LIVING FREE . . .

Photo of the Week #41 – The Risks Of High-Speed Ground Travel

2012-02-12T11:44:00.000-05:00

Here is a photo that illustrates one of the risks of ground travel. This is the blown-out, right front tire from my ’96 Cadillac Seville during my road trip to Ontario, OR, Fresno, CA and other great places during May and June of 2010. This tire blew out at 85 miles per hour on Interstate 80 as I was passing Dix, Nebraska. Fortunately, the car was an excellent performing and handling vehicle. It also didn’t hurt that I had approximately 800,000 miles of previous driving experience. The incident turned out to be mainly an inconvenience.

It was about an hour or so before dark when the tire blew out. My planned destination was Cheyenne, WY for that night. At 85 mph (the prevailing traffic speed on that road at the time) I was about 45 minutes from Cheyenne. By the time AAA Road Service reached me and changed the tire for me, I didn’t feel it was safe driving at lower speed on that road in the dark with the small “donut” spare tire on the car. You’re not supposed to drive over 50 mph and only for a limited amount of miles on those spare tires. I spent the night in a motel in Kimball, NE, a few miles further west on I-80 from Dix. By the way, I joined AAA from my Magellan GPS unit while I was sitting in the car, stranded on the shoulder of I-80.

The next morning I limped into Cheyenne at 50 mph. I decided that I’d find a WalMart to get two new tires. I figured if I had any additional tire issues along the way, I could easily find another WalMart. This photo was taken at the WalMart auto center in Cheyenne. It’s plain to see that the tire was demolished. My only reaction to the incident was that I lost a little time. But, since I had built in a nice pad, I still arrived at my destination, Ontario, OR ahead of schedule. I thought this photo was a nice indication of the risks and hazards of ground travel, especially at high-speed.

Photo of the Week #40 – One Man’s Legacy Carved In Granite

2012-02-05T16:01:00.000-05:00

I believe that all of us, in some way, want to be remembered when we leave this life. This man, Gutzon Borglum, a Danish-American, and his son, left his legacy for the ages carved in granite in the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota. Mt. Rushmore is a national memorial administrated by the National Park Service.

The construction of the memorial began around 1927 and the heads of the four presidents were completed between 1934 and 1939. Currently, the memorial realizes about two million visitors a year. The memorial has not been without some considerable controversy over the years. The land where the memorial stands was land that belonged to the Lakota Sioux Nation from the Treaty of Fort Laramie in 1868. It has some sacred meaning to these Native Americans. After a series of military campaigns during 1876 – 1877 the U.S. Government asserted control of the land. This is still a disputed issue.

We certainly don’t all need to carve our legacy in granite to be remembered, but this legacy should stand for at least a few thousand years. I shot this photo during my September 2010 trip to South Dakota when I changed my residence to that beautiful state.

Photo of the Week #39 - Northern Seneca Lake at Geneva, New York

2012-01-29T16:48:00.000-05:00

Upstate New York holds many fond (and frigid) memories for me. This photo is of the northern end of Seneca Lake at the picturesque small city of Geneva, New York. This photo was taken during my last visit to the region in July of 2007 for a wedding. The view is from a couple blocks away from the water’s edge from a vantage point in the city.

Seneca Lake is part of the Finger Lakes made up of a series of long, narrow lakes formed by glaciers during the last ice age. The lakes have great fishing, boating and other water sports. This region is also the large vineyard and wine making region of New York state. The scenery is beautiful and the area is dotted with little cities, towns and villages, like nearby Waterloo where I interviewed for a radio job after completing my masters degree at Syracuse University, about 50 miles away, in the late 1960’s. Waterloo is also the hometown of the bride (now my sister-out-law – Michelle married my former brother-in-law, Don) from the wedding I was attending. The region is also populated by many small private and state colleges and universities.

Geneva is a pretty little town and doesn’t appear to have changed dramatically since my days in the late 60’s when I would cruise through this beautiful New York region. I can’t wait for a chance to return and visit this area again in the not too distant future. But, as much as I love the scenery, I cannot forget the amount of snow that fell in this area and the sub-zero temperatures I experienced during my two-year tenure in central upstate New York. So, some 43 years later, I don’t believe I’ll be considering the region for my final place to settle down waiting for my “final” journey.

VANTASTIC! It’s the “Name My Van” Contest.

2012-01-24T06:00:00.012-05:00

I have noticed, as I’ve read the posts of numerous different RV bloggers and RVing groups that many have named their homes on wheels, whether motorized or towed behind another vehicle. Over the years I played with the idea by having a name for some of my cars. I guess that goes back to when I was a kid and my father named his 1951 Chevy coupe that was my grandmother’s car until she suddenly died. The car was kind of a dull dark green. My father took it to an Earl Scheib Auto Paint place and had them do one of their $19.95 (I believe) paint jobs on it turning it into a light green car. Believe me, for $19.95, you didn’t expect nor did you get much of a paint job. He then officially named his car the “Ruptured Duck.” I was in the sixth grade and I recall it ever so well.

I affectionately called my 1996 Cadillac Seville the “Silver Bullet.” The official Cadillac color, as I recall, was platinum, but it still looked silver. It was a lean, mean and fast driving machine. I’d have to say it was the best driving, handling and performance car I’d ever had. I’d dearly love a Cadillac CTS-V. It put Mercedes and BMWs to shame on their own test tracks in Germany. But, in reality, I’m beyond my days of high performance cars. At this time both in my life and the economy, I’m more interested in economy and reliability. But, I digress.

I’ve done two posts about the Ford van I recently acquired and I’m converting into my micro motor home. I’ve posted photos of it and plan to post more photos as I do the actual conversion. But, as I’ve been thinking about the future, I’m of the belief that this will be the first of a small number of future homes on wheels for me. I believe they should have names.

"Name My Van"

I’ve been kicking around a few names in my head, but none of them have really given me any warm fuzzies. I’m not going to reveal the names I’ve considered of my own because I am interested in your creativity and I don’t want to influence you. So, here’s the deal. While I’m in no hurry to make this decision, I would like to do so in about 90 days – or to be more definitive, I’ll say by April 30, 2012. That is a little more then 90-days. I will consider any and every suggested name that I receive between today, January 24, 2012, and April 30, 2012.

There is a prize for the person submitting the name I ultimately select. The winning submission will receive a $50.00 e-gift card from Amazon. You can use it to purchase any of the millions of items: books, electronics, clothes, household goods, etc. from the Amazon Store.

Here are the rules and parameters:

You may submit as many names as you like, but each must be submitted as a separate submission. In other words, don’t submit 2, 5, 12 or whatever in one email, blog comment, Living Free Facebook Fan Page comment or post on the Living Free and Happy Yahoo Group.

The name submitted should, in some way, be indicative of my mission, my lifestyle, my personality, as you perceive it through my blog and various social media and the nature of the vehicle. Read my profile and read back through the posts and that should help.

The name should be short and easy to say and remember. It may be more then one word, but I think more then three would be unwieldy. Ex. Vanagon, Starship Enterprise, Santa Maria, Good Ship Lollipop (Puleeze don’t submit any of those or similar unless you’re trying to give me a good chuckle or check my gag response). By the way, if the name can lend itself to generations (meaning when I upgrade to the next generation of RV I can use the same name in some way) that could be a plus. Otherwise, I may just have to have another contest.

Please submit a one paragraph (minimum) to two paragraph (maximum) description/reason/justification of the name so I can understand why you think the name will fit the purpose intended.

I am the sole determining party in selecting the name from the submissions received and my decision is final. It’s also possible that I may not receive a name that suits me and I reserve the right to not use any of the names.

In the event that two or more people submit the same name and that is the name I select, I will award the prize to the submission dated the earliest.

You may submit your names and justifications to me via:

A Comment submitted on the Living Free blog (at the end of this blog

post)

Joining my Living Free and Happy Yahoo Group (you can join by

clicking the link on this page and submitting your name(s) there

Liking the new Living Free Facebook Fan Page (by clicking the “Like”

button on this page) and submitting your names as comments there

Email to ed@edhelvey.com

Remember the sky is the limit. Submit as many names as you want to. And think of this like an Internet domain name. The name should be as short as possible while being as memorable and recognizable as possible – again, I use the Starship Enterprise as an example. The best thing is to not pre-judge any name as long as you can come up with an interesting and justifiable description and reason the name should be considered.

I was reading a blog of some other “technomads” earlier today and they just ran a similar naming contest for the 1961 GMC conversion bus they graduated to about seven months ago. They had named their previous two RV’s as well. In their case, when the dust finally settled there were several names they were torn between. They actually ended up selecting a name themselves from an event and something that had transportation roots, historical roots and some ethereal meaning. While they were searching for the vintage bus conversion of their dreams, precisely on the trip to see the bus they selected and on the day they selected it, they did some sightseeing and that’s where they discovered the name. However, they never even thought about it until they were down to trying to decide between the last few names they hadn’t eliminated from all the submissions they had received.

I don’t think that’s going to happen in my naming process. I’m really looking forward to all your creativity and submissions. And, of course, when I make the final selection, I will give the winner full credit and arrange to get the Amazon e-gift card forwarded to you. I should also mention that this is open to anyone anywhere in the world reading my blog as long as you have the capability of ordering from Amazon.

Most likely, I’ll have the name stenciled on the left and right doors of the van right below the windows. I might put it on the back, too, if there is a place where it can be seen. So have fun and enjoy playing “Name My Van.”

Enthusiastically,

Photo of the Week #38 – A Western Maryland “Necessary” uh, Outhouse

2012-01-22T06:00:00.001-05:00

A few years ago a friend and I were exploring some of the beautiful country in Allegheny and Garrett Counties in western Maryland. She is a native of that region and took me on a tour of some of the country off the main roads. We came across a farm with beautiful views of the mountains. There was also a wonderful cabin that was about 200 years old and this great example of an outhouse.

Once upon a time, before running water, septic tanks and sewers were standard features, the outhouse was a necessary structure found on virtually every farm and country home. There are still some actively used outhouses to be found around the country, but today they are pretty rare. As a kid, my aunt and uncle had a farm in Sussex County, New Jersey. I had the opportunity to use their outhouse whenever we visited the farm or when I had the infrequent opportunity to stay at the farm for a weekend and hang out with my, now, long lost cousin, Virginia.

“To Thine Own Self Be True” – Willie Shakespeare

2012-01-17T13:20:00.000-05:00

Actually, the quote goes,

“This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,

Thou canst not then be false to any man.”

These were Polonius’ last words of advice to his son Laertes from Hamlet.

Literary scholars and philosophers have been interpreting Shakespeare for years. One has to take into account the era it was written, the English language at that time, the context of the story line and so on. It’s all above my pay grade.

I tend to look at the words of these “ancient” philosophers in terms of the current day and what impact they have on my thinking in the here and now. As 2012 has begun unfolding itself, I find myself in decidedly new circumstances. After three years of “living free” from the bonds of:

a house and land to take care of and cover the overhead on full-time.

the burden of having too much “stuff” of a material nature, mostly no longer useful to me.

the enslavement of being involved in a business I never aspired to be in that drained my energy, enthusiasm, emotions, psyche, body and bank accounts.

still being a bit too concerned about what others thought of me and needing to be concerned about feeling and looking successful to “them.”

not feeling or experiencing the freedom I had started out with as a young man and then put on the shelf and kept pushing it back as “life happened,” as it will, realizing that there was a whole lot less sand in the top of my hour glass of life then in the bottom that had already passed through.

and, finally, wealth and richness of living isn’t about money or accumulating material “stuff,” it’s about people, experiences and love and the most precious and priceless things we have are our time and our freedom.

I still remember back to my college and high school days when we selected class mottos. In high school it was “The old order changeth, yielding place to new,” a quote from Alfred, Lord Tennyson, often quoted. In college it was, “Carpe Diem,” attributed to Horace, sometime prior to 8 BC. It is widely and not very accurately translated from the Latin to mean, “seize the day.” As I look at both of those class mottos today, they seem trite to me, now. We thought, as teenagers, we had an understanding of the true and deep meanings of these words. We were the new order back then. We were full of energy, excitement, and enthusiasm. We were bright. We saw nothing ahead of us except a future full of realizing our every dream. Now, those classes I was part of back then are on the other end of the spectrum – the “old order” and, indeed, things are changing.

Once upon a time the presidents of the United States were my seniors, older then me. The last two presidents were my age (actually both are a year younger then I am). The current president is 16 years younger then me – I was going into my junior year in high school when he was born. Of the five current candidates vying for the Republican nomination, Mitt Romney, Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich are all within five years of my age; only Newt is a year older. Ron Paul is certainly from the old order at ten years older then me and Rick Santorum is close to Obama’s age. Since this is not a political forum, I won’t discuss politics, but it does illustrate my point about the old order and change.

Looking closer at “carpe deim” that I called trite, it would more accurately be translated by Latin scholars as, “pluck the day” or as a further example, “enjoy the day, pluck the day when it is ripe.” The entire phrase from Horace is, ”carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero” and a scholarly translation is, “Pluck the day, trusting as little as possible in the future.”

So, I am now of the “old order” in Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s words. I accept that. I honestly didn’t give much thought to becoming the old order when I was young. I’m sure you didn’t either. But, if you’re of the old order, accept it and realize that we’re in a different place in a different world then when we were young. If you’re somewhere on the journey of transitioning from the young to the old order, realize that you’re going to be here with me one day. If you’re the young and you’re reading this, then reread the last paragraph, over and over. You, too, will one day be part of the old order. Value your time more then anything else you may ever own. Hold onto your freedom (it’s becoming harder and harder to do that) and experience all that life has to offer. Cherish your friends and family, share your love freely and receive theirs in kind.

Remember as members of a society, no matter where we are in this world and I know I have readers around the world, we all need to be productive members of our society and world. Don’t sell your soul for money and material things. There is nothing wrong with money nor is there anything wrong with having the “stuff” you would like to have, but weigh the cost. That’s going to be difficult when you’re younger, especially if you live in a country where there is a substantial amount of freedom and a lifestyle of over indulgence. While it may not be reasonable now, one day you’ll realize that your hour glass will run out of sand, you’ll turn back to dust and all the money and material stuff you accumulated will be left behind. You only take your memories. Will you be loved because of the person you are or for the money and stuff you sacrificed your life to accumulate and bribe your family and impress your friends with. Will they love you for the inheritance you’ll leave them and not the person you are?

So, for me, after a lifetime of business, I’m now of the old order. What are my most valued possessions? Those would be my son and family (even though I’m divorced and single), my friends, my experiences, my memories, my reclaimed personal freedom and every second of time I have left in the hourglass of my life. But, while I have been fortunate enough to be self-employed all of my life, other then a few years in the U.S. Air Force and some part-time jobs in high school and college, I also worked far more hours then I should have, often in futility since things didn’t work out to my satisfaction. I did create my own commutes when I had business locations separate and some distance from my home. Indeed, there is a price for everything, especially freedom.

Thoreau said, “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” As I look around me in this small, rural town in West Virginia where I’m now situated temporarily, the meaning of this statement has become more meaningful. No, it’s not because I’m in a small rural town in West Virginia where the primary industries of the region have declined or disappeared entirely. It’s because as I was seeing in the Shenandoah Valley and in northern Virginia, the mass of the people don’t seem happy. They are employed, generally, in jobs that they don’t enjoy and certainly don’t love (if they are employed at all), but do it to pay mortgages, car payments, ever increasing gas, food, clothes, medical and utility bills. In large urban and suburban areas they sit in traffic gridlock or fight their way onto busses or subways to get to and from work, often taking another couple hours or more of their lives, five and six days a week. I see college and university students, starting their college careers with enthusiasm and anticipation and then finding that at the end of the course of study (except for a few fields) their dreams are shattered as they can’t find jobs in their chosen career fields and if they are able to find a job at all, it’s often taken in desperation because they have tens of thousands of dollars of student loans to pay back, not including the possibility of some accumulated credit card debt and a car payment, plus the newly shouldered responsibilities of “adulthood.” Many move back in with their parents.

Sure, there are, also, those we describe as having a “Type A” personality. It’s alternatively described as being a “workaholic.” I’ve been there and done that. For those people, life is not about living. life is about working. They live to work. They are not living lives of quiet desperation because they don’t have time to live or think about living other then their work. Vacations are sandwiched into business trips and while they are on the “vacation” they are on their cell phones, iPads, netbook and laptop computers that are ever with them, every waking and sleeping moment. They live in big houses full of stuff like the latest video game systems, appliances and such in costly condos or suburbia McMansions. They are typically married and have children. They bribe the spouse and kids with all the trimmings of success. This, of course, can apply to a man or a woman – and when both of them are “Type A” personalities, one has to wonder when and how they made time to actually make the children who are raised by nannies, day care centers, after school programs, boarding schools, etc. For these people, it may not seem like quiet desperation, but the reality is, they never learned about how fantastic this short span of life we are blessed with can be if you “stop and smell the (damn) roses” and experience life.

So, for me, 2012 offers nothing but fantastic new opportunities to explore life and the world. I’m pressing myself to explore and expand my own creativity. My work policy is (and, yes, I still have to do something to generate some revenue to finance my life) to look for and accept assignments that A. are interesting and appear to be fun, B. involve people I’m going to enjoy working with, C. pay enough to make it worth the time I’ll dedicate to the assignment – but money is not a primary factor and D. to make sure it will not take too much of my priceless time, curtail my freedom and become a burden to me. I have masses of dreams, some carrying forward since my youthful days, the days when I first became involved in the recording industry and business. Over the past three years of “living free” I’ve been able to spend some time retrospectively evaluating these dreams. I realize, now, that even when I was young I couldn’t have possibly pursued and realized all my dreams. At this stage of life that’s even less possible. So, I’ve narrowed them down to the few things that really mean enough to me that I want to take those memories with me when I die. And, hopefully, I will still do a little more to leave this world a little better then it was when I arrived.

“This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,

Thou canst not then be false to any man.”

Are you being true to yourself? Are you living in quiet desperation? Is it finally time for you to pluck your day and not trust that the future will be better? I hope you can find your own path to “living free” and that, maybe, I’ll be small part of the inspiration to help you on the way.

Enthusiastically,

Photo of the Week #37 – A Sobering Moment at Las Vegas International Airport

2012-01-15T06:00:00.003-05:00

There’s not much to say about this photo. It was taken from the window of a plane I was on sitting at the gate at Las Vegas International Airport. I asked a flight attendant exactly what we were witnessing and she indicated that there was a war hero returning home to Las Vegas and this was a rehearsal for how the casket would arrive and be handled by the honor guard. My assumption is that these were probably members of the Army Reserve or National Guard organization that the returning soldier served with. I’m sure they would all return in full dress uniforms to welcome and handle their fallen comrades casket.

As a Vietnam era veteran myself, it was a very stirring moment. I noticed a few other men on the plane (there may have been some women veterans, too, but it’s easier to recognize the men) who were very solemn and even wiped tears from their eyes. Even though, to the best of our knowledge, the flag draped casket in the photo was most likely empty, it still stirred the emotions of those of us who watched.

Mostly when I travel I look for and I get to see the beauty of our country (or other parts of the world) and all the wonders of nature and man. But, moments like this occur, too. They are solemn reminders, once again, that freedom isn’t free and that the freedom we have and the lifestyles we live were paid for in blood.

The Adventure Begins . . . Part Two.

2012-01-09T22:38:00.000-05:00

I wrote the first post about acquiring the Ford high-top van I was going to convert into a “micro” motor home on September 20, 2011. Here's the photo of the van again, as a reminder.

It was originally built as a luxury travel van with seating for seven adults. It included a couch in the rear that electrically folded down into a nearly queen-sized bed. It had a regular automotive stereo system with an aftermarket CD changer installed plus a secondary stereo system installed in the rear passenger area with a cassette player. Additionally, it had a 13” TV installed in the front part of the raised roof for the rear passengers (presumably children) to watch while traveling. At one time it had a VHS video cassette player, not in evidence when I bought it. There may possibly have been an aftermarket DVD player at some time, also not in evidence, either. It was nicely finished in the interior with nice carpeting, still in reasonably nice condition for a 17 year old van, nice wall and ceiling treatments, very nice real wood accents and trim and some generally useless accent lighting. As you can note in the photos, it also had nice large, tinted windows with transparent blinds.

So, here it is now January 10, 2012. This was when I had planned to be on the road seeing the country. How much progress have I made? Well, as I said in my post about “My Three Universal Laws + One” a few weeks back, it always costs more, it always takes longer, there is always someone cheaper AND, of course the + One – “Life Happens.”

I have made the move out of Falls Church, VA, the Fairfax office I was using and the room I had in Winchester, VA. I also emptied and closed one of the two (the smaller of the two) storage units in Winchester. I moved the permanent “keeper” stuff out to Keyser, WV near my friend’s place where it is less expensive to store. I’m still working on selling off and clearing out the larger unit in Winchester, but continual progress is being made. I miss my old Air Force buddy, Dave, in Falls Church. We were mutually supportive of each other’s dreams and goals – and it was nice catching a Subway sandwich together and such. I miss seeing my friends at the office in Fairfax. My friend and client (for some 30 years), another Dave, is a great guy and I enjoyed the projects and interplay with the folks there. And, it was both nice and very generous that he allowed me to use an office in his complex. I miss my friend, Judy, in Winchester. She and I met through a singles group we both belonged to and were quite active in for a number of years. We’ve also been supportive of each other, as well as our other friends. But, you never get to second base if you never leave first base. So, I had to break out of the comfort zone . . . again. I did.

So, now, I’m here in Keyser, WV about a 90-minute drive from Winchester and close to a three hour drive from Falls Church (a little less to Fairfax). This little town is, unfortunately, like so many small towns around the U.S. struggling to stay alive. It’s old, there are few amenities here (there is a small Super WalMart – that puts Keyser on the map), but generally it’s a fairly depressing place. The population appears to be mostly older (not that I’m any spring chicken, but I may be one of the youngsters around here). There is a small, two-year college attached to West Virginia University, though I don’t see a lot of interaction between the students and the town. There’s just not much to do here. And, most of the surrounding area and towns are in similar shape. The industries and jobs have left the area. There also seems to be a bit of a crime spree going on in the region and the illegal drug business seems to be thriving around here. But, I have my friend - when she’s not helping our nation’s war veterans at the VA hospital in Martinsburg, WV (about two hours from here) where she is a psychiatric nurse - and her 89 year old mother to hang out with. The rest of the time, I’m in this little room working on my own stuff or planning or working on the van.

