This Is Me--2024 A to Z Theme

My A to Z Themes in the past have covered a range of topics and for 2024 the theme is a personal retrospective that I call "I Coulda Been" which is in reference to my job and career arc over my lifetime. I'll be looking at all sorts of occupations that I have done or could have done. Maybe you've done some of these too!

Friday, October 21, 2011

Sweet Ride Home

   

           For starters you might want to first head over to DiscConnected and click on the "Sweet Ride" video for some background music to accompany this blog post.  And while you're there say hi to my ol' pal Larry Cavanaugh.  He's got a great blog that's a great place to hear good music new and old.

            So now you got the music playing and I can tell you what's happening with me.  I'm heading back home to Tennessee again.  This year is the most times I've gone back to Tennessee in the same twelve month span.  This time is just another visit and not a relocation.  I'll be back in Los Angeles in time for the BlogWorld Expo.  I wouldn't want to miss that.

            I'll be driving a rental truck from Phoenix, AZ to Maryville, TN as I help my sister move back to be closer to family.  I've lost count of the number of times I've driven across country, but it's always been enjoyable to me.  The difference this time is that I'll be driving by myself as my two sisters follow in a car.

           As long as I'm able to stop whenever I need to and take a break from driving, I should be fine.  I do pretty well at long distance driving.  Usually I'm in a car with my wife and a good stereo.  I'll miss that part.  But driving alone in a truck that will probably be noisier and slower than my wife's car may actually have some benefits that I can take advantage of.

           For one thing I can plan out blog posts for the future.  I often do this even while driving short distances around town.  With eighteen hundred miles and three full days of driving I should be able to plan out blog posts for the next couple of years or so.  I'll keep a notebook in the truck cab with me so I can jot down my ideas when I take my breaks.  Now with five blogs under my name I'd better be doing some planning.

          Then considering that NaNoWriMo will be starting up shortly after I get back home, some of my thoughts will undoubtedly be drifting in that direction.  In my past two NaNo attempts I didn't start planning anything until the first day of the novel writing challenge.   I was considering taking this same approach this year, but now it looks like I may have a very busy November waiting for me and planning the novel ahead of time might be a helpful strategy.

          Another thing that I know will be on my mind as I'm driving is my BlogWorld Expo mission.  I will want to plan out a strategy of which booths I will want to visit the most and what I will want to learn.   Just a few days after I get back to Los Angeles, I will be facing what will possibly be one of the most intense opportunities for learning as much as I can in two days that I've ever experienced.  Getting psyched up for this event will require good planning if I want to get the most out of it.

         There will be no shortage of things to think about as I drive across country--my life, my job prospects, my family's future.   If I need to rest my brain and let someone else think for me I guess I'll always have the radio.  Unfortunately I won't have any mobile devices like a CD player or an I-pod, so that won't be an option, but I don't think I'll be lacking in things to keep my mind occupied.  Then of course, I should probably pay attention to driving some of the time.

          By now, if you were listening to the "Sweet Ride" song on Larry's DiscConnected blog, the song has probably ended.  If you weren't, maybe you can still hop over to his site and say hello to him.   I guess I'm thinking about Larry because he lives in Phoenix and I'll be in and out of town in such a flurry I won't have time to meet up with him

          For that matter I'd say anyone who lives along Interstate 40 between Holbrook, Arizona and Knoxville, Tennessee could stand along the roadside between today (Friday) and Sunday night and wave as I drive by in the rental truck.  Of course since I don't know exactly where I'll be at what time then that won't be very practical.  But if you do happen to see a rental truck rolling down that highway, just think of me.  Think of me anyway as I take my sweet ride home.

          Have you ever made a cross country move?    Did you rent a truck and move yourself?   Have you gotten to know my buddy Larry at Disconnected yet?


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31 comments:

  1. I've moved from Indiana to Florida a few times, but the trip isn't nearly as long. I bet you see all the wonderful changes from state to state.

    You seem really busy lately, so I hope all goes well over the next few weeks. I'll be doing NaNo, too.

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  2. I wouldn't say cross country, but from Connecticut to South Carolina and we had my minivan and a rental truck. It was a nightmare though as we always pick the perfect time *lol, not!* to do such things. road construction all the way and rain.

    Drive safe and enjoy your ride.

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  3. Good to hear you're making your return home buddy, have a safe journey. I love travelling, sometimes it's better to be between here and there than be here or there.

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  4. My cross country was in a truck with a camper on the back. Safe travels my friend. :)
    Jules @ Trying To Get Over The Rainbow

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  5. You enjoy the journey, and travel safely.

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  6. I envy you. I love driving across country. I done it four times as an adult and once with my parents as an eleven year old. I have driven ocean to ocean and it is cool.

    We haven't had a real road trip since Aug of 2008. I remember the days driving 26 foot UHauls loaded to the gills. I made one trip from Jacksonville, NC to Barstow, CA in 54 hours (that was in a car pulling a UHaul trailer)

    I will pray God gives you a safe uneventful trip. I think the last time I was in TN was in 1975 as we drove from one end to the other headed to the west coast.

    No music? Take an IPOD.

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  7. There's another Cavanaugh in the blogosphere? I had no idea.

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  8. I think carrying a notebook in the cab is a super idea, Lee. Looking forward to what the speeding scenery inspires. I think this is going to be pretty cool!

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  9. I've gone from NJ to FL in a move and then back and forth a few times.

    Safe trip! :)

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  10. Wow, I hope all goes well with that long drive.

    I love East TN; especially this time of year.

    Safe travels.

