ở đâu Là Xe jíp (của) chúng ta?

By Daren Many

WASHINGTON D.C. — Have you ever found yourself wondering how astronauts measure lunar shockwaves caused by moonquakes?  Me neither, but I found myself deeply involved in all things space at the Air and Space Museum in D.C. yesterday.

All of my newfound knowledge about seismometers, solar cells, and converting solar energy into electricity couldn’t help me figure out why our Jeep got towed. As Troy and I we’re walking down Constitution Avenue towards our vehicle outside the Natural History Museum, I was thinking about a lot of things.

I was thinking about how we were going to protest outside the capitol building the next day. I was thinking about exactly how many beers it would take to protest outside the capital building. I was thinking, “Why the hell would the Wright brothers take off on that piece of crap?” 

Then I started thinking, how come our Jeep isn’t where we left it?

Then Troy, as if he were reading my mind, relayed the exact same sentiment. “Well,” I said, “it must be up another block,” although I new damn well that it wasn’t.

Apparently you’re not supposed to park on Constitution Avenue during rush hour in D.C. or so we were told. Even with all my newfound technical knowledge of all things aeronautical, I couldn’t figure out why in the world this could be.

Aren’t people going home during evening rush hour? Why would they need a parking spot? At any rate we raked in ticket No. 2 on BaseCrawl. You may hear more about the towing incident from Troy at some point — or after we finish the documentary — but I have a lot of things to catch up on.

Since my last blog we have been to the booming and cultural centers of Cleveland, Toronto, Cincinnati, Louisville, Philadelphia, Hobart, New York, Boston, Pittsburgh and D.C. We have stayed with a lot of great friends and family and we have racked up a ton of awesome stories. I need to thank these people as they deserve to be mentioned, as well as apologized to.

Eldon (Chicago): Sorry I lost your White Sox tickets, Eldon, but it has been one of the better moments of our documentary so far. Thank you for the contribution. I enjoyed all of Eldon’s stories and he made our stay in Chicago unforgettable. 

Melanie (Columbus, OH): Sorry I took your house keys without leaving them under the mat. I will be mailing them shortly. I couldn’t have been happier to see a friend on this trip. She was a great host. She cooked us dinner and took Troy and I on a walk around the OSU campus. We needed the exercise so thanks, Mel.

Mom (Charlottesville, VA): Sorry mom for the time I threw that party my junior year. I didn’t mean to puke in your mixing bowl. We are currently staying with mom for a second round but as always mom is there to cook, do our laundry, buy us beer, and help offer advice about women. Thanks mom, I love you.

Grandma and Grandpa (Hobart, NY): Sorry for leaving half our stuff at your house so you now have to make a trip to the post office. Grandma and Grandpa Many are almost like a second set of parents and being home makes me wonder why I’ve been gone all these years.

Dad, Barbara and Raja (Hobart, NY): Sorry we kept you up both nights when you needed to work the next day. Relaxing on the deck with a beer to all hours of the morning was just what we needed before heading to NYC. Watching Raja chasing cars also never gets old.

Raja

Becky (Brooklyn, NY): Becky, sorry for making you listen to me and my ramblings about the Mets for 6 innings. Apparently Becky got a trivia question right the other night about baseball and I feel directly responsible for this, so maybe I’m not sorry. At any rate I feel like the couple days we spent in NYC were the best so far and its all because of Becky. I should also mention Troy’s friend Jenny. I kept wishing the four of us could hang out longer.

Carrie (Boston, MA): There are no apologies for Carrie. She should apologize to me for letting me drink so much in Boston. Honestly I had a blast with Carrie in Cambridge and she offered us a place to stay several times. For that I thank her.

Corey and Scott (NYC and Boston): I wish these two guys we’re on the whole basecrawl with us. They were a blast and were always in a good mood. Sorry we had to sleep on your floor guys but I’ll remember our time in Boston forever. I never thought I would want to hang out with Yankees and Braves fans at the same time.

Mark (Pittsburgh, PA): Mark, sorry we made you sweat out our arrival to PNC Park. Those 10-hour drives with a hangover are nasty. Thanks for the tickets, hotel room, and conversation. I can’t imagine what our stay in Pittsburgh would have been without you. Actually I do. It would have sucked.

The Guy Who Cut My Hair (Ashburn, VA): Sorry I don’t speak Vietnamese. When I walked into his shop he asked me, “Ban muon mot su cat toc?” and I replied, “Just use scissors man and don’t cut my ears off.” I don’t know what kind of barber schools they have in Vietnam but luckily this guy passed all his classes. I once thought I heard a grizzly bear in Wyoming and I once wrecked a motorcycle. But that haircut was the scariest moment of my life.

Aunt Rena and Uncle Scott (Ashburn, VA): Sorry we ate all your food, used your electricity, created more laundry, used more water and basically did nothing in return. What are families for?!  You guys have always made me feel welcome and I hope to return the favor some day. Disclaimer: I don’t own a house or rent an apartment of any kind at the moment but when I do I’ll let you know.

Mets: Only .5 games back. Going into our game tonight in Baltimore the Mets have a chance to take over first place. It’s unbelievable. I talked with a police officer at the capital yesterday that’s a Phillies fan. He couldn’t believe it, either.  As I was holding this sign up at the capital I couldn’t help but look over my shoulder to see if he was un-holstering his weapon.

(There’s more on this and our other adventures at BaseCrawl.com.)