And the van, that’s the real key to everything for me at this point. While it’s actually quite sound and runs very well, the used car dealer I bought it from (and I don’t usually like dealing with used car dealers) had it checked out after I test drove it and was pleased and found it needed some front end work. He had the work done, for which I was appreciative. However, it didn’t drive anywhere near as well as it did before the work was done. Here’s one of those “life happens” things again. It ultimately took nearly two months to figure out exactly what adjustments had been screwed up by his mechanic when he did the front end work to get this unit driving safely again. I was on the verge of throwing up my hands and selling it at a loss just to get rid of it. But, fortunately, my regular mechanic, Marty, in Winchester worked with me and we ultimately got it back to handling the way it should. I hate “white knuckle” driving and that’s what I was doing, especially on the back, rural, two lane roads where I plan to spend most of my time driving to see this country. Interstates are fast, but they’re boring and you don’t see Americana at 70 miles per hour.

Finally, I feel comfortable again with this van. I have been doing designing for the build-in of the interior, locating the materials and researching the various basic appliances I will install. I have designed two floor plans one of which I must make a final decision on. I’ve joined some “van groups” on Yahoo including one that is all about converting vans like mine to live in. Probably the most challenging issue I am working on is the electrical system. Currently, I’m not considering having a gasoline-powered generator on board. So, that means I have to wire it up for both 12 volts DC with 110 volt AC provided by an inverter and regular 110 volt AC from shore power (110 volt AC provided at a campground or from someone’s home). Other factors include switching between power sources and keeping the separate bank of deep-cycle “house” batteries charged.

You know, I could just pull the seats out, throw my clothes in stuffed in duffel bags, have a small, inflatable air mattress, an ice chest cooler (which I already own) and be on the road. I used to do that many years ago when I was younger and it was great. Heck! I used to camp in the back of my old ’67 Mustang fastback. But, that’s not my desire nor my plan if I’m going to truly enjoy being a “professional” nomad. Additionally, along with the power challenges, this vehicle has to be able to support my “techy” requirements. That means a comfortable workspace for my computers, doing audio, photography and probably some video editing and production. And, of course, it has to support my writing and blogging. I’ll carry a scanner and a laser printer, too. And, I’ll need storage space for my recording gear and peripherals. So, just throwing an air mattress in and taking off is not going to fulfill my dreams and my objectives.

But, we are making progress. Here are some photos of the van in its current state.

The seats and couch have been removed giving me approximate 50 sq ft of usual floor space to turn into a livable and working environment. I still have to remove the seat belt anchors and the seat mounting plates, a job that is going to require more effort then I anticipated and will likely require two people and a serious jack. You can see part of the seat belt challenge in the photo as well as the seat mounting plate.

The wood trim is nice, but not very utilitarian and the accent lighting is basically useless, especially the panel in the center of the ceiling. So, I’m contemplating what I can take out and what I should leave in. Storage is a major issue in creating a vehicle one will live in and carry not only clothes, but recording, photography and computer equipment and supplies, plus food, water and certain paper goods for both the small galley and the porta-potty toilet I’ll have. So, some of the trim work supports some storage and may remain or be modified for better utilization.

I will never use the TV installed over the cockpit. I have a 24” computer monitor I’ll be installing in the workstation and I’ll use that for entertainment purposes. The space where the current 13” TV is installed will become additional storage space. Since that area is wired for 12 volts DC, I may find some other use for it, also. The secondary stereo in the passenger area has to go, totally useless for my needs.

There is also a dropped ceiling in the rear of the van with a storage cupboard in it and two speakers, I guess, attached to the passenger stereo I’ll be removing. I’m going to explore how to either remove it for additional headroom in the rear or modify it for more storage (eliminating the speakers for sure). If I remove it, it opens the possibility of installing a roof top RV type air conditioner in that area, should I ever decide that I want A/C when I’m at a location with 110 volt AC shore power. That remains to be seen. Just as carrying an AC generator remains to be seen. I’ll have a place to carry a small generator if I ever choose to.

Here is the floor plan I’m leaning toward. It is definitely compact, however, it utilizes every bit of space in the 50 sq ft to the maximum. Several areas become multi-functional like the couch that will also serve as my bunk and the workstation that will handle computer work, audio/video/photo editing, production and even voice-overs and it will also be my entertainment center.

Finally, All of the luxury conversion travel vans are tricked out with a lot of “junk” just to give them pizazz and sucker the original buyers into paying exorbitant amounts of money for these things. This gem probably ran about $45,000 to $50,000 in 1994 – Ouch! One of these add-ons is the running boards and flared trim around the wheels. I checked with Billy, the automotive body guy in the adjoining building with my mechanic, Marty. I asked him to look at them and see if there was any economical way and if there was any reason to fix and keep these things. It’s nice to know honest people. He said they are plastic and last a few years and then start looking like the ones on my van. You can see from the photos that there are cracks all over them and chunks are actually broken off leaving gaping holes. He said (what I was thinking, too) just take them off and get rid of a headache. If I want running boards for ease in getting into the van, I can buy stainless steel units made for this van and install them. They’ll look way better, be totally functional and last for the life of the van. These buggers are in such bad shape they squeak and rattle when I’m driving down the road. The noise is very annoying. It’s sort of like when someone scratches his fingernails on an old blackboard. So, they are going, period.

And this is where things stand at this time. While progress has been made (and I’ve actually been using the van to haul stuff from the storage units in Winchester out here to Keyser and from my room in Winchester and Falls Church), it is taking longer – arrgh – then I expected and wanted it to.

So far, it really hasn’t cost me more. I’ve found many ways in my designing and locating resources to purchase from to save money. I have decided to upgrade the 12-volt cooler to a better unit (a little more cost). The 12-volt DC/110 volt AC electrical system will cost a fair amount more then I originally anticipated, but will be well worth it. I may or may not put new stainless steel running boards on the unit at this time, but that will add some cost I hadn’t originally planned on if I do. I was planning on having a custom made mattress made for the bunk/couch, however, with some careful research I’ve found I can have a wonderfully comfortable memory foam mattress at about half the cost of the custom mattress.

I’ve also decided that I want to do a really nice build-in job, after all, it’s going to be my home on the road and I want to be able to show it off to those I meet along the way. And, who knows, perhaps, it will increase its resale value for another adventurer when I’m ready to upgrade to my next step. All in all, I’m sure, in the end analysis, it will end up costing something more then I originally anticipated, but I’m sure it’s going to pay off in comfort and livability.

That's all for this update. More as “life continues to happen” and progress is being made.

Enthusiastically,

Photo of the Week #36 – Tulum, the Ancient Mayan Ruin near Cancun, Mexico

2012-01-08T16:41:00.000-05:00

This location is carved right out of Paradise. The site is the ancient Mayan coastal city of Tulum on the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. It’s about 80 miles from Cancun and right on the Mexican Caribbean coast. The ruins date back to around 1200 and the city was at it’s peak between the 1200’s and the 1400’s. From archeological studies Tulum met its demise about 70 years after the Spanish began to occupy what became Mexico. Unfortunately, like in so many other parts of the world, Old World diseases brought by the Spanish settlers took a devastating toll on the indigenous people.

The main building standing proudly to the slightly to the left of center in the photo was called The Castle. The city was walled on three sides and had numerous other buildings including a temple with in the walls. The fourth side of the city was protected by the 40 foot cliffs that protected the city from the Caribbean side (to the east). Time and weather have taken their toll on this trading city and, of course, it has to be protected from the large number of tourists visiting the site each year. Tulum is one of the three most visited ancient ruins in Mexico. It is currently inhabited by iguanas. They can be see everywhere as one tours the ruins. Tourists are no longer permitted to climb or enter the ruins due to the damage they have caused in the past.

I was visiting the site with my old Air Force buddy, Dave, and my two Kiwi friends, Brian and Carol. And, fortunately, we had our bathing suits on under our shorts. The short walk down a path lined by tropical vegetation took us to one of the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen. There was no way we weren’t going to enjoy the beautiful, crystal clear, aqua water. Refreshing doesn’t even begin to describe the water and the experience. This beach area is also a protected area where sea turtles come to lay their eggs. I’ve seen the ruins at Tulum and have the photos. But, should I get back this way in the future, I just want to come and spend a few days on the beautiful beach. I’ll post a beach photo as a future Photo of the Week.

“Time Is On My Side . . . Yes It Is”

2012-01-02T14:11:00.000-05:00

That is the title and main line of the chorus from a song made popular by the Rolling Stones in 1964. It was the first song they performed on the Ed Sullivan Show on October 25, 1964. However, while this is the version of the song that seems to be most widely remembered, there were several versions recorded and released in 1963 and 1964 and after the Stones version by other artists including Irma Thomas.

While it was mainly a soulful love ballad, the words can convey another meaning – in particular the line that goes, “Now you were saying that you want to be free . . .” I, of course, can relate to that line, too.

But, here we are at the commencement of a new year. I’ve heard some people say that all we have is time. And, some people talk about having time on their hands. Carl Sandburg put it this way, “Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.” Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it.” But, perhaps, Plutarch may have summed it up best of all some 2,000 years ago when he stated, “The whole life of man is but a point of time; let us enjoy it.”

This morning I read an interesting essay on time in the New York Times. It was part of an ongoing series of essays by contemporary philosophers. Here’s the link if you care to read it yourself - http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/01/on-modern-time/?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=thab1 If it doesn’t work, go to the NYT, then to the Opinionator, The Stone and the article “On Modern Times” by Espen Hammer. I found it interesting reading and perhaps you may, too.

At any rate, the author pointed out that in today’s modern, industrialized society we “live by the clock.” Boy, did I learn about that back in my younger days studying television and radio for my masters degree. That is an industry that is virtually controlled 100% by the clock. All kinds of technology has been created just to make sure that a program begins precisely at a prescribed time. Commercials and public service announcements are timed precisely, not a second over is allowed. Of course, that’s only one small instance of how things are run by the clock. Even in my main field of endeavor, recording, music was timed, not by how long it took to perform a composition, but by how much time could fit on a recording medium. This was very challenging during the days of the 10” record spinning at 78 rpm. Then came the 7” discs that operated at 45 rpm and, of course, the 33 1/3 rpm, long playing, 12” records. There were also 16” records for a period of time, though they were not made available as consumer products. The tape formats also had time limitations as does the CD format. The interesting thing is that with each new technology there was a continual push to “expand” or “extend” time. The constant, of course, is that one second is still one second as is one minute, one hour, one day and so on. So, we haven’t actually changed the duration of time, we’ve simply been able to increase the amount of time we can store on a specific medium.

Think about our lives. I stopped wearing a wristwatch several years ago. I was on a week long vacation on the Outer Banks of North Carolina with a group of friends. I decided to take the watch off when I arrived so I didn’t spend my day concerned about what time it was or if I was getting enough accomplished in the time I would spend at the beach. Did I know what time it was. Of course! It’s almost impossible to escape it. There was a clock in the kitchen of the beautiful home we were staying at. There were clock radios in each bedroom. There was a DVD player and cable television that had the time displaying on them constantly. But, at least taking the wristwatch off was a symbolic gesture on my part. When the week came to an end I put the watch back on. On the long drive back to the Shenandoah Valley and not long after we left the beach, I looked at my wrist. I took the watch back off and put it in my pocket and I’ve not worn a watch from that day until the present. Again, it’s a symbolic gesture.

We live our lives by the clock in our modern world. As children we get up at a specified time, get ready for school, arrive, go to class, have lunch and go home as specified times. As college students, we attend classes that are at designated times. As workers – whether employed by someone else or self-employed, we have designated times to begin work and to end work. If we have a doctor or dentist appointment, we have to be there at a designated time. If we take a train, plane or ship, we depart at a designated time and are scheduled to arrive at another designated time. If we practice a religion, we typically adhere to a time schedule for Christians it is typically a designated time on Sunday morning, perhaps, again in the evening and maybe a prayer meeting on a Wednesday evening. Practicing Jews begin their Sabbath on Friday at sundown and conduct no business or work until the end of the Sabbath on Saturday. Muslims commit to pray five times each day at designated times. If we want to enjoy a movie, a live theatrical performance, a concert, a sports event or other forms of entertainment, there is a designated time and they don’t hold the show for anyone.

This is the industrialized, modern, technological world we live in. Many of you probably have what have become known as “atomic clocks.” The most accurate atomic clock in the world is based in Ft. Collins, Colorado and is operated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. It transmits the time continuously by radio across the U.S. (and anywhere else that can receive the signal) and is received by atomic clock receivers in watches, clocks, computers, the cell phone system, the GPS system and so on, so that every such clock reflects the exact time. Time is pervasive in our society. We live by the clock. But, do you ever wish you could take some real time off from the clock?

During earlier times in the history of the human species there were no clocks. Our lives, much like the lives of lower animals, were based on the natural rhythm of the Earth and the universe. With no clocks humans would get up when the sun rose, often awakened by the sounds of the birds and other wildlife. We went to sleep when the sun settled and it became dark. There were no TV’s, radios, computers or even books. The work of the day, hunting and gathering, preparing food and making clothing, and the play of the day were mostly based on the daylight and the rest periods were based on the darkness. When humans became a more agriculturally based society, much the same rhythm continued since growing is a natural process. This rhythm continued even through medieval times with sundials acting as a means of telling approximate time. Then the mechanical clock and eventually the pocket watch (around the 16^th Century) was invented and life began to change. Today, atomic particles allow us to have the most accurate time devices ever known. But, here is the question – because we now have the most precise time keeping devices humans have ever known, do we have any more time? Have we been able to expand or extend time in the finite form we know it i.e. second, minutes, hours, etc.? Absolutely not! All we’ve done is to have a more precise record of time – oops, there goes that second, gone – but I could accurately see it pass on my atomic clock.

Are we better off because of our ability to keep track of time? The answer is, of course, yes and no. It all depends on your perception of time and its use. Certainly, knowing precisely what time it is and being able to keep track of time helps us handle the many issues, challenges and day-to-day facets of the modern, technological lives most of us live in the developed world. But, for me, having lived and worked in industries and businesses that “lived” by the clock, maybe not so much anymore. I still think back to the time at the beach when I decided not to wear the watch, symbolic as it may have been. What I wanted was for time to slow down. That has to be in a metaphorical sense because time, as we know it, is a constant. I still allow myself to be far too controlled by the clock, even though I’d just as soon not, but I’m too conditioned to our modern lifestyle. I don’t know if I could adjust or even partially adjust to the simple rhythm prior to the invention of the mechanical timekeeping devices.

I do, however, dream, at times, of living on some tropical island, idling my days away swinging in a hammock, fishing for dinner, sipping coconut milk and sleeping to the quiet lapping of the waves on the shore. I’m sure somewhere in the world there are a few people who live that way. Perhaps, one day I’ll find such a place and give it a try. My best recent effort was this morning while I remained in bed until about 11:15 AM reading and answering emails and interesting articles (one about time, as previously noted) on my “high-tech tablet” and finally, moving to the vertical position and sitting in a chair to compose this post on my notebook computer.

Am I a hypocrite or am I just dealing with reality? I believe that I’m dealing with reality. Few of us in our current, technologically advanced, developed society and lives would be willing to give up what we have to revert back to a time when life was certainly simpler and, yet, probably much harder.

“Time, Time, Time is on your side.” Enjoy the new year and use your time to your advantage, however that me be.

Enthusiastically,

In with the New – Welcome 2012

2012-01-01T09:00:00.004-05:00

In three months I'll be completing the 67^th year of my fantastic life journey. The beginning of a new calendar year brings with it promise of great opportunities, adventures and experiences. Okay, as a pragmatic person, I should also look at reality and say that there will be any number of potential tragedies, disasters and negative experiences. That’s all true. I’m sure each of us can go back, year by year, and recount all the negative things that have happened in the world, the country, the local area and out personal lives. But, life happens and if we spend all or even any of our time dwelling on those things there’s a good chance we’ll miss some of the great things that are awaiting. Life is going to happen whether we like it or not, so why focus on the negative. It takes up too much priceless time.

So, what’s on your docket for 2012? Hey, it’s a presidential election year. Boy, I’m looking forward to that like having lye rubbed in my eyes. Actually, I plan to ignore as much of this overbearing campaign clap-trap, mud-slinging puffery as possible. Yes, I’ll make sure I’m informed so when I cast my ballot I’ll be sure to do so for the evil of two lessers of my choice. You?

Are you looking at getting a new job or finally getting a job in 2012? If you are, I truly hope it is one that you can enjoy and be passionate about. I also hope it allows you to explore your own personal freedom and expand on it.

Are you looking forward to a new “bambino” or “bambinette” in your household? Another miracle in the making. I wish for a strong, healthy and beautiful baby.

Perhaps you’re going to move to a new residence – purchased or rented – it doesn’t make any difference. I trust it will be an easy and pleasant experience and that you’ll find much happiness and comfort. If you’re one of the unfortunate who will lose your home this year, I hope the experience is less negative then you expect and that you’ll bounce right back into a new habitat and start anew.

Are you retired or retiring or, perhaps, out of work and just not seeing any prospect of getting back into something that replaces the employment you lost? Do not stop being productive. If you’re retired, retiring or have given up on whatever career you had, don’t sit back and do nothing. If you’ve ever seen what happens to buildings that stop being occupied and used cars, trucks, RV’s, boats and so on that are abandoned and no longer used, it’s not pretty. It doesn’t take very long for weeds and junk vegetation to take over the grounds and the building. And rust, mold and dry rot settle in very fast on cars, trucks, RV’s, boats, etc. Don’t think you’re any different. Find things to do. Make things to do. Start a part-time business. Rekindle old hobbies. Take a part-time job. Volunteer your time and talent. Everyone can do SOMETHING.

If travel is on your 2012 agenda, then I truly hope you’re going to experience some magical, historical, beautiful, exciting and relaxing places. There is no single human alive anywhere in the world regardless of their wealth or lack thereof, who can see and experience everything there is to see and do. Don’t let finances stop you. Use your creativity. Where there is a will there is a way.

As for me, well, I see nothing but an exciting year ahead. I plan to expand my writing and blogging. And, coincidentally, I will work at expanding my readers and followers. That is a two edged sword. In order to expand my readers and followers, I have to create information and ideas that are worthy of their (your) eyes and time. So my work is cut out for me.

I also plan to begin doing some living free seminars and workshops. I fully expect, since I’m still relatively unknown, that this will begin small. But, I hope I will have the kind of information that will help you and others to create your own living free lifestyle and, with time, I’ll have the privilege of assisting more and more folks who are tired of the rat race, the day to day chaos of the world in general and the burden of too much overhead and stuff. None of us will escape some of the complications that just existing in our society burdens us with. And, the older we get, the more complicated it seems to be. But, by simplifying your life, downsizing and eliminating a lot of no longer needed (or maybe never wanted) stuff, material and intangible, from your life, things can be so much better. We do have choices.

Music has always been a part of my life. Heck! It’s the main driving force that drew me to the recording and audio industry nearly 50 years ago. I’ve had a project in the back of my mind for a few years now and in the near future I’m going to announce that project. It will be national in scope, involve people of all ages, both genders, all races, ethnicities and emphasize the importance of music in our lives and culture – from singing lullabies to our babies to soothing the souls of those dealing with dementia and the ravages of dreaded Alzheimer’s and everything between. It’s a passion that has been growing for years and it’s time for something to happen. I’ll be recruiting some of my talented and creative (mostly more creative then me) friends and colleagues for their input and when it’s the right fit, their direct participation. It will be a not-for-profit adventure and I’ll plan on gaining some grant funding to get it started. Once it’s rolling, I’m planning for it to become self-sustaining. Any profits that may be generated will be used to assist people in some kind of need - yet to be determined. This will be my venture into social entrepreneurism.

Travel! Oh, yes! This year I have to get back on the road. I’m working on the van conversion. Soon I’ll begin writing posts, complete with photos, of the actual process of converting the 1994 Ford high-top van into a basic, micro-motor home for one-person. I am finalizing my technology for maintaining communication, Internet connectivity and entertainment during my travels. I have one design completed and I’m considering a second possible design as an alternative. I have identified most of the materials and sources. I’m still a bit stymied by the electrical system, but I’m sure I’ll find the help I need to resolve that. I am planning a trip to the west coast in the early to mid spring – Seattle to visit with and hang out with my son and former brother-in-law and family for a while. Then to Oregon to visit one or two friends I haven’t seen in over 40 years. And, finally, California to visit other family members and friends.

I’m also going to complete a major task I’ve been dragging my feet on. I WILL clear out the storage unit in Winchester. Mostly what’s left there is a lot of outdated, heavy, electronic equipment – mainly from the audio recording, tape duplication and video industries I’ve been involved in over the years. This is one of those projects that for whatever reason and we all have them, we just keep putting off. The longer we procrastinate, the worse it is. So, this is it. Time to bite the bullet and do the final part of the major downsizing that I started in 2008. It’s time to move forward and stop dragging the past behind as a giant anchor.

So, again, I thank you for reading my musings and following along my living free journey. I wish you a happy, healthy, abundant and living free 2012. Stay tuned! It’s going to be a grand adventure.

Enthusiastically,

Photo of the Week #35 - Basic Training Barracks at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas

2012-01-01T06:00:00.001-05:00

This photo brings back some memories of a very different time in my life. This is the barracks I spent my first six weeks in the active U.S. Air Force 42 years ago. All Air Force basic training takes place at Lackland Air Force Base just outside San Antonio, Texas. It was August 19, 1969 when I reported for active duty to this base and was assigned to a Basic Military Training Flight (the same as a platoon in the Army). I remember it all, too well. After being sworn in I was flown from Newark Airport in NJ on, the now defunct, Braniff Airlines to San Antonio International Airport then transported by Air Force bus to the base. We received our first Air Force meal at a 24-hour dining hall called Hell’s Kitchen. Actually, the food was quite good. Then we were marched to our new home, our barracks.

Each of these barracks was three-stories. These barracks were relatively new, probably only a few years old and, they were air-conditioned and of brick and masonry construction. There were a lot of older, not air-conditioned, wooden barracks on the base used to house basic trainees and permanent party. I was lucky enough to be assigned to one of the new barracks. The first floor was administrative offices, classrooms and a dining hall. Each of the upper two floors in each building housed a BMT flight. I was on the third floor of the building in this photo. From this “base of operations” we went through classroom training on required subjects, physical fitness, drill and endurance training on a tarmac pad across the road from the barracks and went off to the obstacle course, the firing range, the dispensary for physicals and inoculations and other requirements. Air Force basic training, at least when I was there, was six weeks in duration and, while we may have thought it was grueling and demeaning, was actually more like Boy Scout camp when compared to the Marine Corps basic training. Today the basic training program is about eight or nine weeks in duration.

We entered basic training as an unlikely rag-tag bunch of strangers from all over the U.S. and six weeks later we graduated as a tight-knit working unit. It seemed like it was taking forever, but it really went very fast. Yes indeed, this building was the place I started my nearly four-year Air Force career during the Vietnam era. If I weren’t in the process of being drafted into the Army, I wouldn’t have enlisted. But, honestly, I not only don’t regret enlisting, I gained much for my future and I’m proud to have served my country. This photo was taken on a rainy day in September 2003 while I was exploring Texas.

