Various Ways to be Exhausted

These pretty little pink flowers are growing in random spots beneath a freeway overpass in Fort Worth, Texas. How do I know this? Because I'm trying to get to Japan, naturally. Travelling from Knoxville, my flight to Charlotte was delayed due to fog, causing me to miss a flight to Fort Worth--and then the substitute flight was delayed due to a mechanical issue. So eventually I did end up in Fort Worth but too late for any flight going to Japan to-day. Fortunately, American Airlines was nice enough to put me up for the night in an Embassy Suite so I can't say I'm too upset. I walked to a nearby Wal Mart for supplies--I was happy to see Texas doesn't have fences and walls everywhere to thwart pedestrians like San Diego does.

It certainly has been an eventful five days.

While staying in Tennessee I had no wi-fi and couldn't go to a Starbucks for it because you can't even stay inside a Starbucks for very long--only to go orders are allowed. I found this out early one morning in Birmingham, Alabama. It's probably a sensible precaution but it makes things difficult for me.

Otherwise, the drive from San Diego to Knoxville was heaven. I do love driving. I spent a lot of time going through Texas, of course. To quote Peter O'Toole as T.E. Lawrence, I like the desert "because it's clean," hopefully Coronavirus-free. I swear, if I never hear the word "Coronavirus" again it'll be too soon.

There are so many new Starbucks outfitted with outlets and wi-fi and all the Dennys seem to have wi-fi now. At a Denny's in San Antonio, I overheard a pretty young waitress complaining that she couldn't even buy some supplies for her baby because it was stuff panicked customers had already raided the shop for.

I didn't take many photos on my journey, I didn't have time since my flight was leaving from Knoxville at 7am on Wednesday and I'd left San Diego on Friday. I really wish I could've spent more time in Louisiana. Just the sight of swamps and forests from the freeway was breathtaking.

Here's another photo from Birmingham:

I drove around the historic district at 4:30am. It was too dark for photos. A really eerie experience, all those deserted old buildings with no-one around and weirdly bright street lights. I can't quite describe the feeling it gave me.

Aguas de Marco

To-day I'm leaving California, driving cross country to Tennessee. Of all things, it put me in the mood to watch Lost Highway last night. I thought I might watch something more upbeat but instinct kept urging me back to the tragic tale of Fred Madison. I was also watching Bergman yesterday so maybe I just wanted calm, cool, contemplative film.

I was going to leave yesterday but there was flooding and thunderstorms in Arizona so I thought I may as well wait one more day. Though I'm likely to have to deal with bad weather of one kind or another at some point, at least it's sunny from here to El Paso for one day.

I will keep up blog entries as much as I can but if you don't hear from me it's because I couldn't find a Starbucks, library, or motel with wi-fi.

Twitter Sonnet #1337

Retracted light became the living torch.
Empowered lead became the power source.
A thousand rags were stacked beneath the porch.
Escaping men confound the guarding horse.
A silent whistle stalks the amber room.
A finger files pictures red to green.
In writhing crowds the brains retook the tombs.
Excited hordes exchange the holy bean.
A ghostly face returns to Andy's bash.
Another tape appears upon the step.
The lizard's sax was bright and weirdly rash.
In broken time the yellow lines were steady kept.
The changing current foists on desert damp.
The wind presaged a metal moving camp.