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city"},{"term":"izu"},{"term":"kakunodate"},{"term":"kamakura"},{"term":"kensington market"},{"term":"kobe"},{"term":"kofu"},{"term":"kutna hora"},{"term":"laguna beach"},{"term":"lancaster"},{"term":"layfayette"},{"term":"lincoln"},{"term":"livingstone"},{"term":"maryland"},{"term":"mexico"},{"term":"mexico city"},{"term":"michigan"},{"term":"milfordsound"},{"term":"mississippi"},{"term":"mobile"},{"term":"mongolia"},{"term":"moose jaw"},{"term":"moses lake"},{"term":"nagano"},{"term":"new london"},{"term":"newport"},{"term":"niagara"},{"term":"north carolina"},{"term":"offbeat"},{"term":"oranienburg"},{"term":"ouimet canyon"},{"term":"pensacola"},{"term":"philadelphia"},{"term":"pioneertown"},{"term":"pisa"},{"term":"potsdam"},{"term":"rachel"},{"term":"rappongi"},{"term":"red bluff"},{"term":"redwoods"},{"term":"reviews"},{"term":"richmond"},{"term":"roswell"},{"term":"russia"},{"term":"sachsenhausen"},{"term":"san antonio"},{"term":"saskatchewan"},{"term":"scranton"},{"term":"seattle"},{"term":"shinjuku"},{"term":"skye"},{"term":"socorro"},{"term":"solvang"},{"term":"sudbury"},{"term":"tallahassee"},{"term":"tallinn"},{"term":"texico"},{"term":"the hague"},{"term":"vancouver"},{"term":"verona"},{"term":"victoria"},{"term":"virginia"},{"term":"virginia city"},{"term":"wall"},{"term":"wilmington"},{"term":"ypres"},{"term":"zurich"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"one.year.trip"},"subtitle":{"type":"html","$t":"One Teacher's Around the World Travel Blog\u003Cbr\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.oneyeartrip.com\/feeds\/posts\/default"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/4453582688315838952\/posts\/default\/-\/north+america?alt=json-in-script\u0026max-results=3"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.oneyeartrip.com\/search\/label\/north%20america"},{"rel":"hub","href":"http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/"},{"rel":"next","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/4453582688315838952\/posts\/default\/-\/north+america\/-\/north+america?alt=json-in-script\u0026start-index=4\u0026max-results=3"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"generator":{"version":"7.00","uri":"http://www.blogger.com","$t":"Blogger"},"openSearch$totalResults":{"$t":"189"},"openSearch$startIndex":{"$t":"1"},"openSearch$itemsPerPage":{"$t":"3"},"entry":[{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4453582688315838952.post-4920705479621299078"},"published":{"$t":"2010-09-18T14:04:00.000-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2010-09-18T14:05:34.944-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"ann arbor"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"michigan"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"north america"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"rtw09"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"usa"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"All Good Things..."},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Saturday, 18th, September – 2010.  One year ago today, I think I was in Oslo.  With a whole world still ahead of me.  Every day an adventure.  Even free hostel breakfast a surprise.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI think I was sharing a room with three big Scandinavian construction workers, and there was a weird cold fish in mustard sauce for morning meal.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI think there was a Frisbee golf course out on the field I had to cross to take the train into town.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI think.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESo much has happened.  Some memories seem fresh, others faded – the ones truly forgot I wouldn't even remember  ever knew.  So much has happened, an while I'm sure re-reaig, and watching videos, and flipping through pictures will help bring it back – it will all just be an echo of what was.  A life once lived.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETomorrow – tomorrow I'll have to get on the internet, and see if I have work.  Tomorrow I'll have to start e-mailing everyone and thank them for helping make my trip what it was.  Tomorrow I'll have to get Combo C!  Wait, tomorrow is Sunday.  There is no Combo C on Sunday.  Just Monday to Friday, eleven am to two pm.  That is, if it still even exists at all.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETomorrow...\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI might even pick up an X-Box 360.  I might buy a new computer to deal with all my pictures.  But that's tomorrow.  I'll need to pay off my credit card, check my bank balance.  Tomorrow.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBut that's all in the future.  That's once my trip is done and over with.  Today, it's still on.  It's still  on.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI can feel the world rushing back, and to be honest, I'm not really liking it.  I know I will once I'm back and everything is back to normal (it bothers me how quickly I'll adapt to living back in the 'real world.'  But once I adapt, I'll be glad for it.)  There's not much to do today.  Just drive through Michigan, cross a final time zone, and then head back up into Canada.  A country my presence has not been felt in for over twelve months.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETexting with my mother, she plans dinner and says she wants to hear stories when I get back.  Having read half a million words over the course of this year, I'm not sure what stories I have left, but I'll be able to field questions.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI can already feel myself retreating to the computer room, and locking myself away on the internet.  And I don't like it.  While at the same time I do want to play video games.  \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt's strange – using computers while I travelled felt like filling time, or staying connected with people.  Now?  Now it will feel like wasting time.  \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAh – but never mind that.  As I sit in the car, I try to type up the last few nights worth of blogs.  And in doing that, I feel disconnected from katherine, with whom I'd spent the last seventy five nights, far and wide across the country.  Tonight we'll return to seperate houses, and have to say good-bye for the first time in a long time.