go west young man, haven't you been told that california's fully of whisky, women, and gold...

well...after a battle with texas i have finally made it to california. at 5am on saturday july 23rd, my dad and i set off for the west coast. 70 miles later while driving into llano, tx i looked into my rearview mirror to see the rear driver's side tire rolling off the u-haul truck containing my entire life (minus the cat and my ipod). suddenly my dad was steering a 14-foot rear tireless u-haul into oncoming traffic and eventually into a texaco station. as i flipped a bitch (that's a u-turn for those of you uneducated in slang) i could hear the hill country laughing at me. but i was determined to make it...regardless of the fact that the rear axel and drive shaft were happily resting on the ground under the truck.

during the following two and a half hours we searched for the never-found 2nd rear tire, got hung up on by u-haul reps, and were taken in by a father and son gas-station owning duo that were just as sweet at pie. eventually my dad and i concluded that i should push on to new mexico, our first day stop. and so leaving my dad to wait for a tow truck, go back into austin, and start the tri all over again, i drove west.

another ninety minutes into attempt #2, an ominous black cloud suddenly arose on the horizon. fat rain drops began to fall as i turned onto i-10 and the cat seemed all too unhappy about the rolling thunder overhead. for the next 5 miles i proceeded down the highway at 40 mph with the ability to see only 1 car ahead of me. temporarily defeated, i sought refuge in sonora, texas' most prestigious restaurant: pizza hut. texas did not want to let me go.

after waiting out the storm i returned to my car and tried one more time. some time around the 3 o'clock hour i waved goodbye to texas and entered new mexico. one state closer to my new home.

my dad made it to pecos that night and got up at 5am to continue on the next day. i on the other hand pulled into my grandfather's driveway in tularosa, nm around 8pm (mountain time) and proceeded to crash by 930. i slept for 11 hours and woke up ready to tackle the southwestern deserts of the united states.

(the picture above is from when i was coming out of the mountains into the deserts of new mexico on the 2nd day)

leaving after lunch and driving down i-10 once again, i started my second "book on ipod." "must love dogs" carried me through much of west texas and i now began the new dean koonz novel, "velocity." thankfully that allowed me to ignore the endless miles of cactus covered land and the blazing sun. at the end of the day, as the sun was setting in front of me (it was beautiful and all, but it made it a bitch to see the road) we slowly drove through surprise, arizona. it was quaint little middle/upper-class suburb but we pushed on...finally settling in wikenburg and sneaking the cat into my temporary home.

getting up at 6am the next day, my dad and i set out on the last leg. that day marked my entrance into my new home state. as i crossed over the colorado river and surveyed my surroundings i couldn't help by tear up. $3.06/gallon?! what the hell was i doing? no, but really, i didn't cry...i was too wrapped up in the last 50 pages of my audiobook.

once my book wrapped up i looked around to notice that the mohave desert had ended and i was making a steady climb into the most beautiful hills i've ever seen. now, you people still in texas, yes...the hill country has hills. compared to the rest of texas. but you have not seen hills until you drive i-40 into california. i wish i had my co-pilot with me to take 1,000 pictures, but even then it probably wouldn't be the same.

(below is proof that taking pictures while driving is a bad idea. in the upper left corner you can see the edge of the "welcome to california" sign)

2 u-hauls, 52 hours, and 2 audio books later i pulled up to my new apartment in lafayette, ca. letting the cat out of the car and onto the carpeted floor she immediately ran for the closet and curled up in the corner. i felt like doing the same. all i wanted to do was sleep. but alas! i had to unpack my life.

and so i did.

dear texas...

thank you for the past 22 years. it's been a pleasure living in you and i've enjoyed every minute of it. from the day i was born until the 22nd of july i have been nothing but happy. granted, it wasn’t always easy (think triple digit summers and several hurricanes)...but over all it's been fun.

i couldn't have asked for a better place to grow up and become the person i am today. i wouldn't be where i am without the places you've provided. i can't imagine not having spent my summers in your sun by the pool and camping under the open skies of big bend. i wouldn't be the same person without the late-night hill country drives and the rare winter "snow falls."

i will miss the over-sized gas guzzling trucks crowding the constantly under construction freeways. i will never forget the h.e.b. tradition (even though the organic section is bigger out there). and i know that i will wish that there was a tex-mex-hole-in-the-wall-restaurant when i crave greasy food.

the people you hold have become dear to me and are never ones i could turn my back on (even if they are the reason you're a red state). and while the stereotypes that have built over the years might seem a tad bit unfair, i appreciate the people who still uphold them. don't worry, i will proudly boast my cowboy hat out west. and maybe even tell a few people that i rode a horse to school every day.

and please don't fret...i may be going to a place that will provide me with a few more mountains and lot prettier coast line, but i could never turn my back on the west texas sky line and the murky, oil-coated waters of galveston bay. and nothing will beat the fact that i was raised in a state that boast the best star in our country.

so this one is to you texas...my first love and only true home. thank you for 22 years, 7 months, and 14 days. it's been one hell of a time. and like my soon-to-be governor once said: "i'll be back."

until then...all my love,
danielle

cali or bust...

okay...this won't be long, but i promise to write more as soon as i can, but for those of you following my life: i'm moving to california on the 23rd of this month. an update will follow soon.

***07.14.05 UPDATE***
at the moment, this is the plan. nothing is set in stone yet, but hopefully it will all be set by tomorrow. i'm trying to sign a lease on a super cute 1 bedroom apartment in lafayette, ca today or tomorrow. and i'm probably going to be working for mills college (in oakland) as their new telemarketing manager for their annual fund. i'll be starting august 1st and will be leaving on the 23rd to drive my crap to the west coast (with the help of a uhaul and my dad).

