Typhoid Mary

Left work early with the late autumn day feeling heavy of winter - blustery gray wetness making me wish for snow. I was able to borrow Rachel's car and drive over to the public health dept. so I could get vaccinations for Typhoid and Hep. A. I got a tetanus vaccination 6 weeks ago, so I believe I have done everything possible to reduce the risk of carrying a nasty illness while in SE Asia. Cost was $190, pretty steep for two shots in the arm, and my shoulder is sore as hell.

Finished reading The Razor's Edge, the ending left me a bit disappointed, but it was still very well written. In my Thailand guidebook Maugham has been mentioned a couple of times, as he loved to travel in SE Asia, I guess one time he caught malaria while in Bangkok, but lived to write another day.

The two girls who want to live in my apt have still not signed the lease - signing day is supposed to be this Thursday, if they don't sign then I will have to look for somebody else, but I still have time to find someone and be out before Jan 1. I still have hope the girls will sign on Thursday, I will think positive thoughts.....

Photography and Writing

With my time in the USA fast approaching its end, I have been spending my days studying books related to travel. I am finishing up The Razor's Edge by Maughm, reading a few books by Hermann Hesse and Knut Hamsun, and perusing maps and guide books.

I sometimes find myself attempting to clarify my vision of travel, and how I should spend my time while on the road. The few short trips I have taken (New York City, Montreal, Paris) revolved around wandering the streets with camera and notebook in hand. Even though I no longer consider photography my calling, I have decided that making pictures of the passing moments and writing about things would impart a pleasant meaning to my new way of life. I have decided that I will bring a small digital camera and laptop computer with me, with plans of wandering by day, and writing and editing pictures by night, with this blog serving as the place to deposit the daily words and pictures.

However hard I try to leave my past life of photography behind, it at times returns and reminds me that it shaped who I am and how I see the world. A few days ago I had a request from a person who owns a few of my photographs. He recently returned from a many years stay in Japan, and he asked if I would print some old b/w negatives that he picked up while there. It will be a big project (40 negatives), with a set of straight b/w prints, and a 2nd set printed in my own style (toned and ethereal). I doubt I can finish the project in time before leaving at the end of January, and I let him know it won't be cheap. If he agrees to my price, the magic of printing will pay for my plane ticket to Thailand.

New Life

Since making the decision to quit my job and leave the country for an extended period of time, my life has regained some of its old magic. There are many ways to view life and what it means to live. The people closest to me in regards to time/experience - my family - see it in a way which I think dull, harmful, and just flat out wrong. I don't think less of them for this, as almost everyone I have met in my life follows some sort of philosophy which is based on materialism/money = security/happiness. Perhaps one is more secure if a job is in hand and money is in the bank. But life is not an endless string of long moments, rather, it is a fragmented base of quick bursts of inspiration and illusion. What brings security and happiness is not money, but the life force itself. It is this which pushed me through the womb, into the light of the world, and it is this which sustains me for as long as it pleases, and it will be that which returns me to the unknown darkness.

The life force which directs our destinies can be corrupted through neglecting what is in the heart. Chasing after money and security leads to an effect unintended - fear and loathing, the magic of life blurred and kicked under ground. I will grant that some men's destinies involve the acquisition of money, in this sense they are doing what they are meant to do. But this is not mine, and so working a meaningless job is not always necessary. Quitting on the surface seems dangerous and foolish, but in doing so I have put my life in the hands of my heart. I may end up in the streets, could die from lack of access to medicine, or have other things go terribly wrong, but having the heart open full stop is worth the trouble. The magic has returned, and with it happiness and mystery.

Irish Whiskey Jam

Returning home from an afternoon walk on Friday, Joseph saw me crossing Vine Street as he passed in his UPD truck. He decided to circle back and he found me on a side street. I opened the truck door and asked what was up, and he asked if I wanted to do a music jam on Saturday. I said yes, and was excited about the opportunity to make music with other people.

I walked to his house Saturday night with a guitar slung to my back, amp in right hand, a 6 pack of Schlitz in the other. I also brought along my ipod so that I could connect it to the amp. If the night started out with just Joseph and I, it would be easier to warm up playing to blues songs. Mike H had yet to arrive when I got to his house, and as I set up my gear I plugged in the ipod and listened to a long, driving song by Junior Kimbrough. Joseph was intrigued, so we started jamming to it. Shawn showed up soon after and he took over on drums and Joseph played bass. Mike M. arrived a little later, and he took over the bass. Mike is a semi professional player, and I find it easy to play along with his bass lines because they are logical and in key at all times. Mike H stopped by a couple hours later, by then we were high on beer and other goodies, and the music was flowing and wild. I played for 6 hours with just a few short breaks, leaving around 3:30am.

