Scott S. Topiol

This is my first official post as a resident of North Chili, NY. Rachel and I completed our 2,800 mile road trip--which started on Friday, June 21, 2003 at 1:30 p.m. PST--at around 3:00 a.m. EST on the morning of Wednesday, June 25, 2003. Braving the blazing heat of the Nevada desert, a plague of locusts in the plains of Nebraska, and swarming moths in Iowa along the Mississippi River, my vision quest has come to an end. I have literally hundreds of digitized photographs to sort through and once I have had an opportunity to select the best ones I'll create some new photo galleries for your viewing pleasure. Also, once I have a chance to unwind, unpack, and get my bearings, I'll write about my journey in greater detail.

For now, I just want to let everyone know that I made it successfully to New York and that I have begun the process of settling in. Stay tuned for updates...

posted at 19:24

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Just one more day until I hit the road. Had a custom-made trailer hitch installed on my Monte Carlo Tuesday by Eckharts. So far I'm very impressed with the job they did. I was worried that a hitch on a Monte Carlo would stick out like a sore thumb but they did a surprisingly good job at hiding it. In fact, when the receiver and ball aren't connected, you can hardly even notice that there's a hitch there at all. Overall, I'm very satisfied with their custom work. On that note, I picked up my white-trash U-haul 4x8 trailer this afternoon. It's going to be interesting driving nearly 3,000 miles with one of those. A Monte Carlo isn't exactly the type of vehicle that you envision when you think of towing a trailer. Hopefully everything will be alright.

I plan on arriving in Rochester by Wednesday or Thursday of next week. Once I arrive and get settled in I'll set up the server and get this site back up and running, along with lots and lots of photos which I'm sure all of you will be anxiously awaiting. Alright, time for bed...

posted at 22:59

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The final countdown has begun...just six more days until the big move to New York. Still so much to do before I leave; I'm not even completely finished packing. Hopefully I can get all the loose ends tied up before Friday. Also, I'm a moron and realize now that I won't be able to provide you all with daily road trip updates since the server that houses this site will be in the trunk of my car! I guess I'll just have to provide you with a comprehensive account of the trip once I get the machine back up and running at its new home. In related news, Nicole and I finally decided to purchase a digital camera. We are now the proud owners of a Canon PowerShot S200...and I must say it is one sweet camera! (mmm...sweet) Once I'm in New York I'll update the site with a new photo gallery with shots taken with it on the road trip. You know you're excited.

I took my Los Angeles County EMT exam last Thursday and am proud to announce that I am now officially an EMT-B. Now all that's left is to actually get my license and turn in my New York State reciprocity paperwork and start working back east. Just as a heads up, Nicole and I will be back in Los Angeles the week of August 20 - 27 for my cousin's wedding. Also--to all of you who have my cell phone number--I won't be changing it once I'm in New York so you'll still be able to reach me using the 323 area code.

That's it for now. Time to get back to packing..

posted at 22:25

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It's about time for another update. I'm finally done with my EMT class...completed it this past Thursday (with the second highest grade in the class). I will take my Los Angeles County EMT exam this Thursday and should know either by Friday or Monday whether or not I pass. As soon as I do, I'll be an official EMT and will be able to begin my reciprocity paperwork with New York.

Speaking of New York, the big move is right around the corner. I will begin my Rochester road trip with my sister on the morning of June 20. I should arrive in NY by the 26th. Needless to say, I need to start packing. I have tons of stuff to sort through and lots of final preparations to make before I set out. The next couple of weeks are going to be pretty crazy, but I'm looking forward to it and am anxious to get moving. In other (related) news, my '55 Chevy is now officially sold. I'll probably end up parting with it sometime this week but now that all the paperwork has gone through and the checks have cleared it's safe to make this official announcement. As compensation, I have promised that I shall one day purchase a '57 Corvette. mmm...Corvette. Oh, and don't hesitate to contact me if you feel compelled to buy me and Nicole a housewarming present ;) (mmm...I just love shameless plugs).

Well, it's nearly midnight and seeing as how I need to get up relatively early in the morning for work and how I spent most of the day in Palisades at a car show I should probably head off to bed. Stay tuned during the big move for updates and photographs galore. (If only I had a digital camera). I'll try and stay connected somewhat during the road trip to provide (semi) daily ramblings and share the best of my experiences in "the big piece of land between New York and Los Angeles called America."

posted at 23:49

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