Out with the Old . . . Farewell 2011

2011-12-31T14:09:00.001-05:00

Today marks the 66^th change of year commemoration during my lifetime. I don’t count this as unusual. Every living person will experience this same event based on the number of years each has spent on this planet. The interesting thing to me is that each year seems to pass faster and faster, yet nothing has changed. Each year still consists of 365 days (except leap years, of which 2012 is). Each day still consists of 24 hours each representing 60 minutes and so on. So, time is still constant. What is changing is my perception and . . . me.

This posting is about what was – what happened. What occurred this year of my life that made an impact on me in some way? This is my retrospective. Perhaps, you’ll want to consider your year in retrospect. Everything that happened to each of us this past year made us a slightly, or perhaps, a considerably changed individual. I won’t even guess about your year, but perhaps some of the things that happened to me will spark your thoughts.

I spent the month of January in Florida, the first time in my life where I spent longer then at least a month someplace other then the place I considered “home” and I loved it.
I lost two of my contemporaries to death – two people of my age bracket who each was a part of my life at some significant level. I faced my own mortality on a much more realistic level.
I was involved in the worst auto accident of my life, an altercation with a deer on a very dark mountain road in North Carolina. The car was a total loss, but I walked away unscathed. I could have been killed. I, again, faced my own mortality.
The wrecked car required that I replace it. Through a lot of soul searching and past and immediate research, I decided to buy the used high-top van I’m converting into a micro motor home for one person – the 40-foot dream scaled down to an 18-foot reality.
I broke out of, yet, another comfort zone. I broke the large comfort zone on October 31, 2008 when I left the ranch for my life of nomadic freedom. I promptly created a new comfort zone (actually, three) with my friend’s place in Falls Church, VA, my other friend’s office in Fairfax and my other friend’s place in Winchester (the small rural city I lived in for the past 27 years). The deer/auto accident in August and the acquisition of the van were the catalysts for breaking these comfort zones – probably 2 ½ years late.
I actually accomplished a major breakthrough in simplifying my life. I met with my accountant of about 25 years and gave him the preliminary financial data for my 2011 business year and it required only two pages. He was astounded and congratulated me on making one of the most positive moves since he’s known me.
I didn’t travel as much as I would have liked this past year, only about 6,000 to 7,000 miles. But, that will be rectified in 2012 with trips that are already scheduling up.
Generally, my health remained very good other then contracting Lyme Disease in June. I caught it early and received treatment and that appears to be in the past. But, I got off track after the August accident and breaking the comfort zones this fall, allowed stress to gain a bit of a foothold and I packed on some of the pounds I had lost and with that my cholesterol and triglycerides have gone back into the too “high” range. Work to do.
I’ve moved just about all of my long-term storage out of Winchester, VA to a storage space in Keyser, WV. It’s near my friend’s house that I’m now using as a temporary base of operations as I clear up the final vestiges of my former life and comfort zones.
I completed the writing for my first book. I’ll complete going through it and cleaning it up a bit and then to the editor and the designer. I believe it’s the hardest book to complete (in my estimation). The book will be ready for consumption by anyone who cares to read it very soon in 2012.
The year has been a time of introspective analysis, especially the last five months, again, the catalysts being the loss of one important person in my life and the accident with the deer. I’ve looked back over 54 years of business involvement (beginning at age 12), nearly 50 years in the recording and audio (and a little video) industries and about 12 years in the book publishing industry. I’ve finally faced some self-made myths, apparitions and realities and accepted them. I’m finally able to release certain things that I’ve clung to and that have held me back in many ways. More freedom realized.
I have focused on my writing and blogging. My blog following, though still small, is constantly expanding and encompasses some 20 to 30 countries. I’ve learned a lot about what I have to do to grow in the cyber world. I’ve met (though not in person, yet) several new people traveling similar, yet, unique paths in freedom, simplicity and frugal living to mine own. Their life adventures affirm my own and, I hope, I’m contributing a little to theirs. All of this is clarifying my future projects and pathways.

So, there are twelve things I can immediately identify as events during 2011 that have shaped my living free experience. There were surely numerous others, but each of these twelve things will form a part of the foundation for 2012. Each requires me to follow through on some positive course of action. Will these be New Years resolutions – absolutely not. I am of the mindset that New Years resolutions don’t work. They are a form of goal setting based on a date that simply marks the end of a man created period of time and the beginning of a new one. Do I have goals? Of course, but they are not determined by this intangible change of time period.

This morning I had my own celebration of the end of this year. I stopped at the local Sheetz convenience store and bought one of their “made to my order” breakfast muffins. I pack them full of all kinds of great stuff. Mmmmm! Delicious. Then I made a stop at the local WalMart and picked up a few things including almond milk, which I much prefer to regular dairy milk and it’s better for me as well. But, while I was there, I purchased two large, powdered-sugar covered, jelly-filled donuts and a pint of chocolate milk. I then devoured them in the van while listening to Click & Clack, the comedic Boston based auto repair mavens on their public broadcasting show, “Car Talk.” Did I need any of that stuff in my stomach? Of course I didn’t. Then why did I do it? Simple! Because I chose to do it. I don’t make a habit of eating so destructively, but if I can’t indulge in some of the delicious evils of life, am I really free and is life really worth living? Now, it’s back to healthier eating, which is my normal pattern.

If you're reading this post, you are one of the terrific folks who stop by and consume my musings. Thank you for your time and eyes. I can only say I appreciate you and I sincerely hope that you've gained some useful information or ideas to make your life more like you want it to be.

Farewell 2011! It’s been a good year and a bad year. But, I choose for it to all end up good for me. Best wishes for a happy, healthy and abundant 2012.

Enthusiastically,

Photo of the Week #34 – Winter on the Ranch

2011-12-25T06:00:00.003-05:00

We’re back in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia this week. Since I no longer live on the ranch, it’s now a travel location for me. When I’m in the area, I attempt to drive by the old homestead once in a while. The fences are falling into disrepair. That’s sad because it does detract from the beauty of the property. I always made sure the fences were kept up.

This photo was from the winter of 2007, about a year and a half or so before I left the ranch. Yes, indeed, we did see our share of snow in the Valley. Not every year mind you. Some years we barely had enough to even consider plowing the nearly quarter mile driveway to the house. But, in 2003, two weeks after I moved in (on February 1^st) I had major surgery and right after I got back to the ranch after the surgery we had 30” of snow around the house. It took a large Caterpillar bulldozer to plow the driveway. Thankfully, a neighbor had one and was opening up everyone’s driveway along the country road we all lived on.

I have to admit, though I’d just as soon not see snow, but it was mighty pretty on the ranch when the snow was on the ground. According to the weather predictions for the 2011/2012 winter we’re likely to see very little snow in this region. As a matter of fact, they are predicting the ski resorts from Virginia and parts of West Virginia north through Pennsylvania, New York and New England can look forward to a very poor skiing season this year. Now, here’s the caveat, when the forecasters predict little or no snow, we usually get clobbered by at least one significant blizzard. I plan to be on the road somewhere warmer when that happens. But, even Georgia and northern Florida have experienced snow in recent winters. So, where do I head? Happy Winter 2012.

2011 Holiday Season Reflections

2011-12-23T14:57:00.004-05:00

Santa Ed (yes, that’s actually me)

Another year has come and gone. Wow! Where did it go? Here it is, December 23, 2011 and I’m experiencing the 66^th Christmas holiday season of my life. I think most of us take these things for granted. A year starts, life happens, the Christmas holiday season comes around again, the big crystal ball drops on Times Square in NYC and another year begins. It’s just business as usual.

I don’t see it that way. First, I’m just amazed that I’m still here 66 years after the beginning of my existence in this world. Sure, I’ve experienced the same amount of time on this planet as anyone else who has reached my age. But, allow me to approach this from a slightly different perspective. I’ve noted several times that my most valuable . . . actually, priceless commodity is time. So, to this date, and these numbers are probably about 99.9% accurate, I have enjoyed and been blessed to spend:

800 months

3,471 weeks

24,377 days

585,048 hours

35,102,880 minutes

2,106,272,800 seconds

. . . on this Earth.

Those numbers astonish me. I doubt that you (and most people) ever look at your life from this point of reference. Even if a person only lives to 33 years of age, he or she becomes a “seconds” billionaire of this priceless commodity - time. I look back and think of all the things I’ve experienced and accomplished from speaking my first words and taking my first steps through all the people who have passed through my life and have each added to and enriched my life in some important way. Then I consider all my professional achievements, each of which has impacted the world in some small way and accordingly left me more fulfilled. When I add the places I’ve traveled to, the foods I’ve enjoyed and the innumerable and varied experiences I’ve been privileged to participate in, the vast majority being wonderful (yes, and some, not so wonderful, perhaps, even painful) but, all enriching my life in some way . . . WOW!

Perhaps this sounds more like a Thanksgiving message, but it’s actually a timeless message. This message can be applied to one’s birthday, a Thanksgiving celebration, a Christmas or other any other kind of religious commemoration and a New Years celebration. This is the kind of reflecting that too many people don’t do until they are old, I mean really old. Not too long ago, 66 was considered old. A few generations before that 45 was considered really old. Our earlier ancestors were lucky to live into their 30’s. But, today, the saying is that 60 is the new 40. Correspondingly, 66 must be the new 46. So, 66, to my mind, is not old at all. However, I have fully acknowledged and accepted that I’m on my way to third base and will soon be heading to home plate. My wish for my life (and everyone else’s) is that we’ll all make it to home plate, slide in, with our bodies tired and worn out from playing an excellent game and scoring the home run.

Unfortunately, some may falter on the way around the bases, being impeded by medical or, perhaps, mental challenges. Others will be tagged out before making it all the way around the bases and having their game end early. No one knows for sure if they’ll make it to home plate. I lost one teammate in my game this past August. I just learned that I lost another teammate last April. They were both tagged out before they even got to third base. I’m sure you’ve lost “team mates,” too. It’s sad, but it’s part of the game.

Here’s the key. It doesn’t matter how much money, material possessions, status, position, education or any other external displays of wealth anyone has, the game is the same for everyone. Steve Jobs, a billionaire in financial terms and certainly in status and position, was tagged out before he made it around to home plate. Actually, he was just getting off second base. I just learned of another man I’ve enjoyed working with, in the theater I did sound design at, who made it around and slid into home plate just a day ago. John did not have the financial wealth, status or position that Steve Jobs had, but he made it all the way around the bases and scored the home run.

I’m not big on celebrating the Christmas holiday season. While some may consider me the Grinch, as you can see from the photo, I can actually be a rather jolly fellow. But, in fact, living free is the greatest gift of all for me. No matter how anyone defines personal freedom for his or her individual life, we are all still part of the game. I choose, after too many years of leading a complicated life in business (some call it the rat race), to live simply and frugally and focus on the two areas of greatest value in my life, my time and my relationships. I find great fulfillment in carefully giving (or possibly tithing) of my time to people and causes I believe in. My belief is that I am giving more value then just doling out money. I do my best to not squander my time. And I am careful to not allow others to waste or abuse it. I treat it as the priceless commodity that it is.

I am also doing my best at placing ever greater value on the relationships I have with people I know from my past, people in my present life and those new relationships with people I haven’t even met, yet. I’m letting you and them know just how much you and they have enriched and fulfilled my life and continue to do so. I hope, as my gift to you and each of them, I have and can continue to enrich and fulfill your life and their lives, at some level . . . at least a little bit.

My wish for you is that you cherish your priceless time and enjoy and gain the most fulfillment from every second. I, personally, have no issue with anyone acquiring significant or even great wealth and abundance. I just hope that those individuals don’t place more value on money and “stuff” while letting their priceless time slip away and missing the opportunities to share their lives with the people most important to them. Go for the home run and slide into the plate battered, worn out and tired. Play a great game of life.

And, finally, thank you for being an important . . . no . . . make that, a priceless part of my life. Have a wonderful and meaningful Christmas, Hanukkah or holiday season, regardless of how you enjoy this time. I also extend my best wishes for a happy, healthy, prosperous (however you define prosperity) and living free 2012.

Enthusiastically,

Photo of the Week #33 – The Blue Ridge Mountains

2011-12-18T13:33:00.000-05:00

This photo illustrates why they are called the Blue Ridge Mountains. While the Blue Ridge Mountains are far from the highest mountains in the world or even in the U.S. or North America, they provide some of the most beautiful views in the country. I shot this photo in July of 2005 at one of the scenic overlooks along the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway. The Parkway extends from the Rockfish Gap near Waynesboro, Virginia (on Afton Mountain) to Cherokee, North Carolina near Asheville and the Cherokee Indian Reservation. This particular shot was taken in North Carolina not far from the Virginia border and Galax, Virginia. You’re looking east toward the Piedmont region.

Virginia and North Carolina are mountainous in the western parts of the states, fairly flat and lower in elevation in the central piedmont region and finally, the lowlands are along the Atlantic coastline. This particular location was at about 2,900 feet above sea level. The Piedmont below, other then the smaller mountains in the background, is at around 1,000 feet. The mist through the mountains is what causes the bluish color, thus, the Blue Ridge. It’s difficult for those folks from the western part of the U.S. who live in or near the Rockies, the Cascades and the Sierra Nevada mountain ranges to call the eastern mountain ranges “mountains,” though each state, both North Carolina and Virginia, have mountains that reach at least a mile high. But, for the most part the eastern mountains are somewhat less then 4,000 feet. However, the eastern mountains are much older then the western mountains and very lush in vegetation and beautiful rivers and streams.

If you’ve never experienced any of the eastern mountain ranges, the 469 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway and it’s connected northern sister, the Skyline Drive, an additional 105 miles, through the Shenandoah Forest National Park from Front Royal, VA to Rockfish Gap is well worth your time. The combined distance is 574 miles. Take at least three to four days to make the trip and stop off in some of the small towns along the way, like Mt. Airy, North Carolina where Andy Griffith was born and raised and was a model for his hit TV series, “The Andy Griffith Show” (1960-1968) and Galax, Virginia, home of the legendary “Old Fiddler’s Convention” drawing fiddlers from around the world. And in North Carolina you won’t want to miss the Biltmore Estate at Mt. Pisgah (the Parkway runs through the original estate property) and Boone.

My Three Universal Laws + One

2011-12-12T12:23:00.000-05:00

I’ve said this before. “Freedom isn’t free.” We are born free, but the older we get the more things seem to encumber us. The society we live in, no matter how advanced or primitive, places limitations, restrictions, boundaries and other forms of constraints on us. The majority conforms and lives within what we might call the “mainstream” norms or standards of the society. A few of us push the envelope and live on the fringe. Fewer still push outside the envelope and live, perhaps, the freest of all. No matter where each of us fits in this spectrum, deep inside there is a spark of that freedom. Most learn to keep that spark hidden, buried, if you will. As we mature and approach the other end of the living experience, many will attempt to let that spark get a bit brighter and reach out for some more of that freedom. One thing that is always constant is that freedom isn’t free and there is always some kind of price for whatever we want in life, including more freedom.

Over the years I have discovered three universal laws. The first two, I attribute to my dear and departed friend, John Jay Daly. The third law I added after being in business for 25 or 30 years. A universal law is a law that is not created by men or women. It is simply something that always is. These three laws are:

No matter what it is, it ALWAYS takes longer then you estimated or planned.

No matter what it is, it ALWAYS costs more then you planned or budgeted.

No matter what it is, after careful and calculated research, shopping and negotiating to get the best deal, it is ALWAYS available somewhere for less.

These three laws apply to virtually everything in our human existence. And, while it may appear that something didn’t take more time or cost more or you didn’t find it cheaper after you made your decision and purchased, the fact is, if you peel away the layers, you’ll always find the universal laws still apply. We mostly take these laws for granted. In reality, we’d probably drive ourselves crazy or become paralyzed by the paralysis of analysis if we focused too much on these universal laws and attempt to beat them or disprove them. We simply do the best we can, accept the outcome and move forward.

There is a fourth universal law that I’m adding to my list. This one is so pervasive in our lives that, in my particular case, at least, I accepted it, took it for granted and never realized that it is a universal law. So,

4. No matter who you are, your station in life or how wealthy/poor you are – “Life happens!”

Perhaps, in more colloquial terms it is stated that “S**t happens.” You’ve seen it on bumper stickers, I’m sure.

This law is totally indisputable. It doesn’t matter who you are, how important your position, how much money you have, where you live – there are no exceptions and no one is exempt or escapes this law – like it or not – life happens for everyone. It's often connected with the statement, "Life is not fair," which is also true, or is it? A subject for another day, perhaps. I dare say that there is probably not a single human being walking the face of the Earth today who is exactly where they planned to be when they began their adult life. They are not doing precisely what they planned to be doing, with exactly who they planned to be with and doing whatever it is with that person or group that was part of some grand or simple plan they started life with. Sure, maybe we can plan to have two eggs over easy with bacon and toast for breakfast this morning – you planned that by making sure all the ingredients were in inventory the night before. However, even something as simple as that can be significantly impacted by a traffic light that turned red and stopped you. This caused you to arrive a few moments after the store closed the evening before to buy one or more of the ingredients for the breakfast. You might have been late due to an unexpected situation at the office or an unusual traffic jam on your route home. The possibilities are endless.

If you’re into self-help books and audio programs (and I published self-help books and produced self-help audio programs for a number of years – and I’ve certainly read and listened to countless self-help books audio programs), I’m sure you’ve heard the age old cliché’s about, “if you fail to plan you plan to fail” or “you must write your short term and long term goals down and read them everyday to stay on plan.” What can I say? They are true and they help. Planning for just about everything from preparing a meal to taking a family vacation to progressing in your profession, etc. definitively help you achieve the goals you’ve written down for yourself. And, certainly some of these things will come to pass pretty close to the plan and the goals.

However, it’s the “life happens” factor that we can’t account for. Life is dynamic. It has no compassion for you or me. It just is and it goes on its way despite our goals or plans. Just a few things that change everything and negate or cause huge detours in our plans and achieving our goals include deaths, accidents, changes in local, national or world economies (or all three), the demise of a vendor, purchase of a bad egg, being bitten by a nearly microscopic insect and contracting Lyme Disease (happened to me this year), having your car demolished by a kamikaze deer (also happened to me this year) and the list goes on and on. It doesn’t matter if you’re royalty or pauper. You’re not exempt.

So, why this topic? Why now? That’s simple. Because universal laws apply universally and that means they are always impacting everyone’s lives. You can’t do much to prepare for them or bypass them. You simply do the best you can, accept that no matter how much you planned to pay, how much time you allocated and no matter how intently you researched that they all apply and that #4 – “Life Happens!!!” guarantees it. You can’t beat the laws, but being aware of them means you can at least accept that this is all part of this exciting journey we call “Life” and deal with the challenges that present themselves with a positive, understanding and accepting attitude. This will not, necessarily, change the outcome, but it will set you free.

Enthusiastically,

Photo of the Week #32 – Tis the Season . . .

2011-12-11T14:53:00.000-05:00

Indeed! Tis the season for all kinds of celebrations. Probably one of the most iconic symbols of the season for the past 78 years is the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. This tree is erected in late November and is removed the week after New Year’s Day. It is typically in the range of 70 to 100 feet tall, though there have been a few shorter 70 feet, but so far, none taller then 100 feet. The tree is adorned by some 30,000 lights. Recently the lighting ornaments were converted to LED lights.

The tree is located directly in front of the GE (formerly the RCA) Building and towers over the ice rink in Rockefeller Center during the winter season. Rockefeller Center is always a popular location for visitors and local shoppers alike all year long, but it’s especially crowded and festive during the Christmas holiday season. It’s one of the places I always enjoy venturing to when I infrequently visit Manhattan Island during the holiday season. This photo is probably about eight years old. When the tree is removed, the wood is used for various projects including the Habitat for Humanity.

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you’re most likely aware that I grew up about 12 miles from Manhattan Island in northern NJ. You’re probably also aware that I am not a big fan of dense, congested, city living and working. While I enjoyed my visit to Rockefeller Center when I snapped this photo, you can see the density and congestion of Manhattan Island. I was surrounded by buildings and people. I couldn’t see the sky unless I looked straight up and in this location, the only green plants I could see were the Christmas tree and the other decorations typically made from pine trees and none of them were living plants. For me, this is a place to visit, not to live or work. This always reminds me why I live in far less densely populated and congested locations.

No matter how you celebrate this season or what your religious convictions might be, I wish you a happy and healthy and blessed holiday.

Feeding Frenzy – Part Deux

2011-12-08T19:29:00.000-05:00

After rereading my last post on the Black Friday/Cyber Monday Feeding Frenzy, I decided a follow-up was in order.

First and foremost, as you recall, I said I was a capitalist and free enterpriser. That stands unequivocally. I also need to make sure that it’s clear that I have, during my lifetime, purchased and consumed and wasted massive amounts of stuff and money. I’m not particularly proud of this, but it’s a fact and the truth and I’d be a hypocrite if I didn’t disclose that.

Second, my discourse on the feeding frenzy concept, while obviously judgmental of people who display – in some ways, behavior that may be a little aberrant, I can honestly state that I have never participated in this crazy shopping mania that has continuously been hyped to new heights year after year. I certainly do not have any negative feelings about anyone who chooses to buy gifts for their family members and close friends. At one time, I was there myself. The maturing (albeit, aging) process brings along with it certain degrees of wisdom. One of the facets of becoming “older and wiser” is that I and most of the folks approaching, in or beyond my age bracket don’t really have much in the way of “needs” and even our wants are typically things that we wouldn’t and don’t expect our family and friends to buy for us.

As I’ve looked back, while I can’t say, in honesty, that my buying and gift giving experience of the past was wise and prudent in probably a majority of cases, I just wasn’t wise and prudent back then, thus, I did what I did and accept it. Perhaps being better informed and more educated in the economy and the true value of giving “gifts” would have served me better. Unfortunately, this part of our life experience is, again, one of those handed down through the generations, so it simply perpetuates. Add to that continually more assertive, and dare I say, aggressive marketing strategies and techniques, based more on the science of selling “stuff” and utilizing more and more expanded media to emotionally and psychologically appeal to our senses. And, I can’t neglect adding a significant greed factor. “I gotta have this or that” often without an honestly definable need or even a want. It’s simply, I gotta have it because so and so has it so I have to have it, too or it’s on sale and at this price I can’t afford not to buy it (even though I really don’t need it) and other, similar lame reasons for buying “stuff.”

Once again, full-disclosure, I have purchased stuff that, ultimately I didn’t really “need,” but wanted and in other cases I bought something just because the deal was too good to pass up. I once bought a brand new laser printer because the deal was too good. It sat, brand new in the sealed carton for over two years before I finally forced myself to “justify” opening it and using it. It’s still hardly been used, years later. I can say the same thing about a photo quality inkjet printer I purchased over eight years ago and it still has the original ink cartridges in it. That shows how little I really needed a photo quality inkjet printer. Oh, and what little use it has had, was not mine, but that of a friend.

