On a cold winter's evening, on a train bound for ABQ...

Hello everyone!

This is a continuous blog of my consciousness. I got into some crazy arguments and I am typing this blog up at 11:10 pm (3 out of 5 people are trying to go to sleep). It will start off really boring (and probably end that way). Enjoy!

2:45: standing in line…the gates feel like I am in a very small airport. I have to say I am pretty stoked!

Sidenote: I carried two bowling balls, 5 to 6 two liters of liquid, a computer bad full of books and a rolling bag to the train station. I was wearing a fleece and that was to much! I was sweating…not like I am going to wear these clothes for the next 24 hours…

3:05: We get on the train. It is Uncle Mike, Aunt Karen, Mike's friend Dave, his wife Joanne, and me.
Karen talked to the conductor. We have 6 seats next to each other. I have two…WAY TO GO KAREN!

`The space in these seats is amazing. First class in a plane is the best analogy. I think it has a little more space than that. I will have no problem sleeping in this seat. FYI - ceiling in this….6'6".

3:07: Karen announces that we may have a problem because she sleeps naked…uh oh…is it time to start drinking????....not yet.

3:15: Train leaves ON TIME!!!!!!! No smoking on the train…ever…AND the first smoke break is in Iowa. Somewhere Funk is shaking his head in disapproval.

3:26: Mike asks "Are we there yet?"…it’s a new record!

I am itching to start digging into BP08. This blog is going to get boring fast. Why do I have a feeling people are going to fast forward to when I start drinking??? (5 pm)

3:38: My aunt who is sitting 2 feet in front of me calls me on my cell. Asks me if I want to meet up for a drink later….ummm, YEAH!

3:40: open BP08! Turn to Tampa Bay. They predict 89 wins. That is a little crazy considering that they won 66 games last year….wow

3:48: First stop…here already??? I am not even through one chapter of BP08

3:56: There is a crying baby in the car…uh oh.

4:05: I am sold on Tampa Bay. I need to check the over/under on wins. No way anyone has them above .500 and they will be. Any other division besides AL central and east and they will fight for first.
4:07: We made reservations for dinner at 5:45 in the dinning car. 5:45…I am travelling with "more experienced" people.

4:08: We are stopped. Freight train is using the track. Oh well. I am going no where! The baby has stopped crying.

4:10: Mets at 95 wins. Twins at 71 wins. Johan is that good.

4:15 Train is moving again.

4:48: Ripped through Mets and Yanks. Both have really good teams. Time for a nap before dinner. Who is old now???

4:58: Screw the nap! This is the most boring blog ever!!! Time to make a drink. It is 5 o'clock somewhere.

P.S. I am listening to 'Go West' by B&D right now (love that song). I am listening Kix! I am heading west!

5:06: Yum, a warm 7/7, poor man's gangster. If I finish the two liter of 7up before the 750ml, I will be ashamed of myself. I should be feeling good for dinner. A lot of flat land out my window! Shocking! I know!

5:20: Princeton, IL. Where? Whatever. I am playing some Operation Contra on Gameboy advance (an old school gameboy game). We will get into my thoughts on Contra a little later. Drink is working! YEAH! B&D is still rocking.

I am pretty sure no one is still reading…I wouldn't be.

5:30: Just got off the phone with Michelle. She is going to Flat top for dinner. I am jealous! You know the beauty of a warm drink. There is no time table around drinking. It is already warm! (I think the drink is affecting me more than I know)

5:36: I just took a sweet pic of the sunset. Mike and Karen approved.

5:45: Heading to dinner.

7:16: Holy smokes! Really, 7:16! We just got done with dinner. I had two orders of chicken wings and a glass of red wine (the beer selection was not to my liking). Let me explain. Karen/Mike/Joanne/Dave all sat at one table. I sat across from them by myself. However, they sat a guy with me, Kirk, the black Jew. Actually, he was a pretty intelligent guy and we had great conversation the whole time. He wants to meet for breakfast.

7:30: Tried calling Smitty while I was in Iowa. Lost the call. There is only one cell tower in Iowa. Somewhere in Iowa right now Tom Brands is punishing his wrestlers. AWESOME! Go Hawks!

7:42: I just said "When we land in Kansas City…"
8:17: Called Smitty again. Left him a message. We are in a station, La Plata, MO, ten min behind. I have been sitting here with Karen BS-ing. She said the George Strait is as good on a train as in a hot tub. I think he is good every where! She will figure it out eventually.

8:50: Karen makes fun of Mike for printing out itineraries and maps highlighted with out route but she is the one using them!

9:10: Karen just showed me the ticket she keeps from my graduation from college (the golden years…hahaha), May 15, 1999.

10:30 Roll into Kansas City. I would just like to say: GO BRONCOS! I gave a Mile high salute. Try to call Zavada. I do not have his number. Yes, these are drunk dialings… I am feeling good.

10:41: I just got into a huge argument with Karen. We are discussing intelligence and people's ability to become intelligent.

10:49: In the same argument.

10:50: I can't reason with illogical arguments. I am not sober either.

10:51: A person told us to keep it down. This ends the discussion.