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThat she'll be thirty minutes away, on foot, means nothing.  I can't think of a tie we'd been more than ten meters apart in the last ten weeks.  Maybe once, in a Wal-Mart, or some other shop, where we tried to secret away gifts for one another.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESo i'll close my computer now, and start to read Jack Horner's How To Build A Dinosaur.  After all – time is running out.  Only six and a half hours remain.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESix hours and fifteen minutes remain, never mind that an hour has gone by.  Sitting on the I-94, around mile marker 89 a tractor trailer had gone of the road, cab  completely crushed.  Because of this traffic was not moving.  Of course, the moment we passed it people were back up to seventy miles an hour, and then some – but the damage to our time was already done.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhile I don't want this trip to end, spending time in a car while people gawk at crushed cars – that's not really my thing either.  Just as we decided to pull out the laptop and watch some Archer, since we were practically in park, the speed picked up again and we were off.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMore traffic.  Michigan reminds me of – of – New Jersey.  A grey hell that one is unable to ever escape.  It's true, that's what's happening.  We're being sucked in.  I know it.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnn Arbor provided some escape, as I now sit in Great Lakes Chocolate and Coffee (I like both those things!)  A giant five dollar smore sits beside me, as Katherine ensures I eat my share of her giant caramel pecan... thing.  \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFive hours still to go, but soon enough we'll have crossed the border and that will be that.  World travel: Over.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAll good things..."},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.oneyeartrip.com\/feeds\/4920705479621299078\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.oneyeartrip.com\/2010\/09\/all-good-things.html#comment-form","title":"3 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/4453582688315838952\/posts\/default\/4920705479621299078"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/4453582688315838952\/posts\/default\/4920705479621299078"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.oneyeartrip.com\/2010\/09\/all-good-things.html","title":"All Good Things..."}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"oneyeartrip.com"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/02942033055663818067"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"3"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4453582688315838952.post-6985520671416435667"},"published":{"$t":"2010-09-18T14:01:00.001-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2010-09-18T14:01:50.279-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"crown point"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"indiana"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"north america"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"rtw09"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"usa"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Dunes, Malls, and Jimmy John's"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Wake up, eat cheerios, watch some Project Runway.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI spent the morning trying to upload pictures to Facebook.  hundreds and hundreds of pictures uploaded, with hundreds left that I didn't get the chance to toss up.  They'll have to go up after this trip is through, when I'm safe and sound, back in Good Ol' Canada.  That idea still slightly terrifies me.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI've been having dreams about familiar places – and my memories have been switching over.  Blasts of images, the shopping complex with grocery store, local bank, Pizza Pizza, and dollar store came flooding back.  I remembered the path, and amount of stepts to walk from parking lot to bank to pizza, to video rental, back to car.  I can visually picture all the areas around me, and the floor plan to a mall I'd not visited for twelve and a half months.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt's as if my brain is making space for the knowledge it thinks will be useful, make my life easier, once I return.  I can already feel the familiar feel of stepping into my local Best Buy, and it's as if I'd never left – even though I'm yet to return.  And it's eerie – and depressing.  If we go with the assumption that my mind is making ready for my return, shifting skills and knowledges, I wonder what I've given up without even realizing.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECan I still plan three weeks of hostels and flights and trains in an afternoon, without much thought?  Or has that left me.  Turning a stranger into a friend over a free breakfast, is that something I'd still do without thinking – is that even possible in the real world?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESurely my mind has shifted some as I traded trains and planes for an automobile, but - \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt will be different.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EKilling some virtual Nazi's in Call of Duty 3, I whiled away the time until we headed out to The Dunes.  Indiana's lake shore is a National Park – but being late in the season, there is no longer anyone there to collect an entrance fee.  Not that it would matter, as Kath and I have our access pass.  After a quick count, we realized we'd been to over twenty of America's national parks \/ monuments in the past ten months.  Maybe we should have got the Parks Passport to stamp out all the places we had travelled to.  A couple we me at Yellowstone sai how they'd just made it to their twentieth park, and they'd only had their passport for nine years.  \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWe didn't say anything then.  Twenty parks in nine years really is impressive.  Not many people decide that driving more than ten thousand miles in ten weeks is a good idea let alone one that could provide great fun.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe dunes was a beautiful beach, with large mounds of sand to hike up and around.  Across the water, you could see Chicago – so far away.  Steel mills, or iron works, also lined the water.  