Moving To The Beach

The other day, my mom was telling me about Port Aransas Texas. It's a place she and my dad (when he was still here) loved to visit when they wanted some rest and recreation. Ever since she told me about it, that poem by Edna St Vincent Millay about "I shall go back again to the bleak shore..." has been going round and round in my head.

So, I've been thinking... what if I just up and moved to Port Aransas? Then, today, I found this picture... it even says "rent me."


That is a cool looking house! Now all I have to do is find a job there, win the lottery, or ... I dunno ... find a lamp with a genie in it!

I figured where to find a magic lamp? Craig's list, of course! But, (sad face) I did not find a magic lamp. BUT guess what I did find! This listing for artists wanted:

We are preparing for our first annual fall festival here on Padre Island, and are looking for local art vendors to come join the fun!!!!! If you are interested in showcasing your art or talent please email back or call, 361-949-8041 X150 and ask for Jojo.. Interesting!! Padre Island can't be that far away!

And then there's this one in Corpus Christi: New business offering artist the chance to advertise and sale their work in a business facility. Feel free to call (688 0444) or stop by New Beginnings Wellness Spa

Maybe I wouldn't have to get a stupid job. Maybe I could sell my art! Like, for example... this painting:

Or this one:

And what about my family? How could I leave them? But never fear! I even found a job for my daughter: Barkaritaville Pet Resort is now accepting applications for Experienced Groomers. If you are interested in applying, please e-mail resume to Autumn Vasey at, autumnvasey@gmail.com

Not only that, I also found a job for my son-in-law: our company is looking to hire full and part time cleaning people (women or men) with EXPERIENCE in all aspects of cleaning ...especially in final construction cleaning...being able to use sizzor lifts,floor polishers,window cleaning etc... must have supervision and look neat in appearence ....please contact us at either jrad@concleangroup.com or 888-514-7842 ....please leave a tel: # so that we can get back to you..asap ....ask for john.

Ok... so the jobs and the kids are taken care of, what about a social life... let me see... maybe I can find a male companion... Oh look! Here's this:

I'm still looking for the woman that's maybe a little anti-social, and possibly an outspoken misanthrope, truly "Old Fashioned", or even an intelligent shy girl who prefers not to get caught up in the trappings of the shallow, greedy masses. Seriously people in general are stupid and mostly annoying and I don't have the patience or desire to waste my time sorting through them. Despite what it may sound like I tend to give everybody a chance to fuck up atleast once. I'm only judging society in general, of course there are decent people out there.. Ok here it goes..

I'd like you to be Agnostic, Atheists annoy me almost as much as devout Christians do. Hindu, or Buddhists are ok too if you're not just pretending. Looks aren't that important either, I don't mind a bbw or a bean pole or anything in between. There's beauty to be found in every woman if you know how to look. I like to read the book before giving my critique... I want someone real to enjoy life with, someone I know right off the bat isn't gonna burn me, and that hasn't gone retarded over some completely unimportant contrived issue, societal crutch, or lame fad. An old soul. I want a woman who would be comfortable going "ex-pat" and living on a farm in South or Central America (Costa Rica :D) with me. A woman who can carry on an intelligent conversation that isn't about how "fly" or "bangin" she is but can also shut the fuck up when we're sitting on the beach watching the sunset and be comfortable just soaking in the moment. A passionate, animal loving, deeply sensitive woman.

