well, saturday morning, august 31st. We successfully moved just about everything yesterday... One suburban (thanks Ed!) load to Berkeley, with Julia's brown down couch, and a disasembled clear coat varnish table and 4 chairs. The couch was the hardest thing to move down 3 flights of stairs... but with Eugene,me, Karen and Julia we got it down. Two more loads down to Mt.View, bikes and matresses strapped on the roof and a support car s4, and we're pretty much officially homeless. I actually enjoyed the physical part of moving... making me wonder if I've been doing desk jobs too long.

Came back this morning to let the maids in for the final clean up... me and Karen took pictures of the appartment in the fog... leaning blue walls and empty hardwood floors. The router and AMD1 computer is the last to fall... Router is going to Cuernavaca, the AMD to Terry. Its onward and upward... doesn't feel half bad.

we're headed for a victory hike in Marin to celebrate.

Hmm...I think more people are reading this than I thought. I think it's Charlie's turn to write something on life in Carson City.

By the way, thanks for all your encouragement, it means a lot to me.

I don't really know why this is happening but so much is changing within these two months - all good changes. People are moving on. I think it's a late-twenties thing. I have a feeling none of our friends are going to be where they are now in a years' time, but i suspect many of the San Franciscans will be back, like Charlie and I, not sure when but we'll be back.

Almost time to meet Nick at Mad Dog for a final Trivia night before he heads to London! Maybe, just maybe we'll win this time!!

in our lovely apartment :( Yes, i'ts 2:30am and i am still up. I've actually been pretty productive the last couple of days, most of the items on my 2-page list of to-do's are now scratched off. Tonight I posted a few more things on Craigslist, one of which is my old laser printer which doesn't have a driver for WIN2K and I still got 2 emails for it at 1am, not bad...I think i might be able to sell it!

I did more packing...I don't understand why and how I could have so many toiletry items. Charlie has one little bag that doesn't even get filled up. I did get rid of some stuff.

I am trying to pack sensibly, to make unpacking (whenever and wherever that may be) easier. I like, or try, to be organized. Anyway, i am babbling, maybe it's time to head to bed.

The new plan is that we will go to Europe for the bike trip - which might end up being a non-bike trip seeing that it's flooding over there. Charlie will then head back to Carson City to work and I will go on probably to Barcelona and stay with Pablito for a few weeks, maybe take some Spanish classes or something. Then we'll meet up in NY for Laura's wedding and then I will go off to Guatemala and Costa Rica for 2 - 3 months, i am in the process of setting up some volunteer work down there!

Charlie had planned on working till Feb at which time I will come back, get some snowboarding in, and then we'll go down to New Zealand, Australia and the rest of the planned trip. I am still hoping that Charlie would come join me a earlier in Central America though, I am sure a few months in Carson City will be more than enough to get him in the mood to travel!

The Packing - is going...the house is a huge mess right now with boxes and bags and crap everywhere. And Charlie's up in Carson City so I have to deal with it all myself which is not too bad right now...i do wish I could get some work done though. Of course I choose packing and planning over writing QA test requirements.

I am too tired to type, more next time...bleh...

not cancelled, postponed. I'm not feeling to great about it either. Looking at 5 months in Carson City... who would feel great? Suddenly my noble aspirations of working instead of frivoulisly playing seem misguided. Travel sounds great now. But, at the same time, 5 months of work would really come in handy for me, and have me rearing to go in Feb instead of dragging my heels as I'm doing now.

new plan, Mid Feb meet up with Karen, go to New Zeland, Australia, Asia for 3 months. Then come back to NM for the Summer as planned. Karen is still planning on doing a volunteer program for 3 months, hopefully pick up some spanish. And perhaps drop in for some skiing. Me, work work work. uhg.

still need to move out of the apartment... which won't be any easier as I'm leaving town on Thursday. Quit Kanisa. Karen is flying to boston now. Actually stuck on the runway afer Dimsum and swiming pool weekend.

Well, I can't say I didn't know this was going to happen. Charlie now has a 6 month project lined up at Harley. I can't blame him for wanting to take it and he probably should because he's been so worried about not getting any work. In fact I think it's the happiest he's been in months. Yes, I am quite disappointed, we're back to where we were two weeks ago trying to formulate a plan. To go or not to go? I am not staying at Oracle past September, I just can't. It would be unfair for me and for them if I stay any longer. I need to do this. If anything, I am sick of always saying that I want to do something and never actually doing it. All talk and no action. I was really excited about sharing this experience with someone but looks like it's going to be another lone adventure.

It's beautiful out today, definitely one of those days that remind me why i love it here. I am admiring the view out the window from the computer nook as I type, the wonderful view of GG Park, GG Bridge and the Marin headlands that made us fell in love with our apartment. We've had countless prospective tenants come by to look at the place and it kinda made me sad to imagine someone else taking over our home, I hope they would enjoy it as much as we had. There are a lot of wonderful aparments and flats in San Francisco, I am sure we would love our next home just as much. I am looking forward to living simply and experiencing the unfamilar.

Spent an afternoon with Chrissy who had just returned from a 4 month adventure from New Zealand and Australia and we reminisced about our travel experiences; about how you learn to appreciate what you have and that you can really live simply on 1 pair of pants, 3 shirts and one pair of shoes for months on end; how it changes your perspective on things and meet different types people whom you won't meet otherwise.

And there you go, no more worrying, just looking forward to next month.

