Where I lay my hat is home
Posted on Jun 9th, 2007
by 
Casey
Casey
Given that my house burned last week...and I lost my foremost work contract, I am feeling a bit disconnected lately. Living out of a car presents newfound challenges. Let's just say it has been a chaotic time.
But, I have decided to deny resistance and adopt my new condition wholeheartedly. I have several travel opportunities in the next two months that are going to keep me away from boulder for over half of the time. Considering this as I search craigslist for a new home convinces me its not worth the expense to build a new nest until perhaps august. Its summertime, the livin is easy, I am going to stay homeless. I will become...The Nomad.
I spent the morning preparing for my new, nomadic life. Since nearly all my possesions are already in storage this was not a very difficult operation. I simply gathered all my clothes and got lean. Here is what I deemed necessary:
7 colored T-shirts
3 plain white undershirts
7 pair of underwear
7 pair of calf socks
2 pair of ankle socks
4 pairs of pants.
2 collared shirts
2 pairs of gym shorts
1 pair of flip-flops
1 pair of hiking boots
1 pair running shoes
All of this fit nicely into my favorite mode of storage, the blue "tupperwear" container. This, along with a toiletry kit, should keep me acceptably civilized when I return to the marketplace.
I went to my storage unit and got together all my camping supplies and motorcycle gear. If the car is my home, then the bike will be my transportation.
I put all this stuff into the trunk as I will not need access to it as much and the trunk makes a nice staging area.
All the unnecessary clothing will be stored in "the unit" out of the way and available if I should need it...I doubt I will.
My Laptop Bag has become my office, with all the necessary connectors and wires stored in the pockets of the bag. This fits into the saddlebag of my motorcycle making commutes to WI-Fi hotspots very convenient.
Now that I have trimmed all the fat from my Car-home, my "office," and my transportation, it's time to consider sleeping quarters.
I have a lot of friends in Boulder generously offering their homes and couches, which is great, but the nomad doesn't stay too long in one space,,wouldn't want to wear out that kind welcome.
I have been house-sitting this week for a buddy that is out of town. That gig ends tuesday. Boulder, is close enough to the mountains that I shouldn't have any trouble finding an isolated woodland spot to throw my tent out.
I have to admit, it feels really liberating to simplify my external existence down in this way. When I take these trips, I will simplify even further. It is curious how much "stuff" we convince ourselves we need. I mean, sure, it is nice to have a sweet apartment with hi-def TV, but going minimalist is going to be a great exercise for me.
If you are in NYC, Boston, oklahoma, Dallas, or nortwest florida, I'll be coming through your area in the next few weeks. watch out for The Nomad.
Oh and BTW, I shower at the Boulder Rec Center in case you were wondering.
But, I have decided to deny resistance and adopt my new condition wholeheartedly. I have several travel opportunities in the next two months that are going to keep me away from boulder for over half of the time. Considering this as I search craigslist for a new home convinces me its not worth the expense to build a new nest until perhaps august. Its summertime, the livin is easy, I am going to stay homeless. I will become...The Nomad.
I spent the morning preparing for my new, nomadic life. Since nearly all my possesions are already in storage this was not a very difficult operation. I simply gathered all my clothes and got lean. Here is what I deemed necessary:
7 colored T-shirts
3 plain white undershirts
7 pair of underwear
7 pair of calf socks
2 pair of ankle socks
4 pairs of pants.
2 collared shirts
2 pairs of gym shorts
1 pair of flip-flops
1 pair of hiking boots
1 pair running shoes
All of this fit nicely into my favorite mode of storage, the blue "tupperwear" container. This, along with a toiletry kit, should keep me acceptably civilized when I return to the marketplace.
newhome
I went to my storage unit and got together all my camping supplies and motorcycle gear. If the car is my home, then the bike will be my transportation.
I put all this stuff into the trunk as I will not need access to it as much and the trunk makes a nice staging area.
All the unnecessary clothing will be stored in "the unit" out of the way and available if I should need it...I doubt I will.
My Laptop Bag has become my office, with all the necessary connectors and wires stored in the pockets of the bag. This fits into the saddlebag of my motorcycle making commutes to WI-Fi hotspots very convenient.
Now that I have trimmed all the fat from my Car-home, my "office," and my transportation, it's time to consider sleeping quarters.
I have a lot of friends in Boulder generously offering their homes and couches, which is great, but the nomad doesn't stay too long in one space,,wouldn't want to wear out that kind welcome.
I have been house-sitting this week for a buddy that is out of town. That gig ends tuesday. Boulder, is close enough to the mountains that I shouldn't have any trouble finding an isolated woodland spot to throw my tent out.
I have to admit, it feels really liberating to simplify my external existence down in this way. When I take these trips, I will simplify even further. It is curious how much "stuff" we convince ourselves we need. I mean, sure, it is nice to have a sweet apartment with hi-def TV, but going minimalist is going to be a great exercise for me.
