DC, Delaware, Philly, and NYC!

After a nice hike with Rob, Jack, Riley, Nevada, and Blue in Monongahela National Forest I took a ride to our great nations capital. The ride was nice, all of Jack's friends are really good people and we had alot to talk about. The Man is putting Rob up in a nice little hotel near Dupont Circle. In the morning I shit, showerd, and shaved, needing to look my best for my hitch hike to Newark Delaware. I headed downstairs and asked the way to I-95. The woman at the desk was compleatly befuddled. A man gave me a map and explained where I was, where I was going and how long it would take. I was walking? "No, look's like I can get a ride here at the circle." I said "Thank You". They were stuned. I walked out with 2 backpacks. One hanging off my front, one off my back. When I arrived at Dupont Circle I saw 2 cute girls who looked like my kind of people. I asked them how to get to I-95 and they explained how to use public transport to get there but since Maire lived right where I was going so she decided to take me there. The girls were a riot. Marie was a hopeless driver. She spent half of the time proud that she stumbled into the right place and the other half was divided between criticizing other drivers and wondering where she was. There was something endearing about the way she drove, maybe it was just her voice. She never shut up. When we arrived at a gas station an exit out of town we exchanged contact information and I gave Maire the kiss I lost in a bet.

I was only at the gas station about 5 minutes when I nice kid with the look of a traveler walked by and I asked him where he was going. "Your not crazy are you" he asked. "Probably, but not dangerous" I answered. He was going to Philidalphia and so he could take me all the way to Newark Delaware where I could meet up with Jordan. Willy was a traveling musician. His goal was to play in every continental state and had already played in most of them. He was from California and everywhere he went people told him how "ballsy" he was. He was impressed that I was hitchhiking and thought that that was much more ballsy. I explained to him how I would look for people with a certein look in their eyes and then I would ask them for a ride. My traveling is all about finding people with open minds and going from there. I think he appreiciated my outlook and was happy he gave me a ride. I offed to pay for all the tolls but he split them with me. I wish I could remember more details about him, like how long he had been out for and how old he was (26?) but it seems like a life time ago now. Time is funny.

Jordan and I know eachother from the Himalayan Institute. We both arrived in July together and lived in the Mens dorm for a month. At the time it stuck me how much like I used to be Jordan was then. An interesting thing to note now is that I was suppressing all of my Jordan like characteristics at the time. Now we are much more similar then we were then.
Jordan actualy arrived the day before I did. That is to say that he was moving in to this new house. Ironicly I helped him arrange his furniture and assemble his grill. It was as if my moving karma had followed me from moms to pick up where I left off. Mom didn't have bear and deer heads to hang on the wall so unpacking with her would not have been as much fun.
The next morning Jordan and I drove to Philly. Jordan is starting a bussness and was attending a venture capatilist workshop. I was along for the ride. The first stop was off Market Street. I walked around for hours and watched people before coming upon a guided tour. A local high school class was being dragged around and talked at about some stupid shit they don't care about, but for me it was a free tour about our fascinating history. I was a little disapointed in the state of our education when this class of seniors didn't know what a sentry post was. I didn't get to far along when Jordan called me for lunch. On the menu for the day was the famous Philly Cheese Steak! The guy in front of me ordered a "Philly Cheese Steak". The cook mustered up the haughtiest voice he could mannage and said "what kind?" The guy was stumped, he fumbled on through. Obviously a looser. I walk up and said "wiz with" and stood there trying to look cool although I was totally confused. That was it! I did it! So let me tell you of the glory that is a Philly Cheese Steak. First you need an over sized hot dog bun that is made of no less then 30% cardboard and is at least 3 days past it's expiration a can of cheese wiz and some "steak". I don't really know what the steak or the cheese wiz is made of but I am guessing it is not all cow or milk. Chopping up the steak on the grill into fine pieces with a blunt long bladed spatula made me think the steak might have been made of rubber. Not the fake plasitc rubber they use now a day, I think these guys were spending a pretty penny on the real stuff. Sliding the meat gracefully into the bun and slapping some wiz on top and wala! It was a culinary experience unlike any other.
For the rest of the day I walked around on and around South St. One of the most striking features was the abundance of sex shops. They weren't your ordinary sketchy sex shops though they where actually impressively classy. I got a personal tour of "advanced" S&M department of one of the shops. Some of it was a little to far out there for me, but I definitely want to learn more about kinky sex. For educational purposes only of course. Also of note was the magic garden, and more seriously the tomb of the unknown solider in washington square park. The American dream is so beautiful. I am struck by what we used to stand for and think it's a shame how far from our ideals we have strayed.
After another night in Delaware Jordan and I took a ride to NYC. Another venture capital seminar. This time Jordan was going to be presenting a sales pitch. It was only 2 minutes so he didn't really prepare for it. I tried to help him by typing what he was saying but I was feeling nauseous for some reason and couldn't look at the computer. I started driving so that he could use the computer in New Jersey. I talked to the man who filled our tank, he was very nice but totally buys all of the American propaganda about the middle east. I wonder how much education he has? Anyway, leaving Jersey coming into New York across the Lincoln tunnel was a very stressful event for me. Rather then trying to explain the mess you can look at this overhead of the situation. I had a semi on one side and a mean looking lady in a minivan on the other. Jordan is screaming "Don't hit the semi" when the lady in the mini van merged into me. My mirror folded in but there was no damage. I continued through NYC until we were a block away. At that point we did a Chinese fire drill and Jordan found a place to park.
It feels like a lifetime has passed since then, to much has happened here to hope to write down a fraction of it and to start would be overwhelming at this point. So, until next time. But don't worry it has been good!

