Workaholic

That's my title as of late. Work, work, work, work work, and... more work. There is an end goal though. A light at the end of the tunnel. Stay focused. Work hard. Sleep a little. Save every penny.

These are the primary notions that I have been basing my life and goals on recently. Im on a mission to have the surf trip of my dreams next summer and I will stop short at nothing to make it happen. As of late, my yearning for travel has been pulling me aside, almost tempting me into other non-surf related destinations. Backpacking Europe/Asia, hitchhiking the USA or Mexico, Africa. I will stay focused, and continue to strive to end my current status as a Texas gulf coast surfer. I have been putting a great deal of thought into rushing to finish school. Once I finish, I can relocate to an area a little more "surf-friendly". Im thinking no where near California if you are wondering, more of an East Coast deal. While on my trip next summer, Im planning to be on the constant lookout for cheap land deals and places to rent. Im not talking about 'bob' so-and-so's summer dream home he occasionally rents out for 4x what he paid to build it. Im talking the below average Mexican home, or a room in such a home. I have a feeling I can negotiate something to the tune of around 75-100usd a month, possibly cheaper if I try hard enough. Once you escape from the lairs of Tourista land, you can find things and life much cheaper and simpler.

My life lately has pretty much consisted of making money and studying. I have been studying life or the philosophy of life really. I just keep wondering what my future holds for me. I keep writing numbers down every day looking for a cheaper more viable way to accomplish my dreams. How come everyone else can run off for so long, so cheap? How come I cant get sponsorship? The first answer is, I haven't tried. This is very very true, and perhaps I should put some effort into this. The second answer is, I'm not an accomplished surfer...yet. Im still in my gromdom and probably will continue to be so until I can improve upon my living/coastal location. I have accepted that in order to get things moving faster and more on the speed of what I desire, some serious sacrifices had to be made. I have arranged to move back in with my parents after my lease expires on Feb. 1st. I will be staying in the garage or in a sleeping bag for 3.5 months until I depart on my Mexican adventure and I should be able to save a shitload. That 'extra' shitload will be the means of my further education and possibly being admitted into UH. It will also be the means for me to pay my crap and get moved into an absurdly small 'effiency' apt in the downtown Houston area. Closer to school, closer to work, closer to like minded people, and closer to SURF!

I have been thinking a lot lately about buying another vehicle, something a little more "off-road" oriented. My little RAV4 is amazing and awsome when it comes to reliability and gas mileage, but her offroad capabilities cannot be compared to Landys (Land Rovers) and other Toyota options. I have been looking around and I have located some reasonably priced 4runners and Pathfinders. The underlying problem here is that overland adventure travel is flat out fucking expensive. There is gas, insurance, maintenance, security issues. The upside is simple...Freedom. Freedom to explore. Freedom to wonder. Freedom of time constraints and schedules pertaining to public transportation. There is another mode of freedom and that's time. Time coupled with foot/public transportation can also be a very rewarding and flat out cheap experience. While in a car, you tend to only interact when needed with the local culture. You always have the comfortable safety of your vehicle to shield you from sometimes unpleasant or often difficult cultural and language barriers. While relying on the kindness of other travelers or the local bus systems, you have to directly interact with the local culture and to me I have found this to be very rewarding. My trip this summer will give me the opportunity to compare the two forms of travel I have mentioned and hopefully I will be able to draw my conclusions.

I have also been considering filming a good portion of the trip, basically laying the groundwork for a surf/adventure film. There is a lot of money thrown into these though, and its perhaps an arena I don't have the funds to dabble in. I will keep all of you posted with the details as we get nearer and I promise to try and post more. Work has just been a major time consumer of my life and when I get home, I feel too physically and mentally drained to really try and "hit one home".