MetalBryan
Well-known member
Howdy. I have some experience as a couch surfer and a city-camper. Though I never hitched or hopped, the highlight was living in a van for three years in Los Angeles. Fifteen minutes a week I wouldn't have traded it for the world, but the rest of the time it was hard. It changed me, and I don't think for the better. However, I've been a renter for several years now. I've made peace with the idea that I do too much work helping others to change my situation, but I miss adventuring and was happy to find this site. I'll probably stick to logging on when the digest email comes out every Saturday. It gives me something to read while I wait for Food Not Bombs to show up at my house for our weekly cookout.
I wish I had known about Food Not Bombs when I was on the road. There is likely a Food Not Bombs chapter in a city you're passing through. Reach out (google main org, facebook search local chapters) and find out when they're serving. Chapters are international, mostly vegan, and provide a meal to anyone who is hungry. You can't help anyone, including yourself, if you are hungry.
I've been in one place long enough that people have started to take me for granted. Maybe they're just tired of me. Either way, my experiences are starting to repeat themselves. One thing that's nice about getting older and building a catalog of adventures is that I know exactly what my time is worth. I think a lot of my labor is squandered and it makes me want to shuffle off to a new place or places. I don't know if I would put down roots again to begin good work or just enjoy my own individuality. I don't get to engage in creative labor often enough, and I'd like to focus on writing in a way I can't do while sustaining my current routine. Part of my problems is having a routine LOL.
This past month I've enjoyed reading some of your stories on STP. I'm almost certain we ALL enjoy alone-time more often than others. I think it makes us more vulnerable to making life harder on ourselves than it needs to be. The word I almost used in the paragraph above instead of "individuality" was "selfishness" but I don't think that's fair to me. We should be individuals, focused on ourselves because without that focus we can't begin to help others. I am constantly pounding my psyche with thoughts of inadequacy or just fear, but I'm trying to learn to give myself a pass. Just last night I gave myself a pass to show anger towards someone who is always shutting me down, and I won't be dissuaded by their concerns over my anger by deflecting from the issue at hand. They transgressed, again, and it made me angry. My emotions are valid. I don't know if this paragraph was really designed to help anyone on STP or is my way of justifying my own ego. I guess I'm just hoping folks who are struggling will try to see their feelings as a personal truth rather than something that needs to be judged using someone's morality.
Anyway, I like cities. I mean, nature is cool and stuff but METROPOLIS is amazing and sublimely grim. I haven't done a lot of international travel, but I've enjoyed major US cities at least a little while. I'm on STP to both reminisce about van dwelling AND learn about squatting. I squatted for a couple weeks in Cleveland, living in a vacant apartment that was "vacated" by me. I copied a key, "forgot" to clean out the closet, and slept there from 12am-7am every night until I moved on. Terrible housing market in 2006 so I knew they were going to have trouble renting the unit. However, I don't know if that model is sustainable. As I understand squatting there's a theme of losing your shelter without notice and it's a lot of work to rent a place. If there's a movement to take up residence in abandoned industrial parks or bank foreclosures in your city, I'd love to discuss that in private.
Until next time, I wish good foot hygiene to everyone!
I wish I had known about Food Not Bombs when I was on the road. There is likely a Food Not Bombs chapter in a city you're passing through. Reach out (google main org, facebook search local chapters) and find out when they're serving. Chapters are international, mostly vegan, and provide a meal to anyone who is hungry. You can't help anyone, including yourself, if you are hungry.
I've been in one place long enough that people have started to take me for granted. Maybe they're just tired of me. Either way, my experiences are starting to repeat themselves. One thing that's nice about getting older and building a catalog of adventures is that I know exactly what my time is worth. I think a lot of my labor is squandered and it makes me want to shuffle off to a new place or places. I don't know if I would put down roots again to begin good work or just enjoy my own individuality. I don't get to engage in creative labor often enough, and I'd like to focus on writing in a way I can't do while sustaining my current routine. Part of my problems is having a routine LOL.
This past month I've enjoyed reading some of your stories on STP. I'm almost certain we ALL enjoy alone-time more often than others. I think it makes us more vulnerable to making life harder on ourselves than it needs to be. The word I almost used in the paragraph above instead of "individuality" was "selfishness" but I don't think that's fair to me. We should be individuals, focused on ourselves because without that focus we can't begin to help others. I am constantly pounding my psyche with thoughts of inadequacy or just fear, but I'm trying to learn to give myself a pass. Just last night I gave myself a pass to show anger towards someone who is always shutting me down, and I won't be dissuaded by their concerns over my anger by deflecting from the issue at hand. They transgressed, again, and it made me angry. My emotions are valid. I don't know if this paragraph was really designed to help anyone on STP or is my way of justifying my own ego. I guess I'm just hoping folks who are struggling will try to see their feelings as a personal truth rather than something that needs to be judged using someone's morality.
Anyway, I like cities. I mean, nature is cool and stuff but METROPOLIS is amazing and sublimely grim. I haven't done a lot of international travel, but I've enjoyed major US cities at least a little while. I'm on STP to both reminisce about van dwelling AND learn about squatting. I squatted for a couple weeks in Cleveland, living in a vacant apartment that was "vacated" by me. I copied a key, "forgot" to clean out the closet, and slept there from 12am-7am every night until I moved on. Terrible housing market in 2006 so I knew they were going to have trouble renting the unit. However, I don't know if that model is sustainable. As I understand squatting there's a theme of losing your shelter without notice and it's a lot of work to rent a place. If there's a movement to take up residence in abandoned industrial parks or bank foreclosures in your city, I'd love to discuss that in private.
Until next time, I wish good foot hygiene to everyone!
