Archive for October, 2007
#9 – Tales from the Wayback Machine. [podcast]
Oct 21st
Hey Team,
Here’s a little something special I put together to combat my frustration that I wasn’t able to turn on my video camera during one of my favorite experiences from the trip. Call it a dramatization. Enjoy!
Get the Flash Player to see the wordTube Media Player. var WT1_1 = { params : { wmode : "opaque", allowscriptaccess : "always", allownetworking : "all", allowfullscreen : "true"}, flashvars : { file : "http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amtrekker.com%2Findex.php%3Fxspf%3Dtrue%26id%3D44", volume : "80", bufferlength : "5", controlbar : "over", 'logo.hide' : "false", shuffle : "false", playlist : "bottom"}, attr : { id : "WT1", name : "WT1"}, start : function() { swfobject.embedSWF("http://www.amtrekker.com/wp-content/uploads/player.swf", "WT1_1", "437", "522", "9.0.0", false, this.flashvars, this.params , this.attr ); } } WT1_1.start();The last two days have been JAM PACKED with excitement…so expect some of that excitement to leak out via amtrekker.com in the next few days. It’s going to take a lot of work to keep up but I’ll do my best to make sure you guys stay up to date on the “nomadic serendipity.” And yes, I just stole that term from a fellow nomad. (serolynne.livejournal.com)
Okay, I’ve got to try to get some rest.
I’m done.
Brett.
If you liked this podcast, why not buy me a glass More >
Fish out of water(…and into retaw?)
Oct 21st
Hey Team,
Question: What happens when you find yourself tossed in the middle of a huge group of people that have nothing in common with you (besides maybe the fact that they’re bipedal) yet EVERYTHING in common with each other, thus making you as out of place as possible?
Answer: You find yourself one step closer to home!
Fish out of water doesn’t even begin to describe the position I found myself in today. The fish would have to be not only OUT of water but then back into something that is the opposite of water…like steam, or fire maybe (or retaw?). Of course this feeling was compounded by my company. Mike, my CouchSurfing host, is an awesome guy…unfortunately, he’s also just as skinny and dorky as I am. Not to mention, for the first time on this trip I actually felt overdressed.
So, to say we stuck out like a pair of sore thumbs at Biketoberfest would be an understatement. Luckily, that’s exactly what made the day interesting.
Fun facts:
1. Motorcycle rallies are not a place to find “attractive” women.
2. Fat men in leather will not hesitate to use their girth to move you.
3. The English language needs FAR fewer words than it has. More >
I Swung Danced [video]
Oct 20th
Hey Team,
I had an unexpectedly entertaining night jam packed with me making a fool of myself. You may not all know this, but as it turns out, the music portion of my brain is either missing or broken. As a result, my ability to listen to music is almost non-existent. This makes some relatively simple tasks much more difficult than they should be. Dancing would be one of those tasks.
And now, thanks to the wonder and magic (not a Disney Cruise Line joke) of the internet, I get to share my deficiencies with the whole world! Wow…this may have been a bad idea. But here it is anyway. A quick and dirty (and short) video of my night of swing dancing. Quick corollary: 1. My partner, Lenka, was an INCREDIBLE teacher and a billion times better than I make her look and 2. I had a REALLY good time and it made me want to not suck. I’ll be looking into swing dancing when I get back home…whenever that might be.
This video wont get posted to iTunes or the podcast RSS feed. So here on Amtrekker and YouTube are the only options this time around. It might start being a More >
Whose life is it anyway?
Oct 18th
Hey Team,
Wow. What a surreal day. Have you ever had that feeling that the life you’re leading maybe isn’t yours? Say, hypothetically, one day you suddenly find yourself thinking, “What will my life been when I’m 26? Will I be married? Will I have a kid? What kind of steady job will I have?” And then, just as suddenly, you realize you already are 26 and you’re homeless, unemployed and helping the guy you just met today (whose couch you’re sleeping on) study for his Quantum Mechanics test.
This is after you walked five miles in the ridiculous Florida humidity to get to the nearest bus stop and finally reached the point of complete filth saturation. That point at which it would actually be impossible for you to get dirtier and the only thing the filth is left to do is burrow into your skin and create a perma-bum situation that you definitely aren’t looking forward to.
All this on top of the fact that you suddenly find yourself with the number seven spot on “Today’s Top Podcasts” in the Places & Travel category on iTunes. All thanks to some awesome friends you’ve made who produce an equally awesome podcast that can More >
TASTHIB – Urban Golf [podcast]
Oct 17th
Hey Team,
You’ve all ready read a little bit about Urban Golf, now see the fun and excitement first hand!
Get the Flash Player to see the wordTube Media Player. var WT2_2 = { params : { wmode : "opaque", allowscriptaccess : "always", allownetworking : "all", allowfullscreen : "true"}, flashvars : { file : "http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amtrekker.com%2Findex.php%3Fxspf%3Dtrue%26id%3D45", volume : "80", bufferlength : "5", controlbar : "over", 'logo.hide' : "false", shuffle : "false", playlist : "bottom"}, attr : { id : "WT2", name : "WT2"}, start : function() { swfobject.embedSWF("http://www.amtrekker.com/wp-content/uploads/player.swf", "WT2_2", "437", "522", "9.0.0", false, this.flashvars, this.params , this.attr ); } } WT2_2.start();If you have any problems with this viewer you can watch the youtube version here.
Thanks Team.
I’m done.
Brett.
Welcome to the wonderful world of the kindness of strangers:
Why NOT be a kind stranger?
AKPC_IDS += "84,";
Train Travel FTW
Oct 16th
Hey Team,
I don’t have a lot of time, or the connection for a lengthy update today, but that’s okay…cause I think the picture says it all.
Also, I saw a man with his prayer rug out on the floor. Admirable…but I wonder how frustrating it is when east keeps moving.
I’m done.
Brett.
Welcome to the wonderful world of the kindness of strangers:
Why NOT be a kind stranger?
AKPC_IDS += "83,";
Power Rangers Can’t Putt
Oct 14th
Hey Team,
When was the last time you saw a cowboy, a princess and a Power Ranger running through the streets of a major North American city hitting tennis balls down stairways with golf clubs into the middle of heated mahjong games?
Really? Never? Cause, that was my yesterday. In a nutshell.
My couch surfing host, Steph, talked me into staying in Toronto an extra day, despite the lack of list-crossing going on, so I could experience the wonders of Urban Golf. Holy crab cakes am I glad I stayed.
Obviously, the list is my life right now, but it’s always exciting when awesome stuff like Urban Golf finds a way to sneak itself in between. Some of the most interesting and entertaining stuff so far has been these spontaneous events that catch me off guard and show me something I didn’t even know existed. (Of course, it’s going to be tough to beat milking a cow on an Amish farm and hang gliding.)
“So, what’s urban golf?” I hear you asking. (No, really. I can always hear you…and I know about that thing you said about my belly button. So stop it.)
Urban Golf involves dressing up like a stereotypical golfer (or a Power Ranger More >
How long?!
Oct 13th
Hey Team,
In honor of my one hundredth day amtrekking I’ve composed a few haikus in and effort to expose my soul to the world…I think.
Vagrant, nomad, bum He wanders the continent Completing the list
Without the strangers And their wonderful kindness I would be nothing
How many more months It’s not for me to decide Pink cherry blossoms
Sometimes it’s important for a haiku to not make any sense, most times it’s important for a haiku to talk about cherry blossoms. Mission accomplished.
Thanks for keeping me company on this epic mission, team!
I’m done.
Brett.
AKPC_IDS += "81,";