Nieces
Memphis, TN I’m sitting Indian style on the floor of Baby Hattie’s nursery. I am at my brother Brad’s house in Memphis. I sued to live here. I’m going from Lefever to Brad’s. Memories in all these places. I arrived at 4:30 after leaving Little Rock after my lunch interview with a former employer. What an interesting guy with a lot of business stories and good advice. I arrived and as usual, my brother and I picked up like we last saw each other yesterday. I had to go upstairs and do a phone interview for my writing job. After that I went out in the yard to help him get ready for...
Read MoreThe Doc
Little Rock, AR I woke up at my customary 8ish time. I realize I don’t have a job and that a lot of days I don’t have to be up, but don’t be jealous as you think of me sleeping n until 11 every day. I am not deprogrammed. I wake up around 8 no matter what. I am lucky to sleep until 9, so I am not lounging. My mind is always racing with things to do as soon my eyes open. I am not that free. Today was emails and phone call catch up. I was to meet a friend of mine for lunch at 11:45. His office is down the street, but I was holed up in front of the computer most of the morning and...
Read MoreHold ‘em
Little Rock, AR I type this in the dark as Mike, King’s roommate, watches the movie Jeepers Creepers behind me. I’ve never seen it and won’t tonight. My birthday was a good one. I don’t have any crazy stories of excess or escapades. I spent most of the day by myself, working on some mail and bills. I received a lot of emails and phone calls and that was great. It is always nice to hear from people. I went to lunch by myself, which was fine, except I was hoping to get some Vietnamese food. I didn’t eat Vietnamese food when I was in college, so I didn’t really...
Read MoreMiami Herald Article
Miami, FL From 5.21.04 At 28, Andrew Harrison, had it all. Then he gave it all up to search for more meaning in his life. Now he’s on the road looking for stories to inspire him. A dreamer? Maybe, but… BY ASHLEY FANTZ afantz@herald.com A few months ago, Andrew Harrison had a profitable sales job that allowed him to work from home, a new SUV, a nice apartment, a friendly boss, a circle of loyal friends — and a nagging feeling that it was all wrong. ‘‘I just woke up one morning and thought, ‘Is this it? Is this all there is? Am I going to do this for the next 30 years?’...
Read MoreIn a van, down by the river
Little Rock/Jasper, AR I just woke up from what my old roommate calls an Andrew. I call it a nap. I need one from time to time, especially after a day like yesterday. King and I made the 2.5 hour drive from LR to Jasper, AR to meet up with Jonathan, Leesha and his family. We were going to join them as they floated the Buffalo River. King and I were to float one day and they were floating three. We gout out of LR late on Friday (at 9:30 instead of 5:30), but made it to the cabin fine. I wished we had driven earlier because the view must have been incredible. We climbed up and down the Ozark...
Read MoreGreece Post Article
Rochester, NY From 6.04.04 He was born a ramblin’ man Andrew Harrison says he may be seen as both a fearless “seeker” and a malcontent in the throes of a “quarterlife crisis,” but either way, this Greece native is determined to find fulfillment. By MELISSA LANG / mlang@mpnewspapers.com When Andrew Harrison set out April 6 on a go-’til-the-money-runs-out hunt for enlightenment, he wished the search would at least lead him to his dream job. What he didn’t expect was that the search would become his dream job. “I’m loving this,” he...
Read MoreFamiliar Faces
Little Rock, AR It’s been a time to catch up with people from the past. I went with King last night to his Aunt and Uncle’s place for dinner. The last time I had seen them was over 8 years ago when he and I went to sign the lease at Lefever. Their kids have grown up well. King and I battled with them on the basketball court for two games. I played in bare feet, which was interesting. My team won the first and lost the second. The 11 year old hit the game winner for both games. His younger brother is a scrapper and he was on my team for the second game. It was fun to play some...
