Chillin' in the LBC

                                 Yo Yo YO this is how I do it yo. I be in Long Beach California yo.

So so much has happened this weekend! Ill give a brief review as I have hardly any time. So....
- Mom got here Thursday night and picked me up from Provo and we went and stayed in American Fork
- Friday went with Aunt Lisa, Mom, Cousin Vicki, second Cousins Tom & Kat up to Park city and did the Alpine Slide and Roller Coaster. It was great! Ate at the Red Banjo Pizza Place

- Saturday we went to Cabella's, J Dawgs, Thanksgiving Point, and I got some shoes at Smith's

- Saturday night was the night of the Pizza party and so many people showed up! I loved it!

Then I went on an A.W.E.S.O.M.E. date and headed back up to American Fork. Woke up Sunday morning and went to church with my mother and she met my Bishop and his lovely wife and then we left to go to the van.

Packed my stuff and said hello to my besties with breasties and their family and then BACK to American Fork! We woke up early this Monday morning and hit the road, well hit the Cracker Barrel, and then hit the road! We stopped a lot of places and this was my favorite, the Barstow Railroad Station slash McDonalds where all the foreigners stop their tour buses to try the Great American Cheeseburger.

And now we're in Long Beach at my Aunt's house listening to Sublime and surfing..... the web. Tomorrow is a family day and then Wednesday is Disneyland Day and then I try and make it home somehow in time for work on and school on Friday. Wish me luck. More updates soon! 

(And I miss Chattamtown Number Ten already! Not the apartment, the girls in it!)

Happy Birthday Me!

So right now Im at my cousin Vicki's house and Im here with my wonderful Aunt and my mother and my two young partial cousins, Tom and Kat. I spent the night here and it was wonderful. I slept in the crawl space below their stairs and it was perfect because at night it gets so incredibly dark down there you cant help but sleep like a child. I went to bed early, after playing a game of Pay Day (fun game unless you lose, then its just like playing at real life) and I woke up early too. I got a shower that I didnt have to fight for. And breakfast I didnt have to bend over backwards to get (maybe thats why I have sciatica). All this would have been plenty. More than enough to have a wonderful birthday, but it ain't over!
       Today we are going up to Park City to ride the alpine slide and the zip line that they have up there and Im very excited for it. We'll be busy all day and hopefully that will help me forget that Im a quarter century old! Good bumper sticker idea: "Ive lived a quarter century and all I got was this lousy van!" I think its a hit.
    Tomorrow I plan on introducing my mom to all my friends and showing her my stomping grounds. Sunday we are going to go to church and then hang out and relax before we drive out to California on Monday! These next few days should make for some pretty good advanture so stay posted. Wait. Ill stay posted. Or posting. You just keep reading!
      Thanks for all the birthday wishes and dont worry, lots of pictures will be taken and Ill put them up A.S.A.P.

The Real Blues

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXlzci1rKNM

This is a video of a homeless man named Mustard singing the song "creep" by Radiohead. This is a very fitting song for the singer and really sends a shiver to your spine when you see him and consider his circumstances. Enjoy.

When it rains, it pours.

Update: My car is still locked up in the impound. Its my fault. I didnt know you had to have insurance for a van that didnt work and was parked on the street every once in a while. I had it registered but it didnt matter, they took it. I went to go get it out today and tow it to a parking lot that wouldnt mind me being there and they wouldnt let me. Apparently I have to show proof of insurance before I can take it. This is very frustrating because it doesnt run and it wont be on the street! So I will be paying now almost TWICE what I paid to buy the car, just to get out of a tow yard and into a parking lot. Gosh Darn! Im currently looking for temporary car insurance, short term stuff. Does anyone know where I can find some of that? That would be helpful. Ive been wearing the same pair of clothes since last Wednesday! Ha! I need to get that van back so I can change. What a week.
     Also, my personal opinion is that I like the picture thats up there now. But everyone else likes the old one with the van! Gosh Darn again! Ill put it back up. But not before I change it one more time to a really cool one that I like. I think. Maybe. The picture that is up now, just so you know, is one of the first color photos ever taken in Russia. Interesting little fact. So no. Its not of Provo. Ha! I know that doesnt make sense but neither does paying for car insurance on a vehicle that doesnt work and is worth somewhere around two hundred bucks.

oh yeah................  GOSH DARN!

