It's feeling for real.

Had a relaxing Christmas (thanks mom), watched a ridiculous amount of TV, slept a lot. Watched from Pennsylvania (no snow) the snow fall in Texas. I realized that I not only didn't need anything for Christmas, I don't really want anything after all the work I've gone through to get rid of that which I had. But it feels very real now, I miss Austin as I listen to KUT online and read about the tsunami in the Thailand. I hear on internet radio the things I love (I'm sorry loved) about the comfortable and wonderful life I led in Austin. In stark contrast I hear about the terrible tragedy along the Indian Ocean, yet instead of seeing that as a far off, disconnected event, I realize I'll be in Bangkok in ~3 weeks. I have to ask myself, is this trip a mistake if I get myself killed on the far side of the world? And my answer is no, because I'd rather get myself killed there living my life fully, than suffer the death of stagnation by not living at home. So cheers to living it up; with equal parts exhilaration and fear I'm looking immanent adventure in the face and looking forward to running with it for a long while.

Left Austin.

It's Christmas Eve, and Christmas is by far the last thing on my mind. Had a garage sale Saturday, returned George's car (thanks for the loaner), picked up my car from the shop (still need to sell it if someone wants a 2000 Beetle), dropped off books and dishes, turned off cable & electric, made a final goodwill run, packed up my apartment in a U-Haul, put my car on a trailer, drove to corpus, uploaded 1/4 of a closet worth of possessions (all of them now), dropped off the U-Haul, went to sleep around 3:45, getting up to fly to Philly in the AM. Uh... Happy Holidays.

Yellow card carrying....

I'm a yellow card carrier now. Got my inoculations for yellow fever today and picked up typhoid pills (live vaccine). Boy this sounds exciting. (Turned down the Rabies shots)

Take off

Take off
Originally uploaded by treyguinn.

I'm gettin' ready to...

It's Official....

Passed the point of no return. Here's the itinerary:

Jan 17 Dallas to Bangkok (via LAX and Taipei, arriving the 19th)
Jan 25 Bangkok to Bali (via Singapore)
Feb 2 Bali to Perth
March 15 Perth to Nadi, Fiji (via Melbourne)
April 10 Nadi to Auckland, NZ

I can't help but feel a sense of combined elation and apprehension. The only thing I can compare it to is the rush before cliff diving, all the while knowing that when I land I can't wait to run back and do it again.

flickr rocks.

REM Profile
Originally uploaded by treyguinn.

Got my portfolio up...

twigs

twigs
Originally uploaded by treyguinn.

Getting my flickr stuff working, and just loaded up photos from my Sept. trip to Banff. Check them out if you want.

I love Austin...

I love Austin as a city full of music, activities, and my friends. Went running down the hike and bike trail from my apartment last night. (so dark that people, and signs materialized only feet in front of me). Just home from playing cards with friends, going to a play tomorrow with friends, and camping this weekend with friends. And I thankfully live in a county that voted overwhelmingly against Bush. My favorite post-election quote was during an interview of the New Yorker's editor on NPR in which he said 'It's a failure of my imagination that keeps me from understanding why people voted for Bush.' All this in mind, I leave in 7 weeks not because I don't appreciate the enjoyment I get from living in Austin, but from a desire to challenge myself. Only time will tell if I'm up to it.

goldensunset

goldensunset
Originally uploaded by treyguinn.

A photo of sunset in beautiful Austin, not to many left before I'm off...

A-Day is coming to a close.

A for adventure. It's official with my submitting of resignation to work. But as Anna Pilar my yoga instructor said tonight, "Where one thing ends another begins, as everything is a circle." Well, I think life only stops happening when you allow it to. This is my cattle prod way of intruducing an significant dose of adventure, challenge, and novelty into my own life. No ticket, yet the plan is to leave within the first two weeks of January on what is not only the adventure of a lifetime, but the adventure of life. For those of you who don't know the plan, here it is:

Leave Jan. 2005 for Australia
Backpack in Australia for 6 weeks, Fiji for a month, and New Zealand for a month.
Settle down into employment in NZ for ~ 8 months and save money.
Then travel on to South East Asia for 2-3 months (Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand)
Continue into India for ~2 months
Then on to an Eastern & Western tour of Europe, hopefully punctuated with employment if only for 6 months.
Then if I make it that far, come back to the US (no specific destination).

All told, I'm looking at about a 2 year trip. Yet, this trip is very open to alteration and spotenaity.

Why am I doing this? I'll attack that question soon, and revise it many times I'm sure.