update

http://seanlb.blogspot.com/2007/11/specialist.html

what a great list of goals. i really like that "dynamo jersey" was one of the most important things to bring.

with the start of a new semester going on all around me, it is time to realize that i need to get on the ball. time to listen to the same Brand New album that i must have been listening to when i wrote that and prepare the next phase.

i have a plan. i don't know how much i want to divulge. there is a co-planner. but honestly, i don't know how in he is. while it does matter, and it was originally his idea, i think i can do it on my own if i want. since he told me his idea, i haven't* been able to think of anything else. for the first time i've found something that sounds like a good plan for the rest of my life. it will be expensive for sure, but that's what massive amounts of debt are for. or not. maybe i/we can do it on my/our own. i'm going to go with "we" and "our", because some people are actually down.


a year ago i realized that i want to Travel**. well. Travel is a big word. it means lots of things. i now realize that it also means to be around Travel. Travel as an ideal, Travel as a way of life, the people that you surround yourself with can be travelers. i think that sounds good. b/c no matter what, you'll have friends where ever you are, but you might live in a place that sees no diverse influx of people. that would suck/does suck.

so now i think i've found a cool way to both settle and remain involved in Travel. for a while i've thought that i could make my way across the world making websites for hostels and the like, and i still think that is is a good way to do it. i could make money, or just barter for food and shelter.
when i went online to find hostels that don't have websites***, it was frustrating because they are all part of federations, or some kind of network. honestly, none of their pages or shady "BOOK YOUR RESERVATIONS HERE FOR 79% OFF!!!!!" services impressed me. it was certainly not what i would want. it is like there are hundreds of pricelines for hostels. if these places could just turn up on a search for "hostel portugal" or whatever, i think they would be much more successful. so why not make that happen? what is keeping them from doing that? or am i totally wrong? i think we'll be finding out with time.

but, i can't proceed with this new direction without going in my original direction, which is "Travel the world. live simply and where i can." i think. it is hard to explain.

now, in that first post, i addressed some of the issues that could prevent me from achieving my goal of being out of the US in 2009.
let's recap my list:

i am confidant that in two years i will be in europe. the only thing that can stop me is:
me.
stupid ties to material possession or people that don't care.
mom, dad, jo being sick/dying
the eventual ww3 that america will start

i think the only things to add are:

having a girlfriend that is serious. that would suck. she better want to Travel.

and then, later down i stated this:

this project could easily fall victim to the following states:
pipe dream
financial imprudence
a once liked fad
i'm in jail
forgotten

to that list, i'll expound on the financial imprudence point. i think that money will be a big factor, and i'm very displeased with my last 10 month's worth of savings. i must make saving money a priority now. last year it was hard to do so, i'll admit that. i didn't have the right goals set out. now that i do, i expect to save a baseline of 4,800 in the next 12 months. that should be the minimum. the only fear i have is that i won't be able to pay my student loans, which are aprox. 3x that amount. but- and this is important- fuck that noise. they can come with me and i'll find a way to pay them off.

ok. i think that is good for now. i want to update this thread more and more as the time grows neigh.**** maybe i'll get a cool widget that looks like one of those thermometers that schools use to show how much mercury they can collect from parents.



*i misspelled that word on that first post. how much we learn in 10 months.
**i'm going to go caps lock on that b/c i'm trying to say that it is more.
***yes, i realize the irony. good thing i'm THE fucking google master. i can find what is absent. and yes, i did some math and search algorithms in my head before i started this search.