Blowin' Down That Old Dusty Road

This post is dedicated to my Uncle Emil. 

I suppose when titling this blog (it feels good to type the word "blog" in my perpetually self-aware, self-deprecating tone again) I did so to create a potential backdoor for me to escape out of in the event that this blog became neglected. Sure enough, two months since my last post, I am now able to fall back on "well, I have been gone a long time........" jokes. And being a person of artistic integrity and high moral conviction, please read the name of my blog again. And allow me to make excuses. 

Welcome back, audience. How I've missed typing, saving, and posting words on the internet. Before I proceed any further...a FULL DISCLOSURE: There are two significant differences in the setting in which this blog is being brought to you from. One: I no longer write to you from my mother's basement; I now write from my home office (orifice). Two: these words are now being typed in this state: (colon barrage) 

Entering from Arkansas, the eastern border.

For my audience members who couldn't care less about the locational origin of words they read, I apologize for being self-indulgent. But for my audience members who like to be informed of an artist's backstory in order to gain a complete understanding and appreciation of the art, please incorporate this information into your perception of me. EXCUSES: My relocation from New Britain, Connecticut to Norman, Oklahoma is the reason for my blog neglect. This is the first true adventurous step in a lifetime I hope to be full of exploration, excitement, and experience. 

Since moving 1600 miles across the United States is not a universally shared experience, I will try to enlighten non-pilgrims on some key transit anecdotes. My brain is imploring me to lead off with this: when I click "F4" on my MacBook (product placement number 1; I am receiving royalties from Apple), which is the "dashboard" that displays the weather, calendar, clock, etc. at a glance, my clock's location is now "DALLAS." Not "NEW YORK." This is really all I need to explain. Had I not changed my dashboard clock's major city location I would not have the correct time. I am in the Central Time Zone. I am a long way from home. The sun is in a different location here than it is for most people I know (most of my audience?). The closest major metropolis to me is no longer the City that Never Sleeps. It is Dallas, Texas. I have not been to Dallas and yet, it is the standard for my clock. It almost makes me feel like I am not fully residing at this apartment, in this home office I type from. Simultaneously, the prospect of "DALLAS" time is exciting beyond description. Since I have yet to set foot in Dallas it makes me feel like the entire world, or at least the entire country, is now at my disposal. 

I admittedly have been spending a decent (inordinate) amount of time on Google Maps, on the "Get Directions" section, with "A" as Norman, OK and "B" as a location anywhere in the United States. The reason for this, other than my well-documented geographical nerdiness, is that I am now in the middle of the US map. Conversely, when conducting Google Map "Get Directions" searches with "A" as New Britain, CT and "B" as a location anywhere in the United States, I was on the upper right hand corner of the US map. Meaning that most every search, with the exception of a Cape Cod muse, directionally begins with some form of going WEST on I-84 or SOUTH on I-95. There are a pleathora of intriguing locations to explore that are significantly north, south, east, or west of Norman. It is both aesthetically and generally pleasing to me. Exhibit A, for my Mickey Mouse demographic: Disney World, FL is 18 hours, 29 minutes from Norman. DisneyLand, CA is 19 hours from Norman. The dream of relative proximity is in bloom. 

Actually, the actual dream is to be in the West, according to this blogger's dream interpretations. Residing in Oklahoma for three (!) weeks now has shown me that the state is one of transition. Not in transition; this is not a socioeconomic blog. Traversing its entirety on I-40 will show you this first hand. Although Norman is located right in the middle of the state, 20 minutes south of Oklahoma City, Road Trip 2011 took Kate and I on a West-East tour of the state's girth. Coming in from the west via the Northern Texas panhandle, Oklahoma is a continuation of the windswept, yellow, southern Great Plains. 

Entering from northern Texas, the western border. Plz note the contrasting landscape of eastern/western Oklahoma, as I attempt to highlight this in the text.

It certainly still feels like the West. But as western Oklahoma becomes central Oklahoma and central Oklahoma becomes eastern Oklahoma, woodsiness gradually appears and the landscape becomes relatively indistinct from much of eastern America. The landscape of vast ranches gives way to vast farms and despite not crossing the Mississippi until reaching Arkansas's eastern border, you know you've officially exited the West. As my first move westward, I am happy to land in a transition state. All sentimental and ritualistic things considered it feels like a very appropriate first step. Despite this dramatic picture I've painted, the only reason I am in Oklahoma specifically is because Kate is attending the University of Oklahoma for graduate school. Skeptical of its seemingly boring location at first (it's not my dream of the West!!!), I have already grown to appreciate Oklahoma for its transitional beauty. No destination in the U.S. is now beyond two and a half/three days of driving.  