First of all I don't care about fitting in.. I smoke cigarettes, I drink alcohol, I enjoy everything in excess. I'm a little impulsive. I like the outdoors, one because I like being isolated, and two I enjoy our Mother Earth's company. I'm an accomplished gardener. I devour astronomy. I like semi-religious psychedelic experiences, but I don't smoke pot (as much as I used to). I love to learn, a day that's gone by without learning something is a day wasted. I'm not wealthy, I don't need to be, but I do take care of my family. That doesn't mean kids I don't have any, YET... I love to cook, I'm a BBQ wizard. I spent quite a few years working in a kitchen under a French chef when I was a kid. I've been driving a truck for the last 5 years because it affords me some independance of mind and thought. What I'd really like to do is just be completely self sufficient. That's where the farm in comes in.. I'm not a fucking "metro-sexual" I pride my self on having rough hands and sore back at the end of the day. I'm not a complainer, and yes I can reconcile that after everything I've just said. I just feel what I feel. On the outside I'm 6'1", wide shoulders, blue eyes, short brown hair that's starting to pepper a little bit, and I'm not skinny, I'm not obese but I'm definitely not skinny.. 250lbs. Yes I'm working on it. I have a few tattoos and I'd like a few more..

Ok so there should be no confusion as to who I am, or what I want. I'm very real and very serious. It's Monday and the sun is back out today. My garden got some much needed rain.

Honestly I don't expect a real reply I don't think what I want exists, at least not here in Corpus where being ignorant is synonymous with cool, but if you do reply please be honest, I do have face pics. I will not send you a picture of my junk and ask for some "nsa".

P.S. Nipple piercings are a deal breaker lol.. And seriously if your favorite music is Rap and only Rap I want nothing at all to do with you. Same goes for most C&W.. Don't get me wrong I like all types of music if it's somewhat intelligent, but I find the desire to be "Ghetto", or "Right-Wing" both equally disturbing. PostingID: 1374519691

So, what do you think? Does he look like this?

This?

Or this?

And, really, does it matter? After all, looks aren't EVERYTHING!
So, now that that's all settled, all I need is a really big truck!


Well... maybe not THAT big. Something like this might do just fine! I especially like that it comes with so many helpers!


And then... I suppose... I'd be happy! Don't you think? How do you like my happy smiling face?


And if you actually read this whole entire post... WOW! Wanna go with me?

Looking for cheap rent?

Thinking about running away from home? Planning to do something totally different with your life? Contemplating the Big Apple? New York City? Not sure how you would be able to afford it?
Here ya go! This was found on Craig's list:

$1 Room for ONE DOLLAR in bright, clean apartment (West Village NY)

I am looking for someone to rent a spare bedroom in my spacious 2 br apartment. The rent is only $1 per month. While this may seem a glorious opportunity to live in the desirable West Village and still have enough money to pay off your gambling debts, you must read carefully, as this situation is not suitable for all.

First, you must call me Pierre on Tuesdays, unless that Tuesday falls on an even-numbered date, in which case you must call me Pip. If the Tuesday is both even-numbered and a holiday, you must also paint me a watercolor of a woodland scene, replete with songbirds and a cute deer peeking out from the dense brush.

Second, you must join me for nightly sing-alongs during which you will accompany on acoustic guitar while wearing a macrame vest and a Guatemalan hat, both of which you must supply yourself. Currently on the playlist: Angie by the Rolling Stones in the key of F-sharp. After six months, we may add a second song to the list. You may not riff, yodel, or otherwise embellish the vocal line in any way. You may NOT simultaneously play the harmonica or knock on the guitar for percussive effect. Light refreshments will be served, at your expense.

You must feed my parakeets daily. Since I do not own any parakeets, you must obtain several in order that you may feed them. They enjoy sunflower seeds and pine nuts in the exact ratio of 2 to 1 (by nut count, not weight). One parakeet must be named Yellowy and have yellow or yellow-tinged plumage. Hi, Yellowy! Yellowy must already be named Yellowy; you may NOT simply purchase a parakeet and start calling it by that name. And don't think I won't know the difference.

Moreover, you must read all the ingredients in my foodstuffs to me daily, for all victuals in my kitchen, even for foods I do not plan to eat that day. If you have amusing anectodes about any particular ingredient, you may share them, as long as they do not exceed 500 words.

Every night, if there are at least three (3) stars visible in the sky (NOT counting any visible planets), you must prepare a mustard plaster and a camphor poultice, which you will then place outside my bedroom door. You will scratch gently at the door to alert me to their presence and then retreat to your chambers. If I open the door and catch sight of you, I will cast you out into the streets and alleys to meet your fate among the wretched of the city.