Trouble

I got some confused replies to my last post.   The post was sort of an inside joke for my Mom, Jack and a few of their friends.    All of Jacks friends are awesome, interesting, vibrant people.    The whole moving experience was good but at the same time it was endlessly fraught with pending disaster.   The first major issue was that the house didn't close, an issue with repercussions that could adversliy effect 5 families.    If Mom is not going to have the money to buy her house those buyers wouldn't have to buy their home from other people who also want to buy a new home.   The 5th family is Jack's.   Jack is playing dutch boy and puting his finger in the dyke.   He stepped in, put down a payment and is getting a loan to buy the house himself.   This is slightly risky on his part and a large pain in the butt, but everyone gets what they need.   

I became aware of the second almost disaster when I was jared awake on I-70 just outside of Denver.   A trucker was swerving all over the road and when Jack tried to pass him he started to merge into our lane.   I woke up a blaring horn to see the guy go from inches away from hitting us to almost runing off the interstate on the other side of the road.   I am sure there was an accident behind us and amazed that Jack didn't hit the wall to our right when he dodged the truck.   We were alone on the road for the next hour or so.

The next almost disaster could not easily have been a disaster.   But to continue on a theme...   Merrin and I had the job of taking the truck back while Jack entertained his buddy who was visiting.   It was an easy task.   We were to drive strait up the interstate an hour and a half to Morgantown WV, drop off the truck and drive back.   Jack is a traditional paper kinda guy and tried to give Merrin a map to the drop off and Merrin insisted that she would use Betty her GPS unit and everything would be fine...   When we were leaving Merrin tried to give Betty to me.   No no no no...   Every time I touch that thing I have become frusterated.   She was leading I was following.   First step is my fault.   The truck shakes violently as I mentioned before and I wanted to speed up to 65, the speed that had the least shaking.   So I sped up and got in front of her expecting that she would pass.   She didn't.   I tried to call her but we were in a dead zone.   Eventually I did get a hold of her.   Problem was that it was right past our turn, it wasn't really a problem though, we just turned around and continued along.   But it was set the tone for the rest of the trip.   It wasn't much later when we turned off a highway on to a road that was headed straight up a mountain.   I called Merrin 5 times to ask where we where before this and by this point I just pulled over.   We had taken a wrong turn and betty was just trying to get us back on track.   To turn around I had to go another mile on this windy little road to a church parking lot and then wind back down the mountain.   Did I mention it was raining.   I noticed an interesting thing about my mind at this point.   I tend to get a little grumpy when things are inconvenient or slightly uncomfortable, but as soon as things get to the level of pain in the ass I become happy again.   At this point I could see the humor in the situation.   Next turn around was when we approached a tunnel marked "No Trucks".   Shit, now we have to go around this mountain!   And where in god's green earth are we?  Why are all the people dressed like freaks?   Apparently we were driving our big yellow truck through a civil war reenactment.   We had to ask a few people for directions and everyone was very nice.   Then there was a bridge that was to narrow for me and a car so I had to wait till it emptied to cross.   Then a switchback turn at a stoplight... I had to do a 3 point turn in the middle of the intersection.   After that it was Ok, just winding roads and steep hills...   All and all the trip took about twice as long as it should have.   Damn technology.   

