"Controlled substances, sexual orientation, Little League..."
I'm safely ensconced in the Bay Area for the summer. jibb helped me load the car, check the car's fluid levels, and get snacks for the trip, and he put up with my moving stress, which manifested itself in being freaked out by loud noises and sudden movements and in being nearly in tears because the mini-litter boxes I bought were too big for the cat carriers and I was having trouble finding boxes around the house we could use instead. I think he's better at assuaging my stress than I am at doing the same for him, but I'm grateful. I'm going to miss him. Luckily we both will be making money this summer and can visit one another.
I left Seattle a little after 3 yesterday (rather later than intended), got to my motel in Yreka, CA, just before midnight, set out again at 11 this morning, and arrived here exactly 5 hours later. The Seattle sun turned into intermittent rain for all of Oregon, including fucking heavy rain in southern Oregon, and more drizzle going through Shasta this morning. The whole ride was accomplished with two cats tranked to the gills in their carriers in the back. They were very good kitties, though they certainly did not hesitate to let me know on multiple occasions, through their haze of kitty Valium, that they were not happy about the situation. Also, it turns out that when you put a small tray of clumping litter, a bowl of water, and an unhappy cat into a small box together, what you get is a carrier and a cat both covered in sludge. Boris needs a bath. (spider88 and stolen_tea: if you see Dwayne, let him know the cats arrived just fine. He saw me as I was leaving and expressed great concern that the cats would be traveling safely. You know he has six cats?!)
My iPod died some months ago, which meant I was at the mercy of the radio for 830 miles. I got a couple NPR stations: last night Eugene's KLCC was doing a Dead bootlegs show, followed by a studio session and interview with a singer-songwriter which yielded the title of this entry ("You've written songs on a variety of topics..."). And "A Prairie Home Companion" popped up on Northstate Public Radio once I hit Redding this afternoon, which made for the best couple hours of my trip, aurally. (And they were broadcasting from Wolf Trap! Made me nostalgic for last summer.) But most of the drive down was nothing but Jesus stations, country (I admit to maybe singing along to "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy"), Spanish-language (I always get so hopeful when I hear accordions, but it is never Sea Chantey Radio. Never), and classic rock. I have listened to enough classic rock stations' Memorial Day Top 500 Countdowns to last a lifetime. Songs the cats don't like (unless they were actually singing along):
"Slow Ride," Foghat
"Don't Bring Me Down," ELO
"More Than Words," Extreme
"Cold as Ice," Foreigner
"Finish What Ya Started," Van Halen
"Candyshop," 50 Cent (there were a couple hip-hop stations along the way too)
For whichever of those songs now gets lodged in your head, you're welcome. Oh! So you know all these "dude name" radio stations? On the way down I heard Jack FM, Charlie, Mike, and Bob. Look how many there are! Daaamn, Entercom!
I also learned from the radio that Judas Priest is working on a concept album. Fear.
Anyway. I'm here. The cats are okay. We're at my parents' place in Fremont, where I'll be staying for my first week in town, until I move into my sublet in the ghetto at the start of June. Sorry I had to miss the BBQ today, but I passed out a couple hours after I got in and had a nice long nap. I got like two hours of sleep last night due to a combination of the cats' drugs wearing off so they had to prowl all over the motel room all night making noise, and an irrational conviction that someone was going to break into my car, parked just outside my room, with many of my worldly possessions inside. Mostly the latter. No fun.
Tomorrow: finish the clinic paper I was unable to finish last week despite working feverishly on it; drop a rent check off at my sublet; exercise.
I left Seattle a little after 3 yesterday (rather later than intended), got to my motel in Yreka, CA, just before midnight, set out again at 11 this morning, and arrived here exactly 5 hours later. The Seattle sun turned into intermittent rain for all of Oregon, including fucking heavy rain in southern Oregon, and more drizzle going through Shasta this morning. The whole ride was accomplished with two cats tranked to the gills in their carriers in the back. They were very good kitties, though they certainly did not hesitate to let me know on multiple occasions, through their haze of kitty Valium, that they were not happy about the situation. Also, it turns out that when you put a small tray of clumping litter, a bowl of water, and an unhappy cat into a small box together, what you get is a carrier and a cat both covered in sludge. Boris needs a bath. (spider88 and stolen_tea: if you see Dwayne, let him know the cats arrived just fine. He saw me as I was leaving and expressed great concern that the cats would be traveling safely. You know he has six cats?!)
My iPod died some months ago, which meant I was at the mercy of the radio for 830 miles. I got a couple NPR stations: last night Eugene's KLCC was doing a Dead bootlegs show, followed by a studio session and interview with a singer-songwriter which yielded the title of this entry ("You've written songs on a variety of topics..."). And "A Prairie Home Companion" popped up on Northstate Public Radio once I hit Redding this afternoon, which made for the best couple hours of my trip, aurally. (And they were broadcasting from Wolf Trap! Made me nostalgic for last summer.) But most of the drive down was nothing but Jesus stations, country (I admit to maybe singing along to "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy"), Spanish-language (I always get so hopeful when I hear accordions, but it is never Sea Chantey Radio. Never), and classic rock. I have listened to enough classic rock stations' Memorial Day Top 500 Countdowns to last a lifetime. Songs the cats don't like (unless they were actually singing along):
"Slow Ride," Foghat
"Don't Bring Me Down," ELO
"More Than Words," Extreme
"Cold as Ice," Foreigner
"Finish What Ya Started," Van Halen
"Candyshop," 50 Cent (there were a couple hip-hop stations along the way too)
For whichever of those songs now gets lodged in your head, you're welcome. Oh! So you know all these "dude name" radio stations? On the way down I heard Jack FM, Charlie, Mike, and Bob. Look how many there are! Daaamn, Entercom!
I also learned from the radio that Judas Priest is working on a concept album. Fear.
Anyway. I'm here. The cats are okay. We're at my parents' place in Fremont, where I'll be staying for my first week in town, until I move into my sublet in the ghetto at the start of June. Sorry I had to miss the BBQ today, but I passed out a couple hours after I got in and had a nice long nap. I got like two hours of sleep last night due to a combination of the cats' drugs wearing off so they had to prowl all over the motel room all night making noise, and an irrational conviction that someone was going to break into my car, parked just outside my room, with many of my worldly possessions inside. Mostly the latter. No fun.
Tomorrow: finish the clinic paper I was unable to finish last week despite working feverishly on it; drop a rent check off at my sublet; exercise.