The city of Norman has very wide roads made of cement blocks rather than asphalt, making it feel Western. This vibe also caters to my love of trains, also well-documented. The BNSF railroad crosses all of the East/West main roads in Norman and to say train crossings are frequent would be a massive understatement. I would say that for every one train crossing back in Connecticut, there are 100 here. Seems like an extremely Western occurrence to me. However, locals here all have Southern accents, something I did not expect and is decidedly non-Western. Ranches and farms coexist just beyond city limits, fully underscoring the transitional landscape. 

A frequent sight on Lindsey Street.

SIDE NOTE: On our journey from CT to OK, Kate and I noticed Southern accents existing all the way up into southern Indiana and Illinois. Don't underestimate the pull of Southern Tradition (not sure what that means). 

JOURNAL ENTRY: I have been gone a long time (stop it), so I will offer some anecdotes on the experiences leading up to a 1600 mile relocation project. As I may or may not have previously promised in these blog pages, I figured the month of July would mark my consistency comeback in the blogosphere. I reasoned: I will be working a summer school job, in which my hours are 8am-12:30pm, Monday through Thursday. I will have plenty of time to blog. Famous last words. Turns out that when you're moving across the country you have to pack some stuff. This probably consumed the greatest chunk of my potential blog-time. Everything you own gets analyzed and put into two categories: move-worthy or unworthy. If move-worthy it needs to be sorted with all other relatively similar items so that nothing gets misplaced or forgotten. Next you have to pack (cram) the items as efficiently as possible into boxes. Cramming items into boxes mostly resembles playing Tetris, as you do not want to waste any precious square inch. This reduced blog-time to zero throughout July and early August. In addition, when relocating to a far-away land you spend as much quality time with those that you love as you can. Also, it was July. Which might be the most active party month of the twelve...This is a topic for a blog post from the future. 

Upon arriving at our Norman abode, we arrived to emptiness. I had not developed an appreciation for furniture until August 13th, 2013. Bed, desk, tables, chairs. These would all come at a later date. Many meals were eaten on the floor or on the counter; many lounge sessions were spent on blankets with our backs against the wall. However, we did obtain a bed pretty quickly, thanks Swansons! (Swanson shout-out) Our furniture was obtained pretty much one by one, as we conducted most of our shopping at tag sales or craigslist. Chairs are especially difficult to live in a home without. I plan on dedicating an entire post to chairs (famous last words) because they are absolutely fascinating. 

SIDE NOTE: as suggested by my friend Jackie, craigslist.org is a fucking gold mine when it comes to cheap, quality furniture. Be advised to check those listings before buying anything new at a store. 

As more furniture streamed in, the more we could unpack boxes and the more we could settle in. It has been a process. I never knew there were so many errands to be run. Every day I can focus a little more on things I focused on before moving 1600 miles. This includes getting into a groove of current musical passions. I have been fixated on three musicians as of press time: Defeater, Serengeti, and Tom Waits. Defeater have released Letters Home in July and I have not been able to stop listening to it. I also was able to see them perform on a small stage at the Hartford Warped Tour stop this summer and was gripped by their powerful performance. This may happen with most bands, but witnessing their live show for the first time definitely adds something for when you go back home and listen to their music. Emotional, urgent, dark, concept-based hardcore:

Serengeti has been a favorite of mine for the past year after a pal introduced me (thanks Nick Williams!). In the hip-hop game his creativity and quirkiness is unparalleled. Thoughtfulness is coupled with razor-sharp wit throughout his lyrics. His middle-aged, Chicago-based everyman rapper with a heart of gold alter-ego Kenny Dennis has yet to make me stop laughing. I am supposedly going to be get to see him in November at the Opolis in Norman...I can't describe my level of anticipation. He also released an album this summer, an entire LP of songs as his alter ego, Kenny Dennis LP. Give it a shot:

I have been in love with Tom Waits since '08 after Kate introduced me (thanks Kate!). This is the main reason why we've been together for almost five years. Unrivaled weirdness/creativity in his music composition, he has one of the most distinctive/badass voices I've ever heard. I have been watching grainy clips of his appearances on David Letterman's Late Show in the 80's late at night...

This concludes my comeback. I am back to blogging and I'm loving every minute of it. Thank you for reading these words. Coming soon........NFL preview 2013. I will try to keep it more concise. No promises. 

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