I was happy and a bit surprised that my fingers held tough the entire night, no blisters, but the skin was a bit raw by the time it was all over. My skills have increased since the last time I was jamming with them, my knowledge of the pentatonic along with increased finger agility allowed me to feel confident. We played mainly in E, but a few jams we were in G or D. The speed of my playing was improved, and I was able to focus on the music and my reactions to it. The guys seemed happy with my progress, and we laid down some good jams.

I decided to practice today for an hour, which was a mistake because I pushed the raw skin too far and a blister developed on the third finger. Even with this handicap I was still able to play with speed and accuracy to a set of Junior Kimbrough songs.

I have not done much this week for my upcoming travels because I am waiting to hear back from the property manager about the two girls who want to rent my apartment. Hopefully in a day or two they can sign the lease, and I can then begin packing things and prepare myself for the exciting days which will soon be upon me.

Practicing

I decided to record a bit of my practice session last night :

Changing Strings

I broke the B string on my guitar a couple of days ago. When I felt the urge to jam today I remembered the missing string and decided it was time to replace all of the strings. I placed the guitar on the kitchen table, and began my first attempt at it. I thought back to my days as a photographer, spending hours in the public darkroom in Chicago learning how to dry mount pictures, how I wanted to leave no stone unturned in all aspects of photography. The mundane task of changing strings on a guitar is something that will further my skill in the craft of guitar playing, and also save me some cash.

I got the strings tied on well enough, but got a bit confused when they would not stay in tune. I figured out that I needed to tune down and stretch each string with my hands, pulling it way up a number of times, then tune it back to pitch. After doing the string stretch three times for each string, they magically stayed in tune.

I decided to try a heavier string gauge. I had been using the lightest gauge, but it seemed a bit wimpy, and also had me hesitant about strongly attacking the strings with aggressive bends. I don't really notice much of a difference with the heavier grade, so next time I change strings I will be going up another notch, just to see what it sounds and feels like.

I am reaching the point in my guitar quest where I am now familiar with the basics, and the comfort level has brought on a high degree of confidence. I can now just do it, play the blues, without even thinking about it. It is like running, walking, thinking, talking - highly complex activities which the brain/body learns exceedingly well on a subconscious level, so that the conscious mind can forget about it all, in a sense, and just focus on the emotions of playing. I still suck, but I have gone far beyond the suck of two years ago. Lately the speed and coordination between both hands has gotten ridiculously intense. I don't even know how I am doing it, I just watch the fingers on the fret board reach a blurring energetic speed, while the pick hand is trying to keep up. Mistakes abound, yet.....I can see that with more practice I am going to reach a level that I did not think possible. I can't wait!!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Having reached a point in the guitar quest where things are now beginning to gel, I am a bit sorry that for a somewhat long period of time I won't have access to my beloved black electric guitar. I have decided to travel long term, making my vocation that of wanderer. I decided to give up my nice apartment and become a homeless vagabond, all of my possessions being what can fit into a back pack. I never thought of myself as being one of those adventurers who gives up everything for the freedom of the road - partially because I never thought I would have the means to do so. It takes a large stash of cash, along with the will and vitality to pull it off. I am currently in possession of those 3 things, so I have decided to try, to see if I can become that which I never thought I could be. I am reminded of something which Elanor Roosevelt once said

We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot.

Today I showed my apartment to two young ladies, and later in evening they let me know they would like to rent it beginning in January. So in two months I will be moving my belongings into Rachel's basement. I will then stay at her house until January 19th, which is when she will return from her African adventure. I will then board a plane and alight in Bangkok, Thailand. I will soon apply for a travel visa, which will allow me to remain in Thailand for up to 3 months. I will then move on to Malaysia, Indonesia, Laos, and then perhaps Sri Lanka and Nepal.

The series of decisions and events which have recently transpired have occurred in consequence to ideas translated into actions. My first experience of the power of a single idea and choice, was that of becoming a photographer and artist. Once the decision is made, the pieces fall into place. The difficult part is making the decision, without it, one floats through life on the thoughts and ideas of others. While this can be pleasantly numbing, it does not lead to creativity or authentic being.