Starting Now

It seems whenever I decide to move on, I get a lot more done in those final moments wherever I'm at.

Sometimes it's "ok, the sun has come up, I should go to sleep... I'll just wrap up what I'm doing and pass out", at which point I unknowingly slip into the zone and get 10 times as much done as I did in the 6 hours leading up to the decision to "wrap it up".

The same happens with me on a grander scale, as is the case these days. I know now that my time here in NYC is coming to a close, in just a week I'll write my very last rent check (and hopefully check, period, paper is lame), but recently good times and my overall situation here is on a big high.

It's because I'm in wrap up mode, life is good when you slip into the zone, you are who you are and there's few things more attractive than purity. Everyone's got a few trains of thought going on at the same time, if you have them all thinking about the same thing they'll argue, debate, and may or may not find best answer. When you're in the zone though, it's because they're all doing their own thing, not interfering with each other. One train of thought is quietly focusing completely on what you're doing at the moment, the other louder train of thought is thinking about that girl you just met, what you're doing tomorrow, or the cheeseburger you just ate. It's cool to talk burgers and let the first train of thought do what he does best, don't bother him and you'll be happy.

Like I said though, purity is attractive, good things happen and you may want to stay put. That's not how I see it though. I see it as more incentive for the hobo lifestyle, always moving, wrapping things up, and doing it again. With this in mind, I've realized that even though I'm not moving for another month, my hobo lifestyle has clearly begun.

Scouting LA and Packing Test Run

I just went on a short trip to LA, a little pre-hobo scouting with me my mom and sister. It was my first trip I've taken since setting my Hobo future in stone, so a pretty good chance to test drive my packing and travel techniques.

It was also the first time I've been to California, so I got to check it out a little bit. We stayed in Santa Monica, our very first night we went to a little strip called the promenade that had someone on every other bench passed out sleeping, not being bothered or hassled by anyone. That was a pretty good sign, there were also plenty of street musicians doing their thing which I also liked.

I later checked out the beach relatively late at night, it also seemed like a friendly place for a hobo to rest his head. All-in-all there didn't seem to be a big police presence like there is in new york. In the days where I temped in the met life building I used to go down to grand central on my lunch break, if you so much as nodded off for a second a cop was right there to hassle you, and I was in a suit n' tie, the whole works.

I still tend to over pack, so I'm really going to downsize my pack when I go out for good. Less clothes, more room for things I may not have thought of yet. The other good news for myself and everyone who will come and enjoy my travels is the new camera I picked up. I wanted to stick to my Pocket PC, but it just wasn't cutting it. I was fine with the picture quality, don't care too much, but the videos it produces are just awful. Skipping tons of frames, jumping around, and the audio can barely be distinguished. For those who care, it's a Canon Powershot SD1000. Yea, I don't know either, seems great to me though, and really small. Good times.

A Great Journey Ahead

I originally wrote about the concept of Hobo 2.0 on my personal blog last November, and now such a future is in clear view, and I will be embarking on my indefinite journey this July, Jackson Hole, WY being the first destination.

A Hobo is not the same as a bum or a beggar, and Hobo 2.0 is not quite the same as the original Hobo, but many similarities exist, and certainly the spirit. It's about seeing the world, meeting interesting people, and sharing stories as you're living new ones. It's also about being free to go where you please at a moments notice, having no geographical obligations.

Hobo 2.0 has the advantage of being able to share stories with the entire planet as he's living them, as well as gain insight in return. I'll be posting videos, pictures, and stories every step of the way - and speaking of steps, you'll be able to see my activity on the map.

It's also a bit of an experiment to see how I'll be able to survive out there, afford to pay inescapable bills like student loans, and what kind of support (if any) I'll get from people all over the world. I also have a couple websites that I'm trying to get started, Music Slice is the big one. I like the idea of running a company I love without needing to physically be tied down anywhere.

I hope you enjoy watching me go through everything, I know I will. There's still a month or two to go living the "regular" life, plenty of time to prepare my pack with the right supplies and get wicked excited for what's to come in life. Stay posted as I make updates to Hobo2.0Lifestyle.com and create as many ways to stay in touch with the planet as I can. Good times.