Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Day 75 Kerouaction: On Trip Necessities


Day 75 in The Beat Handbook, titled "On Trip Necessities," was inspired by the above passage from On The Road. For a change of pace, below is the actual entry from my book.

Day 75
Today’s Kerouaction: On Trip Necessities

Far be it from me to suggest stealing out of necessity, but of course that would certainly be a beat thing to do. Rather, the "legal" discernable Kerouaction is that little is needed for a trip cross country: gas and oil for the car, bread and cheese for the body, and cigarettes for the psyche. Beyond that, good company is in order if you can swing it. So gas up the clunker, stock up with a loaf of bread and a jar of Cheez Whiz, grab a carton of cigarettes and take off for the other coast. Nothing but those things, please. No suitcase full of clothes. No toiletries. No map. No cell phone. Just food, gas, cigarettes. See what you can do without! That is a beat thing to do. And it’s probably illegal as Hell, too, if you don’t carry I.D.[73] and enough money to keep you from being labeled a "vagrant." The main thing is spontaneity and passion: decide and then go go go.


Suggested Kerouactivity:
Even if you are not going to take off right away, buy yourself a jar of Cheez Whiz and store it away for that day when you finally heed the advice contained herein. Then all you need to do is buy bread and cigarettes, gas up and go go go. [74]


[73] Especially ID approved by "Homeland Security." What country do we live in? I need a reminder.
[74] FYI, unopened Cheez Whiz will stay good way beyond your lifespan, so no worries about it going bad if you procrastinate heading out on the road.

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