2004-03-02

IMPORTANT NEW NOTES FROM JUSTIN:

I�ve been traveling for 192 days! I'm in Washington, DC. Life is busy, as I am working very hard to find a management company to work with on the release of my album. And, my new web site: http://justinwinokur.com is very close to complete.

I�m converting the diary entries and photos of my travels into a book. I�m still collecting content, too. So, I�m looking for nice, fun people who can put me up for a few nights, host me, feed me, and show me their unique flavor of America. I�m looking forward to learning about your world and writing about our times together! If you think it might be fun to host me for a day or two or three, email me.

Please make sure to include your address and phone number in your email.

I am especially looking for places to stay anywhere on the East Coast north of Virginia.

Please contact me ASAP if you want to hang out!

If you believe in what I am doing and want to help support me, please do so! You can donate money to me using PayPal or with a credit card. Email me for more information! Make sure to check out my photo sales page!

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US Tour Day 170: Coming to Nashville

Leaving a city is always hard for me. Columbia was a sleepy, calm place to be—the slowest big city I'd been in so far. It's easier to leave a city while it's sleeping, so I slipped away in the night—making the trek through the mountains by moonlight.

The first half of the drive flew by me. My mind was entertained by music and thoughts and the thrill of the mountain roads. I talked with Annie for a long time about things.

I started to run out of steam about 100 miles from Nashville. I knew the city wasn't far away, but my hope wasn't enough to keep me going. My eyes were anchors and my driving was becoming stumbly and dangerous. I blacked out a few times—momentary losses of consciousness at ninety miles per hour. I'd wake up that split second later in another lane. Must stay awake.

I rolled down the window. I slapped myself on the face and rocked back and forth—anything to stay awake. For me, exhaustion doesn't come in waves. It comes more like a brick wall. It hits me all at once. One second I was driving and bobbing my head to some silly love song. The next second I'm seeing hallucinations of giant red reindeer floating above the road. The reindeer really did it for me—I knew I was tired.

When I got to Tonya's place in Nashville I was a zombie. I could barely speak or stand. Thoughts were far out of my reach. I wanted to say hi and tell her things and be a cheerful guest. But I couldn't. There were some problems with the system—it had been run for too long without proper lubrication (sleep) and was seriously malfunctioning.

She ushered me into a windowless room with a bed and told me that was where I could sleep. Which is what I did for the next eleven hours. It was just what I needed.


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