CROSSING THE PONTCHARTRAIN

Moving painfully slow. I could swim across faster!

HOUR 29: SLIDELL

NEXT STOP: NEW ORLEANS!

HOUR 28: HATTIESBURG

This not Hattiesburg. But a beautiful site nonetheless. I snapped this one in Alabama. I'm a sucker for anything old and industrial against a bright blue sky

I dont have anything else I want to tell you at the moment. So I'll just post a few more pictures.

Maybe its because one of the funniest professors I ever had made one too many jokes about the marriage of rebar and concrete... But I always get the biggest smile on my face when I see a pile of rebar.

Hour 27: I think we are now past the Point of No Return!

So, I've pretty much been lying to everyone, including Jennifer, up to this point in time. I get a lot of, "Oh! You're such a good friend for helping her move down there!" yadda, yadda, yadda.

The honest-to-God reason why I did all this "for Jennifer" is really just for my own selfish, emotional, immature NEED to postpone saying the .... *sigh* .... inevitable & unavoidable...... "Goodbye, darlin". I just now fast-forwarded in my mind to Tuesday morning when it WILL happen, and I will be stepping onto a plane (sorry Amtrak, but this love affair is over) without this lovely girl by my side, and i'll be flying back up to New York City - without - my JRowe.

Jennifer, I am that little stray puppy mutt that you just could not lose on your way home. (my god, what a corny post!) Just look at me following you all the way down to NOLA! Woof!

30 hours on this BORING train filled with funny looking people with funny accents just to put off the inevitable for another couple of days. Just to spend more time with YOU.

So, now that you know how much I selfishly love you,

YOU BETTER MAKE THIS WEEKEND A LOT OF FUN!


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HOUR 26: MISSISSIPPI I SEE YOU

Finally feeling close but we are still 4 hours away. These are gonna be the toughest miles to cover. I'm feeling fed up now and bored with the nothing-but pine-trees that line our corridor. I want some challenging terrain to view!

Listening to Gregory Isaacs to mellow out my mood for a bit...and dreaming of my celebratory drink with friends and family upon arrival. I can't wait!

Until then I'll have another BYOL drink with Kurt.

Turkish we are arriving now in Meridian. You better make a run for it. ;)

Hour 25: HVAC control

This is hi-tech stuff. Above us, the conductor placed two Passenger Safety manuals on the air return grill, and there they have remained for the past 8 hours.

ARE WE THERE YET??!

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IN THE TOWN WHERE I WAS BORN!

My eyes are shut damn it! But I was able to squeeze in a surprise hug from my dear cousin Timothy while the ticket collectors joked about leaving me. I hope our next visit lasts a little longer !

Stop: Tuscaloosa, AL

Jennifer just jumped off the train to say "Hi!" to one of her cousins. And she almost didn't make it back on the train.

I kid you not.

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HOUR 24: ARE WE THERE YET?

Actually I asked the ticket collector this question 23 hours ago. To which he replied "No, unless you want me to roofie your soda."

Hour 23: All the things we love about Birmingham - by Kurt

1. Jennifer's friends Jennifer & Thad live here.
2. The sun is out.
3. The Birmingham people have left the train.
4. The next stop is where Jennifer was born.
5. Patty has a mouse in her apartment.
6. One is reminded of the movie "I Am Legend".
7. We are about to leave Birmingham and we never have to come back.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.

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HOUR 22: APPROACHING BIRMINGHAM

Reasons why training is better than planing (or even driving):

- You stay grounded
- Your ears don't pop (atleast not on this route)
- You can use electronic devices and blog whenever you want
- You dont have to wait in line only to be frisked hours before boarding
- You can BYOL
- you can bring as much carry on luggage as you can carry
- A plethora of leg room
- Rail consumes less energy than car or air travel and reduces traffic congestion!
- You can play the "guess which station this person will get off at" game
- You can check up to 6 pieces of luggage and a bike!
- No seat belts
- You can walk to the bar to get ice for the booze you brought
- Your seats recline farther
- Electrical outlets
- No rules about when your tray table can be down
- You still have tons of leg room when your tray table is down
- You can try to convince your friend Jess to board when you pass through Meridian. Come on Turkish!
- You can pretend you are Blanche DuBois
- It's incredibly relaxing
- No air bags, overhead oxygen masks, or floatation devices needed ( hmmm, maybe we should have some of these on second thought)
- No annoying demonstrations on how to use these devices or buckle your seat belt.