Read MoreCivilization
Little Rock, AR I am back in the world. After no TV, no internet, no phone line, and no cell phone, I made the 2 hour drive back to Little Rock today. I will have to admit, it’s kind of weird to be back typing away again. The last few days have been some of the best of this trip. The last two days are some of the best of my life. I have flown to the islands, driven all over the country by myself, stared at oceans, gulfs, and waterways, met all sorts of interesting and incredible people, but I felt like I learned the most by being away from everything. As I walked up Hell Creek with a...
Read MoreMemorial Day
Heber Springs, AR Today is Memorial Day. Most people of my generation don’t really understand what this weekend is all about. We look at it as a Monday off from work and a long weekend. It is that, but is much more than that. We see the TV and the Internet with all of the news about Iraq and this new war that we are fighting, but I don’t think it truly registers with us. We have not had to see our best friends (or ourselves) drafted into a war. We have not seen or been a part of huge scale war protests. We have not seen a full out war like our parents and grandparents have seen....
Read MoreThe Pinnacle
Little Rock, AR I said I was going to take it easy last night. I was going to do a lot of things. We ended up having too good of a time over here. Last night was one of the few times I’ve been in awe of talent. Maybe it was the beer, but when Thomas strummed that guitar, I could just tell he was blessed with a great talent. I was tapping and dancing (scary thought) as he played. I’ve been to tons of concerts, but to have this going in 4 feet in front of you in a kitchen, it was incredible. I hope I didn’t embarrass him by the praise I was voicing to him, but he is...
Read MoreMy Day in Court
Little Rock, AR Today started out like a lot of mine, rushing around so I’m not late for an appointment. I had set the alarm on my cell phone to go off at 7:30. At 7:44 I woke up from a weird dream where my old roommate Mike and I were hosting a wildly successful party. For some reason my date was the singer Mya. Everyone was all dressed up but we had just run out of beer and were trying to figure out what to do. Then I woke up. I don’t know what happened with the beer or my date. I jumped out of bed. As I said yesterday, I’m staying in my old house from college. I stayed at...
Read MoreLefever
Little Rock, AR I have been away from my CPU for a while. I’m in Little Rock. I made the 8 hour drive from New Orleans today. I’ll fill you in about NO tomorrow. Good time. I’m typing from the house I lived at in college. It’s great to be here. I’ve talked to my collge buddies and will hopefully see all of them. I’m heading down to court for an interview tomorrow. I’m looking forward to it. Then Riverfest will be here for the weekend. Bed time from my old room.
Read MoreHouma
New Orleans, LA Yesterday was a great one. As I mentioned, it started off pretty awkward as I arrived 4 hours early. But I spent the afternoon checking email and doing a few things. When Mr. G got back from work (recall he is 87) he changed and took me for a tour around Houma. He explained about some of the major businesses and business people in the area. He is in the financial field and knows a lot of the bug guys in town. He showed me the sites where they make the pieces that go onto the offshore oil rigs. It was impressive to see such detail and mass. They go offshore, sink a foundation,...
Read MoreEarly
Houma, LA It’s 2 PM and I’m sitting in a huge screened in porch at a beautiful home in Houma, LA. This is the house where I’ll be staying tonight and interviewing the homeowners. They graciously offered to put me up without even talking to me before. How great is that? I learned of them through a friend and fraternity brother. He set it up and here I am. The television is turned to mother nature. I am sitting in a lounge chair with my laptop on my bag. To my right is a running fountain (again, the water). Outside to my right is another fountain and numerous bird feeders. The chorus...
Read MoreSouthern Hospitality
Fairhope, AL I’m sitting in a co-workers home office from the Mobile branch. I ended up coming over to Fairhope, AL last night. Fairhope is a small town across the bay from Mobile. If you’re looking o the map, look at the top of the Gulf of Mexico and you’ll see the bay. As I got into town last night at about 7, I was taken back a few years. I made the turn and drove down a four lane slit highway with the greenest grass I’d seen in a long time lining the middle and each side of the highway. There were trees all up and down the side of the road as well. After being in...