If you bring guests home, they must provide photo I.D., samples of their blood, urine, and saliva, and a small, green salad. They must eat the salad while I run the analyses on their fluids. The following diseases are permissible: cholera, typhus, and rabies. The following ailments are NOT: plague, rickets, and scurvy. If your guest is found to have scurvy, they may remain in the apartment as long as they have also brought a small piece of silver for me.

You must attend my morning lecture at 7:00 a.m. sharp. This morning's lecture, for example, explored the connection between the parliamentary system of government prevalent in European societies and my cataracts. Sometimes I will have a guest speaker. Last month, Henry Kissinger posited the existence of elves who come out at night and smoke the rest of your pot so when you wake up in the morning you can't believe you don't have any pot left 'cause you coulda sworn you had at least one more joint when you went to bed. He received a standing ovation for his presentation as well as the National Award for Excellence in Lectures.

If you are interested in this living situation, please write an essay detailing your contributions to society. I will be grading you on content as well as style. Spelling counts!

Thank you.

The Faeries answer my question!

I asked the Faery Oracle Cards this question: What is the best way for me to get out from under my Bank of America debt?

Here is the answer: The Journeyman

Key words: Adventure. Independence. Polishing of skills. Travel.

Overview: All the great ones - the saints, the bodhisattvas, and all of those who are filled by the spiritual light - have been on this journey. They went into the wilderness stepping, like fools, off the safe paths, into the waiting hands of their gods and goddesses. This is the journey of life, a pilgrimage that begins in ignorant trust, passes through all of the doubts, fears, ups and downs, probably all of the delusions and certainly all of the confusions. Through it, we learn slowly, painfully, a new kind of trust, a trust in the process, detached from the goal.

About the image: Our young Oengus Journeyman, bless him, is stepping out on the journey of life, positively glowing with enthusiasm. Even his toes sparkle. Bright handsome, and educated, he has completed his apprenticeship in faery crafts and magics, but he has not yet achieved true mastery of his trade. To accomplish this he must leave the protection of his master and step out onto his path as an independent journeyman craftsman. He is testing himself and his knowledge in the world. He hopes to eventually achieve the status of Master maker. Right now he knows a lot of facts, has all the basic skills, but probably knows less than he thinks he does. He is about to learn about the skills of survival - bartering, persuading, selling, buying wisely, enjoying life, making friends.

Oengus still has lovely playful, childlike qualities, and now it is time to learn to care for himself. No one is looking over his shoulder to see that he does his work right and eats properly. Oengus may take chances and even make mistakes sometimes, as we all do, but this is how we learn. He is now confronting (and being confronted by) the real world. Here, he will discover that excuses don't buy bread and that the quality and integrity of one's work and actions are what counts, but he has been well taught and pretty well knows this already.

He has romantic dreams of being a great hero, of becoming the supreme master of his craft, and of winning a faery princess. Some of these dreams will come true - perhaps all of them.

Here we see an innocent being walking trustfully into a situation for which he is not fully prepared (and indeed, cannot be fully prepared) or for which his preparation is as yet untested by reality. He is innocent of previous practical experience of the path he is now treading or the realm of life into which he is moving. This card could be called Innocent Encounters Reality - which is by no means a bad thing.

His faery godmother is lurking somewhere, just out of his sight - as faery godmothers tend to do. Her expression is both gleeful and worried. Her hair is already whiter than it was before he began, and she is keeping her wand fully charged at all times. Although this is his journey and he must undertake it himself, almost everyone needs (and is given) a little faery godmothering from time to time. Good-natured innocence attracts faery guardians - it attracts helpful beings on all planes and in all worlds. It may also attract those who would abuse that innocence, but as long as our intentions are good, our guardians will offer good guidance. We are blessed and cared for - if we allow ourselves to be.

The world is before Oengus with smiles and teeth. Oengus has optimism, cheerfulness, magic skills, and a diligent faery godmother. Oengus grows within us when we step bravely into the unknown, developing our potentials with hope and optimism and an open heart.

