2008 was awesome. 2007 sucked and 2006 was definitely no picnic, but 2008 was pretty amazing.

So amazing, in fact, that I decided to do a year in review! Let’s go!

January
January started off slow. I was in the process of selling the store, but it wasn’t yet finalized. I was living in a tiny as hell apartment (110 square feet) without heat and soon, due to faulty wiring, without a hotplate or a fridge. It was rough. The last bits of incredibly hellish 2007 were relinquishing their grip upon me.

Through all of that, I was planning Scoot 66. At this point, it was only going to be 42 days. 42 was also the number of my very small apartment. It is also the answer to life, the universe and everything. Despite the horrible cold, I piled blankets on top of me and started mapping out the trip.

Late in 2007, I bought a 2008 Toyota Yaris. I didn’t really want to, but I felt some urge to be responsible and get a car. I had a 1970 VW Bus, but that was in the shop since September. More on that later, I bet. In January, some asshat smashed my passenger side mirror. Maybe he hated the Yaris more than I did.

During this month, I was trying to figure out how to stay in my apartment. The only other option was living with my parents – something I really didn’t want to do. I had lived alone for quite some time and was enjoying it. Soon, I’d be traveling, so if I could just make it to then!

But no. Walking home from the cafe to my apartment one night, I fell, twisting the hell out of my left ankle. I could no longer walk, let alone walk the three flights of stairs to my apartment. Back to the parents it was.

The end of January also saw the birth of the first regular Hare Krishna satirical news site, The Hing. I had been kicking around the idea in 2007, but on January 21st, it appeared in this world.

February!
Oh fun! Back at the parents for a bit. The bookstore, for me, was in its last couple of weeks. I was finished on Feb 15. The new owner would then take over. I had decided to live in West Virginia until the trip started.

On the 10th, the townfolk and friends from Lewisburg showed how amazing they are by giving me a Going Away Book filled with messages and love from the people who have been my neighbors and friends for the last decade. Only now was it sinking in that I would be leaving.

February was also the month where Bhakta Corey and pretty much everybody had an incredibly creepy argument where he called for child marriages to be introduced into ISKCON. That’s creepy. Very creepy. Luckily, he’s a very very small minority.

With Smartz, I printed some shirts for Scoot 66, decided to keep Whitey (my 2005 White Stella Scooter) and on the 17th, finally sold my bus.

Also on the 17th, I moved to West Virginia. It wasn’t a permanent move… yet. But that was definitely an option on the table. I had a schedule that included several trips to Pennsylvania and a few other places. Really, I just didn’t want to be in West Virginia and was looking for ways to escape.

March!!
On March 6th, I spilled water on my laptop and dreamed of not being where I was in West Virginia. I was sick, some flu thing or something. I was miserable there, so I moved my stuff into Rati and Dwija’s house, the misery went away and I soon returned to PA for a little trip, hitting National Road, US 30, some abandoned Turnpike tunnels and Gettysburg on the way home.

A couple of days after that, I took a fun trip on Pennsylvania’s Route 6 with Smartz. That gave birth to the phrase “Oh I can’t wait!” And shortly after that, a trip to State College that included a bunch of fun stops along the way! And then, a day later, a trip to New Jersey! A day after the Jersey trip, I head out on my own, mostly to the ghost town of Alvira. Fun week of travels!

Liking the idea of traveling more, I extended Scoot 66 to a whopping 66 days, adding side trips here and there. On the 21st, I was back at Rati and Dwija’s for the Hare Krishna holiday of Gaura Purnima! The trip back was detailed in a three post extravaganza! And was a whole lot of fun.

Late in the month of March, I discovered the happiest picture I have ever seen. It made Smartz cry. Awesome. In all this flurry of travel, I booked a flight to Seattle. I also took a quick Civil War trip through bits of West Virginia. It was wonderful.

I then decided to cancel my trip to Seattle. Time was a factor, also my fear of flying. I returned again to Pennsylvania, this time to live, finishing this month and the next at my parents’ house.

April!!!
April at my parents’ house gave me a chance to really plan for Scoot 66. I gathered my gear and got some miles on the scooter.

April also handed me an inexplicable trip to Chicago, St. Louis, all the way down to Oklahoma and then into Memphis and back home with Smartz and Brugg. Very fun trip, taking me down Route 66, a route that I would soon become very familiar with.

Another trip, a trip to New York reared its ugly head. By the end of the day, I couldn’t walk. Thanks!

The day before I left, I hung out with friends at Cherry Alley Cafe in Lewisburg. Then, on April 30, I started Scoot 66, riding to Rati and Dwija’s house for a day off and to say good-bye.

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I think I’ll stop here and continue tomorrow.

Related posts:

1. 2008 – Best Year Ever? Hell Yes! (part three – August thru December)
2. 2008 – Best Year Ever? Hell Yes! (part two – Scoot 66)
3. One Year Ago Today
4. A year in Apartment Three
5. 2009 – My Year of Firsts