Just kidding, this isn't the end. Not the end of the walk anyway.
I'm happy to say that by this time tomorrow I should be caught up writing up to this point, and only about 120 miles walking wise from the Gulf Coast and the end of the book. The year is coming to an end as well and also the time where I can say, "Hey, I'm in my twenties," which rest assured I say all the time much to the confusion of my talking partners. I should probably come up with a new tag line, especially since it won't be true soon.
Yes, with the end of so many things coming, there are also beginnings coming. A new year and a new country by virtue of a new president. A new decade of my life and leg of my journey, Gulf Coast to Pacific Coast. And hopefully the beginning of me being a writer, it's either that or I really become homeless. Adventure!
New Journey, editing. Time to make my writing significantly less crapulous, in an operation I call, "Operation make my writing significantly less crapulous." Hmmm, maybe my tag line skills need some work. . . . ADVENTURE!
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Friday, December 19, 2008
Gainesville VI: Lil Walk
Pages Written So Far: 250+
I finally succeeded in resetting my internal clock and woke up this morning, the key word there folks was 'morning.' I'd been waking up after dark and working through the night, only to fall back asleep around noon the next day. Bad decision, with ADHD it takes the right setting to be productive, it's a balancing act I have been perfecting over decades but for something the length of a book it needs to be absolutely perfect. In the daytime I am waaaaaay to distracted and the public places I usually work at are far too busy, particularly these last few days before X-mas.
Still, it was a great day. Instead of writing I walked. All told with the walk to the mall and back and the rest of my strolling, I walked more then ten miles and it felt good, a bit short even. The time writing has helped me a lot, I have been refocused on the reasons I started this whole sha-bang for in the first place and the many changes it has made in me. Writing has also returned to me a lot of the peace that I had in the beginning of this journey and it makes me want to get on the road. It's all about finishing up here and being patient, I have no way to get back until later anyway.
It's also come to my attention that part of my goal in this has been completed already. I have changed my life and I will never be going back to the path I left. Being in the mall made me realize how far away from that world my life has gone. I will never return to the world where 40 hours of my week are someone else's or where I make more money so that I can buy a smaller handheld computer that tells me what to do all day everyday. For some people this life is perfect, but I realized today that it wasn't just 'not for me,' it is impossible for me to return to at this point. I don't know how my life will work or where I'll go after I am done walking, but good path or bad, I know it will be the life I chose and not the path life chose for me.
I finally succeeded in resetting my internal clock and woke up this morning, the key word there folks was 'morning.' I'd been waking up after dark and working through the night, only to fall back asleep around noon the next day. Bad decision, with ADHD it takes the right setting to be productive, it's a balancing act I have been perfecting over decades but for something the length of a book it needs to be absolutely perfect. In the daytime I am waaaaaay to distracted and the public places I usually work at are far too busy, particularly these last few days before X-mas.
Still, it was a great day. Instead of writing I walked. All told with the walk to the mall and back and the rest of my strolling, I walked more then ten miles and it felt good, a bit short even. The time writing has helped me a lot, I have been refocused on the reasons I started this whole sha-bang for in the first place and the many changes it has made in me. Writing has also returned to me a lot of the peace that I had in the beginning of this journey and it makes me want to get on the road. It's all about finishing up here and being patient, I have no way to get back until later anyway.
It's also come to my attention that part of my goal in this has been completed already. I have changed my life and I will never be going back to the path I left. Being in the mall made me realize how far away from that world my life has gone. I will never return to the world where 40 hours of my week are someone else's or where I make more money so that I can buy a smaller handheld computer that tells me what to do all day everyday. For some people this life is perfect, but I realized today that it wasn't just 'not for me,' it is impossible for me to return to at this point. I don't know how my life will work or where I'll go after I am done walking, but good path or bad, I know it will be the life I chose and not the path life chose for me.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Gainesville V: Waiting, writing . . .
All goes well in the land of the gator.