Let's get on board with Obama's rail plan. Highspeed trains and more destinations! Why is our country so far behind? Just think of the places you could go and sights you can see if travel was easier and more affordable and accessible to everyone!

HOUR 21: DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS?

Hour 20: 10 hours to go!!

Kurt's random thoughts at this particular moment in time:

People are getting larger (by height and by girth).
Pickup trucks are getting taller, sitting on monstrous wheels.
Almost every house we ride past has a porch.
Just saw my first Piggly Wiggly!!!!! (Will would jump for joy here)
People walking up and down the aisle on this train all look like they were pulled straight out of a Charlaine Harris novel.
I'm desperately trying to finish reading "The Once & Future King", but I keep getting distracted by all the scenery out the window.. and by all the bells and whistles coming from Jennifer's iPhone (she has way way too many friends. Remember people- every time you email Jennifer or text Jennifer or post to Jennifer you are really just distracting me and Lancelot from our quest for the Holy F___ing Grail!!).
There's some random guy in our car who keeps talking to himself. I think he got on at DC. I'm keeping an eye on him.
I miss my cats.
I miss them so much I may just start blogging about them instead.

Their names are Louie and Pluto. They are brother and sister. Louie is a girl, her nickname is Lulu, or Baby-Lu. Technically, once we found out she was a girl (we originally thought they were both boys), her name was changed to "Louise". But she only gets called that at the vet. Where it is written on a piece of paper. In a file.

Pluto is all black. Lulu is black & white and has the cutest mustache. Only feline females can get away with mustaches while still remaining drop dead adorable.

Pluto doubles in size every week. He's gigantic. When he grows up he's going to be a PANTHER.




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HOUR 19: THE ABYSS BTW ATLANTA & BIRMINGHAM

Good morning world. I have returned from dreamland. Just barely. Southern accents are now in full force. It's a nice sunny day out below the Mason-Dixon and I'm glued to the window - staring at trees, blue skies and that unmistakable red Alabama clay. Perfect for a morning cup of Joe.

Aside from the fact that I am in motion, this morning is not unlike any other. Buddha has been by my side for the past three years while I drink my morning coffee at my office desk, keeping me calm and encouraging me to move forward. The Buddha goes where he wants to go. I bet this trip was his idea.

I woke up fretting over my endless to do list upon arrival in New Orleans. However it seems that I have a great book to finish reading, some Mad-Libs to play, and $1.50 to burn. I'll fret some other time.

Good morning Georgia!

Kurt here again. Mr Early Bird. We just passed through Gainesville, GA. It's still pitch black out. Jennifer beside me here is refusing to exit dreamland. I would normally be in a swimming pool about this time of morning, but I'm not and I feel strange. I have no idea if we're running on schedule or not but somehow it feels good to be in Georgia. I finally feel like I'm getting somewhere.

I tried taking a picture of the Gainesville station, so I'd have an image to go with this post, but all I got was a glaring flash off of the window pane because of the darkness outside. And I don't dare take a picture of Jennifer, because she'd be afraid of what she might look like right now. And I don't dare take a picture of myself right now either because I KNOW what I look like.

Hmm. How many more hours until I get to take a shower?

How many more hours until someone other than Jennifer has to figure out where HIS life is going?? Nevermind! That's a whole 'nother blog. But I do like her little 'success' diagram. It's cute.

Next stop: Atlanta
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HOUR 10: NORTH CAROLINA!!

It's a long ride to the finish but we've hit our 1/3 marker! Most everyone around is sleeping and not to my surprise yours truly is wide awake. I dream better awake anyhow. I can hear chuckling in the snack cart ahead of us. The train whistle is oddly in sync with my Kings of Convenience playlist and unexpectedly soothing. Thankfully Kurt is not snoring. Outside the moon is dancing behind a line of trees. I'm quite relaxed and enjoying the moment.

HOUR 9: VIRGINIA (STILL?)

