Stupid Things I'm Looking Forward To On Vacation

I've already posted a blog about my vacation and put a countdown timer on the blog. There are obvious things I'm looking forward to like Atlanta's Aquarium, Disneyworld, Lookout Mountain, and some waterfalls. But I was just thinking about some of the more odd things I can't wait to experience. Here's a partial list.
WAFFLE HOUSE - If you live in the Southern United States you know what I'm talking about. Four words; scattered, smothered, covered, and chunked. There are no Waffle Houses up here in the midwest. I guarantee at least one will get my business.
MANATEES - Manatees are in a word, weird. They look like underwater cows. The only place to see them in this country is in and around Florida. It turns out Disney has some. They look peaceful, graceful, ancient. I don't think I've ever seen one IRL, and in just over 39 days, that will change.
BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS - I grew up in North Carolina and I miss the mountains. Not those ugly dirt and cactus shards in the Western US, but rather the green gentle giants dotted with cabins, winding roads, and crystal clear rivers.
WELCOME TO GEORGIA, TENNESSEE, FLORIDA SIGNS - It's been about a year since I left my city limits. I love to see other states and those signs always make me smile.
HAVING THIS COMPUTER - This is my first road trip where I will have a laptop with me. I've already bookmarked all the tourist info. I will probably update my youtube channel (see bottom of page for the link) with videos of everything while I'm on the road.
SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY - Life is different down south. Been there, lived that. I remember last year when I stopped at a gas station in North Carolina. The clerk was so nice and friendly, I felt like we had been lifelong friends. The true south is relaxed, polite, friendly, and makes anyone feel at home.
THE FREEDOM TO EXPLORE - My best friend and I have reservations. Disney is prepaid. But beyond that, we can go where we want. I don't fly for two reasons, one I hate to fly, and two, you get to see more of this country at ground level. If we want to go see waterfalls, we can. If Atlanta is too fun to leave, no problem. Don't get me wrong, I've planned every inch and every minute of the trip. But I am gleefully aware that it is subject to change without notice.

So that's it for now. Keep an eye on my youtube channel and this blog if you are the least bit interested in the trip. Until then, see ya virtual world. Y'all come back now 'hear?

I Blog Alone - Greenish Day

I just posted my new video on my youtube channel (see link at bottom of the page). It's called I Blog Alone by Greenish Day. This is my second parody video, my first one was My Coffee is Cold by K.T. Perry.
Parody videos are fun to make. They are a change of pace from my usual director-not-star videos that I have offered my millions of subscribers (ok 34 subscribers).
I get it that the popular vids on youtube are the ones with the channel owner as the star. I just like composing and editing more. But, in an effort to get all the way to 35 subscribers, I will give the virtual people what they want. I am still going to make videos like the 16 others I have made.
So that's it for today, my fifteen seconds of fame are up.

Happy Birthday Mr. Lincoln!

Today is Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday. I have to say, I never used to care. This year is different. This year we have an African-American President. What would Lincoln have thought about that? What would a black person in his time thought the odds were that we would elect a black man as President?
I am in Springfield. President Obama (I love saying that) will be speaking in my city tonight. I woke up this morning and turned on CNN and saw my city on tv. We have the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum here in town. No doubt it is packed right now. (If you haven't gone, you must go! It is incredibly cool, holograms, interactive movies, and millions of things I never knew about Lincoln.)
I am a fairly progressive white man. I have a hard time digesting the past, and often an equally hard time understanding the present. We as a society have clearly gone far and have far to go. But I would like to think that President Lincoln would be proud of us today. I will continue to try to do my part. I just wonder what advances are in store for us as a country in the future. For now, all I have to say is Happy Birthday President Lincoln.

Our Vacation

I have just finished planning a vacation of a lifetime! On April 7, my best friend and I are going on a cross-country road trip. We are first going to Atlanta, then Orlando, and then to the Tennessee mountains and caves. Now all we have to do is wait 59 days. That is the agonizing part. I'm ready to go NOW. Who ever said anticipation is half the fun?? I'm pretty sure it won't begin to compare to the trip.
By the time the vacation comes to an end, we will have driven over 2000 miles. We will be taking the laptop and video camera which means I will be posting videos on my youtube channel with the highlights.
So now all I need to do is earn enough money to be able to do all the things we have planned. Does anyone out there need your lawn mowed or gutters cleaned? If not that's fine. I have a backup plan. I am going to ask the government for some of the bailout money. I am sure that will go over well. I wonder what kind of vacation I could plan with a billion dollars of government stimulus money???
Anyway, time for me to start work. Have a good day virtual world.

What you don't know about hotels

I work in the hotel industry. It's not that bad a job, lots of downtime and all the continental breakfast I can eat, not to mention wireless internet. But as I sit here at the front desk, I've been thinking about all of the things people just don't understand when they travel. Here are my favorites...
1. Prices aren't the same across the nation. At least once a week, someone will tell me that they stayed at this chain in Grant, Nebraska or some such place for only 19.99. We are the Capital of this state so we don't honor the rates of a hotel 1000 miles away.
2. You need a credit card to stay. Yesterday a guy came in and had a wad of one dollar bills wanting a room. I explained we (and everyone else) require a credit card. His response was that this is the United States of America. I agreed and said we still need a credit card.
3. Desk Clerks (aka guest service agents) are not required to know every fact about every business in town. A lady asked me where the nearest scuba store is. Since I am in the midwest, I am guessing it is a thousand miles east.

And now for the secrets about hotels that can be helpful...
1. You can negotiate (to a point). If we have 100 empty rooms, we are probably willing to go down a few bucks. If we are sold out, we get to raise the rate on you.
2. The internet deals are not deals at all. Those priceline, travelocity, hotwire, etc. places have a few problems. One, you can't cancel once you book. I get that once a week. Two, they tack on five to twenty bucks to your reservation so they make profit. They find our lowest rate, add their extra and then sell that to you. I might suggest you call the hotel to find out the rate and then surf online.
3. The nicer you are on check in, the better your room will be. Not all rooms are identical. The desk clerk gets to pick where to put you. If you are rude, your room will not be as nice. If you are nice, you might get a free upgrade.

So, America, thanks for traveling and staying at this hotel. Now go away and please come again soon.