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insomnia

I’m on the west coast and It’s 3:30am. I’m awake again lying here thinking about NYC AGAIN.

I’m ruined.

I started out my Alaska or Bust trip this summer there. From the second I drove in even close to the city I felt like a fish who found water. I NEVER imagined wanting to live there in a million years but 8 weeks and 2 days later here I am lying awake thinking about it. I have tried to force myself to love another place, I. Fully anticipated that I’d have some pull to Seattle, Portland, San Fran or Napa for a home right now. While I heart those cities for some reason I don’t really have a drop of pull for them. NYC however has me under It’s spell like no chocolate, man, cute baby, puppy, or other thing ever has.

Here’s a fun question; Where does a 32 year old single girl with nearly $27k in debt move with some solid leads but no place to live and no job? Well The Big Apple of course!

Eff! This is one of those times I almost wish I could ignore my heart and head. This is one of those times I think maybe It’d be nice to be a little scared about following my intuition. Now that I’ve gifted myself a trip and space like I have this summer I can see what I want and don’t want with a clear head. That’s quite a responsibility. If I ignore things I know I want or need moving forward, I know the world will b*tch slap me. I’m excited for that. So, so excited.

Be careful for what you wish for. You just might get it then you might be lying awake at 3:30am somewhere in the world because your conscience has an alarm for you that won’t go away.

I haven’t the slightest how I’m going to make this all work, but my alarm is going BEEP BEEP BEEP! I guess its time for some serious game planning on how this Vermont girl is going to make it in the big city. Unless some dream job or other situation comes out of nowhere like a right hook in the next two days, I think It’s pretty apparent where I’ll be headed. Here’s to freezing my ass off this winter!

Test

Testing iPad at Mac store in San Fran. Wow. I could totally use this this light and amazing thing to post from the road. This is my first time using it and it’s fantastic.

Oh Mac how we love your products!

sleepin’ in da car

Yep. That’s what I’m doing again tonight.

I didn’t get a chance to post today, or should I say didn’t take time to as got a late start and drove a ways down the 101 on coast. Absolutely gorgeous and been 9 years since I’ve done this. Crossed border of California. This will be the last stop state on the Alaska or bust trip. Will find out if some work is going to pan out in wine country. If not I rob a bank to get the $350 it will take to drive the little Civic that could back east and gulp- go stay with my parents in Vermont for the first time since I was 17. NYC is still on mind and whether I make it there in a few weeks of a few months, I will at some point soon I am sure. So far I have trusted this whole process and things have worked out smashingly.

I will have the as promised crazy fisherman photos and videos up by tomorrow, maybe the video from the splurge at the swanky Motel 6 in Eugene Oregon that reeked of vomit and some of the other 99,000 stories and photos I have from the last almost 8 weeks on road.

I wanted to write and leave a first ever post straight from my front reclined seat and Blackberry before I’m off to sleep at 1am west coast time. Yay for modern technology. See ya again in the morning. G’night!

open spaces

Touring a friend around the Northwest.

There’s been a battle in my head and heart whether to stay a bit in San Fran or NYC.

After yet another day with the vibe, love, chatter, way of the west, I think this girl might end up schlepping grapes in Napa for harvest this fall. I don’t have any $ to get back to the East Coast anyway. Talk about some stories to come if I busted my ass picking grapes 14 hours a day for a buncha weeks. I’m thinking I’d like it and perhaps that’s what the next phase of BLR is supposed to be.

Stayed tuned.

today is 90210

Oh the good times and hours spent watching teen drama.

And I thought a couple of those guys were hot too. Yikes. Did I just admit that?

i spy

Reader and friend Gabi sent me this from a Florida airport she was in while traveling. She sent it with a note saying “Look what I saw and thought of you!” I am loving that people out there have mojo on the mind.

Thanks Gabi! Strong Mojo forever:

prepping

I’m bopping around the the Northwest now, scoping out a few spots with thoughts of where I might want to park if I’m going to look to get an apartment or place of whatever kind in the next few months. It’s looking like I’ll be heading down the coast a bit and into Cali. I know a few folks to stay there, and have a cousin to visit I haven’t seen in a few years. I’ll be able to scope out the bay area too. As of now it looks like I’m going to be able to make it to 2 weddings (both good pals in VA) in September and October (yay!) and have a small bit of work for a week or so in NC. New York City is still calling my name everyday. Oh the possibilities. Lots of work and planning to do.

Besides the huge Alaska/Anniversary part of this journey, I knew it was something I wanted to do to give myself time and space to get some perspective getting out of my everyday comfort zones of where I’d been living for the last 13 years. I’ve certainly gotten what I was looking for and then some. I’m happy for all I’ve learned and excited about what I’m working on for the next phase of BLR. Having you all on this journey with me is a blast and I’m hoping you will continue to share your stories with me and be interested in reading mine.

In the next couple days I will be putting in some more organizing and logistical time so I just wanted to write again and say hello and please hold tight and be patient with me. See you back here soon with more!

photo storage?

Grrr!

I’m bummed my posts have been photo free the past few days and I haven’t been able to share the stories I want. I have reached my limit for free photo storage for Flickr and trying to find another resource that will let me store photos and take the html I need to embed here. Picassaweb and Snapfish are giving me trouble. Anyone have ideas so I can get more photos and fun stories cranking here?! I cannot afford to pay and even if I had $ to pay for photo storage I’ve got to believe there are more Flickr like resources out there for free. Hmmm…

I’m chomping at the bit to share stuff here. Boo for road blocks!

Thoughts anyone?

guess who i get to meet today?!

The One Week Job peeps!

I am super excited to meet these guys. It’s been fun connecting with people who’ve created projects and programs like these. It makes me happy to know there are more and more young people out there running amok (in a good way) to follow their hearts and focus on what they’re great at to make their life path. I can’t wait to learn about what’s next for this crew and how their recent fundraising has been going for their big documentary.

I’ll report back soon about our chat!

32

Today is my birthday and I’m sitting in my car with all my windows rolled down overlooking some wetlands and snow capped mountains. The sun is shining bright and the temperature is in the low 80’s. I couldn’t have ordered a better day out of a catalog to ring in #32. I remember months ago thinking to myself; It’d be so cool to be in Alaska on my birthday this year, then immediately thinking-yeah fat chance of that happening- and here I sit now. I went for a run up to a glacier this morning and now I’m stuffed from a delicious breakfast. I’m going to spend the rest of the day relaxing and doing a whole lot of nothing, just being outside and breathing in the air and peace of where I am at today.

I did want to share a photo of the big catch from yesterday. The guys I was with caught a 50 pound halibut!

This was the scenery during that catch, along with bunches of whale and sea lion sightings. A pretty fantastic way to spend 7 hours on a Saturday, with some of the nicest and most fun locals I could hope to hang with:

I have taken over 1,000 photos so far and officially been gone over a month now. I’ll have stories until the cows come home so keep checking back. I’m looking forward to sharing more! For now I’m off to treat myself to the gift of being unplugged for the afternoon…