3/28- 31: A Weekend with Jack

The next to the last weekend in Santa Fe went as expected. Instant recall from September’s foray with Jack.

Jack is quite a character. He is now in his early 60’s and is an aging old- school hippie with long curly, graying hair. He still wears typically ripped black (always-black) denim jeans, and is lucky if he weighs 140. He is from the east coast originally, and still talks with what I define as a New York accent… complete with the New York attitude.

He was quite the activist, protesting the Viet Nam until some Pennsylvania rednecks fired some guns his way, got involved in the Civil Rights Movement, and even knew Jimi Hendrix, among others. Quite a remarkable history Jack has… great stories. He describes the 60’s in two ways: Pre 1965, and post- ’65. The “real 60’s” he implies happened before the Peace, Love, Dope era. He was involved in consciousness to some degree, and says it faded with mass- movement; when the hippies became pop- culture. Sound familiar, anyone?

Jack reminds me of the stereotypical troubled genius, and of Eric in a few ways, but is NOTHING like him beyond the fact that he likes to talk social issues. Jack knows his shit. He knows politics, finance, and sociology… with a depth and detail I have not seen since Michael Corbin. And, he can tie it all together. I was a bit skeptical in September, until I realized that many of the predictions he made have happened and our conversations have made me realize how hard of a “right turn” I have made ideologically.

His prediction for the future? Cataclysmic comes to mind. The future is never bright for a docile, compliant, unquestioning population, and history bears that out. It’s quite disturbinging how many of these so-called liberals, who were screaming about civil liberties not a year ago, have become “Political Chickenheads”, chanting, “Hope…Change...” in lockstep with their handlers. People get the government they deserve, and quite honestly, I am beginning to believe that it is over for you. When the government is trying to outlaw growing YOUR OWN FOOD complete with the Adam Sutlarian scare tactics, and the hottest topic is American fucking Idol? You deserve your cage, and so will the new generation of vassals bred not to think. For the rest of us? Well, we hear a lot from the Left about freedom FROM religion; what about freedom FROM government?

Although I suspect he would prefer another adjective, Jack is also a perfect case study in what has happened to the Baby Boomers, and how some of them exist in social Limbo; borderline hypocrisy. Sometime, in his own words, he realized that living his ideals was not going to sustain him into old age. As with my ex- landlord, Lawyer Bob, he talks lovingly about some aspects of the 1960’s, but was co-opted by a lust for money.

While Lawyer Bob openly flaunts his wealth (living in Christy Brinkley’s old home) , Jack loves to try to impress with offhanded commentary concerning how much rent he pays, what he paid for his truck, what a collectors piece is worth, etc., etc. He lives simply, but still loves verbally displaying his wealth as much as the person driving a Lexus does visually. Half the fun of knowing Jack is noticing his contradictions. He is very health conscious about the chemicals he puts into his body, which is VERY “Santa Fe”, but also still smokes pot…while deriding me for eating drinking Coke and smoking my Pall Malls.

Unfortunately, this move did not end on a positive note, and we each share some blame for this. Jack lacks people skills. I lack patience, especially now. I began to tire of his “interpersonal style”, and at the end of the day Tuesday, after the move was completed, I told him that he “was getting on my fucking nerves” and that I did not want to work more than 2-3 hours on Wednesday. This after a few rather loud displays of displeasure during the course of the day in response to his impatience and inability to convey direction.

Just like last year in the two weeks before I left, I have no tolerance for any perceived bullshit, and the fact that I was curious as to how Chris was coming along getting on the road Tuesday made it much worse. I tried to make it clear that I would still like to get together with him when Chris gets here, but I am not at all convinced that will happen!

Meanwhile, still no word from Chris about his departure since Sunday, and I was quite curious what was going on. We had a long conversation Sunday about the “departure philosophy” and how oftentimes the hardest thing to do on a voyage is... leave.

3/23- 27: April Looming

The Final week of March was a story of trial & error, decisions, waiting for things to play out, some surprises and a futile attempt to paint incomplete pictures.

