Overhead

I'm so excited I could pee glitter.  (Hilarious.  I laughed like crazy.)

Kaboom

I was up very early on Saturday morning. 515am to be exact. Reason for the early rise was that I had to be at an elementary school in Saucier, MS (pronounced So Sure, go figure. I wanted to pronounce it the french way but was quickly told that it is So Sure.) We were doing a one day build of a playground at the elementary school and I was talked into be a Build Captain.

Kaboom Inc. is an organization that believes every child deserves a place to play and their mission is to build playgrounds across the country. Each playground is completed in one day with simultaneous builds and arts and crafts taking place at the playground. The school, the community and volunteer organizations are heavily involved. Fannie Mae is a sponsor and sent some of their folks down from Washington DC, SF and other points around the country to participate in this and other builds that were taking place in the Mississippi area this week.

A lot of prep work and coordination goes into making the one day build a success. That day was Thursday of this week. Lots of lifting of heavy lumber, of pieces of the puzzle that was the play structure, of nuts and bolts, of mulch, mulch and more frakking mulch.

The structure that I was a Build Captain on was the Planter Benches and Shade Structure. Lots of wood. Lots of drilling. Lots of screwing. Lots of hammering. Lots of dumping of potting soil. Lots of sanding. After some bumps in the road the structure was final put together in record time. The person in the picture with me is Todd the co-captain. He was responsible for the shade structure. Unfortunately, when we married the two pieces together his piece was way off and had to be taken down and reassembled correctly from scratch. (The bump in the road.) Thank God I commandeered a carpenter from another project. The end result was pretty good even if I do say so myself. See picture below.

There were many projects going on. I was so focused on my project that I forgot to get shots of all the others.

The build started at 845am and was done by 130pm. Not a bad day. I'm tired as crap and sore like crazy but it's a good tired and soreness.

Oh, one thing about Kaboom builds is that they are a huge amount of fun.  In addition to wearing the purple vest signifying that you are a build captain we also wear funny hats and leis and glasses and noses etc.  Music is pumping loudly. Food is served.  Water and gatorade provided for hydration.  A really fun vibe.  If you hear about a Kaboom build in your area volunteer.  You will not be disappointed. 

You can check their website at Kaboom.org to see if there is anything going on in your area.  

This structure ROCKS!!!

I once was blind, but now I see.

I've been really blind since I've been in Biloxi and it's surrounding cities of Long Beach, Gulfport and Pass Christian.  Yes, I've seen first hand some of the damage that this little storm called Katrina had wrought but I wasn't really seeing the complete devastation.  

My eyes were opened this week while I was working with the tree doc Rob.  I asked him to paint a verbal picture of the area, Long Beach and Pass Christian, that we were working in along route 90/Beach Blvd in MS.  He said that all along this road were huge houses that had been around for a really long long time.  Some houses had one or two other houses of the same lot because the lots were that build.  Live Oak trees framed all of the houses because they'd been around before anything else was here.  There was a boardwalk along some of the beach.  In some areas like Biloxi it was more commercial rather than residential but there were some houses thrown in for good measure.  He said to imagine Long Beach and Pass Christian like down the Jersey shore along the boardwalk with houses lining it.   Now imagine the Jersey shore with less than half its present houses, roads ripped up, boardwalk gone, stores and gas stations wiped off the map, not just long shore, but for about a good quarter of a mile inland.  

This is where my jaw dropped and my eyes were finally opened.  When I originally looked at these areas I saw houses and in some cases there were some remnants of foundations where houses or other structures stood, but what I mistakenly took for just overgrown lots that was never residentially or commercially developed had indeed been a plots of land where houses had stood.  And there were many of these such parcels of land.   I was dumbstruck!   Nothing remained in these lots.  No foundations, no nothing.  