Read MoreDriving
Pensacola, FL It’s not even dinner time and I’m ready to crash. I just drove close to 500 miles from Clearwater Beach, FL to the Kinko’s in Pensacola. I woke up this morning at the hostel in Clearwater Beach. What a location. It is 2 blocks from the beach and I was surprised to find that it was across the street from the restaurant Kevin and I ate at on Thursday night. The location was great, but I did not sleep too well last night. I checked out of the hotel at 11:10. This was ten minutes late and the maid knocked on the door right at 11:00. I was piddling around sending...
Read MoreOut of Florida
Tampa, FL I’m sitting in a Hampton Inn in Tampa. My first hotel experience of the trip has been nice. I holed up yesterday and hit the gym, pool and laundry. I’m now ready to head out on the road again. I have to be in New Orleans on Monday for an interview. That’s a bit of a trip, and it also means that my stint in the state of Florida is over. What a place. If you’ve never been to south Florida, go somewhere. Fort Lauderdale is a party and the water taxi incredible. Miami is huge and South Beach is worth a look. Tampa/Clearwater is a great place. Just don’t pull...
Read MoreThe Law
Tampa, FL Yesterday was one of those days when I felt like a black cat had crossed my path. It started off well enough with a 7 hour drive from Marathon to Tampa. I was coming to Tampa to meet a boyhood friend of mine, Kevin. He was coming here for business and we were to meet for golf and some catching up. The drive out of Marathon was gorgeous. The bridges of the Keys cannot be topped. The 7 Mile Bridge, which, you guessed it, is a bridge that is 7 miles long. I think they filmed the end scene from True Lies (with Ahnold) here. You drive with the blue ocean water on both of sides of you. I...
Read MoreThe Mayor
Key West and Marathon, FL It was a tough thing to leave Key West. I regret not having more time to spend here. One night was not near enough. The vibe in Key West is perfect for someone writing and thinking. There are all sorts of people from all walks of life. I did so much walking over the past day and a half that my calves are killing me. I guess it might help if I walked in something other than sandals. I met up with Charles this morning and we headed out to explore. Before we left I got out my video camera and shot a little bit of the hostel. I also ran into the Swedish connection before...
Read MoreHostel
Key West, FL I’m sitting in an internet cafe off of Duvall St. After typing this, I realized this does not have spell check, so bear with me. I woke up early this morning. I never sleep well at a hostel because everyone in the room is moving about early. I probably first woke up at 6 something. Last night was a lot of fun. I met the traveler from England and had a good time talking to him about his home and America. He is 23 and asks a lot of questions. I was amped to go tear up Key West, but he was not into the girl chaisng as much as me, so we kept it pretty mellow. We got back to the...
Read MoreCharles from England
Key West, FL Time is short. They are closing the doors on the internet cafe. I am sitting in Key West, FL. I made the 6 hour drive form Estero this morning. What a view going over all of the bridges and seeing the blue water. I went into Sloppy Joe’s, a local hangout for the last 70 years. I was looking for a bartender friends know, but she’s gone for the next two days. I walked all over the place and finally made it to the hostel I am staying at. I paid and checked out the room. Not bad, sharing with li8ke 8 others. I ran into Charles, a guy from England traveling the US in...
Read MoreSouth Beach
Estero/Naples, FL I ended up going to South Beach. I left Kinko’s yesterday and called a friend of mine who lives in Miami. I left him a message. I wasn’t too fired up about going, but I thought I should call. I was feeling kind of mellow, but I knew the chance to head down to party city would be rare. He called back and said to come down. That charged me up, so Mark and I went. I wasn’t sure what to think as we drove down there from Lauderdale. I had heard about models and great clubs and beautiful people not wearing much. On the way, we rocked out to some Foo Fighters and I was really...
