KMERRITTBLOG

Introducing: My New Travel/Food/Culture Blog

Yesterday I flew into Houston, Texas as the first day of my 30 day All You Can Jet journey! I’ll be documenting most of the trip on my new travel/food/culture blog, Just Visiting. This is my very first experience with jetBlue, and so far I’m extremely satisfied. Upon arriving out at terminal 5 at JFK, the jetBlue crew were giving out free jetBlue All You Can Jet jackets to all AYCJ-ers, along with pins, free donuts and coffee. They had a wall set up for jetters to share their journeys, so I of course used it to promote my blog and share my itinerary. Then I did a short interview on video explaining how I lost my job and decided to take this opportunity to travel the country and launch my travel blog. They even gave out free snacks and drinks on the plane, all while I enjoyed three hours of classic rock videos on VH1 Classic via DirecTV.

If you’re interested in keeping up on some of the photos and adventures, head on over to JustVisitingBlog.com, or follow me on twitter.com/KimJustVisiting. I’ll have limited wifi, so all of my time spent updating will most likely be on the travel site, at least for the next month! Here’s my itinerary:

9/7 NYC to Houston

9/8 Houston to NYC

9/9 NYC to Portland

9/10 in Portland

9/11 in Portland

9/12 driving up to Seattle

9/13 Seattle to Montauk

9/14 in Montauk

9/15 in Montauk

9/16 Montauk to San Diego

9/17 in San Diego

9/18 in San Diego

9/19 Greyhound from San Diego to LA

9/20 in LA

9/21 in LA

9/22 driving the Pacific Coast Highway from LA to San Francisco

9/23 in San Francisco

9/24 in San Francisco

9/25 Redeye down to Montego Bay, Jamaica

9/26 in Montego Bay

9/27 in Montego Bay

9/28 in Montego Bay

9/29 Montego bay to NYC

9/30 NYC to Naples

10/1 in Naples

10/2 in Naples

10/3 in Naples

10/4 Naples to Salt Lake City

10/5 in Salt Lake City

10/6 Salt Lake City redeye to NYC

Oh Yeah- And I Might be Homeless

Oh, and did I mention that in the midst of all that chaos, I was served with eviction papers at 630am on Tuesday? Well they weren’t exactly eviction papers, but close e-damn-nough. Literally, 630am I was ignoring some dude ringing my buzzer. Then he was banging on my door, and I was reaching for the nearest weapon. I live in a co-op building, and apparently my landlord hasn’t been paying maintenance and late fees since December. Rather than go after her, I was served with paperwork demanding 2000 and some odd dollars in the next 10 days, or face eviction. I called the landlord, and she assured me it would be taken care of… but since then, her phone has gone straight to voicemail every time I call. So here’s hoping that it gets straightened out, and I don’t find myself homeless AND unemployed in a few days!

What’s in a Name?

Wow. 10 days since my last post. For all three of you who are concerned, yes I’m still alive. The past week and a half has been a complete whirlwind of life-changing events, with very little free time to keep up on the happenings of the world. Sadly, in those 10 days I have only managed to leave the house on 3 separate occasions— the first on a 30 minute trip to the grocery store, the second down to the bank and a quick packed lunch of PB&J in the park with Laura, and the third an evening out in New Jersey. Other than that, I’ve been glued to my computer from the time I wake up, to the time I force myself to go to sleep at 4am. So let me not bore you with the details, but here’s a quick rundown of the important chaos that has been happening.

August 16 was my last day at the temp job I’ve been working at for 6 months. There was always the possibility of going full time, but I just had a feeling it wasn’t going to happen. Especially over the last 2 months. I decided since I was still being paid through the end of August, I was going to take some time and work on launching my travel/food/culture blog I’ve been trying to start up for a while now. I was also working on designing an 8 page booklet as part of a freelance assignment, and updating a website for a charity group. I thought with so much on my plate, it was the perfect time to get laid off. I couldn’t have been more right. The very next day, JetBlue announced their All You Can Jet pass— $499 for 30 days of unlimited flights (excluding Fridays and Sundays), all taxes and fees included! I, rather impulsively, bought it. First I did my research, made sure that I knew enough people in enough cities that JetBlue flies to to make it worth the money. Then I contacted all of those people and made sure it was okay to crash on their couch. Then, I bought it. I had to put all of the trip-planning details aside though, as I spent about 80+ hours in one week working on that brochure. (Yes, I’ve had training and experience in design, but it’s not something I do every day. I’m a little rusty.)

