11:02 pm
The Hampton Inn, Daly City, CA
Since other members of the troupe have filled in the basics of our escapades over the last 24 hours, I'll just fill in a few details from my point of view.
First off, during preparation, I reaffirmed my belief that the Costco food court is amazing. I got a polish sausage, a giant frozen yogurt, and a 20 oz. fountain drink for $2.99. It's like the bizzaro version of a sports stadium. I was tempted, against the urges of my nearly bursting stomach to order more food when we returned to buy the tapes we forgot the first time, but in the end, I heeded the warnings of my stomach, and decided that I'd be happier with food inside me than vomited all over the floor of the van.
Once we were done shopping, things went pretty smoothly. We planned our driving shifts, and I opted for the second of four three-hour turns. For the first chunk, Jon was the driver and I was the designated co-pilot while Forest and Alexandra drifted blissfully off into slumberland (something that I was doubtful I'd ever be able to do at this point... could I? read on!). We entertained ourselves by listening to CDs Jon had burned over the past years as well as an assortment of movie soundtracks (such as Armageddon, one of the best bad movies ever), but what really stood out was a CD called "Ultimate Dance Party,"[Amazon.com tells me it is volume one in a series] featuring all the best dance hits of the early 90's, such as the ever-popular Macarena, and a delightful techno remix of "Total Eclipse of the Heart". I decided that Ultimate Dance Party was as good a CD as Armageddon is a movie.
At some point south of Portland, I was hit with the stunning realization that this was the farthest I've ever been from home.
Somewhere shortly after crossing the Oregon-California border, sleep started to sound like a better idea, and, despite my wishes to stay awake to view the fascinating scenery, for the first time in my life, I was able to actually sleep in a car. I woke up and we were passing through the Windows XP hills. It was pretty surreal.
The remainder of the trip was pretty uneventful from my point of view. I drifted indiscriminately in and out of sleep, alternately feeling fully refreshed and deathly tired. I was happy to find a notebook at a gas station to replace my memo book that I lost early on, and I'll be much more careful with this one.
Frisbee in the park in Oakland was fun, even though I'm terrible at pretty much all sports. Any time I try to do something difficult, I make a face that Jon charitably calls the 'DeNiro face', purportedly for the striking resemblance it causes me to bear to Mr. DeNiro the actor.
Our first pair of interviews were pretty outstanding. We got to speak with two up-and-coming hip-hop artists, both alumni of Oakland High School, Gully and Little D. It was a blast to talk with two artists in a medium completely different from my own that still seem to be facing many of the same challenges. Next we spoke with Payton Carter, teacher, sometimes DJ, and supervisor of OHS' hip-hop club. I was blown away by his eloquence, presence, and skill at story telling. I think we could have spoken to him for hours and never gotten bored. It's also wonderful to hear how artists can join the academic field, but still not turn away from their passion. He spoke about how he helped to form Oakland High School's hip-hop club, and I couldn't help but be reminded of Forest's and mine (and Rob's and Mike's) founding of The Department, UW's sketch comedy troupe.
After the interviews, we went across the Golden Gate Bridge and putzed around the park. Both were pretty awe-inspiring, and even though I'm usually turned off by tourist attractions, I'm glad we saw it. We also got some great pictures, which is always nice.
The next part of the journey is a bit of a blur for me, as I was dropping into and out of consciousness, but somehow or another we ended up at the Hampton Inn. I guess we mainly owe Jon for that one. Taking a shower felt wonderful, and positively reinvigorating, as did taking a dip in the hotel pool.
We topped off the night by taking a visit to In-N-Out Burger, something I'd been eagerly anticipating. I got a double-double and fries, animal style, and I was pleased with both. I'm not sure if I'm settled on the great Dick's vs. In-N-Out quarrel, but I'd certainly happily eat at either again.
I'm having a great time, despite being tired and a bit sick, and I'm looking forward to the next chapter of our adventure!
