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THE LITTLE THINGS ? An Anniversary Blog
“The good fight is the one that is fought in the name of our dreams.”
-Paul Coelho The Pilgrimage
It was three months ago yesterday that we headed out on the road, south on the 95 to Miami. At this point it feels like three years ago to both of us. We were filled with enthusiasm, chock full of ideas and had grand pipe dreams of working the festival circuit all summer long. We were willing to do whatever it took to make it happen. We brought only what we could fit in our car, the very little money we had and a lot of hope. Although we were taking a trip, most importantly we were taking a giant leap of faith in ourselves. We believed in the power of the universe to support our idea and that we would be okay so long as we were following our hearts. People scoffed at our blind faith and called us naïve. Well, to a certain extent the theory that the universe would support us has proven to be very true (Take that haters). Opportunities have come our way far beyond our wildest dreams; people have been kind and generous, not only in their hospitality to us, but with information, tips and hookups as we have traveled this long journey.
But there is a reality to any reality, and as many wonderful things have come our way that we never could have imagined, things have also been much more challenging and difficult than we ever could have fathomed. Don’t get us wrong, in many respects, we are ‘livin’ the dream.” It’s not that we underestimated the difficulty of our mission; we knew we were fighting an uphill battle—we just didn’t necessarily think that we would make it this far…no one did. In a lot of ways it's the same mentality that leads to the downfall of many prisoners who escape from the everyday confines of their lives—they plan their escape down to every minute detail, but once they actually get out, they have no plans beyond the walls they were desperate to break free of. This is due greatly in part to a self-doubt that lies deep within us all. Although consciously we think we can pull off even the grandest of schemes, subconsciously there is a vast chasm of doubt that the vision is unattainable. Escapees don’t plan for what will happen beyond their fantasies of freedom, and usually, shortly after their escape, they get caught.
Hence our recent run-in with the proverbial “wall.” It took us making it all the way to the Pacific Northwest before we both realized our vision had become a reality. When we were driving in to Seattle, we kept looking at each other incredulously saying, “We can’t believe we made it to Seattle.” Something strange happens when you reach a goal, when you arrive at where you planned on going, but weren’t really sure you could make it. All of sudden, you need to set the bar higher, re-evaluate where you have come from and consequently, set new goals.
People tell us all the time that we are “so lucky,” and we agree, we are. We are extremely grateful to be doing what we are doing; seeing the country, meeting people of all kinds from all over the place, and steering clear of what could have become a series of unfortunate events (KNOCK ON WOOD). But, the truth is, most people couldn’t live the way we have been living for the past three months without going crazy, calling it quits, or flipping out on a daily basis. The fact that we can even look at one another is a testament not only to our relationship and our ability to “not sweat the small things,” but also our patience and determination to put a higher goal above the petty disagreements (believe us though --we have our moments).
Not only did we realize in Seattle that we have come a long fucking way, but it was the first time on our journey that homesickness really set in. It isn't that we are physically far away from home, but we are even further away mentally (and thus that much closer to insanity).
Things that we miss the most right now:
- The Atlantic Ocean (the Pacific Ocean ain’t got shit).
- Our beds that are a fraction smaller than the Volkswagen Passat that we currently refer to as our home.
- Being able to poop without having to worry about our host or hostess noticing.
- Getting laid on a regular basis.
- Laying down on a regular basis.
- The top button on all of my pants (Sean).
- A good lip waxing (Bridge).
- Not having “Car Rot.”
- And by “Car Rot,” we mean not feeling like our asses are going to rot off from sitting in a car twelve hours a day, five out of seven days a week because of the accumulated sweat which builds up under the pressure of your own body weight creating conditions similar to a swamp/the Everglades. (Gross, we know, but anyone who has taken an extensive road trip knows how true these words are)
- Having a stress level less than 12 on a scale from 1 to 10.
- Having four hours of class, four days a week, be the most of my worries (Sean).
- Having to worry about supporting only myself (Bridget).
- MONEY.
- Wasting time, down time, keeping time, Father Time, any sense or perception of time.
- Being further than two steps away from the hundreds of crazy homeless people on the streets (one step being the fact that we live in a car, and the other step being that we don’t scream at inanimate objects… yet).