It was actually a really good experience for Merrin and I though.   It gave us an opportunity to get aggravated but not take it out on each other.   That's a big step.   I am very good at keeping my shit to myself with friends but with family all of my old habits arise and I turn can into a jerk.

Elkins, WV

Being comprised of only three sq. miles and with a total population of just over 7,000 people Elkins WV is what you would rightly call a small town. The weather is pleasant, if not a little wet, and the land is fertile. With the exception of the highway running through town the streets are nearly always empty and the neighborhood park is nearly always full. Walking downtown you will find a few bars, and diners, barbers, arts and craft stores. The locals evidently have a passion for reading, especially the bible. There are two small book stores downtown, one of course is dedicated to Christian reading. The other, though somewhat lacking in footage is densely packed with the essentials of literature, classical and modern.

My visit to the library with my niece and nephew could tell many tales. I have got it into my mind to read "The Princess Bride". Almost 6 months ago I was at a Big E's open mic when I heard an excerpt read aloud. It was so artfully done that I vowed to read the entire book out loud my self. Walking into the Elkins Library I found a computer to look up "The Princess Bride". They only had the movie. Looking around I decided that I could look at each book individually without much time spent and was set upon that task. I didn't get past 001.47 when Riley found "Guinness Book Of World Records". After a few minutes I asked Nevada to ask the pretty girl trying to study if we were being to loud. We were not of course but it was an excuse to direct her attention towards me and make eye contact. After Nevada's friends came and distracted the kids I browsed the shelves. I am sure they had every bible ever printed and the Christian section made up about half of the wall. Before I had made it out I was close enough to start an off hand conversation with Lizzy. Christy came in to grab the kid's for soccer practice right when I was getting to The Big Question. "Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal lord and savior?" I asked. "With that we will be leaving" Kristy said. "umm... uhh..." stumbled Lizzy. She was living just out of town studying marmots and was in town using the internet. I don't know the first thing about marmots so I asked her where she was from. "I just drove through Indiana a few days ago" I said "the whole place kinda smells." "It's know for agriculture I guess". I guess. She invited me to hang out some time. Her and her friends entertain themselves with movie marathons, beer and bon fires.
When I got home Christy seemed so excited to tell Jack her end of the story. "I found Daniel and the kids in the library. Somehow he had found the only beautiful girl in Elkins. Guess what he said right when I arrived!" "You have to get these things right out into the open in a small town like this" I defended myself.
Lunch today brought Jack, Christy, and I to the Kistle Stop. A small coffee and sandwich shop. Mom's house not closing was the topic of conversation. We don't know exactly what this will mean but it may be a big hassle for many people. Three young kids walked in. Their attire lay on an interesting crossroads between California and WV. I couldn't help but to look at the short shorts and low top, the body underneath was well formed and trim. The look tried to speak to Miami or LA, but I think it said something about a trailer instead.   

I wonder if it makes me a jerk that I say things like that?   I wonder if people are just way to serious about everything.   I make fun of everything.  Of course when dealing with a retard I am not going to make fun of him to him (usually) but to my friends I will probably slap myself and make funny noises...   I guess I don't make fun of people, I make fun of stereotypes.   Like the snotty french, dumb americans, trailer trash, rich kids, hippies, new agers, buddhists, christians, scholars, and politicians.   I think stereotypes are important human constructs but if I don't constantly make fun of them I might take them seriously.   God forbid.

Really when it comes down to it I quite liked Elkins.   The atmosphere was comfortable and unassuming.   The contrast between what I have seen of West Virginia and the stereotype is striking.   In the little town of Thomas I saw two things that kinda blew me away.   The first was a billboard about world prayer that featured pictures of hindus, buddhist, jewish, christian, muslims all praying.   The second sign of radical progressiveness was the "karma soup" in the Purple Fiddle.   There is a sign that say's that if your hungry and have no money you should discreetly ask for the karma soup and you will be provided with a meal at no cost.   "That's the kind of world I want to live in" said Rob, Jacks good friend.

