No car, and first interview…

Ok, so, a couple posts ago I was trying to decide whether or not I should bring a car with me on my trip. After thinking about it some, I decided that I definitely didn’t want to bring a car with me. However, then I started thinking of selling my car. I mean, one of the main reasons I was thinking of bringing a car is so that once I decide to stop in a place, I can live there. I wouldn’t need to arrange to get my car or anything else. Well, if I sell my car, the same thing would be true. I would still try to do the trip without using my money, but then if I end up wanting to live some there, I could use the money from selling my car to get transportation.

So, I wasn’t completely sure whether or not I wanted to sell my car, but the idea of having no possessions that would restrict my freedom appealed to me. I felt pretty good about it, so I decided to list my car for sale on Craigslist and KSL.com. After I had posted the car(I also posted my road bicycle), I started getting a bunch of calls from people. This is when I realized that I really didn’t want to sell my car. It made me really nervous to talk to people about it, and so I figured I should take it off the market. It didn’t last too long, but at least now I know that I don’t want to sell my car.

Now I’m back where I started. I’m not bringing my car with me, and I’m not selling it. I’ll still be doing my trip just like planned. I’ll hitchhike around the country by starting out with no money. Should be a good time.

I also talked to a reporter from the Deseret News today. It was a phone interview, and it was pretty fun. The part I found interesting were the questions she asked me. Most of my friends want to know what I’ll do in certain situations and the purpose behind the trip. She didn’t ask me at all about WHY I’m going on this trip. She asked more questions about what other people thought, how I got the idea, what I would do every day, etc. I guess it was interesting because she seemed to have less emotion connected with her questions than most people do. I guess reporters probably have to do that. Just get the facts and not get emotionally involved into the stories they are reporting on.

Anyway, she says that she will need to talk to her photographers and see if any of them are available to come and take pictures of me. They are busy during this time of year, so if none are available, I just told her I could have a friend take pictures of me getting rides or something. I guess we’ll see how it goes.

Bold vs Iphone

Since I decided that the internet is a necessity for my trip, I needed to get a new phone. I got internet on my blackberry pearl, but it just wasn’t going to cut it. After doing some research on the best phones with AT&T, it came down to deciding between the Iphone 3GS and the new Blackberry Bold 2.

Well, in order to decide, I did a bunch of research online. If you google iPhone vs. Blackberry Bold, you’ll see that lots of different articles have been written on the subject. I read arguments from both sides, and it seems like a lot of the opinions seem to say that the best phone can only be determined by your intended use.

Well, for me, I just want a phone that can replace a laptop. If I’m ever at a person’s house and I can’t use their computer, or they don’t have the internet or what-not, then I need to be able to make blog posts and do other things online. So, I know that everybody says the iPhone is better for surfing the web. However, I really didn’t want to get an iPhone because I don’t like how controlling Apple is with their software. I remember the first time I bought some songs on iTunes. After buying and downloading them, I realized I couldn’t use the songs on my Pearl, and that I’d have to buy an iPod in order to use them. That just put a bad taste in my mouth, and so it made me not want to give my business to a company that is so controlling.

Well, I ended up talking to a salesman who had owned both the iPhone and the Bold, and he convinced me to get the Bold. Really, when it came down to it, I just didn’t want to support Apple because I don’t like their controlling ways, and I know that once you get one Apple product, you just start getting all of them because they work well together. So, this salesman helped me feel justified in choosing a product that was “superior” to the iPhone and wasn’t made by Apple. Well, I must say that I was disappointed in the Bold 2. It’s a great phone, it really is. But when it comes to using the internet, it just didn’t measure up to how I wanted to use it. I had too many problems with certain websites, and there just weren’t any applications for me to download for those websites.

So, I decided to take the Bold 2 back, suck in my pride, and get an iPhone. I must say, the iPhone is freaking sweet. For my purposes, it far outperforms the Bold 2. Now, I have found some things I don’t like about the iPhone, but I’m finding a lot less than I found with the Bold. Besides, any time I find something I don’t like, there’s usually an app that I can find that solves the problem. I guess the only question that remains to be seen is whether or not I’ll become an Apple addict after this?

Internet – A necessity?

I went to the mall today between my different jobs. I just kind of walked around and watched people. That’s always a fun pastime for me. Anyway, while I was there I decided to go to the AT&T store and explore my different options for the trip. My friend David Schmidt, who went from California to Rome, Italy without money, told me that having internet on my trip would be a great help. So, I’ve been trying to decide whether or not it’s a necessity. The more I’ve thought about it, the more I’m leaning towards having it on the trip. For example, while I was in the mall today, there were things that I could have been doing if I would have had internet on my phone. Without internet, I couldn’t really be productive.

