It's my party...

With 1 week and 1 day remaining before the start of the trip, a lot remains to be done. I have been shuttling car loads of stuff to storage, and the condo is getting pretty sparse. Many of the bigger items have been sold on craigslist, and if I can just sell my leather sofa, I should be able to complete the move out without needing a bigger storage area.

The crew is throwing me a going away party today. It really is the end of an era for me. I have been in Hoboken 14 years now and it's time to go. This is my last weekend as a Hoboken resident...by next weekend I will have moved out and headed to CuzJoe's. Sunday we leave.

I still don't feel particularly reminiscent. There's too much to focus on in the near future. Perhaps I'll feel different when sipping margaritas under the warm Arizona sunset.

Ok, it's time to go to the party now. Whee!

Itinerary - Part I

A few more details on the trip. I think I have most of the trip planned through the end of May.

Sunday April 8th – leave from CuzJoe’s farm. Arrive in Pittsburgh via either just the PA TPK, or possibly take more rural routes.
Monday April 9th – catch a ball game at Pittsburgh’s PNC Park. The World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals are in town. Leave after that to start the trip to Chicago. Probably sleep at a hotel before getting there.
Tuesday April 10th – arrive in Chicago. Besides catching a game at Wrigley (Astros and/or Reds), a lot of Chicago is up to freelancing. Neither of us have been there before, and we have been getting a lot of suggestions, so many options to choose from. Food (as it may be for a lot of the trip) sounds like an integral part of the trip. Seismic will be coming in on Friday, so we should have a gala time.
Saturday April 14th – depart Chicago. From here we will do a bit of wandering, and will likely have planned some of the next few days during the earlier drives. In general we’ll be heading south.
Tuesday or Wednesday April 17th or 18th – we should be dragging in to Memphis. If we haven’t already had our fill of pulled pork sandwiches, this is the place. Some music and nightlife, and perhaps a ritual stop at Graceland, but I’ve heard a lot of pooh-poohing about it, so maybe we just go to Sun Records for homage.
Thursday April 19th – we will be found (or lost) in New Orleans. It is post Mardi Gras, and pre Jazz Fest, but Nawlins is always jumping…hope that’s still true after Katrina. There’s Bourbon Street and Po’boys. Pat O’s and Preservation Hall. I’ve also been in contact with Bruce’s daughter who is there with FEMA, and may take in some of the devastation.
Sunday April 22nd – CuzJoe leaves in the morning. Since he’s not really a golfer, I thought this might be a good day to try to play a round. Start heading north to Ole Miss. Hopefully I will be able to fit that in and also drive to Oxford, MS to visit with Big Earl and the Palan’s. I’ve been informed the hosts might make crawfish e’toufee’ – YUM! Will see a little of the Ole Miss campus, and pick up a sandwich at a gas station.
Monday or Tuesday April 23rd or 24th – leave Oxford for the long trek to Phoenix. I really haven’t planned anything for this stretch. It’s a long distance. I will either race across Texas just to get there, or possibly take a couple three days, and get in some golf, meet the locals, and explore the cities along the way…it’ll depend on wanderlust and whether I have any at that point.
Thursday - Saturday April 26th – April 28th – arrive in Phoenix for my first long stay over. I’ll be reuniting with Treason Pal, DP and Scully. I’ll be just hanging loose for a few weeks here, trying to convince the hosts not to go to work, getting a bunch of golf in, sitting under the stars, sweating in the sun, and generally trying not to wear out my welcome. Perhaps a trip to the Grand Canyon would fit in nicely, though not sure I’d have anyone to do the rafting with??? If anyone is free and wants to raft down the Grand Canyon between April 27th and May 9th, please let me know…otherwise I’ll have to find another time for it during the summer. There also may be a cruise down Route 66.
Thursday May 10th – Battlestar and fiancée should be arriving in Phoenix. Besides having a golf partner, probably more of the same.
Sunday May 13th – Somewhere around this time, I should be hooking up with Seismic for the drive to S.F. – the scenic route. First head to LA, then start up the beautiful Pacific Coast Highway. Hearst Castle is on the agenda. So is Carmel. But there’s lots to see on perhaps the most stunning drive in America, before arriving in San Francisco later that week.