Rob is a west coaster who is living in DC trying to straighten out the politics of the BLM (Bureau of Land Management).   He is a large sort of lumbering looking guy.   Maybe he isn't lumbering, but when he is talking about the 10 years he lived in Japan and making fun of americans he does a great lumber.   Jack, Rob and I spend most of our conversations examining the american culture and comparing it to other places.   I have developed  a great appreciation for americanism since coming back from Thailand.   I swing between great hope for the future and complete despair.   One of the great questions of my future will be where I will raise my children.   I am so afraid of what could happen in the US if the government got a wild hair up there ass and I am so saddened by mainstream consumer culture.   Seeing the interdependence of the dense web of fear, ignorance, production, consumerism, comfort seeking, bureaucracy, corporate lobbying, ect.   How could thing's possibly improve without starting over?   Maybe I will go to asia and breed into their culture?   I think they have more winning strategies for a dense interconnected world.   At the same time I love the American cult of the personality, the optimism, the opportunism.

Now I am in Washington DC, apropriatly enough.   I like the city, but I will probably only be here for the night.

A long haul.

The Sandy Kid was standing in front of the Big Apple Saloon six shooter in hand. All of a sudden Bill and Judy turn the corner laughing hysterically giving the running joke enough of a diversion to allow Josh and Emily to leave the cat castle unnoticed! The Sandy Kid not being prone to unnecessary violence, or work, was running low on cash. He stopped in the H street house hoping to find a card game, but the house was empty. Feeling on edge again he walked to the the back to find Judy trying to haul away with some old bricks! This Judy charicter was becoming a regular around these parts and always seemed to up to some mischief! Mary Frances, the houses owner was apparently skipping town... What kind of trouble had she gotten into? There was a rumor around the dinner table that Silvia and Mary Frances were at the prison when an escape was attempted, and her two sons, regular hired hands, were in town to help her get out. What exactly was going on here? The whole thing seemed to be obscured by a constant stream of laughter. Obscured in deed as the jokes all seemed to have their roots in the distant past, before I had arrived on the scene. And who are Skeet and Liz? Just two more no account jokers, it seems. Tension was building, that's for sure. The hired hands were getting restless and seemed ready to drive off into the sunrise any morning now. First there had to be a climax... It was a deal gone bad, the buyers didn't bring there money to the table, said something about a prospector in California, they would make good on the deal come Tuesday they said. Luckily for them the One Eyed Jack was drinking with his buddies. Mom decided not to call him in. If the deal doesn't close on Tuesday there will be words, hopefully just words. It was Friday morning when Jack and The Kid rode out of town, a whole truck full of lute at their backs. It was going to be a rough ride, and long.
Each tank of gas brought the brothers 4 hours closer to their final destination. Out through the Nevada desert and into Utah. Long stretches of nothing but sand and road. They were tumble weeding along I-70 through the most beautiful roads in the country.
Driving late through Colorado and into Kansas. It was around 3am when they finally tuckered out. The Sandy Kid wanted to stop in Kanorodo but Captain Jack wouldn't settle for any less then a 2 star motel. They almost had out in a gun fight, Kid was worried that if they made them selves to visible the long arm might catch up with them. They finally decided on the Holiday Inn Express in Goodland. Being superstitious folk they decided that the express would help them get out in a hurry if trouble started, but what trouble could happen in a place like Goodland. After six hours of sleep they in an elevator headed south. The woman with the fishing pole was probably drinking the night before and a few quick jokes from Kid had everyone was laughing. A quick breakfast later they were back in the truck. Through Topeka and into Indianapolis, named after the native indian apples of course. Seeing a race car bumper sticker Jack and Kid laughed at the silliness of the sport. "Imagine sitting around in the hot sun watching people turn left all day." "Oh no, he has to stop to change a tire! That's really going to put him behind." The sweetness of their laughter turned sour when they tried to bunker down for the night. "It's the eve of the Indie 500." the man said. Though he was short, fat and walked with a limp he had kind eyes. "No rooms for 30 miles!" he exclaimed. After two hours of driving and 2 hotels later The Kid decided he would drive through the night. When the sun rose Jack took to driving. A few hours later; "This Godforsaken' Shakin! We have to pull over!" Jack exclaimed. The truck shakes violently if you try to drive 45-70 miles an hour you see... There was a governor that wouldn't allow for speeds above 70, but who knows, it might of stopped shaking if they went faster. E=MC2 and shaking dies down as a vehicle approaches the speed of light, right? Around mid day they entered into a peculiar land, a land that is round on the ends and hi in the middle.
Jack dropped off the Kid on the side of the road near where their axillary vehicle was parked. 3D Jack said. 3G The Kid heard... After a long wary trek through the airport parking The Kid called in Jack for his expert tracking skills... The Van was eventually found in 9G. That proves that you never can trust a van to stay where you leave it! The two split up for some time to obscure their tracks and reconvened for lunch at Cheddars. The Kid fought with all the restraint he could muster, but he made a few cheesy jokes before lunch was over. I could tell you what happened just before they got home to Elkins West Virginia but I would have to kill you.

