So, I just realized that I have totally neglected this blog for more than a year AGAIN! Life just seems to have it's own course and keeps keeping me away from updating this blog.

For those who care:
I am still in VA., I have a job, and Misha & I live in a one-room cabin on a small farm. ;)

The intention of making it out of VA is still there, but I have some things that I need to finish here first. Again, funny how life works out. I will not forget about this place again. I'll start posting more interesting stuff as soon as I get a plan in action on what I am doing.

My birthday is this weekend. I will be 29 years old this year. One more until I change into my 30's. I'm a little ambiguous about this birthday, as my life has changed so much in the past year, and I thought i was on track for getting wht I wanted done by 30. Oh well. We'll just have to see what cards are dealt for me in the next year. The goal back when I was about 12 was to have 1million dollars in a bank acct, or other savings system before 30. hmmmm....can I make 1,000,000 in 1 year?? I think I can with a whole lot of blood sweat, and especially tears.

Until then, make my day! Send me some birthday love.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY VAGABOND!!!!

With this little link, you can send me a birthday present that I am SURE to use!!

I am really amazed by the amount of people that payed attention to me not posting for a while. Really tho, I am NOT DEAD!! I have just not had a consistent/legal internet connection to use. Soon enough that will all change and you will go back to the regularyly scheduled updates and amusements from my life. Until then....enjoy the rest of my blog/web sites.

I'm still in Marshall, VA; still holding down the fort at my sisters' house. They are due back this evening. Still without a phone, since the payments I am waiting for are coming from good ole' Massachusetts, and since I am not there to break legs, people seem to think they don't have to pay me. :( As much fun as it has been without a phone, it pretty much hinders anything else that I try to do. Selling things on Craigslist, not easy without a phone. Setting up computer repair jobs...again not easy without a phone. Finding out that my other sister drove from MA to VA and drove past me last night because I didn't have a phone for her to call me.

Now that I am done bitching...I am actually enjoying myself in the sticks of Virginia. the people here are nice, and do not fear talking to the scruffy, bearded, dreadlocked me. In Massachusetts, that's a whole different story; even for those living on my street and in my neighborhood. Anyone who has spent time in MA knows that we like to replace things in our speach. R's become H's, H's become AAAAH's, and hellos turn into F.U.'s. I have had a good conversation about my appearance every day since being here. Just plain odd, considering I laught at my appearance some days.

It has been thundershowering here all day, on and off. I went to mow a lawn today, and got it done 15 mins before it downpoured. I was in the car on the way back home when visibility went to 5ft in front of the car, but the lightening show was intense. I saw no reason to bring the camera with me to mow a lawn..HAAA The clouds showed me. Maybe it will be attached to me from now on. I've always hated looking like a tourist with a camera dangling from me. I mastered the art of carrying my camera in my pocket, and revealing it only for a second for the photo while backpacking through Europe a few years ago, but still, it's just an aggravation to carry around on a daily basis.

I'm not sure how silly this is yet, but I'm going to give it a shot. One of the main reasons for having websites, other than informing and educating people, is to creative some sort of an income stream. As a Vagabond, I cannot really tie myself down to a 9-5 job with a career path. 7-11 is hiring, but I don't have any bullet holes, and really don't want any.

Amazon Kindle is a device used to read E-Books and other such electronic media, like an iPhone, but without all the cool play toys. We'll call this the Conservative iPhone for now. Amazon has announced a program, where they will allow you to place your blog, and it's posts into their cue of blogs to be downloaded and read on Amazon Kindle devices. Of course, Amazon doesn't wasn't to give anything away for free, so they charge ~$2.00 for each subscription, and I get a cut of that...equals to about a buck a subscriber. I noticed that while selling on eBay a while back, people will PAY for information they can easily find free on the net, if it is offered to them without them having to do anything. Go do a quick search for "Open Source Software" on eBay. ..Better yet, Search for "Open Office", check the prices, then goto www.OpenOffice.org and check THEIR price. =^O

Here goes nothing.....I'll post the link as soon as Amazon "approves" me.

When I got to my sister's house, I commented on how her front yard looked like a jungle. I got a coy smirk either meaning, "Yeah...I Know." or the more likely case of "Shut Up, Sean." Either way, the jungle comment was all brought to reality when I walked in the house. Even tho this animals' name is Nacho, I have been referring directly to it as Jurassic Park.

Here's why...

The Tyrannosaurus Rex enclosure in the middle of the living room.

...and the prehistoric creature that lives ON TOP of the cage.

I am cool with animals of all sorts, so nothing here affected me in any way; although this creature sits on the top of the cage, staring at me all day and night long. I really feel like I am in Jurassic Park with her looking at me.

All this is going somewhere....

Thursday's Triumphs
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The delivery dude commented on the lawn 15 minutes after I had, and produced a business card for his services @ $20. My sister comments on how they have a lawnmower, it just won't start. 2 performance cars in the driveway, and they can't start a lawnmower?!?! wtf? I searched for said lawnmower the next day, after they had left for vacation, and found the main source of the problem. A rat had chewed through the top of the gas tank.

