from one state to another

pictured: us and our penske

new york >> new jersey >> pennsylvania >> ohio >> illinois >> iowa...

it appears that heading west is easy. just follow i-80 for-basically-ever and be prepared to pay tolls. lots and lots of tolls (highest being $15, the lowest being $.60). we've made it across a total of 6 states so far and we have about 5 more to go. america is big. america is diverse. and america is full of large marge trucks.

pictured: world's largest truck stop in iowa of of i-80

i always knew america was considered a truckin' kinda country. but never have i experienced such massive truck-ness. there are trucks everywhere! more trucks than cars are crossing this huge country of ours and it's really kind of insane. in those trucks are packages we ordered from amazon, chickens we'll buy at the grocer, pesticides we'll spray in our gardens, poptarts we'll feed our children, and cars that will get us to our jobs. seeing the great amount of trucks on the road has only heightened my awareness of the amounts of fuel and gas that is being wasted to transport goods that we most likely don't need or could most likely get from some place other than the other side of the country/world. and being in our small penske truck, driving from state to state, we are part of that culture that's unfortunately american. i wish i didn't have so much stuff. that i could rid myself of the urge to buy. i'm going to seriously work on it.

pictured: name that state...(iowa, pennsylvania, ohio)

another note taken from the road in full force is the industrial agricultural industry we eat off. corn, corn and even more corn is the predominately featured crop from the road - with a mix in of wheat here and there. it creates and eerie landscape that's golden hued, man made, and dusty. yet, there's also a contrast. alongside the rows and rows of corn and wheat are patches of lush greenery. greenery that a few happy cows seem to be indulging on and greenery that appears to be diverse. it's amazing really, because i always assumed the midwest was just like the great plains. plain n' dusty (where there are crops, the areas are just that). but it's these tiny strips of green land that show/prove what the untiled land is capable of...the richness of the soil - that is quickly being stripped of its nutrients so we can feed more cows than humans. ohio, illinois, and iowa could very well be as beautiful as pennsylvania. but they aren't because they're full up to their ears in corn. what have we done america?!

between the trucks and corn there's lots and lots of open road that take you from state to state. lots of time to think and wonder...

i wonder if truckers think and wonder. and if they do, if they wonder the same things i do. like where that really wretched stink of some serious poo was coming from during a stretch of iowa that lasted way too long. i wonder. they must wonder.

 

pictured: me next to some serious truck

(i really wish i knew a trucker, because i am now baffled by this seemingly popular profession/lifestyle)

small changes that are never too late

pictured: where alex and i used to (sorta) battle cars there is a nice new green bike lane (image pulled from google, but my brain took the exact same picture so...)

there are a few things that have change in new york that are really great.

1. there are way more "green" bike lanes - meaning they are at least semi-separate from the auto road. way cool.

2. there are mini public areas utilizing old street areas - for example at union square there are now some tables and a pedestrian walking area.

3. there's a simplified subway map. i have my issues with it (like how they took away the green in the parks and replaced it with desert yellow, yuck) but it's much clearer than before.

4. there are some new buses and bus-only lanes. that's pretty good, since the buses were like slugs, maybe even slower.

a lot can change in 5 months, so it seems. maybe lots always changed, but i just never noticed. it's nice to notice the change, and appreciate it.

sea change

it's weird to visit places of the past. when i visit florida my mind, heart, and body are confused. they feel comfortable, safe, and warm (literally), but they also feel really glad they got out alive at just the right time. and when i now visit, it's not a place i can picture myself in. i don't belong, i'm just a visitor.

new york is the new florida. i was really worried upon our arrival that i might feel a great deal of nostalgia for this place - and possibly maybe, wish we weren't moving across the country. luckily, i don't.

new york is a great place. the streets are small and easy to cross with their one-way traffic flow. and the neighborhoods are long - you can walk down 5th avenue in brooklyn and continually be walking by restaurants and shops for miles. prospect park is still my favorite park - even with its tornado-downed trees and branches littering any soft grass. and the subway really is the best form of transportation anywhere.

but there's been a sea change. there are things i knew existed as part of living in the city - things that i either embraced, ignored, or made excuses for. and now, since i no longer live here, i can see these things more clearly.

