gross…

and it’s been well over a month since any significant posting.  here it is and it will be disappointing most likely.  i’m back in noblesville for a bit – reveling in the zero degree weather.  the last month was a whirlwind tour of the west coast.  seattle, san francisco – both amazing.  so amazing that i think that my home will be in northern california from april to october.  i think (fingers crossed) that i scored a gig at the solar living institute.  many thanks to ms. schaeffer in this regard – i know i’m pretty cool, but i think my chances of getting an internship wouldn’t have been nearly as good without her good words.  many thanks to you crunchy.

so yes – hopland, california.  a bit small but positively bursting with opportunities.  not only will i be learning heaps and moving closer to my goal of an off the grid farm in an intentional village, but i’ll be exploring all that is northern california.  in no particular order, i want to: work at a bakery; learn how to pick grapes and make wine; celebrate a solstice; grow my hair and beard (can i call it that?) long; learn how to surf; sleep under the stars of yosemite for at least two weeks; eat 90% of my food from an organic garden; and learn to be a more present and emotionally aware person.

post hopland is under the “who knows?” category.  there is a lot floating around – antarctica; off-grid business ventures; graduate school; yada yada yada.  i feel pretty good at the moment by just living in the moment.  i’m working at my dad’s place to make some money before heading west.  i’d like to make my way by one of five ways, in descending order by desirability:  1.) convert a diesel to greasel/biodiesel; 2.) ride my bike; 3.) ship my stuff and hitchhike; 4.) take a train; 5.) fly.  the first two are going to require quite a bit of money and time to get ready by april.  i am short on both.  the third is exciting but uncertain.  i’ve never really hitchhiked and think it might be a bit scary.  i would probably have to carry some kind of protection and i’m not sure how i feel about that.  the fourth would be rad but again expensive – a quick check showed $240 as the approximate fare one-way.  flying is lame:  it makes my head hurt, it’s horrible for the environment, and it’s not really traveling.  but it’s cheap – a second quick check showed $89 one-way.  it’s hard to pass that up.  but i have some time to think.  i’m looking for a cheap diesel truck if you know anyone around indy that is trying to get rid of one.

to sum up the bulk of my travels, i’ll leave it at this:  seattle = wonderful to see old friends in new places + fly hotbox honeys + precious kittens and pups + solid air hockey and pinball + righteous snowshoe adventure with two amazing people + good vegan food/junk food + crazy weather + fun seattle sightseeing.  san fran/berkeley = solid introductions to amazing people + mass transit adventures + breathtaking redwoods + spiritual oranges with j. muir + wearing tread of shoes from miles and miles of san fran streets + delicious raw foods + wonderful bread + lost in the woods at night + hopland splendor + solar living anticipation + zen chased with yoga + deeper friendships.

love you all.  i’m in noblesville and would love to see as many folks as possible.  i’ve got several secret projects going right now and would dig some buddies.  until next time…

oh, my flickr is doing strange things so i’m holding off on uploading the rest of my travel photos.  eli, if you read this – it’s uploading all my photos at a very small size and with crap resolution.  mystery: i set my preferences to “do no resize” and my camera has been taking photos at the same resolution as it did before all of this jargon happened.  i’ll call you back soon and we can noodle it.