If you are in NYC, Boston, oklahoma, Dallas, or nortwest florida, I'll be coming through your area in the next few weeks. watch out for The Nomad.
Oh and BTW, I shower at the Boulder Rec Center in case you were wondering.
Access: Public
home
April 2008
Dude… I have an open room.
but The Nomad needs no rooms, the universe is my room.
I guess I failed to make clear that I want to do this. I like the idea of sleeping in the woods for a while. I'll be sure to hit you up should the real need arise.
luv
Ah, ok :) Plus, bugs are full of protein. I know you've been worrying about your protein intake recently ;)
~M
Damn! It sounds like you'll need a theme song to start each day.
If you happen to come west and make it to Corvallis, you've got a place to stay here. Sounds like you've got an interesting time ahead.
cool… im in NYC so if ur passing by heres my phone @ 646 233-3089 if u feel to connect…
a fellaw nomad (well most of the time) ^.^
Reminds me of Carlin
“Actually this is just a place for my stuff, ya know? That's all, a little place for my stuff. That's all I want, that's all you need in life, is a little place for your stuff, ya know? I can see it on your table, everybody's got a little place for their stuff. This is my stuff, that's your stuff, that'll be his stuff over there.
That's all you need in life, a little place for your stuff. That's all your house is: a place to keep your stuff. If you didn't have so much stuff, you wouldn't need a house. You could just walk around all the time. A house is just a pile of stuff with a cover on it. You can see that when you're taking off in an airplane. You look down, you see everybody's got a little pile of stuff. All the little piles of stuff.
And when you leave your house, you gotta lock it up. Wouldn't want somebody to come by and take some of your stuff. They always take the good stuff. They never bother with that crap you're saving. All they want is the shiny stuff. That's what your house is, a place to keep your stuff while you go out and get…more stuff! Sometimes you gotta move, gotta get a bigger house. Why? No room for your stuff anymore.
Did you ever notice when you go to somebody else's house, you never quite feel a hundred percent at home? You know why? No room for your stuff. Somebody else's stuff is all over the goddamn place! And if you stay overnight, unexpectedly, they give you a little bedroom to sleep in. Bedroom they haven't used in about eleven years. Someone died in it, eleven years ago. And they haven't moved any of his stuff! Right next to the bed there's usually a dresser or a bureau of some kind, and there's NO ROOM for your stuff on it. Somebody else's s— is on the dresser. Have you noticed that their stuff is s— and your s— is stuff? God! And you say, “Get that s— offa there and let me put my stuff down!”
Sometimes you leave your house to go on vacation. And you gotta take some of your stuff with you. Gotta take about two big suitcases full of stuff, when you go on vacation. You gotta take a smaller version of your house. It's the second version of your stuff. And you're gonna fly all the way to Honolulu. Gonna go across the continent, across half an ocean to Honolulu. You get down to the hotel room in Honolulu and you open up your suitcase and you put away all your stuff. “Here's a place here, put a little bit of stuff there, put some stuff here, put some stuff–you put your stuff there, I'll put some stuff–here's another place for stuff, look at this, I'll put some stuff here…” And even though you're far away from home, you start to get used to it, you start to feel okay, because after all, you do have some of your stuff with you.
That's when your friend calls up from Maui, and says, “Hey, why don'tchya come over to Maui for the weekend and spend a couple of nights over here.” Oh, no! Now what do I pack? Right, you've gotta pack an even SMALLER version of your stuff. The third version of your house. Just enough stuff to take to Maui for a coupla days. You get over to Maui–I mean you're really getting extended now, when you think about it. You got stuff ALL the way back on the mainland, you got stuff on another island, you got stuff on this island. I mean, supply lines are getting longer and harder to maintain.
You get over to your friend's house on Maui and he gives you a little place to sleep, a little bed right next to his windowsill or something. You put some of your stuff up there. You put your stuff up there. You got your Visine, you got your nail clippers, and you put everything up. It takes about an hour and a half, but after a while you finally feel okay, say, “All right, I got my nail clippers, I must be okay.” That's when your friend says, “Aaaaay, I think tonight we'll go over the other side of the island, visit a pal of mine and maybe stay over.” Aww, no. NOW what do you pack? Right–you gotta pack an even SMALLER version of your stuff. The fourth version of your house. Only the stuff you know you're gonna need. Money, keys, comb, wallet, lighter, hanky, pen, smokes, rubber and change. Well, only the stuff you HOPE you're gonna need.”
Good luck on your ventures!
reminds me of Thoreau in Walden Pond……yes many are the times i have wondered why do we have so much stuff and why cant we live with just the basics…..stuff that we cry if it breaks and spend so much time keeping clean and safe….i am stuck in this rut too but feel that a shift to another setup would just be temporary and not a real learning experience…..wish you well and all the enjoyment of the great outdoors….