back in the Circuit

08/23/2012 1922 South Bay, CA

Chapter 4

Every beginning starts with another's Ending

My final leg of this trip has been something besides final. One of my stops was a co-op house named Ithaka, named after Odyssea's home. Greece is my Ithaka, but this is my Odyssey. Mingling with so many cultures, living in Nature, while thinking about where I stand relative to this infinitesimal point of time in a vast sea of existences is humbling and sobering. Seeing America in 8 days was an implicit slap across the face for every time I had thought I knew the answer or understood another person thus far. My hearing has improved dramatically over the past 2 weeks, while my thinking posture has changed quite probably due to burger diet.

Dolores Park, SF

I had a flight to Boston a couple of nights ago to meet with my brother who is extending the Nakos legacy at Brown. Proud that he will be part of a power house of avant-garde individuals. Glad that he will we be away from familiar grounds and among dreamers. My mind was liberated after 4 years in Brunonia, but it also taught me that emancipation of one's self starts with college; it doesn't end with it. At college I was a dabbler and serendipity did not occur in ordinary situations, while stepping out of my zone of comfort promised a genuinely original perspective. Remember the peanut butter and egg bagel sandwich? Still haven't tried it, yet still ripping on it? That played in my head in conjunction with favorable vocational opportunities that have arisen as of late in the area and I decided to postpone my return eastwards. Will I be back soon? I don't know. I am aware that I have the option of a disruptive life choice, being farther from Ithaka I have a greater possible Odyssey to douse my restless adolescence in.

It started after reaching the evening of the 17th in Union Square, SF. I thought I was in the hood and I still hadn't been in Oakland. After checking and fitting 6 of us in a double, we made headway for the Mission. The City was pumping with energy, the streets are wide and people use bicycles as a primary means of transportation. I felt at ease with this vibe, but didn't appreciate the majesty of it until I went through Haight and Dolores Park. I thought I was where Brown students reside after graduation, a liberal city that paves the way for the rest of America with its unconventional lifestyle. People take pride in themselves and advocate the truth from within them. They don't try, they live.

My spirit has found peace during this trip and my body feels rejuvenated. I feel oddly calm relative to my pre-road trip sluggish persona and obviously this is because my soul is soothed by a landscape I happened to see merely by saying: "yea Davey, I'll drive with you across the country" and a string of good luck. Making it safely is a blessing. No doubt. How can I maintain this momentum? Of course get a job; were you expecting some deep ass philosophy?

Baz Luhrmann said we should wear sunscreen. I think I am.