Happy Valentines Day! (where I have been and upto over last 50 days)

So I owe everyone and myself a post...

The cup half full perspective is that I'm one phone call and check away from leaving on my trip.  I need to find a sublettor and then I can go.  So what if I have some packing and a storage unit to rent and fill? That will all be done on addrenaline at the last minute, I'm sure.
That being said, tomorrow was my expected/hoped for departure date...

I have my apt on craigslist, pearlshark and listed w the Columbia dept of housing.

Everyone has little critiques about my ad, but I'm going to muscle through with what I have.  Here are a few examples: "too much money, too many pictures (4), too much info, I should empty my place first and/or unfurnish it".

I have a laptop that I'm bringing.  Anyone have suggestions on some programs or laptop things I should bring? I have a new battery already and the car can charge the machine.  Please don't suggest a "netbook" unless you're buying :)

My car is 99% ready.  I have little side projects that I want to do, and a few I have just finished...
Tom of Groton helped me put on a florescent light fixture on the surface of my tailgate door (the hatch).  It has its own switch and I can now see outside of the car when I have the hatch open. This is great for dressing, adjusting, looking for ticks, packing/unpacking etc.

The cargo box is on the car.  The bike fits right next to it.  There is no wind noise below 50mph, and a slight wishile comes up and peaks at about 65mph.  I need to be on a smooth road or have the radio and fan off to notice it.  The wind conditions outside definitly change the dynamics of having the box on top.  If you aren't aware and cognizant of the box and the wind your first gust will feel like the car has been captured by a kite.  Wheel feels more like a rudder with the pushes and the pulls.  I'm making more of it than it really is, but it has taken some getting used to...

So with city driving and some "keep warm" idling included, I averaged 27mpg on my last tank coming back from Boston to NYC.  That is exceptional and I'm almost skeptical that I miscalculated.  If I can pull that off consistently, I will feel pretty good about my carbon footprint (when you combine that it is a "already built car" (aka used), I'm ridding myself of 12kwh's of monthly electricity usage, bringing the bike for local touring and sleeping outdoors... Am I forgetting anything?).  I'm sure flying to SanFran for the weekend would be worst than my whole driving extravaganza.  If someone wants to calculate it, my map is in one of my first posts.

So I got to test out the cargo box on a unexpected trip to Boston in early Feb.  My father has passed away unexpectedly and I had to run off to Boston (a week too late to see him alive), and help organize the funeral.  My dad thought my trip was genuinely cool and was the one person that was not skeptical when he heard about it.  I say "heard about it" because I didn't tell him directly, and this is because I thought he was going to be much more skeptical. (I think my sister told him, and I'm happy she did.) He also was going to be one of the first stops on my roadtrip and since I didn't know exactly when it was going to start I didn't want him to be expecting me at a a certain date.  It was silly as are lots of my rationales about family things.  Its really my worst department.  Don't trust my advice about family stuff.

My dad had a list of people he wanted me to visit on my trip. I hope my stepmother can find it or recreate it.  Its amazing how you don't appreciate what you have when you have it until its gone...
 On that note, I'm really glad that I went to Cape Verde with him in 2008.

So as for future posts, I'll post 'em when I feel like it, but its really hard trying to blog the process of waiting for a sublettor.

Or I could just post cool pages I come across like this.