I’ve been back in Austin for a couple of days now… just a few final notes I scribbled while on my trip. Oh yeah, and a few photos.
When we left from Chi towards Champaign, we quickly ran into some insane traffic caused by an unfortunate accident. We put the car in the four wheel drive and drove the jeep right across that median ditch and towards another route. My first off-road experience!
I was elated to stay at the Hawthorne Sweets… only because it’s connected to assram. I made some frantic (and probably expensive) phone calls and managed to pull everyone together at Esquire, home of the zone. It was AWESOME to see everyone from UIUC and Wolfram. I had such a great time. We ended up having pizza at Jupiter’s, coffee at Cafe Kopi, and then drinks at Boltini. The night went by way too quickly. Dawid looks awesome with his long hair. And the Wolfram crew is exactly the same - which is fine by me. Suketu is still the bomb, and Seth proposed the coolest toast to me… something about getting drunk for the first time at my place.
I had to leave way too soon… when I return, I’ll be sure to stay a couple of nights at UIUC. Writing this now, I feel a little sad! I miss my wonderful friends from the good ol’ days of undergrad and software testing.
I was also glad to see that Strawberry Fields was still around to provide us with some chow for the road - their bbq tofu sucks, unfortunately, but their sandwiches still rule.
Five hours later…
In general, a blatantly commercial restaurant that serves up advertisements in their menu and bad jokes from the waiter would have me wanting to hate, but the truth is: The Cheesecake Factory serves up some damn good cheesecake.
Our last stop in the tour de midwest was Columbus, Ohio to visit my dad’s side of the family. I hadn’t been in Ohio since I popped in on the way back from MASS in January 2000, freezing my ass off all the way there in the heatless but lovely Toyota Celica. This time around, the weather was rainy and cool and the Jeep’s a/c worked well enough. The 5 hour trip from Champaign to Columbus was nothing compared to our previous journey. We got into my Uncle Jim’s house a little after 5pm, and was greeted by my Grandma, Uncle Ed, Aunt Rosella, Aunt Judy, but sadly, no Uncle Jim who had to teach.
Almost as quickly as I arrived, we departed for dinner at The Cheesecake Factory, which the Ohio crew apparently loves. On the way, we spotted a nice surprise: my cousin Chris (not to be confused with my cousin Chris
After dinner I was able to catch up with Uncle Jim. He’s been doing music his whole life, and his kids, Andy and Chris, have followed suit. I remember when Chris was in grammar school and he learned how to play the violin. He could play by ear, and we used to have great fun thinking of songs for him to play. I also remember him being into art, so I’m not surprised he’s majoring in graphic design. He’s got a band on the side, The Fe-Ne-Tiks.
Once again, the visit was extremely short. The good news is that I saw almost all of the Ohio-Shaw clan and everyone seems very well. I left with good feelings a little regret for having scheduled such a short visit. There is never enough time! Must get back to Austin! Must sell all my possessions! Must get to England with my sanity intact!!! Must get a JOB! MUST BREATH!!
We’re on the road now, heading back to Austin, driving due west into the sunset. Bargh.“ I’m anxious to get back and have some BBQ on a Bun at Mother’s, and then get back to losing the road-trip blubber as quickly as possible. The trip home has been surprisingly beautiful. We’re driving back via Kentucky and Arkansas. Kentucky, man, they have some great country side, especially in the mega foothills of the Appalacians. I’ve seen some bluegrass-related landmarks along the way, which isn’t surprising given that Kentucky is the Bluegrass State. Kentucky is also home to the nation’s largest inland peninsula, The Land Between The Lakes, which has something like 200 miles of hiking trails. Once I capillarize and become bodacious, I will need some new challenges beyond the gym and 5k’s, and I think I might find these challenges in outdoor adventures, like mountain biking and hiking. Camping rules, and it’s a geek sport - GADGETS GALORE. So maybe someday I’ll head over to the LBL and get my off-road cycling calves in motion, rewarding myself with tea and Malt-O-Meal while I camp along the Kentucky River.
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