Joe Gage: Round 2

I just got a very "happy" email from Tunis. Congratulations, Gaigi!!!

Some Kind of Spinning Away

I could go on and on about how Hawai'i really exceeded my expectations (esp. after we flew out of Honolulu). The Big Island reminded me so much of New Zealand (except with more ozone, more heat, and about 7 hours closer to the mainland!)...everything from rain forests to volcanoes to sandy beaches (both black and white), to deserts. All in a few hours drive. As Jackie (a lady we met at the Kona airport) would say, "It's just sooooooo elemental, dude." Elemental and surreal. Sitting on a sandy beach watching a whale on the horizon slapping it's tail. Well, I could have been dreaming! Jam and I burned the candle at both ends and enjoyed pristine landscapes that have not yet been ruined by mass tourism (read: Oahu, Maui). Tip of the day: Get to the Big Island while it lasts. More pictures on flickr.

Los Angeles: Reloaded

Nice to see all the old faces and places! Sunnin, Robeks, Getty Center, 101 to the 110 to the 10 to the 405, I have to say it, it was great to be back.

Tinseltown!

The Academy Awards. Hollywood. Home of the Rich and Famous...and my younger, unemployed, brother. God Bless!

Land of Cash..

For those who haven't visited Nashville, imagine crowded smoky bars, girls dancing in cowboy hats and boots, and live bands playing tribute to Johnny Cash while you chug 2 dollar PBRs, (the beer of choice) and complain about the "Ring of Fire" from the tequila. I was so close to buying some cowboy boots and letting it all go. Perhaps if I had another day! An interesting place to say the least...Especially when you're rolling with the boys. Haven't seen these guys in years, Seth, Tres, Tony, Palazzolo.. its nice to know nothing has changed;) Trouble with a capital "T". We wasted no time getting back to basics:)




And of course no trip to Nashville is complete without a hangover-inspired trip to Johnny Cash's grave:)

RIP, buddy.

To The Source..

Lynchburg, Tennessee, Pop. 391, hometown to the Jack Daniels' Distillery. I saw the signs and knew I had to pull over for a looksie. Our tour guide was this halirous older gentleman who claimed that in his 30 years at Jack Daniels he had never left work without a smile on his face (he liked his Jack;)




..JD in the fermentation stage..it reminded me of what comes up after too much consumption.



Oddly enough (not so odd for the South;), the distillery is located in Moore Country, a DRY county. The ultimate tease. The poor man's face says it all. So close, yet so far away. As consumption wasn't allowed, we were given the chance to inhale the lethal vapors that resulted during the charcoal mellowing stage. The directions were to breathe in through the nose with your mouth open. Feel the burn!



Laverne or Shirley, take your pick;) This place was like going back in time.



Oh, the stories (DUIs, assault and battery charges, unwanted pregnancies, etc;) that will be told from those bottles...

Bible Beltin' It!

Leaving for Nashville via Chattanooga I saw this truck in front of me and couldn't resist a shot. I just chuckled at the thought of this dude going to the store and purchasing all those individual letters. That's dedication! The cherry on top is the (barely noticable) "ACLU Sucks" on the bumper!

When Times Go Bad, When Times Get Rough..

won't you lay me down in tall grass, and let me do my stuff!

stupidity taken to the "nth" degree...

Keeps on Rollin...

A new city and 10,000 miles later, the Volvo passed another milestone this morning on I-85! Let's knock on some old windows (made in West Germany) for another trouble-free 10,000!~

I'm with It, I'm hip...

Well, don't look at me like I'm friggin' Frankenstein! After attending a new members session for AIESEC GT, a wild house party on Saturday, and a Super Bowl gathering on Sunday, this old alum was reindoctrinated into the LC lifestyle. While years, faces, and names change, I'm glad to report that the AIESEC spirit lives on..Kudos to AIESEC GT for welcoming me in and I look forward to future gatherings!

The fun and festivities came to an abrupt end this morning at 8am when I found myself at "Step 1" of the CDC's immunization regime for international travers. I'm heading over to do some work in Africa for the last half of March, mainly focusing on our GAP. The shots actually weren't that bad and I got a cool travel kit with an lots of gadgets and medicine...ha! For the amount of stuff they gave me you'd think I was living over there for a year!

Pushing the Boundaries of Technology...

It's nice to know that even though Digs is on a roadtrip for work I can still manage to ruin his day. He's on the Kazakh border and is upset because he can't receive my SMS' about who won the superbowl....What a townie. Say hello to Borat's sister for me.