I asked him how was this possible and tree doc Rob goes on to tell me that the water was 25 feet high!  25 feet high with huge refrigerated trucks and containers roils around in it from Gulfport.  These items along with huge paper reams would hit the houses and destroy them.  And what this flotsam and jetsam didn't take out Katrina did with her wind and rain.  The houses didn't stand a chance.  Neither did the trees.  (I reported in an earlier post that a minimum number of trees were damaged.  Incorrect.  A large number of trees were definitely destroyed; a larger number I'm happy to say survived though.)  If you looked closely you could see where the trees were scarred really high in their branches.  In some cases, a street or two in from the beach, you could still see clothing and other bits and pieces of someone's life still stuck in the trees branches.  

I now see Biloxi, Gulfport, Long Beach and Pass Christian in a different light.  I still can't conceive of water that high just coming ashore.  I can and do however, still see all the damage that was done to people, homes and infrastructure of these cities.  

Americans are a hearty bunch and given time these cities will be back and better than ever.  Wish them luck!

- Wil

Just as an aside:  Just want to say that I'd glad that I wasn't here right after Katrina hit.   Apparently the smell was HORRIBLE.   Remember those refrigerated freight containers, well they contained frozen meats and chicken and stuff.  When they broke open and were strewn all over the place and left to rot I'm told it stunk to high heaven.  (See I wouldn't have been able to deal with that, I can barely stomach the stink at the corner of 17th street and 5th Avenue near Aldo shoes or the pee smell in the subwa stair wells in the summer.)  Residents were afraid that the smell would never leave the area.  

I happy to report that it has or else I wouldn't be here. What! BDK.

(Yes, Jennifer D. I've been washing my hands before I eat.)

- Wil

Dilemma (the conclusion): What I did.

I was blown away by her statement.  

My first response was "no, no, no, no, You are not putting that crap on me."  I told her in no uncertain terms that there was no way possible that she was getting an "I don't want to be around a sick person" vibe from me or Ellen for that matter.  No frakking way possible.   

I then asked her is she was ready for the truth.  The honest truth.  She said yes.

 I then told her that what I'm about to say is said in the spirit of love and friendship.  It's not meant to hurt her in any way possible and I apologize if it does. 

 And then I told her.  I told her everything.  I told her about the monopolizing of conversations, the told her how she doesn't listen and talks right over people, I told her that people get frustrated when they can't get a word in edge wise.  I told her that conversation is a two way street and not one direction.  

I said it all.  I told it all to her. And throughout it all she keep drinking from her cup without saying a word.  At one point she mentioned how people have told her that she's a good listener to which I replied I don't doubt it, but when you get on a roll in talking you don't listen what the other person is saying.  Her response?  Whatever!  

So after I said it all she got up and she that she was going to go read.  She said goodnight and left.  And I felt like the most horrible person that has ever walked the face of earth.  I felt sick to my stomach.  I felt like I'd done the most terrible thing imaginable to anyone.  I was so upset I almost smoked!  Almost beotches, almost.  

My only consolation is that I didn't say what I said to her to be malicious.  I know that I said it in the spirit of love and hoped that I would be received as such.  

To date, one day later, when I hi say to her she barely speaks a greeting back.  And I'm okay with that.   

Dilemma

I found myself in a dilemma yesterday and want to know how you would have handled this same situation.  

There is a certain woman here at Hands On the Gulf Coast who by her nature is extremely gregarious.  She tells some of the most personal aspects of her life without batting an eye, things that you and I would think twice about revealing.  When I a dialog with her, actually it more like a monologue, you can barely get a word in edgewise.  It's like she's not aware of the regular rules of conversation.  She talks and talks and talks.  She talks when she works, she talks when she eats, when you eat, when you are trying to read and giving all the obvious signals that you want to continue reading.  She talks when you are in a hurry and trying to get away but you can't because she doesn't provide the break in the monologue to say "hey I have to go."  I have seen people go out of their way to avoid her for fear of getting into conversation with her.  I've had people complaint to me that she talks so much.  Her stories are interesting to say the least and she's lead a truly fascinating life if everything in her stories are to be believe.  Oh, the other thing is that she repeats her stories over and over again.  Additionally, she will repeat what you've mentioned to her but she very well might get some of the details that you said wrong.  Don't get me wrong I really like this woman.  She is a hoot, but you just have to be adept at ending the conversation in your own time and not hers.  I should tell you that she's in her sixties but a youthful elderly person.  And I should also tell you that she has cancer.  She says that this is her last remission.  I don't know what that means her "last" remission but that's what she told me on Tuesday.