Key words: Adventure. Independence. Travel.

Reading: A long path ahead - we hope. This card speaks to the need to perfect skills in working and living, but it acknowledges having a sound grounding in the basics. Optimistic, innocent, and willing to learn, Oengus also shows us that intuition serves us well - but only if we pay attention to it.

Sometimes, we are operating from theory alone, and our knowledge may or may not be well grounded in reality. This card does not necessarily refer exclusively to beginnings; it can also signify a progression along a path, moving into the unknown from the known, a new phase in an ongoing process. The card may also represent untested concepts or ideas, and suggest a need for balance between the intuitive and the rational as one approaches the unknown.

Something to think about: Consider where you are going. What are your long term goals? What are you doing that is helping you move toward them?

Another Vardo Van Idea

With the price of gas going up and up and up, it occured to me that it might be a good idea to do some research into what kind of gas mileage I could expect to get if I turned a van into a vardo. So I went on a search for the largest, most fuel efficient van available. I wanted something that wasn't too big and clunky to drive, something I could stand up in, and something big enough to actually live in. And here it is:



This is the 2008 Dodge Sprinter. It gets 20 mpg, which is pretty good for a big cargo van. I found a nice little review of it at Allpar. Here are some more pictures.

The Vardo Van

At work the other day, my friend Daniel and I were talking about my greatest idea yet. Daniel thinks I should go for it, and has been supporting me by visualizing that I can actually pull it off in a good way. We got to talking about what the Vardo Van might look like, which sent me on an image search for vans made into vardos. This is what I found:





I do do think the van should be a deep rich color instead of white, and that being said, isn't it cute? I love how scrumptiously luxurious the interior is. I wonder what kind of gas mileage it gets. I wonder how much something like that would cost.

Feedback on my big idea

Here is what my sister had to say about my "Best Idea Yet", which basically consisted of running away from home and becoming a Gypsy Witch.


I have no talent for predicting good ideas versus bad ideas! But I do hear bits and pieces of an underlying theme here - you really want to get away, out, out from under, out into your authentic life...? What about your life right now is inauthentic? Do you really want to sell your property but you are stuck in the idea you can't? Do you really want to move away?

I have been getting so much insight from writing my thoughts down in 'the language of need...' I keep distilling these needs (always asking myself - is it true? etc using The Work), so that I'm clearer and clearer. When I have my clear and true need down, the manifesting starts happening in lightening proportions.

So, in the language of needs, I am wondering what your e-mail says about what you need - but since I'm not you, I'm not that clear about it. I think when you know what you truly need it will be so much easier to proceed toward manifesting it. For instance, if you need to sell your property and move your life along - if you really know that is what you need - then the fear is drained away and your can proceed patiently and the universe can and will make it happen. And in the practical sense, you will know the next step - call a realtor and have it valued - see an attorney and get clear about what you can and can't do -

If you find out that the urge to leave is really the manifestation of your need to get out from under the debt, then you will know you don't want to leave your property and you can make an appointment with an attorney and find out your options.

This is the best I can offer as far as a plan and I think it is brilliant by the way - you really need some solid ground as your launch pad. I don't see how you can go much further without really sitting quietly and touching your own wisdom. You are really and truly very extremely wise, so much wiser than you even know yourself to be. You are even wiser than the Red Jesus and all your friends put together. I know this to be TRUE.

If you were to ask me what I want to know?

What I want to know is what would happen if you got still for an hour - maybe two. Coffee and notepad a pencil, quiet time, quiet mind. I want to know.

If you were to go to the next step, I would be even more enlightened because your insights about yourself are clearing the way for insights about myself. You can write down your judgments about yourself - I am anxious, frightened, angry and confused about blah, blah, blah. I need blah, blah, blah. I never want to experience blah, blah, blah. I should, I shouldn't, blah, blah, blah. I am angry and disappointed with myself because of blah, blah, blah. Don't try to sugar coat it or make it sound more evolved than say a 13-year old...