I’ve walked the walk, thus, I feel justified in talking the talk. We live in a world and a society of things and stuff. Some things and some stuff we need. Most, or least much, of it, we don’t need. But, we live in a capitalistic society. In order for our economy to prosper, we have to consume stuff. True! The real question is how much do we need to consume? A friend of mine’s 89 year-old mother and I were having a discussion not long ago and she said, “We spend the first 50 years of our life accumulating ‘stuff’ and then we spend the rest of our lives trying to get rid of it. Getting rid of it is more difficult.”

But, if we don’t consume massive amounts of ‘stuff,’ how will we keep people working and have enough jobs. My theory on that is simply, the economy will adjust itself to supply and demand. Perhaps, we’ll spend less money on the cubic volume or quantity of stuff we buy when we realize that we really don’t need a lot of things and probably don’t even want the stuff. On the other hand, we might be willing to pay more for higher quality and better-manufactured products. The same goes for the services that we purchase from others. Perhaps there will be less need to outsource the labor and manufacturing (and even some service industries like order taking, customer service and technical support), thus, allowing more people to work in this country. Also, since we’ll be purchasing less ‘stuff’ we might not require higher and higher incomes or to work as much as we currently do to have money to keep up with the Jones’s, thus, spreading work and income to more people working in jobs that currently exist.

It also goes without saying that as a society we continue to evolve. That means the brilliance, creativity and innovativeness of humans will create newer and better products and new technologies will continue to change our lives for the better while expanding opportunities. The entrepreneur, free enterpriser and capitalist will continue to improve the world, our lives and the economy.

However, let’s get back to the feeding frenzy. It’s not my position that anyone shouldn’t want to give gifts to their families and their friends. That is part of being human. We want to share. We want to show our appreciation for the relationships and the value we find in our family and friends. My position is, for those who have the intelligence and wisdom to realize they are being hyped continually by the buy, buy, spend, spend mentality that is so persuasive in our country if you live in the U.S., to stop being a lemming, stop following the Pied Piper. How about the quaint idea of, actually, creating gifts that are meaningful and from the heart. How about making cookies or special candies or giving someone a small, framed photo of the two (or more) of you doing something memorable together. These have become so much more meaningful to me, personally (though I don’t have a place for framed photos, but a CD with photos on them is great). Give someone a gift of some kind of service you can provide for them like a massage, cleaning their house, washing their car, mowing their lawn, cleaning out their garage, attic or basement or helping them plant a garden, to mention a few. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination and creativity.

Oh, but you don’t have the time because you’re working all the time. I understand. Some of the time you have to work is actually the time it takes to earn the money to spend buying the gifts that, all too often, really don’t fit the needs, wants, tastes or fancies of the recipient. If you didn’t have to earn the money to pay for those gifts, you’d probably have the time to create personal gifts.

Okay, let me wrap this up. If you want to live free you have to define what that means for you and your life. The more time you commit to working to earn money to buy and pay for stuff for you or to gift other people is less time you have to live free. Additionally, the more stuff you or those you gift have, the more space is required to accommodate it, thus, that requires more time for maintenance, cost for upkeep and investment in enough (and expanding space to house the stuff. Again, this takes away from your ability to live free.

Giving gifts is wonderful, but I’ve found that the most precious gift I have and I can help others have is freedom. It doesn’t matter on what path your journey of life takes. It doesn’t matter what detours and obstacles you encounter. It doesn’t matter how much ‘stuff’ you accumulate. It doesn’t matter how many work hours you put in or how hard your work is. It doesn’t matter how much financial and material wealth you accumulate. The final destination is exactly the same for every man and woman walking the face of the Earth. And when we each reach that destination, ultimately, nothing we have nor anything we’ve done goes with us . . . except our memories. At that instant in time, every one of us is absolutely equal. None of the 60 to 80 hour work weeks, missed vacations, time away from family and friends, stuff in the attic, basement, garage, outbuilding, the jewelry, cars, boats and so on – matter. Time is the most valuable commodity each of us has and our lives and freedom are the most precious gifts we’ve been given.

Enjoy this holiday season. Spend time and relax with your family and friends. They are precious gifts, too. Find, create, make or, in the appropriate ways, purchase gifts for those you love and care about. Help those less fortunate in some way if you are so moved. Thank veterans and active duty service men and women for the freedom you still have (or at least the choice to “live free” if you want to). Thank their families. I honestly believe this is the way we should live our lives 365 (366 next year) days a year and not just on some select days on the calendar that, for the most part, have become synonymous with various degrees of shopping feeding frenzies.

Photo of the Week #31 – Hell Knows No Fury Like Mother Nature Scorned - OBX

2011-12-04T06:00:00.003-05:00

I’ve taken a bit of poetic license with the title for this post. This photo was taken on the beach (ocean to my back) at Duck, North Carolina on the group of barrier islands known as the Outer Banks or OBX for those in the know. This shot was taken in January of 2002 just after the New Year holiday. I decided to drive down to OBX just before Christmas that year and find a place to stay on the beach. December and January on the Outer Banks is definitely the off peak season. It’s pretty much deserted to be more accurate.

It was generally cold and breezy for most of the two weeks I was there. But, a “Nor’easter” came through just after New Years Day. The condo I was staying in is hidden behind the sand dune. The stairs go down the other side to a wooden walkway back to the condo. The stairs on the ocean side, where this photo was taken come from the top of the dune all the way down to the beach. As you can see, the storm changed the topography of the beach, which is now approaching the top of the sand dune. Those are my footprints in the sand where I made my way down below the newly drifted sand. It was very impressive.

But, this was not near as impressive as when I drove further south that day to see what other damage the storm had left behind. There I found houses that were off their pilings and laying on their side on the beach. Other houses on pilings were still high and dry, so high and dry, in fact, that the bottom of the steps from the beach leading to the entrances to the houses were as much as two to four feet over my head. In other words, the houses were now about 20 feet above the beach instead of the normal 8 to 10 feet above the beach. Many of the houses had their entire septic/drainage systems exposed on top of the beach. All that sand had been removed by the storm, the opposite result to that displayed in the photo.

All in all, it was a very impressive display of the forces of nature and I’m glad I had an opportunity to experience the storm and witness the results. As a side note, this photo was taken with my very first digital camera, a very simple, albeit primitive device, I used to get my feet wet (no pun intended) in digital photography

The Feeding Frenzy - Black Friday/Cyber Monday

2011-11-30T13:41:00.000-05:00

In many ways, I’ve always been a non-conformist and a minimalist, though during much of my life, it certainly didn't appear that way. My typical, middle-class, post-World War II family was not untypical of the changes that occurred in the socio-economic demographics and lifestyle of that era. My parents grew up through the Depression years. Their lives were minimalist. My father's work ethic was that of the nearly typical “Father Knows Best” breadwinner. He provided well for his family and by the time of his premature demise at age 42, we were living in a custom-built home on the side of a mountain overlooking the New York City skyline. We were a three-car family (soon to become a four-car family), which was almost unheard of at that time. Our home had three bathrooms, four bedrooms, etc. And, we had accumulated quite a bit of “stuff.” Life was good and the future as far as I could see looked like platinum to me. The American Dream was there to be had. The sky was no longer the limit with the space program in full operation.

Move forward 45 years or so and where have we ended up. We’re in a new depression. Okay, so the government and the economists are calling it a recession and they’re telling us that the recession is over, but is it really? And, for those millions who are still dealing with loss of jobs, loss of homes, loss of credit, loss of self-esteem and so on, is it really a recession? It seems pretty depressing to millions of people in this country. We became the wealthiest nation in the world and for a long time, the world looked up to us for the advances we had made. Kids everywhere in the world wanted to wear blue jeans, have their own Walkman portable cassette player (and more recently iPod or mp3 player), drive their own car (one would have been great, let alone multiple cars like we have). You name it: microwave ovens, VHS/DVD players, multiple line telephones, cell phones, multiple TVs and wall-sized plasma and LCD screens, desktop, laptop and netbook computers – now being augmented or replaced by iPads and other tablet computing devices. The list is endless. Supermarkets are now the size of what was once an entire shopping center with tens of thousands of items to choose from.

But, here’s the kicker, friends. Even in this down economy and while much of the rest of the world is teetering on financial collapse (perhaps because they followed our lead), this past Friday (and through the weekend) and then on Monday our country went on a “feeding frenzy” of shopping. The amount of influence the advertising industry and marketing departments of the major retailers (few of which existed 45 years ago) have over the American public is beyond astonishing. Some people actually gave up being at home with their families and friends on Thanksgiving Day, the day traditionally set up for families, primarily, to gather and share a day together being thankful for all the blessings we are so fortunate to have in our lives. That’s right! I don’t know the precise numbers, but I’d say that it could easily reach the tens of thousands, if not even 100,000 people or more, camped outside the major retailer stores all over this country to wait for the Black Friday sales to begin – some as early as 9:00 to 10:00 PM Thanksgiving (Thursday) evening.

But, worse then that, many, if not all of these retailers had to hire extra security personnel not only for in the stores, but also in the parking areas. People pushed, shoved, elbowed, trampled and even went as far as using pepper spray in at least one location and in another, a hand gun in the parking area to rob a shopper of the purchases just made. Last year or the year before a Walmart employee was trampled to death under the feet of the mob mentality shoppers when the doors opened. And here’s the best part. Retail marketing analysts have said, again, the sales on Black Friday and Cyber Monday are not necessarily the best deals or lowest prices of the year. It’s just a marketing ploy to kick off the holiday shopping season.

Now, let me state categorically, I am “apolitical.” My blog is not about and will never focus on the political scene, though I may occasionally make a comment or two about the lunacy that goes on in federal, state and local governments. But, where have the values, morals and ethics gone in our country? None of our government entities provide positive examples and role models. They are as corrupt as are parts of our banking and investment sectors. No, it’s not the responsibility of the government to legislate values, morals or ethics. Those are things we should have learned and embraced from our grandparents, parents, teachers, professors, religious affiliations and even our employers. Obviously, there has been a failure. This system seems to have broken down. The messages we are fed are mixed at best. First, we are told that we have spent too much (governmentally and personally) and that we must learn to conserve and save and live within our means. And that message is immediately followed with the admonition that we must patronize our retailers, buy new cars, buy homes, clothes, travel more, get more “stuff” because that will stimulate the economy. Wait a minute? How can we cut back, get out of debt, save more and at the same time consume more, spend more and invest in a rocky market in just about everything? Hmm, that’s how our various government entities operate. I guess that’s the role model.

Friends, I can certainly understand a “feeding frenzy” in a place where there is a massive lack of potable, safe water and food. These would be places where massive destruction has occurred due to various natural disasters – or even manmade disasters, like wars – civil, revolution and otherwise. Food and water are two of the very few absolutely necessary things we all need to sustain life. But, feeding frenzies over X Boxes, Playstations, Wii’s, iPod’s, iPads, overpriced designer jeans advertising some ego-maniac’s name on your ass, etc., etc., etc. Hey, don’t get me wrong. I’m a free-enterprising capitalist. I always have been and I always will be. You will not find me wasting my time sitting in some encampment in a city park or city square leaving my bodily wastes on the ground or urinating on police cars and creating tons of garbage for someone else to clean up to protest something that I don’t understand about how the system works. Actually, I do understand how it works. I also understand that it’s very complicated and that only a (relatively) small number of uber greedy, corrupt individuals who have long since lost their values, ethics, moral fiber and conscience are ultimately responsible for all that has happened. Some of these individuals, about 535 of them, are based inside the Washington, DC Beltway and WE are responsible for them being there – oops, political statement. The rest take advantage of the rest of the sheeple (that be us, folks) who allow them to do this to us.

I’m sorry if I insult anyone here with my thoughts. I also accept that I am as much of the problem as the next person (you, my friends, family, etc.) If you were one of the people going nuts on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, shame on you. You have just played follow the leader one more time. Sheeple. Lemmings. I don’t care what term you choose to use, if you follow the “leaders” in any form in our government, industries, advertising agencies, etc. you are not going to cause any of the change that you speak out of one side of your face about. I neither like nor dislike the current leader in the White House. It’s a tough job and there are only a few people willing to step up to the plate. Personally, I don’t care which party nor which candidate, taking on this kind of responsibility for a meager $400,000 (or is it $450,000 now) a year and a chance to live rent free like royalty for four to eight years doesn’t seem near enough. Indeed, there is massive ego (probably bordering on being an ego maniac) and a hunger for power that drives these people. Your Mission Impossible, Mr. Phelps, is to see if you can actually stop buying the bullsh*t that is shoveled out by candidates at every level of government, peel back the layers of lies and marketing hype (political campaigns are simply some of the most expensive advertising campaigns in the world) and find the truth – if there, actually, is any. Good luck on your mission.

Yes, at a mere 66 years young, I have lived through, what now appears to me in so many ways to be, the rise and fall of the American Dream. Hey! Don’t get me wrong. I’m proud to be an American (most of the time) and certainly glad I was born in this country. I proudly served my country for nearly four years voluntarily (to avoid being drafted for two years, I volunteered for four years) during one of the most unpopular wars (f not the most unpopular war) in this country’s history. I have been a serial entrepreneur creating productive businesses since age 12. I have created jobs for many people through these businesses, so I have helped promote the capitalist, free enterprise system. I’ve bought and owned homes. I raised a family. I’ve contributed to my community. I’ve dealt with a significant health issue. I’ve owned about 24 vehicles during my nearly 50 years of driving. I’ve been covered by health insurance continually at my own expense. I have accumulated STUFF – way, way, way too much stuff. I’ve pretty much done just about everything the American Dream is all about.

Ultimately, I found that I had fallen into the same path, and in my opinion, trap that most Americans fall into. The more “stuff” one has, the happier one is - FALSE. Also, to relate to the greedy and corrupt people in our society, many of who have contributed to our current economic situation, “you can never be too rich.” Well, I’ve never been too rich – at least not in terms of financial wealth. I’ve experienced some of the finer things of life and enjoyed them. However, after some 45 years of adult life what I’ve realized is that personal freedom and the time to enjoy that freedom are the most valuable wealth anyone can have at any age. This is why I’ve chosen to “live free” by divesting myself of the vast majority of stuff I’ve accumulated. Everyday I find there is more and more I can live without and I feel lighter and freer – and most importantly, happier. If you are reading this blog, you are either already experiencing some degree of “living free” and seeking more ways to achieve your own personal freedom and happiness or you are trapped in the system, are unhappy with your current state of affairs and searching for some answers. This, Mr. Phelps is NOT an Impossible Mission. And if you accept the mission and are willing to make the changes you discover are necessary for your life, then your mission will be successful and you can live happily ever after.

Comments are solicited. How do you feel about the Feeding Frenzy and Living Free?

A happy, healthy and sane holiday season is my wish for you.

Enthusiastically,

Photo of the Week #30 – Downtown Hotlanta, Georgia

2011-11-27T06:00:00.001-05:00

Atlanta, Georgia, also called “Hotlanta,” is a city I’ve been to many times. It was the home of one of my duplication system manufacturer/vendors in the days when I owned a couple of my duplication businesses and sold systems to other smaller duplicators. An old friend from church, high school and college days and her husband lived there until she retired from teaching school. I’ve lost track of her and will have to search her out again. I also have several colleagues from the professional speaking field who lived in and several who still live in the Atlanta area.

This photo was shot from an upper floor in the Atlanta Hilton Hotel in March of 2004 when I was there exhibiting at a book marketing conference hosted by best-selling author, Mark Victor Hansen of “Chicken Soup for the Soul” fame. In the background you can see the Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel, all 773 feet of it. I’ve stayed at the Peachtree Plaza as well. Atlanta is a very upscale southern city. Like virtually all big cities, it has to deal with massive traffic and congestion. And, of course, it’s a fairly expensive city to live and work in, though, probably not as expensive as New York and Washington, DC. Atlanta also is home to the busiest airport in the U.S.

Photo of the Week #29 – Las Vegas Skyline

2011-11-20T06:00:00.002-05:00

Believe it or not, this is the closest I’ve ever been to downtown Las Vegas. The photo was, obviously, taken from the terminal at the Las Vegas International Airport. In nearly 50 years in the recording industry and, by association, the broadcasting industry, plus years of convention and conference recording work, I’ve never had an assignment or a reason to travel to the city of Las Vegas, Nevada. I may be an anomaly. Since I’m not a gambler (at least of the kind that Las Vegas has built it’s economy and reputation on), I’ve never been attracted to this desert oasis.

This photo was taken on one of the worst and the most expensive domestic air travel experiences in the U.S. to date. I was actually on my way to a family reunion in Lake Tahoe and had to fly through Las Vegas to Reno and on to Lake Tahoe by car. I can’t say that I was overly, impressed by the skyline during the daytime. I’m sure that, from all reports, nighttime in Las Vegas is spectacular. Since I have at least two friends who live in “Sin City,” I’m sure I’ll visit there one of these days. One of my friends is the news anchor on a network affiliate TV station and the other is a “living free” friend who gave up the traditional job scene years ago and spends her time traveling and conducting seminars and workshops.

I guess my knowledge of Las Vegas comes primarily from watching C.S.I. on TV and a couple of older TV shows that were based in and around Las Vegas. As I may have made clear before, growing up just 12 miles from New York City, I’m not a real fan of big cities. Though I’ve been to many, actually, most of the major U.S. cities, I prefer small town Americana, which is probably another reason I’ve never been attracted to Vegas.

Travelers’ Tech Tips (for Nomads, Gypsies, RVers & other Travelers) Tip #7 – Cellular/Wireless Phones and Service/Data Providers

2011-11-18T14:29:00.000-05:00

This week’s Travelers’ Tech Tip is one of those controversial subjects that can be either opening a can of worms or a Pandora’s Box. The subject is selecting a cellular device and a cellular/wireless data provider. For those of you who, like me, are old enough to remember when selecting telephone service was very simple . . . there was only one to choose from. Everything was very simple back then.

The largest telephone company in the U.S. was the Bell Telephone System, affectionately referred to as “Ma Bell.” The Bell Telephone System was owned by one huge government sanctioned monopoly, AT&T, which originally stood for the American Telephone and Telegraph Company. There were numerous smaller telephone companies around the U.S. and many rural areas had their own independent phone companies that licensed the technology from the Bell System. But, for the most part, the Bell System, franchised companies under AT&T, was the largest. AT&T also owned Western Electric, the company that manufactured the telephone equipment used in the Bell System and the Bell Laboratories in New Jersey where AT&T’s research and development was based. Bell Labs is especially noted for the invention of the transistor, which is the basis for the miniaturization of electronics making today’s fantastic technology possible. Of course, there is a lot more to the story and I’ve left out many details, but essentially, this was telephone service in the U.S. from the later 1800’s until the mid 1980’s when the AT&T monopoly was broken up after years of anti-trust litigation.

I still remember when telephones were very heavy, wired instruments that were hard-wired into your home or office. You could have your phone in any color as long as it was black and it had a rotary dial. There were still many places where phone numbers were only four or five digits for making local calls. In larger metropolitan areas and large cities the phone number exchanges were identified by a word, typically a formal name such as Prescott or Bigelow and so on. That’s the reason phone touch-tone pads (that are large enough) still have numbers and letters on them. A phone number would have seven characters, two letters, typically representing the first two letters of the exchange name and five digits. An example of a phone number from back in the early through mid 1950’s would be PR3-4567 corresponding to Prescott 3-4567. As phone services expanded in the late 50’s and 60’s, the phone company began realizing that they required larger and larger banks of phone numbers to meet the growing demand. So, they dropped the practice of using the word designators for an exchange and just assigned two numbers, thus, creating the seven-digit phone number. Area codes, an additional three digits, were added to make direct dialing of phone numbers outside the local calling area possible. Before area codes were instituted, long distance phone calls had to be routed and connected by a telephone operator. Telephone operator, once a profession requiring a significant number of people, typically women, is another field that has been all but replaced by computer automation.

The Cellular Phone System

Mobile telephones date back to the mid to late 1940’s. They were basically, mobile two-way radio stations that connected through the wired telephone network. They were large, cumbersome and expensive. Very few people or businesses could afford them. AT&T and Bell Labs had conceived of the cellular mobile phone system as early as the beginning of the 1950’s, however, there was no technology in existence to make such a system possible or operational. However, remembering that Bell Laboratories engineers invented the transistor and with continual improvement in radio technology, much of it due to the space program and some through the experimental operations of amateur radio operators, the idea of short distance, point-to-point communication networks became possible. Add to the equation that computer technology was rapidly improving and, viola, the cellular phone system became possible. And, of course, the first cellular phone system was turned on in Chicago under an AT&T company, Ameritech Mobile Communications, in October of 1983. And the rest is history.

The FCC has regulated cellular phone communications since the beginning because the service utilizes public radio spectrum to carry the phone calls. I won’t go into the numerous laws, regulations, companies, mergers and technological advances that brought us to the current state of cellular phone service. I’ll simply say that they were legion. If you’re a technology buff, it’s a fascinating evolutionary study and I encourage you to learn about it on a cold, snowy night some time, if you’re ever that bored. Suffice it to say, we’re a long, long way from the day when Alexander Graham Bell purportedly uttered into his new invention, “Watson, come here. I need you.”

Companies have come and companies have gone since 1983. Technologies have come and gone since that same year. Certainly, in the early stages of cellular phone communication, most people only saw it as a convenience allowing for more freedom and mobility. Businesses were among the first to embrace the cellular phone and it paid great dividends. I didn’t dive into the cellular phone service until 1992, almost nine years since the first cellular phone service was inaugurated in Chicago. I had been an amateur radio operator since I was 14 and had already had a limited phone capability in my car since the late 70’s through my 144 MHz (2 meter) mobile ham station. So, I understood the potential. I even had small, handheld radios I could make limited phone calls with. The major disadvantages were that these phone calls were not private, anyone monitoring the frequency I was transmitting and receiving on could hear everything and the calls could not be of any kind of commercial nature. I acquired my first cellular phone in 1992, as did my lady friend (soon to be wife) so we could keep in touch since both of our professional lives required us to travel regularly. It was an amazing way to keep connected. Later, around 1994 or 1995, I credit my cellular phone with saving my son’s life. And, I can’t recount the number of times it has been instrumental in business, again, since I traveled much, allowing me the freedom to travel and to stay in contact with clients, suppliers and colleagues.

The Cellular System, Data Services and the Smart Phone

So, here we are, near the end of 2011, a mere 28 years since the first cellular phone system went “on the air” and nearly 20 years and, for me, six generations of cellular phones, later. The wired phone system that has existed since the latter part of the 19^th Century is rapidly becoming obsolete. More and more residences are dropping the traditional wired phone service and using only cellular phones. There nearly five out of every seven people alive on the Earth today have a cellular phone. Long distance service, formerly a premium product and generally an additional expense, is free for all but a minority of people in most developed and even developing countries. The quality of cellular phone calls has generally continued to improve with the continually developing digital technologies. The digital technologies have allowed the networks to handle many times more calls simultaneously then at any time in the past. And, of course, between the continual development of digital technology, miniaturization and the Internet (not to mention software developers), the telephone, once a large box, hard-wired to one central point in a home or business, is now a tiny, multi-functional (even the most simple) device carried in nearly everyone’s (men, women and children) pocket, purse, backpack, brief case, book bag, etc. And, it can be taken with you around the world very inexpensively.