Family

If home is where the heart is then my heart is spread across the globe. Ben just got back to France, Mike is still in SE Asia, FL F&F (Friends and Family), John in PA... I could fill a whole blogspot with a list of people that I think about regularly and where they are living now. But the Largest parts of my life, the most complete home I have resided in for years was in a little cottage in Black Mountain NC for the past 3 days. At first I was upset because 3 of the party couldn't make it. Once we all got there however it turned out well and I was happy for the time I had with each person. All together it was Bud (dad), Mary Frances (mom), Jack (step brother), Holt (ditto), Merrin (sister), Nevada (Jack's Daughter) and I (me). On Thursday Dad and I drove up together. The trip was good, but less then perfect. Dad had no complaints but I thought that my attitude was slightly shitty. I behaved myself well enough but I didn't keep my thoughts well in order. The root of the problem was that I could not release my attachment to dad's health. He can hardly walk, he can't bend over to tie his shoes. his breathing is labored, he now has diabetes, and takes a handful of pills every day for everything from gout to blood pressure. Not to mention that his mental faculties are slipping a little, not so much but a little there is more scary then allot of fat. All of this can be fairly easily traced to poor body/mind maintenance. Example A: When we lived together I saw him go 3 days eating nothing but donuts and drinking nothing but coffee, no kidding. Example B: His Idea of exercises is getting out of bed. Well the point of this is not to condemn him. I find no right for moral indignation, it is his life and he is not hurting anyone but himself. The point is to illustrate how much difficulty I have being detached from family. I'll tell a story I told my dad the other day. It's about a friend of mine who does allot of drugs and has generally poor life maintenance skills. I when I went to visit and he and is girl friend had lost some drugs. He was OK about it, already fucked up on who knows what, but she wanted more. The whole time I was there she was in a tissy for one reason or other. Her behavior was caused by the drugs of course because when sober she is quite socially capable and emotionally balanced. However different his lifestyle is from mine and however destructive it is to himself I respect him greatly. I think taking part in mainstream American society is destructive to a point past redemption and I do that myself. How can I presume any moral high ground? Haven't you heard the story about the saint who tells a thief how to become a better thief? My friend is aware of life in a way that few people I know are. I don't know how to write about it. As long as I can I will go back to him and look in his eyes and ask him what he has learned that I could not, and he will listen to mine. With my father I have trouble though. When I see my friend I see someone different that can share with me. When I see my dad I see myself. I don't want to suffer. I know I will of course. Any one who takes a look at themselves and the world can see that suffering is built into the structure of life. Still, when I see my father suffering, or more aptly when I see my father in a state that would cause me suffering I try to stop it. Here is the problem. For myself I think; if I am comfortable then I can concentrate and shift my mind,and in shifting my mind I can see what is not me. From here I gain more control and suffer less already. The hope is eventually maybe I will arrive at my true self or abandon the concept of self entirely attaining some sort of ultimate freedom. If that turns out to be a crock of shit then at least I have suffered less and enjoyed myself more. Oh yeah, back to the point. For the year before going to Thailand I never brought up my fathers health and when it was brought up I tried to be as kind as possible. After coming back I started heckling him. I thought maybe constantly pointing it out might bring about some action. Nope. It just hurt his feelings and caused him to be slightly more critical of me. No good. That plan failed so I apologized and told him what I was thinking. He excepted my apology and I am moving back to the former course of action. If neither course will change the situation then I will act in a way that causes the least suffering for both of us.
Mom also arrived on Thursday. Driving to Salsas for lunch there was a comment that I have turned into "such a mama's boy", and a forgetful comment "always been a mama's boy". An easy off handed reminder that we couldn't stand to be near each other for almost my entire life up until 20 saw an equally light hearted retreat from the second comment. However rough our past had been the present holds no resentment or regrets. Excepting some TYT we didn't get any alone time this trip but we very pleasantly revolved around the center of the social solar system.