There's a story about how this park became protected the same day the plants were told they could build here.  I'm not sure how it all worked out, but for some reason or other they are in a symbiotic relationship, each needing the other to co-exist properly.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWalking on sand reminded me about hiking up Dune 45 in Namibia.  Give me snow any day.  Walking in deep water might, almost, be preferable.  \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUp the sand, down the boardwalk, and then – after some good ol' outside, we headed off to The Mall.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EYes, The Mall.  I wanted to see if I could buy individually coloured packets of fuse beads – perler beads – hama beads – take your pick at the name.  I failed.  But, we did go to a hippy shop which sold glass pipes, and bongs.  A sign read the store will refuse sale if they think it will be used for illegal purposes.  And I think the sign was serious.  I wonder what they think these things are used for?  Sure the sign called them tobacco pipes – but, don't people who smoke tobacco from a pipe usually have one of those awesome Sherlock Holmes deals, not a psychedelic glass piece?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMy other purpose for coming to the mall was to pick up a copy of Uncharted for our oh-so-welcoming host.  Unfortunately Gamestop decided that they hate that game, and had no copies in stock, not even used.  Next choice for gift?  Fallout 3.  Hard to say if this was the better choice.  Uncharted would have been good, as he liked the Tomb Raider games a lot.  But Fallout 3 is – well – Fallout 3.  And that's awesome too.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOur last stop was a craft store to find the much desired plastic beads required to make video game sprites.  But it too was a failure.  However, just before we left my eyes stumbled upon a package of candy: Boston Baked Beans.  One of the podcasts we've been listening to talk about these potential treats, referring to them as the enemy of candy.  They are said to be the most vial tasting things of all times.  At their heart they are candy coated peanuts.  But their vial exterior proves too strong for even the kindest soul to shine through.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI had to have them.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWith beans in hand, I prepared for the worst as I took a great big bite.  They were – well, to be honest, they were not all that bad.  They were kinda like peanut M+Ms.  I didn't hate the candy, and for some reason I was upset by this.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe woman ringing up my candy entered the amount I gave her incorrectly, and my receipt  claimed that i was owed over one million dollars.  It was like being back in Africa all over again.  But did I receive this one million dollars, that the computer could not have been wrong about?  No.  All I got was seven and change.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI pointed this out, but the cashier did not seem impressed.  When she asked for a zip code, and I told her I didn't have one her mood further soured.  I do believe she thought I was just screwing with her.  I tried to explain I had something similar with crazy letters and numbers, but she just waved me away.  So, while the candy may have disappointed by being good, the purchasing experience did not let me down.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAfter that we just headed back, grabbed some sandwiches from Jimmy John's (the fastest sub creation restaurant you've ever seen) and then watched a few episodes of Flight of the Conchords, followed by Eastend and Out.  Eastside and Out?  Something about an ex-baseball player who works, now, as a substitute teacher.  \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnd then to bed.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt was a quiet end to what has been a very long year."},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.oneyeartrip.com\/feeds\/6985520671416435667\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.oneyeartrip.com\/2010\/09\/dunes-malls-and-jimmy-johns.html#comment-form","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/4453582688315838952\/posts\/default\/6985520671416435667"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/4453582688315838952\/posts\/default\/6985520671416435667"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.oneyeartrip.com\/2010\/09\/dunes-malls-and-jimmy-johns.html","title":"Dunes, Malls, and Jimmy John's"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"oneyeartrip.com"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/02942033055663818067"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4453582688315838952.post-9179187084719549647"},"published":{"$t":"2010-09-18T13:59:00.000-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2010-09-18T14:00:19.007-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"chicago"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"crown point"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"illinois"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"indiana"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"north america"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"rtw09"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"usa"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Chicago in Chains"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"In the morning we sat around, Katherine, myself, and our two house guests, watching a marathon of Parental Control.  Ah yes, the MTV show where parents pimp out their daughter to potential suitors.  And I will tell you this – I haven't been able to enjoy doing nothing for some time.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EA bowl of Cheerios in my hands, and mindless drivel in front of me.  One episode blending into the next, blending into the next, with two dogs hopping around begging for attention.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe morning was spent in a mindless daze, but that couldn't last – nor would I really want it to  The idea of doing nothing for a whole day distresses me.  Almost as much as the realization that in fifty or so hours, doing nothing – not covering five hundred miles of open country – will soon become the norm.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis idea of home is looming closer and closer.  