             So in Provo, this is the time of year for moving out! All the college kids at BYU and a lot a UVU (this is around 50,000 students in total) are nearing the end of their contracts at their apartments. They get kicked out sometime around the 15th of August and then pick up another contract but the contracts around her usually dont start until after the 2oth! So what does this mean?

       It means a couple of things. First it means trash. This is what every dumpster around here looks like today. Sometimes we people save stuff and save stuff, hoarding and hoarding, thinking our things are valuable and may be of use some day. Then when we need to move on with our lives we sort through it and re prioritize. This is a picture of just some of the stuff that didnt make the cut. I half wanted to sort through it all and see if there was anything I could use! I feel bad for the trash men this week. When it rains it pours.

       What else does this mean? Well ironically, half the people now here in Provo are finding themselves in my exact (well almost) situation! They are homeless-as-can-be college students! Looking for couches to crash on, places to store their stuff, finding showers and lining up rendezvous. Its glorious to see it all! The best part is I dont have to do it! Yes Im technically trying to move my "house" from one place to another and its turning out to be just as big of a pain, but I dont have to clean my apartment to get my deposit back, I dont have to haul trash load after load to the the dumpster, I dont have to unpack everything into a new house and get the utilities transfered into my name! So I consider myself lucky! One, I have the ease of already being homeless and staying homeless. And two, I have new neighbors! Welcome to the hood everybody! Enjoy yourselves and dont even think about sleeping in any of my sleeping spots! 

(A DUGOUT IVE BEEN STAYING IN LATELY)

THEY TOWED MY HOUSE!

Thats right! I got on my bike after hanging out with some friends last night and worked my way to the van to get ready for work and ............ wheres my van!?

I had been TOWED! My house was gone! What happened!? Did someone play a joke on me? Did an angry mother buy an old tow truck and jack my car and run it off a cliff to keep me away from her precious family? Was it stolen? Did the cops find something illegal with what I was doing and home-jack me without warning? I started calling around and good ole University Towing did not touch it, which is very surprising considering they warm their hearts by the blood, tears, and torture of other peoples poor hearts. I called the police and there it was. Old Larry's Towing had taken it in. Apparently, im terrible at checking my mail because I was given notice a long time ago that they were going to revoke my registration if I didnt get car insurance. Yeah, thats right I didnt get car insurance. My car is broken and doesnt run so I cancelled the insurance until I had fixed it. Bad idea. 

          So I am without a house until Monday morning. Yup. They lifted my car and then closed for the weekend. I cant say I approve of that. Luckily I had my back pack with me, I always do, so I have the essentials. But essentials do not include a change of clothes, church clothes, books, food, etc. So Ive been wearing the same socks for a few days now, and am hungry as all get out this Sunday afternoon. I dont buy stuff on Sundays and so im really bumming this Sabbath. 

       I cant wait to get the van back tomorrow. My friend is going to help me tow it with a tow rope, as it does not run, and we will take it to a parking lot I know about where they dont tow. This wont happen again for sure! Ive learned that no matter how right with the law you think you are, they'll get you. Ive always felt that it was harder for good people to stay good in the eyes of the law, keeping up with all the taxes and registrations and notices and fees and duties and limits and requirements and laws, than it is for someone who kinda goes off the grid. Its sort of depressing to think about really. But all is well! And I wont let it happen again! Dont let the man get you down! 

Forts Dont Got Carpets!

This is where I slept last night. I should have slept right on the ground because that cot was busted and like cuddling with and anorexic woman.

     It got very cold last night. My nostrils where sucking in the cold air and really suffering from it. The rest of me was warm and did just fine though! I prefer sleeping in the cold so Im not complaining. However I will say this. I hate that its cooling off. The summer has been so short. The weather only got warm here in June. Its been two months! Thats it. I moved to Utah for the summers and its as though they themselves have moved away, just coming to visit for a few lousy months. I appreciate the time that we've shared, dear summer, but how dare you leave so soon.
        Tonight is work. So no search for lodging and thats a relaxing feeling. One week til my mother comes!

ANNOUNCEMENTS!

I HAVE A GENIUS PLAN.......... I think.

        Ok, so I put up some ads on the blog. I feel sorta bad about it but I was just curious and wanted to see if they actually worked. They do! Its the craziest thing! The past couple of days I have made a little bit of pocket change from it and have no idea what to do with it. I feel so guilty for having these couple dollars yet am amazed that Google actually pays you to blog sometimes. So I was thinking today of something, a plan, a steaming little plan that could appease everybody. And Ive got it!

