Big Bird

Today I drove from Philadelphia, PA to my brother's home in Richmond, VA and the trip was fairly uneventful. Traffic was sticky in spots, my cat puked and pooed all over her carrying case (in fact, she puked before the truck even started moving), and I didn't have any air conditioning. But really, this is all nit-picky stuff. My cat and I made it safely to Richmond and I'm very happy to be hanging with my brother, my niece, and my nephew.

However, the most impressive event today happened just as I was passing by Andrews Air Force Base, just east of Washington D.C. I'm cruising along on I-95 when the shadow of an enormous plane swooped across the interstate. I mean, it had to be as wide as the entire highway (I think it was six lanes by now). It crossed the southbound lanes first, then the northbound ones heading east towards Andrews. I looked out of my window to see what kind of plane it was and saw this:

I was dumbfounded. I just figured it was going to be some standard issue military cargo plane, not Air Force One! I immediately called my dad and told him what happened (since I knew he'd be especially interested in my aeronautic experience). I mean, did the President just fly over me!?

It turns out that at the same time I saw Air Force One, President Obama was in the Oval Office meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates, so he couldn't have been on that plane. Therefore I didn't actually see Air Force One, since the plane only carries that designation when the President is aboard. Nevertheless, it was a bit awe-inspiring to be buzzed by the President's plane. It made my day.

peace.

West Bound and Down

Tomorrow I embark on an almost two-month journey to Vancouver and Canada's National Voice Intensive. First, my cat Mo and I will be driving from Philadelphia to Richmond, VA to visit my brother and his family for a couple of days. I'm look forward to seeing my niece and nephew, Cassidy and Tavon. They're always a bunch of fun, and since I'm a professional at playing pretend I usually fit right in.

After that all of us will be heading down to our home on the coast of North Carolina to visit my parents for about a week. The hope is that my brother and I can take our motorcycles down with us and so that he, my dad, and I can all ride together for the first time. That would be mighty nice!

Then on May 4th I will fly out to Seattle then take a bus across the border to Vancouver, where I'll be living and working until June 11th. I'm back in Philly on the 12th, then attending the Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia auditions on the 13th. Whew!

In a way, I sort of turn off the rest of the world when I'm preparing to travel. There are a lot of things I have to think about and remember in order to feel comfortable and prepared. Just today I've had to do laundry, call the airline to inquire about baggage, pick up the trailer to tow my bike, audition for a wonderful acting opportunity at the National Constitution Center, and obviously pack my stuff. Tomorrow, there's even more to do, including the trip itself.

So allow me to apologize in advance for any lackluster discussion or observation in the next couple of days. Things will pick up, I promise. Vancouver always brings a lot of stuff out of me. You'll see.

Until then, I give you the song I sing to myself every time I travel more than 200 miles in a car. It never fails getting stuck in my head for at least 20 miles.

One of these days, I'll do a real Bandit run to somewhere; hopefully with less involvement from law enforcement. That would be bad.

I've give a travel update tomorrow. Let's hope all goes well!

peace.