a thousand layers, of built-up skin, designed to protect what you've stored within

white octave- appeals for insertion

At Annie's request, here is one piece of the puzzle... there are different iterations but not a final quite yet.

rest. stop.

Highway Culture. Isolation, security, independence, the open road. Identity?
My analysis of interstate travel glorifies the state-maintained rest stop for exposing an area's identity better than any other rest area thick with neon logos looming over the road. Although the other exits may lead you to the next established place, there's no way to know you've traveled at all because any distinguishing features of this new location are hidden. However, if you can catch the sharp turn after REST STOP NEXT RIGHT, you might catch a glimpse of the area's natural vegetation, or maybe a hand painted map of the area in the restroom lobby. With luck you may even be near local walking trails and viewing points. These spaces are not apart of the local routine, they ask of nothing from the traveler but offer shelter and peace. A space between connecting roads where you want nothing more than to rest and stop. This is where you can truly see a place. Of course there are many interpretations, but not every rural town is captured by a Cracker Barrel.

and now to communicate this in a graphic...

burnt toast

I'm back in St. Louis for a new semester and all of that. It's hard to imagine what the new routine will be, but it seems a bit unmanageable already. negative-negative, blahhh.

The drive was amazing! It was a such a beautiful day to cross the Appalachian mountains. clear, sunny skies, the mountains in the horizon were every shade of blue, snow caps on the highest peaks, ice patches in the exposed rock, and trees and trees and trees. But of course my camera was in the boot (yeah vw). By the time I was able to make it to a rest area the best had past but I did get a few.

oh and annie sent me a cooper the kayaker video...
http://www.riotkayaks.com/teamblog/riotblog.html

tunnel viewed through my salt-stained windshield

driving some more

and some more

the view of nc from tn

want to live here?

dusk

And today i think i captured st. louis city better than ever. not so impressive and not my every-day experience but pretty honest.

Gravois near Kingshighway.

charlateeun

i hate cars. mostly batteries. I got back from D.C. and I had to jump the Jetta again. Met up with Carina and had to jump start the car again. Hopefully the battery is recharged enough to withstand errand running for the rest of the day.

Being in Charlotte also means coffeeshop read-a-ramas, lunch with the aunties, and possibly a visit with the Vinzants and/or Lamblas. All of these things and time with Vero and Victor. Knitting is just a fun hobby, right? Vero and I sat around knitting yesterday, using mom's old needles and yarn I had bought her a few Christmas-years ago. Creepy, I think it's easier to be away from the house, Mom's presense is as strong as ever here. Clothes, lotions still around, eek.

Also, someone make my cover letter more persuasive.

who is in your birthday lunch club?

jeff knows andrea kohashi's mother's friend. how do we know this? he's in her birthday lunch club.

alexandria today, torpedo factory was the highlight. i may take a photo class there this summer, i think it'd be really awesome. being there really reminded me of high school with ms. nowlin, one of the best teachers i've had. it got me in the living-in-an-art-world, happy mood. and then i went to the grocery store in columbia heights... GIANT. it was intense and too real. Kids fighting over who got to push the cart, wives denying their husbands frozen pancakes, lines stopped because of fake food stamps, parking validations...... overload. lets just avoid it forever.

unfortunately though, no worthwhile pictures, yesterday's probably shouldnt have been uploaded either but oh well.

the cute new years eve picture

i might like you better if we slept together

it's romeo void's 1981 hit, never say never. i just saw the video. please find this song and enjoy.

today's area of d.c. was georgetown, basically the "shoppping" on M Street. so, haircut and lameo people, plus a stop into the cool soaps place, Lush, and i left. the residential areas north of M are pretty awesome though. you know, the place you park when you're there.

driving was hell, but i got this pretty average shot of D.C.

how does this happen? its pretty much the same shot, but not, weird.
anyway, it's georgetown.

murray is a baby

the bums on the couch, there's me. i can't believe i'm saying this but go texas football!
i guess i just got into it.....

dc adventuring, day one

so i made the adventure after good solid advice from the city-explorer expert, Annie Lambla

redline to adams morgan

the new year's eve bridge

yummy lipstick

un cafesito

i wanted a shot of this guy and the woman that wanted him, alas it's just him.

the dc shop style

white store front action

tunnel lights

that one tree dan likes

and then dannychico picked me up

rainy day in dc

blog born with the new year.

I spent those important few seconds before 12:00 am linking arms with two of my favorite people. we were crossing a bridge towards the empanadas place in adams morgan as an end to the night. everyone knows the fuss of new years eve when you're with a group of friends and each person has a different idea of what would be perfect. this probably wasn't what any of us had planned for the first seconds of the new year, but it made me happy.

this is most likely due to the fact that im not really into the bar scene... as in im not 21. but im okay with that, until plans are continuously ruined because of my little burden. whatevs

so now i have time to chill in a city i dont really know. im dying to explore and document the streets of dc. so maybe tomorrow i'll borrow a camera and metro around. alone or not.