a peek into the capital

- picton to wellington ferry -

- goodbye south island -

- hello north island -

- cook strait -

- welcome to wellington -

- igualita a mi Puns -

- cbd -

- cbd -

- cuba street -

- westpac stadium -

- all blacks vs. springboks -

- my room -

- my wall on the floor -

- my wall on the floor -

- let it snow -

- view from my deck -

that's my life in Wellington in a nutshell.

Dunedin coming soon...

cheers!

time to move on

It's time to pack again. After two months of "settled" life in Wellington, it's time to move on. I'll miss this city. but I'm happy for something new...I'm always happy for something new.

Wellington has chosen to say goodbye with lots of snow. For the first time in decades, we're having proper snow right in the CBD. I'm not a fan of snow, but I have to admit it looks super pretty.

Tonight's my last shift at work and I'll definitely miss it. I feel comfortable here. I finally know my way around our venues and our kitchens. I know people's names and I know what they do. I know that our plates live in one place and our cutlery in another. I know which elevators get me to where I need to go, and which stairs don't. I know which water coolers to drink from and which to avoid. I now know how to sign my hours so I get paid properly. I finally learned which radio channel to use for catering, and which one for operations...but regardless of all that, it's time to go. I'm heading to Dunedin, where I won't know our venues nor our kitchens. I won't know who people are or what their purpose is. I won't be able to find our plates, forks or knifes. I'll get lost constantly and I'll be all sorts of confused. But I'm sure I'll have a sweet as time figuring it all out, and learning everything over again.

Tomorrow I'll be flying down south (hopefully the weather calms down and the Dunedin airport reopens in time for this to happen). I'm all sorted with a sweet place to live, close to the CBD and the new stadium. Most important of all, this place I'll be moving into is warm...or sounds warm anyway. It has HRV...and it's insulated...and double glazed...and has a heat pump, and all the good stuff that is needed when the city is under a polar blast that is a "one in a 50-year event" as the Otago Daily Times puts it.

I promise my next post will have pictures. It's long overdue. Once I settle down in Dunedin I'll be able to update everyone on my new job, weather and the likes. For now, this is it.

Peace.

forest pete

I have mentioned before that I'm slightly anti-social, but I guess that's not entirely true. I have my moments. I actually love people. This does not mean I always love to be around them. In fact, most of the time, I rather not be. I'm not a fan of talking to strangers, but for some reason, strangers are big fans of talking to me. Guys on buses, old ladies standing in cues, I've heard more unsolicited life stories than I can remember. I'm guessing it's the world's twisted sense of humor. This is nothing new though, I've always been somewhat anti-social; selective my mother calls it...mothers always have euphemisms for their children's behavior.

The most recent of stories came from Forest Pete. Now, I'm rarely aware of what's going on around me when I walk to work. I'm usually listening to music and day-dreaming about a thousand different things. This is the reason why I run into posts (and people) on a daily basis. But when a man pulls up on a tattered bicycle and adjusts to your speed, it's hard not to take notice. I don't know what prompts humans to strike up conversations with someone so obviously not interested, but my lack of understanding doesn't stop it from happening regularly. I reluctantly pulled out my earphones expecting to be asked for the time or directions (neither of which I can provide because I lost my watch and my way a while ago), instead I got a "Hello there! How are you?" In general, I'm a pretty trusting person, but there's something about growing up in a large, somewhat dangerous city, that makes you, even if just for a second, slightly paranoid about random strangers approaching. Yet, after talking to this fascinating character for half an hour, I learned a few things:

I learned that Pete is from Holland. I learned that Pete's bike is missing a few screws (I learned that he probably is as well). I learned that Pete lives in the forest. I learned that Pete gets free bread on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays...who from, I don't know. Forest Pete kindly offered me some. I thanked him but told him I'd get fed at work. I find it beautiful that people that have the least are usually the most generous. I learned that Pete knows a bit of Spanish. I learned that he knows a bit of several other languages as well. I learned that Pete was in Holland the night before. I learned that Pete travels in his dreams. I learned that Pete is in the process of building an "abode" in the forest. I hope he finds a way to stay warm every night. I learned that I should be nicer to people. I learned that I should be more generous as well. I learned that I should pay more attention. I learned that I have a lot to learn.

feeling artsy

I thought I'd share some doodles from my sketchbook...This is what I'm doing when you think I'm not listening :)

- new york skyline -

- road to nowhere -

- one love -

- wanaka -

- follow your dots -
Check out more on here

Cheers!

windy welly

(written on Monday July 18, 2011)

I can see my breath. That's how cold it is in my flat. The cute little thermometer on the wall informs me that it's a cozy 7 degrees Celsius. Oh! New Zealand, as much as I love you, I don't know how I feel about your lack of insulation and central heating.