The nice thing about not having a home is that I’ll just go wherever I want. If I have internet with me, I’ll be able to be productive no matter where I am. I can go to the mall or to a park and get things done. However, if I don’t have internet, I’ll always be looking for places where I can get access. Some of the things I’m going to want to do are to find places to stay(couchsurfing), know where I’m at and where I’m going with maps, update my blog and other social media sites, etc.

So, I guess I’ve now convinced myself that I need to get internet. Now, the question remains as to whether or not I should get a new phone. I have a Blackberry Pearl, and I got it around 2 years ago. The guy was telling me that the hardware will just be a lot slower than the newer phones, so I guess I should just try out the internet on this phone and see how much I like it.

The funny part about this is that on my trip I’m trying to have as little as possible. I’m minimizing the amount of clothes I bring and other accessories. But, among all of that, having the internet and  a cell phone seem to be necessities. It’s so funny how our world is so connected with the internet these days. Even without a guarantee of a place to stay or enough food for money, I’m going to have my cell phone and internet. Anything wrong with this picture?

No Towel

While thinking of this trip, i continue to try and figure out ways to minimize what I bring with me. One thing I’ve decided isn’t a necessity is a towel. So, in the morning after I take a shower, I just air dry. I thought this would be annoying, but it’s actually not too bad. Anyway, random thought, but I thought you might enjoy a little tidbit of what it’s like to try and be a nomad. No luxuries.

Well, today I got my first blatant rejection while asking for a ride. I was kind of upset, although I shouldn’t blame people for not wanting to give a ride to a random guy that walks up to their car and asks for one. However, it did kind of psych me out mentally, and so today was an off day for getting rides. I was second guessing myself too much. Rather than pre-judging people and deciding whether or not I think they will give me a ride, I should just ask whoever and let them decide. I’ve also decided that I’m not a huge fan of waving down cars. I’ve just had better experiences asking for rides from people that are stopped. So, I walked quite a bit today. Asking for rides is one of those things that makes me nervous whenever I think about it. But every time I do it successfully, I have a great experience and think it’s the best way to get around.

I got a new backpack yesterday. and it’s working out nicely. Kory from Out N Back hooked me up and gave me a great deal. It has been great to get used to the pack I’ll be using on my actual trip. My shoulders have been getting kind of sore, so, I guess I just need to get a little stronger. Maybe I need to start doing shoulder exercises?

I’m a Nomad – Day #1

Well, I guess we could say that today is my first official day of nomadondom (new word, I just invented it). I no longer have a place I can call my own, I have to get rides any where I go, and I’m bringing a backpack around with me everywhere I go. As my first day, I gotta say that it sure is a lot of fun. I’m sure it will be even more fun when I actually am in a place where I don’t know anybody.

As far as getting rides from hitchhiking, I successfully got around Provo by getting 6 different rides today. My first two rides were just down the road and I waved the cars down to get the rides. I’ve decided that I don’t like getting rides from people for such short distances. You don’t get to talk to them at all and I just feel like I’m using them. But, I did have fun when I got a ride into Orem and back for my two different jobs. It was super fun to meet new people like that.

I also don’t feel like I can really ask people to let me stay at their house while I’m in Provo either. I think it would be fun to stay with random people, but really, I have plenty of friends I can stay with, so, it feels weird to ask others to help me out, when I really don’t need it.

It looks like I’m going to be able to get both a backpack and sleeping bag for a really good price. I’m going to get the sleeping bag through an account that Runner’s Corner has with Mountain Hardwear, and Kory from OutNBack is hooking me up with a good deal on my backpack. I love how people are so helpful.

New Blog

Well, I finally got this blog up and running. I’ve been looking around for a good theme for a while. Although I don’t entirely love this theme, I think it’ll do just fine for now. Maybe once I learn a little better how Wordpress works I can find a theme that fits my needs a little better.

I also just bought a new camera yesterday. I bought the Canon SD780 IS. So, pretty soon I’ll be able to post videos and pictures. I’m going to need that on my trip.

I also submitted some different couchsurfing requests for this next week, since I’m moving out of my house tomorrow. I haven’t heard back from anybody yet, but, maybe that’s because they can tell I’m from Utah. Well, it won’t be hard for me to find places to stay, I’d just like to stay with some random people.

Sponsorships?