Chris had begun to wrap things up in Denver. His last day at the coffee shop was on the 27th, and he had slowly begun the process of becoming homeless. As his last day approached, the trip began to move from something abstract to reality, much more so for him obviously, since he was due to leave on the 31st. There has been so much speculation over the months, now it is becoming real. This put our minds into high gear of course, and with the expected flooding of the Red River in North Dakota, we tinkered with the idea of scrapping the “east coast first” notion, heading toward Fargo and helping with sandbagging and cleanup efforts. Time would be of the essence however, and after a night of contemplation, we both came to the same conclusion: we would be rushing. North Dakota will wait its turn.

Somewhere around the 20th, I surprisingly got a call from Jack, who I had helped move shortly after returning last year. His lease was up with the end of March, and wanted me to help him again. He pays well, and has a lot of stuff, and again, came along at the right time! He needed to be out of his house by the 31st, so we penciled in Saturday- Tuesday to get him moved. Before we started, he asked me to stop by to “discuss some things”. There was a possibility of a business trip to California immediately after the move, in the first week of April. Jack is sort of an antiques dealer, and there were people in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sacramento that he wanted to connect with, and needed someone simply to ride along and “help out”. Paid, of course. The thought of making money to take a road trip sounded good! At that point, he had yet to locate a place in Santa Fe, and was even contemplating returning to New Hampshire, and in that case, we talked about Chris and I riding all the way with him… again dramatically altering the plans we had (sort of) made.

This was a flashback to Fort Morgan ‘08. All these plans are ultimately useless. My initial idea last summer was to aim toward Nebraska, get adjusted, then head north and west toward Portland from there. I never got out of Colorado of course, as though my path was blocked by tornadoes. That led to no small amount of frustration as I tried and tried to “make it happen”. In the end, I wound up on the other side of the mountains and state, in Glenwood Springs, with a nice lesson that has managed to hold on in varying degrees: Plans are nice things to occupy your mind, but the reality will never look like I pictured!

After many trials, I finally answered the backpack question: It’s Elmo: flexibility over minimalization. It seems unlikely, at least for the first few weeks, that I will be able to have a load of less than 50 pounds with a full supply of water. I believe Booger would have been great over the warmer months, when I can get away with fewer clothes, but with the likelihood of repeating this cool- weather scenario in the fall, I decided on the higher volume pack with the better suspension system. I may be complaining in July about how EMPTY the pack is, but for now, it’s smart. I had grown rather attached to Booger, making the decision a bit harder than it should have been! That’s a funny thing about things like packs, shoes, tents etc., they become like family after awhile.

With the money from Jack coming, I also decided to get a higher end bivy, posting my military surplus on Craigslist. (Still available if you want it!) I could make it work, but the fact that it has no mosquito netting “bugs” me (ha!), especially going east. There are next to NO insects out here, at least of that variety, so last summer I was happy sleeping outside in just my sleeping bag. I only recall TWO mosquitoes the entire time I was gone. It is a different story out east, and there is a lot more rain to deal with. Plus… I can always return it!

As the last full week of March closed, things were continuing to shape up quite nicely in just about every way. Chris was closing his apartment out on Tuesday 4/1, and I was going to spend the last days of March padding my wallet. Nice!

10/29 Santa Fe: September- October

It's ALIIIIIVE!!!!

Over the rest of September and most of October, I’ve grown a full head of hair, and gained about 10 pounds. I feel fat and un-sexy. Maybe I’ll go on a shoe- shopping spree and watch the Sex & the City marathon on Lifetime…

The financial sector’s “meltdown” hit, and, like the rest of you, I was watching the developments expecting the “Great Depression 2k8”. Amidst the talk of the “bailout”, stock market crashes, and the social/ political drama, I had a birthday on 9/19. Birthdays are not fun for Todd. They have not been for a long time, but this one was particularly shitty. The domestic idleness had already begun to drive me nuts. The thoughts of simply hibernating, accomplishing nothing, weighed heavily on my mind. A cycle repeatedly perpetuating itself. Thank God, I only turned 29 again!

The following week things improved however, when I finally found some temporary work helping a Craigslister, Jack, move. It was good to get out of the house and Jack made things quite interesting. He is about 60, and an Original Hippie. He was beyond “involved” in the 60’s, and never lost his ideals. However, he HAD come to the realization that his idealism was not going to feed him. Sometime, he has gotten to the point where he’s now the guy who is “running and running to catch up with the sun”; trying to make up for what he perceives as lost time… making money. He has gotten involved in antique dealing, and is some sort of a writer. What he writes? I have no idea. He is also involved in a few lawsuits. Oh, and he hung out with Jimi Hendrix back in the day...