The news has reported Wellington's coldest day ever: A fantastic 2.7 degrees Celsius. Even snow fell...snow never falls. Not here anyway. I guess it's the world's present to me.

Wind is the downfall of this city. We don't get heaps of snow like the south island, we just get blown away with 70kph winds. Trees are dancing outside my window and rain has been falling for the last 24 hours. With weather like this I find no motivation to go outside. I have three days off from work and I can predict that I'll spend them lazily on my couch, drinking hot tea, reading and drawing.

My lips are raw they are so wind-burnt, and my fingers are so cold they feel like I dip them regularly in an ice bucket. I'm cold on any given second of any given day, but I'm reluctant to buy more clothes because, in general, I hate having things. I dislike owning stuff, especially when I know said stuff will be carried on my back once I resume my nomadic existence. I did give in and bought a fleece the other day. Good call on my part. That just means I'll probably get rid of something I already own...you know, to balance things out.

Peace.

the simple life

Committing to writing more has been a very good thing for me. No computer means back to basics: hand-writing. I like writing, I miss writing. Technology is a wonderful thing, but it has made me lazy. I still have a Kindle, and I love my iPod, but I like that I don't have a laptop or a phone. I like that I don't depend on either of those. It also feeds my slightly anti-social tendencies.

I like living a simple life. I like having that feeling of being able to pick up and go in a matter of hours. My room has absolutely no furniture. It's a 3mx4m space where I lay my head down after a long day at work. I don't have a bed; partly because I can't be bothered to get one, and partly because I don't feel I need one. I have two good blankets and a sleeping bag, and that is enough for a good night's sleep. My traveling zoo hangs out right next to me, and my world map is on the floor at my feet. It should be on the wall next to my climbing gear, but the tape I bought won't stick...so that's that. My scarves are hanging on the window, and my necklaces are on the door. Most of my clothes are in the closet, and the rest are on the floor.

I know I have a unique outlook on life, and I was pleasantly reminded of this while talking to a co-worker last week. He was looking into buying a new televison; partly because he wanted one, and partly because he felt he needed something large and expensive. "I'm almost thirty and have nothing to show for it" were his exact words. I smiled. We really are all very different. Whereas I pride myself in having no posessions, he saw it as a negative thing. Now, I try not to judge...to each his own, right? I really believe that. It isn't about fitting into someone elses idea of happiness, it's about doing what you think is right for you. That little conversation reminded me of how happy I am with the decisions I've made, and how much I like the person I've become.

it's like living with your grandma

Wellington is the capital of New Zealand. It is also the city I've called home for the past month and for the month to come. I was here for a couple of days back in May and I wasn't too impressed, but after living here, I've fallen for it. The wind makes it a bit cold, but it's winter, so it's cold anywhere you go.

I work as front of house for a catering company and I'm having a lot of fun. I don't really know how I manage to get the random jobs that I get, but I'm always glad to do something different and learn new things. My job requires me to be on my feet all day, so it can be pretty tiring. The good thing is it's usually pretty fast-paced, so time goes by quite quickly.

I live in a flat in a sweet part of town. This sweet part of town has an awesome view of the city. To get an awesome view of the city you have to be on a hill somewhere. Getting up this hill after work kind of sucks, but I really like my flat, so I try not to complain. I live with a girl from NZ and a guy from England. They're both students and we rarely cross paths. Sarah studies biology (I think) and spends her spare time baking and knitting...it's like living with your grandma. Andrew studies rhinos and spends his spare time watching absurd amounts of House and playing guitar. Andrew is heading to South Africa to live with rhinos next week, so it'll be just me and grandma until I leave in August.

Ohh yeah, I'm leaving in August. I'm heading back to Dunedin, where I'll be working for the same catering company during various events including the Rugby World Cup. I know nothing of rugby but I'm pretty stoked to watch the games and be involved in the whole thing.

Last post I acknowledged that I suck at updating this. This post I'm committing to writing at least once a week. Let the challenge begin...it really shouldn't be that challenging.

