In a manner befitting the hellish season this summer created, it has decided to flip me off with one last heat wave of 90-plus temps and humidity before finally going not so gently into that good night. Thankfully, Hurricane Earl will break the heat wave and put this fricking summer out of its misery once and for all.

Good riddance. How the flip do people in Florida live with this kind of weather? I could barely breathe, much less venture outdoors. And even when I did venture outside, I would run into a wall of old fogies who flocked up here from (where else), Florida, all while trying to dodge the wee little ones with their skateboards and bikes and those stupid shoes with them wheels at the back. Everywhere I went, a mass of humanity was getting ALL UP IN MY SPACE.

Then there were the insects. The poison ivy. The stench of abandoned garbage as it cooked in the sun. Agony. Despair. HELL.

Thank God the drought is almost over. As summer winds down and the old battle axes return back south while the wee ones go back to school, I feel like I can finally get my life back again. My finances are back in shape, my blogging account is flush and will now be used almost exclusively for travel, and I am already beginning my preparations for my awesomely awesome road trip in October. It is time to live again!

Tags: Florida, heat wave, hell, humidity, Hurricane Earl, summer, weather

Categories: Lincoln's Personal Log
 
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If you find yourself somewhat incapacitated because you had an unfortunate run in with an 18 wheeler during your travels, you might realize then that a healthcare proxy could have done you some good, or at least prevent Dr. Fronkensteeen from stealing your brain.

Momsie warmed me up to this idea since I’ll be traveling more often, and should God forbid, something should happen to me where I couldn’t make medical decisions on my own, there would at least be recourse where my closest family would be able to make them for me as my legal healthcare agents.

The laws vary by state, but here’s the information page for New York on health care proxy issues, including a form you can download as well.

The form requires two witnesses other than your agent, but once it’s signed it’s legally binding. The original copy is then given to your health care agent, and you can keep a copy on your person for unexpected emergencies. I keep a copy of mine in my backpack along with my MacBook and other gadgets, which I’m always carrying around with me.

For those who live outside of New York you can visit this site “Do Your Proxy” site to create your own forms.

Now I can rest safely in the knowledge that should I ever have my brain crushed by a falling airplane during a sightseeing mountain tour in Alaska, only Mommy can pull the plug on me.

Tags: family, form, health care agent, healthcare proxy, legal documents, new york, traveling

Categories: Tips off the Beaten Path
 
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If you have a disability as recognized by the United States Government (circa 1776),  you can access all the national parks in the country for free with an Access Pass.  Because of my hearing loss I qualified as well, and since I’ll be visiting several national parks this fall, I figured now was as good a time as any to get myself a brand spanking new access card so I could save money during my travels.

Oddly enough, the info regarding how to obtain a pass couldn’t be more sparse.  Here’s the official page regarding national park land passes, and all it indicated was that I had to visit a nearby park and apply in person.   As for proof of disability, a “statement by a licensed physician;  a document issued by a Federal agency such as the Veteran’s Administration, Social Security Disability Income or Supplemental Security Income; or a document issued by a State agency such as a vocational rehabilitation agency” would all suffice.

I asked my audiologist to write a short letter affirming my hearing loss, and once I received that it was off to the nearest site, dedicated to Theodore Roosevelt. They don’t make it readily clear, but I’m assuming any site run by the National Park Service would be good enough, so it was time to visit old Teddy.

I walked in and waited in the line for purchasing tickets, then approached a park ranger once my turn was up.

“Yeah, where can I go to apply for an Access Pass?”

“Right here.  Do you have documents for proof of disability?”

“Yep!”  I handed my letter and a copy of my hearing test.

He looked over for a moment and then asked, “Um, do you currently hold any other access passes?”

At this point I was getting annoyed.  The documents should have been enough, why did I have to show I had a pass issued from another jurisdiction just to convince him?  Fortunately I did have an access pass I got from New York State as well, so I showed that to him.

After he looked that over, he got out a binder and a new card, then asked me to print my name and sign the binder.  After doing so, he handed me the pass and instructed me to sign the card on the back.

“Ok, what else?”

“That’s it, you’re done.”

“… … … seriously?  I can start using this now?”

“Yep, you’re good to go.”

“You’re sure, I don’t have to do anything else now?”

“Uhh… yeah.”

“Absolutely, positively sure?”

“Yes, sir.”

“… ok!  Thanks!”  I ran out of the visitor’s center before he changed his mind.

Ahhh, at long last, I can now visit all the parks the way the founding fathers used to do it:  for free! 

Click for more info on National Park Land Passes

Click for more info on the National Park Access Pass for the Disabled

Click for more info on Access Passes issued by the state of New York

Tags: access pass, disabled, national parks, new york state, tips

Categories: Tips off the Beaten Path
 
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So I get my mail today and I notice I received a letter from Hyundai:

“Hyundai USA has recently implemented a quality benchmark for all it’s [sic] vehicles. Part of this initiative is to reimburse customers for the amount spent on servicing their Hyundai.