- Any sense of routine… Any sense at all.
- And by routine we mean: 22 Bowen’s, 360, 5th Element, A&O Fish, A.B.C., Aidan’s, The Area, Boom Boom Room, Busker’s, Cappy’s, Castle Hill, Christie’s (we’ll miss you), Colonial, Cooke House, Dockside, The Garden, Grizzie’s, I.A., I.Y.A.C., Jimmy’s, The Landing, The Mooring, O’Brien’s, On the Rocks, Pineapple Bar, POP, Quahog Co.,Rhino Bar, Riptide, Smokehouse, Star Bar, Zelda’s, and anywhere else a stiff drink and familiar face go hand in hand.
- Lazily lounging on Castle Hill Beach without a care in the world, a chicken sandwich from Sig’s and a headache from the routine night before.
- Family and friends (you know who you are…we aren’t name-dropping until you all buy t-shirts, thanks to those of you who have (you know who you are)).
It is only fitting that we are writing this from a bar in Vancouver while we try to invoke the spirit of Newport within us… and by invoke we mean we hope to be blacked out in less than three hours (make that one and a half… we’ve been here for an hour). By the way, a shout out to Carrie, our friendly and inattentive server, who didn’t even realize we were here. Can you believe that! We’re clearly not blacked out…or even remotely drunk. (aka…Sean with his pants down).
Three hours and three pitchers of beer later…
Things we are grateful for (KNOCK ON WOOD):
- Being drunk.
- Public transportation.
- The rad 80’s rock ballads they’ve been playing at this bar called Speakeasy (currently playing: “What a Feeling” title track from the movie Flashdance)
- Not having to give an h.j.at a truck stop for gas money.
- Not losing my anal virginity at a truck stop in Barstow, CA (Sean).
- Life in general.
- German engineered automobiles.
- Everyone who has sheltered us along our journey. Thanks for….
- Justin- your massive studio apartment, harboring twice as many refugees as you expected to, being the love generation and dropping your pants every chance you got.
- Matt- same as above (minus the pants-dropping part), living right across the street from the beach and that sick ass “back roads” shortcut from Arruba’s to your house.
- Aunt Dixie and Uncle Mark- the two coolest dogs in the world, fattening us up, kindly having us on the tranquil farm—we miss it all of the time and anxiously await our return.
- Shawna, Nick, Megan and Cros- putting up with our shenanigans, your big comfy couches, fresh vegetables from the garden, and not calling the loony bin to come pick us up.
- Marge and Tollie- comfortable beds, fresh linens, great dinners, a clean house, amazing water pressure and sound advice.
- Mr. and Mrs. Ritz- a hot shower after two days of Coachella madness and dust, a pool, a bed after sleeping on the ground for two days, plenty of mirrors to check out our amazing tan in, our amazing tan and Eric.
- Eric Ritz- the “would you rather” game, the pool on your roof, vendor passes, great opportunities, and taking Sean for three days (Bridget).
- Chad – harboring me for a couple of days and making me feel like a normal human again. (Bridge)
- Alix – trusting that Sean wasn’t some Facebook weirdo (even though he is), for putting up with our droopy mood as we hit the wall and being a true PHETASY believer.
- Ben- letting me sit at the grown-up table, taking me to Chicago for an amazing night at the theater, amazing business advice and showing me the yuppie side of Seattle (Bridge).
- Kim and Mc- for harboring two more people in your living room for a couple of days, a great home-cooked meal, the second two coolest dogs on the planet and helping us navigate the Vancouver public transportation systems.
All in all, it’s been one helluva trip, one that we hope we can sustain monetarily (BUY SOME SHIRTS PEOPLE), physically, (KNOCK ON WOOD…but we have been extremely lucky on this front), emotionally (we haven't stopped crying since L.A.) and mentally (ok, we’re willing to let this one slide a little...we started this journey halfway to Crazytown). We’ve come a long way baby…and although we might be living completely outside the realm of what anyone would consider “normal,” we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Article Series
This article is part 1 of a 3 part series. Other articles in this series are shown below:
-
THE LITTLE THINGS ? An Anniversary Blog
-
REJECTED ? BLAME CANADA
-
VANCOUVER
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