I've decided to leave a day later than I initially planned. To make a long
story short, I need a day to get my car serviced, my body rested and get my deposit back from my old crib. Many of you may
not be aware of this, but today is my official last day at work. It's significant because I attempted to work up until the
very last second and hit the road, the next day. BAD IDEA. Where do I come up with this stuff? Someone slap me next time!
I promise you I'm not changing my mind, the takeover will continue. You're
boy is still bouncin. The dream is very much alive. As you can see, sometimes that gets me into trouble.
April 1 2004
Ready to Roll
I packed, moved out and have no job. The show begins in less than 24 hours!
Last minute concerns: My digital camera not working properly and getting my brakes fixed in a timely manner tomorrow
morning.
Gonna go back and hibernate some more, I'll see you on the ROAD tomorrow!
YEAH!!!!! ( Thank you Howard Dean for the vocal enthusiasm).
April 2/ April 3 2004
Get somewhere!
My Goal today was to get somewhere anywhere! Earlier in the day, I spent
over $600 on the G-Ride. Brakes, tires and alignment all hooked up. Without getting into a long drawn out explanation on how
the rest of the day went, let's just say it was 6:00pm and I still hadn't left yet. The Question, should I leave tonight
or wait until the next day?
The more I sat and thought about it, psycologically I just needed to get
on the road. Waiting there, made me think negative thoughts so I bounced at 6:19 pm. My travels lead me to a small town an
hour outside of Reno called Lovelock.
Many pictures are coming, wasn't able to write or upload anything in
Lovelock because there are NO LOCAL AOL access numbers!!!! I miss civilization.
Will write more when I reach Cheyenne tonight. Where am I? Salt Lake
City. I've never thought I'd say this but I was so glad to get here and find a Kinko's!
And the beat goes on........
April 3 2004
Da Mormons
Alright! I got a full day of driving under my belt! At times it felt like
I wasn't moving because the landscape changed very little. When I arrived in Salt Lake, I was impressed how good their "urban"
radio station was. It's a shame that I have to come to SLC just to hear new music coming out of California. I can't
remember the call letters but the frequency is 92.1 FM.
So I was tempted to stay overnight there and party, but over the radio I
heard the only 1 club in the city spins Hip-Hop on the weekends! All of the other clubs have it like on a Wednesday. What
kinda sh** is that? Well, I didn't spend the night there, but I did meet some interesting folk.
A group of protestors stood across from the temple carring signs in support
of Jesus. They were protesting against the Mormons who had a major convention this weekend. I'll post the audio a bit later
because it's quite compelling to listen to the group express their beliefs.
Where am I? I am in Laramie Wyoming at another motel from hell. So tonight
I make it to my brothers frat in South Dakota! It's gotta be better then these dives I've been at.
forward march.....
April 4 2004
Wealth and Poverty
Driving on the road forces you to think & think & think some more.
I didn't spend too much time interacting with people today because I had to make up some time. I did find myself
empathetic to the people around me in these little small towns.
The definition of rich
and poor can not be applied across the board; rather it's a matter of perspective. I felt that I was virtually poor living
from check to check in the Bay, but out in the "the middle of nowhere" I feel like my lifestyle applied here would be considered lavish.
Most Americans live outside of the New York's, Chicago's and LA's.
The economic disparity in small town America is
right on par with the poorest neighborhoods in
any urban area. One of the major differences is the quality of life. In these small towns, home ownership is higher, classroom size is smaller, pollution is lower etc etc.
So does that mean they have a better life? It's All relative. I do know this, racial, sexual, & political differences
pale in comparison to the common economic hardships that most of us face. On this basis, Oakland California doesn't
seem so far away from Vermillion, South Dakota to me.
Speaking of South Dakota, I made it to my brother Frat House! A full
report coming soon.....
April 5 2004
Life inside the
TKE Frat House
Right off the bat I have
to say that I don't have any "girls gone wild inside the Frat House" pictures. Also, you wont be seeing any shots of drunken
Frat boys laid out on the floor. My preconceived notions of this Frat house were all wrong.
The TKE Frat house is alcohol
free or dry. I didn't know that such places existed. Apparently they are the only fraternity on campus that imposes this
rule. I'm quite sure that they find ways around this, but I didn't see any.
I also thought that his
Frat brothers would be a bunch of ogres who were overly aggressive and intellectually shallow. Damn, that was
pretty harsh I know, but from my college experience, that's the type of guys who joined these groups. To my surprise,
these cats are well rounded, open and active guys.
When my brother first told me
that he joined a fraternity in South
Dakota, I kinda laughed and thought he was crazy for being a Black man joining a majority
White frat. I realize now that I was crazy for jumping to this kind of judgment. Not once have I felt uncomfortable
in the house. The guys are great and I see them all as my little brothers. They've convinced me to stay another
day and I'm gonna go out with them to a club tomorrow. I'll let you know how "lil john" moves the crowd in Sioux Falls.
April 6 2004
Travis
It was wonderful to stick around another day in South Dakota with my brother
Travis. God, I'm so proud of him! Every time I see him, I can tell that he's growing so much from being out here on his on.
I spent virtually all day shadowing him, talking to his professors, eating lunch, I even got a chance to be a hand model for
his art class (which I didnt get paid for). He's been a wonderful host and I'll cherish this experience for the rest of my
life.
The bar/club we went to was decent. It was just basically a lot of college
kids mixed with some local cowboys. And yes, Lil Jon did get the dance floor popping, along with MC Hammer, but we wont go
there.
Time to roll out of town tomorrow morning. So Long Vermillion, S.Dakota!
