Hurry up and wait

I am clean. For the next 11 weeks, I have no more material possessions than I can carry in my arms. I am free of an unhealthy addiction to the internet, free of drawers full of clothes I never wear, and free of a bedroom to hide in. The bike may have taken months of steady prep, but the clense happened all at once.
For the sake of tradition I stayed up all night packing and watched the last local sunrise of the season. Suzanna made me breakfast as I made the final arrangements to leave my computer behind. My God, am I attatched to that chunk of plastic! I could feel my hair standing on end at the anticipation of losing my library of music and bookmarked websites and ultimate source of instant gratification. It was like breaking up with a crazy artist: all that creativity and passion we shared that felt so enriching at the time now seems so exhausting and empty. To step inside her world is intoxicating, but to step out is deeply liberating. Moral of the story is don't stick your dick in Reddit.
It's not just technology that suffocates me when I'm sedentary. The rythm of consistency is so insular. (Are you with me here? Rythm arrises from a beat, but there can be a constant beat that is not musical, yet we make it musical anyway. It's human nature to identify with our experience.) It's very easy for me to lose perspective and take little things waaay too seriously. On the road, without the resources to fight these battles, I become ultra fluid. I flow around obstacles like water and wash them clean as I go.
I arrived at the train station an hour early to pack my bike in a box and check my bags. After I was done, I learned that the train was running two hours late. So there I was, still in Davis, but with only my wallet and toothbrush. Those two hours were unlike any I've spent in Davis in years. So odd to start a 3000 mile bike trip with a 2 mile walk around town.

Is this thing on?

Annnnd... we're back! Coming to you live from my new Nook tablet. I don't quite have the hang of typing on this tiny keyboard, but Android is also the first operating system I've had to learn in, like, 15 years. This should help keep things short and sweet for now.
As you all know, the big trip is coming up. This is the place to find my updates, pictures, diatribes, and cathartic ranting. Nothing interesting to say yet, but stay tuned!