      

       Here is what I propose to do: I will keep the ads up. The money that they generate I will take and use to go out and help the many homeless here in Provo who I run into everyday at the shelters and on the streets and such. This isn't completely selfless however. I will be taking them out to lunch or to shop for needed items in exchange for their story and some conversation and the general experience. Then the pay off for you all is that Ill blog about it, creating more revenue to go out and do it again the next week as part of my weekly routine!
       Does this sound good to anyone else!? Ive been trying to think of ways to get a little more involved rather than just observing. I think this might be a good direct, and educational way to go about helping out and pulling my weight. I hope this excites people as much as it does me.

     SO: What I need is for you to keep visiting and reading and experiencing with me and spreading the word far and wide! The more followers the more opportunity to serve and learn and the more opportunity to do it all over again! Please let me know what you think and if you like it tell a friend! This is going to be great I think! I hope all is well. Ill be camping for a day or two so internet may be sparse. But Ill see ya'll around!

I'm no Hemingway....

I wrote pretty much all day today! Its truly exhausting! In coming to terms with my own style and brand, if you will, of writing, Ive found that I am most like Ernest Hemingway. But I dont like the things he writes. That is a problem. So Im reading other books by other Americana authors in hopes that maybe Ill find a different inspiration than of a man whose works I dont particularly adore. Dont get me wrong, I respect Ernest and his work, they just dont interest me all that much.
      Can you believe Ive never read a John Steinbeck book! Neither could I so I took to the library yesterday and got the only one that wasnt checked out, Cannery Row, and I cant put it down! If you havent read it please do. I bought one off Amazon and put up a link think for it. Its so American. Poetry turned prose for sure.
Anyways. I didnt feel homeless at all today. I spent most of my time indoors writing. I went to J Dawgs for lunch. Talk about a hot dog, am I right!? I was in a good mood when I ate it too and here is why: I got off of work on Monday morning at 9a.m. At that point I had not slept in 23 hours. Typical, no biggie. I usually go to the park and find some shade and sleep like a child for a few hours. I tried that but I just could not get some things out of my mind and before you know it it was time for me to go get my eyes checked! I was beat. By the time I went to bed on Monday night I had not slept in 38 hours.
       I fell asleep and did not wake up til twelve hours later the next morning. You know when you fall asleep in a certain position and wake up in the exact same position? Thats what happen. What a feeling. I hadnt stirred once! So I was well rested to say the least.
       Other than painstaking writing all day (eeking out a measly paragraph!) thats pretty much all I did. It was all worth it though. Tomorrow Ill be going to find a shower. Its been since Saturday that I had one. Maybe Ill document it with pictures! Ha jokes. See you around....


oh PS- I put a little Facebook thing up there on the left. The idea is that you'll be able to look at it and see where I am around town (not too specific, for all the stalkers and murderers and rapists) and to be able to put all the pictures of my days up there. I have been wanting to put them up somewhere because lots of people have been asking and so I did that. So if you want a lot of photos of me just doing stuff here and there you can go to that! Hope it helps!

......... continued!

I realized that i didnt write about the Spaghetti and Meatball dinner that the previous post was so named for! Oh my when I get to talking I can talk all day and I guess I got taken in a tangent. So.....

     Yesterday I was visiting with my friend at their place. They trickle in and out of the place throughout the day because their schedules are various, and overlap each other. One comes home, the other leaves and comes back to find the place empty. That sort of thing. So one comes in and says she is hungry. I relate and agree. She says she doesnt know what to eat. I always know what to eat. Spaghetti and Meatballs. She lights up in the eyes and we get to it. So I rode my bike down the sidewalk to the Southend Market and got two pounds of ground beef and garlic bread. Im back in no time and browning the meat. The water rolls and boils and that always makes my stomach do the same because spaghetti and meatballs might be the most satiating food one could eat in their lifetime. It took a good long while on account we made so much spaghetti and meatballs. We must have had enough there for twelve hungry men. There were six of us. Its a good feeling when you know that you dont need to use discretion when the scoop is in your hand, take as much as you want. It makes for a more comfortable eating experience. We ate. And ate. It was perfect.

