An iconic, famous piece of literature depicting and capturing an image of America's identity. It idealizes a wild dream all of us have entertained at some point of another — Striking out across the country, not planning or even considering the consequences of our actions; partying until the sun rises only to keep it going throughout the next day; restlessly riding trains, hitching, and fighting — to find the next great adventure.
We all can relate to this picture, this wild spirit, that erupts from the quiet, calm of our daily lives. What is really wild and exciting about this story is that Kerouac models the plot after his own life and the lives of his compatriots. Constituents of a movement that he was responsible for naming: The Beat Generation.
I don't even know how to sum up this epic adventure. Kerouac writes in a style that resembles a whirlwind. Alternating from short and choppy conversation to all-encompassing monologues about life and god and philosophy. The skinny of it is, too me at least, that the boldness of the human heart can take you anywhere and the path of your life may twist and turn, but in the end we are all on the same road — we are all searching. I just hope we all can enjoy some Finding at some point.
"All these years I was looking for the woman I wanted to marry. I couldn't meet a girl without saying to myself, What kind of wife would she make?"
"I want to marry a girl... so I can rest my soul with her till we both get old. This cant go on all the time — all this franticness and jumping around. We've got to GO someplace, find something."
"GOD EXISTS without qualms. As we roll along this way I am positive beyond doubt that everything will be taken care of for us — that even you, as you drive, fearful of the wheel" (I hated to drive and drove carefully) — "the thing will go along of itself and you wont go off the road and I can sleep."
"Peace will come suddenly , we wont understand when it does— see, man?"
The Scroll, Kerouac's original manuscript
On the Road.
Image from Maggie
http://flickr.com/photos/15932636@N00
I have been watching TED videos, playing around on twitter (I follow Inhabitat, artists, scientists, science journals, all sorts of cool folks), and reading the news a lot lately. That and working pretty much fills up my day. Its gross. I literally can wait until people come back for the summer so I can unload all this news and all these ideas off on them. I have so many awesome stories, and I have watched so much, that I need my own project before I explode. 
