Complex Numbers

Plans

We interrupt our regular programming to bring you this important message...

Do they still say stuff like that? I haven't watched network TV in years. Nay, decades. What with streaming and all, I get to set my own passive entertainment schedule and, bonus, avoid ads.

But no, really, today I'm not answering a prompt or discussing a link.

Yesterday, I went to see a friend. This is notable because it's the first time since the Before Times that I visited someone else's house. He and his wife have been my friends since, I don't remember, sometime in the 90s. It was his birthday celebration, and five of us just did normal stuff like taking a walk, playing a card game, having a barbecue, and talking about stuff.

You know, normal life things.

I'm fully aware that there's still a pandemic going on, which is why I decided not to go to Belgium this year, after all; the phased reopening of the EU is tricky to follow and I don't want to go at a time when stuff I want to do isn't available. So, hopefully, that'll happen next year.

Meanwhile, I've decided to do a road trip soon, which is mainly what I wanted to talk about here.

I've done an entry in this blog every day for just over 18 months now. Usually, I post something shortly after midnight WDC time. When I'm traveling, my schedule will be inconsistent -- I'm still going to shoot for every day, but it's unlikely that they'll all be at the time we've all grown used to here. But, honestly, I'm not going to stress about it; if I have to miss a day because there's other stuff going on, well, so be it.

18 months is, after all, a good run of posts.

So. Whenever I tell someone I'll be on a road trip, their first question is, understandably, "Where are you going?" While I get where the question is coming from, my road trips tend to be the living embodiment of "it's about the journey, not the destination." I might even say that there is no destination, only journey. That said, for this trip, I've picked out a few spots completely at random. It just so happens that at least two of those spots are relatively close to good friends from WDC, and I intend to visit them. I also intend to visit breweries and other points of interest.

I also take my time, often avoiding interstates. While US interstate highways a) are an everyday marvel of civil engineering (which was my professional life); b) represent a nice fast way to get from Point A to Point B; c) provide travel services such as food, gas, lodging, and toilets, most of which are helpfully signed; and d) were a triumph of infrastructure planning at the Federal level which couldn't be replicated today if we tried; they're also, with a few exceptions, exceedingly boring. I use 'em if I'm in a hurry, usually on the return trip when I'm starting to get tired of driving.

Consequently, if you happen to live near a place where I'm going to be passing through and want to grab a drink or whatever, I might be able to arrange that. But I don't precisely know where I'm going to be, except central Minnesota and, later, the Salt Lake City area. After that, probably I'll take a more southern route back east. If not, there's (hopefully) going to be a next time.

Make it worth my while (i.e. buy me a beer) and I might even be persuaded to take a detour.

My plan right now is to leave on Saturday. This means I'll be traveling over the July 4th weekend, which may suck, but the only other alternative would be to wait until after that holiday to start the trip, and I'd rather not wait that long.

So until then, blogging as normal. After that, well, we'll see.