The trip back east and the new chapter in my life:My first day was January 1st, 2005. I was living in Hollywood, CA at the time. Keep in mind that the weather was 70-80 degrees and sunny everyday. I traveled to Oakland, CA for an abridged 4-day training session with my west coast counter-part. It turns out my counter-part’s training ability was very limited, so I spent much of my time hanging out with a couple of friends from high school (who are/were not a couple) in San Francisco. Needless to say it was a priceless experience.
From there I was back on the 1-hour, Southwest flight to Los Angeles. I spent my final week in LA shadowing my west coast co-worker. We drove all around the Los Angeles County area to some of the worst schools, and neighborhoods, I had probably ever stepped foot in. Crenshaw High School was particularly inviting. We had to be sure to finish and leave before nightfall for fear of a possible drive-by, and the fact that we weren’t the most welcome of people in that territory didn’t help either.
On January 17th my solo road trip back east began. I drove up towards Nevada, but before I even got past the California state line, a sheet of metal in the far left lane punctured my front right tire, flattening it instantly. Luckily, I was still near civilization, and my tires and car were still under warranty. So, the tow truck was free, and the chain I purchased my tires from was less than 10 miles away. So, about 3-4 hours later I was back on the road. I drove through Las Vegas, into Utah and took a right at I-70. I drove about 800-900 miles per day. The iPod I bought for the trip broke about 1200 miles in. I was just getting into The Da Vinci Code when it stopped working. I also lost all of the music I had pirated from friends before my departure. I was pretty bummed to say the least. So, to keep myself busy during my 12+ hour shifts of driving, I took pictures of myself making a different face each time I crossed into a new state. I stayed at cheap motels. I stared off into the vast nothingness that was Kansas and Missouri. I was pulled over by a cop once very late at night for speeding, but he let me go with a warning (no special favors required!). As I closed in on my destination, everything became darker and colder, and I seriously considered turning back. I knew I had made a mistake. Who leaves Hollywood for the cold north east? I forged ahead, shaken, but determined to complete my mission, to make my return to “homeâ€.
The first friendly face encountered during my trip was in Pittsburgh, PA. He was a former IBMer I had worked with in Raleigh, NC. He had given up the corporate world and moved to Pittsburgh to open up a t-shirt air-brushing shop with his artist friend. The art was pretty amazing, but I wondered how this would possibly turn into a lucrative business. It gave me some comfort knowing that I had a stable job waiting for me one state over. After two nights hanging in the cold and snow covered downtown Pittsburgh area, I was off to complete the final leg of my trip. I had to make it to NY before a huge snowstorm was due to hit. The last 8 hours of the trek were upon me...