         
It was at this moment that I realized something, something big. This is it! Its all I need. If I have the ones I love around a table and we can afford to eat Spaghetti and Meatballs and garlic bread and drink cold water.... then Ive done well for myself. Ive said it once and Ill say it again.... YOU DONT NEED MUCH! Growing up very poor I can remember some of the happiest times were as a family around a table of spaghetti and meatballs. Ive worried that when I graduate and start teaching and getting into normal life that I wont be able to provide for my kids and family, that Ill fail as a father. My friend told me the fact that Im worrying about it now means I wont. Yeah.....that. And that if I can dish out four bucks to feed six and put a spaghetti and meatball smile on their faces then Ill be the kind of father my dad was, a good one who made us smile.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

I would like to make something clear. Just to help me sleep a little better. I know that Im not helplessly homeless. I know that there are people who are "really" homeless and I know a lot of them from the shelters and they still ask me for money or whatever, and I still have the means to oblige. The thing is, I dont have a home. I keep all my stuff in a van that doesnt run and I stay in the van maybe once a week. I sleep in the park, or down by the river (the sounds put me to sleep), or under this old overpass by my work. I have nothing save my bike, this computer, and the stuff I have to make it through the day. But understand this is by choice!
       I want to be a writer. More than anything I'd like to be a writer. I do not use this blog to exercise the craft but if you'd like to read somethings Ive written just let me know and Ill send you a snippet. I plan on writing about this experience. Hemmingway never was any of the things he wrote. Yet he was there, amongst it, in it; observing and watching. I believe you can only write on the things you know. If I dont get out of an apartment into the world and under the sun, if my arms are not tanned to the root from writing on the fly outside, then what good is it?
       Living simply (or homeless) accomplishes so many things for a person. Ive missed things Ive never cherished when I lived in Plenty. My family -I, being the only one out here in Utah- washing and brushing my teeth in the morning in a sink, a stove top, etc. But living without will make you so aware of what you do have. Relationships. Your body, which should be used so much more than we generally do. Your imagination and mind, to create for yourself and to discover more than just your life, but those details of other peoples lives and of the things around you through observation.
       I love living this way and recommend it to anybody who is feel dissatisfied with the 9-5. If you have a family, your own, I envy you. Stay and be with them as much as you possibly can! If you are living your dreams then stay by all means! But, if you feel alone, and less than complete, with no one to provide for, then get up and out! Go! Shed it all so you know really what parts are you and which parts you just call you. Its working for me.

What the view from YOUR window?

........ because this one is mine!

Listening to........... Where you'll find me now by Neutral Milk Hotel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QHEIuRvuO0

My Ride Home In Pictures

So I bike everywhere. I mean EVERYWHERE. I highly recommend it. I think about so much on my bike. Its as though the pedals churn my thoughts. I bike to and from work every week and its an eighteen mile round trip. So this is in the morning this morning on the way home. I took the pictures while on the bike so that should explain why they suck so hard.

      This is the view leaving my work. Its all back roads all the way to Provo that run spot up against Union Pacific's railroad lines. Its nice. Uncrowded.

This is at the top of the overpass I have to defeat every day. 

Taking short cuts through downtown Provo

          It really is great riding my bike to and from where ever. It makes me feel that much more self sufficient. Well I havent slept yet so I am going to go find a place to nap. Have a wonderful Monday!

Oh PS.........
         I fell asleep sitting on the floor against a wall in the hall at the Wilkinson Center at BYU while writing this post. I was shaken out of my sleep by a person tapping me lightly with the toe of their shoe asking "Hey? Hey? Hey guy............ are you homeless Kurt?"  The initial jolt that woke me up (you know, the embarrassing seizure that you have sometimes when you jump out of sleep and smack your head against something or flail a limb in the air for no reason) made my hand smack the keys on my computer and this picture was taken from my webcam.

"Yes. Im homeless Kurt. And I love you."

Some Things You Do For Money....

...... and somethings you do for fun. But the things you do for love are going to come back to you one by one.

