Before getting into this bit I feel the need to state I’m behind in updates and even more importantly direction from where I first thought I would go. However, the first 30 days of being a nomad has been filled with new experiences, lessons and changes.
One of the biggest challenges to accomplishing my goal of saving more money while doing more is the same reason I first decided to embark on this nomadic life style; cash flow. Or I guess in better words; cash flow and the lack thereof. Just over 30 days ago I found myself ready to book the first 60 days of my nomadic trip. The plan started off to reconnect with a friend in Nanaimo BC, which is just off the coast of Vancouver. After Nanaimo I was headed to Orange County California for some sun followed by the Christmas Holiday back home in Milledgeville Georgia. Lastly, I would book a one-way ticket for New Years Eve in Buenos Aires. To make these trips affordable I planned on staying with friends at each stop along the way.
As I sat down to hit the purchase button a notion came over me to re-confirm my plans with Alicia in BC and Georgina in Buneos Aires. Alicia was easy because English is her first language. With Georgina I just needed to be very direct in my intensions. IE: I’m coming to see you, stay in your second bedroom, and see whatever sights you think I should see during your free time. All of which is important because I don’t speak Spanish or Portuguese. Shortly after firing off text messages to both girls my intended trips were canceled. Within a few weeks of our last contact, Alicia had embarked on a new relationship and understandably having a male houseguest would surly change the trajectory of the new relationship. Georgina on the other hand planned on going to spend her New Years holiday with family and had to be back in the office shortly thereafter. I was disappointed at the news from each.
Sticking to my mantra of opportunity lies in adversity I hit kayak.com and the telephone to re-plan the month of December. In a matter of a few hours I landed on:
December 3rd – 6th Washington, D.C.
December 7th – 18th – Orange County California
December 19th – 28th – Milledgeville, Georgia
December 29th – TBD - New York, New York
Washington D.C.
DC was intended to be cheap and low key filled with a lot of work for my business and this blog site. Instead it turned into late nights filled with a lot of booze. I was also completely distracted while I was there. I woke up my first morning there with a text from Danielle that simply read “Derek was killed last night”. It’s a text that shakes you awake with a shot of adrenaline and without question I knew the reason I was putting my feet on the floor. I called Danielle to find a shaken voice on the other end. Derek was Danielle’s long time friend and confidant. In Danielle’s move to New York she was staying with Derek in his small apartment in Harlem. Over the past few months Danielle had made her way into my immediate circle of people I genuinely care about so my immediate plan was to be on the next train back to New York to be with her. While waiting on Danielle to give me next steps I was surprised and a little hurt when she told me she had rather not have me there. A decision I would strongly regret in the not to distant future.
While in DC I was staying with an old colleague and his wife, a girl I met back in August on train from Union Station to NYC’s Penn Station. By the time the 5th rolled around I was over my time there and needed to make haste and get out of town.
Orange County California
Having never spent much time in California I didn’t know my geography that well. To my surprise the LA area down to San Diego is a lot like South Florida where Miami is very different than Ft. Lauderdale. Meaning, you don’t fly into Miami to go to Ft. Lauderdale. I flew into LAX to then make my way down to Irvine to see Ryan, a fiend I had made back in September at a close friends wedding. Ryan is ex-special forces and now owns and operates a gym in Irvine. Ryan is full of energy and truly makes the most out of life. By late that afternoon I was fully jet lagged and 120 BPM into his intense work-out class. Ryan had planned on going scuba diving first thing the next morning and invited me along.
I made it clear that I had only been diving one other time in 2008, and even then I lied about being certified and experienced. Having grown up in the water this it didn’t seem like issue then and certainly not now. Ryan found gear in my size and was at my doorstep honking the horn at 8AM. After getting a quick bite we drove down to Laguna, the views were spectacular. I was soon to learn that living in NYC you’re not able to challenge yourself in situations that require keeping your cool and not panicking. Being calm under pressure is an acquired skill and fades over time.