Lincoln, on 1/11/10, you spent $56.48 servicing your Hyundai Santa Fe. Hyundai USA would like to take this opportunity to reimburse you this entire amount…

Alright!  Go Hyund-

… toward the lease or purchase of a new Hyundai.

Dude… wait what? 

What?  Did they seriously send me a letter saying I would get a $57 price break off the purchase of a brand spanking NEW VEHICLE??  Wow, let me go out right now and grab a me a Tucson!  I’ll hardly feel the hit of coughing up $25,000 now that you’ve sent me this awesomely awesome fake reimbursement check for $57.  Wheeee!

Good grief. 

Really, why send me a letter like this?  Because now, after having invested over $30,000 to purchase and maintain my shiny Santa Fe, and receiving this insulting $57 rebate that I can’t even use unless I buy a new car, guess what I’ll  eventually do?  I’ll just go buy a new car from somebody else.

Bang-up job promoting brand loyalty, Hyundai. 

Tags: funny, Hyundai, letter, marketing, rebate, reimbursement

Categories: Rantin' and Ravin'
 
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It’s almost like BBC followed me around on of my last trips and decided to make a video out of it. If this doesn’t capture perfectly the kind of experiences I often have when I’m on vacation, down to the couple playing suck face in front of me at the beach, I don’t know what does.

Tags: bbc, funny, teddy bear, vacation, video

Categories: Comic Relief
 
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One of the important things I need to learn about the cities I’m visiting this fall is where the bad areas are generally located, that way I can easily circumvent them altogether and go on to enjoy the better areas of town for funsies and tasty foodsies. After all, I rather doubt any traveler likes to see his car jacked and his clothes stolen because the carjacker also happened to have an exquisite taste in Calvin Klein.

The best source of intel would be the locals, but where could I find and seek their advice prior to visiting a city? I did some googling and after numerous searches I found this gem of a travel site called Virtual Tourist.

So far this is the only site I know of where info on travel destinations is fed directly by locals, including a “Warnings or Dangers” section that often offers a wealth of information to help you avoid pitfalls and wrong turns in unfamiliar cities. Since my first city stop will be Pittsburgh, I checked the dangers section for that city and now have an excellent idea of what districts to avoid. I can program my GPS accordingly and thus be confidently assured I will not be forced to leave the city without my stylish Calvin Klein boxer-briefs.

In addition to “Warnings or Dangers,” they also have an “Off The Beaten Path” section where locals offer sightseeing suggestions you might not normally find mentioned on conventional travel guides. Very helpful indeed, especially since I’m the kinda guy who likes to take the road less traveled. Which of course makes it all the more important that I learn enough about the area I’m in so I don’t wind up geocaching or otherwise exploring a spot where a ritual killing recently took place.

That’s just the sort of thing that would put a damper on a road trip too, ya know?

Update: I’ve since discovered WikiTravel, which also offers a plethora of information on cities and destinations, including suggested areas to avoid for safety reasons.

Tags: advice, Calvin Klein, city, crime, dangers, exploring, locals, Pittsburgh, road trip, suggestions, travel, warnings

Categories: Tips off the Beaten Path
 
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Today my blog celebrates it’s fourth birthday!

 
Four years, and I’m in it for the long haul. It began with the intention of writing about my law school experience, and when that fell through the next blogging phase became a struggle with an identity crisis, as I struggled to decide what my blog should be about and how I could profit from all the work I had put into it, and from there it evolved into a treatise chronicling my abject failure on dating sites and with women in general. I cried, I wailed, I screamed, and I emoted, drowning my sorrows every night in hot cocoa and blueberry muffins.

And then one day, I made my very last payment on my college loan and was finally and completely out of debt. Shortly afterward, my blog had suddenly become a moneymaker. Not a “I can quit my job and live the rest of my days on a 50 acre ranch somewhere in the mountains of New Zealand” kind of moneymaker, but definitely an “I can buy lots of funsie toys and travel a whole HECK of a lot more often to anywhere I please” kind of moneymaker.

With that revelation in mind and the subsequent discovery of geocaching, the identity crisis I had long experienced with this blog finally came to an end. Why not make it about travel? Indeed, and not just travel, but a journey, a journey around the world that can now be experienced in reality rather than in my mind. A journey where I continually search for love. For truth. For justice. For geocaches. For… pizza.

After 4 years, my blog, and even more importantly, my audience, has helped me fulfill one of my biggest dreams, and this may only be the beginning. Our fate is now tied together. I welcome you all to join me as I embark on a never-ending journey, where together we can discover a whole new world.

Tags: anniversary, birthday, blog, blogging, dating sites, debt free, dream, dreams, geocaching, identity crisis, journey, law school, moneymaker, revelation, travel, world

Categories: Blog Fog, Lincoln's Personal Log
 
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