The East Coast Blues

Booo the East Coast.

Georgia

I left the Stuks' at around 10:00 and headed to "The Big Chicken" - a Kentucky Fried Chicken that has been a 56-foot-tall landmark in the life of Marietta, Georgia. It was impossible to get both me and the chicken head in the shot so i improvised. Some weirdo who introduced himself as "J.R." drove up and started taking pictures of me and wouldn't stop talking to me. His accomplice was a scary obese lady with few teeth and a cackle that still drills into my soul. I was so scared they were going to steal my camera or do something weird, so I quickly did the thing and left.

I hooped at Atlanta's Centennial Olympic Park and played in the fountain.
Small children kept running into me.

South Carolina

Booooooo.

I had no fun. Just many hours on the highway in the pouring rain and traffic. I spent the hours listening to more music and practicing Spanish with my "Spanish for Dummies" CD. I hooped in some stupid little park in Greenville, SC.

North Carolina

Charlotte looked SOOOOOOO fun and I almost stayed longer but it was getting late and I'd probably not make it to Richmond. Friendly security guards and young hip people skipped around the North Carolina Music Factory - a gathering of bars, comedy clubs, a volleyball court, and more bars. Gotta go back there sometime. It's something very not-Kathleen to not do what I want in that moment, but I got back on the road hoping it was what destiny wanted.

It was getting dark. I paused at a diner in High Point (Lexie's alma mater) to plug in my phone (the navigation really sucks the juice out). As I sat there a moment while it charged, an old man approached me and asked how to put his phone on silent. I showed him and then he proceeded to tell me his life story. It was obvious he needed someone desperately to talk to, so I put on my listening ears. He lost his wife 12 years ago and then fell in love with another old lady in the church choir who was divorced 28 years and "never once committed adultery," who decided not to date him anymore. Though I knew I was doing an important duty as random listener, I was relieved when he said he was leaving. I don't plan on getting old.

Virginia

I got to Jessica's Dad's house in Richmond (which I previously visited as Jessica's Grandma's house back in 2009) past midnight. Jessica is one of my best friends in the world. I met her in college and we clicked pretty quickly. We've spent years singing and playing piano and dreaming together. She's a creative and linguistic genius. Jess's Dad invited me in and had bought some burgers and floats. He charmed me with his stories of music-making. I slept in Jessica's old bed, missing her. In the morning Jess's funny funny Dad took me down Monument Ave and I hooped with a monument of Jefferson Davis.

I also stopped at Stonewall Jackson's shrine and then in Fredericksburg and walked around admiring the old-fashioned buildings and atmosphere.

Maryland

Traffic on Rt 95 was SO BAD that I just skipped Washington DC and I will unfortunately have to go back to hoop in front of those so-important buildings. I went to visit Cami in Silver Spring and she was cute as ever with her short hair cut, sweet boyfriend, and tattooed leg. Cami and I were really close in middle school and some of high school. I always think of the time we sat up in her attic and read The Giving Tree and we cried in each other's arms. I feel like there's a silent sadness between us, because we lost touch. Still her giggle fills my soul with sunshine.

My Maryland and Delaware hooping shots are lame, but I figure they're close enough to New Jersey that I can revisit. Anyway...now I'm home in my spot on the couch in Woodbury Heights. Happy to be with Daddy and Anna.

The South

I'm a sleepybear.

Tennessee
I did a good job getting a hotel just a few blocks away from Beale Street in Memphis. I got there and took a nap, then took my hoop and camera down to Beale where I was enchanted by the sounds of the blues coming from every corner and every bar and club. Older black men gettin down and feelin the soul of this beautiful Memphis air. Everyone drinks outside on the street and most look like a bachelor party or a hot date is goin down.
Some man jumped in my video shot and asked to try two people in the hoop, which I humored until it wasn't all that amusing anymore. People of course stared and cheered and I got a few good clips.
I took my camera back to the room and changed my clothes so I could feel more clothed. After assurance that we were in the safest part of Memphis, I took a walk back downtown to explore and enjoy. My first encounter was with a large white weirdo man...the conversation went...

Le Weirdo: You're so gorrrrrgeous!
Le Me: Thank you.
Le Weirdo: Can I have your feet?
Le Me: What? No.
Le Weirdo: I'm good at massaging...here...
Le Me: No that's weird.
Le Weirdo: But I'm in love with you. Can I buy you a drink?
Le Me: You don't have to.
Le Weirdo: but I want to *hands me two 5 dollar bills* Marry me! I got moooooney.
I shook my head and he laughed and walked out of the place.

The next encounter was a very nice guy who asked me to dance so we did for half a song. He reminded me of Michael in his body, face, hispanic-ness, and speech. A cop from California. We talked about ourselves for a bit until he took his friends home as the DD.

I watched the big black men up on stage. They have something else to them. The rhinestones on their clothes and the way they take a saxophone or guitar solo...there's so much to them that makes your soul sing too. Nothin' like the blues.

I walked home thinking, "Well, Memphis, I'm impressed."