From there it won’t be long before flying back east for Battlestar’s wedding on May 27th. Not sure how long I’ll be on the east coast, it’ll probably depend on what plans get set up for June. But I’d hope to see the gang and the nieces and freeload for a couple of days. And most certainly I’ll be home with Mom and Dad.

Then back to San Fran and...

The Vehicle

Exactly two weeks from today, the trip begins. With my condo sold, I have been shuttling loads to storage of the stuff I am keeping. I'm also in the process of eating everything that remains. I also sold my bed. I'm reduced to sleeping on my back bedroom single bed. The place looks a lot bigger with less stuff about.


Thursday I picked up my new Prius. It's great. I'm really enjoying the push button starter and keyless system. It's a smooth ride, and has a lot of really smart features.

CuzJoe decided the SAAB was too good a value to pass up; I agree. I wouldn't be getting rid of it were it not for the trip.

Yesterday we held our Fantasy Baseball draft. We're looking for big years out of Jose Reyes, Carl Crawford and Travis Haffner. And if we get lucky with some pitching, we could have a chance of being in the money again. I'll be scouting our players at Three Rivers and Wrigley during the first week of the season.

Great to be Home Again!

One of the best feelings is getting back from a vacation, catching up on all the needed tasks and settling in again to your own personal comfort zone. It's great to be home again!

That will be the last time I get to say that for quite some time.

Orlando

I'm not sure what is more tiring, a full day of bachelor party activities, or one afternoon with my nieces.

Today we went to Universal Studios Islands of Adventure. We hit almost all the rides, though I was surprised that there were not as many as I expected. The nieces favorite was probably the Caro-Seuss-el. The adults were amazed by the 3D Spider Man ride...it was jaw-dropping.

After the park, the indefatigable nieces spent 3 hours swimming at the Portofino Bay Hotel pool. During the trip, I hope I make friends as easily as they do. Just throw them into the pool, and they come out with new pals.

Looking forward to returning home tomorrow night as there is still a lot to get ready, including picking up my new car, emptying out my condo for the new owners and all the many lesser preparations.

End of the Bash

A third of the crew is already flying home; those who remain, are idling around the hotel waiting for the afternoon flights home and hoping they haven't been delayed by the northeast snows. All but Battlestar were in the lobby at 7:30 AM, ready to head out for golf. None had gotten to bed before 4 AM. It was decided that if the bachelor didn't have to golf, neither did we...we all skipped golf and went back to the rooms for a few more needed hours of sleep.

It's been a weekend of golf, March Madness, decadent meals, and late night carousing. The four days have sped by...time goes faster when you are drinking from morning til shut-eye. My liver is declaring a cease fire. All the sordid details are being left out to protect the innocent, and to protect the guilty (like myself).

From here, I will be seeing the crew off at the airport and taking one of the rental cars to Orlando to meet up with my family for theme parks. Two more days of Florida sun, before heading home to finish off the trip preparations. Exactly 3 weeks from today before CuzJoe and I head out on the first legs of the road trip.

BTW, the EBay auction on the SAAB has only received 3 bids, and the latest offer is just over 6K. Know anyone who want a convertible?

Battlestar Bachellor Bash

We all arrived here in Tampa today, and went straight from the airport to a sports bar. The Penn game was on, and though they gave hints of having a chance, March Madness again ended on the first day for the Quakers.

This was followed by a Ybor (pronounced E-bore) city, the nightlife center for Tampa. Not much action down here right now, and we took over a bar whose claim to fame is beer pong. As we all have more than 20 years professional experience at this, it was right up our alley. Six hours straight of drinking and gorging on some pretty good bar food, and some of us are settling down and saving energy for golf tomorrow and some of the more decadent parts of the bash.

It's great to be wearing shorts and sandals and soaking in the warm weather. There's supposed to be a big snowstorm heading up the north east, so the timing couldn't be better.

I got emails from my realtor that we are now finished with lawyer review, so I have apparently sold my condo - final price 395K. I am psyched. I also got a couple of calls from my Toyota dealer. My Prius has arrived, and they are going to install the leather seats, so the car will be ready for pickup as soon as I get back. I'd hate to jinx myself, but everything has been moving along without a hitch.