I'll be there to jump with you anytime Kurt! Im so excited you are with me as I jump south. Hell, I'd jump with anyone else who's bothering themselves with our musings. I guess I've jumped a few times and I have a sneaky suspicion I'm not done. In fact I may be a jump addict. I'd jump backwards or forwards tomorrow if I had good place to fall. But first all I really want is to get out of Virginia.

Why do I feel the need to just go ahead and blast some Van Halen?

Let's Jump

Hi. I'm Kurt. Jennifer's asleep right now. Or she's just listening to some really good music (I think I hear a little Portishead coming from her earphones).

So, I feel partly to blame for this "adventure". I thought I was being a good friend by encouraging Jennifer to pack up and move down to New Orleans. Little did I know of the firey insanity I was fanning... at the time.

Had I truly understood what all the "I want to go!", "I don't want to go!", "I want to go!", "I don't want to go!", "I want to go!"... really meant, I MIGHT have taken a moment to reconsider my relentless "FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS!!!!" approach to this situation. After all, did I really think she would actually listen to me? Me? Kurt? The crazy weirdo with a sideways trigger-happy (and sometimes offensive) sense of humor a.k.a. "screw-it" outlook on life?

Well, she did listen to me.

And here we sit, on this train, ready to pull our hair out. Not even close to being half way through our "Are you serious!?" 30-hour train ride. And for anyone who might be wondering, No. We did NOT opt for the sleeper car.

Personally, I'm proud, dare I say I am damn, damn proud, of my wee little Jennifer friend here beside me. She's got the rare 'New York City courage' that, ironically, so many New Yorkers seem to lack. Actually, it feels more like a proper American Dream moment to me than anything else does these days.

I can only hope that when I'm brazen enough to make a 'screw-it-jump-out-of-a-plane-because-I-got-balls-damnit' decision, I'll have a friend standing behind me who's crazy enough to give me the push I need to actually-

JUMP.


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HOUR 6: THE BLACKNESS OF DARKNESS

Fact: The sun has set; it will rise and set again before our journey ends.

Bad News: I think this is what we all may be missing.

HOUR 5: VIRGINIA

I poured a drink on the train
I woke up on a plane
I told Kurt this was lame
He said you're insane

Who's to blame?
The baby crying in the back
Is a damn shame.

Don't deny our fame!

HOUR 4: WASHINGTON DC

Kurt: This is exciting. I don't know what to do.

HOUR 3: BALTIMORE

An excerpt from a very thoughtful note from my dear friend JK. Because we have nothing to say about Baltimore. 

Things to do on your rain ride;

-play card games

-see who can hold their breath the longest

-stare out the window

-count how many trees go by

-start a passenger congo line - but don't let Kurt lead, people could get hurt

-stare out the window some more

-stretch (stretching is really important - in fact, maybe you should stretch before the congo line)

-research the Saints so that people in New Orleans will accept you

-have staring contests

-try to list all of the apartments you lived in during your time in NY - should take several hours

-plan your return trip to boston

Sent from my iPhone

HOUR 2: CHAPSTICK IN PENNSYLVANIA

This was not staged. No joke. We both soothed our lips as we rung in hour 2.

HOUR 1: NEW JERSEY

That was quick. Time To munch.

HOUR 0: ALL ABOARD

HOUR -1/4: BOARDING

HOUR -1/2: BEN & DELIA

Ben and Delia came to see us off. Ben & Delia rock.

HOUR -1: PENN STATION

Jen: We've arrived at Penn Station. I can only hope they let us board with my ridiculous amount of carry on luggage. But don't worry. It's 10% food! 

Kurt: Holy Moly. No crying allowed. 

A PROPER SEND-OFF!

My last night in New York City was spent with great friends and Portishead! I've been a huge fan for many years and seeing them live was better than I imagined. Glory Box rocked my socks off. I wish in my next life to have a voice like Beth Gibbons. 

I'll miss all those who rocked with me and who have been incredibly supportive and inspiring as I embark on my new adventure: Delia, Jess, Nicole, Kurt, and Will. Allison you were there in spirit! I know we'll all find a time and place to rock out once again. Somehow. Somewhere. Until then follow my blog :)