For so long home has been where my pack was, but soon home will be a stationary structure, with the same bed, familiar sights, and rooms full of my possessions.  Now, I love possessions, and I love the idea of a good sleep -  but, the transition?  It might be a messy one for a few days.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENever mind that though, for we were soon picking up, piling into a big black truck, and heading off out of Indiana to the Land of Lincoln, Illinois.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ERather than blindly following a GPS, this time we took the toll roads.  Now you may think, but couldn't you avoid those toll roads and only add a minute or two to your time?  Well, yes, that's true.  And that's what we did last night.  However, this way which avoids the tolls may run you straight through the middle of Chicago Heights.  Were we hoping that the lights would go green when we approached, and that we wouldn't have to stop at any signs?  Indeed we were.  Now I was ignorant to the potential danger this neighbourhood could pose.  But apparently people go here for one reason: to score crack.  Other than that?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThat's not entirely fair though, I know people who have worked in the heights – but still, on our final drive, with the sun setting, we could have planned that better.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EChicago is a city that hates drivers.  You can tell, because “$25.00! Cheap!” is a sign you'll see on many parking garages, and at that price, it's not lying.  But there was no reason to think about that, it was the norm for those that grew up around here.  Parking was paid for, and off we went to explore the city.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUnfortunately, or fortunately, we didn't bring our Cameras with us.  So many pictures could have been taken, but were not.  I did manage to grab a few from one of the people with us.  I even managed to borrow the camera to snap a few myself, so I can say that I've been to Chicago, and taken some snaps there.  But, for the first time in ages, I didn't have a camera with me.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnd it was freeing and wonderful – although, you know, maybe I should have taken a picture of...  well, never mind.  After an hour or so my mind stopped thinking like that.  Mostly, because I knew I could grab pictures from others.  So addition, not quite over.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EChicago is a city of beautiful architecture.  It's like the Shanghai of the previous century.  No two buildings stand alike, It is a stretching city scape of intrigue and interest – and all the street corner people screaming at the masses?  They're just there to remind you what time you're really in.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWalking down the shopping strip, passing all number of stores that meant nothing to me (I know Eddie Bauer and Tilley.  Those are the two clothing brands I roll with.) we finally made it to the river, where we would meet up with another two guys – brothers, who reminded me far too much of guys I knew from back home.  It's strange seeing people who seem so familiar, never mind that you'd only know them for minutes.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe six of us headed through the public park, where two rectangular fountains spewed water from what looked like small skyscrapers.  It was not un-reminiscent of the World Trade Centre.  Though, I don't remember the world trade centre ever being illuminated by the giant face of a smiling man that slowly begins to frown.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOur real reason for being here was another piece of art.  Some call it Cloudscape (but then some call the Sears Tower the Willis Tower, now, too.)  For most?  It's simply “The Bean.”\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Bean is a huge reflective metal art piece that looks, well, like a bean.  The name cloudscape comes from the wide angle reflection of the city which stretches across all sides, showing a different part of the city, depending on your current perspective.  As you approach you, of course, become part of the scene as well.  More often than not your part of the scene will be consumed with your attempt to take a picture of yourself, camera not blocking your face.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThen, being a warped gently sloping bean, you can walk underneath it.  Walking under the bean is an experience.  The walls curve in on you, and there you are, standing to your right – standing to your left.  A small step and you're both in front and behind yourself.  Then, in the flat circular mirror over head, there you are.  \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe longer you look neck craned back, the more your mind lets go of its physical presence.  When finally I looked ahead of me, it was as if I was falling through the sky, crashing down upon the ground.  That, or like I felt incredibly  car-sick for the moments it took to process what direction was what.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI wonder what it's like for astronauts to come down to Earth after months in space.  How does the body re-learn that there's such a thing as “up”?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENow, never having been one to use drugs, I can only speculate – but this seems like it would be a horrible place for a trip.  Nothing good would come from that.  Looking around, and seeing your refection starring back at you, no matter where you turned?  It's disconcerting enough as is.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhen all had agreed that enough time had passed within, and around, The Bean we pressed on.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EJumping into a minivan taxi we headed, well I don't know entirely.  But it as beside the planetarium.  We headed down near the planetarium where Chicago's best outdoor concert venue was located.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETonight we would be checking out the triple billing of Mastodon, The Deftones, and Alice in Chains.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe area was still two third empty when the musical stylings of Mastodon began their set.  Loud, angry, and with muffled lyrics screamed through distorted microphones, I allowed myself the comfort of relaxing into the beat.  Closer to the front circle pits had opened up where elbows were thrown, and punches flailed.  