A Vacation from my Vacation

I leave tomorrow for Battlestar’s 4 day bachelor party in Tampa. We'll be golfing a couple of times and seeing a spring training game or two. We'll have to figure out something to do at night...hmmm. I extended the trip a couple days in Orlando with the family at the theme parks. Not sure if I will find the time to post any new messages for a while.

So the updates to my road trip planning include buying a car and settling on a final price for my place. For the car, I took the lowest price I could find on the internet into the Toyota dealership and asked whether they could match it. For the most part they did. I will be picking up my brand new red Prius when I return from Florida. I also bought a portable Magellan GPS system, and am eager to mount it in the new car.

With the condo, I had been delaying writing hoping to get all the details finalized. We have had 3 bidders get involved, and are currently accepting a bid of 395K from the original bidders. They seem the most sincere. We are telling the brothers, who in their 4th bid offered 400K, that it is not enough to move us from the original bidders. “Thank you brothers for the 5K you got me, but if you don’t step it up now, you will not be living here.” I have signed with a lawyer and granted him power of attorney for the sale. Thus I will not need to be at the closing, nor will it matter if I go to Tampa. If higher offer comes in that we accept, he can do all the signings of the documents.

So, now I need to sell my car. DP just sent me the listing for it he posted on eBay. 11K is what the dealership would give me, so I’m going to need to get at least a thousand more than that. He set a reserve of $12,800, so if the bidding doesn’t get that high, we’ll try again. It will also be posted on Craiglist soon.

A few bids from some of you might help get it moving. If anyone is interested in helping out, and if you have an eBay id and all, call me or send me an email and I'll let you know what DP recommends. Here is the eBay link for the SAAB: My car 4 sale.

Action on the Condo

The 4 princesses (my nieces), my brother and I converged on my parents place for the weekend. Mom made a super sized batch of her beloved tacos. Two supermarkets were checked, and it's been determined that "hot" Taco Sauce is extinct. All we're left with is medium and mild.

Most of the weekend was spent helping CuzJoe prepare his farm house for sale. I got to re-confirm that I really do enjoy house painting, and were there enough money in it, perhaps that would be my next career.

Having nearly started my nap prematurely going 80 on the NJ Tpk, I arrived home exhausted. I've now been home two hours and I am no longer tired...

My condo has been on the market for 4 weeks now, and I am close to lowering the asking price from 415K to 399K. I was pleased to see that I arrived home at the exact time a couple was coming to see my condo. As they walked around, it was nice to overhear they were impressed.

Shortly they left. I threw my unpacked bags in the corner, pulled the blanket out of the wood chest, plopped into my recliner, slid it awlllll the way back, found golf on the TV, sat back up and ran to find the ringing phone. My realtor, Phil, called to tell me he had just gotten an offer from a couple who came to see the place twice last week. “It’s a low ball offer,” he said. “Mumbo jumbo, mumbo jumbo realtor speak,” he added. Finally, “The offer is 366K.”

I paid 168K for it 8 years a go. Nice real estate market, but still way too low of an offer. We decided to counter offer 400K, see what they do, expect them only to budge up their offer, and then expect it to generally end there. Hey, pretty exciting. At least I got an offer. Quick call to tell Mom, then back in the chair, un-pause the golf, start to relax, blanket tight, then dart the hand to the ringing phone.

“Hey we work pretty fast here. The couple is going away Monday to Wednesday…they countered 381K right away,” Phil spat out. I quickly decided that they were approaching my ballpark, and this might be an interesting game. 395K was our counter. Just yesterday, I was thinking that with the lower asking price of 399K, I’d be dropping down to expecting 385K. Hey, perhaps today I could get an offer that I’d accept.

After another quick call to Mom, I was getting a little excited. Little chance of napping right now, so I started this here blog post. By the time I wrote above, “The offer is 366K”, they came back with 390K. That number works for me.

Before saying “Yes”, I decided to take a breather, call Mom a third time and get a family (Mom, Dad, Bro) consensus for approval. I also was making sure that the next course of events that Phil had described were Kosher…such as our ability to accept a higher offer from one of the 3 couples that are seeing the place today should they come in with one. Or maybe even start a bidding war.

So, all that bringing us right up to present, I am now going to end this blog, pick up the phone, call Phil, and say: “Phil, accept the offer.” I’m not feeling like a nap is coming on any time soon.