I was doing some more shopping today for my trip. I’m still trying to decide on what backpack I should get. I know that might not seem like a very important decision, but I think it is. My backpack is going to have all of my possessions in it, and I’ll be carrying it EVERYWHERE. So, I want to make sure it’s comfortable and that it’s not bigger than it needs to be. Anyway, I was at Out N Back, a local outdoor store in Orem. I was there for like the 3rd time looking at their backpacks. Anyway, I was telling their employees about this trip and what I’m planning on doing. They were pretty excited about it and thought it sounded like a good idea. Well, turns out one of the guys I was talking to was the general manager. When I was about to leave, he said they might be able to sponsor me and he could look into getting a good deal from the rep about my backpack. So, I’m pretty excited about that. He said to me, “look, you haven’t even started your trip and people want to help you out”. So, hopefully I’ll be able to get some good deals on gear and what not.

Because of that, I was asking my manager at Runner’s Corner about sponsorships. He said that if I talk to product reps, I could have a good chance of getting some gear and what not. He was telling me that they have certain allotments for what they can get rid of, and so sometimes they like having good opportunities to give out their gear. So, this made me consider calling companies and trying to get sponsorships. But, I like it better if somebody offers to help me rather than me having to ask for it. I think I’ll just keep doing my thing and hope serendipity steps in to help here and there.

Computer Nerd

Well, I feel like I have so much to do before I go on my trip. So, I’ve been working hard these last days doing what I need to to be prepared. I’ve been shopping and trying to find the right sleeping bag, backpack, and camera for the trip. I think I’ve selected what brands and types of equipment I would like, and I wonder if I should wait until Black Friday to try and buy them. I’ve found some pretty good deals online, but I need as much money as I can get right now. I keep being surprised by the expense I’ll have before I leave. I want to pay for everything up front so that I don’t have to worry about any bills while I’m on my journey.

I got this blog up and running, but I think that I would like to do a Wordpress blog now. I just don’t think that Blogger is as robust and adaptable as I’d like it to be. So, I’m going to have to download Wordpress and figure out how to use it. The thing with Wordpress is that you have to have it hosted and so it’s not quite as user-friendly you could say. Well, it’s very adaptable if you know what you’re doing, but I assume there will be a learning curve involved.

While I was getting ready to get Wordpress setup, I realized that my hosting account had been suspended. It has been suspended multiple times because I get a bunch of spam on my forum. I’ve tried talking to the Romanian programmers that I used to build the site, but they hadn’t fixed it yet. So, I decided to go ahead and try to fix it myself. It took me all day, but I learned a ton. I learned about FTP, captcha, phpBB, and many other things. It is pretty elementary stuff to programmers, but I really enjoyed what I learned.

The interesting part is how I enjoyed working on the computer all day. With my jobs, I thought that one of the things I hated was the fact that I sat on the computer and inside all day. Well, I don’t think that’s necessarily the problem. When I was learning and working on my own project, I really enjoyed it and was satisfied when I got things done. I think the problem is me doing the same thing every day and working on projects for other people. I really think that I have to get involved in a startup on the ground floor to be excited about what I do with them. That’s probably why I’m excited about this trip. Because it’s my idea and my project. I might get sick of job-shadowing people, I don’t know.

It’s interesting, because I keep coming up with different ideas for my trip, but I know that things will change once I’m out doing it. I mean, I was thinking that I could probably make enough money every day by just singing and dancing with a hat for money. If not, I could also juggle. I might even be able to write song parodies about my trip and perform them. That sounds like a good idea, but is it something I’ll really want to do while I’m on the road? Maybe not. Well, I’m super tired from my computer adventures today, so, I’m gonna hit the sack.

Gear and Stuff

This morning I went to a service project and it was a lot of fun. I didn’t really want to at first because it was snowing when I got up this morning. But, I’m glad I did.

After I went to work later today, I stopped by an outdoor store to check out their backpacks and sleeping bags. I’m still trying to decide on what size of pack I want and how much gear I should bring along with me. David Schmidt(my friend that went to Rome) tells me that I should only bring two changes of clothes. However, I would like to bring more than that. I’m just trying to decide what’s the right amount. It will probably cost me around $150 for a good bag, which isn’t that bad.

I was pretty surprised to see how small of containers sleeping bags can fit into these days. They showed me a $300 down sleeping bag that fit into this little tiny sack. It’s perfect and I need a sleeping bag like that. I think I should be able to find the money to buy both a backpack and a sleeping bag.

I also started doing some research tonight to look for any companies that might be willing to sponsor me. I think I’ll just contact a bunch of random companies and see what they say. I mean, it won’t hurt to try, and I’ll learn from the experience. If I do end up finding anybody who wants to sponsor me, that will be sweet. The more I think about this trip, the more I want to publicize it and try to make it a successful venture, not just a fun adventure. But, whatever happens, it will be memorable.