followed by 6 hours at Lindsay Drug in Troy where I accomplished approximately 45 minutes of work. This rotation was trying for me because it was my 2nd community rotation in a row and I was bored out of my mind. I did get to learn a lot of DME and wound care, as well as some pharmacy type business so it wasnt a complete waste. Once I got out of rotation I hit the Thruway all they way to Buffalo and down to Erie, PA. That drive was relatively uneventful except for an EZpass that only works when it wants to, helping a guy find his tire iron, and seeing people drive 80 miles an hour through an epic downpour. Once in PA I was looking for a truck stop to gas. I pulled into what looked liek a truck stop, only to find out that the place with all the glowing lights and trucks in the parking lot was not a truck stop but an Adult novelties store. After driving around the building looking for gas pumps I realized my mistake and headed on down the road, but I thought it was a pretty funny mixup. From there it was smooth driving through relatively empty roads through Ohio. I had to make a small detour to get my Ohio burrito only to find out that the place the GPS wanted me to go was closed, I would up only being able to get a premade burrito from a Circle K, but it was a burrito none the less. For those who dont know my quest to eat a burrito in each state (Burritos across the US), its pretty self explanatory. Today makes 15 states plus New Jersey (not a state), and I plan on getting 2 or 3 states cleared out tomorrow.

Plans for tomorrow are to go to the football hall of fame in Canton, OH then go to Cincy, Louisville, cut across Indiana and Illonois and hit St Louis by tomorrow night. Friday will hopefully include a trip to the Gateway arch and the Budweiser brewery. Ill try to update from the road as often as I can but the main goal is getting where I need to go safely and quickly. Now its time to rest and get ready for tomorrow.
-O

The Final Countdown

The title says it all, this is truly the final countdown. My car is packed, the atlas is purchased, the route is mapped, and the no doz is stocked up on. The only thing standing between me and the road is 12 hours of rotation. Ive got a few minor things to take care of, but for the most part im ready. Today I cashed in my savings bonds in order to free up some extra funds for the trip. The little asian girl at the bank said it best "this bond is older than I am," so thanks for everyone who gave baby Owen savings bonds. What bugs me is that one bond is from 2001, who gives a 16 year old a savings bond, apparently im so disappointed that I blocked that memory from my mind.

On another front I have found a job. While its not the big boy job that I have been looking for. My former preceptor, Sal, is the coordinator of the lab at ACPHS Vermont. He was able to set up a part time position as a lab instructor and offered it to me. We have talked about this in the past but now that it has been formally offered I feel pretty good about it. It is only a 8 to 10 hours a week but its a foot in the door. Who knows this could have the potential for a full time position in a few years. This may also be a selling point for companies, but we shall see.

That is about all for now, I probably wont have a chance to post tomorrow, but ill hopefully post while on the road.
-O

The Weekend That Was

So believe it or not I was the sober responsible one at Oktoberfest. That basically means that I did not get cited for public urination or pass out in the bushes behind Graneys, and on top of all that I made it home safely and slept in my own bed. Yes it was that good of a time. Tim and I showed up at 11:30 and beat the crowd so that we even got in for free. We met up with Lou, Grassi, Randy, Keimer, Amar, Scott, Jon, and Raj throughout the course o f the day. We all had a good time enjoying the beer, sausage, liederhosen, beer, das boot, a dunking booth filled with beer, and of course beer. You know you have had a good afternoon when you go to a bar in order to sober up. Our friendly bartender Aubrey took care of us, and except for Tim's outdoor powernap a good time was had by all. I lied when I said I made it to my own bed, I made it back to the futon in the guest room at Morris, but that is basically the closest thing to my bed that I have. If I can make a recommendation to everyone with the option to sleep on a futon for 5 weeks DONT DO IT.

Sunday I worked at the Colonie store. Things are pretty crazy at all the Walgreens in the area because of the flu shots. Each store is doing 30 to 90 each day on top of the normal prescription load. It seems that we are extremely understaffed to do this. When you have only 1 tech to handle the entire pharmacy while the pharmacist is spending 5 minutes each to shot it really adds up. On top of that there is a mountain of paperwork that needs to be done for each shot. Since this is the first year of shots I assume things will get straightened out for next year. The entire climate of Walgreens appears to have changed with people rushing around and working more and more. I actually enjoy being busy most of the time so I dont mind it, but those people who have spent the past 2 years working in extremely slow stores have had a rude awakening. I really admire how much Walgreens has been able to do for the flu shots while Lindsays hasnt been able to do anything. At the independent it is easier to make small improvements, but they fall short when making any sweeping changes because they have to do everything themselves. Seeing the contrast, especially working a shift at Lindsays then going to work a shift at Walgreens, is a really eye opening experience.

Other than that I am working a lot this week (67 hours) between Lindsays and Walgreens, but I get 2 days off at the end of rotation so I can take my time heading to Arizona. I went to a seminar on finances and am meeting with the financial planners on Tuesday. I hope to spend some time in Arizona learning about how finances work so that I can get set up when I graduate.

Ive got a few things to take care of for the road trip. Now that my car is set I have to pick up supplies and organize everything I am going to need for the next 2 months. The hardest thing is predicting what to bring for all the places I will be going and the change into late fall and winter throughout the country. I will hopefully get as much of the stuff done that I can on Sunday so that I can enjoy my last few days in the Northeast.