Some further background.  My first week here Ellen, Justin and I spent a lot of time with this woman.  Them more so than me, but I had my fair share of conversations and work time with her.  Then for reasons that Ellen could never truly explain this woman just removed herself from our little group and would barely say anything to us when we saw her the latter part of that first week.  Ellen and I were at a loss to explain what had happened.  

Fast forward to yesterday afternoon around 430pm in the common space of Home Base.  I'm sitting down reading "No Country for Old Men"  (better than the movie) and she comes in and sits down and starts talking.  Same old stuff and some new stuff cause I hadn't spoken to her in a while.  She tells me that the reason she removed her self from our presence at the end of last week is because she got the feeling from us that we didn't want to be around someone who was sick!!  She goes on to say that she notice how people were re-acting to her and her cancer so she decided to remove herself and just keep to herself.  She said that people have told her in the past that they don't want to be around her because she with cancer.  

That's the dilemma that I was confronted with yesterday:  A woman telling me that she didn't want to be around me and others because she detected that we didn't want to be around a terminally sick person when I actuality what she was detecting was people not wanting to be around her because she monopolized the conversations.  

What did I do?  

What would you have done?  

- Wil

LN:  please send me your email address.  Need to talk to you about this.  - Wil

Priceless

Asking a favor of a friend via gmail chat:  $0 

Saying "hi" to others as relayed through friend #1: $0

Unexpected and without warning finding yourself in a chat room with 6 friends for over an hour chatting like you never left the office:  PRICELESS 

Trees and holes

When I die I want to come back as a Live Oak tree.

For the better part of the day today I was working with some tree guys. We were digging holes all around Live Oak trees and then filling the holes with nutrient rich mulch. This process is called vertical mulching and is done so that the tree's roots system will have pockets of nutrients to find in the sandy soil and will thus spread out. Additionally, with these island of goodness in the sandy soil worms and other creepy crawlers will burrow into the mulch and distribute it into the sand making the sand more habitable for other creepy crawlers and if the sand is better then the trees are better. Backbreaking work but the trees get so much out of it and are so much more healthier because of it.

All along the coast of Mississippi there are thousands upon thousands of these Live Oak trees. Nature did something extremely right in creating these trees. Even while house were blown off of their foundations and other man made structures buckled under the Katrina winds and water these Live Oak trees didn't budge. A relatively small number bit the dust but still. Some of these twisted and broken trees along Beach Blvd were turned into chainsaw sculpture by a local artist. His work is amazing. Some sculptures take the form of Eagles/Pelicans perched on a tree branches, totems and soaring wooden things with the details so exact that you are hard pressed to believe that they were created with a chainsaw. The work is even more amazing when you realize that the ex-tree's roots system is still anchoring the pieces of sculpture below ground. I'll see if I can get some pictures of the sculptures.

The oldest of these Live Oak trees is a tree called the Friendship Oak on the campus of the University of Southern Mississippi. The Campus was severely damaged but the 500+ year old Live Oak tree survived without barely a scratch. This is a remarkable feat considering some of the devastation that I saw today. I had lunch under this tree today with it huge branches touching the ground creating a diameter of a couple hundred feet. (No joke, this tree is huge.) I hope the pictures below does it justice.

So when I die send me back as a Live Oak tree. Make sure that I'm planted in a field where there is nothing around me so that I can have my branches grow up and then down to the ground like the Friendship Tree giving much need shade to anyone who sits underneath.

- Wil

Undevastatedness and introductions

My first week as a volunteer has come and gone. It's been a good week. An interesting one but good one none the less. Expectations are a funny thing. You go into doing whatever with certain expectations. When those expectations are not met you have a couple of choices; remove yourself from you situation or adapt. I'm glad that I adapted. I honestly didn't know if this organization was for me. My greeting that first day was uneventful and then I was left alone to my own devices with little to no lay of the land.