UPDATE: At 6:30PM, I got a call from Phil saying that he has another potential buyer, and I should expect a new offer probably later tonight! If the new bid is higher, we will let the original bidder know that we got a higher offer, and that we would like to have Final bids by each made before some pre-determined time, maybe Tuesday at 5PM.

Long Live Vader

Long Live Vader

Unfortunately, I never got to test the frozen cat theory. I reposted the craigslist item for Vader. After a couple of email inquiries, I got a call at 7 last night asking if she was still available. A 10 minute chat later, and I was stuffing all the cat crap I owned into plastic bags.

Vader was freaking out. I chased her room to room for a while before closing the door in the back bedroom and cornering her. I snatched her up and ”gently” placed her into the carrying case. For the first time in 3 years, Vader was going outside.

Over Vader’s loud moans of protest, I listened to the lynching stories of Scooter Libby (we got the wrong guy for the wrong crime – it should have been Cheney for outing a covert CIA agent). An hour later I was at Vader’s new home in Hackettstown.

The new owners looked like they were 21 and just out of college. In their small apartment, I opened the cage. Vader emerged, took a brief look at me, “Meow”, and ran for a hiding place. That was the last I’d see of her.

This is the last of only 3 pictures I ever had of her.

Bob and Car and Phone and Cat

Last night I attended a gathering honoring my first boss at my ex-company. Coincidentally, he retired on the same day I quit. There was an excellent turnout which demonstrates the positive impact he has had on so many he has worked with. Happy trails Bob!

As for the trip, I have been getting the technology part in order. I bought a new Verizon Blackberry with “broadband” access. I am now receiving emails to scott.roadtrip@gmail.com on it. This will be my only email address once I leave, so please start using only that to email me. I was able to keep my cell phone number, so that will also be my only number soon.

I also received my first laptop on Monday. It’s a Dell, and has pretty good power. It took a little jiggering, but I have now connected my cell phone to the laptop and have accessed the internet. Maybe I am just in a good area, but the speed is surprisingly good. So I should be able to easily keep this site updated on the road. I think I have a pretty good handle on the trip technology now.

As for the vehicle, I went to a Toyota dealership and tested out the 2007 Prius. It’s a fun car. The trunk space seems adequate and I have a place for my clubs. I will be trying out a few other cars in the next week or so, but if nothing else wow’s me, I’ll get the Prius. Anyone want to buy a SAAB convertible?

I have my first lead on someone who will save Vader from the freezer! She may end up in a home with 2 male cats and a Chihuahua. Unless anyone wants a Vader?

Finally On Hiatus

A powerful storm came in on Friday, my last work day. My commute to work took 2 hours because of all the flooding, and I got there late at 10:30...hey, what are they gonna do, fire me?

After all the goodbyes, and a final luncheon, I dropped my badge off at HR and pushed through the revolving door for the last time. I couldn't help but whoop - WaaaHooo! The rains had ended, the temperature had risen to 60, and I put the top down on the convertible for the ride home, whooping intermittently.

Cookie, Mak and I plowed through 3 superb bottles of wine from their cellar and a feast of sushi and sashimi we had delivered (thank you very much!). Looks like Mak may have some time off between jobs, and we are beginning to plan out a possible trip to Alaska in late May or early June. Cookie's not thrilled about me stealing his wife for a vacation, but he is also reluctant to join the trip - Mak, you're going to need to work on him.

I already have a busy schedule this week with activities planned from Monday through Thursday, including a job interview/meet and greet on Tuesday set up by the Cuban. I will also be test driving a Prius one day this week, just to level set before trying out some other cars. Next week is Battlestar's 4 day bachelor party in Tampa. I am looking into extending it and joining my 4 nieces in Orlando for some of the theme parks.

13 Years Completed - 1 Day Remaining

Tomorrow is my last day.

No more:

• Hour long commute
• Paycheck
• Office or cubicle (see picture of office below)
• Red-tape, paper-pushing or SOX
• Bosses
• Business casual
• ID card
• Status meetings - or any meetings
• Co-workers
• Conference calls
• ... there are many more

Here's a picture of the office I am leaving behind:

I'm really not in a reminiscing mood...I'm ready for whats next. I have started reading On The Road by Kerouac - on page 3 our protagonist is in Hoboken before beginning his Road Trip.