Peace.

where did may go?

ohhhhh where to begin? Last you all heard I was working as a nanny in Taupo. Well, a lot has changed since the beginning of May. I quit said job and started my aimless travels around NZ. I spent two days in Wellington (capital), but other than that I've been on the south island. I've decided to list things:

* I've seen amazing places and met amazing people.

* Winter is starting and I'm a little scared about how I'll survive it.

* I need to get a decent coat and a place to live.

* I'm pretty keen on living in Dunedin, for no other reason than I think it is pretty and wonderful.

* I spent two weeks working on a garlic farm and had the most unexpectedly fun time.

* I've met incredible people while hitch-hiking.

* Everyone has a story to tell.

* When -2º C doesn't seem THAT cold, you know you're acclimatizing.

* I can't weed very well, or very fast.

* I can sell veggies at the market like any of the pros.

* I hate carrying a heavy backpack and get rid of things almost daily. Soon enough I'll have a pretty light pack....and no clothes.

* I absolutely LOVE my kindle.

* I'm pretty content being phone-less. There's something about not feeling the need to always be available.

* My wallet has "Insufficient Funds" stamped on it. It started as a joke, but I think it will soon become a reality.

* I haven't seen any penguins yet. Believe me, you will know when I do.

* I suck at updating my blog. I can't promise I'll be better, I never follow through.

* I wish Mumford & Sons would pay me a visit.

* I like lakes.

* I can't decide whether skydiving is worth the steep price.

* I'm calling it a day.

* I absolutely love you all.

kawakawa bay

The best weekend I've had so far in New Zealand was spent climbing rocks, sleeping under an overhang and roasting marshmallows with some of the coolest people around. Unfortunately I'm as far as I could possibly get from that place at the moment, but that is a whole other story that deserves a whole other entry.

To get to Kawakawa you have to walk/slight hike from Kinloch for a couple of hours (or if you're Dan, run it in one). Alex picked me up at 6pm and we got to Kinloch shortly after that. We didn't really get around to hiking until 8.30 pm, as we were too distracted eating chips, drinking beer and packing our bags. The night walk was quite nice despite the fact that I ran into two (or seven) trees along the way. For food and beverage along the walk, Alex prepared delicious chocolate and alcoholic concoctions that got us to our camp site safe and sound. After starting a fire and chatting for a bit, it was time for sleep.

Waking up was quite an experience as several unrequested birds served as alarm clocks at around 7 am. It's nice to arrive at a place at night and be surprised by its gorgeousness first thing in the morning. We were sleeping under a rock about ten meters from the lake and as I made my way to wash my face and fully wake up I saw the mist covering the water and the first rays of sun and it was just bliss.

For the rest of the weekend we climbed rocks, met other climbers, ate trail mix, enjoyed the view, collected firewood, cooked pasta, fell on rocks, and just overall had an amazing time. I thank the boys and Jess for showing me around and welcoming me with open arms. I hope to make my way back to the North Island and climb with them again.

Check out more pics at
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.855138783133.2384806.27209052&l=a6fc0606ac

tan tararán!

it's time to introduce the newest members of the traveling zoo.

Now, as you all should know, I have a herd of animals that I take with me everywhere. The pack leader and original member being Gori; he's been with me since 2004 and for years animals have come and gone, but since Thailand, I've begun to collect a pretty tight herd of awesomeness. The second member of the herd is Moose. As I've said before, he's not really a moose...he's supposed to be a water buffalo, but considering I never encountered a water buffalo with a cylindrical body or head, I decided it was a moose.

The rest of the animals you can see in the picture at the end, but since I've added three new members, I thought they deserved a special introduction. These two below are kiwis. For those of you who don't know, kiwis are flightless birds endemic to New Zealand and generally described by New Zealanders as "useless". I, however, find them awesome. I haven't seen one up close yet, but the idea of birds that can't fly makes me happy. They can't freak me out with the uncontrollable flapping of their wings, therefore, just like penguins, I automatically love them. These two creature were a gift and they have fitted right in with the rest.The third newbie is my latest find. I bought him yesterday at a gypsy market for 50 cents and I can't believe my luck. The day was coming to an end, the market was closing, people were packing away the unsold (note: unwanted) items and I was tired from a morning of avoiding odd lawn ornaments and tarot card readers. I was out of water and hungry. The smell of the venison burger stand was making me nauseous. I was working out the shortest way to the car through the crowd of gypsies and hippies, when my eyes wandered off-course. There he was, next to a hand-painted (note: hideous) miniature teapot, and a tiny glass bell (those I assume were used back in the day to ring the butler from the dinner table, and ask him to please bring more pot roast...and a bottle of red). There he was, stoically waiting to be shoved in a plastic box, to await for the next Saturday when he would again be displayed and unappreciated by the masses. Thanks to my wandering eye, I was able to change his fate and have him join the rest of the cast. Meet the camel:He's lovely, and along with the two kiwis, he's fitting right in. Here is a picture of the whole lot:
Now on behalf of Gori, Moose, Camel, Elephant, Goat, Kiwi, Cat, Turtle, Kiwi II and myself, I bid adieu.