Fortunately I met Ellen soon after I arrived. She had arrived a couple of hours before me and was sitting outside reading when I road up. We were both here on our own without the nuisance of traveling with a group of 18 - 24 year olds. (Not that there's anything wrong with them.) We hit it off from the start. Throw in the fact that she loves the Waffle House as much as I do, rides a motorcycle as well (no she didn't ride down to Biloxi like I did. She chickened out and flew. What! It's true and you know it) and is not afraid of hard work and we were destined to be friends.

If it wasn't for this woman this first week would literally have been hell. I believe we made it bearable for each other. We could unwind at the end of a really busy and laborious day with a beer at the Pub nearby home base and talk about people.

Yesterday I overheard Ellen give some of the best advice to a long term volunteer. (Sorry for eavesdropping Ellen). This one young woman was lamenting about being in this environment of redevelopment and flux and construction and such. Ellen, in her wisdom, told this young woman that she has get to periodically get out of this environment and go somewhere else that has been affected by Katrina (say it with me, the Beotch). A place were people aren't working to rebuild. A place where life is going on a normal without the reminder of the devastation that Katrina (that Beotch) wrought.

I thought about this some. I thought that so many of the other long term volunteers that have been doing this in Biloxi would really benefit from hearing the same thing. For so many this volunteering effort has become their life. Their existence. Some truly need to take a step back, a step away and step out into a world of "undevastatedness" for a little bit. Really good advice I think.

I took that to heart today, Sunday and went to the beach with Yvonne and just enjoyed the sun, surf and day without thinking about volunteering. It was a good day.

The sad news is that today was Ellen last day volunteering. She left early in the morning (heavy sign) and now I'm all alone. I'll see her again when I ride to Cary on my way back to NYC as she and her hubbie live not to far from the Pollocks (formerly of NY but not related to Jackson or apparently the fish by the same name.)

You guys unfortunately won't get a chance to meet this motorcycle riding, beer swilling, Waffle House loving, volunteer but you get a chance to see her. Her picture is attached. (Don't hate me Ellen I know you hate taking pictures as much as I do, but I couldn't resist.)

Please show her love as she's back at work now probably reading this and laughing her butt off. Hi Ellen. Guess what I had for breakfast today. Yep, WH. Miss you much. Wish you were here putting up with the madness with me. LOL.

That's it for now my little monkeys. Until next time.

Jenoy (read the first blog if you don't know what this means.)

- Wil

M.A.S.H.

Back in the day M.A.S.H. was one of my favorite TV shows.  I loved watching the antics of Hawkeye, BJ, Trapper John, et al and couldn't wait for next week's episode.   I would watch the show and think how cool it would be to live in a tent with my friends.  I think we all at some point or other in our life have built makeshift tents and forts in our youth and spent a night or two in them until mom and dad were like "enough take the tent/fort down and sleep in your bed."   

Where is he going with this you might ask?  I'll tell you.  Today we began dismantling a tent city in the city of Pass Christian pronounced kinda frenchlike:  Pass Chris Ti Ann.  Pass Christian is west of Biloxi about 10 - 15 miles down Route 90.  The tent city was built after Katrina hit and most folks were living in it for an extended period of time.  These is nothing glamorous about living in a tent at all.  Most accommodated 9 people with the bare minimum of living space for personal effects.  Fortunately, the tents were equipped with A/C (much needed in the southern heat).  

Make no mistake about it the work was hard.  As I write this I still feel the effects on my shoulders and legs from all the lifting and hauling away of debris that we did.  Wesley the guy who we were working for originally said that he wanted us to take down 10 tents.  Ha, I say.  Did you get a good look at those tents.  They are pretty huge.  By days' end we got 5 of the 50 tents take down to the wooden studs.  Wesley said that it would have taken him a week to do that five on his own.  I'm glad that we were able to help.  

As I write this I'm in my own kinda tent here in Biloxi.  It definitely isn't a permanent structure at all.  I wonder, how long could I live in the partitioned off room with hundreds of people around me?  How long could I put up with having a 4 minute time limit on the shower if I'm showing in the morning? (I shower at night so I don't have to do the 4 minute rule)  How long could I put up with walking outside to the outdoor shower stalls and showering in the cold, the heat, the rain?  How long could I put up with brushing my teeth, taking a dump, a piss, flossing my teeth surrounded by people that I don't know?  How long could you?  