Currently, the cellular service still provides the basic mobile phone service, albeit, much improved, that it provided in October of 1983 when it first hit the streets. However, it is now so much more. Another technological advance, the PDA or Personal Digital Assistant, which is a pocket-sized computer that provides all kinds of mobile data assistance, has been combined with the cellular phone. Additionally, including a still camera, video recorder, dictation recorder, mp3 player with the computing capabilities, the “smart phone” was created. By downloading literally tens of thousands of application programs (or “apps”) of every kind imaginable directly from the Internet, the cellular smart phone is literally becoming the central communication/networking and micro-computing capability in the lives of more and more active people every day. I state it this way, my smart phone allows me “personal freedom” I’ve never known before. The familiar American Express slogan certainly applies to the cellular phone/smart phone – “Don’t leave home without it.”

Selecting A Cellular/Wireless Data Service Provider

This can be a real challenge. As I indicated earlier, once upon a time, it was easy. There was one telephone provider in your market (a monopoly), there might have been a few choices of phones and a couple choices of plans (party line, private line and such). Today, there are more choices of phones then there are brands of automobiles and car models. The choices for service providers are like looking through the phone book at a list of restaurants and the menu options are numerous with each provider.

The deals are tantalizing – free phones, deeply discounted phones, contracts, no contracts, pay as you use it, flat rate, unlimited or limited data plans, family plans, business plans, no texting, limited texting, unlimited texting, etc. How do you choose? If you go on a contract plan and you don’t like it there is a hefty financial penalty to break the contract. If you go with a month-to-month plan, will you get the service you need or want? If you’re a traveler/nomad will you have the coverage in all or most of the regions you’ll travel to/through? If you use the Internet a lot for personal and/or business what choices should you make? Choosing a cellular phone and a cellular provider can be like selecting a health insurance policy – and, in some cases, nearly as important.

First and foremost, don’t believe all the advertising hype. Always remember that there are advertising agencies who are paid huge amounts of money to convince and persuade you to go with a certain product and service just like with any other kind of product or service. Also, remember that cell phone sales people are NOT your friends. They are sales people whose best interest is in removing their money from your pocket. Sure, that’s cynical and, believe me, as an entrepreneur, I’ve been in sales and marketing all my life, so I resemble these remarks. I learned early in my career that in order to accomplish my objectives, which was to finance my habits of eating, having a roof over my head, clothes on my back and some entertainment, I needed to treat the customer/client any way I had to in order to find out what they needed and then do my best to fill that need. Sure, I always wanted my clients and customers to be happy and satisfied with their investment in whatever product or service I was providing them with. However, the reality was and always is that if I didn’t sell something, I didn’t eat. A well trained and professional sales person will always make you feel like your needs and satisfaction are paramount – and that’s true – because you have their money in your pocket.

I’m not sure that you’re feeling any less dazed by this topic after you’ve read this article, but I hope I’m at least enlightening you a bit and possibly making your decision process a little easier.

The next time we’ll discuss what you need, what you want, sifting through the confusing number of phone choices and features and, ultimately, choosing a phone. Then, we’ll walk through the myriad of choices in providers and service plans. And, just to throw a little confusion on the fire, we’ll discover and discuss how only certain cell phones and smart phones are available through only certain cell phone providers and why that is. This is important in making the final choice of the cellular device you select.

Step #12 Creating A Life List

2011-11-16T13:10:00.002-05:00

We are now at Step #12 of the 12 Steps for Living Free. This is the final step in the program to change your life from whatever it has been to the life of freedom you are seeking.

First, let’s list the first eleven steps to provide a basis for Step #12.

Step #1 Dreams and Realization

Step #2 Self-discovery

Step #3 Personal Inventory

Step #4 Simplifying

Step #5 Downsizing

Step #6 Finances

Step #7 Avocation

Step #8 Relationships

Step #9 Amends

Step #10 Giving

Step #11 Spirituality

Each of these first eleven steps represents a major aspect of your life until the present time. Further, each of these steps will provide progress toward your goal of living free. Some people will find that they must focus on some of the steps more then others. Freedom is something each person has to define for him or herself. The basic dictionary definitions don’t necessarily define freedom as you and I, individually, wish to experience it and live our lives.

The Bucket List

I originally titled Step #12 “Lifetime Priority List” because it’s a label I’ve used for this process for many years. Many people have come to call it a “Bucket List” after the popular 2008 movie “The Bucket List” starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. The word “bucket” refers to the commonly used phrase, “kicking the bucket.” This, of course, is a reference to the end of life . . . or death. After doing more research for this step I found several places where the term “Life List” was used for the same idea. I was reading some comments from terminal cancer patients on a Mayo Clinic online article about creating a Life List and while many people referred to the bucket list concept, one individual made the observation that the bucket list refers to the end or to death, as I previously noted. This person said she preferred the more positive approach of calling it a Life List. And so, from this point forward, I’m adopting the phrase Life List for this step.

While many people are familiar with this concept of creating a Life List (or a bucket list) due to the popularity of the Nicholson/Freeman movie, not near as many people actually take the time to create such a written list. Point in fact, the idea for this list goes back at least a few decades if not longer. There has been research and studies on the idea and Hospice programs have been known to introduce the idea to end of life patients dealing with incurable, terminal, medical conditions. It’s pretty much a given that a person with an active Life List will live considerably longer then another person with essentially the identical medical condition and prognosis who doesn’t have a Life List.

Another entertaining film (2006) with a similar theme, that of fulfilling lifetime dreams before you die, is “The Last Holiday” starring Queen Latifah. While the movie is a comedy, I found it to have an important underlying message that parallels the Nicholson/Freeman movie. Queen Latifah portrays an average working woman struggling to make ends meet when she is told by her doctor that she only has three weeks to live due to a rare medical condition. After the initial shock she decides that she will live life to the fullest for those last three weeks. What follows is both funny and, yet, meaningful. There is a surprise ending. If you haven’t seen it, I believe you’ll enjoy it and it may give you further insights to Step #12.

Creating Your Life List

So, how hard can it be to make a Life List? It has to be pretty simple you would think. I’ve used the creation of a Life List (formerly, a Lifetime Priority List) as part of workshops for more then ten years. I often used the Life List in conjunction with creating a Life Map, a graphic way of setting goals and benchmarks for your life. The experience is always challenging for the people attending the workshops.

My introduction to the exercise is for each individual attending a workshop and for you, now, is to imagine that that you just visited your doctor and received a diagnosis of a terminal condition with approximately six months to live. It’s possible that you may not have to imagine such a diagnosis. I surely hope that’s not the case. Of course, many people have a difficult time with the concept of imagining such a possibility for their lives. People prefer believing that it would never be them, it’s always someone else. Reality is often difficult to deal with.

So, now you have six months to live. Here’s the assignment. Make a list of 50 things you want to do before you die. Include on your list only things that are for your own personal desires and fulfillment. In other words, the items on the list should not be things to do for the family, friends, job or business. This is a totally self-centered exercise. The rest of the people in your life – family, friends, co-workers, business colleagues, clients/customers and so on – are going to continue living their lives long past your six months most likely. This is your last hurrah. This is your time to live life full-tilt, reach for the brass ring and make every moment count as if it were the last. I also want you to create a simple form like I issued to each individual in a workshop. The form has 25 lines on each side. It’s quite simple and basically looks like the following:

Life List of _____(Your Name)___________

Date

# Life Item Description___________________ Achieved

1. _______________________________________________ ________

2. _______________________________________________ ________

3. _______________________________________________ ________

And so on, until there are 25 lines on side one of the page.

Then continue the form on the other side of the sheet numbering 26 through 50. As I said, the form is simple and you can create your own just as you did in a number of the earlier steps.

So, why the number 50? Why not? I could have selected any number either larger or smaller then 50, however, I was able to fit 50 lines on the form by carefully setting the margins and allowing for enough room to write a simple, but adequate description of each life item.

Now, here is the interesting thing. In most cases, when the individuals at a workshop had to think of only 50 things from the, literally, millions of things there are to do, to experience or to achieve in this world, most of them had a difficult time adding additional items by the time they reached ten items. I coaxed them to add more items by providing suggestions of ideas other people might have on their lists. But, since this is your list, it isn’t about what anyone else wants to do, experience or achieve. It’s all about you and you alone. You don’t have to come up with all 50 items in a single sitting. You can always add and change items on your list. It is your list.

Another factor that is very important to remember is that there is no order to this list. Because you put the first thing that comes to your mind on line one doesn’t mean that is the most important item on the list nor that you must accomplish it before you accomplish anything else on your list. The list is simply a way to create a visual representation of your personal dreams and desires. The items on your list don’t have to be outrageous or grandiose. Climbing Mt. Everest or diving to the submerged wreckage of the Titanic or swimming with Great White Sharks or having a part in a blockbuster movie or writing the great American novel do not have to be on your list, though, perhaps, one or more of those experiences might be.

My Life List

Allow me to share some of the Life List items on my personal list with you.

Attending the Indianapolis 500 Formula auto race – one time.

Attending the Daytona 500 NASCAR race – one time.

Attending the Burning Man Festival in the Nevada desert.

Attending Fantasy Fest in Key West, FL

Relaxing in the sun on the 56 beaches on Vieques Island off the coast of Puerto Rico

Returning to New Zealand to visit my friends, Brian and Carol and meet a new blogger friend.

Retracing the route of the speaking tour Brian and I did on the North Island (NZ) in 1991

Exploring more of the North Island and exploring the South Island (NZ)

Visit and explore many parts of Australia

Visit all 50 states in the U.S. (46 already visited)

Record, produce and complete several personal recording projects

Complete and publish “12 Steps to Living Free” as a book

Write and publish several other books

Several of these life items are actually multiple items on my list since they are multi-faceted, but I compressed them for the purpose of this example.

My list has 50 items on it. Well, I should say my list had 50 items on it, but a number of them have been completed and crossed off and new ones added. Now, here’s a tip. Since, I don’t currently have a terminal diagnosis with a date for my demise in the immediate future and assuming that’s true for you as well, every time something is crossed off the list it leaves a blank space where a new item can be added. Of course, this could change the next time you or I visit our respective doctors. That’s why having this list is vitally important.

Realistic Vs. Unrealistic

There is a reason I made the creation of your Life List Step #12. After implementing the first eleven steps for living free, the final step should, naturally, be to express your new freedom by doing all the things you’ve always wanted to do for yourself. But, let’s face it, you’ve always put them off for the myriad of reasons discussed throughout the first eleven steps. Unfortunately, a lot of people, I’d dare say the majority, will never consider a living free approach to living their lives. Worse yet, they’ll most likely consider you, me and others who choose a living free lifestyle to be irresponsible, reckless, frivolous and, possibly even foolish for choosing an alternative to what “they,” the majority in the mainstream of society, consider to be the appropriate approach and attitude toward life. That’s part of freedom, everyone should be able to choose how they live their life, however, that doesn’t give anyone the right to judge or dictate.

While the sky is certainly the limit with regard to what you put on your Life List, there should be a modicum of reality and attainability. The likelihood that you or most people we know will have the opportunity or ability to travel in space, to the International Space Station or beyond is one of the items that is most likely beyond reality. Why waste a perfectly good space on the list. However, becoming a nomad, such as I’ve chosen, allowing you to wander the country or the world at will, is completely within reason. I’m in contact through Twitter and other social media (and in some cases, I know them personally) with people around the world who are professional nomads (my description) who are exploring this world on their own terms. There are literally millions of people out of the seven billion people on the planet exploring this planet on their own terms. That is a minute percentage, however, it’s a lifestyle they have chosen. There are people who have begun a new micro trend by moving to “tiny houses.” Tiny houses are structures, typically movable, that look like very small houses, have all the necessities and utilities of a conventional house, yet only have between about 80 and 140 square feet of very efficient living space. Their cost of living is minute compared to most people, even those living in the very low end of more traditional housing.

Perhaps you want to “take this job and shove it” so you can do something that is in tune with your interests, talents, skills and mostly, your enjoyment. I know of a fellow, recently interviewed for a national article that was circulated on the Internet, who had been a Hollywood composer and orchestrator for movies and television shows. He left the Hollywood scene in a small, (about 90 square feet) motor home and now travels the country, staying wherever he chooses for however long he chooses. He composes music, takes an occasional orchestrating assignment that he can do remotely from wherever he happens to be (thanks to digital technology and the Internet) and plays his saxophone as a street musician as he travels to different places. He might even sit in with other musicians on a gig. He earns just enough, as he states it, “to live like a king.” Almost anything is possible.

The Reason Why

Why is Step #12 so important? Because it gives you a reason to get up everyday and have something to look forward to. This is your life. It plays out in real time. There is no dress rehearsal. You’re on. Since you don’t know when the curtain is going to come down for the last time and the run of your show be over, you want to enjoy and savor every moment of this, your one and only, life.

No matter how you define your living free lifestyle, you have things you want to accomplish for yourself. Perhaps it’s creating a new rose or orchid or tomato. Maybe it’s breeding a new breed of cat or dog or tropical fish. Perhaps, it’s creating a gorgeous flower garden. Maybe your passion is white water rafting or fishing. Perhaps you want to hang glide off some of the highest places around the world. Finding sunken treasure may be your turn on. Beachcombing with a metal detector on the beaches of the world could be your thing.

Whatever it is, unless you’re ready for the opportunity when it presents itself, you’ll most likely miss it. But, when you have a list that provides you with a constant reminder of the things you want to achieve and experience in your life, you’ll be actively seeking and watching for the opportunities so you can cross the items off your list. And, of course, you can continually add new ones. Someone once said, “We’ll all have unfinished business when we die.” That’s precisely one of my goals in life, to always have more to experience and achieve, even when it’s my time to leave this world.

The Proof Is In The Pudding

(Or The Country Count In This Case)

Here is one final anecdote. A woman, who is now a long time friend, attended one of my workshops probably a decade or more ago. She created her Life List at (and after) the workshop. At that time, she listed 12 countries in the world she wanted to visit. The opportunities began presenting themselves almost immediately after she created the list. She started visiting the countries and crossing them off her list. She kept adding more items to her list, including more places she wanted to travel to. Not too long ago, we were having a discussion and somehow the subject of our Life Lists came up. She asked me if I had any idea how many countries she had visited since she created her original list. I said, I didn’t know, but I’d venture to say at least the original dozen. She replied by telling me she had been to 43 countries. She never imagined that she’d see that much of the world, but once she had a list and sought the opportunities, it all fell into place. Currently, her list has many places on it in the U.S. that she wants to visit and explore. She said it’s time to see her own country and learn more about it. This woman is now in her early 70’s and has the energy and attitude of someone in her 40’s. She always has a reason to get up each morning. She always has something to look forward to.

I commend you to create your Life List form and work hard at listing 50 items on your list. You can always change your mind and take something off the list if you decide it’s really not as important to you as something else. But, the most important part of Step #12 is to START the list and complete it. DO IT NOW!

Photo of the Week #28 – Some South Texas Scenic Beauty

2011-11-13T06:00:00.001-05:00

I remember my first trip to Texas. It was courtesy of my Uncle Sam as he gave me an all expenses paid trip to San Antonio, Texas and what was to become my home for the next eight months of my life, Lackland Air Force Base. I have to be honest, I wasn’t all that enthralled with Lackland and the geography and terrain was quite alien to me compared to the limited exposure to the rest of the U.S. and the world I had until that time. Growing up as a Jersey Boy and living in upstate New York for a couple years along with several trips south to central Florida provided me with a pretty limited perspective. Heck, the furthest west I’d ever been was Springfield, OH.

But, one thing I immediately discovered about Texas was that it had a lot of scenic beauty of the kind I’m admiring in this photo. My New Zealand buddy, Brian Morris, and I discovered this bit of Texas beauty in Corpus Christi at a Hooters Restaurant. I remembered from my first experience with Texas women in 1969-70, that not only were there a lot of beautiful women, but they were very friendly. Apparently that hasn’t changed. This Texas Beauty treated us geezers very well and made our visit memorable enough to want to bring home a photo memory.

Step #11 Spirituality

2011-11-09T06:00:00.001-05:00

This step is bringing us into the final stretch on our journey to living free. Spirituality, as I perceive it, is a very personal thing. I was raised in a Baptist Church aligned with the American Baptist Convention and in my early thirties, transferred to another Baptist Church aligned with the Southern Baptist Convention. Through the years I have come to define religion and spirituality as different things. Of course, while religious beliefs encompass certain aspects of spirituality, religions are typically an organized system of doctrines and beliefs embraced by a group (of any size) of like-minded followers. Spirituality, on the other hand, doesn’t necessarily require that you conform to a specific doctrine or belief system that necessarily involves any kind of organization or group of like-minded individuals. Spirituality can be as individual as each person is and that’s what makes it personal.

Now, before you, who may embrace any specific religion, whether one of the many Christian Protestants denominations, any of the several Catholic divisions of Christianity, Jews, Muslims, Mormons, Hindus, Wickens or other organized religions of the world, decide to challenge me, please don’t! Living free isn’t about religion, though you may, and you certainly have the natural, human right to, embrace your chosen religious beliefs as part of your personal spirituality and definition of freedom. It is my firm belief that every human embraces some kind of spirituality, though it may not be consciously displayed or even acknowledged. I don’t include such belief systems as Buddhism, Scientology and numerous other philosophical thought groups as religions, though they have been characterized and even legally recognized by various governments as religious organizations. In my way of thinking, these belief systems are more realistically philosophical approaches to spirituality, each with its basis in some original founding leader’s philosophy, while not necessarily aligned with any form of deity of god-like spiritual embodiment. Those who read this and practice any of these other belief systems are certainly within their rights to believe they are religions if you so choose to define them as such for yourself.

The reason I believe that spirituality is a natural step in the progression of living free is because it is virtually impossible in our civilized (and surely in less developed) societies to deny some kind of connectedness between other humans such as family and friends. Additionally, there is a connection and dependence on lower animals through the domestication of pets and work animals. We also rely on many animals as a food source. Many cultures worship various animals. Additionally, there is a connection between humans and the Earth in the form of the flora that we enjoy in its natural state, cultivate as a food source and also find creative outlet in the personal beauty and pleasure derived from gardening and landscaping. Finally, there is a connection with the universe. We, as humans have always been fascinated with the stars and what’s “out there.” Are we the only living beings who think and reason in the entire universe? We now know the universe is ever expanding since the “Big Bang,” the theory believed by the scientific community to have occurred some five billion years ago and commonly accepted as the author of the universe.

Of course, there is also a certain internal spirituality. As humans, we are the most remarkable living things on the Earth. We are split between two basic schools of thought on how humans came to inhabit the Earth. First are those people with religious beliefs defining the creation of human existence as the work of a divine being/intelligence. The second are those who believe that somehow all the right circumstances came together at a precise moment in time to become the spark of life that evolved over millions of years into homo erectus and ultimately homo sapiens and here we are. Of course, science has proven that there were other forms of human like beings that evolved, but didn’t survive. We know, scientifically that is true of other animal forms as well.

There is also a third less widely held belief that may provide a bridge between the other two explanations of human development. This embraces the idea that there is human life in other parts of the universe and some visitors from another world, far more advanced then we are, even today, came here and left behind early humans to inhabit and colonize the Earth. This is certainly a stretch, but is it any more or less believable then a deity molding the world in six days from the raw materials of the universe and creating humans in its own image or that a “Big Bang” occurred billions of years ago and created the universe and set up the conditions over billions of years for life to germinate and evolve on this rock floating in space?

So, how does spirituality become a step to embrace for living free? I see this as a very simple concept. Whether you like it or not, you are part of this planet and the universe. Sure, you’re one of over seven billion other human beings (as of October 31^st, 2011) co-existing on this piece of space rock we call Earth, our home. There is so much about yourself and nature that you have questions about. No, you probably don’t dwell on them. Frankly, most of nature and everything about the nature of your existence is way beyond both your ability to comprehend and your pay grade that you have to find some way to narrow your focus to a much more intimate life that you may be able to have a modicum of control over. All the rest of it is what I define as spirituality.

If you have chosen to accept and practice some form of organized religion, you are given certain doctrine and belief systems to use in living a meaningful life. One of the concepts in most Jewish, Christian and Muslim religious doctrine is that you must accept on faith what you cannot humanly see or comprehend. You must choose to believe that what you are taught, by the theology of the various religions, is true and has been communicated to humans through those chosen as prophets and religious leaders, by God. This is, of course, a simplification of the entire idea of a living God. This is certainly a way to deal with the immensity of the question – what is the meaning of life? And, if this works for you, then carry on and practice your religious beliefs as deeply and seriously as you feel comfortable in doing.

Perhaps organized religion is not the answer for you, whether you have experienced some degree of religious education and experience or not. This doesn’t necessarily define you as an atheist or a non-believer in some kind of divine or superior intelligence with a plan for the universe. It simply says that you don’t personally find personal comfort, solace, intellectual or spiritual fulfillment in the organized religions that you have any experience with or knowledge of. This may be a point where you might look into philosophies like Buddhism. Since Buddhism appears to be more of a philosophy then an organized religious institution, there is no way of knowing how many practicing or even fringe Buddhists there are in the world. A low estimate is in the range of 350 to 500 million people, which, while not as large as the body of Christian or Islamic believers, is certainly not a trifle, either.

Personally, I still characterize myself as a Christian because my moral and ethical world-view was largely formed through my religious learning as a child and teenager. While there are those who would consider me a non-practicing Christian, I still embrace and live by much of that early learning. Through my six plus decades of living experience my personal world-view has expanded and changed in some ways, thus, I view my life, my spirituality and the world differently then I did as a child and teenager. You may be in a similar place and that’s as it should be.

Other interesting aspects of spirituality include meditation and prayer. Both of these are practiced by billions of people on this planet and it is a very personal experience for each person. While most commonly identified with organized religions, prayer has been studied and researched on a secular level as well. In studies conducted by Harvard, Duke and other universities from a secular perspective and often involving health and medical matters, including life and death issues, there have been conclusive, published findings that people who have been the target of prayer in specific, controlled, test groups have recovered and or survived at a much higher rate compared to those who were not the focus of prayers from around the world. The medical professionals have not been able to explain this scientifically. And, to make the matter more interesting, the prayers emanated from diverse groups of people practicing (or in some cases not practicing) different forms of religion. I am not suggesting that you believe me or accept this as fact in your own belief system. I’m simply reporting substantiated facts that have been published by scholarly sources. Even the American Medical Association has made some concessions in their consideration of prayer. This from a group that is typically very scientifically biased.

