Kicking Ass, or Something

It's 11:30pm on a Tuesday.  I'm 28 years old and wondering what most normal people my age do at 11:30pm on a Tuesday.  Then I realize there is probably no such thing as normal, even though there seems like there would have to be.  But then again, what does it matter what most normal people, if there is such a thing, do at 11:30pm on a Tuesday, because they are not me and I am me and this is all I've got so I'll do whatever I damn well please, thank you very much.

So anyway, as I was saying, it's 11:30pm on a Tuesday, and I've had several glasses of wine.  I'm in California, as previously stated, and embarking on a kind of new beginning over here.  Old friends, new missions.  If I had to guess what normal people were doing, it would be something like, "developing their careers," "getting to bed at a reasonable hour," "getting ready for work tomorrow," "studying up on these marketing strategies," "being a real person."

Me on the other hand, I'm not a real person.  I'm merely a figment of my imagination, and maybe of yours too.  Sometimes it's a dream come true over here, and sometimes its a total nightmare.  Whatever it is, its conjured up somehow and brought to life.  Sometimes I feel like I have control over it, sometimes I feel like I'm being shoved this way and that.  

It's been a wild ride, all 28 years of it.  Well, maybe just a few less.  The first several years I can't quite recall.  But as far back as I can retrieve it seems to have been... words fail me.  There was a lot going on, we can just leave it at that for now.

I've been riding some kind of wave for the past several months that seems to be treating me well.  At this point I get the feeling that this wave is slowly fading out, but god damn did I get some great turns out of it.  Surf mojo is back, and I'm feeling like I've got a clear shot to paddle out and catch the next one.  Looks like a pretty good one coming my way.  

This last one was a bit of a mystery.  I pretty much paddled out into familiar but foreign waters, and dropped in on something gnarly.  Results were better than could have imagined, and I'm grateful the sun, and the stars, and the people that aligned to be a part of it.  

As for now, I guess I can't say too much cause I don't really know just yet.  I just keep believing I'll be better than fine.  I guess I have to, cause why else would I keep it all up?

New Post Again

So, it has been a while.  Sorry about that.  And here I am, again, on the left coast USA.  Something about that Pacific Ocean, always calls me back.  I have my affairs with other bodies of water and other alluring landscapes, but time and time again, I find myself here at the edge of the North American continent, gazing west.

I had a plan (kind of) way back when I started this blog.  Then I guess I had another plan (kind of) when I disappeared for a little while.  And now I have no plan, and in a way I feel like I'm right back where I started.  But that couldn't possibly be, could it?  It's been 2.5 years since I last wrote here, and 3.5 since I first wrote here.  I must have gotten SOMEWHERE.  Right?  I would certainly hope so.

Many things have happened.  I abandoned you.  I feel I owe you an explanation.  But you know what, that's just not going to happen right now.  You'll just have to trust me that I had an interesting time while I was gone, and I learned some things, and it feels nice to be back.  So if you'll have me again for a while I'll try to tell some more stories.  Maybe you'll like some of them.

Sorry for the typos.  Sorry for the run-ons.  Sorry for the shitty grammar.  I hope you'll take me as I am.  I promise to always strive for better.

Is there anyone alive out there?  Can anyone hear me?

Duty Free

Shopping while you fly is the most fun way to buy!

That's the United Airlines jingle for their in-flight Sky Mall, played on the screen while we wait to take off.  How ridiculous is that, really?  You can shop till you drop until you get to the gate, and then you can shop some more from a catalogue in your seat.  Seriously, can people not take just a few hours off?  Who the hell gets on a plane and decides they need a pearl necklace anyway?!

I just landed in SFO, and had a step outside to breath some California air and absorb a little California sun.  People talk funny here.

Of course, the US dollar is now, for the first time since I arrived in Australia, stronger than the Australian dollar - really, on the day I leave Australia it changes.

My time in Australia was too good.  So good that I don't even want to talk about it really. But I will say this: all the adventures, all of the fun, all of the beautiful scenery, all was wonderful.  And then, there are just a few people who will also stay with me forever, and that's really something.

I'm hungry, and have one more flight to go.

Dear Blog,

I'm a slacker.  I know.  But I'm here now, so I'll tell you what.

I'm in Cairns, way up north.  Staying with Christina who used to live in a tent on our backyard in Byron.  Today I'm heading out to sea to dive the Great Barrier Reef for a few days.  You get to sleep out on the reef and everything, should be a good time.

I'm pretty grateful for tropical weather at the moment, and also grateful for Australia in general.  The only thing that sucks about Australia is knowing that it's here all the time, even when I'm not.  Also, there no Sierra Nevadas, or Rocky Mountains or anything really comparable.

Slacking on photos, slacking on content.  Got a lot on my mind.

Going back to the good old North East USA in a couple of weeks, and quite looking forward too it.  In the mean time, I'll go look at some fish.

Australia Again

That pretty much sums it up.  Back at Sydney International, waiting for my shuttle to come pick me up and bring me to a hostel.  It's raining hard, I'm feeling pretty under the weather and my flight was 12 hours early.  Yeah, that's right, 12 hours early - which made me realize that I had no idea how f'ed up my original flight plan was.  I lucked out.

More soon.

Happy Birthday To Me!

I just turned 26 in Puerto Iguazu, Argentina.  This is the north east tip of Argentina, were the Parana River separates Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay.  People come here to see the waterfalls, which of course are magnificent.  It is pouring rain outside and thunder is booming!  I am sitting at the Hostel waiting to depart for the 18 hour bus ride back to Rosario.

Yesterday we walked around the national park and saw the waterfalls and I took lots of pictures that are pointless to post here but if you are wondering here is a nice one that the internet has already.  Anyway, it was beautiful, there were some cool animals in the jungle surrounding the park, monkeys, and toucans, lots of butterflies, some french girls at the hostel even spotted a crocodile!

I saw one guy smoking a cigarette and when he was finished he chucked it over the guardrail right into a smallish waterfall we were all looking at.  It ruined my mood for a little and I felt strong urges to tear his face off, which I resisted.  I really truly honestly can not understand.  BAFFLED!  There were even little garbage bins all along the trails!  Also, there were these little raccoon/anteater hybrid looking things that have gotten used to pestering people for food which you are CLEARLY NOT SUPPOSED TO FEED.  Of course people feed them, some girls were feeding them nuts in the food court area, which was bad enough, but when I saw a lady on one of the trails bend down and give one a piece of her chocolate candy bar...  GRRRR.  =(

Anyway, the park is beautiful, the waterfalls are humbling, and the bus ride is going to be long.  But, buses are THE way to travel around this country.  They are great.  You get a large, comfortable reclining chair with plenty of foot room and an elevated foot rest, and they feed you!  The 18 hours it took to get here were really quite painless, and with the right toys (iPad equipped with games and movies, and a cozy sleeping bag) its even enjoyable!  They do provide you with a pillow and blanket, but we all know my sleeping bag is pretty much my most prized possession.  The food is not great so packing some healthy snacks isn't a bad idea either, but thats pretty much to be expected of food provided by public transit.

Ok, packing up and heading out.  Again and again and again...  =)

Andy Grammer

I was at the gym the other day, and all of a sudden on the radio I hear a song written and performed by none other than my dear old roommate Andy Grammer.  Then later I heard it at the mall, and it turns out he's topping the charts in the states as well, destined to be one of this summer's biggest hits.

Not that he needs a plug in my silly little blog, but anyway, Andy was one of the founding fathers of what became the 825 legacy.  Ladies and gentleman, from the confines of our Santa Monica living room, to international broadcast, Andy Grammer!