***07.15.05 UPDATE***
well...pending a good credit check i will have a place to live in california. and pending a return call from mills college i'll be offically employed. real world...here i come.

the london tube is falling down...

okay, so let me ask you this: am i the only one who wasn't surprised by the attacks in london this morning? okay, let me take that back, i know i'm not the only one, i just sat and talked with my roommate about it, she feels similar.

anyway, so it's not surprising to me. and honestly, it didn't really phase me when i heard it on the news this morning (and this afternoon at the bank...and tonight on the news again). now, don't think i'm a heartless, mean-spirited bitch or anything, it's not like i don't feel bad for what happened or worry for the people over there, but i didn't really react as i watched them scramble to get people out of the tube tunnels.

maybe it's because the sight wasn't as gory as people diving out of 60-story building windows or maybe it's because it wasn't in america or maybe it's because i don't really understand how scary it would be or maybe it's because i hate british people. (no, i'm just kidding...i'm just making shit up at this point.)

seriously though...i really think it's because we see this shit ever damned day. i swear, turn on the news at any god-given time and all you hear is "so-and-so organization bombed 2 cars today and 5 people died in a suicide bombing." it's apparently the only news that matters...so when something big happens. something that kills 27 people and injures 700 in a matter of 30 minutes, i don't flinch. "eh, happens every day" rolls through my head and i go on brushing my teeth.

but what's really interesting is the people who do the exact opposite. the people who freak the fuck out. (i know i don't use the f-word too often, so i apologize for all the family readers out there.) the people who go spastic and re-patriotize themselves because they think "the big one" is coming, and this was clearly a sign of it. hell, you know what people...if they are going to strike again, it's going to be when and where we don't expect it. why? because the news keeps broadcasting every damn thing our government does to "protect" us and gives the terrorists a way to go around it all and find a new, sneaky way in.

unless what the media reports to the world is just a cover for a really good plan that the bush administration has. ha! that means that they really do know what they're doing...

i guess my main question is one that a fellow blogger of mine brought up: why? granted, i can answer "why london?" in the case that it was the same people who hit the towers (note: this has not been confirmed). once you've hit one guy...you obviously go for his posse. it's a typical war strategy...hit main target, take down allies. but regardless...why the tube? why people commuting to their mundane jobs? why 3 hits underground and one above? why those specific spots? and why not the G8 (where "the heads of state or government of the major industrial democracies have been meeting annually to deal with the major economic and political issues facing their domestic societies and the international community as a whole")? i mean, come on...what a prime target, so why london?

anyway, so that's all i really have to say on that. but, i do know that people can get offended very easily when it comes to this type of subject, so i want to make sure i get my disclaimer in: please don't get me wrong, i am very saddened by the fact that people resort to this kind of behavior and that somebody out there thinks this will resolve problems. all of the people in london are in my thoughts.

facts...

to begin...i am back in texas. after a really early wake up call this morning, i managed to shuffle to my plane, get on, and space out for 5 hours. i forget how good it is for you when you just do nothing.

so, anyway, while logging flight hours i pulled southwest's in-flight magazine, "spirit," from the seat pocket in front of me. now, don't make fun...it's a good read. in fact, it's really underrated (the editor said so himself). there are some fantastic writers featured every month, but i bet half of them are undiscovered. and it's probably the most informative travel magazine i've ever seen...it tells you about events all over america and highlights the underground fun that you never would have discovered otherwise.

onwards...

on the back page of "spirit" are some facts. just random tidbits of information to stimulate the human brain. like this:

$1.5 BILLION- sponge bob squarepants' annual salary
$19 MILLION- amount earned by lance armstrong

what has it come to that a fictitious cartoon character that makes guest appearances at theme parks makes more money than a man who's been fighting cancer for nearly 10 years and continues to kick ass on his bicycle? (just getting it off my chest, sorry)

the same page also notes that Dreyer's/Edy's Slow Churned Ice Cream conducted a survey concluding in the fact that 73% of respondents know their next door neighbor’s first and last names. great...awesome, american's know who they live next door. what i want to know is why an ice cream company wanted to know that...

anyway, so point being (if there really was one), read the in-flight material they give you (not the emergency thing, that's boring and has poor illustrations). and enjoy it...when else are you going to get a chance to read it?

(wow, 2 blogs about southwest, they should be paying me to advertise for them.)

the fourth...

for the past few days, as the 4th approached, i was trying to figure out why this holiday is my favorite. sure, christmas is great with all the presents and decorations and thanksgiving does have an awesome amount of food, but think about it...what holiday unites everybody like today? regardless of race, religion, location, etc., if you are an american, you celebrate today.

so why does the 4th of july take the cake?

first, it falls in the middle of the summer, making it warm nearly everywhere across the country and nice enough to enjoy the outdoors. thus, bringing everyone outside to celebrate. the neighborhood kids are out and playing in full force.

second, people tend to cook some of the best food. hot dogs, hamburgers, bbq, watermelon, iced tea, chips, beer. good ol' american food. who doesn't enjoy the smell of the grill getting fired up?

third, if a pool is available, it's the best swimming day ever. invite people over, lounge around, burn to a crisp, and enjoy your day off. even if all you have is a blow up baby pool, go enjoy it.

fourth, and finally: FIREWORKS. only one other holiday can boast the colorful explosions in the sky. but only on the 4th of july is it warm enough to stand outside in your bathing suit, beer in hand, and watch the sky light up with a collage of fiery colors.

so, in conclusion...

HAPPY 4th OF JULY!