Sunday is quite a day. Im Mormon. And our sabbath is a very relaxing time usually. Going on walks, taking naps, reading, three hours of agonizing church time! It all blends together to make a pretty nice experience. Usually.
      Today was different. I was so stressed because as I said before my Bishop had emailed me earlier in the week wanting to meet with me after church. He had seen the news bit and I had a feeling he was less than pleased with my decisions and would be admonishing me to move into a place and act like a normal Mormon. I went in to wait in line for my turn. I was exhausted. I had ridden my bike from work straight to church in the morning heat as quickly as I could. Never mind the sweat. I was late. But I made it. In sacrament meeting my contact started to bother me and I realized that it was slowly ripping in half. By the end of the meeting it had and I was down to one good eye and a splitting headache. Shaking, tired, and blind, I waited for the interview.
         He pulled me into his office and sat across from me. I apologized for looking like I was permanently winking and explained about my missing contact. He smiled and then proceeded to express his concern for my well being. He was ok with what I was doing, and like the majority of my friends and family, was not all too surprised to hear that I was doing it. His only concern was making sure that it wasn't out of necessity that I was doing this. I assured him that it was not and that I really have chosen it for myself. After a short discussion he was on my side! And I should hope to say that he is sincere when he said that he "admired my resolve to do what I thought was right and stick to it". I dont know about all that but I am SO RELIEVED that I have the support of the people I care for and respect the most, my parents, my family, my ward and my bishop, and my friends. It makes this a whole lot easier.
        Im going shopping tomorrow! Here's the list:

- A basket and rack for the back of my bike! (I have such trouble not getting my back soaked in sweat when I ride because I wear a back pack. This will help so much! Maybe Ill only have to take a shower once a week now! Jokes.)
-New Underwear!
-A book about Western American Indians
-Laundry Detergent
-New Contacts and a new pair of eyeglasses! (Wal-mart! I hate Wal-mart but their eye exams are only $70 and the eyeglasses are thirty. I can do that)

Is there anything Im missing? Any suggestions? I hope all goes well and I should be able to put up some pictures of my new stylin glasses. Ill be the sexiest homeless man on earth, probably. See you around!

It's like that part in Aladdin....

My morning was........ hard. I got off of work at nine. The kids were pretty good today and so I was able to leave on time. I noticed earlier as I was working and looking out the window that an unusual amount of bikers (by that I mean cyclists) were cruising by all proud down the road I work on. You see its a back road in Springville and perfect for biking or cycling or whatever and on Saturday mornings I can typically spot a team of pedallers making their way from some place to some place. Today though the street was packed. Then I heard the ambulance. Then I saw the ambulance. They stopped right out in front. Apparently a biker got confident and thought he might be able to contend with a car and ended up in the shoulder. I headed out on my mountain bike against the grain of the race and made my way toward the bank to cash my paycheck. Its 8 miles each way to and from work and the whole way back this morning was accompanied by the zipping and buzzing of the turning gears and spinning tires against the road. It was fun to listen to.
       I get to the bank and cash my check and then head over to my friend Pearls house who has generously offered me her couch for some sleep through the day. It felt that no sooner did I fall asleep that a knock on the door came. "Management!" Oh crap! Im not supposed to be here, sleeping. So I sit up and start acting like Im just visiting and I must have looked so strange having just sprinted my way out of a very deep sleep, trying to act normal. Eventually I was able to slip out of there and headed to another couch. In exchange for help moving some boxes and such I was given a floor to sleep on in a basement. It was great and I slept for six whole hours. Almost. Woken by a call from a friend I decided I had overstayed my welcome and rode then to my best friends house. Saturday is my "hang with friends" day I suppose. And these girls are the tops! If I were Joey, they would be Monica, Rachel, Phoebe, and which ever other girl is on that show. Without them I dont think that I would be able to do this whole thing. They keep me sane. We all went to a Western Dance. I went because I heard there was dinner to be served. Fried chicken, carrots, rolls, and Shasta! Nothing like it! We danced a bit until we realized that we were to old and not red neck enough to be there and walked back to their place. All in all it has been a good day.
        I'd like to become good enough at writing in my lifetime to be able to be a successful author. I write at work as often as I can. Ive recently had some things in my life develop that look to make for a wonderful story and have written lots on the subject. Im surprisingly satisfied with the things Ive written so far and cannot wait to write more tonight at work! Lets hope it goes well!
       So I guess Alls Quiet on the Homeless Front. Tomorrow is Sunday so I NEED to find a shower before church! I might be making a pit stop at the gym or taking a break from work to go find some water. Ill let you know what my Bishop talks to me about after tomorrow also. I respect him so much and hope that I can somehow find his blessing or at least escape his disapproval for this whole thing. Be well!

Listening to......
         "I want to live on the stage. I want to play the guitar and I want to get paid. But no responsibilities please. I want to do what I want. And I want to get paid."
                                                                                            - The Snake The Cross The Crown

http://www.ilike.com/artist/The+Snake+The+Cross+The+Crown/track/Cakewalk

Listening to.....