I am writing away and wasting away as well unfortunately. Things are progressing nicely with my book efforts but my body is bloating and decaying, I long for the road. I want to get back out there but the best thing and the most logical thing really is for me to catch up on this writing and try to do something with it while I am on the road.
Meanwhile, the realistic expectation of the end of this venture is coming into sight, 4 or 5 months from now, but whatever. I find myself thinking a lot about what I'll be doing afterwards. Long story short, I don't know yet. I have a lot of traveling I'd like/need to do and a whole lot more ideas, but I'd like to keep working on the non-profit. I got a nice email, and those always revitalize me a bit. Still, a lot depends on if I can get published and how well it goes with the end of the walk.
If I can't get a book sold then I will very likely end up teaching English in South Korea to get out of debt, if not that . . . ? The world is my oyster. In my wildest dreams I see having a home and a relationship, a base to come home to between my adventures and a partner to join me on them. More realistically, I'll try to ready another outing while sponging life away on various friends couches. I suppose that has it's charm too.
Things aren't too interesting here, but I'll see how the future looks.
The past on the other hand is pretty easy to see. I 'googled' myself and there is a whole lotta info out there on me. Even some of the things that might not seem to be about me are, but I'll let you guess about that. The other Skip Potts that comes up a lot is a strange story. I don't know him personally or otherwise, but he comes from a tiny town in Texas called BurkBurnett. This is notable because that is where my father grew up, it's a town where everyone has the same first three digits to their phone numbers and the place where 'the last picture show' was filmed.
The last time I was there was for my Grandfather's funeral. His name was Lloyd Lee Potts, I am actually Lloyd Lee Potts III legally. While we were there we picked up a prescription at the local drug store. There was another Skip Potts and his father was also Lee Potts, it took a while to get the right medicine. I never met him, in fact I have never met another Skip, but knoing that he is out there is just one of the many coincidences around in this world. That is to say, the world is pretty damned small, go poke around in it a bit.
I am writing away and wasting away as well unfortunately. Things are progressing nicely with my book efforts but my body is bloating and decaying, I long for the road. I want to get back out there but the best thing and the most logical thing really is for me to catch up on this writing and try to do something with it while I am on the road.
Meanwhile, the realistic expectation of the end of this venture is coming into sight, 4 or 5 months from now, but whatever. I find myself thinking a lot about what I'll be doing afterwards. Long story short, I don't know yet. I have a lot of traveling I'd like/need to do and a whole lot more ideas, but I'd like to keep working on the non-profit. I got a nice email, and those always revitalize me a bit. Still, a lot depends on if I can get published and how well it goes with the end of the walk.
If I can't get a book sold then I will very likely end up teaching English in South Korea to get out of debt, if not that . . . ? The world is my oyster. In my wildest dreams I see having a home and a relationship, a base to come home to between my adventures and a partner to join me on them. More realistically, I'll try to ready another outing while sponging life away on various friends couches. I suppose that has it's charm too.
Things aren't too interesting here, but I'll see how the future looks.
The past on the other hand is pretty easy to see. I 'googled' myself and there is a whole lotta info out there on me. Even some of the things that might not seem to be about me are, but I'll let you guess about that. The other Skip Potts that comes up a lot is a strange story. I don't know him personally or otherwise, but he comes from a tiny town in Texas called BurkBurnett. This is notable because that is where my father grew up, it's a town where everyone has the same first three digits to their phone numbers and the place where 'the last picture show' was filmed.
The last time I was there was for my Grandfather's funeral. His name was Lloyd Lee Potts, I am actually Lloyd Lee Potts III legally. While we were there we picked up a prescription at the local drug store. There was another Skip Potts and his father was also Lee Potts, it took a while to get the right medicine. I never met him, in fact I have never met another Skip, but knoing that he is out there is just one of the many coincidences around in this world. That is to say, the world is pretty damned small, go poke around in it a bit.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Gainesville IV: Fleet of Fingers
Pages Written: 150
Days on Walk: 101
Just checking in and getting some non-book (hopeful) material written. I've been kicking butt on the novelization of my walk's first half. I was lucky enough, or smart enough to have a lot of material written during the first month of my journey, after that. . . well, I've got notes but it's going to be getting harder. The good news seems to be there there will be plenty of material, especially to cut, which will be good because I hope that it will be readable, not work.