11:02: 3 out of 5 people are trying to sleep. My belt feels tight…uh oh.

11:35: Broke the seal. Yes, the last time I went to the bathroom was at 2 pm. It's a gift. What can I say?

11:37: Back to the seat. Everyone is asleep. Well, I think Mike just has his eyes closed. He is reading a book.

11:30-12:00: Start typing the blog

12:15: I go to sleep.

7:30am (CT): I wake up. Karen informs me that going to sleep and passing out are two different things. Maybe but they end in the same result.

6:40 am (MT): I am making the switch. I head to the washroom and take a pic from the observational car. There is nothing but flat farm land in our view. Shocking! I know!

6:45am: Let me give you a few dos and donts. Do pack a blanket. It gets cold at night. Do wear socks. Your feet will get cold. Pack a pillow. I slept okay but I was freezing. I used my fleece as a blanket. I had my feet in one sleeve and pulled that puppy as far as it would go up. Then in the middle of the night. I put my feet in my backpack, zipped it up and used my fleece for over my head. That worked better!

7:00- 7:30: Finished typing up the blog.

7:32am: Arrive at Lamar, CO. CO baby! I heart the Broncos. I just saw a few Coors Light signs!

7:37am: A few more notes. I did not play any cards yesterday and neither did Karen. Mike and Dave played cribbage. Really? Neither Karen nor I played cards? That is changing today! Also, we never met for a drink in the lounge. I had plenty at my seat.

7:40: I definitely have more 7up left than Seagrams… I think I am going to play some more Contra and listen to some music.

7:49: I just got off the phone with Smitty. He has been up since 5:30am. Really? Kids…

7:52: looking for my gameboy…uh oh.

7:54: Found it! It was with my booze…To alcohol: the cause of and solution to all of life's problems!

8:31: Train just left La Junta, CO. It was a 15 min stop. I went outside in a t-shirt and jeans and was a little warm! YESSSS! Rumor has it that when we take a left to head to NM, you can see Pike's peak on a clear day. It is 100 miles away.

8:33: Took the left turn. Did not see the peak. It was a little cloudy.I am mistaken. I see it now. 100 miles away is not that far.

8:38: They just mentioned Albuquerque. Wow. 7 hours away…

8:55: Going to play some cards! YESSSSSSSS!!!

9:00: Karen, Mike, Dave and I headed to the lounge car. We sat a booth and played some Euchre. Mike has never played but he caught on quickly even though he does not think so.

10:25: Got my first loner of the day. Actually it was the first loner for anyone. Mike is playing well and I hope he plays at Thanksgiving.

10:28: Still playing cards. We went through a tunnel. It only lasted a few minutes but…

10:30: Karen gets an upset stomach panicking about the tunnel. Mike was talking about it collapsing…

10:31: Through the tunnel. WOOHOO!

10:44: I told Karen to pick up the Jack. I hardly ever do it and most of the time I usually do not even look at my cards before passing. Well, I had the other jack, ace, King and nine of trump with an off ace. We got the point.

11:00: Dave and I defeat Karen and Mike 10-5. It was the only game we actually played. For the first 90 minutes, we just kept playing hands. I really enjoyed it.

11:05: I call Michelle to see how here day is going. We talk for about 10 min before the phone started going out.

11:15: Head to the snack bar and buy a bratwurst and a diet pepsi. I took it back to my seat. It was good. The bun was okay. I also ate the rest of my beef jerky. Lunch of champions!

11:35: I just finished lunch and updating my journal. I am not sure if I am going to drink today on the train. I am leaning towards working out when I get to Albuquerque. I just can not decide…alright. I am going to do some reading for now…maybe a nap.

12:38: We arrived in Vegas! YESSSS! Wait…wrong one. LAME!

2:24: The #4 train just passed us heading toward Chicago. We just pulled into Lamy. Right on schedule. I have spent I guess that last two hours partially reading BP08 (Tigers) and playing PacMan and Contra. I have a bit of a headache.

2:25: We are leaving the station. Next stop is ABQ! I was worried about getting bored on this train but it has been quite the contrary. Also, I have decided not to drink today until tonight. I want to get settled in, find a fifth bowler and workout. Then I can let loose tonight.

2:27: The last few hours have really been scenic. It is a gorgeous landscape that I have never seen and probably will never see again.

2:28: There are about 5 people wearing Akron University t-shirts on the train. You know - the Zips. They used to be called the Zippers but that led to this. "It's the fourth quarter and the zippers are down!"


2:35: I make fun of Karen. SHe packed her bags right after we left the station. Hello. ABQ is not until 3:55.

3:00: I have been playing hearts on the computer.

3:10: We get an announcement that we are pulling into ABQ. Holy smokes! We are early. I rush to pack all my stuff. Now, Karen is laughing at me.

3:15: Off the train. It is 69 degrees in ABQ right now. It feels like 100.

3:30: We get out checked luggage.

Final notes: If the train was packed I could see this not being that fun. However, I am person who has trouble sitting for more than 30 minutes (unless I am watching TV). I was shocked at how fast the train ride went by. It was a very pleasurable experience and I would definitely do it again and recommend it just about anyone.