LOFL ... I wonder what happened to him?

I may be a computer geek, as outlined in yesterday's post, but I can also fix an engine as good as any redneck, tho I tend to not catch fire. Needless to say, after electrical taping the hole, stripping down, and rebuilding the lawnmower and carburetor, the outside of the house no longer displays the fact that there is an honest zoological park residing behind the door. I can count a dozen beating hearts, from 5 species right now. Now I just have to write up a little instruction guide on how to repair a lawnmower, simply and easily.

In continuing with my daily theme, welcome to

Tuesday's Tales
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Misha and I went camping in the Great Smoky Mountains last year while waiting patiently to goto the Bonnaroo Music Festival. I slept in my hammock I bought in Guyana in the South American jungle, and thus had no issues with sleeping in that same hammock in Tennessee. The campground ranger laughed, and just reminded me to wash my hands before dinner, as the last person that attempted sleep in a hammock was awoken by a bear. BAH!! The Jaguar never got me, so I have nothing to fear with a bear. As the sun went to sleep, Misha let out an unmistakable nasty growl and a woof every half an hour; much to the delight of our neighbors, to scare away a hungry coyote that was roaming the campground.

Since this was her first night sleeping under the stars, I thought better to attach her rope to my waist and to the tree the hammock was tied to. My planning paid off, as at 2am, I was ripped from my hammock, thrown to the ground, and deafened by the ferocious bark of my sweet dog. The only thing that was recognizable was a stench that did not come from me, a huff, and thudding footsteps running from behind my jeep 10' away. Was it a bear? For sure, I do not know, but to this day you cannot tell me or anyone else in our section of the campground otherwise.

I once had a teacher who challenged my brain with that song. Took maaaaany hours to realize that there was an "extra" card in the computer that stopped it from booting. She is still pushing kids, and me when she can get a hold of me to do more and better. Thanks Jill.

Here is the bus sticking out like a sore thumb, yet desperately trying to be like it's big brothers in the Manassass, VA Wal-Mart. They have an extra lot on the side of the Garden Center just for truck and RV parking.

Sunset on Rt 66 in Northern Virginia can be very pretty if you catch it at the right time. It was very nice of the world to coincide the right time with when I was driving through.

Dad was yesterday's crutch considering his expertise in the workings of a large diesel contraption. Today was my sister, her boyfriend and an aunt and uncle. After being kicked out of the Front Royal RV Park, I spent the day in the Wal-Mart parking lot in Manassass, va. This was my first honest experience just 'living' in a wal-mart parking lot, although it was only for 6hrs. The amusement that I felt while making my PB&J sammich, and goin on about my day while looking out at a parking lot of people living their lives was like that of a child waiting to goto sleep before a big day. All while waiting for a phone call from an uncle in Richmond about a place to store my big blue bus for 2 weeks (I have to take care of my sisters business while they are on vaca). Out of pure serendipity, my sisters' boyfriend stopped at a lot that usually stores RV's 5 miles from their house to inquire about rates. After explaining my saga, and being told they TOTALLY UNDERSTOOD about the campground (They knew of them and their shiesty ways), the woman agreed to let me park the bus for 2 weeks at no charge. She doesn't know it yet, but any computer this woman needs fixed, it shall be done. So, for the next 2 weeks, I live in a house, with a running shower, and do not have my bus within eyesight....that feels weird.

So, my first impressions of this place are equal to the other horror stories I read on RV Park review sites. This place looks like it hasn't been maintained for years. The pavement for each site has crumbled to stone, the sites are so packed in you can smell a fart from next door...forget about hte road system in here. You MUST know how to properly drive your vehicle if you are bigger than a car here. The 'Dog Walk' area....COVERED in Poison Ivy...grass is started to grow hay in places..(it's only may). the waterslide they so prominently mention, overgrown with TREES and WEEDS! The pool, emptied and green, algea walled. I took the time to read the 'rules of the campground'... NOTHING about busses, but there is NO, ABSOLUTELY...NONE music, and campfires after 10:30. WOW!! So I take a stroll to the bathroom to rid myself of rest area Popeye's to find the bathrooms LOCKED TIGHT. c'mon...I know I have a potty in the bus, as do most RV's but I would rather go in a real toilet than carry it around with me...I am in a 'full-hookup site, but I'll be damned if I can find the dump hole under the debris on the ground, and I honestly don't think it exists. Walking the dog around, I noticed that there wasn't a single manicured site (raked, level, fire pit emptied of debris from nature, proper parking...etc...) on top of 30% broken picnic tables. FREE WI-FI internet, provided by a Linksys router mounted in the front office, on the ground 200' from me. I could get a signal, but with about 28.8 modem connection. My sprint aircard flies circles around their offering. I'm almost frightened to see what else this place has to offer.

So, when I inquired about my status at 9am, I was told NOPE. NO BUSSES..not even tour busses. Front Royal RV Park is run by ASSHOLES!!