What can we scratch off the list? After a busy day, in most respects, one would expect that a dent would be made in the growing todo list. No such luck... the only thing that came close was some consolidation of clothes into an "unwanted" bag. And there was the trip to my bank and the transference of funds from my business account into personal... one more step to shutting down Recursive. Poor Recursive... never spread its wings truly and now I'm turning my back on it.

Also posted the aparment for rent on craigslist, and got an immediate deluge of calls and email. One call was literally 3-5 minutes after posting. Craigslist kicks ass. Call after call, I guess the price and description was right. And when the couples rolled into the place, most exclaimed with glee about how much they liked it, gushed at the views. Our dinner guests, consisting of Tom, Andy, and long lost Todd began arriving and intermingling with and heckling prospective renters, curry cooked, and domestic bliss verily eminated from the kitchen, as the sun set over the pacific ocean, turning the kitchen and downtown buildings orange. So I think we'll rent it, and John Sitzo will give a $800 dollar premium for renting it for him!

And of course there was the hand wringing, gut wrenching doubt about the integrity of the trip itself. I'm still having second thoughts, after the finality of my grand anouncement. Am I sabatoging my very ability to support myself? Turning my back on affluence and security? What will be the exact technical requrirements that get me call after call from recruiters now, will there be anything I can offer worth hiring when I get back? Will I be a totally outdated comodity?

All worries in account, I'm sliding, steadily, into accpetance and agreement with this whole travel concept. If no other reason that the pure action, the undeniable movement, re-orientation, the power of completly removing yourself from the familiar. There is a value in that... I don't buy the easily regurgitated line "that this is our last chance to travel", and that travel is "really living" as opposed to our happy scene we have now. But I'm expecting some wild times, and the dificulty this trip is presenting in terms of logistical and metaphiscal effort leads one to believe that it may be worthwhile. Nothing pain no gain, right?

Picked Ella up from the Airport in Oakland too, its nice to see some family.

I am not sure if i am going to keep up with Charlie on the blog for the next month cause i actually still have a job and need to finish things up and need to do them well since i am taking a leave of absence and want to make sure they still like me enough to bring me back if I need to come back. Not gonna get too into my current job as most everyone who might read this knows how i feel about oracle and my job...Anyhow, it's extremely hard to concentrate on work when there is so much to plan and do before we take off, plus consoling charlie - he's had a hard time leaving everything behind and taking off for a year. I completely understand his concerns. The software industry is going to shit and who knows what's gonna happen in a year? My stand is that he really hasn't found the consulting work he's been doing satisfying. And true, as my dad tried to explain to me, that in a economy like this, one should try to stay alive, get work when and where there is work...here's an excerpt from the email he sent just the other day:

"In the highly competitive environment, you just cannot stand still. Gone are the days when the market was flooded with jobs (and money) for one to choose and
pick. You may argue that since the market is so quiet, you may as well
"take a break" and come back when it hopefully gets better.

Well, you maybe right about the market. But our opinion is that it will
be quite a long while before the economy gets better. Terrorism,
corporate accounting scandal and potential war with Iraq are the key
negatives that would extend the period of recession in the US (and the
rest of the world).

So it is very likely after a year or so, that you come back to a worse
job market, not better. And there would be younger folks, equally
competent, but asking for less money for the jobs you would like to
get.

But of course, Mom and I came up from a very insecure environment. We
work hard so as to build up reserve for rainy days. Never would we
think of taking a break in between for fear of losing what we have got. No
doubt we are talking about a different generation. But there are
similarities.

Enough said. You and Charlie must have given it a lot of thought.
Obviously optimism of the future prevails."

Planning, essential for the extended voyage. Unfortunately there has been only a bare minumum of planning for this journey. True, the idea has been gestating for awhile... infact I orginally moded to San Fran (nearly 5 years ago!!!) with the intention of making an around the world trip. But an actual plan has only been floating for the last few weeks.

But what does it take to actually get going? We're using the approach of getting rid of everything we can, storing and pawning on friends the remaining items. Changing our addresses, closing bank accounts, returning the leased car ,storing stuff, and in general having nothing to force us to come back here.

Here is my list, transcribed from an un-intelligible legal pad:

1. Get plane ticket
X 2. Give landlord notice
3. Sell all items possible - use craigs list and friends
4. Pack unsellable items
5. Move remainder - some to Karens house, ship to NM
X6. Plan national Park route and camping spots
7. Test tarp - buy cord for tarp.
X8. create blog for tracking progress
9. Transfer money into one account, shut down business account
10. Change address of credit cards,bank accounts,accountants and lawyers,investment accounts, health insurance, diving association,um....more
11.Close down Recursive Business or sign on partner, Terry
12.Pay Taxes - pay estimated taxes... after estimating of course
13.Get Quicken info from bookeeper, Ericka
X14.Contact car leassor - develop plan for car
16.Add consulting contact page for customers to register for consulting info
17.Design a download request form for recursive
18.Transfer /ship computers
X19. Buy Paniers for the bike trip
20. Pack bikes in bike box for plane ride - end of sept.

So... in the true spirt of disorganiztion, I've left out a million items. I hope to check in every once and awhile note that I've accomplished one of these items

Well, here we go... a textual cronicle of the joy, pain, hope and fears of our now official trip. Thats right, me and Karen are leaving it all, to journey to the nether regions of the world, albiet on massive jet airliners. I intend to document all my misgivings, general bitching, whitty reminicenses and ultimately document transformative evolution of my very soul. ... High hopes?....

Actually I'd be satisfied to blot down the mundane details of the daily journey, including a cronicle of money spent and sights seen. Due to general lack of internet access that may not be too easy. Hopefully posting via a blog will save some email time. And I hope Karen will post too.