I woke up late (oops) and ran out to get to Graceland, where the line was much too long and I wasn't thrilled about paying $33 or more to go see the Mansion when they wouldn't let me take my hoop or tripod anyway. Boo.

Mississippi

It was hard, but I finally found a place to hoop which turned out to be the birthplace of Elvis. That was it for Mississippi. Except for the guy who kept calling me a Yankee in the rest stop. Thought I should explore more but I was trying to make good time which I didn't today.

Alabama

I found a park dedicated to Civil Rights stuff in Birmingham which made for good hooping and then a street with a big Alabama sign. Funny old black men called out things like "Look at that Hoo-lay-hoop!!!"

Georgia

It seemed I was never going to get to Liz's. Traffic stopped for some runaway police chase thing, and the rest of the highways were just ridiculous traffic cases. I finally made it and I'm sleeping on her comfy couch. This house is beautiful and the whole gigantic basement is furnished and is like a nice apartment for Liz (bedroom, bathroom, two living spaces with couches, piano, pool table, gigantic TV, and the best was when she wowed me by opening what seemed to be a drawer and it was a dishwasher, then another as a fridge and freezer, and it went on and on.)

Sleeptime.

Texarkana

Texarkana is the name of a real town, but I'm just titling to represent this triad of states I've trampled in these 3 days.

Texas

I went through Texas only sometimes happy. I hooped at Cadillac Ranch but stupid people kept standing in my shot after specifically watched me set up. Though the plan was to eat dinner at the big amazing steakhouse in Amarillo, I passed it by realizing I don't deserve it, and I've had that experience already anyway. I kept driving, singing and singing and singing. I sang a lot. Stuff I've studied in years past, random radio, CDs I've made and a CD G&G made me. At dark I decided to stop in Vernon, TX at a Days Inn. I slept well, considering I just watched the remake of the movie "Psycho" and the hotel was set up similarly. Showered and took advantage of included breakfast.

I was off at 8am, so excited to meet AJ. AJ is a dear friend of mine. We met in a chatroom when we were 10 and 11, wrote letters and kept in touch for all of those years, never losing the care and love we had for each other. He lives in Baton Rouge now but his home is Shreveport, LA and he changed his schedule to be with me. Anyway, he was still 6.5 hours away. I stopped and hooped in Dallas, TX at Main Street Garden. A homeless man made me feel good by saying things like "You sure make Dallas look a whole world better," and "When God mad you...sheesh..." Haha.

Louisiana

First thing I noticed was the transition from blah Texas to lush Louisiana was glorious.

Back to AJ time...
In search of a place to hoop, AJ took me down to a place called the Boardwalk which was like an outdoor mall with casinos and fun things surrounding. It was a hot sun and a hotter humidity, but still neat to see and I got to hoop by the river and a little more before we got yelled at by a security woman who took her job much too seriously.

We went to a local seafood-diner-place called Shane's for dinner with his mom where I had fried alligator and seafood gumbo.
We then went to his friend's place and hung out with Jordan, a tall friendly man, and Courtney, a small friendly lady with the cutest Southern accent ever, and I played some piano, had some outside in the GREEN GRASS time, and watched that weird guy cross the Grand Canyon by tightrope. Fun was had and I was so thankful to finally have time face-to-face with AJ. He's just how I imagined and more. What a good life-long friend...in Louisiana...

Arkansas

I drove North and hooped at the line between Arkansas and Louisiana, then continued and hooped at the Arkansas Arts Center. The haiku I wrote stated...

Humid disgusting.
Hooped with funny-looking birds.
Bye bye Little Rock.

I realize that the only reason I've chosen Memphis for this trip is because the song "Life is a Highway" includes "from Mozambique to those Memphis nights" and I want a Memphis night. A safe one. but a fun one.

Of course I try to plan to experience local food and authentic social life, but right now I'm in officially the worst Applebee's to ever exist. West Memphis, AR. Just wanted to pee and use the free WiFi. The hostess acted like she was high and didn't understand a word I said. The bathrooms look as though they have never been fixed or cleaned since the place was built. My waiter's wack. Everybody's looking at me like I'm the opposite of them. (I'm human too, peeps!)

Anyway...Memphis is real soon and I'm going to research for my "Memphis night."

I miss Grace and Gerard and Chris.

Here I go again on my own...

I'm off to see new states, people, and things.

The plan is to get to NJ the South route, come back the North. It'll be good to hoop, spend time with friends and family, and just get the travel bug out.

Life's been busy even though it's summer. Obviously I survived the year of teaching at Catholic School and really fell in love with the mass despite some rude and non-Christian behavior of some adults involved. I continued with some of my piano students into the summer and started taking on learning some things of my own like some drumming under rhythm master Steve, more "advanced" hooping, cleaning, and languages. I need this trip for spiritual cleansing, relaxation, and adventure.

I met a great girl named Regina from Venezuela and Chris from college is living with us for summer.

I've felt really close to Grace and Gerard and feel thankful for friends. They teach me so much. This is some of Gerard's progress on the house. He never stops creating!

So here I go again...