Day 1 : On Voyage

Travel.

Once again, I am travelling away from home. Unusual for me, I am actually staying in the new location longer. Leipzig for a research position for the summer.

I have the oddest times. Case in point, I woke up this morning in my friend R's house who agreed to take me to the airport. We had to drive to campus to pick up my suitcase, as I have been homeless for the past for months. As I said, odd.

The Ithaca airport is an over glorified bus terminal. I was worried that I was going to be late for my flight as I hectically was searching for a charger. However, on arriving to Ithaca, I realized that I was only one of six passengers making the voyage to La Guardia. Without thought, I brought on a bag that was two times too big as a carry on. Apparently, when there are only six people on the flight, they really don't care.

However, my Boston transfer was surprised to see such a large bag as a carry on and were happy when I suggested they check it for me. Note to self, confidence can outweigh any excess baggage fee. Also, I thank United for being flexible.

To Boston. I purposely scheduled a long layover so I could get work done. Work. Work. Work.

Which was interrupted. An elderly woman offered me a can of beer. Unfortunately, I decided to not take it as I was a little woosy still from wishing my labmate A off the night before. I should say, Doctor A now.

I was able to relax, for the first time in a month. Additionally, the specter of homelessness is gone. Things are changing once more for me. A new phase.

Much like travel, life comes with these phases. Todays is a new adventure, one I designed, orchestrated, and pushed an entire institution to obtain. Tomorrow means visiting an old friend, P. A few days after, Germany to work on a research project I have been integral in designing. Weeks later, returning to the US in order to resume life.

With a house.

And my car.

The basic luxuries of modern life.

Immortality

From time to time, I am bothered by the concept of non-existence. By being a creature, an observer, that has always existed (from my viewpoint) to know there will be a time that I will not exist slightly disturbs me. Which, undoubtedly it should, or else I would by bungee jumping daily. (Conversely, acknowledging that there was a time that I did not exist sometimes is equally bothersome when you really think about it.)

However, I think the alternative would be far worse: immortality. At first blush, it seems like a grand idea to not face a biological death. We would have unlimited time to travel the earth, learn new ideas, and meet hundreds of thousands of people. We could live out any and every dream that we had, especially if we are able to stop aging when we are the prime of our youth.

Yet...

I am horrified by the possible outcomes that this would do to humanity. We are free from the natural course of death and let's assume that we also are able to conquer all bacterial, fungal, and viral diseases. We would only have to face each other and more dangerously, ourselves. We would face the atrocities of humans more fully and each face an 'unnatural' death in the end if we keep at the current pace of violence.

But suppose immortality eliminates violence as well (which, after a time, it would seem logical that it would fade). Imagine a life without urgency, it would be similar to playing a favorite video game without the possibility of death. For a time, it will be exciting to be able to do as you want. However, the removal of the challenge of survival allows for monotony to creep in to the game play. Eventually, it will grow tiresome.

What would be our motivation to do anything? Procrastination would dominate our daily life and most likely pleasure would reign supreme. The necessity to reproduce would fade, eventually we would be consumed by ourselves.

The exciting thing about life is that it is indeed finite. Every choice we make defines who we are and who we will become. We are observers of a very limited space and are champions of a very small portion of time. But for those precious years, we are truly alive. Death is a fact that we all must face in our own way, but as with any successful project, there must be an end.

So, all though I am uncomfortable with the concept of non-existence, in the words of a co-worker:

"It is a relief to know that one day (in the far future) this all will end."

Dirty Jobs to Congress

Mike Rowe makes a very concise argument to the Commerce, Science and Technology Committee about the need for support for specialized services. A good point he makes is that as we age, our curiosity about how things work begins to fade. If you would like to combat that, I would recommend checking out The Works by Kate Ascher. The book summarizes in page after page of infographics how New York City operates. I am a Civil and Environmental Engineer and even I was stunned by how beautiful and organized the book was.

Yes, it is a link to Amazon. I would recommend going to your local independent bookstore first. If you are in Ithaca, I recommend Buffalo Street Books Coop.

Time to Catch Up!

Whoa, I really let my little blog lapse. Time to catch up!

A Year's Worth : Homelessness

Returning to Ithaca, I realize that truly this is home. The people I hangout with are here. My job is here. My current life is here. However, one major aspect is missing as I arrive : a home.

That's right, I am facing about three months of homelessness in the great Ithaca, NY. By the virtue and graces of my friends, I will not have to face the cold and lack of shelter as many have offered me places to stay. But, still, not having a home has already taught me how spoiled I was with my previous life and makes me appreciate smaller things. So, the homeless engineer has a few suggestions and pieces of advice.

Always Wear and Bring Extra Socks

Feet tend to get stinky. They are sweaty and moisture from the ground gets in them fairly quick. A simple recommendation for everyone is to keep an extra pair of socks with you at all times (or at least when you are carrying a backpack or purse). Although you may never need them, if you get a foot wet a couple of hours before a meeting, you may be paying the price later.

Shower, often

If you are feeling funkified, take a shower. Hygiene, as we all know, is extremely important. People judge you off the first impression. If they can smell you (or your feet, see above) even before you introduce yourself, you are shooting yourself in the foot. Take. A. Shower. Especially college nerds, you can't get a girlfriend if you don't respect and take care of your body first.

Additionally, it shows a sign of mutual respect/trust when you are at a friends place. Taking a shower is much different than simply using the restroom.

Lockers

My last tip of the day is rent lockers or store extra stuff in your office. Now some may say that you can verge on a pack mule, but don't over due it. Store essential items. Backup toothbrush, a pair of pants, etc. If you have a safety stash, you can recover from many things and feel more comfortable.

These points are mostly made in jest, but in truth if you strive to take care of yourself, people are more likely to like you. Mostly, I'm just blowing off steam in response to my new lifestyle. However, I think this will be an interesting endeavor.

A Year's Worth : Adventures

Why I am sketchy on uploading items these days. Too busy enjoying life.

A Year's Worth : Homeward

Tonight, I pack once again. Nothing special, I have done it hundreds of times before. Road trips, bus rides, and airfare have all whisked me across the globe as I chase after something that resembles life. Each Christmas, though, I make the trek home to visit and spend time with those people that helped to make and define me. However, more and more, it feels like just that, a visit.

As the world shrinks, the more adventurous and explorer types tend to find it easier to maintain relationships with those that you love, even when they are half a globe away. However, it is impossible to supersede the distance, relationships thrive when the person is half a block away. Shared experience, face time, moments that do not feel forced or limited are important. And above all, the most important thing for a relationship is time. Time to laugh, to love, to hate, to hurt, to grow, and to do the none too important things.

How we spend our time defines us (a very "duh" statement, but I'll say it to sound smart). As I have aged, I spend less and less time with my family, my base and more with the world at large. I have developed an intricate social network with some of the most interesting (to me) people in the world. They are my family away from my family.

But why should I develop another family in the first place?

As I get ready to leave home once more, I am hounded by a guilt that I have abandoned those that mean the world to me. My mother, my father, and my sister each propelled me into the future. However, I have a nagging suspicion that I just used them and now have left them behind. A balance must be struck.

I suppose, mostly the shift in internal thought process has come about by simply getting older and maturing. Will I continue to abandon the relationships that mean most to me for the next exciting challenge? Will I be content to return home someday? Is this nothing more than being fearful about being homeless, car-less, and soon country-less?

Questions. The answers are the stuff of life.

-Nomad