Merrin's graduation itself was as boring as sin. Nevada and I played together all morning and got in a little trouble here and there. Once we arrived at the graduation we quickly slipped off into the woods to explore. She showed me a tulip poplar bud and I took her to the castle just past the arched foot bridge. When we heard loud cheering we thought maybe it was for the band, but it kept going and so we thought we had better head back. We were planing on sneaking around the back of the crowd so that if the ceremony was boring we could get away without being seen and if it was interesting we could go in and sit. Unfortunately Jack has eyes on the back of his head and he saw us before I even saw him. We had missed the processional and Nevada was in trouble... I practiced Vipassana for most of the ceremony so it wasn't waisted time. Nevada and I became quite good friends over the weekend, she is becoming a wonderful person! I was very happy that the other 3 kids didn't come because I wouldn't have gotten to know any of them as well if they were playing mostly amongst themselves. While I was wandering campus with Nevada I thought of my friend Rachel and remembered how wonderful she was with kids. Nevada and Rachel got to meet and I was happy to see her, and sorry I didn't have time to catch up at all.
Merrin is doing exceptionally well! I was really proud of her on many levels. Most obviously for the fact that she completed her Bachelors in Education, which was a great signpost in her career, social, and personal development. Merrin had often played the role of the weak sister of a manipulative and emotionally violent family. She played down her status and deferred responsibility to others as a matter of course. We have all had to step out of the strange roles we created for ourselves growing up. For me, I accomplished that most fully with my vow of silence. You could say I was fucked up, you could say I was strange, but everyone would admit that I had changed. In my eyes this was that kind of step for Merrin. Of course there is continuity of personality, and the change in my mind comes from seeing the cumulative change that she has grown over 3 years. I wonder if the rest of the family views the trip in a similar way? Maybe I have read to much sociology and think to much thereby create completely artificial ideas of social dynamics based on ideas that can't accurately describe reality? (jump) I had a really fun game of 20 questions with Nevada. After I lost I began to dispute some of the answers she had given me. When I think that somebody else might be wrong in something I try to use the habit of first looking at their point of view. It is a very practical thing to do. I might realize how to fix the problem, or that I can not fix it so I don't try which would make things worse in the process, or I might realize that there is no problem. In this case I realized that there was no problem. I could not say that she was wrong or that I was wrong. All I could say was that from years of looking at the world in one way I could not realize that it could be viewed with equal validity in another. Not only would both views correctly model what I experience both views could be used profitably interact with the world. (jump back) Merrin relates to the world differently then I do is some pretty fundamental ways. I have had difficulty with that in the past, mostly with being critical of her way, condemning her path and dooming her to failure. Now she has proved me wrong and is thriving on almost all levels of life.
Jack and Holt are a pair. We grew up apart, both in age and in distance, and the fact that they don't share my fathers genes caused me to always think of them as apart. I met Holt really for the first time in '02 I think. I moved in with Leah and him for a little while and we became friends and brothers. I don't know what he thought of me before that, but I didn't think much about him at all. I realized then how much we have in common and how blood connects us on such a profound level. This weekend Holt had some kind of stomach bug on graduation day but despite the fact that he was up all night in the bathroom he was pleasant and we spent some time together.
Jack and I got to know each other really for the first time when I had to move out to NV to take care of mom after her heart attack. Jack is a super busy person and although I developed allot of respect for him we had very little time together and I only began to feel the connection between us. It wasn't until two years ago when we spent a week in Yosemite that I felt a strong brotherly connection with Jack. I didn't even see it coming, all of a sudden it was there full grown. That was the last time we had seen each other and I was almost surprised by my feelings when he showed up. On of the highlights of this weekend was hanging out with Jack and Holt on Saturday night. We stayed up until we were exhausted telling stories and discussing life's little issues. Just before bed I TYT'ed Jack a little, pressing, twisting, and stretching him for a few minutes. Some how he reminded me that I needed a picture ID to fly and I realized that I lost mine in Tampa and I might not be able to help mom move. The last thing he said before falling asleep was "sorry for getting you all worked up after you put me in such a relaxed state." But of course it was my fault entirely.
The next morning we said our good byes and Jack, Nevada and I drove to Elkins WV. It seems like a nice place, and I look forward to exploring it while I am here. Jack called the airline and they said that I should be able to fly with a copy of my passport... I go Pittsburgh tomorrow to try, wish me luck!

