one of the best parts about leaving

...is coming back and having friends take you out for delicious dinner and rootbeer.
Gracias.

the finale

Here are some interesting reads:

Savant explains his ability
Retiring early?
dude that hates reddit
wikipedia blocks Congress IP addresses

Last weekend we risked the roads of Illinois to visit Our Creator to bid adieu and cash in on all the free stuff he was giving away. Several clubs were tapped, my nose nearly broken, lots of credit cards swiped, and a joyous time by all. BG dropped by and Meyers made a return trip to Earth for the occasion. It never ceases to amaze me how sweet Dody's apartment is, and how awesome drinkin on the way down is. Chicago has a lot of pretty girls, and I was well under dressed... par for the course.

Good luck you sand baggin' son of a bitch. Have fun in the monestary.

outside your box

It is not complicated. The nature of our organizations, management, and scientific expertise is not only increasingly irrelevant to our enourmous economic, societal, and environmental problems, it is a primary cause of them.

One from Many

One last night of Passion

Tonight a car full of myself, der bruhaha, AliG, jenna, and Grace will travel to the sweet residence of The Dode for one last farewell. Hopefully he will join, and perhaps him as well. Expect some shisha and one more Belgian Red, for the good times.

six pack? more like zero pack

Rob Newhouse: You know, minimum security prison is no picnic. I had a client in there once. He said the trick is kick someone's ass the first day, or become somebody's bitch. Then everything will be all right.

Or, I can find a job.

living inefficiency

I'm looking to work in Latin America with the hopes I can do something meaningful for my employer while practicing Spanish. International job hunting is quite a beast, I might say. If any of my lovely friends know of any opportunities down there, give me a holler. I don't want any hook-ups, just a potential opening. I'll take it from there.
It is essential to the continuation of my education that I make some sort of profit, thus, AIESEC is largely out. I also need gmail to start working.

musing

This occured to me in the middle of page 11.
The fact that the first slide of the WSC summary powerpoint was one on copyright protection and that I "could not write any of it down" is deeply troubling to me.
Deeply troubling. On many fronts.
But that's just me.

circa 5am

The Dode
Originally uploaded by Mix Master.

The Dode thinks he'll end up dusty in a shoebox.

He better think again.

And with that, I proclaim a short but sweet marketing campaign. Let's see how many pics of Our Creator are floating around the world. Upload them to flickr and add "The Dode" as a tag in addition to "nomadlife."

hat tips

I finally got a phone. Style should no longer be cramped.
If you haven't tried it yet, point your browser over to shoutcast! and get yourself a vast collection of streaming audio. Me likey.

A peculiar trait of my ongoing reintegration into my own culture has been, well, a lack of any culture shock or depression or whatever else I told all those SN's they'd suffer from. I haven't yet pinpointed why this might be, but I have a few ideas.
1) I had a pretty clear idea of what to expect. I knew, as George (I think) once said, I'd see nothing new, but feel a lot of change. And I braced as best I could for some of the less-awesome comments I knew would come. Coming back to a place like Madison makes it extra easy.
2) My friends. As many of my friends have or currently are travelling, many of us have just come back from some sort of adventure or maintain correspondence whilst in transit. This makes a nice venue for the exchange of stories and all dialoge that comes post-trip. This, I think, is the biggest reason my return has been so smooth. I went out a few nights back with a few associates less world-oriented, and, I can tell you, had they been my primary friends and support network, I'd be going through some serious shock and awe. International topics and travel just aren't on their radar, and those are things I need right now. One night was enough. And so, cheers to my friends and the lubrication they've knowingly or unknowingly glossed over this potentially rugged path.

getconnected

Why is it so difficult to find a one year cell phone plan on the internet? You'd think they could at least provide the option. And why do plans have to be so complicated? The salesman should have just given me straight answers; much more effective than offering a phone that can take movies and play mp3's. I know you'd initially think differently, but I'm not actually in a sorority and don't care about 65,000 colors on my 2in screen.
Back at the ranch, my time here so far has been rather untechnical.. no internet at home, no cell phone. I was one of the last people to get a cell phone. Back then, in 2002, it was still easy to get around sans one of those little metal encased connections to the rest of the world's world. Granted, I lived within 40 yards of most of my friends, but we still went out to parties and let our souls become separated by great lengths, like 2 or 2.5 miles, a proverbial eternity by college standards. And it wasn't that big of a struggle.
No longer the case. I am glad to say I control my cell phone's life, not the other way around, but man, it is damn hard to do anything when everyone else depends on the functionality or existence of that cursed thing. This one product has my social life by the nuts, not because I can't get around without it, but because the rest of the world can't get me around without me having it. Think through that thought.
I'm not complaining about the control phones exert over many people's lives, I'll leave that for another time. I just think it's interesting how much we rely on it for our daily grassroots organizing, like going to the bars or meeting later for shisha. They definitely allow us to organize on a dime, and I think that's cool, but we've defintely largely lost the skill of planning ahead.
Good thing tomorrow is the big day.
God Willing.

nomadfest new year's

Almost official

Inhabited later this year, beginning on the 15th day of the eighth month in this year 2006 and continuing for the following 364 days, will be a house from basement to rooftop by no less than seven co-ed AIESEC Madison members. This is not a flat; this is a house. We're taking it to the majors. Reservations for Halloween are open now.
Let the legend live on.

departing for the arrival

Last days in Egypt. I feel the pressure to experience it all one last time, but I can't pull myself out of bed until at least noon. It seems fitting, the moon brings out all the action anyway and so I continue to live as I have. It's the ordinary days I want to remember, anyway. I take the visitors to various locations, or perhaps I bring them along as I myself revisit some of the defining spots of this life I have lived. I try to taste it all, and share a bit with my friends. It's what I've learned, the collective enjoyment and happiness possible when you set out to as a whole... let the little stuff slip by, we're in this together.