Read MoreBudget
Fort Lauderdale, FL I’m back at Kinko’s. Traffic is whizzing by out there. Some of them can’t wait to get home and others can’t wait go get to the restaurant or bar. My plans are up in the air. I think a South Beach trip may be in the works, but we’ll see. I started off the morning with a bug. Not a bang, a bug. I guess it was to be expected from an old house in steamy Florida. Last night I turned back the clock 20 years and attended a sleep over. Mark’s roommate was home, so I made a little bed on Mark’s floor. I laid down 4 blankets, a sleeping bag, and...
Read MorePhoto Shoot
Fort Lauderdale, FL Today added to the surrealism that has encompassed me. I left Hollywood to go to a photo shoot. A photo shoot of me. Believe it or not. I pulled up to the parking lot in Fort Lauderdale that is 100 yards from the ocean. I was a bit early and sat in the car for a second. Two fine, upstanding pillars of the community salivated as they saw a lone traveler with North Carolina license plates. One of the shirtless saints approached. He motioned for me to roll down my window. I stared. He motioned again. I opened my door, “Hey man, how long are you going to park...
Read MoreI-95
Hollywood, FL Man, there’s a lot to put in here for today. I rose up early from Grandpa’s in Boynton Beach. I was running late as usual and had no time for breakfast. I showered and packed up. It was a sad goodbye for the both of us. Sad in a way because our schedules and locations make it difficult to know when we’ll see each other again. But I left his place happy as well, knowing that my journey brought me closer to a great man who I never would’ve gotten to know. An hour with someone is great, but spending 2 days with someone and talking about life’s highs and lows is...
Read MoreI-95
Hollywood, FL Man, there’s a lot to put in here for today. I rose up early from Grandpa’s in Boynton Beach. I was running late as usual and had no time for breakfast. I showered and packed up. It was a sad goodbye for the both of us. Sad in a way because our schedules and locations make it difficult to know when we’ll see each other again. But I left his place happy as well, knowing that my journey brought me closer to a great man who I never would’ve gotten to know. An hour with someone is great, but spending 2 days with someone and talking about life’s highs and lows is...
Read MoreHerald
Boynton Beach/Fort Lauderdale, FL Today was a busy and exciting day. I rose early to hit the links with Grandpa and two of his golf buddies. We teed off at 7:45 and whipped around to finish 18 by 10:55. I played OK and really enjoyed myself. I am hyper competitive golfing, but today was a day when my score didn’t matter. I was relaxed and we all had a good time. It was good to hear stories of different times and places. As soon as the round finished, I talked with the writer from the Miami Herald. We were set for lunch. We zipped back to Grandpa’s, I hit the shower, and hit 95 to Fort...
Read MoreThe Compound and Momma’s Day
Fort Lauderdale, FL I’m in Fort Lauderdale at the Compound, the place where my friend Mark calls home. The Compound is made up of the landlord who has a place behind Mark, T, Mark’s roommate, and Jay, the neighbor in the duplex. I’m sitting outside on the porch. Marks place is not the hugest and I don’t want to be in the way. He has built up some good friends here. He helps out with Jay’s dog Chase, who is diabetic and going blind. She is sweet and loves to be petted. Like most dogs I guess. I said farewell to the apartment today and headed down to Lauderdale. I was pumped for the...
Read MoreLast night in Palm Beach
Palm Beach, FL It’s noon. Mark and I just polished off 6 eggs, 4 pieces of toast, and a package of bacon. I prepared, he cleaned. Not a bad team. We also teamed up well last night. Mark is not shy. He will talk to anyone and does so. Some talk back, some don’t. We went out on Clematis Street in Palm Beach last night. It was both of our first times down there. This is an area that has a lot of restaurants and bars. We got there at about 4:30 and walked around. We met two guys from Detroit who told us to go to this place, Bradley’s. We went. Mark did his thing (he’s a talker) as I...
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