Home Sweet Home

At 11:30 this morning I finished moving out of my apartment and have my car weighted down by my things. The count down to hitting the open highway is on. I will be going through my things and deciding what is necessary and what doesn't need me in it's life anymore. I took my first shower as a homeless person today, it was truly luxurious. I'll be at work for the next twelve hours, I think when I'm done with work tomorrow morning and don't have a bed to go sleep in is when I'll get my first actual taste of what being homeless is really like. Really, though it will be a while before I truly understand. Staying near home, I have too many places where I can and will go to get some air conditioned rest.

I'm excited for the following months, but to be completely truthful, there's a part of me which is also really scared. This is, however, a common emotion for anyone embarking into the unknown, and I intend on using my uneasiness to stay safe and aware of my surroundings. I don't intend on getting many nights of good uninterrupted sleep.

So with my car, camera, and curiosity I will venture out into the cruel world to do what I envisioned the day I walked into a camera store and walked out with my dream; that is capture images that will be remembered and show the truth about this world we live in. The great thing about the truth of the world is that so many opposing things are true at the same time.

There's beauty and the promise of new life...

There's death and sadness...

There's longing for things and feelings long since passed...

And there's hope that we could hold on to the present and make it our future.

These are all reasons why I spent so much time wishing I had the camera sitting next to me; who has been with me to celebrate in the good times, clear my mind in the bad, and in some cases, help me to try and hold on to the present so I can relive it again, if only for a short time.

Please read on and live this journey with me.

Keeping Up With The Jones': Not So Hard Anymore

I've had to explain myself quite a few times already. I know it may not be the safest thing in the world to do, but here are a few reasons I'm doing what I'm doing.

I'm focusing on writing about what it's like to be homeless in 2010. A lot of things are changing in the world and homeless people aren't just the stereotypical drug addicts and alcoholics like we like to believe. They are blue collar families that have lost their jobs due to globalization, advancing technology, and the economy tanking.

So, I'm going to write this blog about how I see it and what people have to do to survive in this day and age of crisis.

I've started writing what may end up being a book about the topic of homeless families and how much is not being done for them. In the first paragraph I talk about the Terminator movies. The basic premise is that in the not so distant future a robotic army that is built by us to help us ends up turning on us and killing every human being they come across. Although I've seen video footage that makes this seem like it may actually happen very soon, I feel that the real threat from machines is that they will continue to take jobs away from hard working and already struggling Americans. The very machines that have been built and invented to cut production costs and save us time are, in reality, making us as a civilization lazy, stupid and jobless.

Through this "trip" and this blog and later the possibility of a book, I hope to raise awareness of the fact that it's going to be much easier to "keep up with the Jones', because soon they will be homeless....

Or will it be you.

Beginnings

In a week I'm moving out of my apartment, and joining the ranks of the homeless.

I'm doing this as a way to get myself to that level of living so I can show the world through writing and photography what life is like for people who live homeless. After about a month of living in southern Minnesota, I will pack a few essentials in my car and head west. That seems to be the American way, get bored of the east and Midwest and explore the wild west. I'm just 200 years late. I'm not sure exactly where I will go, but I have been thinking about exploring the west coast. Much of the point of this is to live life without any plans and to go where the wind points me.

You may be thinking that I've lost my mind and you may be right. You may be thinking this is a horrible idea, but I have put over a years worth of thought into this and I know what I'm doing. I also don't expect anyone to understand the reason I do the things I do.

I hope you will check back often to read about my adventures.

And remember what Bilbo used to say," It's a dangerous business... going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no telling where you might be swept off to."