Won't find these in Boulder

Bird of Paradise, originally uploaded by boxersiciliano.

This morning I woke up, went downstairs, had coffee and relaxed a bit with dad and swirly and my sis...we walked out to the shuttle (as I like to call it) and proceeded with a very difficult 5 minutes of goodbyes...then I got in the truck and slowly meandered away from home...from Santa Monica, from Los Angeles, from California..to a new place. I cried a bit as I drove down wilshire blvd to pick up Gus, my co-pilot, called my mom, and just breathed.
I am thankful that Gus is with me as it has helped calm me a bit and he helped me remember that i am not going that far and that it is all part of the journey.
Today was a beautiful day and the drive was completely therapeutic...we rolled north along the sprawling freeways out into the far away track homes of Upland and the Mojave and got on the 15 towards Vegas..all the while playing songs on the ipod and talking and laughing and sometimes being silent...the truck got 283 miles to the first tank which cost 89 dollars to fill up....its gonna be slow going and gas guzzling! All told we drove 400 miles today into Utah and stopped in a small city called St. George..My dad and I have ridden through here on our motorcycles quite a few times while heading to Zion...Chili's for dinner...mmmmmm yum....a beer, a burger and back to room 237...
The great thing about today is there is no more mystery, anticipation or worry and I feel very calm..I think that finally putting this into motion has cemented the idea that the journey is real.
As I left LA, it was a huge feeling of release...like i finally escaped...like that moment in Shawshank Redemption when Andy Duphrane crawls through a tunnel of shit over 500 yards long, and swims down the river to the ocean and makes it to Mexico...all the while relishing in his journey and his patience and time that it took to get him there...that is what it feels like to escape from los angeles and go to Boulder..for me at least...everyone has that moment in life..when they leave, escape, skip town...it is a great bittersweet moment in life and i am alive...and the journey is great.

Farewell-The Party and other ruminations

my kind of place....
Well, it finally happened last night...the dreaded and anticipated "Going Away Party"...I only say that because it was the one night I was not looking forward too..the goodbyes and the reality of the journey...As excited as I am to venture out it all seems so strange when your friends and family who you see and love so often are there to say, "we will miss you dearly, but we are excited for you!"  There are moments in life when the profound truth of the situation comes screaming to life as it did last night...the meaning of true love and friendship that has been given to me by all my friends, my dad, Swirly, my sister and my mom, Sophia...all of them are pulling for me...I was more emotional last night than i have been in a long time as one by one, they said goodbye and I watched them go...knowing that I would of course see them again, but also knowing that life would not be the same for any of us...I was struck by the love of my friends for each other during last nights party...it was as if they all felt the same thing...a connection to the loss of another friend, but a joy to meet tribe members and find new ones at the same time...it made me think that at all times we are responsible for our love in friends as it is the blessing we give to them as well as what we receive.  By bringing together all my friends, I was able to share them and it somehow made things feel right.  

At one point my dad called everyone into the main living room and his words of love and encouragement are words I will never forget..I was trying not to get emotional, but it was so amazing to hear him say how proud he is and how excited.  My dad's blessing is one of the most important to me and it is because of him that I am able to take such a leap of faith.  He is also my best friend and it will most likely be the toughest transition for me as our relationship is more like brothers these days.  As he said, it will simply change the dynamics and force other things to take place.  Things that I can't imagine..like my sister stepping up and becoming more of a center piece in his life and Christine's, even taking this opportunity to go to Motorcycle Safety Foundation so she can learn to ride a motorcycle...i am excited for Taylor to get closer to my dad and to Christine and as my dad said, this would only come about with my absence...a sort of twist that is unexpected in all our lives.  I love my dad.
My sister was there too...celebrating her brother and giving me the usual unconditional support and love that she always does...This may all sounds sappy and ridiculous, but who cares...it is the real shit... we need to cherish and remember and embrace, because that is all we have in the end..."Happiness is best when shared with someone else"...or that is what i think the quote was at the end of Into The Wild...read it if you haven't or at least see the movie..that is the truth..that was last night.  Sharing the love and joy and happiness and receiving.  I love my sister.  And anyone that has negative connotations to the words "Step Mother"...check yourself because mine is the bomb (ok..that was for you Swirly...all said in Napolean Dynamite dialect) Swirly's support and love is overflowing for my entire family and it's superhuman. Thanks Swirly. I love you too.  

Ok...so at this point, it is more than clear that I am blessed and lucky and as this day comes to a close and my new journey begins tomorrow at 8 am with my best friend Gus as my co pilot, I will go into my wild with open heart and the love of all my friends and family and I will be proud and strong and brave and humble and worthy of it all...To those I have not mentioned personally, this would simply take too long and fill too many pages and i am exhausted, but each and everyone of you know who you are and that I will miss you greatly...this is the end of a big chapter in my life...here in Santa Monica, where I once ran around the block in a pair of underwear and nothing else, where I fell in love, where I rode like the wind and where I became a man.  I am that man...the road is long and i am on it...See you in Colorado my friends.

For all the pics...go to the flickr link and see Going Away..

(The party...also starring: Hamilton, Gus, Lisa, Guggan, Mike B, John K, Mike and Charlotte, Alex and Laurette, Kent!, Taegen, Kathleen, Celine, Susan, Jaque, Alex and Fielden, Pabalito, Joe, David, Pauly, Susan(the english one), and of course Monkey....

Loading Day

The pack master above here is the man behind the curtain.

I am the man who will tow this to Boulder...My dad kicked ass today loading this thing!  I think he missed his calling as a professional mover.  Yesterday was a feeble attempt made by me, in the rain to try and empty out the pod into the trailer, but today, my dad came in and totally put this show on the road.  We were able to pack the entire trailer with all my belongings and still have room left over on the inside for some of the things still in my room.  This thing is packed tight and precisely...no joke.  My dad checked the tire pressures on the trailer and you'll be happy to know they are both at a perfect 48 psi and ready to roll.  The great news is that the PODS storage unit will be out of my life and I won't have to pay the 300$  per month that I thought i would have to pay as I didn't think I'd fit everything in the trailer.  Boy was I wrong.  I am  so glad I didn't buy the bigger trailer and that I waited for Mover Larry's help today...All in all, I am ready to go...by tomorrow, I will have put in the final items, clothes, bikes and a few random things, but for now, we are going to buy beer and tacos for the going away party tonight....what a lucky man i am!