Sarasota and Tampa

I was right! The girls were lesbians... We were out at dinner Janell, Laura and I. Jenny was the waitress and Janell kept nagging her. When I said "you two act like your married!" they said they thought I knew. I had a damn good Idea by this time but I wanted it in words before I offended someone. Although I think it would have been hard to offend them even if I was wrong. Janell is going to write a screenplay about the life story of the group... You will have to wait till it comes out. I think I spent more time with the girls then anyone besides Roth. Not much to say when it comes to Roth though.
I'll just use him to connect to a party we were both at. It was the reopening of the Sarasota Olive Oil Co. A strange venue to be sure, but a good crowd. The building was devided into two, one side for a cafe/bar, the other side is for olive oil. The party consisted of a more alternative group then your average Sarasota gathering. I was not really feeling it though. I felt board, I felt like the people there where all kind of board. They were all great people mind you and I knew a large part of them already, but I kept thinking about my friends from the CAPT and partys in Thailand... I met a nice girl who was a little to drunk and found out to no suprise that she was good friends with Bob and Roth. Soon we were joined by Brian and with a few comers and goers we had our little side party. Afterwards I walked around downtown with them and when Cassidy jumped on me I threw her on my shoulders like I would with a 6 y/o. I was quite impressed with myself. I think it was actually the highlight of the night.
Aaron convinced me, against my better judgment, to go to a wall. "Walls" are parties at New College hosted every friday and saturday by students. Usually they are pretty lame. At any given wall you will see a few cool kids dancing, a bunch of drunks dancing, and lot's of people sitting around talking. New College is a pretty clicky place. When I was part of the in group I began to understand how it would feel like to be a nigger who was friends with a bunch of racists. Maybe it wasn't that bad. Anyway, New College kids are mostly the geeks dorks and dweebs high school so most of them are slightly lacking in 'normal' social habits. That said some of my best friends are New College alum and I would probably like almost all of the current students if I met them out in the real world. Reeling it back in now. I was just about to leave when Sam came by and told me about his thesis on the I Ching. After discussing the topic from the standpoint of scientific skeptics for a while Sam said something that betrayed faith. "I love how we can talk about this from the viewpoint of believers or non-believers" I laughed. Then we went to his room to do a casting. It was insightful and perfectly in line with my goals. I would copy down the interpretation here but I lost it at Chris's house. Walking home about 2pm I pass by someone russeling through a car. "Chris, Rosa, Coleman?" I say. Rosa steps into the light to give me a hug and ushers me inside to see Chris. I Hadn't hung out with Chris in years but we were always around. Usually he was DJ'n and I was dancing. After Chris told Rosa some stories of the good ol' days he pulled out his new DJ toys and showed me how they worked and played some of his new music for me. Four hours passed before I realized it and the sun had come up. It was time to go to sleep.
I discovered the joys of cosmetology schools when I was a wee lad just barely kicked out of high school. Back in the day, after getting board in my night school class I had a wild hair up my ass so I walked into the cosmetology department and said "can I get a frow?" The next tuesday at 4pm I was getting my long hair washed by a hot little hair dresser. They say after you take crack the first time you will be looking for that high for the rest of your life... Well, to this day I still go to cosmetology schools to get my hair cut. I woke up last wednesday with a lift in my step! I was off to get my hair done! Only problem is they moved. I rode all the way across town for nothing? I was not having it. There was a restaurant in the same complex I had never seen before. I was not hungry but with a name like Veggie Magic I had to check it out. I knew the woman who runs the place so she gave me a free Raw Vegan Chocolate Shake. It was good. She also wanted to do some TYT so we made an appointment for that night.
Woke up the next morning after explaining to someone in my dream that I had allot to do before leaving town at 8am. Since I have no shoes I had to return the ones I was using to Roth, and also a shirt and a mat I was using for TYT. Then I had to return my key and bike to Janell. Luck had it that I got to see Vincent on his way to work. I wanted to hang out with so many people in so short a time and never made it to many of them. At least we got to say Hi and hug. Then I was 30 min late to meet Mike because I for got how slow walking is... Luckily he was preoccupied.
I have been busy here in Tampa. I'm not going to go into it because I am sleepy. Let's just say: Jenny, John, 4 sessions of TYT, packing and writing this blog.

Life is good. Good night.

Tampa and Sarasota

It has been over a week since I have been back and allot has happened.   

I spent some time in Tampa.   My dad met a woman at a party who was interested in TYT (Thai Yoga Therapy) so I made a little money and had some good conversations with her.   The highlight of Tampa, excluding seeing my father of course, was hanging out with Mark Barish and Sam.   Mark has started his own business and Sam is selling art for mad money in Miami!   They are some of the most productive people I know.   Their house is a work of art in itself, a living growing piece of art.   From here I could go into a description of the house, Sam's art, or write out some of the stories we shared in the hot tub... But I will just say the best part and leave you a link to the web page.  I got to sleep in the studio and soak up the vibes for the night. See the art for yourself!