So, we are all connected. As you read these 12 Steps for Living Free, you are connected with me in some manner. It doesn’t matter whether you live in the U.S., Russia, Japan, China, Brazil, Morocco, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, the U.K. or any of the other dozens of countries where the analytics indicate that readers of this 12 Step program are located. There is something that connects us. My choice of the two words “living” and “free” as a phrase is most likely the spiritual bond between us. As humans, no matter what country or culture or society we reside in, by nature (there’s that word again) we want to “live free.” And, to reiterate what I stated at the outset of this treatise, I do not mean living free as without cost or paying for things we need and want. I mean living free of as many limitations, restrictions, laws, rules, regulations and other encumbrances. As long as we live on this planet we have to live within the rules of nature. And as long as we live in any kind of organized group of other people whether it’s a family unit, a tribe, a village, a neighborhood or community, a city or town, a state or province or a country, there will be laws, rules, regulations, codes and so on we much abide by. However, in choosing to live free you will seek out ways to free yourself from being limited or restricted as much as possible. There are many considerations you’ll have to make in order to implement this kind of living free lifestyle, as you define it, possible. And, of course, the other part of living free is to find joy and be happy, which are state-of-mind choices.

How you choose to experience and express your spirituality is, like everything else in these 12 Steps, entirely up to you. The reality is that your spirituality is a continually evolving process. What you believed as a child, a teenager, a young adult, a middle-age adult and a senior adult will, most likely, be different. Each phase of your spiritual growth will, of course, use everything you believed previously as the foundation and steps to the next phase. In the end, you may end up going full-circle and returning to where you began. But, then again, you may end up with a completely different set of beliefs and philosophies. So far as I can figure, whatever path you choose to follow is the right one for you. There will be those who will do their best to convince you that their way is the truth and the only way. They certainly have every right to believe that. But, they don’t have the right to condemn nor make you feel that your spiritual belief system is any less then theirs. Your spiritual belief system will bring you comfort and help you understand why you are on this Earth for the short time you’ll be here. Though each of us is a mere speck of space dust in the universe, each of us will, in some manner, leave behind an imprint of some kind, whether we believe it or not.

Photo of the Week #27 – Union Station, Washington, DC

2011-11-06T06:00:00.001-05:00

Every major and most small cities and towns had railroad stations, often the focal point of the town or city. Once upon a time (it seems like a thousand years ago) the passenger railroad was the major transportation mode in this country. Then, along came the automobile, buses and the airplane. While in many parts of the world, notably Europe, Asia and Japan, the railroad has continued to thrive; in the U.S. it fell on hard times and has been struggling to gain a minor foothold again. America’s love affair with automobiles and fast air travel contributed to the demise of the once “iron horses” that carried people from coast to coast.

Union Station, like Grand Central and Penn Stations in New York City and similar stations in other major cities, is a remnant of a time long past. Small cities and towns, for the most part no longer have active stations, many don’t even have tracks that pass the old stations. Those stations have either become small local museums, restaurants, commercial buildings or, in the case of Winchester, Virginia, the home of the Winchester Little Theater where I was the primary sound designer for about ten years.

Union Station is still a pretty busy train station, however, with one national and two international airports and Interstate’s 95, 270/70 and 66 serving the city, trains only serve a very small part of the traffic they once did (per capita) and still could. Union Station is a monument to a time past. It has a certain elegance, both outside, as you can see, and inside. Perhaps, with the changes in society, the inconveniences that have been added to air travel due to heightened (and likely to never be significantly reduced) security and the increasing costs of flying due to numerous factors, including security and fuel costs, the railroads may realize a resurgence in popularity. I’m lucky enough to remember and have ridden on trains pulled by the old coal-fired steam locomotives, the proverbial “choo-choo” train. Now, I have to search out a touristy, scenic short-line train that may still use an historic steam locomotive. May Union Station and its counterparts live on.

Travelers’ Tech Tips (for Nomads, Gypsies, RVers & other Travelers) Tip #6 – GPS

2011-11-04T06:00:00.002-04:00

GPS or the Global Positioning System provides a service that not only makes navigating around virtually anywhere in the world easier and more convenient then it’s ever been, but can allow for very rapid assistance in emergencies. These, of course, are two of the primary advantages of having a GPS device of some kind. There is a flip side to this coin, however. It’s the issue of privacy. When you have a GPS device and it’s turned on, you can be tracked and located. Many people have an issue with this as we see privacy eroding

Privacy and Big Brother

Let’s look at the privacy issue first so we can get past it. This is the 21^st Century. We’ve passed the day of Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 classic movie, “2001: A Space Odyssey” by a decade. Most of us who grew up in the late 40’s, 50’s and 60’s developed an expectation of privacy. Those who kept diaries or journals wrote them in books that could be locked or secreted away in some drawer or hiding place. There was little public information about us other then our birth certificates, death certificates and possibly our school records. Our Social Security number was seldom requested since its purpose was only to track your Social Security account. I didn’t even apply for a Social Security number until I turned 16 and was going to work at my first “official” part-time job at a supermarket. But, this was also the time of the Cold War.

Digital technology and its application through the use of electronic computers, as considered by most historians, began in the mid 1940’s. Approximately 20 years later, Stanley Kubrick and his researchers envisioned computers that could speak, carry on conversations with humans, appear to express certain emotions and control all mission functions and life support for a sophisticated spacecraft that was on a mission to Jupiter in 2001. The merging of these elements, electronic computers and the Cold War, plus the rapid advancement in miniaturization would change the world forever and begin to eliminate any expectation of privacy in the future.

So, here we are, already in the second decade of the 21^st Century. Virtually every existing bit of information of even the least significance has been digitized and stored in a memory bank somewhere. Older technologies are being replaced with digital counterparts that can be accessed from virtually anywhere in the world. Soon, if the project is not already complete, every piece of literature ever written during the history of human kind will be digitized. Every facet of our lives exists in one or more computers somewhere in the world. In the United States, Social Security numbers are issued when a child is born and that number, though never intended to be used as such, has become your “Identification Number” and follows you through your educational records, medical records, credit records, employment records, military records, insurance records and so on. That one single unique number represents you as the one unique individual that you are in a world with over seven billion (as of October 31, 2011) other unique human beings. You can be tracked by numerous means including your telephone calls, your emails, your postal mail, your use of a library card, visits to a doctor and so on.

Much of the computer technology that has been developed, as with other technology, found its roots in the Cold War and the need to spy and keep track of what our enemies were doing. Spying became big business. Over the years we’ve watched James Bond change faces as series of different actors has portrayed this, seemingly, indestructible British spy. And as Kubrick portrayed in his Space Odyssey, the computer has become the central common denominator of virtually all-human activity. As we watch the numerous spy and undercover TV programs, the forensic science programs and the plain old “cop” shows, we see the computer as the central element that can track individual’s movements, look inside buildings, triangulate positions from satellites in space, listen in on phone conversations and track the origination of a data stream through the Internet. We even use “smart” bombs, loaded on unmanned aircraft, piloted by men and women sitting in rooms that resemble very sophisticated computer game rooms, who are 10,000 miles away from the target they will attack and destroy. And, yes, most or all of this technology exists today, though it may be a bit exaggerated and over dramatized in the movies and on TV. And, of course, it’s very likely there is even more advanced technology that we don’t even know about.

So, I pose this simple question. What expectation of privacy do you really have? Unless you go totally off the grid by eliminating any kind of telephone communication devices, any connection to the electric grid, the water supply, the Internet, television and radio, the food chain and live in a cave in a wilderness, you can be found and monitored. George Orwell’s “Big Brother” from his book 1984 is now watching us. Many of us do our best to maintain a low profile and stay under the radar as much as possible, but it’s a virtual impossibility. If they can track the DNA of a mountain lion accidentally killed by a motorist near Milford, CT recently, all the way back to South Dakota, what expectation do we have of privacy.

Spy Satellites and GPS

So, now that we know where we stand regarding privacy, let’s accept the facts and put the technology to work for ourselves. Global Positioning System satellites are not actually spy satellites, even though they were developed, placed in orbit and are maintained by the Department of Defense. The beginning phases of development go back to the Russian Sputnik satellite in 1957. The Department of Defense with the Navy and the Air Force working in parallel created and developed the system for use during the Cold War to be able to precisely position and pinpoint enemy targets. The system didn’t reach full operational capability until the mid 1990’s. By then the Cold War era was over and the U.S. Government realized there were critical needs that could be met in making the, now, functional and proven network of 24 satellites positioned around the globe, available to civilian users. The entire GPS system was made available for use by you and me in 2000.

Once again, technology born out of a military/national defense initiative, ultimately benefits all of us. While I’m not a major supporter of big government or constant, huge expenditures in the military complex, I still have to recognize and point out that, ultimately, we, the taxpayers become the beneficiaries of many, if not, most of these developing technologies.

GPS and You

If you are a traveler, a nomad or RVer, you should have and use a GPS system. Like all new products, especially electronic or digital technological products, GPS systems were pretty pricey when they were first introduced. Actually, I believe one of the first, if not the first, use of GPS in cars was when Hertz, the rental car company, installed them in part of their rental fleet and made them available at an additional cost to renters. The units were manufactured by Magellan, a firm that is still a major contender in the portable/mobile GPS consumer market. I had the great fortune of renting a Hertz car at the Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport in the early 2000’s that was equipped with a Magellan GPS system when I was on an assignment there. Since I hadn’t ordered the car with a GPS, Hertz didn’t charge me for it, however, I did use it. My assignment was to visit a number of medical doctors’ offices all over Arlington, Texas and, with the videographer I hired locally to accompany me, videotape a series of brief interviews about my client’s consulting services. Without question, I could not have accomplished that assignment in one day without the GPS system in the car. I was forever sold on the value of the GPS system.

It was a few more years until the consumer units became more available and the prices were more reasonable before I purchased my first GPS unit. Coincidentally, it was a Magellan product. I have used my GPS for about five years. It has taken me all over the U.S. and been amazingly reliable and accurate. One of the best features of a GPS system is when I encounter a traffic tie up due to construction or an accident. I simply take the nearest exit and reprogram the GPS to plot a course that doesn’t include the road I just left. It may take me on a roundabout course, but it’s almost always better then sitting in a “parking lot” for, sometimes, hours. When I travel without my own car, I carry my GPS with me and use it in rental cars or other people’s cars. When traveling, it is just about as important to me as my smart phone. Well, except my new

Motorola Atrix Android smart phone includes a GPS function in the phone. So, now I have two GPS systems. I can turn the GPS function on or off on my phone, so I don’t use it all the time. However, one advantage of the GPS in the phone is that should there be an emergency of some kind, emergency services can use the GPS signal from my phone to locate me.

What to Buy, Bells and Whistles

There are several reputable manufacturers of GPS systems including Magellan, Tom-Tom, Garmin, DeLorme, Trimble, Lowrance and Talon Technology. Other multi-national technology companies also produce GPS systems, many of which are sold to automobile manufacturers to be included as optional, built-in systems in various car models. GM, the automobile manufacturer, has, for years, offered a built-in service called OnStar that uses the GPS system to provide you with directions to your destination and also provide service if your car is broken down or emergency service providers (police, fire, ambulance) in the event of an accident. OnStar is now offering their service to the general public. It requires the purchase of a special receiver and an annual service fee.

Personally, I suggest you purchase and own your own GPS system and not order a built-in GPS system with a car when you purchase it. The built-in systems are much more expensive, are costly to update and are not portable, so you can’t take them with you when you’re not traveling in your own car. Additionally, as the technology improves, you're stuck with the hardware in your car until you purchase a new vehicle. When you look for a standalone GPS unit, look for the features you’ll use. My Magellan came with a traffic detour service that detects construction sites and accidents and automatically reroutes me. However, this service came with a monthly charge after the initial 30 day trial period. I’ve never activated it. Also, my Magellan has Bluetooth connectivity with my cell phone that allows me to do some hands free calling. Magellan also has an affiliation with AAA Motor Clubs that connects me directly to AAA through the Bluetooth connection with my cell phone. This sure came in handy last year when I had a tire blow out on I-80 in Nebraska at dusk. I was back on the road in about an hour. Magellan paid for itself in that single incident.

These units come with all kinds of bells and whistles. Shop carefully and buy the unit that has the features that you’ll use. One unique feature for over the road truckers and RVers is routing the driver around roads with low overhead clearances and in some cases, roads that are not easily navigable by large rigs like 18 wheelers, large 5^th wheel trailers and long motor homes with a “toad” (a car being towed by the motor home). Expect to invest anywhere from about $125 to $350 dollars depending on the features you choose. And be sure your unit offers lifetime map updating. Map updates, downloadable through your computer, used to be an extra charge and could be pricey. Currently, many manufacturers and models offer the map update service free. It’s worth it to get this feature. Many units also provide maps (at an extra fee) for foreign travel so you use your GPS overseas, too.

GPS – don’t leave home without it. You may not use it all the time, but believe me, when you need it, it’s well worth whatever investment you made. Mine has paid for itself many times over. And even though I now have GPS in my smart phone (which is great for walking around a city), I’m going to be shopping in the near future for a newer model portable GPS with more features, especially the free map updates.

Step #10 Giving

2011-11-02T06:00:00.001-04:00

Step 10 of the 12 Steps for Living Free is Giving. As I contemplated what giving means, I did some research. I found that giving is another of those words that have a multitude of definitions and uses. It’s another single concept that could have an entire book written about it. Perhaps I may tackle that book as a future project. For the immediate purposes of Step #10, I’m going to focus on just a few aspects of giving. Focusing some time, energy and resources on any of these facets of giving will definitively result in a freer and happier life.

“If you have much, give of your wealth; if you have little, give of your heart.”

That statement is an old Arab proverb. I define it in very simple terms. Everyone can be a giver. The rewards of giving are not reserved for people with financial wealth and material abundance. Unfortunately, some people give for absolutely the wrong reasons. Giving must be done with a pureness of heart and intention. You give because you want to help or bestow some form of joy on another person. You give with no consideration of return or reward.

In my life I have identified three basic kinds of people. The first are givers. The second are takers. The third are receivers. A true giver always gives with no expectation of receiving anything in return. The taker is a person who, knowingly and purposely, takes something from another that was not freely offered and has only the taker’s own fulfillment in mind with little or no consideration for the person who has been exploited. The receiver is a person who is not specifically seeking anything, but humbly accepts whatever it is and is joyful in being the recipient of someone’s generosity. Interestingly though is that most givers have a difficult time receiving anything from anyone. They are just not prepared to receive.

However, there is an interesting dynamic that appears to be pretty universal when it comes to giving and receiving. A giver can never give more then he or she will ultimately receive. Remember, I said a giver gives freely, from the heart, in conjunction with the mind. The giver has no conscious intention or desire to receive anything in return, however, he or she has no choice in this matter. Givers will virtually always receive more then they give, tangibly and intangibly. It’s much like the concept of sowing and reaping the harvest. The more you plant and tend to your garden the more it will reward you in the harvest.

There are many examples of giving. In a Christian religious context God gave his only son so that all who accepted this sacrifice or gift will have eternal life. A mother gives birth to a child she carried in her womb with no expectation of repayment or compensation from the child she bore. A father gives his child an education so the child has an opportunity for a successful life. A person hands a homeless person some money or perhaps a coupon for a free meal. None of these individuals gave with the intention of any payback, compensation or reward. Yet, each of them, including God, received fulfillment and joy from freely giving.

Giving requires a pure intention. Because you are fortunate enough to be wealthy, giving money, cars, expensive clothes and other tangible stuff seems like the generous thing to give to a spouse or offspring when all they may have needed and would have preferred to have was some of your time and attention. In this instance, giving expensive stuff may actually resemble a bribe or an attempt to reduce your own guilt for withholding time, attention and love for whatever reason.

Of course, wealth does have its privilege. There are many stories of wealthy individuals who anonymously give gifts of money or resources to individuals who can truly benefit from whatever forms the gift may take. Perhaps it is a deserving young person who could never attend college or a training school of some kind due to a lack of financial resources. Then, out of the kindness and consideration of some individual with substantial wealth, this young person receives a scholarship or grant. Maybe a condition of accepting the gift is that the recipient must perform some kind of service for a community or state or country. Another possibility is that the individual has to pay the grant or scholarship forward to some other deserving individual in the future. This is a gift that keeps giving.

On the flip side of the coin, you may be from an average or a poverty level financial circumstance. You can’t afford to shower the subject of your generosity with anything that costs money. However, you give your time to the individual or knit or make some new clothes for him, her. You give what you can, but you do it from the heart. And, whether you like it or not, you’re going to experience joy, fulfillment, respect and love in return. Again, you’re not demanding, asking or expecting anything. It just happens. It’s a form of universal law similar to the law of nature that states as you sow, so shall you reap. But, your rewards, however they may manifest themselves, often are greater then what you have given, even though you expected nothing.

Giving to Family

Your family is the first and most obvious object of your giving. The amazing thing is that what is most desired by the family members is that which is often withheld for various reasons. Your time, attention, caring and love are the most valuable gifts you can give to your family. It doesn’t matter if they are your children, your parents, your siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins or in-laws. Since time is a priceless commodity, how valuable is the time you give your child reading to him or her? How about playing a simple game of catch or taking your children by the hand and walking through a zoo and teaching them about the animals? How important will he or she feel when you let him or her help while you’re baking cookies? Just giving each of your children some of your time and attention is a gift that is priceless.

Unfortunately, in our current world, where both parents often either must work or choose to have careers, children end up playing second or third fiddle. You don’t mean for it to be that way, but the demands of the job too often supercede the needs of the family. So, you place them in the care of nannies, babysitters, daycare services, after school programs and grandparents to mention a few. You buy them “things” and “stuff” as a way of paying penance or bribing them. Since a child’s personality and most basic set of values are formed during the first seven years of his or her life, what are you teaching them? When they demand attention, they throw a fit, make a scene and you give them what they want – more stuff. Their value system begins to form and they learn that whenever they are not happy or discontent, just get more stuff. This is never the solution. But, the children don’t know any better and they pass this learned behavior and value system to their own spouse and children, ultimately and the cycle repeats. Money and what it can buy is used to substitute for the most valuable gifts of all – time, attention and love.

This same concept holds true for siblings, parents, grandparents, adult offspring, aunts, uncles and cousins. I see people and families where they spend massive amounts of time and money seeking expensive gifts that are just right for the intended recipient. But, ultimately, it’s just stuff. And, since the stuff is free to the recipient, they tend to place little value on it. Often we hear stories of children or spouses going into the closets, drawers, attic, and so on, of a close family member who has passed away. In those storage places they find years of gifts that were given to the individual that were never worn or used. The gifts may even be tagged with the name of the person who gave the gift along with the date and occasion it was received. Ultimately, it was just so much more stuff. The major beneficiaries of the gifts were the manufacturers, supply chain and the retailers.

Telephone calls, short visits, window shopping, going to a ball game, taking a ride to a favorite picnic location, a personal note, a gift of photographs of an event you shared together, a favorite homemade food dish and so many other simple things that mostly take a little precious time and show your love and attention are all the kinds of things you can give and make someone feel loved and important. And, here’s the best part. You’re going to enjoy doing whatever it is and when you receive a big smile, a hug, perhaps a few tears or whatever other responses will express the recipient’s pleasure, you’re going to gain more happiness and joy then you can imagine. The best part is that you never tire or get used to those feelings of happiness and joy.

The most valuable gift anyone can receive is self-esteem. In our current society I see parents and grandparents who, unknowingly, are undermining the newer generation’s self-esteem. While we are human beings and live, supposedly, civilized lives in societies we have created, at our most basic core, by nature, we are part of the animal kingdom. There is a natural course that nature prescribes. One generation creates the next generation. The older generation ages and passes away. The next generation must now take the responsibility to create the next generation and like the prior generation they will age and pass away. This cycle has repeated itself since animal life appeared on this planet.

However, due to science, medical advances and technology, it’s not unusual to see four or even five generations alive. Remarkable! But, there seems to be a trend towards continuing to keep second and even third generations in the nest. Parents are still supporting 30 and 40 something offspring (and often their grandkids) who haven’t figured out how to fly on their own, yet. In the natural scheme of things, you are not helping these younger generations to become stronger. In fact, it ultimately undermines their self-esteem, their self-worth and their ability to survive in a difficult and unfair world. You can’t make this world any easier for them. By carrying their burden you are weakening them and reducing their natural survival instinct and abilities.

You simply need to look at your own life at age 18, 20, 24 and realize that you were on your own. Life was tough. It wasn’t a bed of roses. You learned that life wasn’t fair and you had to carry our own weight. You learned to survive and you are proud of that fact. But, by “supposedly” making life easier for your offspring, you’re actually depriving them of a vitally important necessity of life . . . the natural ability to survive. Survival requires the ability to deal with adversity, think critically and apply creativity. Yes! They need your support. But, they need moral support not fiscal support.

By the time they are young adults you should have taught them the basic necessities of independence, responsibility, accountability and survival. Now, just like you, they need to jump out of the nest, flap their wings and fly. If they fall or fly into a wall, they need to pick themselves up, dust themselves off and try all over again (and yes, those words are part of the lyrics from an old song). The longer you are their financial support, the harder it is for them to make the break. Eventually, this is going to potentially place you in financial hardship when you need it most. You’re also going to begin developing a degree of resentment, perhaps, subtle and underlying, but you’re going to want your own life, after all, you EARNED it. To see exactly how we have weakened our society you simply need to look at the welfare programs and the massive number of entitled people who are exploiting them. We have created a society of “takers.” Give the gift of self-esteem and self-worth. Enough said.

The happiest families I have witnessed are those who learned from the earliest age not to give or expect “stuff” (although they all did give and receive some, in appropriate proportion), but to give and expect time, attention and love. I see these families gather from far and wide and have more fun, more laughter and more fulfilling times together then any other families. Oh, and it doesn’t matter where the family is on the financial curve. Time, attention and love are priceless and everyone can both give and receive them.

Giving to Friends

Friends are a gift in themselves. As soon as we are old enough to meet the little boy or girl next door, we begin developing and nurturing friendships. Friends, often become our family, especially in instances where the dysfunction in family relationships, unfortunately, drives family members away from each other. While it may be true that family members may share the same blood and gene pool, there is no way to know what specific combination of genes each member of the family will have. Thus, three children born of the same parents may look amazingly alike; yet have very different predispositions, abilities, talents, intelligence and so on. Likewise, all the siblings may look decidedly different from one another yet have very similar predispositions. And, of course, they may all look very different and have totally different predispositions. And all, some or none of them may be anything like their parents. This is an ongoing area of study.