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  11. Taking I-40 all the way? That is a long, long drive. Yes, I've made several long trips across America. Road tunes are a necessity!

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  12. I've done that drive a few times (Ky) and good music and things to ponder are a must!

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  13. I'm doing my first NaNo this year, so I took a two-night class at the library called "Jumpstart Your NaNoWriMo" -- I now think I'm as prepared as I can possibly be.

    The drive to Tennessee sounds like an opportunity to do a lot of thinking and planning. Be safe!

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  14. Have a fun ride! I too enjoy a little behind the wheel time to think - but I've never driven that far before. Keep safe and how awesome would it be if someone showed up alongside the road to wave to you?

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  15. Thanks for the mention, Lee, and I am sure Perry (the artist) appreciates the plug!

    When my sister passed away a decade or so ago, she'd wanted me to have her Jeep. So I flew out to my parents house (Philadelphia) and drove it back to AZ.

    Sadly, I mostly drove the highways until Colorado, where I spent a couple of days exploring off-road trails at dizzying heights.

    I've made the drive from Phoenix to Houston as well.

    I would like to drive cross-country sometime with no time constraint and just check things out.

    Safe travels, my friend.

    Larry

    PS-to anyone who stops by my blog-I appreciate it it. I'm told the more hits I get, the higher it will rise in a Google search, and I'm trying to help promote the artists who send me CD's to review.

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  16. That picture reminded me of the time I lived in Texas. It was weird driving on flat roads. In Idaho all the roads are elevated. There are 'borrow' pits or ditches on both sides of the road to raise them up a foot for rain and snow run off.

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  17. YEAMIE WAFFLES ~

    "...sometimes it's better to be between here and there than be here or there."

    Hey, that was a GREAT line! I'm gonna have to check out your blog when I get done posting these comments here.



    ARLEE BOID ~
    Yo! Have yourself a (fun, safe, and) merry little road trip!

    I have been blessed with the opportunities of making numerous A-List road trips through the U.S. In fact, I have a road atlas on which I have highlighted ALL of the roads I've driven in America.

    But only once have I "literally" driven "cross country" or "coast to coast" or "sea to shining sea". That was in 1983, when my artist buddy Eric and I drove from New York City to Los Angeles, taking between two and a half and three weeks to complete the drive.

    However, on that trip, we actually drove MORE than cross country (i.e., the entire expanse of the U.S.) because we first drove down along the Eastern Seaboard from New York to Florida before heading West.

    That was indeed my best road trip ever. Two young, creative, carefree guys with plenty of time and just enough money (we'd camp for a night or two, then get a motel, camp again for a night or two, motel... etc.)

    It really seemed like we were living out the 'Route 66' TV show, and we did have a couple memorable adventures along the way. For instance, that was the trip in which we got lost in the Okefenokee Swamp. I got a cool story out of that one!

    Dang! I've just had an idea, right this second. I've often thought that I should write that story and post it at "Stuffs" (while there still is a "Stuffs"). I think I'm going to work on that and "publish" it as a special Halloween post - and dedicate it to YOU!

    Thanks for the inspiration, my McHalloween-lovin' buddy!

    ~ D-FensDogg
    'Loyal American Underground'

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  18. I have never done the cross country trip. We do talk about making a trip like that....someday.
    Blessings, Joanne

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  19. Yes, we have done that long long drive. I recommend:
    get a truck with good working gear shifts and breaks; bring a back-support pillow for back and butt; air-freshener for the truck; anti-anxiety meds; and, a good traveling companion who knows you well, and loves you in spite of yourself.
    There. Have a great time. Texas is one huge state. It always got to us. Thought we'd never reach the stateline.

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  20. Made a few cross country moves, one with an 18 month old (not recommended if you can avoid it).

    Most memorable was moving from LA to Dayton, OH while being chased by a storm locally known as the Bizzard of '78. Every day we put some distance between ourselves and the storm and every night it would close in again. Finally hit Dayton about three hours before the snow. Stopped for the night with some old friends. Snowed in with them for 11 days.

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  21. the only time i've made a long diatance move was when i was 10 and we moved from NH to FL

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  22. My extended family is in Kentucky - does that make us related? I love long drives and all the oddities along the way. Safe highways and lots of inspiration to you.

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  23. I still live in the city I was born in - and have no plans to move. I love it! Even for university I only went a 10-hour drive away - same province :) One of these days hubby & I think we might do a cross country jaunt to see it all. :)

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  24. Enjoy the ride. I've never moved anywhere further than Hamilton to North York and back again - which is an hour's drive in good traffic. I was never the one driving when moving my own stuff, either.

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  25. I'm in a similar situation on NaNo. I approached it once before with only the vaguest of ideas. Writing freely taught me some things, but the lack of structure left me with nothing even close to publishable, even with editing. This year I have a complete, detailed outline and fleshed-out characters. I know where my story arcs and whose POV comes when. It will be interesting to see what happens.

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  26. I've never had the privilege of traveling across the country! I hope your trip is a safe one!

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  27. Yes, I have done cross country twice - it's an exhausting exhilaration! :)

    Safe travels Lee! Enjoy the journey.

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  28. I haven't done a cross country move, but when I was at uni I used to drive twelve hours each way to visit a friend a couple of times a year. I did the same thing as you -- I had a list in advance of the things I was planning to think about!

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  29. I hope you have a very safe trip in good weather! We used to take long road trips when I was growing up. I remember my brother and I would take turns sleeping in the back seat. Then one day, my dad slammed on the brakes and I fell on the floor. He just kept on driving until I threw up. Enjoy this time with your family! Julie

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