I had made plans to re-design the website for Front Royal RV Park, and told them I would be there in the afternoon...8:30 is a little late in the afternoon. So, if you like hills (& BIG ones) this place is for you. I'm talking like 30% grades up AND down for 2miles to get there. Then UP a ridiculous skateboard ramp driveway, down a ONE-LANE driveway through private family farms, then into the campground. The place seems deserted...there are only like 6 RV's in the camp. The manager camp up, and politely said..."That's NOT an RV." to which I replied, the State of MA views it as such, as do I. Apparently, the 'owner' has a NO BUS policy. WTF am I to do. this used to be KOA rule, and since they lost KOA status years ago, I really do not see the problem. I'm a single person with a dog & cat, I don't drink, no drugs, I'm quieter than a mouse, and my bus is not an eyeore. They let me stay in a site for the night, and will discuss my fate in the morning. I'm sooo scared that I will TRUELLY be without a place to stay. How long can I stay at a wal-Mart before they consider me a vagrant and kick me out?? ;)

Driving an old skoolie is emmensely fun, and I suggest that everyone try it at least once. As I hit Connecticut the mood of other drivers changed instantly. I started getting smiles and waves, and peace signs... trucks waved, they talked to me on the radio...it seemed like I was popular. New York and New Jersey were totally different stories; but it was compensated when I hit Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia...the welcoming fanfare started right back up, almost on cue. As the fuel filter is on it's way out, the bus only chugs along at a max of 55, and 65 if I can get it going down hill. 8-10MPG...not toooo bad. Things would have been a lot worse had the jeep been following us. i had to jettison the jeep at my best friends' house, as the tow hitch, etc...just couldnt be put on before I left...either I go back and get it in a month (my mom is driving to VA and back) or it gets sold, and I have some funds. All in all, a normal 9hr drive took 14 hours...I watched the TomTom arrival time go from 6pm to 8:30 throughout the day. Slow and steady wins the race.

As usual, my procrastination got the best of me. An 8pm leave time turned into 4am, and came to actuality at 7am. After packing the last bits of my life & the aminals into the bus, we were off. 10 miles from my house I switched on the veggie fuel, and the bus started chugging. Forgot to turn on the booster pump...back to diesel, then back to veg. with the pump operating. BAD NEWS!! something goofed up, and I sat on the side of the highway, 10 mins from my house with a bus that wouldnt start. AAA was more than happy to help, as was my father who drives a truk for a living. AAA's suggestion was to get it towed for $500. Needless to say, in my totally freaking out state, I called my sister, who I HAD to be at her house in VA by 5pm, to say.,.."I just can't do it...I've tried 3X already." As she says 'Hello', I give the bus ignition another go....vrooOOOM!! We were off to hit the pavement. The fuel filter seems to be bad. 55gallons of diesl later, we were in Virginia. It was really upsetting to not be running veggie oil, but I couldnt take the chance of being on the side of the highway again.

I promised my friend Jon that I would play the Blue Bus song when the bus finally pulled away to start the adventure. As much as I like to be totally spontaneous, I know that a plan must be forged to keep me headed in a direction. In short, the goal is to get to Virginia, visit my sister, and trade building a website for a campground in the town next to her. She lives in a townhouse with no bus parking, so I needed to find parking, and if I'm gonna park my house, I might as well reside in it too.

Here is the Vagabond Bucket List for 2009:
Virginia
Mount Hood, Oregon (Skiing on my Birthday)
Burning Man Festival
Slab City
Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta

Anything less is great, anything more is expected. I have always wanted to see snow on my birthday, and I am determined this year to do it. Whats better than seeing snow on your birthday in the middle of summer, is going skiing on your birthday.

To find an RV to live in, one must find an RV that one likes...

I did not like the price tag of an RV, nor did I like the layout and design already provided for me. I like an open room. The only logical step was to buy a school bus. ;) After being laughed at by the Insurance Company when I called to question rates for my school bus, not once, but THREE times, I brought my lovely face in there with a title for a school bus that had ALREADY been titled as a camper. I found a group of kids who already stripped, mostly converted, and already drove x-country a 1993 International Blue Bird School Bus 30 minutes from my house.

Meet the Vagabond Skoolie Bus:
The bus has a WVO conversion to run on Waste Vegetable Oil, has solar panels add on top for electrical power, a water management system that will make your mother cringe, and enough room for Misha and I to not bother each other too much.

So yeah, it took me a year to get myself back to a position to be able to update my blog. WOW. Anyways, since it is a new year, I have new ambitions. I decided to keep my doggie and now have the bestest friend a traveler could ever ask for. Misha and I fared pretty well in the Jeep, and we still love driving it anywhere we can..almost literally; but we learned that living in a Jeep with a hammock to sleep on, and a tarp for shelter just didn't work out all that well for the long-haul. We re-convened in Massachusetts for a while, then let the plan take shape. Dad, being a cross-country truck driver for as long as I've known him, limited me to a 17' trailer, so I decided to one-up him, and go for a RV. I spent about a years worth of time riding in his truck when I was younger, and loved shouting 'WINNNNEBAAAAAAAAGOOOOOOOO" everytime we passed an RV, so it only felt like a natural step.