Be that as it may, we have no control over these matters, though there are those who continue to think by breeding a perfect mother with a perfect father a perfect child should be the result. Here is where an old saying still and will always apply. “You can choose your friends, but you can’t choose your family.” And, it means exactly what it says. You may not like your parents or your siblings or, even, both for that matter. But, you don’t have any choice in the matter and that pretty much is true for adoptive family situations. Friends on the other hand are a different story. You don’t choose to be friends with people you don’t like or don’t want to be around. You choose friends because they are complementary. You are drawn together because each of you provides something in the relationship that makes each friend more and better because of the connection. You develop levels of trust that you may not have with your own family members. Developing these friendships is a trial and error process. From your earliest age you’ll create friends and then you’ll grow in different directions and you’ll create new friends. By the way, there is also the great possibility that you’ll create lifelong friendships with your siblings and your parents, which, of course, is much to be desired.

It is said that some people will come into your life for a specific reason, while others will remain with you for a season and finally, others will be with you for a lifetime. I might dare to say that there will be more who will be with you for a specific reason and then be gone. A lesser number will be with you for a season. The smallest number will be those who come into your life for a lifetime. First, each of these people who come into your life are a gift. Each of you will leave the other with some kind of gift. And the lifetime friends will continue gifting one another for their entire lifetime.

What kind of gifts do you give to friends? Of course, there are the tangible gifts. But, again, this is just so much stuff and its true value is more about the thought and feelings that caused the gift to be given then the tangible item itself. The real gifts between friends are the same as I mentioned earlier; time, attention, support, caring and love. How often has a friend been there just to listen when you needed someone to listen? How often has a friend been there lending moral support when you’ve been going through a rough patch in life. How often has a friend been there when you’ve enjoyed a trip somewhere and wanted someone to travel with you. The list goes on and on. And, of course, you have been that friend giving to your friends on the same level. Perhaps you may agree with me based on your own experiences in life, but my wealth is not measured in dollars and cents, it’s measured in my friendships. Friends who “give” to one another are true friends. Friends who “take” from you are not your friends, though they may deceive you into thinking you need them, but you don’t. They are leeches. They will use you until you either can no longer supply them with what they want, you deny them or a better “host” appears on the scene.

Giving to Community

First, let’s define community since this can be interpreted on a very broad base. Community, by my definition is the country, state, county, city, town, village or neighborhood you live in. It is one or more organizations and institutions within any of these jurisdictions that provide uplifting to the jurisdiction at large or any segment of it. It can be a homeless individual. It can be a family that has lost its primary income source. It can be an animal or nature conservancy. You can make this list as long as you desire. I would suggest, however, that with living free mentality, it probably wouldn’t necessarily be large, high profile charitable organizations.

Giving to community should be something you feel at your very core. I stated before, givers don’t give with expectations of anything in return. However, while the work of large, charitable organizations, religious organizations and other similar organizations does benefit society in general, these organizations involve a lot of bureaucracy and have very significant operating expenses and much of the money and resources that go to them is used to feed the bureaucracy and defray the operating expenses. When you have chosen to live free you are typically avoiding these kinds of involvements and organizations. There is something very special about knowing in your heart that something you did today is going to put a pair of shoes on a specific child or know that a specific person will get to their chemotherapy appointment today or people you know (not necessarily by name or acquaintance) will laugh or cry tonight at a theatrical performance or musical event and the list goes on.

Giving to community doesn’t mean giving money, either. My most valuable, actually, priceless, commodity is my time. Perhaps you consider your time priceless, too. So, most of the time, I feel that if I can “tithe” my time, I’m giving something that is worth far more then some pieces of paper with some colored ink on them. But, there are plenty of others who will gladly give colored pieces of paper so they don’t have to commit their time. So, if that’s what works for them, so be it. I’ll provide time.

I’m also a strong believer in “paying it forward.” There was a movie a number of years ago titled Pay It Forward that exemplified this concept. While the movie, starring Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt and others didn’t receive glowing reviews; it does plant the seeds of an idea. Another movie made for TV was produced from a true story of a young boy in the Philadelphia suburbs who found a way of receiving donations of blankets (that was the main item I remember) and going to the inner city every weekend with his parents to pass out the blankets to homeless people during the cold winter months. I only mention these two movies to suggest the kinds of things one can consider when giving to his or her community. Certainly, your knowledge of your own area and your creativity can generate many ideas like these.

The bottom line is that giving you’re your community, however large or small you define it, is another way to gain the joy and happiness of giving without expectation of return.

What About The Takers And Receivers?

There will always be takers in this world. I only admonish you to beware. Takers will use any disguise they need to use to take what they want from whomever they choose. Learn to recognize takers. It’s actually pretty easy. Anytime you find yourself in a relationship with someone and you don’t feel that you’re gaining anything positive or you find that you’re the only one contributing, then it’s a pretty sure bet you’re being exploited by a taker. Takers don’t necessarily take money or resources. They can also drain you intellectually and emotionally.

DO NOT be concerned about hurting the taker’s feelings. That’s a ploy they use very effectively and it’s called “guilt.” Believe me, the only feelings you’re going to hurt are those of your true friends who watch you being taken down the primrose path. That taker will find a new host before you’ve had a chance to even think about what just transpired. And here’s another tip. Don’t be surprised at who may be a taker. They are often much closer then you’d imagine. The result of this kind of relationship is that they gain what they want and you’re left drained.

Receivers are another kind of person entirely. Receivers are those who do not exploit anyone for anything. However, they do know how to graciously receive gifts when they are offered. These people may be those who are down on their luck and truly appreciate when someone gives them something that will make the receiver’s life better. But, a receiver may also be someone who is very well to do financially, intellectually and emotionally. When someone finds a way to give something beneficial to a receiver who is fortunate enough to have some prosperity, the receiver will be just as gracious, humble and appreciative as a hungry homeless person. Receivers are the people you want to be giving to. Most often, they will have a need that you are able to help them with, even the prosperous receivers. And, whether your giving is anonymous or not, you’ll know that your effort will be appreciated.

Here’s the interesting circumstance I mentioned earlier. Givers usually have a very difficult time receiving. Givers are so accustomed to giving and not expecting anything that when someone gifts the giver, he or she doesn’t know how to accept it. There is an art to receiving. As a giver, at various times during your lifetime, you will be recognized for your generosity. You will be given awards. You may receive various kinds of gifts in appreciation of all that you have done in giving to others to make their lives better. These gifts are given to you from the hearts of those who are recognizing you. You should not feel any guilt or embarrassment. Remember, I said that no matter how much you give, you would always receive more in return then you can imagine. Most of what you’ll receive will be in the form of personal joy, happiness, fulfillment and peace of mind. However, people will recognize your contributions and want to give you these tokens of appreciation for your selflessness. Learn how to humbly and graciously accept the gifts and be truly appreciative. You deserve it.

Photo of the Week #26 – Main Street, Annapolis, Maryland

2011-10-30T06:00:00.001-04:00

This week’s Photo of the Week is from one of my favorite small cities, Annapolis, Maryland. Perhaps it’s one of my favorite small cities because I spent ten years of my younger adult life living in or near Annapolis. The photo is of a very busy Main Street. The photo was taken from Church Circle at the top of Main Street looking down to the City Dock and the old market place, which was where slaves were auctioned until sometime in the 1800’s. That’s not one of Annapolis’ (founded 1649) most endearing historical footnotes, but it is still part of the history of this city that also served as the capital of the, still, new United States (1783-1784). More specifically, the photo was taken from the point where Main Street and Duke of Gloucester Street meet across the street from St. Anne’s Church on Church Circle. On that corner is the historic (since the 1700’s) 44 room Maryland Inn and the Treaty of Paris Restaurant. You can see the restaurant’s banner in the photo. This was a regular venue for famed jazz guitarist Charlie Byrd until his death.

I had the great privilege of living in or near Annapolis from 1974 until 1984 and it’s the birthplace of my son. The city is the home of the U.S Naval Academy, which brought a lot of activity during the various college sports seasons. It also hosted two large boating shows a week apart, one for the sailing enthusiasts (affectionately called “raghaulers”) and the other for the motor driven vessels (called the “stinkpotters”). Annapolis considered itself the “Sailing Capital.”

The city hadn’t realized the great growth and development surge that began about the time we moved from Annapolis. Parking was easy almost anytime in downtown. There were great pubs, restaurants and touristy boutiques along with craft artisans who made and sold their wares in the 200 to 300 year old buildings and shops. Fresh seafood was (and still is) a major menu item, especially oysters and blue crabs, in season.

One of my favorite eateries is a small delicatessen, Chick & Ruth’s Deli, on Main Street.

It’s been there since 1965 and features (very large) sandwiches bearing the names of politicians from Maryland (since Annapolis is the state capital), Annapolis and national repute. Even Golda Meir is remembered with a bagel & lox sandwich. Their old-fashioned, handmade milkshakes are to die for. And another quaint little custom is their recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance each morning, which the public is invited to participate in. There is also a charming bed and breakfast above the deli.

Annapolis has evolved over the past 27 years and has become much more populous, congested and pricey. But, I have very fond memories of my ten Annapolis years. They will always remain very special to me.

Travelers’ Tech Tips (for Nomads, Gypsies, RVers & other Travelers) Tip #5 – Portable/Mobile Data Storage

2011-10-29T20:07:00.000-04:00

The “Information Age” is the term used to describe this period in the history of humans development. The amount of information we generate is virtually beyond the comprehension of most people, other then, perhaps, some very advanced mathematicians. Think of it this way, according to an article in Wikipedia, itself, a virtual encyclopedia that couldn’t have existed even a couple decades ago, the entire world’s capacity to store information grew from 2.6 exabytes in 1973 to 295 exabytes in 2007. It also noted that that those figures are based on optimally compressed data. The put this more visually, a CD-ROM disk has a capacity of 730 megabytes. If the 295 exabytes were on CD-ROMs it would create a stack of disks that would reach from the Earth to the moon plus an additional 25% of that distance past the moon.

Most of us have finally been able to get our heads wrapped around the term gigabyte. A gigabyte is 1,000 megabytes. I’ve been working at getting my head wrapped around the idea of a terabyte, which is 1,000 gigabytes and petabyte, which is 1,000 terabytes. So, what is an exabyte? It is 1,000 petabytes, of course. So, just to get your head wrapped around that number one exabyte is 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 bytes of information. So, 295 exabytes is, 295,000,000,000,000,000,000 bytes of information. Now, remember, that was the estimate as of 2007, four years ago. It’s estimated that at current rates, this data storage has been doubling every three years, thus, there is currently in excess of 590 exabytes of information storage.

So, how does all of this impact us as nomads, gypsies, RVers and other travelers? It’s really very simple. We are all about information today. Oh, sure, we’re still flesh, blood and bone with an organic computer made of gray matter inside our heads. But, virtually every aspect of our lives involves massive amounts of information in one form or another. To offer just a few examples we have our finances and banking history, our medical records, our insurance records, our emails, our text messages, our educational records, our employment records, for those who served, our military records, our tax records and the list goes on and on.

Once upon a time, the largest computers in the world didn’t have the amount of power and storage capacity as a netbook computer or even some of the smart phones we use today. The computers that sent men to the moon and back weren’t as powerful as the average desktop or laptop computer. When I entered the computer world in 1980, it was with a Radio Shack (modified) TRS-80 computer and a Commodore VIC-20 computer. I had studied some basics of computing in college in 1964, but serious computing devices were still outside the realm of the average person. The TRS-80 computer I had did not have a hard drive, only had about 48K of RAM and the dual 5 ½” floppy drives only stored about 360 kilobytes per disk (my TRS-80 had been modified with double-sided, double-density drives, which were brand new at that time and costlier then the standard single-sided, double-density drives). Hard drives existed, but were extremely expensive. An external 5 megabyte hard drive for a TRS-80 cost in the range of $1,500.00 in 1980 dollars. Today you can expect to pay less then $.10 per gigabyte of hard drive storage capacity in a high-grade 1 terabyte external hard drive and less for an internal hard drive.

It’s really interesting that the cost of food, fuel and quality clothing, among other things, has continued to increase in cost, while the cost for computing power has dropped exponentially. My first IBM based PC computer with an Intel 386 processor, 1 MB of RAM and a 40 MB hard drive (that I thought I’d never fill up) with a 13” CRT monitor cost me about $2,100 in 1992. Today you can purchase a brand new notebook computer with thousands of times more power and storage capacity, plus features we hadn’t dreamed of in 1992, for less then $400.00.

So, after this little retrospective of our Information Age advances, I return to the topic of this post, Portable/Mobile Data Storage. There was no way I could have easily, conveniently and as lightly traveled with my computers through the 80’s and into the 90’s. It wasn’t until the end of the 90’s that I acquired my first Windows based laptop computer. That was the beginning of my mobile computing transition. I still maintained a number of desktop (tower) computers until the end of 2008 for business purposes. However, once I moved to that laptop computer, I never went back to a fixed, desktop computer for my personal (business or personal) use. The great thing about laptop and netbook computers is that they were designed to interface with full-sized desktop CRT and LCD monitors, keyboards, pointing devices (the mouse or trackball), connection wired or wirelessly to networks including the Internet and included, initially, 3 ½” floppy drive and a CD drive. So, when I’m in a fixed location, I simply use my laptop or netbook as a desktop computer with full-size monitor, trackball and other peripherals like a printer. When I’m on the road, I’m self-contained.

Now, it’s true that laptop and netbook computers have hard drives built into them. And, with the advances in storage capacity over the years, it’s neither expensive nor difficult to acquire a mobile computer with a very large storage capacity. But, and this is a big BUT, while the quality and durability of hard drives has improved considerably over the years, because they are in a mobile device, they are very vulnerable to shock like dropping a notebook or netbook, accidentally bumping into something while traveling or mishandling in airports or hotels, etc. These kinds of shocks can damage or destroy a hard drive in a notebook or netbook computer. This is where having portable or mobile storage capability is particularly important for those of us who are nomads and travel extensively.

Here again, technology has turned out to be our friend. Today there are actually five options open for us.

Option #1 is either 3.5” or 2.5” portable traditional hard drives with disks spinning at high-speeds, readily available anywhere computer equipment is sold from Wal-Mart to Costco to Staples to Best Buy to computer stores to online stores like Buy.com, Amazon and many others. This is a very inexpensive investment.

Option #2 is the new solid state drives that fit into a notebook or netbook computer where the traditional hard drive is located. I believe the largest solid-state hard drive I’ve seen has a 320 GB capacity. They are faster, have no moving parts, typically run cooler and require less power then traditional hard drives. However, this is very new technology for the consumer market and is still a pretty costly option compared to the traditional hard drive.

Option #3 is a Flash USB drive. These are often referred to as “flash,” “jump” or “thumb” drives. They are, like Option #2, solid-state storage devices with no moving parts. They are extremely portable and typically weigh less then one ounce. Some people attach them to their key rings so they always have their thumb drive with them. They are available in storage capacities ranging from about 256 MB on up to the current maximum of 256 GB with increases projected to reach 2 TB in the future. Many people have two or more thumb drives and store different data on them. Again, like their Option #2 counterparts, they are more costly then the traditional spinning disk hard drives of Option #1. However, when size, weight and convenience are priorities these are an excellent choice.

Option #4 is flash drive cards. These cards come in various sizes, shapes and capacities. They were developed for use in digital cameras, mp3 players, PDA’s, smart phones, digital camcorders and many industrial uses, to mention a few. There are Compact Flash, Memory Sticks, SD, SDHC and other versions. The de-facto standard seems to be the very small SD and SDHC cards. The SD version of the card has a capacity of up to 4 GB while the SDHC has a capacity of up to (currently) 128 GB (only one manufacturer has a 128 GB card available as of this writing) with the possible expansion up to 2 TB in the future. Many, if not most of the laptop and netbook computers have a slot built into the side of the computer that will accept an SD or SDHC card that it can read from or write to. There are variations of the SD/SDHC cards of smaller dimensions – the mini and the micro cards. These smaller cards have a carrier that is the size of a full-size SD/SDHC card so that data can be transferred from and to various devices utilizing the different size cards. The advantage of the standard size SD/SDHC card is that they weigh next to nothing and are slightly larger then a postage stamp. A disadvantage of the SD/SDHC cards is that they weigh next to nothing and are slightly larger then a postage stamp making them easy to misplace or lose – along with all your precious data. Since the capacity of the SDHC card is currently limited to 128 GB (more typically 64GB), one probably would have at least a few SDHC cards (as I do) for different data and a special carrying case for these cards so they are easier to keep track of. The cost is still more then a traditional hard drive, but generally in the range of a little more then $1.00 per gigabyte.

Option #5 is moving up fast and is probably the most mobile of all the storage options. That’s probably because you don’t have any physical device, card or anything to store and retrieve your data. It’s called the “Cloud.” This is a topic all unto itself; however, it requires a mention when discussing portable/mobile storage. The “Cloud” is actually storage that you access by uploading your data to storage farms located somewhere in the world owned and operated by companies like Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, Google, Asus and many others. You access them via the Internet. You rent storage in these storage farms at very nominal rates and they will continue to come down as competition continues to grow. You can access your data from just about any computer anywhere in the world that is connected to the Internet. You don’t need your own computer (of course, the computer you use has to have your specific application programs installed to use your data). However, you can also use programs provided by many of the Cloud storage providers that are compatible with most current business applications. Ultimately, with the direction computing appears to be heading, especially with the tablet/iPad devices, the Cloud may eventually be the predominant storage option for most people and businesses.

These five options cover a broad spectrum of uses and protection for your portable/mobile computing requirements. I currently have several portable hard drives and a hard drive docking station that allows me to utilize either 2.5” or 3.5” internal hard drives that are not installed in any computers. I use a 2.5” AV hard drive that I mounted in a portable case for my working audio and video files. I have another 2.5” hard drive I mounted in a portable case that has all my business and correspondence back-up files on it. It takes just seconds to plug them into any of my computers and access the files or write back up files to them. I also use SDHC cards for all of my audio recording and my video recording and a micro SDHC card in my Motorola Atrix 4G smart phone to expand its storage to 48GB. I transfer files back and forth with my two laptops from my digital audio recorders and my digital camcorder by simply taking the SDHC cards out of the device and plugging it directly into my SD slot on the computer. The computer recognizes the card as another hard drive and I have instant access to work on my files. I maintain all my email files (I use Gmail) in Google’s Cloud storage, so I have access anywhere with or without my computer or Atrix phone.

I’m contemplating whether I want to move more or all of my storage to the Cloud in the future. That decision will depend on how reliable my Internet connectivity will be with the various methods I’ll have to maintain a constant connection (a topic for another post). I may begin eliminating my traditional spinning disk hard drives and replacing them with various capacity solid-state thumb drives or SDHC cards. And, as another possibility, I may use both the Cloud and either thumb drives or SDHC cards, thus, giving me a back up in two locations removed from one another. The most exciting part is that all of this takes virtually no room, weighs virtually nothing and is costing less and less each month.

Photo of the Week #25 – Chicago – Lake Shore Drive and Lake Michigan

2011-10-23T19:47:00.000-04:00

I just spent nine days in the Windy City, October 11-19, 2011. These two photos are from the same vantage point. I was in Chicago to do some itinerant audio (in this case – audio and visual) work for two different clients. The first project was at the McCormick Place Convention Center, a huge, several building complex on both sides of Lake Shore Drive along the shoreline of Lake Michigan. My client’s Summit Meeting was in the Lakeside Building – the oldest and, I believe, the original convention center building.

These two photos were taken from my room on the 23rd floor of the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place Hotel that is attached to the convention center by an enclosed hallway. The nice thing about projects like these is that I get to stay in some really nice hotels, but at no expense to me. The night photo (a long, slow exposure) shows a somewhat wide angle view extending from southeast over part of Lake Michigan, south over the convention center to southwest Chicago. Like most large cities at night, you can see lights nearly forever. The daylight photo was shot in the early morning (you can see the flare from the easterly sun on the left of the photo) with a nearly identical perspective.

This is obviously, South Chicago, a more working class and industrialized area. The other side of the hotel had views of the lake and northward toward the Navy Pier and downtown Chicago where the Magnificent Mile (N. Michigan Ave.), the John Hancock Building and the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower) are well-known landmarks. I’ll feature more photos of Chicago in future Photo of the Week posts.

Photo of the Week #24 – Reno at night

2011-10-16T06:00:00.001-04:00

I traveled through Reno, NV in June 2006 on my way to Lake Tahoe. I can’t say that I was overly impressed with Reno. Perhaps my impression of Reno was influenced by the challenge of getting there. It was possibly one of the worst if not the worst flight scheduling experience in about 40 years of flying on a major U.S. airline. It also ended up being the most expensive domestic flight I’ve ever had in the U.S. and I booked the flight at least a month or more before the departure date.

Setting that aside, the photo was taken from my room in the Circus-Circus hotel. I paid in excess of $125.00 for a room that was no better then a $35.00 room at the average Motel 6. Adding to my displeasure, it took over two hours to check in because they had some kind of youth convention at the hotel at that time (which is also why the rates were elevated). I had to stand in line in a crowded, hot, extremely noisy lobby full of excited young people after getting off the flights from hell from the east coast. One would have thought that since there were numerous guests who were not with this youth convention group and who had advance reservations that they could have had one line for checking in non-convention guests.

Maybe I’m being unfair with being unimpressed by Reno. But, when I returned three days later to fly home, I experienced similar circumstances at a budget motel near the airport. I hope my two experiences were isolated instances and it was just a bad trip (at least the Reno part). Unfortunately, I’m not motivated to return to Reno based on this experience.

Photo of the Week #23 – A Hazy Desert Day in Western Arizona

2011-10-09T06:00:00.003-04:00

A large percentage of the U.S. is considered desert. Desert land begins after you cross the Mississippi River (for the most part). Of course, first you go through the plains and the plains lead into the desert country. As I’ve traveled the U.S. on the ground, I’ve learned a lot more about geography, geology and topography. These subjects were just so much “ho-hum” when I was a kid back in school and was learning about them from textbooks (boring) and the occasional filmstrip (today we have PowerPoint presentations). It is so much different actually experiencing the geography, geology and topography first hand.

I don’t want to sound naïve about my new opportunities to learn and experience the U.S. I’ve traversed this country many, many times. However, when I was traveling past the Mississippi River (from the east), I was typically looking down at the U.S. from 6 miles above in a long silver tube hurtling through the sky. I had experienced bits and pieces of desert territory in California, Arizona and Texas during numerous visits to these states. But, actually driving through the states and seeing and experiencing what is meant by the high plains and the high desert is a completely different experience. The topography is so different from place to place. The vegetation varies. The rock formations and the kinds of rock and sand and soil all differ. Each place I’ve gone has been different in several ways from other places I’ve been.

I took this photo near Parker, Arizona in April of 2011. Parker is a border town on the Colorado River separating Arizona from California. It was a hazy day in the desert, as you can see. The five Saguaro cacti in the photo (one almost completely hidden behind the bush in the center) gave me a feeling of the isolation and loneliness of such a vast area of less then hospitable country.

