i'm sort of jealous.

dunx is on his way out, left this morning from dallas. he's headed back to portland for the start of school and should be here tomorrow night. that'll be sweet, i haven't seen him since may. so to the point, the jealousy is mostly tounge in cheek. thinking of dunx driving out here from dallas reminded me that it's been nearly a year since i've really been able to take a road trip, a year since i was able to get in the car and spend a whole day driving. there was that day in january when i went to fresno, but even that was just four hours each way, and if you can make it there and back in a day, then it's not really a road trip.

mostly it has to do with where i live and its proximity to any place i'd really have a reason to go. living in chicago, the trip to dallas was fourteen hours driving, which was long enough to be a drain, but short enough to get done in just a solid day of driving. out here, i'm at least a two day drive from anyplace i'd really have any reason to go, at least at this point. on top of that, and i'm sure this is due to how i've socialized myself to perceive road trips, but for some reason, i feel like i have to be surrounded by miles and miles of rolling wheatfields. maybe it's not the wheatfields at all, but there's a qualitatively different feel driving through the heartland compared to driving through the southwest.

the fallout from that is that i have to fly everywhere now. it's not so bad, i don't mind flying really, although i'm pretty sure i don't enjoy it either. i've also figured out that the long beach airport is pretty much the best airport in the entire country as far as avoiding typical "airport hassle," so if i have to fly semi-regularly, i've got a pretty convenient airport to do it out of. i do wish i could make the drive home or to chicago or someplace in a day as opposed to two though. as far as i can see that's been the biggest drawback to being here, well that and being away from the people i'd be driving to see.

other than that today was a bit adventuresome. i went to wal mart and finally got a new fridge. it's a mini one, but big enough to suit me. i didn't want to go all out and get a brand new full size one, and i definitely wasn't going the resale route at all again. funny thing though, as i was trying to load the merch into my lil car i was petitioned for gas money by a couple of women on their way to bakersfield. one of them said her husband had beat her up and they were getting away. it was pretty cool, they were driving a truck and offered to haul my fridge so i wouldn't have to fight with my back seat to get it in, or subsequently out.

i wonder about all that, because i know i'm a pretty trusting guy, ok very trusting. and i put myself in a position where i definitely could have been taken advantage of. some would say that because i did help them then i *did* get taken advantage of.

one day we'll talk about fundamental human nature, me and you.

feeling: full of anticipation and recharged, day off and all
thinking of: dunx, safe travel for him
music: "just don't want coffee" caedmon's call