The folks here did it for as long as they needed to.  For some it was years.   For others weeks or months.  In the end you do what you have to do for as long as you have to do it.  Creature comforts are thrown out the window and replaced with basic necessities for living.  Protection from the elements and running water.  Thanks to the army there was a little more than that for these folks and that God for it too.  

Perspective.  I have a different one now of tent life.  It ain't all glamorous and frolic filled as M.A.S.H. portrayed.  Then again nothing ever is.  

Enjoy the pictures.  

- Wil

P.S.  Met the Mayor of Pass Christian.  The city hall was destroyed by the Beotch as well so the Mayor's office was at tent city as well.   He had a trailer though. 

Survey says

Thursday April 17th a.m. was a continuation of the all day Wednesday affair of cleaning a nearly completed house top to bottom.  Think the house scenes during Extreme Home Makeover Home Edition where the cleaning hordes are cheerfully and thoroughly cleaning the house while at the same time the network employs clever uses of product placement.  This ain't that.  This is three people, me, Ellen, Ginger and Justin, or what amounts to three people cleaning because the last two count as one, on our hands an knees working our fingers to the bone making this house shine!  This ain't not tons of people, folks.  Dis' heer' is juss usses!  Ellen and I are working our bums off and the two halves are working at half our speed.  We like them though, they are fun to be around.  They are really amazing people, just not the most focused or speediest folks around.  And that's okay too.  

Right before lunch I was reminded just how dangerous construction can be.  One of the long term female volunteer nearly cut her finger off today while using a mixing paddle machine.  It was a careless accident that almost cost her her finger.  Needless to say work on the front of the house prepping the ground for a concrete driveway came to a screeching halt.  Me and the rest of the crew continued to work in the house however.  When we left for lunch that place was a sparkling.  No joke, that beotch was luminous.  

I saw the head guy later this evening at Home Base and he raved about how amazing the house looked.  He said that he took down one of the Do Not Enter signed on one of the bedroom doors and put it on the front of the house.  Score!!

Oh, the house was a 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom thingy (as my nephew Chance would say).  Oh twice, she didn't lose her finger.  She's fine didn't cut any tendons or anything.  

The afternoon saw us conducting surveys for East Biloxi Redevelopment blah blah blah and blah (otherwise and henceforth known as the Center.)  We were basically doing need assessment to find the status of residents in East Biloxi two years after Katrina (that beotch, seriously you have frakking idea what a beotch she really was.  I know I didn't.)  

We needed to do a visual inspection of the outside of the house to answer some basic questions. Whether the house was a fema trailer home or a mema house.  Whether the property was for sale or not or vacant lot or building etc.   The remaining questions we need to answer by talking to the residents.  I should tell you that East Biloxi is historically a poor area with high crime.  Is it the South Bronx in the 70s, or Marcey Projects in Brooklyn or Cabrini Greens in Chicago in the 70s or 80s with the constant threat of gun fire where you could die at a moments notice.  No.  It's a southern depressed area where the vast majority of residents are poor blacks, whites and vietmanese (sp?).  Most residents had lived in the neighborhood going on about a hundred years when Katrina hit and literally destroyed their home.  

First person we talked to was Miss Lula M Bell.  (This is not a joke, this is her name.)  God fearing elderly southern woman who lived in Biloxi all her life working in a shrimp factory.  This woman loves her some Jesus like there's no tomorrow.  And prior to moving into the house that she was just moving into she lived in a FEMA trailer house for two years with eight people and formaldehyde making them sick.  Eight people in a trailer made for, at max, 3.  One slept in the drivers seat, one in the passenger seat two on the floor and only God knows where the others were.  FOR TWO YEARS!!! But the Lord provided for her and she's thankful.  

