Sixfoot6.com - Putting Stuff Away.

What an uncharacteristically odd mix of emotions last night. On Friday Jenny and I ran a Uhaul load of stuff to Santa Barbara. I stayed through the weekend (hiding out reading The Half-Blood Prince during her sister's estrogen-heavy baby shower) and returned to L.A. alone on Sunday, looking ahead toward three more days at USC; three more nights cleaning our apartment, shipping our belongings; three days away from my fianc�.

I spent the afternoon with Andrew, eating and gaming through goodbyes, and at dusk I returned alone to my dusty apartment and cleaned up a bit, drinking lots of green tea, eating almost nothing.

Then, 3:30am: I couldn't sleep, having just finished the Harry Potter book, futon on the floor, trash everywhere, filled with an uncomfortable sadness, hot and hungry, thinking about saying goodbye to my home, to Nicole and Jakob, thinking about our journey back east, Dumbledore and dust, Jenny and Jade and Ginny all twisted together, laying alone, knowing what needs to come next, letting go of what stays behind. Books unwritten, coming of age, fact and fantasy, missing my girl.

A childish moment too beautifully adult for my own head. I'm not out of it yet.

I see, now, that I will miss this place.

You know what can blow me? Rebates, that's what. And here's why: I am the sucker that companies offering product rebates are looking for. I get excited about saving money, then I forget to send in the effing rebate until it's too late, so I lose my damn $10. I'm a rebate-maker's dream.

So, I'm leaving my great USC job and all its perks (read: Powerbook), so I've been buying new electronic toys. I ordered me a new Nokia 6620 phone, charmed by the prospect of a $250 rebate. (Offer ends today! Right!) I promised myself that I'd send in the rebate card on the day I got the phone. I have the phone now. The phone is sweet.

But the effing rebate must be postmarked before January 8th, 2006, and AFTER November 4th, 2005. Are you kidding me? I've got to save all of this UPC shit for 4 months and THEN send it out in the fall (provided that I don't lose the receipt during our move back to Mass) in order to maybe receive my money back in early 2006?

I don't have that kind of faith in myself. Rebates can blow me.

Here's a map of our intended easterly driving route, plotted using the Google Maps Pedometer. Our Honda Element is looking at about 5000 miles worth of cross-country zig-zagging. Does anyone have any suggestions for underrated sights to check out along the way, or for small detours from this route that you think would be worthwhile?

I'm also trying to come up with a good way to blog/photoblog the trip during the journey, a la my 2002 westbound Sixfoot6000km road journal. Web site + driving + laptop + cell phone + camera + plenty of time in the passenger seat should really add up to something. SOMETHING GOOD.

We've got just over three weeks left before the move back east begins, and plenty of packing to do, people to visit, ends to tie up. But I must say it was a welcome treat to enjoy a three day weekend without any real commitments: no freelance work, no real packing, not much staring at the old computer screen. I helped Jakob and Nicole move, went out to a movie, to a party, to a show and to a dinner. Last night Jenny and I grilled shrimp and watched fireworks with our McPilgrim friends. Otherwise I just sat around and read Harry Potter books in anticipation of The Half-Blood Prince.

All of my weekends used to be like this, and I missed them.