That, of course, being how you dance at a show like this.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFurther back – not wanting to jump in with teenagers smashing around – I focused more on the music, and the fact that, standing safely back, meant I was old.  I could not hear their lyrics about dwarfs, elves, “you know – geek stuff,”  I think that would have added to the experience, but it was good fun nonetheless. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe only part I hate about live shows is when you have to wait twenty minutes between sets for one act to break down and the next to set up.  This is when people walk around, crowds thicken, and suddenly you remember that dressing in t-shirts and shorts, while the rest of the audience is in jeans and hoodies, may not have been the best idea.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOur whole group was dressed, arms bared.  In this we were alone.  And while it may have been cold between sets, once people started moving, I was glad for the heat syncs that were my arms and legs.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI had no problem with the temperature, and Katherine was trying her best not to let on she was cold.  Were it just me, I'm sure I would have heard about it, but she was staying strong in the face of four others.  Some of those four?  They decided the best way to warmth was through “liquid blankets.”\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBetween sets, after a few of these eleven dollar 'blankets' one of the group found himself standing beside the Mastodon guitarist while using the urinal.  He was shocked, outraged, my new friend was.  The guitarist would not shake his hand, and had that gall to look as if he were not enjoying the experience of meeting one of his fans – while, you now, using the urinal.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETrue that this guy was a huge Mastodon fan, but with everything, it should be noted – timing plays a crucial role.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENext up were The Deftones.  I'd seen them many years before, probably at a Warped Tour.  It's possible that this is a fictional memory, but I think I remember seeing them way out in Barrie, Ontario once upon a time.  When they took to the stage, most of the general admissions area was full up, and the seats were nearly packed as well.  \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis was a harder set than the one before, with blinding lights, and smoke machines, and lead singers standing on benches, placed just so – allowing him too look over us all and spit water, frothing from his mouth.  Why people are excited to be covered in the saliva of famous people, I have never quite figured out.  But it seems to be a popular pastime.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis time multiple circle pits opened, one right beside us.  Myself, and urinal greeter's much larger (think terrifying bouncer sized individual) helped act as the wall, keeping the chaos contained, only once or twice being knocked back.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhen people fell, we – or others in the pit – would quickly act to get them to their feet again.  This shocked me.  We've always done that in Canada, but I'd grown up hearing about how people were stomped to death at American hard core shows.  This did not seem to be the case.  It was a good group of people, having a fun time with their controlled chaos.  \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EKnowing that this used to be my scene, Katherine asked in all serious, “What could possibly be fun about that?”  I didn't really know how to answer it – but I think it has something to do with the controlled chaos. almost like a roller coaster, there's fear, there's danger, there's a physical side to it all – but at its heart, you know you're likely to be safe.  Even if you do take a tumble, smacking your head against the ground, you know there will be someone there to get you to your feet, and pull you out so you can shake it off – before jumping back in again.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe final act?  Alice in Chains – at least five of their songs were off the new album.  I recognized most of the songs.  I think I've listened to three or four hours of straight radio this entire year.  How I knew any of their new material is beyond me.  Unless they're used as bmper music for Raidolab (which I doubt) or RebelFM (which is possible) it's a mystery.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe crowd was tamer for this, an there was no slamming around.  Just people enjoying music, while scenes of flies on meat, or military power build ups played in the background.  \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhen the show ended, the the hundreds upon hundreds of people all left the small confined area, suddenly the wind was no longer blocked – nor was body heat warming.  This was a bit of a shock, but as we walked home, taking care not to let some of us stumble out into oncoming traffic, there were other distractions to keep us focused.  \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt was a long one hour walk from venue to Travelodge where half of us would be departing, and even once there the wacky antics didn't end.  No, as they forgot to lock the porthole that allows access to all the phone and data lines that run through the walls, some – still warmed by the liquid blankets – thought it would make a neat hiding place to crawl into.  Never mind that it was also an eight storey drop.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBack to the truck, back to Indiana, back to bed.  Tomorrow?  Well it would be he last full day of my trip."},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.oneyeartrip.com\/feeds\/9179187084719549647\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.oneyeartrip.com\/2010\/09\/chicago-in-chains.html#comment-form","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/4453582688315838952\/posts\/default\/9179187084719549647"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/4453582688315838952\/posts\/default\/9179187084719549647"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.oneyeartrip.com\/2010\/09\/chicago-in-chains.html","title":"Chicago in Chains"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"oneyeartrip.com"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/02942033055663818067"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"1"}}]}});