Let me run with you tonight
I'll take you on a moonlight ride
There's someone I used to see
But she don't give a damn for me

Last day. Hungover. As hell. I've officially parted ways with many, all's left is the core.. and a splitting headache. Three pm and I crawl out of bed; packing must begin. Each memory finds its place in the bag, or the suitcase, or the other bag. Little is left to regret, I never made it south, but I never sacrificed a friend. And that's what it's all been about, focus on the friends I said. Only a few more hours and the friendships go virtual, but I don't seem to mind. We have our place with each other and will remain united until we cross paths again. The hangover and exhaustion leave little space for other emotions. I don't eat until 10pm, right before I ride my last ride. The Party Bus turns into a Party Boat and again into a faluka. I should have known, Ryan did. One last time, for the homies.

But let me get to the point, let's roll another joint
And turn the radio loud, I'm too alone to be proud
You don't know how it feels
You don't know how it feels to be me

So many questions of if and when. Yes, I'll come back. Of when, I do not know. It is difficult to return when so much remains unexplored. I've said that before, but never had to say it to friends. Maybe this will be different. If I return, it is not to a foreign land, but to an almost family, a group, a quadrant but more than four, to the guys. A part of me is there now and a part of them is here now. The seeds were planted, it is up to us to flourish. Times past enjoyed up the ante of the goodbye. We felt. And Now we feel.

People come, people go
Some grow young, some grow cold
I woke up in between
A memory and a dream

Airport. As they say, the buck stops here. The preceding hours were as Egyptian as it gets. Faluka, drama, car race to the airport. I wish for a seatbelt, not a common feeling. I just want to watch the lights go by and let it all settle, but this is also fitting. So emotional, it can be good or it can be bad. The race helps us make up time lost during the second good-byes. Steve comments on the quality of the competition. The mood lightens. We arrive, but not to the Arrivals Hall. This time it's different.The final good bye. These might be the easiest. I know who I'll see again, and they're all in front of me. One last embrace. Hold the tears, pussies.

So let's get to the point, let's roll another joint
Let's head on down the road
There's somewhere I gotta go
And you don't know how it feels
You don't know how it feels to be me

The process remains Egyptian. I wait in line 20 minutes to get my ticket. There are 2 people in front of me. Apparantly it takes the entire staff to make a few decision. I bore quickly. The cashier in the duty free can't work the cash register. It takes 10 minutes to buy shisha. I'm the only one in the store. At last I find humor in it, might as well do it once. The plane glides down the runway, not before I sneak one last picture on soil. Exhausted, I sink into my chair and enter a different state of mind. I no longer remember the flight. Thoughts remain on times had and when new times will be. Damn it sucks to leave, but this is the territory.

My old man was born to rock
He's still tryin' to beat the clock
Think of me what you will
I've got a little space to fill

Prague. I can't go home yet, need something distant from the departure, but not yet at the arrival. I copy down my closure to the chapter. My hosts quiz me on my time there; my ears listen just as intently as there's while the answers flow out. I don't know how I've changed yet. I haven't yet returned to that which I will gauge myself against. Understanding a culture is a tremendous task, and even the simple answers require many backdrops. I can't seem to give satisfactory answers. Don't be so hard on yourself, sport. Help them relate and identify, make it easy to understand. Ready to return home? Almost. Let me try this beer first. The shisha is a big hit, works too well for the first run. I run into a groovy duck, and several groovy souls. The conversations are rich, exactly what I needed. The time comes, it's time to go.

So let's get to the point, let's roll another joint
And let's head on down the road
There's somewhere I got to go
And you don't know how it feels
You don't know how it feels
No, you don't know how it feels to be me

You don't know how it feels
You don't know how it feels
No, you don't know how it feels to be me

Home. Now it begins. Here we go.

Delivered

I made it and was at a karaoke bar within 5.5 hours of landing 2.5 hours from home. I'm battling a cold kindly delivered after suremely inappropriate dress for Prague's weather. I'm researching external hard drives for my laptop and mp3 players.
My pictures are in order; nomadfest gets recounted tomorrow.

In Prague

18 Hours left with my excellent hosts here, then nomadfest will receive a proper recounting and the hilarity of returning home shall ensue. They party a lot here, but I think I'm holding up.

34.5 hours

Ends are being tied. There are still more visitors coming. Mike will replace my presence in the humble abode.
I lack suitable articulation for all else.