Go eat a chocolate egg!

jump!

I have a list of "things to do" and last Sunday I crossed one of them off. I went and jumped off a platform, 47 meters above the Waikato river, and it was amazing!

Here are a few pics from last weeekend's adventure:
-smile before the dive :)-
-there i go, head first-
-ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh-
-free falling...such an amazing feeling-
-bungee jumping...check-

shave for a cure

I saw this ad on TV and just couldn't help joining the cause.

If you haven't, please check out the website and help out if you can.

DONATE NOW!
No donation is too small. Every cent goes toward supporting those living with a blood cancer and their families in New Zealand.

Needless to say, I chose to show solidarity with everyone around the world battling cancer and shaved my head. Below are my before and after pics. Enjoy :)

BEFORE


AFTER

farm life

Although my job is looking after kids, this past week it changed to looking after animals. The girls were off to their grandma's house, the parents were off on a hunting trip, and I was here, holding down the fort. As I mentioned on a previous post, there are some animals that surround me, not lots, but some.

DOGS: I was supposed to look after three (Pixie, Faye and Ariel) of the four dogs (Jag was put in a kennel for the week)....but he was promptly returned by a lady about 16 hours later. She informed me that in all those hours he never once shut up. He hauled from the moment he got there until the moment he left. I guess all he wanted was to come back to his buddies, because once here, he completely behaved. The dogs (all dogs in general) are, in my opinion, high maintenance. Now I don't really mind this, because I love dogs, but...1. it rained a lot this week, 2. these dogs play in dirt all day, 3. these dogs (Scottish deerhounds) like to chase and lick you and lean and jump on you...in conclusion, I was covered in mud for most of the week. These dogs eat meat, and for daily feedings I just had to power through and not think about the slice of cow I was handling, because if I thought about it too much, the dogs would've gone hungry all week.

CHICKENS/HENS/ROOSTERS: The yet-to-be-counted amount of chickens/hens/roosters were my least favorite. This is because if you know me at all, you know that I hate creatures that flap their wings uncontrollably. These guys love to flap their wings uncontrollably. It's like they do it just for me. Daily I'd go visit them and give them maize and pellets of some sort and refill their water, and daily they'd chase me all around and freak me out just for their amusement. I got no instructions on egg-collecting, but thought I should probably do it. Now I know nothing about eggs and how long they take to turn into feathery things, but I have this irrational fear that one day I'll crack an egg and a chick will land on my pan. After researching a bit (what was life before internet, google and wikipedia?)I learned it takes about 4 weeks (5?) for an egg to hatch....so no worries there. From that day on I collected eggs everyday and got chased and screamed at by the respective mother. In total I probably collected around 40, and I only dropped two...which is pretty impressive considering I always forgot to take cartons and was always running for my life.

GOLDFISH: These guys are pretty chill. There's four of them that live in a murky pond down by the entrance. All they needed was flakes to eat every day. They supposedly have no names, but I've decided they are Paul, John, George and Ringo. There's really no way to tell them apart so they just take turns wearing their Beatle names. Now, there used to be five fishies, but a while ago one of the dogs (or was it a cat?) got a hold of one and that was the end of her. It's a she because I named her Yoko. A lot of the times the dogs would come with me to feed the animals and most of the times they'd get in the pond and drink some of the water, and every single time I was certain I would be losing one of my Beatles. Is it wrong that I was more worried about deciding which Beatle would be killed off than about the actual fish? Thankfully, no fish were harmed under my care and the Fab Four continue to swim around and live their seemingly dull lives.

GUINEA PIG: This guy's name is Coffee and he's usually hiding whenever I went to visit, so I rarely see him. Coffee lives in a chicken coop and has a PVC pipe to hide in. The coop doesn't have a bottom so he can eat the grass. If he had eaten all the grass, I'd just move the coop to a new spot. He also has pellets he never eats and water he never drinks. He does like apples, so every other day I'd take one down for him. Again no instructions were given on the amount of apples I could give him, but I figured he's pretty fat already so it'd be fine. Actually he's a big ball with lots of hair, so he might not really be that fat, but I think it doesn't really matter.