We arrived to a street where other divers were parked. In diving off the beach you have to put your gear on at the car and then walk into the ocean from there. I wasn’t prepared for the walk in 90lbs of gear down a street, down a flight of stairs, and across a beach. When the time came to get in the water I was completely exhausted. Upon getting into place in about 10 feet of water we finished off our set-up by exchanging some weight, putting on our flippers, hood and mask. I was wrestling with the entire set-up, but at last, we were ready to descend to our planned depth of 10’. I put my regulator in and released the air in my vest to begin my decent. After about 5 feet, I reached neutral buoyancy and couldn’t make it down to meet Ryan on the oceans floor. I gave the signal for Ryan to meet me on the surface and went to inflate my vest, surprise, nothing was happening. At this point my stress level went up and I could feel the anxiety of potential panic setting in. I tried to flip over facing the ocean floor but was fighting to stay in position. I now gave Ryan the “emergency signal” or in my mind, “TELL ME WHAT THE FUCK TO DO BECAUSE I DON’T LIKE THIS”.
I decided I would be able to better collect my thoughts on the surface while not breathing through the regulator or fighting fogged and partial water filled mask. I start kicking and treading water to where I can barely get my face above the surface. The goggles were the first to come off. I take my regulator out to start breathing unassisted. About the time Ryan gets to the surface I’m running out of steam and I’m so low in the water I’m basically holding my breath to keep the ocean out of my mouth. I tell him I don’t have any air in my vest but need to go under to rest my hard kicking legs. I put my regulator in and submerge. For some reason my partner didn’t think I had air in regulator because I didn’t have it in the vest, this was incorrect. Either way, Ryan’s training kicked in and he went into savior mode and pulled me into the beach. Here we found a disconnected hose. Once reconnected we swam back out, restarted the wrestling match between myself and the gear, and went on a short dive.
For the first couple of days I caught up with a long-time friend and host, Lisa. Lisa took me to a great restaurant in the Fashion Island area of OC, Glufstream, where I had the pork chop of my life. The following morning Lisa flew out for 7 days so I was graciously left with her home and car for the majority of my visit.
I spent the mornings working, afternoons in Ryan’s classes at Motion Fitness, and the evenings checking out bars and restaurants. Maybe it’s the California way of socializing, but meeting people seemed quick and easy. By Saturday night I met the bartender serving one of the best Old Fashioned I’ve ever had. Stormy, a local with a real talent for mixing cocktails and strong resemblance to Shia LaBeouf with a hint of Johnny Depp invited me to guys night with a few of his friends at a local spot. A couple of days later we met at a beer and wine bar called Ruin. I’ve yet to take inventory, but Ruin could be on my list of favorite bars in the country. The only to-do I came up with on my own was to get a skateboard and check out Venice Beach. This was a fun California way to see the sights, but if skateboarding isn’t you thing you’re able to rent bikes. In my mind it’s a great way to see the area. My last Saturday I walked into a brunch spot I picked out walking distant from my temporary home. I almost never recognize celebrities in any capacity but when I saw Dennis Rodman sitting at the bar alone I knew it was him. As walked past him I greeted and expressed gratitude for his role in keeping us out of nuclear war with N. Korea. Soon we would end up chatting about everything from war with Asia to Sauna’s in Macau. Once Lisa was back we met up with a few friends and hit Water Grill where we shared the best seafood tower of all time.
Next Up:
Without plans for New Years the decision to come to New York was obvious. I also wanted to spend time with Danielle before figuring out my next plans. A close friend, Adam, would be home in Germany and had offered me his Apartment in Gremancy until he returned on the 4th.
Being the end of the year clients are slow to pay and compounded by a passport that expires in 7 months I’m in a bit of a holding pattern. For me planning extended travel isn’t done on a whim but should be thought out to some extent. I’ve now found myself with a desire to post up in Bangkok for a few weeks before carrying on to a beach somewhere. I have a list of flights, apartments to rent from AirBNB, and plan to get my passport renewed in a matter of 6-18 days. So for now all my plans are nothing more than a wish list. Once the banks open for the first time in 2018 I’ll have the cash on hand to set something in motion.