all here, all good

hello one and all...

I'm finally up and running. I attempted to get on while in Colorado, and after spending 45 min on the phone with Tmobile tech support, no luck. I tried again in my hotel in Las Vegas, and for some reason, the Stratosphere did not like my choice of credit card. So, after having a dream last night about a successful attempt, I made my way to a Starbucks on the corner of Rosecrans and Ocean Gate in Hawthorne California, and a most helpful gentleman at Tmobile figured out why I couldn't connect, and I was good to go!

So, here I am.

Crazy. Where do I start? First of all, I made it safely. No problems along the way. It was actually quite a pleasant drive. I threw in "August and Everything After" by Counting Crows, and was on my way. I have to say, I sported the K-Do wristband the whole way out - just for you Kel. For those of you who don't know what that is, don't worry about it - it's a long story, and it's not a big deal. But I thought it'd be a funny, somewhat symbolic thing to do. Love ya Kel! I drove behind a TON of "English" semitrucks too - it was INSANE! But it was kind of funny because it made me laugh...a guy I know named Mark told me he was recently at a rodeo with an Englishman, so it made me envision that as I rode behind these trucks. The drive was rather long (the first day I was in my car for about 15 or 16 hours). I stayed in a hidden Extended Stay (it was EXTREMELY hard to find - my drive might have actually only been about 14 hours if I had found it initially) in Westminster, CO. I woke up the next morning, spent some time at a Starbucks near my hotel, and then hit the road again for a 12 hour drive to Las Vegas. I purchased "The Da Vinci Code" on CD before I left home, and listened to that most of the way. I must say, I'm TOTALLY enjoying it. I have one disc left though, so I'll let you know what I think come the end of the story. I must say, the mountains of Colorado were amazing! The first two hours I drove in silence as I drove down I-70, and took in the landscape before me. God is so cool...What an amazing creation! Las Vegas...I was somewhat overwhelmed when I arrived at Las Vegas at 10pm, as it was really big and REALLY bright! I was also suprised as to how large my hotel was. I had NO CLUE it was going to be that big. I've never stayed in a hotel that was that large. Being as late as it was, I headed up to the 20th floor and found my room and crashed. I slept in the next morning until the last possible minute, checked out and headed to LA. That was the quickest drive - took it in one shot. I got to LA kind of early, so I found the house where I'm staying, and then drove around to become familiar with the area. I found an Old Navy, a stop that I had intended to make before I left on my trip but didn't get to. So, I wasted some time there, and eventually met up with my friend for dinner, and thus began my adventure in California.

Went to Chipotle for dinner, headed to Manhattan Beach and walked around (the sound of the waves...could there be anything sweeter?), and then to Starbucks for after dinner coffee! I seriously should document how many different Starbucks I can visit. It's sick really - I think it's a disease! I work there for heaven's sake - you'd think I'd be sick of the place. But there's something so comforting, when you're away from home, to have something so familiar. I just chose Starbucks.

I'm not really sure what's ahead...Today is kinda laid back. I'm meeting up with my friend for lunch, and she is giving me a tour of where she works. I don't know what our plans for the evening are yet. Something fun I'm sure. She's kind of a crazy girl- but that's what I love about her! We might actually hit the beach - not sure. Tomorrow I'm meeting up with a friend of mine who's out here on business (Ryan Zaar) and we're headed to Santa Monica for the day. Tomorrow night is the beginning of the X-Games (skateboard vert finals). Rock on for that...I'm so stoked.

Anyway, I'll probably come here daily to check email and (hopefully) blog. I have a TON to write about to be honest. I had a lot of thinking time on the way out, thought about a lot, and so I have a lot to write about. But I thought I'd at least give a generic update for the first one. So for those of you who actually read this, I'm in California, it's beautiful, and the fun's about to begin.

Love to you all.
tj