"We'll see the world bird
   water, skies, and the people
   continuing to dream.
  But oh this world bird
   is a dangerous place at night
  the sinners and thieves will come for you
  be careful where you sleep..."
                                              - Molly Parden, Love Bird

http://virb.com/mparden

YOU DONT NEED MUCH!

So there are various reasons why I feel compelled to live the way that I live. One of the biggest is that I truely feel like we have too much. Too much stuff, too much opportunity, too much waste ultimately. Thats not to say that I hate rich people or loathe the American Dream, because in fact I feel like I am living the dream right now. What it does say is that I think that a lot of people these days have gotten to the point where possession and commodities, things and expendable stuffs, has worked its way in to becoming part of their identity. I dont think you can be defined by much.

When its all gone, when the glucose stores in your body have been burned up and the water in your sinew is dry, when you have been stripped of your clothes, your home, your empire, your life. When there is nothing left but this tiny thing amidst a seething little heap of nothing.... well then there you are. Thats you. I think its a very good thing to try and at least JUST ONCE in your life get closer to that. Im finding that for me, though I still have so much, my relationships and experiences are about the only things I keep as part of myself. God, its great to be alive!

Anyways, here is a small list of those worldly needs that you may not want to shed if your doing what Im doing, staying a part of polite society while at the same time separating yourself from it. Carry these things with you EVERYWHERE:

I have these things on my back AT ALL TIMES.
-Matches
-Wet wipes (very handy on the go)
-Deodorant
-Hydrogen Peroxide (this stuff is a miracle. Kills every germ every. Use it as mouth wash once a day and you'll never get sick! At least I havent)
-Toothpaste and Toothbrush
-Cologne (this is not a necessity however it does help if youre still trying to interact closely with people after long bike rides)
-Q-Tips ( I love scrubbing out my ears. This one is just for pleasure really)
-Razor
-Contacts and Contact Solution
-Towel/Blanket (I use a picnic cloth that I shower with, lay out with, and use as a blanket. Very versatile)
- WATER! ALWAYS HAVE WATER! ALWAYS!

If you have any suggestion of basics that I need that Im missing, let me know! I could use the help!

From the front porch lookin' in...

I have a buddy who lives alone and was not at home last night and said that I could break into his house with a credit card if I needed a place to stay. Although I love living in the van and sleeping outside under the sky and in the night breeze that Utah so generously provides, whenever I am offered a couch or a bed I tend to take people up on it, so long as I know them. You see its sort of like when you were planning on just going out to eat at Wendys or something and your friend calls you up and says they have a two for one deal at a fine steakhouse. You will probably go to your fridge, find the A-1 sauce, and book it over there with your new best buddy. So I accepted. He said all I needed to do was jimmy the handle and use a credit card to swipe the lock and the door would open....

The Ever illegal credit card swipe....

So I got in no problem. Oh wait. There was this one tiny little thing. He only let me into the patio area! The door to the actual house was dead locked! I could have just stayed in my van! It would have been much more comfortable. But I was so tired and did not want to bike all the way back across town so I decided I would just take what I could get. I mean it was raining and the patio was covered, so I counted myself somewhat lucky. Here is where I slept...

Nothing like cold concrete to put you right to sleep! Anyways, needless to say I felt like the tin man when I woke up. Oil Can! Oil Can! Hopped on my bike, found some internet and A/C! Today I plan on having a lot of fun, now that the weather has seemed to clear! See you around!

My Mother Loves Me

If you caught the news clip on me you'll have noticed the toward the end they metnioned that my parents have no idea Im doing this. Well that used to be true. My fathers response: "What the Hell is that kid doing?" My mother, however, sent me a wonderful email encouraging me to be safe and applauding my efforts to find out the draw and the undeniable allure of the minimalist life. It made me feel so much better about what I am doing! And I am bringing her out here in two weeks to celebrate my birthday with me and my aunt too and am SO SO excited to introduce her to my life and all of my friends out here in Utah!
Here is what has been going on lately:

My bike finally got fixed! I tend to develop an pretty intimate relationship with my bikes. I had one over a year ago that was stolen from me while I was at work and I cried all night, it was a little embarrassing actually. Its just that my bike outputs like 5 times the effort I do to make my life easier and gets me wherever I need to go! I miss it while it was in the shop and now I feel like Im back in business. So I was able to get some errands done. Took some clothes to the laundry mat. Im so surprised at all the things that I take for granted on a daily basis because I have been so used to them being around me my whole life. For instance, I forgot detergent! And I did not have the coin to get any at the mat so I washed my clothes without it, although I found just a tiny bit, the last dregs of soap left in a box in the trash and threw that in there.

