A new life on two wheels

I've tried time and time again to actually get this blog up and running. Hopefully third time's the charm.

I hopped off the train in Alpine, Tx about a week ago today. My little purple bicycle is serving as my trusty steed for the next several months as Chris, Ross, and whoever else we join along the way, head to the sunny and warm state of Florida and possibly up the coast back to home.

It's only been 5 days, but damn, living off a bike so far has thrown my body, mind, and soul in a whirlwind. We've ridden into Big Bend National Park and are now back up north in Marathon, TX (pop. 400). We'll be heading east from here towards San Antonio, Austin, and New Orleans.

I'll post some photos soon when I can upload them and will write a longer post soon when I have some more time.

Miss you all back home-
britt

If all the days were like mornings, the world would be a little bit better.

...or at least my world would be.

don't fall out

the window was cracked wide

and the screen removed

i was leaning

arched over the sill

exhaling

a lit cigarette glowing orange in my face

illuminating the knuckles of my fingers

but i looked down

and dew reflected the patches of light

collected from basement windows and guttering street lamps

they looked like stars of the earth

there were constellations

not a replica of the sky's, of course

no belts, no dippers

but images of those passed

strewn throughout the leaves and blades

old life gazed up

forgotten apologies

and grudges never let go

lessons learned, although too late

those that once were, reminding me

to scribble

scribe

scrawl

before my fingers go limp like the wet grass

clinging to the stars

Food Rules

http://www.democracynow.org/2010/2/8/michael_pollan_on_food_rules_an

^^this is a great interview with michael Pollan about the current state of our food system. The Food Industry and even the government are not out to ensure our health. It's in our hands and Michael Pollan outlines important information any eater should know.

(DeomcracyNow! is a great independent news site that provides the audience with people and perspectives rarely heard from corporate-driven news sources. Progressive and diverse. Two thumbs up.)

busting a move

so, it's clear that i cannot commit to anything, as i haven't posted anything since I first made this dang thing.

but anyways, 5 months later (and oddly close to 200 days) i've saved up some cash and bought a ticket to seattle, washington. My westward expansion, my lewis and clark expedition. I'm taking the Empire Builder route, which according to amtrak "the Empire Builder offers one of the most majestic routes in the Amtrak system." hell yeah. i like the sound of majestic.

so, it's clear that i cannot commit to anything, as i haven't posted anything since I first made this dang thing.

but anyways, 5 months later (and oddly close to 200 days) i've saved up some cash and bought a ticket to seattle, washington. My westward expansion, my lewis and clark expedition. I'm taking the Empire Builder route, which according to amtrak "the Empire Builder offers one of the most majestic routes in the Amtrak system." hell yeah. i like the sound of majestic.

It's a 55 hour train ride which means it's a 75 hour train ride which means lots of majestic scenery which means photographs galore. Hopefully I'll be meeting some funky, quirky, interesting, colorful people along the way. And clearly, since they're taking a 5 day train ride over a 3 hour plane ride, they're in no rush. Who could really be silent for 5 days? With that being said, I'll think i'll run a marathon when i hop off the train.

so far, this is only thing i've got. What shall i do? where shall i go?

well, i've got several things up both my sleeves. I'm starting in Seattle and most likely ending in San Francisco, where I'll fly home. And in between these two places I'm planning WWOOF-ing someplace or several places. I definitely am making a point to see the Redwoods. I cannot depict the monstrous beauty from photos in a National Geographic. Oh! and the Pacific. I've never seen that ocean.

But who knows, I could end up in Canada smoking pot with some old hippy in Vancouver. It's all an experience right? (This statement is not said with complete seriousness. You've got to give me some credit people.)

Anyways, more travels plans as they develop (or fail to develop)

a friend told me

love is cosmic collisions of the soul

or

bowls of spaghetti shared

beneath a homemade quilt

a mama original

or

shared drags of a cigarette

in a sunday bed till noon

oh the buttsores come too soon

mood: adventurously anxious (and being 11:30 and sick, pooped)

music: Lablogotheque

got goats?

i've become addicted to VPR. While painting countless windows at Becky's, VPR is the background sound that keeps my mind busy.

Today on "On Point" Tom interviews the author of a book called "Goat Song: A Seasonal Life, A Short History of Herding, and The Art of Making Cheese"


explores the connections between pasturialism/herding and sacred texts/religion/historty of humans
explores the origins of several words in relation to herding

Good Morning, Morning.

well, well, well. Moves have been made.

Broke the news to the parents yesterday and reactions expected and unexpected. My father, or course, just wants me to be happy, but also wants me to go back to school in a year (most likely, but we'll see). Now my mother, I fully prepared for a telephone brawl. I figured she would be upset, try to talk me out of it, make me feel like I was making the wrong decision, etc... But, she was speechless. I gave the whole speech on why I'm doing this, and had mentioned that other adults that I admire up here support my decision. Mom: "well, are they going to support you when you run out of money?" ouch, but not so invalid. That was the only comment she made aside from a mumbling, "i'll talk to you later." Not what I wanted, but better than I expected. I'll take it.

Now, leaving UVM? Wayyyy to easy. I e-mailed a woman yesterday morning requesting to take a leave of absence this year and wondering what the process is. Her response:

Brittany, I can use this e-mail as your written request to take a leave of absence. I
will process the paperwork today August 6th. When you are ready to return to UVM, you
will need to contact me directly at 656-0289 to get the process needed to come back. You
will not need to go through admission to return. Rose

After all the trouble it was getting into UVM, you'd think it would be slightly more difficult getting away for a little while.