CATS: Cinda and Chrissy...have no idea where they are. Chrissy set off on a "hunting trip" about three weeks ago and hasn't been spotted since. And Cinda has been MIA for about a week. Apparently they do this all the time, but it's a bit odd for me. Feeding them was a nonissue.

And that is that.

Peace out.

PS: Needless to say, no animals were harmed/starved/died on my watch.

mt. tauhara

Because I enjoy making videos of anything really...

taupo

ohh...it's been such a while. I've been MIA all this time without a good reason, so I won't spend anytime making one up.

I am now in Taupo, right in the middle of New Zealand's north island. I live on a farm with 12 horses, four dogs (3 scottish deerhounds and 1 greyhound) and a yet-to-be-counted amount of chickens/hens/roosters. I live about fifteen minutes from town, 20 minutes from the lake (which is massive and gorgeous); and being in a volcanic area, I'm surrounded by countless mountains which I plan on hiking once it stops pouring rain :)

Driving here is quite an adventure, and I have to constantly repeat to myself "keep left" in order to actually...well, keep left. Straight, busy streets are easy. Roundabouts and country roads are not. Shifting with my left hand sucks. Reversing while looking over my left shoulder also sucks. Turning on the windshield wipers when I want to turn left, again, sucks. But other than that it's not so bad. I have yet to turn onto uncoming traffic and well, I consider that a success.

Yesterday the town hosted New Zealand's Ironman, which means that for the past week, we were graced with the presence of head-to-toe, tight-clad men walking around the streets. The event started at 7am (with lots and lots of rain), and the course closed at midnight (with lots and lots and lots more rain). Kiwi Cameron Brown won for the 10th time (good for him) and it took him 8 1/2 hours to swim 3.8km, bike 180km and run a full marathon. I went out last night, and well past the 15-hour mark, people were still running and fighting the rain. As much as I admire all these people (I really do), I find them all slightly insane.

Living on a farm where it rains constantly forced me to get some rubber boots, or as Kiwis call them: gumboots. Most know that I have mocked girls that wear gumboots for as long as they've been "fashionable", and this is because there is really no good reason to wear gumboots in sunny cities...unless you want your toes to be super sweaty...so me getting gumboots was kind of a big deal. But just because I was getting them for functional purposes didn't mean I had to get industrial/dull looking ones, so I went out and got pretty black ones with purple and green spirals on them. I'm quite a fan of my new gumboots and if I ever find a way to download my pictures on this computer, you will see them and become a fan too.

It wasn't raining when I woke up this morning, but I just looked out the window and guess what? It's raining. I'm looking at Katana (one of the horses) and she doesn't seem to be at all pleased that the rain has started once again. She's looks quite funny trying to hide under a walnut tree. Marcus, the biggest snob of them all, is walking around like he's too good to be getting wet and looking at me as if asking: "will you please hire 10 or 12 tall men to hold umbrellas over me?" Even though he's the drama queen of the ranch, Marcus is my favorite. Again, one day I'll load up pictures and you'll be able to appreciate just how beautiful this horse is.

I say goodbye for now. I'll be back when more stories come to mind.

Much love.

the miscellaneous pile

I'm all packed. In about twelve hours I'll be on my way. I've packed my life into my backpack. My backpack has a name. It's Alex, and when packed to full capacity, it's the size of a six-year-old child. I got a Camelbak as a present from D and have yet to name it. I'm also taking a purse and my longboard (skateboard) with me. I feel like that's about all I will need.

I'm a good packer. Everything fit. My mom taught me well. I don't particularly enjoy packing, and that's mainly due to the items I categorize as miscellaneous. You see, before I pack, I always sort my stuff. Shirts, pants, skirts, dresses, underwear, socks, shoes, etc. But then there are the items that don't fit in any of these categories, the not-wearable items that for some reason I keep trekking across the world with me.

