Go Out There And Rock

My boss bought me a candy bar today. I think she could tell my mind was in a place other than work.

Tomorrow is April 1st - exactly ONE MONTH before graduation. I'm moving out of here on May 6th, hanging out at my parent's house for about a month and a half, then hitting the road. Estimated date of departure is June 22ish. Lots of planning and practicing to do before then.

It's amazing how everyone is so supportive and excited about this. I was afraid people would look at me as silly and irresponsible, but most people are totally stoked for me. I called my mom Monday night to tell her about it. She thought it was a fantastic idea. This didn't surprise me at all, but I still had this small fear that this would be the time my parents finally got fed up with my desire to be a traveling musician without traditional employment. Of course, this was not the case, and my whole family is way excited for me.

Talked to Ryan for an hour or so on the phone yesterday and came up with a hypothetical route that involves going across the United States, ending up in New York, and coming back through Canada. We've already gotten some messages from friends and acquaintances offering us their couches for a night. And today in physics, Ryan informed me that couchsurfing.org has some promising options that could get us through the Midwest with minimal camping and car-sleeping.

Yesterday I told my one of my favourite professors about my plan (ironically, it was the same professor that said something that led to the big epiphany). This prof is this quirky old man that most people either love or are totally offended by. He wears a feather in his hat and decorates his office with Star Trek action figures. I went into his office to ask him a work-related question, then ended up talking about my life after graduation. He thought the rock tour idea was beyond cool.

"Besides, the job market is shitty!" he says. "You're young! You may not make much money but you might be able to eat a bag of French fries on the road every once and awhile. Go out there and rock!"

I think I needed to hear those words come from a seventy-something-year-old literature professor. It kinda made my day.