Day 1 - Pittsburgh PA

We've been on the road for about two hours and I have yet to feel like I've left home. Perhaps it's due in part to the fact that I am anxiously awaiting the majesty of the Rocky Mountains and the notorious storms of tornado valley, or maybe it has to do with the fact that whenever I am around people, I feel at home.

Paul and Mike have incredibly different personalities than me. Our worldviews might stray a little from each other, but I'm fine with that. If there was someone in this Audi with the same thoughts as me, I'd be aggravated with a sense of ongoing competition. I'm comfortable with my differences, especially after just reading a chapter (in The Art of Happiness - written by America's top psychologist concerning his interviews with the Dalai Lama) about connecting with people. The Dalai Lama explains the complexity of connectedness, how we can't exhibit empathy correctly if we do it the same way to everyone. More on that later, if necessary....

Right now we're parked at a truck stop right off of the turnpike. Paul's first acknowledgement of the building was, "Oh! They have a Starbucks!" I told him that if he is that excited for coffee every time he sees a Starbucks, he won't have enough money to purchase a beverage when we arrive at the first ever Starbucks in Seattle. His response, "I know. but I want it NOW!" I've never heard that one before from any Americans anywhere.

Maybe that's why I need to go on this trip, to erase my view that all Americans are self-absorbed people seeking personal ambition with the perception that "more is better."

We're back on the turnpike now. I'm thinking about food. Mostly about eating it. Not because I'm hungry but because food is the reason we're sitting in such a crammed car.

So far I haven't cursed during this trip. Paul says "up yours" counts as a cuss word, so it's gonna be pretty hard to keep my streak going, but hopefully beneficial.

We're about an hour and a half from Megan's house in Pittsburgh. She invited us over for dinner, and she will be joining us in the car tonight as we drive to Dayton, OH. It might be a little tight in the car, but Megan is small and we can still play a little tetris to get personal items situated better in the back seat.

I really don't know our agenda. I know the general route, but I like to be surpirsed; so I'm not bugging Paul about it. Planning things removes the adventure aspect, which is why I'm glad that I don't really know anyone that we are visiting.

Mike took it upon himself to read Paul's car manual. We found out that there are actually streets that require you to have chains on your tires. We decided to disregard that and stuff. Other people disregard it. Why can't we? We also discovered a small compartment below the steering wheel that's supposed to be able to hold two books. Crazy German manufactures must be crazy about their literature. Speaking of which, Paul just mentioned that he forgot to bring his German dictionary that he intended to study.

Backstreet Boys is perfect music to create nostalgia while driving through the tunnels that go through western Pennsylvania mountains.

Just some observations. More to come whenever I can pick up wireless signal next....