What happens when you cross a Fox, Wolf and Lion? My baby, Leviathan. Going through the usual Monday applications and took a break to watch a movie with the mom and son and thought I’d take advantage of the natural light.
Let us travel the world together my son.
Trek On,
Chris
Decided to stay home today to do my usual resume/ application work. By chance it was also the day that, Bruce, the refrigerator repair man, came in to take a second look at our freezer. The whole affair went swimmingly and as colorlessly as I’d expected, until he asked me about my travels in France. I’m not sure how he knew I had travelled there this past summer but I answered him nonetheless and I quickly found that I was in the presence of a well seasoned adventurer. Bruce, in all of his bearded-pony-tailed glory, told me of his adventures in France, Amsterdam, Australia and so much more.
“When I was your age my boss hated giving me my paycheck, because he knew I wouldn’t be back for the next 6 weeks”.
I don’t exactly know what job he was working or how vacation hours worked back in 1975, but, Bruce would pack up his bags, choose a country and head there with nothing on his mind but experiencing the world.
“If you’re under 25, finished with school and got your education, I say HAUL ASS! Go to a country, apply for a work Visa, work a little and then off to the next country. Before you know it you’ve travelled the damn world! Because if you get right out of school and find a job, you’re not going anywhere! Next thing you know you’re 40 and you’re thinking to yourself, I never got to do any of those things.”
I kind of wished Bruce would stay for dinner and just tell me about his life. It was as close to serendipity as I’ve ever felt. I can’t say that it profoundly changed much for me…the gears of my wanderlust have been grinding ever since I left school. At the same time, my overbearing, responsible mind has been screeching the brakes on just as hard. I don’t want to get swept away by time, and I fear that every day that passes me, is me getting further and further behind. I’ve been raised to believe that you graduate from college and then you graduate from graduate school and then you work and study for your PhD. Then you get a big job and work and have a family. When that’s all said and done, you can finally enjoy your life. Coming from a family that literally came to this country with nothing, I understand the value we have on education and hard work. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe life should be lived without education and hard work. There should be no limit to how much one learns and accomplishes in their lifetime.
It’s just that…I don’t know.
I simply, don’t know…
My resume has been refined and torn up by many experienced eyes these past few weeks and I am primed for another onslaught of applications. At the success rate I’ve been having, I am going to need to apply for a not-so-related-not-so-government job. I need the income and structure back in my life…
Well, here’s to what the future may or may not hold.
“Fallin’ from the sky
there are raindrops in my eyes.
And my thoughts are diggin’ in the backyard.
My roots have grown but I don’t know where they are”.
- The Head and The Heart, Cats and Dogs.
Trek On,
Christopher So
P.S. My freezer still doesn’t work.
Visited DC’s Eastern Market with the lovely Brie Gobel this past weekend. The old market boasts the title of “Washington DC’s oldest continually operated fresh food public market” and is located in historic Capitol Hill (http://www.easternmarket-dc.org/). I was incredibly surprised to find such a lively and diverse market just a few steps away from a metro stop! The goods they sold ranged from finely aged meats and cheeses to fresh cut flowers and ready made seafood dishes. Surrounding the old building were outdoor stands filled with vendors selling odds and ends. While exploring the stands I was approached by an older gentleman named Dan. He was a local and had lived in the area for quite some years. He was interested in my camera and asked what I was shooting. As it turns out he, too, loved photography and had travelled extensively in Asia as a younger man, “When there were more honest things to shoot”. He told me about the area and how much livelier the markets are during the warmer weather. As it turns out the building we were in had, at one point, caught fire and had to be completely gutted out but because of its historic significance, was preserved and restored. Since it was first built in 1873 it has been a home for fresh produce and culture - I was simply honored to be there (http://www.easternmarket-dc.org/default.asp?ContentID=12). The best moment of the day, however, was when Dan bid Brie and I farewell and walked away into the market. It was at that moment that I realized he had been carrying a bouquet of flowers the entire time. My heart warmed to have met such a kind, and fascinating person.
Here’s to impromptu trips, good friends and blessed souls.
Trek On,
Chris
Went on a spontaneous adventure into D.C. with my lovely photog friend Brie Gobel the other day. Though I wouldn’t normally consider somewhere so close as “travel”, I was surprised at how little I have explored D.C. and found wandering from cafe to cafe to pub to memorials to be invigoratingly adventurous! Whenever and wherever I end up finding myself these next couple of years, I know I will kick myself for not taking advantage of being so close to our nation’s capitol. I will surely kick myself for missing out on all the history and, of course, the fantastic brews and grinds.
Here’s to spontaneity and making plans happen!
Chris
Picture taken at the flagship Busboys and Poets on 14th & V. The place was cozy, lively and filled with local art. It’s a artist/activist/lover of diversity’s dream place to eat and drink.
Applied to several gov’t jobs today within the Department of the Interior and Department of Agriculture. Realistically, I don’t know how good of a chance I have of hearing back from any of them, but if things work out, I’ll be working as a Biological Science Technician soon. If things really work out, I may finally find myself in the NW.
Here’s to being hopeful.
Never stop moving, there is change in the air.
Chris