I listened to Lula's story and Alonzo's story with his paraplegic wife still living in a FEMA trailer still.  Him sleeping on a couch in the trailer for two years because his wife needs the bed, and I can't be not touch.  All I can do is listen.  And write and take down what they still need to have done around their home.  I listen and I get sad that so many have had to suffer and live in these conditions for so long.  Conditions that you reading right now couldn't even conceive of living in.  And these folks continue to live in these conditions for whatever reason.   

Grown sons living with elderly moms because his house was washed away and he has no where to go. 

Some folks, like the Creels, had the means and the where with all to pay laborers to get there house back to where they needed it to be.  They didn't wait for the government money.  They took out loans and paid it back and are back in their amazing home after being out of it for about 6 months because they had 6 feet of water inside.  6 feet!! I would have drowned.   

Not all the stories are heartbreaking.  There are many success stories out there.  This afternoon, more so than any other on this visit so far, has opened by eyes to what the residents of Biloxi experienced; and after speaking to them they are some much more than what their survey says.  

I don't want to forgot Lula M. Bell (I'm smiling from ear to ear just thinking about her right now) and the Creels and the rest of them that told me their stories and opened their homes and in some cases their hearts.  I know I will but it's okay because today confirmed for me that I made the right decision coming to Biloxi.   

- Wil

p.s.  I apologize if this is a rambling mess.  It's late and I'm really tired.  Late, it's only 1226am, but I'm normally in bed by 1030pm.  Can you believe that?  I still can't.  

Across the miles

It's a voice that I hadn't heard in a while telling me that it just wanted to check in to make sure that I arrived in Biloxi safely.  

It's an instant message conversation with my mom assuring her that I am liked and am doing fine. 

It's a text from: my sister on the first day that I hit the road wishing me God's speed and blessings; one of my boys letting me know that he misses me and that he's thinking of me; a "hi honey" from one of my girls; it's a picture of the lovely Mozarts from one of the coolest couples that I know.  

It's a "Maaaammma" and a "Billy" and a "Yes" and a "I'm reading them" and a lovely "Hi honey bunch sugar pie" in the comment sections of my blogs

It's my family and my friends all reaching out to me across the miles showing me so much love and support.  I miss and love you all as well.  Thank you for all the love.  You don't know how much hearing from you makes my day; be it a text, a comment or email.  

Thank you so much.  - Wil

P.S.  I have so much to tell you about today (Thursday April 17th).  It really incredibly moving on so many levels.  Watch this space.  I'll blog later tonight.  

The boxes tell the story

For the past two days I've worked in a library getting books ready for the book sale that the library plans to hold in the coming days.  The water damage in the library was extensive; about 3 feet of water covered the entire library.  Fortunately a large number of books were saved. 

The library itself is this amazing building across the street from city hall in downtown Biloxi.  It was designed by some famous architect whose name escapes me right now and was featured in some blah blah magazine winning the blah blah award.  Unfortunately, as far a libraries go the design was completely wrong.  Most libraries are modeled after a shoe box.  This one wasn't and consequently had too many angles and cubby holes for people to hide in and get into trouble.  The librarians had a hard time monitoring the place.  As a result the city of Biloxi has decided to build another more fitting library.  They haven't decided what they will do with this one yet, but chances are they will demolish it.  Too bad for award winning what's his name and his feature in blah blah magazine.  

After Katrina (that beotch) when folks across the country heard that all of Biloxi's libraries had been hit hard people from across American started sending books from their own personal libraries.  Bookstores sent books.  Publishers sent books.  Everyone sent books and the labels on the boxes tell the story of where they came from.  Apparently there are a hell of a lot of Danielle Steel, Steve King, Johnathan Kellerman, David Baldacci, Mary Higgins Clark, Dan Brown, Nora Roberts, Patricia Cornwell, Tom Clancy and many many more lovers out there.  

If you are thinking about sending your books DON'T.  Trust me.  They have enough.  

Oh, I can't begin to tell you how incredibly dusty it is in the library.  I probably have an inch of dust in my lungs.  If I die, sue this frakking city because of all the dust I inhaled.  

Hope you enjoy the pictures.  

Is anybody reading these posts?  

Throwing up on a motorcycle going 65 mph without stopping

So this is definitely do-able. 

