Time is Money
Few people know this, but I'm going on a trip in early June with my buddy Ryan. There is no destination because the trip is all about touring the United States. I'd love to say that we're going coast-to-coast, but given the time restraints, we're only going to get to Texas before turning around to come home. The current plan is to head out west to Niagara Falls, swing along the southern edge of the Great Lakes, shoot through Chicago, take Route 66 down to Oklahoma, then snag Route 50 all the way back east to Washington DC, before taking a northern turn up through Gettysburg and back home to New York.
That's just over 4,000 miles of wide-open American highway and will take us anywhere from 7-10 days to complete. I can't wait.
The funny thing is that I knew before the plans were made what the costs of this trip would be. No problem. What I didn't plan on was the amount of piddly little things I'd need to pick up in preparation for the trip...
- MinoHD Video Camera? Check.
- Mini Camera Tripod? Check.
- First Aid Kit? Check.
- 500gb External Hard Drive? Check.
- Emergency MRE's? Check.
There's actually more to the list than that, but those are the main things I've had on my mind thus far. I can't drive halfway across the country without getting video of the event, can I? And, sure, I can offload my videos and photos to my laptop each day, but what about backing them up? Got to have a backup hard drive. It would be horrible to lose all those memories to hard drive failure mid-trip. I'm thinking that the MRE's might be overkill, but I'd rather have extra food on hand in case my Jeep breaks down in the middle of the Great Plains. I should probably bring some water too.
So much to think about! Thankfully, most of the planning is done at this point. It's just a matter of letting everything fall into place while hoping for nice weather. Or a tornado. I'd be more than happy to actually chase a storm, rather than just advertise it on my license plate.
Too Much Exposure
Sometimes I wonder what someone was thinking when they decided to advertise a product, person, or idea in a particular way. Take, for example, the public bus I saw at the shopping mall this morning:
"Free condoms. Get some!" it touts. Seriously? We've resorted to advertising sex supplies on the side of our public transportation? Don't get me wrong; I'm not a prude, nor do I have anything against birth control. As far as I'm concerned, people can do whatever they want when it comes to that. Abstinence, the pill, condoms, a wool sock... I don't care. It's their life, so they can choose to live it however they want... As long as they don't come to me for financial assistance when they suddenly realize that 12 children is too many to handle. But, that's another rant for another time.
I'm not annoyed about the bus advertisement for free condoms. I guess I'm just a bit bewildered that it's posted in grand fashion on the side of a bus. Given the subject matter, it surprises me that someone didn't have a problem with driving it around town. I mean, if a conservative wanted to advertise: "It's abstinence or nothing." on the side of a bus, we'd have liberal-minded folk jumping down their throat. "How dare they impress that upon our children?" they might say. Yet, free condoms are okay with the conservatives these days? Apparently so.
Branching in another direction, who is actually taking advantage of the free condoms? I have to admit that I'd feel a bit odd if I walked into a building, sauntered up to a desk, slammed my fist on the table, and said, with a gleam in my eye, "Hi there. I saw the bus ad. Give me all the free condoms you got!" Then again, maybe other people are different. I recall watching a guy in CVS carry condoms up to the counter, lay them down, and then while the cashier was cashing him out, he proudly stated that "it's going to be a busy weekend." Great. A little too much information there, pal. If I recall, the female cashier was rather embarrassed. Can't blame her on that one.
The Razor’s Edge
Shaving. As you know, I don't like shaving. Taking off a few layers of skin in the process of removing endlessly-growing protein filaments isn't a fun pastime. A couple of months ago, I decided that I'd had enough and grew a beard. Just about everyone I ran into said it looked great and that I should keep it up. I thought I looked homeless, so I shaved it off and went back to my standard goatee.
Now I'm back in the hunt for my "perfect" shaving system. I've tried rotary electrics, foil electrics, two-blade, three-blade, and four-blade cartridge razors. Not to mention just about every shaving cream, gel, and oil on the market. The result is always the same.. What could possibly be left? I think I may have stumbled upon a possible answer: The double-edged safety razor. Yes, I'm referring to the one that your father probably used.
I've been doing some reading and it seems that if this tool is used properly, it can result in a superior shave. As an added bonus, refills are a fraction of the cost of modern cartridge razors (10 razors for $4!). It also helps if the razor is used in conjunction with barber-quality shaving tools, such as a badger hair shaving brush and a decent quality cream. These brushes are a bit pricey (about $50), but the general consensus is that they can easily last a decade if they are cared for properly.
Seems like overkill, but I'm willing to try just about anything at this point. If taking an extra five minutes with a double edged razor in the morning means I won't shear my face off, then it's a sacrifice I think I can live with.