road trip.

last summer, i embarked on a solo journey to ottowa via two feet a heartbeat and a thumbs up. i was sitting at my moms house, bored so i decided i wanted to go somewhere. i packed up my backpack which contained a few changes of clothes, a book or two, and a carton of smokes. then i emptied my savings ( a booming $180), grabbed my guitar, and set off from fort erie- which is where my mumma lives. i walked for the rest of the day before i got picked up by a guy named mike, or doug i think. he was a nice guy but he kinda creeped me out so we didnt get too far before i asked him to let me out at a motel off the highway. i crashed there for the night spending $30 on the room for the night. the motel was tottally nasty though, oh well it was cheap. the next day i cant really remember much because i didnt sleep well the night before but i do remember getting picked up by a nice couple who were on the way to ottowa themselves. i didnt want a ride directly there so i asked them if they could let me off in kingston, where i walked around and saw some uninteresting stuff for the rest of the day. that night i stayed in an even crummier motel where i didnt sleep at all because of the arguments i heard or the cars i could hear loudly passing by. the next day i decided to try and find a scenic route, but decided against it because i was too tired. i also found out that i was lost and running out of money, i had something like 70 or 80 bucks left, so i parked myself down on a street corner, pulled out my guitar and started playing. one or two people stayed around while i played and asked me if i was homeless, i told them i wasnt and that i was backpacking to ottowa, they seemed to accept it and tossed in some change. i made about $20-$30 that day, which was pretty awesome. afterwards i made it to the highway and stuck out my thumb. my luck was awesome because once again, an old couple picked my up, they were really nice, and they had a rv, so i napped on a couch in the back. i was dropped off at a gas station outside of ottawa and i walked over to it to get a map. theyre like $5 for a stupid map that i only used once, which sucked because i still had to make it back from ottowa, and i wasnt made of money. i hitchiked the rest of the way to ottowa with a really really weird woman who was definately crazy, and she dropped me off at a mcdonalds. for a thanks i bought her a burger, she was really weird and i hope i dont cross paeths with her ever again. i was in ottowa, but i was tired. i really wanted to stay at the old prison in ottowa, which was also a hostel, but it was way further into the city then i was. so i stayed at another motel. this one wasnt bad, but the continental breakfast sucked, dry stale donuts and sludgey coffee. i contemplated hitch hiking back home, but decided against it and bought a bus ticket back to st. catherines. i left at 12:00 and got back home at 8:00pm. it was a long tiring trip, it was fun, but it wouldve been better if id had some company. im not sure if id do it again but id love to visit b.c so..... lets see what goes down next summer.

the liqour store- 1997

when I was 4, way back yonder in the days of old, we used to visit our cottage bi-weekly. now i lived in toronto then, so it was a four hour trip in a packed gmc jimmy with my dad, mom, and older sister. after the trip past barrie, huntsville, etc. we were very close to the cottage which means two things: grocery store, and the liqour store. we went through the grocery store with no problems whatsoever, picking up our tasty commestables and trotting out quite frollicly as i recall. however, the liqour store, thats a different story. i always went in with my dad to get his 24 case of canadian courage, however on this occasion, i didnt walk into the cooler room with him, i instead, thinking it the better choice, walked around this store filled with glass bottles, with my eyes closed whistling a tune. why? i dont know, i was a weird kid. However, this is the turn in the story that makes it interesting. as i was aimlessley walking, humming and whistling, a cute little child with my eyes closed, i walked into a rack filled with wine bottles. as i opened my eyes i saw one fall off. it was weird because i only vaguely remember it, the bottle landed on the hard floor, didnt smash, but istead spun around. the bottle stopped spinning, and exploded, sending glass shards into my knee and across the store. i kid you not, it was the weirdest thing ive ever seen. and to be honest, it took me ten years to re-enter that stoor, until then i just waited in the car.

the 60's/70's

if I had a choice of where in time to go, I would have to go with the 60's. the times were much different then and I wish they could be similar. the lifestyles, personalities, and of couse the music. im going to stick with the music for now, the who, jimi hendrix, janis joplin, the byrds, todd rundgren, the rolling stones, strawberry alarm clock, bob dylan, frank zappa and the mothers of invention, shall i continue? because i could do this all day...

aswell as the music, their festivals and concerts were amazing; woodstock, 1969, the isle of wight where the who played at 2:00 am, all of the best revolutionary bands and festivals took place in the 60's and late 70's the movements, the viatnam war, all sorts of world changing events, i just wish i could've been there to experience them. ive even been told by family, friends, teachers, that i was born in the wrong time, i wish i couldve been born in the right time so that i could drop acid with todd rundgren, or sit in a crowd af thousands while we all watch the who play, to even see just that, the who play, i would know ive lived. pete townshend, tossing his guitar 10 feet in the air, only to catch it safely before he smashes it over his amp, roger daltry standing there whipping his microphone around, while john entwistle solemnly plays his bass, and in the meantime, the animal keith moon, beating the shit out of his drums as he drunkingly smirks and makes faces to crowd. ive seen videos, but thats way different. everybody thinks they know the sixties, but they dont unless theyve lived 'em. i dont even understand them. i wish i could've lived them.