- 8 million is really a noticeably larger amount than 1 million
- because there's so many people, you just are damned to have more assholes and idiots - and these people have made unemployed me angry on multiple occasions (they made employed me angry, but i figured maybe it was cause i was in a rush...but nope, they just suck as human beings)
- the subway stations are really, really disgusting. painting the ceiling of a water ridden station is never a good idea new york.
- even though it is supposed to be fall here, it feels like summer. humidity sucks in florida and in new york.
- i love my friends here, love them. but there's been a big change. for the most part (like 10 to 1) they all work in my old industry. and because i escaped that industry (hopefully for life) i have made a choice that in a way is against their choice. and that's weird.

it's a funny feeling, this new york i love you, but want to divorce you kinda feeling. there's memories that can't be forgotten because they are too great. there's special things that will never be replaced by others. and there's people that i will continue to know, but are really an outcome from and old life. it's time for us to go our separate ways. sure, we will probably run into each other now and then, on holiday or something. maybe we'll even fall back in love some day. but for now, it's farewell dear old new city.

pictured: the aftermath of a brooklyn tornado in prospect park - alex // me

renewal...update!

pictured: the magical place of Musee Mecanique

days turn into weeks and weeks turn into months.

it's now been nearly two months since we said our farewells to the now-lovely-in-our-minds wwoofing experience.

while i miss the piggy noses and work routine of physically doing something, the days of today are filled with exciting new adventures - the migration towards the west has started and next week is the long haul, for real.

san francisco is the only city that i ever really imagined living in (okay, besides that early high school obsession with boston). hills and hills of beautifully crafted houses, yummy eateries, people with a californian glow of happiness, and natural wonders (complementing man made wonders) are all practically in your backyard. i knew i loved san francisco from the second time i visited (the first one was when i was 5 or something and i remember absolutely nothing from that). don't get me wrong, i love brooklyn too, but san francisco is a place you can grow old in.

pictured: outside our new home

the teeny tiny adventures

we found ourselves an apartment. it's teeny tiny (think ship cabin) but it has built-in furniture that adds charm and makes it feel san franciscan. and it's cheap - even cheaper than our brooklyn home. and it's in an amazingly wonderful location - nestled between the castro and the mission.

after confirming that we actually would be offered this tiny home of potential, i started on an obsessed rampage thinking of ways to maximize space. smaller can be better...after all, didn't i say in one of my first posts that i wanted to find myself a teeny, tiny house? got one!

there are plans for building structures - part tree house, part box house - and there are plans for using refuse wood rather than new (both for aesthetic and environmental purposes) as well as finding paint that's free of toxic fume. there's lots and lots to learn and think about, which is probably why i can't worry about the fact that i'm practically unemployed and not sure what my calling is. i like this new life.

pictured: nasturtiums // buena vista park (where the foraging walk took place)

walk on the wild side

getting comfortable in your new surrounding is probably the hardest part of moving. that's why this weekend alex and i went on a wild (urban) foraging tour - learning to identify and enjoy the many plant species growing in sf parks and backyards. the best of the best in our opinion, turns out to be nasturtiums - a common addition to salad mixes in the west, and a common weed almost everywhere. unfamiliar to us, we were delighted by their fresh looks and spicy, tasty flavor. the whole plant is edible from the roots to the leaves to the flowers to the oh so delicious pods. other highlights on the walk included wild fennel and wild radish. i can't wait to be in our teeny tiny home with our not so teeny kitchen (kitchen is half the space) and start cooking again!

pictured: alex on top of a rock by the coast (if the fog weren't so heavy you'd see the bridge right behind him) // map time // the bridge to nowhere

of course other walking adventures have taken place. there was the fog heavy adventure by the coast and across the golden gate bridge - which is hella scary (esp. after watching a documentary about how more than a handful of people jump from there yearly). there was the return to the sutro baths and the wonder of what had once been. and there was a walk on ocean beach filled with survival of the fittest, discovery channel stuff - a seagull waits, a crab gets caught on sand and is exposed as a wave retreats...the bird goes for the crab, the crab fights back... a crab gets eaten alive...oh ocean beach you are soooo much better than coney island, maybe the closing of playland was actually a good idea.