After another TYT session I went to Tarpon springs for the night.   It was really good to see Aunt DD and Uncle and catch up a little.   Since I will not be using the car they gave me for my birthday last year I signed it over to them.   There are 2 sides to the whole are coin.   On one side cars are convenient and comfortable.   On the other there are so many things that I don't like about cars or our car culture that I couldn't count them on two hands.   That said I actually really enjoyed having a car for the time that I had it and was very thankful for it.   Hopefully I never live in a place where a car is so much of a boon as it is in FL ever again.   

That morning I got a ride to Sarasota.    First stop was to visit Bob and Roth.   Bob and Roth live on a school bus.   It is not a normal school bus.   Not like you take to school.   The bus has bed's inside.   I sleep on the bus.   Yesterday I woke up to the sound of sex.   Other people sleep on the bus to.   I have always wanted to live on a school bus.   Bob offered me a spot on the bus when they go traveling.  Then, in true hippy fashion, he asked me to write an admissions exam and buy in for an emotional commitment.   If you want to follow the adventures of Bernard the Bus then you can check out their website.   

When I lived in Sarasota before I spent a considerable chunk of time at Big E's so it only makes since to fall back into that.    When I got there I saw my buddy Braden who was headed to a poker game at the dog track.   We used to play poker together at friends houses so he invited me.   When I told him I didn't have enough money he offered to pay some of my buy in in order to keep a percentage of my profits.   I thought about it for a while and decided that it was worth $40 to try my hand at professional poker.   After I made $200 I cashed out and gave him 30%.   Then I bought back in and made some more money after paying Braden my profit was $222.   Beginners luck.   I left that evening when Mike Smith, my old room mate, called me to have dinner.   Mike and I caught up over a spectacular meal and a walk.   The next morning I rode to Whole Foods to visit my old work friends and say, no, I am not coming back!   

Lunch with David Zeits starts a new paragraph.   He is writing a screen play.   A true account of multiple personality disorders and satanism...   We talked about life the universe and everything.   He told me about his dreams and about his experiences with dream journaling.    How the practice came, changed his life, and why he quit.  I told him how excited I was about writing and how it has been changing the way I think and act in the world.   He had been reading my blog so we had an opportunity to talk about my trip in a way that I had not been able to with my other friends, and he reminded me of experiences that I had forgoten about.   Back and forth give and take, thats what friends are for.   After dinner we went to the beach to watch the sunset and met with one of his girlfriends.   I had thought all my flirtability had left me until I met her.   I could think of the exchange as waisted effort but I prefer to think of it as play/practice.   Imagine little kittens rolling around on the floor.   I worked up a metaphorical sweat but wasn't going for the neck.

   Monday morning, the begging of the work week...   Mike introduced me to Eric, Eric to Tristan, Tristan to Bob, Bob to Roth, Roth introduced me to Gretchen, and Gretchen to Janell.   And on the 5th day god said let there be an exchange.   I go to Janell's house to offer TYT never seeing her or being personally introduced.   God help me.   She could be a psychotic satanist with many faces...   I lucked out.   An attractive woman with long dirty blond hair comes to the door and smiles.   She say's Janell with be out in a minute.   Damn, still room for bad luck.   When Janell comes out I fainted.   Just kidding.   When she asked about wearing clothing I was feeling sore that TYT is always done with cloths on.   Anyway, at the end of the day when it was all said and done I had maintained my composure and professional demeanor and Janell was very impressed by TYT.   I followed by giving Grech a TYT and scheduling 3 more sessions.  A little forward jump here, Janell also gave me a bike and a house to use until I leave.    Damn I'm good.

Besides that I have been in normal sarasota mode.  The normal routine consists of hanging out at Big E's listening to conspiracy theory Ted while playing GO with Bob.   Walking around Whole Foods BS'n with my friends.   Going to the A.R.T. Bike shop and distracting Furry from productivity.   Sunsets at Indian Beach with Michael S and Friends.    Today I will go for a walk in the woods with Mike Huff.   All and all it's a nice life here in Sarasota.   It has almost enough emotional gravity to draw me back in.   Luckily for my winged feet gravity works between the mass of two objects and I am a cold heartless bastard that sold my soul for a donut.   Just ask Roth and Little Crystal they know all about it.