So every spare second I’ve had since then has been spent planning for this trip. It starts September 7th and lasts through October 6th. And what better way to launch a travel/food/culture blog than with a 30 day journey around the country, right? One would hope. My goal is to get a new blog up and running by mid next week. An interesting blog that serves an actual purpose to readers all across the world. But I’m having trouble finding the perfect name. Every time I stumble upon something, either the domain or Twitter name is taken. Not to mention my laptop is hardly capable of posting while on the road, and even though I have $900 set aside for my $1100 laptop (so close!), I now have to keep that money “in case of emergency.” Gotta see what I can do about renting one or something.

I’ve booked a little over half of the trip, I’ve sold concert tickets for money and listed several other items on eBay, and I’ve only managed to spend $18 in 11 days. So far, I think I’m handling unemployment rather well. It’s really been the first time in my life I’ve had a little time to breathe and reboot. I get to spend this time focusing on something I’ve always wanted to do, but never had the time. I’m extremely optimistic and grateful for this opportunity, and I cannot wait to see the good things that will come of it. Until then, stay tuned. Trip itinerary and details to come soon!

I Moved Uptown to Get AWAY From the Hipsters…

This American Apparel ad gives me the creeps. Big time. That bathing suit looks like something an 8 year old would wear. And there’s something about that chick’s face (and eyebrows) that makes me want to punch her. I wish this ad were tucked away in Williamsburg where it belongs, and not up at my train stop in the Upper East Side/Harlem.

Victoria’s Secret Thinks The BoSox Are in The NFL

And who says models are stupid? Victoria’s Secret introduced their new Pink NFL Apparel line, including the Boston Red Sox in the “shop by team” category. Apparently they’re also the first to break the news that the Red Sox are hanging up their mitts in exchange for some helmets and extra padding this fall.

Gooey Fruity Stuff, Frosting, and Sprinkles

Pop Tart World on 42nd Street? I have a feeling I’ll be visiting on my lunch next week.

“Cleanup: Stabbing in Aisle Seven”

I ran across this picture on Glamour.com’s “21 Healthy Snacking Tips.” Does anyone else think this stock photo was a poor choice? I was expecting the tip to read “When purchasing snacks in the grocery store, watch out for creepy, lurking men, who obviously keep sharp knives hidden behind their backs.”

Eatfest2010: Food Photos For You to Drool Over

Usually I make a big deal out of my birthday. I spend months researching the perfect restaurant for dinner, and planning the perfect party at the perfect location. More often than not, I even plan a trip out of town. But this year, I finally stepped outside of my naturally narcissistic self, and realized that I’m the only person who cares about my birthday. I didn’t feel like putting effort into planning such an elaborate, expensive celebration just so that I can hear 100 reasons why so-and-so can’t make it anyway. And now that it’s all done and over with, I’m extremely glad that I didn’t wear myself out making plans. My mom flew to town, and that was apparently all I needed to truly enjoy my 25th birthday.

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Who Gets a Cold in August?

As if having a repeat of stomach problems (thanks to a recall on a box of Lucky Charms) hasn’t been annoying enough this summer, Monday before the Yankees game I started getting a sore throat. I instantly started feeling fatigued, but I threw on a hoodie and went to the game anyway. Tuesday I was feeling alright, until I started feeling completely run down when I got home at 830. Wednesday I woke up with a sore throat and a headache that gradually got worse. By the end of the day I was a whiny, miserable mess. It’s Friday afternoon, and I’m still a whiny, miserable mess (though I’ve managed to pull myself together for work— somewhat). I’ve been taking Sudafed every 4 hours; drinking OJ, tea, Gatorade and Emergen-C; using Ayr; and eating soft foods for three days. Last night I thought I was starting to get better, but I woke up this morning worse than ever. It felt like I had golfballs in my throat. Wait, not just golfballs; razorblade golfballs. My head is so congested that it’s actually making me dizzy. And every time I take Sudafed I feel like what I’d imagine some crazy, laced drugs from the 70s would make me feel like. I don’t handle pills very well; so I try to avoid them at all costs. But since it’s almost my birthday, and my mom is on an airplane on her way to visit right now, I absolutely could NOT ignore this! I actually went to the doctor today.

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A-Rod Only About 433 Home Runs Away From 600

This looks awful on YouTube, but I’m still trying to figure out how to use the new QuickTime plugin I just downloaded so that I can embed QuickTime files directly to my blog. I took 17 videos just like this last night at the Yankees vs. Blue Jays game. Gay-Rod, err sorry, A-Rod, was all set up to hit his 600th home run. But apparently he couldn’t do it without the steroids.

All hatred for the Yankees and A-Rod aside, I was hoping to witness this awesome feat last night. Even though it’s probably more like home run #167 once you factor out all the roid-rage blasts out into the stands. But I was equally amused with the numerous flashes that went off every time the Jays threw a pitch. Maybe A-Rod will continue this cold streak until August 16th when I go see the Yankees play the Tigers?