Jack is one of the most secretive, borderline paranoid people you will ever met. He is pure Santa Fe. I literally spent 5- hours straight emptying his hoarded water. Hoarded because he was afraid “they” were going to “shut off the water”, or that the southwest’s concern about water was going to lead to “Water Wars”. Over the next couple of weeks, we got along quite well, but there were moments where there was palpable tension. Jack is very particular about how he wants things done, and my patience is not what it used to be. Actually, it is the same. I have simply lost my filter somewhere!

While eccentric, Jack is a genius. It was uncanny the way he would predict the next day’s events in the early days of the meltdown. His advice was, and continues to be: buy gold, hoard cash, and prepare. I came to enjoy the job, and made enough to replace the shoes I returned to REI upon my return in August, AND put a substantial amount back for the next phase.

The regular work with Jack ended in the first week of October, and the next few weeks have become progressively more and more frustrating. I continued to become more disillusioned with the government’s response to this manufactured financial “crisis”, but it helped me to solidify my socio- political stance. I will not burden you now, but I probably will sometime this week. Suffice it to say for now that it was repugnant to see both of these “leaders” supporting a taxpayer- funded bailout of these “institutions”. It went to further cement my belief that the two major “parties” are indeed factions of the same.

I had hoped to find something to quickly replace Jack’s income, but Santa Fe is not exactly a thriving, diverse, economy! I finally found a data entry gig this week that I can do from home… as often and as much as I choose to. My kinda job!

That’s the cliff notes version of the last five- weeks or so. Most of the drama was in my own little mind; I am quite a nuisance to myself when I have too much time to kill!

Chris and I have had a few conversations, although they have tapered off a bit over the last three weeks. When the meltdown hit, we concluded that traveling to Latin America might be anticlimactic; that the excitement may indeed lie right here in the US! The more I thought about it however, the less appealing that became. Latin America has been bubbling quietly beneath my surface for a long time, and the original perspective would be invaluable. Using this summer’s experience as a template, the opportunity to talk with people who have actually lived with the effects of US foreign and economic policy would be priceless. I would like to see the “real” (Ha! Hear that Frau Palin?) Latin America rather than just hearing agenda- fed bullshit. I began learning Spanish in early September, and the progress has been good, although I have not put as much into it as I would like. Chris and I have had a couple of discussions about how we would do this, and it is shaping up to possibly be quite the dramatic western- hemispherical jaunt! On the list of possibilities: New York, Massachusetts, Michigan, Seattle, Portland, Utah, Arizona, California… then Mexico. Also, this end of the trip could include more characters. My old roommate, Joe, has expressed an interest in joining, as has Ambar, from San Diego. Ambar’s a trip! She spent the summer WWOOFING in Italy, and holds dual- residency in the US & Mexico. I have heard from an Italian, living in NYC right now, who defines himself as a “gypsy” and would perhaps like to tag along.

Yet, with all these ideas, there is still nothing concrete. I need to get some equipment in case things fall through with Chris. I cannot see carrying the full- tent again, so that means that I will need to get either a bivy, or even a Hennesy Hammock. I returned Chris’ water filter, so I need to get one and, of course, there is always the backpack. Mr. Coleman External Frame is right there… but he is looking small! I should have NEVER returned the one I had.

Despite the lack of activity on this blog, I’ve done quite a bit of “political writing.” The election is now less than a week away, and it has been interesting to see how the summer’s events have influenced my outlook. The reinforced idea being that there is nothing that replaces real experience and that getting your information on Sarah’s “real America” from pundits is absurd. I am quite convinced that the majority of Americans are disgusted with politics and politicians in general; that if “throw all their asses out” was on the ballot we would have a 95% turnout, and a landslide of a different variety than the one currently forecast! I have only had that instinct reinforced over the weeks, and I am coming to realize two distinctions that are more significant:

On the individual scale: Patriot v. Partisan.
On the collective scale: Country v. Its Government.

While you chew on that, be prepared for a flurry of election- induced posts. To spare most of you, I am going to clear the email list of most of the names. Think of it as Todd “purging the rolls” to get you in the mood for the election! If you want me to leave you on the list, let me know. You can also subscribe through Feedburner on the actual page, and I’ve added an election poll… go vote!