If you really want to see what 'opulent' is all about see it - personally I found it a bit depressing... waitress chat is far more enjoyable and you get to leave a tip! That Hearst crap is all at the coast of those waitresses and a whole lot of other people - and now you still need to PAY to see it.

Goobz - I like the "Location:" you're rockin!

 

Greetings from... a parking spot in front of City Hall of Santa Barbara.

I just finished a brisk walk along the stripthat is supposed to be downtown. Before that i spent $40 on sushi... first time I've ever eaten sushi (rolls) on my own. I'm usually with other people and refrain eating pricey foods by myself.

Now, I'm trying to find out where I'm sleeping tonight... rest area or motel? Not sure I want to camp out by the beach... or if I even can.

@K_C, yeah I like putting semi-related quips.

PS, the waitresses were constantly on the other end of the shop, keeping themselves busy, so i couldn't really chit chat... if i even had the guts. Its especially too bad the one I that could've been my type never even left that end. what am I talking about! If I didn't have the guts to strike up a conversation, it doesn't matter where was(n't).

 

I think the fine people of SB frown on sleeping on the beach.

Come on Goobz - being a seasoned road warrior, waitress talk should come easy by now, no?

 

Greetings from... a rest area 30 miles back up the road?!?

Oh yeah, I got all of 5 minutes of shut eye at the beach before a cop kicked me out. I spent 15 minutes before that trying to figure out what to do. I then went to get a room at the only decent motel (good renting and inexpensive)... NO VACANCY. After a few minutes of hoping for another decent motel, I gave up and decided to sleep at a rest area... the only two nearby was one I passed 30 miles back or one even further that i would have to zig zag to get to off the 5... which was still north of SB.

Part of my conversational issues is that i don't know how to initate small talk in general. While i do find myself in "small talk" like conversations a lot that boil into topics that aren't of any consequence, I always feel the need to have a relevant topic before talking to anyone. But I don't always feel that i have such a topic, so I shut up.

Alrighty... time to see if I can do some shopping in Chinatown, LA... that is, whenever I get there.

 

Hey Goobs, stick to the small talk that are relevant and that you're good at. Maybe like...

Do you like Hondas?
What do you think of Honda Fits?
Do you know how to bleed brakes?
Want to see the headers under my hood?

Happy motoring Goobs... All in good fun. Take it light Goobs...

 

Or, "I just drove half-way across the states to get something to eat, what's good?"!!!

 

Smooth as always KC!

 

That's experience right there talking.

Hey Goobs, you should drop by Portos bakery if you can. Will be well worth it

 

Greetings from... Chinatown!!

Took quite a while with traffic and everything... now, to get some food.... and whatever else you only get from here.

 

Greetings from... San Clemente.

I'm hanging out at my uncle's shop, Taste of China.

I spent $82 on 5-1/2 lbs of two snacks (actually, two varieties of one with four varieties of another). Expensive stuff!!! But I was only two for three of the snacks I wanted.. The last one, would've been 50 lbs of melons seeds. That would last me 100 days, since I munch about 1/2 lb a day. I know, I'm kwasy like that. In any case, not only could I not buy a whole 50 lb bag, but I couldn't even buy 1/2 a lb... they were sold out. I thought melon seed munchers were rare, guess not.

Well, I think its time for me to head on down to San Diego.

 

Get away from those Asian people,,, You of all people should be aware of how they can make you feel good about spending all of your money and feel like it was money well spent even when all of it is gone... It's not like Tejuana where you know you will feel bad after your money is gone but the end result is the same.... I'm joking man...

 

Greetings from.... San Diego!

Finally made it (a few hours ago). Kinda surprised my dad. He actually knew i was on a road trip, just didn't know what ti expect. I was just chillin out with him for a bit before taking a quick stroll down to Pita Pit to grab a pita sandwich... which I'm munching on (kinda oily though).

OMG, having trouble connecting to the wireless network, that I set up! Need to connect to save on my data plan... gonna get overage charge if I keep going on cellular at the rate I am.

TC, the nice think about one of the two snacks, is that it can be munched on directly... or used to make flavored water drink. TASTES GOOD, at least to me.

 

I was just cutting up with you Goobers... There are things I go way over board and spend big on and I'm talking about food and not my car... It has been Strawberries with different kinds of cakes with frozen yogurt, CoolWhip , Eagle Brand Milk and even a shot of Irish Cream... I gain weight like crazy but I can be disciplined and not eat much and lose it real quick...

 

Hey Goobs, now you can rest for the trip back. Enjoyed reading your posts... When you eat out, maybe you can try KC's chit chat tips... or mine... heheh

 

Goobers.... What route do you reckon you'll take on your return trip home?

 

What return trip home?

I'm going to see the grand canyon... then Texas, then Florida (maybe), then tail of the dragon, then NY, then Canada some more... and THEN finally back to Chicago.

So, not quite going home yet.

What a pain in the derrière. Replaced old router, but the wireless card in my brother's computer would NOT connect... so had to use a new wireless adapter... thank goodness I bought one when I bought the router, just in case this happened!!! Still though, took a while to get it up and running. I must be getting rusty.

 

Wow, that's a lot o' miles Goobs. You'll probably rack up at least a good 7-8K easy...

 

Yup yup. I've already racked up a bit more than 5k so far. Google maps originally was estimating a little over 10k for the whole trip. We'll see how close or how far off they are with my extra detours.

Debating whether or not to do my oil change. In Chicagoland, I could only pull off about 6.5k before the MM hit 0. I drove just under 2k, since last oil change, before leaving on my trip, MM said 80%. Now, 5+k later, my MM says 40%. I guess I should, since it doesn't look like I'll be able to make it home before the MM goes negative, possibly for 1k or more. I think I'll need to deal some other things too, while I'm at it... *sigh*

 

Hope you brought some tools! Wish I had 6 weeks to fuck off and do what I wanted! ;D

Very jealous..

 

[QUOTE=Goobers;1017315]What return trip home?

I'm going to see the grand canyon... then Texas, then Florida (maybe), then tail of the dragon, then NY, then Canada some more... and THEN finally back to Chicago.

If you get somewhere fairly close I'd like to try to hook up with you for a meal and visit... Texas is huge so I can't just say when you get to Texas we can hang out... I am up to driving a few hundred miles though if I get enough advance notice as to where to drive.