The trick is to throw up in the fast lane on your left hand side.  This way you don't have to let go of the throttle.  It's basically a quick head turn to the left, a huge heave ho of your stomach's contents (hand on the throttle the entire time) and a watchful eye on the road with your right eye and you are good to go.  

Be mindful of the flowback.  If you don't get down far enough or lean out enough you might get "Ralph" on anything you are carrying behind you or on that nimrod who had the bad luck to come up behind you.  Serves him right for tailgating.  What!

Biloxi, MS

Arrived at Hands On the Gulf Coast on Sunday. The atmosphere is pretty laid back. As Sunday's is everyone's day off most volunteers were out at the beach since the weather was amazing or hanging around Home Base checking emails, reading or vegging out.

Home Base is a hangar like building with a loft sleeping area ringing the perimeter of the upper level. Ground level main area is where meals are eaten, people hang out, surf the net. This level houses kitchen, bathrooms, offices and computers. Upper level is sleeping area, mostly bunk bed out in the open, think army barracks There are some private rooms. Upon arrival I was told to take any bed that didn't have stuff on it which were most of them because a large group of volunteers had recently left. I chose one but noticed that a guy who had arrived after me had received one of the private rooms. I asked him about this. Apparently he was told to take a room if it was empty and since he found one that was empty he grabbed it. How nice for him. These rooms are few and far between but there just so happened to have been another vacant room two door down from him which me told me about that was in desperate need of 1. a thorough cleaning and 2. me. So I took it. It's not much to write home about but it's mine and it's private. SCORE!

Oh, nearly froze my ass of last night. Which idiot had the bright idea to have the AC on when the weather was almost below freezing last night.

Here are pictures of Home Base.

Top Five

So here's my list of the top five things you don't expect to see on the interstate highways system.

5.  A sail boat in the middle of the road.

4.  A hooker trying to flag down a John. (Are we still calling them hookers? Or do they preferred to be called "call girls."

3.  Body parts. (I'm still holding out hope that the arm and legs were prosthetic limbs and not the real McCoys.)

2.  A police officer getting what appears to be a bj?  (I got nothing to say about this one.)

And the number 1 thing you don't expect to see on the interstate highway system, wait for it:  

1.  Bigfoot.  (He was about 8 feet tall by the side of the highway, covered in hair and looked like he step out of the movie Harry and the Hendersons.  You draw you own conclusions.  LOL)  

CARY, North Carolina

I have it on good authority (from Brad Pollock formerly of the NY Pollocks, but not related to Jackson) that CARY is actually and acronym for Containment Area for Relocated Yankees.  That being said it is really an amazing place to live and work particularly with all the universities: NC State, Duke and UNC, research triangle (Raleigh/Durham, Chapel Hill) and multi-national corporations that make Cary their home.  It's southern in that it is south of NY but not so southern that you hear a very thick southern accent.  

A transplanted NYer would be very much at home here without really missing a beat.  Granted, however, you probably wouldn't be able to hit the clubs till the wee hours of the morning or afternoon (if you party as hard as I used to) but then again you probably wouldn't want to living here.  

You come to Cary or the many places like it to have a great quality of life.  A place where when your kids get home from schools they can run outside and play in the streets with the rest of the kids in the subdivision.  In Cary it's okay to wave to your neighbors as you pass them in your car as they walk their dogs, play with their kids or wash their cars (just informed by Brad that you can't wash your car because of water restrictions).  But you can go to the car wash and have a friendly conversation with anyone you met there.  I could see myself living here.  As a matter of fact the Pollocks are trying to get me to move here once my travels are over.  We'll see.  The weather is definitely a plus and the roads are made for motorcycle riding.  So we will see.  

This is the second time that I've visited Brad, Nory, Kyra and Ella in Cary and I gotta tell you they are the best.  On both occasions they've made me feel so comfortable in their home.  Five old Kyra remembered Uncle Wil with no problem since I last visited in August 2007, but Ella was a different story.  Once she realized that the GIANT wasn't going to eat her she warmed up to me again.  Both of them are absolutely adorable (I have to say that or else Brad and Nory will charge me for my stay) and when they get older the parents are going to have a hard time keeping the boys away from their front door.  I mean they are cutie pies.  