Then you can know something really amazing and thoroughly true for you by doing the work on what you wrote... I love you and I know WHATEVER you do will be perfect.

Now that's some good advice, and I wonder why I still haven't done it.

My greatest idea yet!

This morning while writing an email to my sister... I had an awesome idea of how to solve my financial problems and my job issues. I decided to post it here because I just might actually do it, and I want to document the day my life potentially turned upside down.

Well, the windshield wiper motor is really expensive... The least it will cost is somewhere in the neighborhood of $100.. the wost case scenario is $300. It all depends on whether the motor itself is broken, or if the wiper mechanism just came off of it. I'll probably have to wait until I have some significant boarding money before I can have it fixed. I lost several hours of pay the day it broke because it was raining really really hard, and I couldn't drive - so my paycheck was short. And I'm looking at a shut off notice from the electric company even as we speak. I can pay the electric bill - but when I do, there will be no money for the car.

Part of the reason I'm coming up broke this month is that Bank of America took $300 out of my checking account for the line of credit. I wasn't expecting them to do that until next month - it's their yearly fee that I pay in order to have the pleasure of being reamed by them for another 12 months. So, the money that I had saved out for the rental car and the trip just disappeared... but I went anyway, and I paid for it by NOT paying a number of bills. I had the expectation of my dog class and my computer class taking up the slack... But both of them got canceled for 2 weeks which put me $240 less than expected.

And Daphne (no surprises here) doesn't have her "rent" money because she lost her job. Did I tell you that her car is now about to crap out? I wonder what they will do.... It's a curious thing...

Talking about this, and thinking about this activates all my fantasies of how to weasel out of it. Like ... selling the property ... and not putting the money in the bank ... and just being a nomad for a while... maybe even a long while... I could buy a van... make it into a Vardo... and be a Gypsy Witch for a while... traveling from place to place... hooking up at state parks... at friend's houses... etc... maybe I could sell snake oil... .... ... I could visit you and we could do art... I could visit Arkansas and dig for crystals... I could visit Michelle and make cool medicine wheel mojos... I could visit my friend Marsha in California and do native american drummings and sell those crystals and the mojos... I could dress like a Gypsy... say to hell with being ordinary and sane ... For money, I could do animal communication and shamanic healing and reiki ... I bet I could sell my art then...

OH MY GOD... THAT SOUNDS LIKE SO MUCH FUN!!! I think it might even be my best idea yet! I like it so much that I just might make a plan to accomplish it! The more I think about it the more appealing it is. I could still see Sydney regularly... I could even keep the blogs if I wanted to. Just put up a disclaimer explaining my life style, and then post when I'm at people's houses... and not post when I'm off in no where... I could keep a stash of books, art supplies, and other "important" stuff at Michelle's... Maybe I could keep a stash or a "room" at your house also?

My expenses would be limited to: food, gas, upkeep and maintenance on the vehicle, clothing and misc necessities, dog food and routine animal care, art supplies, cell phone, my yahoo account, cafe press stores, domain names and hosting at godaddy, and camping fees when needed.

I could run away from home and become a gypsy!!!

I want it! I want to do it!
Have I lost my mind?
What do you think?

Here's something else.... I had the van idea on my way back from Oklahoma. I asked the Red Jesus last night to give me some guidance and a good idea of how to navigate my precarious financial situation. Now I'm in the grip of this really cool idea... Do you think it's guidance? Or do you think I'm just nutty? Would you be willing to help me come up with a plan of how to accomplish it? Like... a step by step thing?


They did it!
Why couldn't I?

Now I'm so caught up in the fantasy... and the idea that I can't focus on anything else. So, I'm off to make lists, and plan massive garage sales, and research real estate prices. I've got a lot of stuff to get rid of! And even more to do - if I actually do it, that is. Right now today, it's just a really cool idea... once the cold light of reality blasts down on it, it just might fade and die. I'm curious to see what happens now.