What's the dealio, Hubski? I'm having my coffee and porridge, and afterward a cigarette; a well-rounded breakfast. I started typing out a paragraph about the weather just there. It's almost a reflex. Now that I'm back home, I have conversations about the weather about four hundred times a day. Weather probably dominates my conversations because I have no news whatsoever. I'm still working a day or two a week at the pub, which is nice, because I actually like it. But I've also started working with my dad on my sister's new house. Three weeks of labourious sanding, filling, dusting and painting have gone by - and we've only just managed to finish a second coat on the upstairs floor. The plasterer did an awful job, basically, which we've had to fix. My father is a perfectionist. I have learned that painting, or at least painting well, is something everyone thinks they can do, but it's actually much more difficult and time-consuming than simply putting paint on the wall. This has taken up most of my time. Other than that I've been watching a lot of movies over the past couple of months. Personal favourites would be Letter Never Sent (set in your neck of the woods, ThatFanficGuy), The Bridge on the River Kwai, Three Outlaw Samurai, M, and Koyaanisqaatsi. The latter is pretty mesmerising at points thanks to Philip Glass. Still very much wondering what on earth I'm going to do next. The thought of remaining in this town for too much longer fills me with dread. I feel like I kind of need to go off and do the whole "travel" thing before I get too old. I just need to, y'know, get an actual job so I have a few shillings. Then I'll buy some genie pants and dread my hair, and boom! Off to Nepal. I actually started writing a book about my walk from last year, which, come to think about it, I still haven't posted about here. Will do. Anyway I've written most of the first section out (just covering the first few days) and it's utter garbage. I've never really written anything like that before. It's just very dry and linear and boring. But it's just a first giraffe so I'll try not to dismay myself. Oh, on Thursday I got an email from the Guinness World Records saying I'd officially been recognised as breaking the record for longest barefoot journey! I'm waiting on the cert now. To be honest, I think I'm mostly thrilled that the waiting is over. I submitted the evidence to them back in October I think. That cigarette is calling!
Unfortunately, just a few weeks after the end of my journey, I lost the phone I'd taken with me. A lot of photos are now forever missing (I didn't have them backed up anywhere). The only ones at hand are from Facebook, compressed and of poor quality. Here's lefty: I do have an SD card with a lot more photos (I think around 2,000), I'll have to track it down. But that was mostly used for GWR videos photos of the landscape.
Yep. Central Siberia: the dick pic of the world. Long Pubski posts are my kind of writing. You write pretty good, by the way; I appreciate your style. They say in Russia that a man has to do three things in life: plant a tree, build a house and raise a son. Sounds like you're on your way to a third of the plan. Good on you! Longest barefoot walk sounds like a great achievement to be remembered for. Give me a shout-out when you post about it: it's something I want to read about. Then do it. Travel around for a while. If it's something you know you want and there's nothing holding you from it, then there's no reason not to do it. As for financing the journey: set up a business you can operate from anywhere with an Internet connection; if I recall correctly, this is what elizabeth did.Three weeks of labourious sanding, filling, dusting and painting
Still very much wondering what on earth I'm going to do next. The thought of remaining in this town for too much longer fills me with dread. I feel like I kind of need to go off and do the whole "travel" thing before I get too old.
I kind of lucked out with my beard oil project when Urban Outfitters bought some bottles, setting up an online business that makes enough money to travel is actually not that easy. It's my goal for this year tho. The youtubing/travel vlogging is not really bringing in any money yet, but I'm just getting to the level I can score free media passes to some events. Plus, word is getting around that I know my way around filming/editing so I mights get a couple freelance gigs in the meantime. It's a long game, but I think I can make it happen if I stick with it. Just gotta figure out the cashflow in the meantime :)
Ah, cool! It's nice to see another Hubski user on the right side of the Atlantic. Although, come to think of it, you're probably closer to the Pacific! Hold on, does a hedge count? A couple of weeks ago I went down to visit my friend way out in the sticks, and helped her mother out in the garden. She had me plant a few striplings which hopefully will take, and eventually make a hedge. I was delighted when she told me she'd call it Fál Éamain, which mean's 'Eamonn's Hedge'. So maybe I only need to raise a son? Piece of cake. In a lot of ways this is an excellent time for travel; I have no SO, no proper work situation, no mortgage, nothing really holding me to where I am. But I'm pretty scared, and that's sort of holding me in check. As for an online business, I'd have literally no idea what to do. But never say never! We'll see. I am not staying in Mayo forever!They say in Russia that a man has to do three things in life: plant a tree, build a house and raise a son. Sounds like you're on your way to a third of the plan. Good on you!
Then do it. Travel around for a while. If it's something you know you want and there's nothing holding you from it, then there's no reason not to do it. As for financing the journey: set up a business you can operate from anywhere with an Internet connection; if I recall correctly, this is what elizabeth did.
Only if you can climb it and not fall. :) Check out this guy. He's fine! He's telling ya. If you do decide to travel some time soon, feel free to visit Western Siberia. We can get a drink and I can show you around.Hold on, does a hedge count?
But I'm pretty scared, and that's sort of holding me in check.
A close friend of mine went off to India to learn how to sing a few months ago, and I recently came across a photo of him wearing a turban. Said friend has at least three pairs of genie pants. I was discussing a long time ago with another friend how odd it is that certain loosely-defined groups of people you'd normally associate with non-conformism basically have their own uniforms. Like metalheads with patched jackets and long hair, piercings and tattoos, or the aforementioned hippies. I've met a whole bunch of girls with a nose piercing, one long braid or dread somewhere in their hair, a leather bracelet or two, tattoos of ink, henna, or both, and those pants. Not ragging on the pants, mind. They're super comfy and I used to own three pairs of them. Then I gave them to turban guy.
Congrats on the Guinness World Record! That is amazing. Where would you want to travel? Why would you want to travel?
Thanks! Why is a difficult question to answer. I think everyone wants to get away from what they know and to see and explore different places. I remember when I was a kid I used to love looking at atlases and wanted to travel to all of those oddly-named and far-flung places. Now I'm nearing 25 and I've never been outside of Western Europe. There's nothing wrong with that, except that it makes me feel like I'm wasting something. There's also that peculiar sense of joy or tranquility even when on a fairly short journey. Just being out of the main loop, away from all of the problems you faced at home is very refreshing, even if you face others, and even if the old ones are still there on your return. The crappy times still make good stories - it doesn't matter, it's something different. Where? Good question. Mongolia - hang out on the steppes, y'know. I'd love to go to North America and walk around in some of those forested, mountainous places you see in photos and that we just don't have in Ireland, where our mountains are really hills and nowhere is still wild. I really want to do another giant walk, across America or Europe. Botswana has been in my head for years simply because it's one of the only places I can't remember every hearing anything about, and I want to see what's going on. Scottish highlands. Siberia. Brazil. The Faroes. Mexico. New Zealand. Perhaps part of the problem is that I don't have one particularly strong fixation.
The Appalachain Trail looks amazing, alright. I've met a few people who've done it and talking to them really made me want to go over and do that or one of the other big American trails.