I've taken pictures of the kids and house and as soon as I figure out how to attach them here I will.  

The ride from Culpepper, Va (didn't realize it at the time but I was in Culpepper when I stopped last night) to Cary was a breeze.  Weather was warm and I didn't need to be as bundled up as I was when I left NYC.  As I got into NC it was downright  balmy.  Believe it or not I got sunburned on my face just hanging out in front of Casa de Pollock.  

Tomorrow (Saturday) I plan on putting about 700 miles on the bike.  I'll be leaving Cary early in the morning and will probably stop in or around the Atlanta area for the evening.  Not sure where yet cause chances are if the weather is nice and if my bum can take it I might just ride all the way to Biloxi.  Realistically that might not be viable but we will see.  

Until the next post be well.  

- Wil 

The Best Laid Plans...

My goal was to leave for Cary, NC on Wednesday the 9th at 1130am in order to get there between 730 - 830pm.  That was the plan and as the adage goes "the best laid plans...", umm, ahh well I don't actually know how the saying goes, so suffice it to say they typically get frakked up.  (Just Googled this saying and it reads:  "the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry," (H, I know you are proud of me looking that up, me and my non web savvy self.))

It started the night before.  Didn't plan on getting home as late as I did.  Didn't plan on packing taking so long, considering I had already laid out the clothing that I was taking.  Didn't plan on it looking like I was going away for 55 years with all the bags that I have.  Didn't plan on the luggage for the motorcycle only holding 3 pairs of jeans, 6 pairs of shorts, 10 tee shirts, a thin blankets, couple of long sleeve tees and that's it.  Seriously if I wasn't 6'3" and if my clothing did use so much material I could have packed a ton more.   No I'm serious. Didn't plan on going to bed at 4am.  Didn't plan on my mom calling me at 840am asking me if I'm up and "I thought you were leaving at 1130am why are you still asleep."  (Love you mom!) Didn't plan on family and friends calling to wish me well on my adventure.  Didn't plan on having to call my motorcycle shop 4 times to see if the new helmet I ordered came in as they promised it would on Tuesday.  (No, it wasn't in.)  Didn't plan on the 6'3" clothing in the luggage being so heavy and having to carry it all in one shot because there was no was I was leaving some stuff with the bike while I went back upstairs to get the rest.  Didn't plan on the bungee cord snapping and almost taking my finger off.  Didn't plan on the loading of the bike taking so long.  Didn't plan on answering all the questions from passers-by  in my neighborhood.  Didn't plan on having to stop so often to adjust my knapsack that appears destined to slide off of the really cheap Aero bed duffle bag that it's resting on.  At last count I stopped 15 times (I exaggerate more like 30) to adjust the stupid bad before it finally got it right.  Didn't plan for rush hour traffic in the Maryland, DC area.  Yuck, ycuk, ycku.  Didn't plan on only going 200 miles in 5 hours.  What the hell is that about?  Was going to try and do the remaining 300+ miles to Cary, NC but stopped after only going 100 more.  Hunger and tiredness reigned supreme.  So I got a hotel room.  

Didn't plan for any of these things but I wouldn't have it any other way.  Rule number one whilst vagabonding:  be flexible.  

Had I made plans to fly American to Cary, NC today I would be extremely ticked off.  (If you are reading this after the fact American canceled over 1000+ flights today.)

I've taken a picture of the motorcycle and will update it when I get to Cary, NC.  

- Wil

The Vagabond Monologues officially begins TAHDAY

Just a quick post to let you all know that I'm hitting the road today.  I'll be packing up my motorcycle shortly and will be headed to Biloxi, MS (Mississippi) and New Orleans.  Today however I'm headed to Cary, NC to stay with my friends for a couple of days.  I need to be in Biloxi by Sunday so as you can see I'm giving myself plenty of time to get there.  

Please send prayers for sunshine along my travel route.  There's nothing worst than riding in rain.  At some point I'll upload pictures of the bike stay tuned.  

Be well.  - Wil