The miscellaneous pile is a total pain in the ass to pack. I always stare long and hard at the miscellaneous pile and it makes me not want to proceed with the process. I'm not sure why I insist on having a miscellaneous pile, but it's always there and it always sucks. Except it doesn't really, it's awesome. The miscellaneous pile has items like:

* My wooden turtle, elephant and moose (buffalo?...whose legs and horns have broken and been super-glued more times than I can remember)
* My plastic goat and cat
* 17 or so pictures that just live freely in my luggage or nightstand (whenever I have one)
* My iPod, kindle and camera chargers
* A Juan Manuel Serrat cassette tape
* Belts
* My penguin mirror
* Gori
* Sunglasses (these are the worst)
* An elephant made out of buffalo skin

Now you would think I could do without the traveling zoo, but I can't. And every time I move, I realize that it keeps growing. People tend to give me animals, and sometimes I buy them too. This before-mentioned collection would be larger, but some have deserted the pack. There's a lion (Boduka) somewhere in Venezuela. There's Onte, my trusty rhinoceros; he keeps an eye on mom here in the US while I'm away. There used to be a dinosaur (Tuani) somewhere in D's car, but that was three cars ago, so who knows where he ended up. Then there's Gori. He hasn't deserted, in fact, he is king of all. Gori is a stuffed gorilla that has gone everywhere with me. He's the definition of awesome. He's cool enough to rock a hot pink climbing rope and If I'm spending the night anywhere, he's there.

Anyway, as I always do, I managed to successfully find a spot for each of these items in either Alex, the Camelbak or the purse. My zoo and my pictures and my mirror and everything else I didn't list may be a little difficult at times, but there's nothing I love more than settling in somewhere new and lining up all my animals, and setting up all my random little things. And just like that, the miscellaneous pile is the reason I'm able to make wherever I am my home.

pigs in the sky

I guess I'm really going through with this.

I bought my one-way ticket to Auckland for next week. Even though I leave on the 15th, I won't arrive until the 17th - that's how far my dart is sending me...two days away. I go from Seattle to Los Angeles, then I have a short layover in Fiji before arriving in Kiwiland. Is it wrong that I secretly wish for something minor to be missing from the plane at boarding so I can stay in Fiji for a couple of days? It just looks so pretty. Maybe my dart will land there next.

I've told a couple of people about my decision. Most will probably find out from them, others from this blog, and others just won't have any idea and will ask me in the next email: "so where in the world are you now?"

I always get mixed reactions when I make announcements like this. Grandma No.1 was less than thrilled with the idea. She's just wondering about when I'll finally drop this traveling nonsense, settle down and give her some great grandkids. Grandma No.2 was her usual self, and said her usual words: "If this is what you want to do, then this is what you ought to do." Mom is her lovely, supportive self, and just wants me to leave already so she can come visit. Bro No.1 thinks I'm slightly random, and I guess that goes for Bro No.2 as well. Some friends think I'm crazy, some think I'm cool, and I guess the rest have given up on understanding my ways and say things like "sweet"...which has the same tone as the "sure they can" you'd tell a crazy person if they approached you and told you that, in fact, pigs actually can fly.

Maybe traveling is nonsense, and maybe eventually I'll have a picket fence. I know I'm random and crazy and cool and I have no interest in understanding my own ways. Maybe the crazy person has got it right, and we're just too close minded to see the pigs in the sky. Whatever. This is just what I do. I do what I want. I'm super lucky, I have this brain that tells me I can do whatever I want to do. Maybe it's how I was raised, maybe my brain is just extra awesome, who knows. But to all that said: "you can't just throw a dart and go wherever!" Guess what?: I CAN!

Peace out.

new zealand

So the dart landed on New Zealand. In a little over a week I'll be heading there and I'll be filling this blog with whatever happens next.

Now lets back up a little bit. I don't know how or when I came up with this whole dart idea, but having a steady job hadn't given me a chance to execute it. I quit said steady job in December, and finding myself without anything to do, thoughts of maps and darts came back to mind. I got darts as a Christmas present and finally, at the end of January, went through with the plan. I came up with this:

Throwing the dart means committing to the dart - wherever it lands, that's where I go. With the following rules:

1. I use the dart to pick a country, not a city - regardless of where in a country the dart lands, I plan to go and explore the entire land, therefore the city it lands on doesn't dictate where I go.

2. If the dart lands on water, I throw again - I don't want to live in the middle of the ocean. I don't like boats much anyway, something about not seeing land freaks me out.

3. If the dart lands on a country I've already been in, I throw again - the whole point of this is to see new places.

4. If the dart lands on uninhabited land, I throw again - as much as I love new places, building myself an igloo in Antarctica sounds like an awful idea.

That's about it. My take on the world is ON!

let the throwing begin

When faced with the question of where to go next, I came up with this genius method: