New Art

An illustration expressing my contentment for this year's election results. Yay!

In San Francisco

Finally, I've arrived! My cousin in San Jose has treated me well, and now I'm room hunting in the city. Pics to come once I upload them, but for now, rest easy my friends. I'm home.

Colorado Part 2, Arizona is MARS

Sam and I scaled a mountain, where we made such sweet, sweet sandwiches.

And then it started to snow! My first snow of the year.

I stopped in Four Corners Nat'l Park to support the Navajo Reservation with purchases of frybread and hematite.

I spent a good deal of time in Sedona, AZ with my UU friend Kate Kramer, who worked in this amazing resort and let me soak in their outdoor jacuzzi under the stars. I woke up the next morning to find I was in the middle of an amazing canyon, with red rock all around me. All I could think of was that this must be what the surface of Mars looks like!

And no trip to Arizona would be complete without a visit to the Grand Canyon. Grand is obviously an understatement. There is no way for a human to comprehend the scale of this giant hole in the Earth.

I spent the rest of my time trying to find javelinas in the desert, but alas, no luck this time.

Missouri, Kansas, Colorado Part 1

Concrete jungle. First night back in St. Louis, I had to satisfy my hunger for Ted Drewes with baby brother. Elliott also served me Lamb Kebab at Saleem's with Josh, Kyle and Mrs. Kyle (that's Erin to you, buster!):


Some things never change, but Josh's hair gets more feral every damn time I see him. The newlyweds are doing well, and clearly I need a tan.

My thought bubble: GET ME OUT OF HERE!!! Going across the country gave me a very compelling and persuasive reason to drop in on Mike and the lovely Mrs Howell in Columbia.

I stayed in Wichita overnight with a cool dude from couchsurfing.com, but the rest of the Kansas, I'm sorry to say, smells and is just as bad as people warned me.

Thankfully, Colorado is as beautiful as Kansas is deserving of tornadoes. The incomparable Samwise welcomed me to his home in Durango. So far I've met his roommates Kevin, Jamie, and John, as well as other miscellaneous denizens of this Rockies gateway town. I enjoyed a tranquil/exausting 30-mile solo bike ride through the valley of the Animas river.

Colorado is spanish for "colored" which not only is totally racist but makes no sense, since wasn't everything in black and white back when it was named??

Illinois

Leaving Illinois wasn't hard; it just took a long time. I paid my last visits to my Mundelein friends, including Liz and Scott, on my last week at home.

That Thursday I had a jonesin' for some Kingston Mines with my big bro in Chicago.

At which point I pushed Staley off of Starved Rock (not pictured: Kayser, ambulance, myself)

New Righteous 'Do!

That "So long stress" in the background is wishful thinking, but the point is, I got a new look for my new trip, so watch out, World, cause there's a new Nathie in town, and he don't take no guff! And another, thing, don't call me Nathie anymore.

Ch-ch-changes

Today is my penultimate day at Publications International, LTD.

HUZZAH!!!!!

I've got little things and big things to look forward to in the coming days. To start, I'm not going to have to drag myself out of bed at 6:25 in the morning on Monday just to make a train! And, in the long run, I'll have my ultimate destination to look forward to: San Francisco. The move begins next Thursday.

More to come.

Christening

And yea, 'twas a momentous occasion, and the data of the internet rang out in rejoice, for a hitherto absent stranger announced his induction into the vast hall of blogging denizens. This soldier on the artistic front has now made his comings and goings known to the mob, and it is goode. Oh, might G-d! Let us feast on succulent images and text and be merry! Amen.