The bad part is that it looks like my X-mas plans are falling through, so . . . well, I don't know. It may be that I hunker down and finish writing and start editing, or, I may just be out on the road camping for X-mas since I doubt it's a couch surfable date. I've got some thinking to do.
Days on Walk: 101
Just checking in and getting some non-book (hopeful) material written. I've been kicking butt on the novelization of my walk's first half. I was lucky enough, or smart enough to have a lot of material written during the first month of my journey, after that. . . well, I've got notes but it's going to be getting harder. The good news seems to be there there will be plenty of material, especially to cut, which will be good because I hope that it will be readable, not work.
The bad part is that it looks like my X-mas plans are falling through, so . . . well, I don't know. It may be that I hunker down and finish writing and start editing, or, I may just be out on the road camping for X-mas since I doubt it's a couch surfable date. I've got some thinking to do.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Gainesville III: But these shoes were made for walking, walking!
Pages since last blog: 80
Well, I remain in my self imposed prison to due my servitude of one book. On the brighter side of this, my ADHD causes me to watch TV and movies while I write or I will go totally crazy. So I am catching up on the world in sitcoms, drama, film and, of course, commercials.
On this note I have only one thing to say:
I just saw that Britney Spears came out with a new perfume called 'curious' and I must pose the question, "Will Justin Timberlake come out with a Cologne called Bi-Curious?"
Just checking in between chapters.
Well, I remain in my self imposed prison to due my servitude of one book. On the brighter side of this, my ADHD causes me to watch TV and movies while I write or I will go totally crazy. So I am catching up on the world in sitcoms, drama, film and, of course, commercials.
On this note I have only one thing to say:
I just saw that Britney Spears came out with a new perfume called 'curious' and I must pose the question, "Will Justin Timberlake come out with a Cologne called Bi-Curious?"
Just checking in between chapters.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Gainesville II: Writer's Cell Block
Just a note to say that it seems an entire pizza and 2 liter of Coke Zero coupled with my severe ADHD is not the best recipe for productivity. That is unless productivity is defined by random outbursts at the television, excessive eyebrow arching and pacing around my friend's apartment.
Monday, December 1, 2008
The Month in Math: NOvember
Miles since last month: 420.5
Miles total: 1448.5
Average Daily Mileage: 14.02
Miles left: 2427
Dragging sickness and cough: 1
States on Route: 3
Damn fine turkeys: 1
Blogs so far: 69 (teehee)
Car accidents: 1
So much more: 1
Looking back over my blogs for the last month and the notes I've taken I remember the 1st in Greenville, SC. I don't know if there is a temporal equivalent to vertigo or what it is called, but this gives me that. It feels like time has been stretched out like taffy, this is so much more than a month. It's a good thing. If a normal life is a turkey then mine is now a turducken. Stuffed with the crazy adventures of several lives all competing in flavors, each succulent and delicious. . . or so I imagine. For God's sake will no one make me a Turducken next year? Deep Fried to seal in all the goodness? Mmmmmm . . . 3 birds in one.
Miles total: 1448.5
Average Daily Mileage: 14.02
Miles left: 2427
Dragging sickness and cough: 1
States on Route: 3
Damn fine turkeys: 1
Blogs so far: 69 (teehee)
Car accidents: 1
So much more: 1
Looking back over my blogs for the last month and the notes I've taken I remember the 1st in Greenville, SC. I don't know if there is a temporal equivalent to vertigo or what it is called, but this gives me that. It feels like time has been stretched out like taffy, this is so much more than a month. It's a good thing. If a normal life is a turkey then mine is now a turducken. Stuffed with the crazy adventures of several lives all competing in flavors, each succulent and delicious. . . or so I imagine. For God's sake will no one make me a Turducken next year? Deep Fried to seal in all the goodness? Mmmmmm . . . 3 birds in one.
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