I then went to the campus of BYU to use the internet and ran into some old friends who did not know how I had been living and were very surprised. I told them all about the goals and things I was learning and sort of was able to sway them to liking the idea. However I could not sway my bishop! See Im Mormon (duh, Utah) and my bishop is like my Pastor or Priest. He sent me an email saying that he had caught the news and seen me. He sounded so caring and worried for me and it broke my heart! And he wants to meet with me on Sunday, to gently scold me no doubt! Not looking forward to that. Wish me Luck!

Weathering The Storm!

So before yesterday only a few people knew what I was doing and why, really why, I was doing it. And now it appears that when it rains it really does pour! Ive gotten emails and comments from so many people who are curious and have advice, and from some who are admonishing and detest what is going on with me! I appreciate them all. And ill try and work on appeasing those who dont approve, I dont want to bother anyone. However, Im not getting off the street anytime soon. I love it. Last night I was woken up by a lightning storm around 5AM and went out to the park to take a look. I sat up on top a baseball dug out and it was amazing! It reminded me of those torrential downpours I grew up with in Georgia.

My bike has been in the shop for a few days and should be ready today so I can get some errands done finally! All I have to do is weather this storm today. The one in the sky and the one brewing up on the internet too!

Im Famous!

So they put me on the news I guess! And I found a TV at a gym to watch it at! So the guy next to me watching the news too kept looking over at me. And I started smiling. And he looked and looked and was like "Its You!" Yup. Its me. I love that it happened however I just want to say that in no way am I trying to make light of the Homeless around here in Provo. I feel nothing but sympathy for them and this whole experience has humbled me so much and made me think a lot about why people find themselves in a homeless situation. I dont know... maybe they decided to do it for fun in college.

Today, because of the news thing, was a big and tiring day. Someone made me some rice today and I got some leftover birthday cake and I dont think I have had much to eat other than that. Im exhausted. I cant wait for it to cool down so I can sleep. Tomorrow Im going to start writing about all the cool intricacies of homeless life so I need to rest up. Enjoy the A/C for me!

Listening to.....

"God its great to be alive! Takes the skin right off my hide. To think Ill have to give it all up someday..." - M. Ward



Also the other day on my way home from work I found out about the coolest place. The Food and Care Coalition in South Provo. They just got a new facility and the things they offer for the homeless are truly great and charitable. Ive been there for a meal and met some cool people and plan on signing up for what I guess can be called a membership type thing there so that Im on record. I plan on doing some service there and helping out and think that if anyone else wanted to that it could be very fulfilling for them. So here is the link and go check it out!

Foodandcare.org

Kiwana Hang Out?!

I biked home from work on a broken bike this morning. Took it to Mad Dog cycles and it sucked. They said it would be ready Wednesday! I said "Wednesday!? What else you got?" Its not a car. Its a bike! Just fix it and give it back! Right? Anyways. So Im out my transportation until Wednesday. Ill be walking for a few days and where I used to think that was just fine before I was spoiled with a bicycle, I now find it nearly impossible!

Funny Story

Yesterday I decided to sleep at Kiwanis Park. I love that park. There are so many shady trees and its huge so I could go relatively unnoticed. Or so I thought. They mow the lawns on Mondays, which I didnt know. After having not slept for close to 24 hours I was, needless to say, passed out cold on the ground there and also had headphones in so I could fall asleep to the sweet sounds of Neutral Milk Hotel. The mowers decided they could not give up the territory they had lost to me so they went to war on me. Instead of just tapping me and waking me up, asking politely for me to move somewhere else, anywhere else, they decided to cicrle their mowers and just mow around me and around me until I noticed and woke up. And then did it a few more times for good measure! It was funny and I laughed but boy was it embarrassing to. I must have been drooling to have been sleeping so hard that it took that long for an army of mowers to wake me. I, groggy as could be, hobbled over to a picnic table and resumed my nap. But not before I noticed that there were a few pieces of freshly cut grass stuck in my mouth....