Photo of the Week #22 – Ice Skating at Rockefeller Center, New York City

2011-10-02T06:00:00.000-04:00

Autumn is officially upon us and the ice skating rink at Rockefeller Center will be opening for the 2011/2012 season in mid October through early April. The rink is an iconic part of New York City’s holiday season with the GE Building (formerly the RCA Building) serving as a backdrop. And, of course, there is the huge, majestically decorated and lit Christmas Tree that is erected during the Christmas holidays.

There is just something New York about a visit to Rockefeller Center and especially to the ice rink, whether you take to the ice or not. The rink has been a fixture of the New York scene since 1936 when it was set up as a temporary attraction to the new Rockefeller Center district. It never went away, its temporary status became permanent and each year throngs of locals and tourists are drawn there. The rink is small at only 122 feet long and 59 feet wide. It accommodates a mere 150 skaters at any given time. But, to New York City, it’s as American as apple pie and mother.

This photo was taken on my first digital camera, a very simple, unsophisticated and not very high-resolution device I bought to get my feet wet in digital photography. But, it makes the image. Whenever I’m in NYC during the winter, this is always one of my must go places. Even though the air may be cold, it warms me up to revisit it time and again

Travelers’ Tech Tips (for Nomads, Gypsies, RVers & other Travelers) Tip #4 – Skype

2011-09-30T06:00:00.002-04:00

The Internet is an amazing thing. It was created in 1969 as a counter-measure to the possibility of nuclear war. Forty-one years later it has spread around the world reaching even some of the most isolated geographic locations and primitive societies.

In our developed society, the Internet is rapidly replacing more traditional media including radio, television, (cable, satellite and broadcast), newspapers, magazines and even the telephone. One rapidly growing Internet service is called VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol. This Internet process allows you to talk and even transmit video from computer to computer over the Internet. The videophone is now a reality for anyone with a computer, an inexpensive web cam and a broadband Internet connection. There are numerous services providing commercial and non-commercial VoIP services. Even the cable companies and possibly some of the traditional wire telephone companies are using some of the VoIP technology as part of their bundled Internet services.

Possibly, the most widely recognized free VoIP service is Skype, a service developed in Europe and based out of Luxembourg and is in the process of being purchased by Microsoft Corporation at this writing. Skype is a peer-to-peer system, which means it connects computer to computer through software installed on each computer. The service is free when you’re communicating computer to computer. Thus, to use Skype most cost effectively, you must have a computer of any kind or a new tablet device or a current smart phone. It is possible that some smart phones (especially older phones) may not be compatible with Skype software applications, but I believe most Android phones and iPhones are compatible.

Skype offers other services for various fees. As previously noted, you can connect with any other computer in the world equipped with a microphone (and if you want video, a webcam) and a high-speed, broadband Internet connection – with no charges. However, Skype can also connect you with landline phones and mobile phones just about anywhere in the world where such service is available for ridiculously low fees, typically, two cents per minute to many places. You can also subscribe on a monthly or an annual basis if you choose to use Skype for a lot of calls to landlines, mobile phones or international phones. I subscribe for around $30 a year to call all landline and mobile phones in the U.S. and Canada. It’s well worth it for me.

So, what are the advantages for a traveling nomad? There are several advantages to be sure. First, as long as you can connect your desktop, laptop, net book, tablet or smart phone computing device to a high-speed, broadband Internet wifi connection you can call anyone you need to connect with in the world, computer to computer, for free. So, if you’re traveling in any kind of RV (travel/5^th wheel trailer, motor home, van camper) or even your car you can make free calls from most budget and moderate priced motels/hotels, Starbucks, McDonalds, Burger Kings, various convenience stores, travel/truck centers, rest areas in some states, public libraries, RV parks, RV resorts, some camp grounds, some state and national parks and the downtown areas of various towns and cities, often in their parks. If you’re visiting friends or you’re a couchsurfing.org traveler and there is a wireless router in the home you’re visiting, you can usually connect from your vehicle, or certainly when you’re inside the home. If the system is secured, you’ll need to ask for the security key to log onto their router. And, if you’re traveling in the stealth mode, you can often locate open, unsecured wifi hotspots across the country wherever there are people. And, finally, AT&T and possibly other wireless providers have set up thousands of wife hotspots across the U.S. (and probably other countries as well), for the convenience of their wireless customers with iPhones and newer Android smart phones. This is a huge cost savings since none of these computer to computer, Skype calls count against the “anytime” minutes in your calling plan.

Second, you can save quite a bit of money by calling from your computing device to landline or mobile phones by using the fee based Skype service. Even at two cents a minute you’ll save a bundle. If you make a lot of calls to landline or mobile phones, you’ll save even more by subscribing monthly or annually. For example, if you have a wireless plan that charges you $40/month for 450 anytime minutes, the cost per minute on that plan is 8.9 cents per minute. If you go over the 450-minute allotment, you’ll pay in the range of 40 cents per additional minute. This can get very expensive pretty quick. And remember, you’re charged for the full minute even if you only use one or two seconds out of the minute. You’re paying the 8.9 (or 40) cents per minute if you’re sitting on hold waiting for your doctor to get on the line or whatever. Compare those charges to a mere two cents per minute as a Skype computer to landline/mobile caller. If you use a 1,000 minutes/month and you’re an annual Skype subscriber, as I am, your cost is .0025 per minute.

Of course, another advantage is that, if you’re separated from your loved ones, you can actually have a face-to-face conversation with them with the video feature of Skype. Of course, this is only applicable if you’re connecting computing device to computing device and both ends of the connection are equipped with webcams. But, this is a great way to see the kids, the grand kids, friends, family and other loved ones. You can also participate in meetings with clients and employers this way.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that sometimes you’ll have a bad Skype connection. Hey, this happens with landlines on occasion and certainly on cellular phones. The solution is simple. Disconnect and remake the call. The chances are that your call will be routed completely differently and you’ll get a better or an excellent connection. I’ve had connections that sounded almost broadcast quality when working with clients. And, when you consider the cost, especially peer-to-peer (computer to computer), the inconvenience isn’t worth discussing further.

Some of the most interesting experiences I’ve had using Skype or similar peer-to-peer services are with my son when he’s been trekking somewhere in the world. I might be driving along in my car somewhere in the U.S., my cellular phone would ring and it would be my son calling me from some place in Vietnam, Thailand or India – or perhaps, Venice, Berlin or Madrid. We’d chat for a half hour to an hour around the world and the costs, even though I was using cellular minutes sometimes, were miniscule. My son has been traveling with a phone that offers both Internet and wireless cellular capability since smart phones including these features became available. He purchases a local SIM card for the country he’s in and uses their cellular service for his “in country” calls and he calls his family, friends and clients back in the U.S. over the Internet. You’re never out of contact with anyone you need or want to be in contact with when you learn how to use Skype (or similar Internet services).

One final thought on Skype and wireless phone services. I wouldn’t be without either service. There are times when using the wireless, cellular service is the best way to connect. I consider the cost of my monthly cellular service as a necessary utility. With my AT&T plan, I have rollover minutes, so I don’t lose any unused minutes for 12 months. Most plans don’t offer this feature. And, of course, 9 PM until 6 AM (typically) local time as well as weekends (9 PM Friday until 6 AM Monday) usually doesn’t cost you any of your anytime minutes. Some plans also don’t charge (as my AT&T plan) for mobile-to-mobile calls, in some cases between mobiles using the same provider (AT&T for instance) or between any mobiles on any provider’s service. And some allow you to make as many calls and use as many minutes as you wish with a certain number of regularly called phone numbers. You need to know your plan. Also, if you’re calling someone after 9 PM or over a weekend, who isn’t in your time zone, there may be charges to their cellular phone for minutes used.

On the other hand, there are certainly times when using an Internet based service like Skype is the most advantageous. Whenever I am going to do some phone consulting, I typically prefer to use Skype and, hopefully, the other party is capable of using Skype, too. When I sit in on webinars or teleconference calls, I use Skype whenever possible, too. A nice added feature when using Skype is that I can have a Skype recorder downloaded to my computing device so I can record the entire duration of the call on my device’s hard drive or memory and then review the consulting session or the webinar/teleconference.

Travelers, nomads, gypsies, RVers, etc. should take advantage of all the communication capabilities available to them. Learning how and when to use them to their best advantage is a balancing act, however, the financial benefits and the conveniences are so worth the time invested. It always bothers me to hear people, unfortunately, usually older folks, say that it’s too much trouble to learn all this technology. It especially bothers me to hear them say they are too old to learn. I have many friends well into their 80’s who use landline, cellular phones and Skype (and many have Google Voice numbers, which is a topic for another time) very effectively. If you happen to be fortunate enough to have more money then you’ll need to live very comfortably for the rest of your life, then, perhaps, you don’t need to learn to use all this fantastic technology. But, in today’s world and economy, most of the people I know are looking for any ways they can to save money, while not compromising their standard of living to any appreciable degree. Skype is definitely one of the ways.

Photo of the Week #21 – The Naked Pine, Lake Tahoe, California

2011-09-25T06:00:00.001-04:00

The Naked Pine as I’ve dubbed this photo is centered on a single branchless, needle-less pine overlooking the mouth of Emerald Bay on Lake Tahoe. This photo dates back to June of 2006 when a group of my former in-laws (I call them my out-laws) and friends all met at Lake Tahoe to celebrate the 80^th birthday of the matriarch of the clan, known by most as BJ. BJ is my former mother-in-law and one of my longest standing, best friends.

The photo was obviously taken from an elevated vantage point with the lake several hundred feet below us. This was my first (and to date, my only) visit to Lake Tahoe with the snow capped mountains around it and beautiful forests, waterfalls and natural beauty in every direction. I was very impressed by how large the lake is. For some reason, I wasn’t expecting it to be as large as it is at 6,225 feet above sea level and covering 191 square miles, surrounded by several mountains that exceed 10,000 feet above sea level. The lake’s basin was formed by a series of faults well over a million years ago and was shaped during the Ice Age at least a million years ago. It is the second deepest lake in the U.S. at 1,645 feet next to Crater Lake in Oregon. It’s also the 16^th deepest lake in the world. Frankly, I didn’t know what to expect, but as usual, Mother Nature knocked my socks off. Bottom line, I enjoyed the experience – family, friends and the natural wonders of nature. As one Arnold Schwarzeneggar said in The Terminator, “I’ll be back!”

Travelers’ Tech Tips (for Nomads, Gypsies, RVers & other Travelers) Tip #3 – Portable Computing Devices

2011-09-23T11:05:00.000-04:00

There are all kinds of computing devices currently available. Like cellular phones, computing devices are more a part of our everyday lives then many of us realize. Actually, it is probably more accurate to suggest that we take computing devices for granted. Once upon a time, computers were huge electronic systems that often occupied large rooms and even buildings. They used vacuum tubes in thousands of circuits that created so much heat that they had to be water-cooled. Then, along came semiconductors, also called transistors in the early days. These solid-state devices reduced the size, energy requirement and heat generation of all kinds of electronic equipment ranging from portable transistor radios, televisions, stereo equipment, broadcasting equipment and many other devices including computers.

Eventually, engineers and scientists learned how to create and “grow” entire silicon based circuits and miniaturize electronics more and more. As computing devices became smaller and smaller and more and more powerful they became the “engines” that drove more and more of the things we take for granted. The list is way too long to go into here, but just think as small as a woman’s wrist watch, an mp3 player with a built in dictation recorder, FM receiver and the capability of displaying photographs and video materials while still storing thousands of your favorite pieced of music to systems that facilitate the global financial systems. Even a netbook computer or one of the new generation of tablet computing devices has more computer processing power and memory (storage) then the huge computers that once required an entire building to house them and had to be water-cooled. As a matter of fact, these netbooks and tablets are more powerful then the computers that took men to the moon and back.

Currently, I have and use, three portable computers and I’ll ad a fourth when I decide on buying into a tablet computing device. Currently, I have a full-sized laptop computer, a netbook computer and my new Motorola Matrix 4G cellular phone that actually is a miniature computer with a dual core, 1 GHz microprocessor as its foundation. Each of these portable computers serves a different purpose with some overlap. The total weight of all three computers including a plethora of peripheral devices and accessories is 15 pounds or less. Yet, with these devices I can create documents, communicate globally, send and receive documents, record and produce audio and video productions of all kinds, take still photographs that I can edit and enhance, take care of all my business requirements, talk with people on the telephone either through the wireless cellular network or over the Internet. I can also store and read a huge library of books as well as music, photos and videos. And this only begins to describe all the power I have in this 15 pounds of technology.

Okay! I know. If you’re reading this blog post you have at least a basic savvy and understanding of the power of this technology. But, have you REALLY taken into account or even explored just how much capability you have and the freedom it affords you? Certainly, the younger you are the more you realize this power and you’re probably exploiting at least some of it. My 30-something son is a typical example. He began his computing life at about age 13 or 14 and has built an entire life and career around computing technology. He treks the world and still maintains contact with his clients and customers, does work for them while sitting in some foreign country and still enjoys the freedom of travel and exploration of the physical world.

It is the group of people from about 45 and older who I often hear say things like, “well, I just like having a wired phone line because it’s more reliable then wireless,” or “I won’t buy anything on line because my credit card could be stolen.” I get email messages from people regularly saying, “I’m going on a trip so I’ll be out of contact for two weeks because I won’t be near my computer.” Now, certainly, it’s nice to get away from home and from routine, after all, isn’t that what vacations are all about, anyway? But, as my friend, Stuart Crump, who I mentioned in the last Tech Tip, so graphically demonstrated to me, you have an “on-off” switch that allows you to control your access to others and others’ access to you. We live in the 21^st Century. We are a “connected” society and world. I certainly am not advocating computer or Internet addition (and that has now become another of the additions along with alcohol, drugs, gambling, over-eating, sex, shopping, adrenaline rushes, work, etc.).

The fact is technology and portable computing in the form of the various forms of computers and smart phones actually provide those who embrace and learn to use the technology effectively, efficiently and productively with greater freedom and capability then ever before in the history of human kind. Having one or more of these technologies with you at all times (more and more the latest generation of smart phones) not only allows you to keep in contact with family and friends (especially in an emergency), but allows you to receive and pay bills, transfer funds, check for deposits that should be made that you’re counting on, provide maps and even portable GPS capabilities and even locate you in the event you may be involved in some kind of accident.

I certainly do not obsess with my technology. My technology is there to make my life better, easier, freer and ultimately happier. If my cell phone rings and I don’t want to take the call, I let the message go to voice mail (another wonderful technological tool). If I don’t check my email for multiple hours, so be it. It will be waiting for me when I do get around to checking it. However, if I’m expecting an email or, perhaps, I’m in the midst of some kind of transaction, emergency or other situation that requires keeping on top of my email or phone calls, I don’t have to sit and wait at home or some other fixed location, perhaps, for hours. I can continue with my life, moving forward and still be right on top of the situation.

Portable computing devices have extended our “leash” virtually globally. While there is certainly a learning curve, most people well into their advanced years (and I know many people well into their 80’s and some, even in their 90’s) are quite proficient on various kinds of computing devices. They’ve learned to use calculators and cable TV boxes. They can learn to use the most valuable capabilities of more advanced computing devices. Like with most things in life, a “Can Do” attitude always trumps a “Can’t Do” attitude. Those who can do will be freer and happier overall, no matter what one’s age is.

The Adventure Begins – well, sort of . . .

2011-09-20T10:50:00.001-04:00

It was two years, ten months and 20 days ago that my Living Free odyssey began. November 1, 2008 was basically the first day since I was born and as an adult, since I left New Jersey in 1967 to attend graduate school in Syracuse, NY, when I didn’t have a fixed, permanent residence of some kind. It was a decision that I began thinking about a few years earlier as a whimsy and as 2008 progressed I realized I had an important decision to make. Do I continue living on the 49-acre ranch I had lived on for nearly six years? Do I seek another place and prepare to make a more difficult move then the one I made moving to the ranch or do I become a “professional nomad,” a dream since I was in college some 40+ years before?

Staying on the ranch seemed like the least likely of the choices. I had all that space and the entire overhead that accompanied it. Because I ran two businesses from that location, most of the space was occupied with business equipment, furnishings and far too much dead storage. I was actually occupying the master bedroom of the house as an efficiency apartment, which, coincidently, was about the same square footage as the one-room studio apartment I moved into when I moved to Washington, DC for my Air Force assignment at Bolling Air Force Base. I’d come full circle. My current overhead, at that time I was living on the ranch, was ridiculous for one person, especially since I had downsized all my business operations and no longer had or needed any employees, all the office and production equipment and so on. I was operating a very expensive warehouse full of “stuff.”

Moving to another place also was not something that gave me warm fuzzies. The move from my mountain top roost to the ranch in early 2003 ranked among the largest moves I have ever made and moving from the ranch nearly six years later was going to be at least 150% of the 2003 move. Where would I put all this “stuff” that I no longer needed or wanted. So, I ruled out that move.

That left my third choice. I could do the BIG downsize, get rid of virtually everything except the basics and become a professional nomad, an individual with no fixed residence. I could spend my time traveling around, exploring, learning and experiencing so much of the life I had set aside over the preceding 40 years for a variety of reasons, all of which were valid and rewarding and, for the most part, enjoyable. But, at this time I had chosen to downsize my business involvements. I no longer had a spouse or family living with me and the accompanying responsibilities and obligations for their well-being and welfare. I was essentially free to do and be anything I wanted to and go anywhere I wanted to. So, that became my decision.

As I’ve related in earlier posts, this decision resulted in one of the most stressful and, in many ways, depressing periods of my life. Letting go of so much of the “stuff” of one’s past is not as easy as it may appear on the surface. I have absolutely no regrets and it’s still the best decision I’ve ever made for myself, but everything has some kind of price.

Now, it’s nearly three years later. Once I was past the major stress of going through the worst part of the downsizing and the depression of leaving a life behind and living an entirely new lifestyle that would have been very easy as a late teen or early to mid 20 something, but was very different as a mid 60-something with 40+ years of life experience, I’ve never felt freer or happier in my life. Don’t get me wrong; I had many happy and joyful times during the preceding four decades. There were happy times during my first marriage that I cherish and always will. Being the father of a wonderful, creative, positive, productive and free-spirited son was a joy during his youth and continues to be so. So, I live my current life of living free with very few regrets.

Like most humans, I seek a comfort zone. And, I fall into a comfort zone as easily as the next person. During the past three years, as I transitioned from the person I was, with a relatively high overhead, too much space and too much stuff and a place to go “home” to everyday that I chose to leave it, I simply created a new comfort zone. The new comfort zone consisted of a room with a friend in Winchester, VA (the town I had lived near for 27 years) and another room with an old Air Force buddy and a very good friend in Falls Church, VA and an office I could use with another old friend and client in Fairfax, VA. I created workstations in each of these three places and simply moved between them about 90% of the time. I had all my basic needs stationed in Winchester and Falls Church. Basically, I simply had created two new “man caves.” if you will.

My intention when I left the ranch was to jump into a 40’, diesel pusher, motor home and live on the road full-time. The rooms in the two locations and the office were simply a “temporary” situation until I was ready to hit the road. Well, there is “good news” and “bad news” in this story for me. The “good news” is that it’s a good thing that I didn’t make the move into a 40’, diesel pusher, motor home right after leaving the ranch. I would have made every major mistake a person could have made and probably ended up trapping myself in another high-overhead situation, stressed myself out more, become even more depressed and couldn’t have easily eliminated the problem due to the rapidly deteriorating economy. The “bad news” is that I allowed myself to fall into another comfort zone that slowed down my move to becoming more of the “professional nomad” I aspired to become.

And that’s where we are today. I have made a lot of progress. Last year, I traveled through 27 states and covered nearly 20,000 miles during the year on various trips. I loved every minute of being on the road and knew I needed to continue moving in that direction. I retired my beloved 1996 Cadillac Seville with 257,000 miles on it and replaced it with a 2002 Ford Focus hatchback specifically equipped to easily modify as a “toad” or a car that would be towed behind a motor home. I had been checking out different kinds of motor homes, looked at several, went to some RV shows and sat in them, laid on the beds, sort of trying them on for size. I realized that I wanted to start out with a gas-fueled motor home rather then a diesel. I also realized that I probably didn’t need that 40’ but could get by with 32 to 34 feet. As I did more and more research and exploring, I realized that even smaller was better.

Then along came August 4,2011. My friend Caroline had passed away a couple days earlier near Sparta, NC. I was on my way to celebrate her life with her husband, my old buddy from grad school (the three of us met at Syracuse University) and other family and friends. After a quick dinner with the family in the little town of Sparta, I was on my way to their house. It was a dark night, the area is rural and despite my prior experience with deer in the rural area I lived in, a “kamikaze” deer targeted my Ford Focus hatchback. She succeeded in committing suicide and demolishing the vehicle I had purchased to be my “toad.” Without question, it was the worst auto accident of my life and had every possibility of resulting in severe injury or my death. I walked away unscathed by Divine Providence, pure luck or whatever.

So, another change in my plans was in order due to a circumstance I didn’t or couldn’t foresee. I had to acquire another vehicle. I was, essentially, back to square one. So, after a little over a month went by with other events that were on the books prior to the altercation with the deer, I finally made a decision and took the action. I looked at a variety of possibilities and scenarios. I checked out a few motor home possibilities. I looked at replacing the Ford Focus with something similar. In the final analysis, I made a compromise. I decided to acquire one vehicle that I could use as my main “ride” and to travel in with some comfort and overnight capability.

Behold, my (future) micro motor home.

I purchased a 1994 Ford E150 Hi-top Conversion Van with low mileage for the model year. I will be converting it into a micro motor home similar to a Class B motor home. They are more commonly called “camper vans.” While I will not use it for full-time living, I will be able to travel and overnight comfortably in the vehicle once I’ve done my conversion. It certainly will not have all the luxury and conveniences of a full-sized, commercial motor home. But, it will afford me a way to exit my current comfort zone. I’m already planning to end my, too long, stay with my friend in Winchester and my friend in Falls Church, while we’re all still on excellent terms. I’ll also visit the office in Fairfax much less frequently. I’ll be moving my base of operations to Keyser, WV with another friend who has a large home and plenty of room for me to work on the van without creating disruption of her life or drawing undue attention to what I’m doing. I wouldn’t be able to do this in the Winchester location and it would be impossible in the Falls Church location.

So, this is the beginning of the next phase of my odyssey. I’m going to document the conversion and explain my rationale for each of the changes I make to the rig. I’ll accompany it with photos. I’m not sure if I’ll use this blog or I’ll create another blog just for the adventure of converting the van. If I do, I’ll have links on this blog for those interested in following the progress. My plan is to get the major work done during this fall, take a couple short “shakedown” trips and plan to begin major travel as of January 2012, heading to warmer climates for the winter.

Perhaps, as the future rolls out, I’ll have the opportunity to meet some of the people who read this blog. That will be the greatest treat of all as I travel and explore the highways and byways of America and Canada.

Enthusiastically,