Introduction & Day One

Hello Ladies and Gents,

I have packed up my cowboy boots and banjo and have headed South! My new destination is Baton Rouge, La, or the "Red Stick." Being appropriately obsessed with Cajun tunes and authentic cultures, I have been drawn to the area for the last two years. My move has been postponed because of that silly thang called "education." However, the Day of Reckoning has come and I find myself employed and living in Baton Rouge.

Prefacing the adventure, I spent four days in the area to apartment hunt. I looked high and low. I saw places that looked like rat holes and others that were beauties I could never afford on my Americorps paycheck. Finally, I agreed upon a place and mailed my application. Apparently, this alleged document was lost in the mail because it never arrived to its destined location. Thus, the adventure begins and I am staying with my manpiece until my new "home" is finalized.
Note on the mail mystery. While driving the mild 13 hours to Lake Charles, La, I heard on NPR that in my home state of Kaintuck, a woman ran her car into a post office an hour from where I mailed the letter and destroyed a good bit of mail. Maybe, just maybe that is where my letter met its death.

While driving through the American South, I witnessed a plethora of strip clubs, casinos, and roadkill. The trip was narrated by the tunes of Hank Williams, Those Darlins, Otis Redding, and the Hackensaw Boys. Yet, what I thought would be a normal car ride was made an adventure. My GPS, which I have named affectionately Suzie, has gotten me through many states unharmed and directed. I can count on her stability more than some family members. Yet, Suzie made a devious move that took me another way to my Louisiana destination.  Taking another two hours, Suzie led me through an array of sights, including a little town called Tensas. I suppose Tensas means it's a lot like Texas, but not really. However, it is a pretty place---open fields, mysterious crops, lots of farm animals and wildlife, and an orchard that looks like something from Middle Earth. It also has one of the largest mailboxes I have ever seen. Overall kids, don't trust technology.

After my scenic, yet long drive ended, I rolled out of my car with jelly legs that my friend repaired by supplying me with a strong bourbon drink. We Kentuckians are made up of about 25 percent bourbon. After attending a small gathering and getting some sleep, the next day we lit out to Hayes, La. At a local restaurant, we listened to Cajun tunes in Cajun French while gobbling up some of the best food I have had in my life, accompanied by a ten dollar bucket of beer I split with my friend. People, young and old, were dancing around, speaking  in French, and drinking beer out of buckets.  This place is wonderful.