I woke and packed up, then made a commute I was getting to know very well by now. I went straight to my Dunkin Donuts office. I spent six hours on the post before this one. I have no idea why it took so long. Just couldn't word things the way I wanted to I guess. I had to tell about the pain and also the hunger, because I talk about what happens to me. Still, I feel like I've been doing nothing but complaining. Perhaps. I'm only an amateur at being stoic. This sure is good training though. Ha!
After I was done, I walked down Mass Avenue a few blocks just to catch any quick shots I might have missed in this immediate area, catching this sight through the window...
Kid train!
Typical apartment for a single person or couple in Cambridge.
Looks like a nice one. And, it better be at this price.
At a hair salon. Ha, ha, ha!
I turned around and decided to check out the bike path that led to Alewife Station, to see the kiosks and get ticket prices...
I love this shot.
It is interesting to note that it will be a full moon upon my return to Maine, as well as the first day of summer. Classic timing for some kind of something...
A piece of Jerry's Pond. Interesting story (download the PDF).
Alewife was typical of any train station in most ways, with better prices than I've seen around the country. It's $2.10 for what is called a Charlie Ticket. That can be used on any T train, with one free transfer to a bus. Unfortunately, this was only the red line. I needed a green or orange line to get to North Station next Tuesday. I wasn't even sure I would have enough for the ticket. There were still six days to go. I decided then and there that I would walk to North Station on the aforementioned day. And, I resolved to do a practice walk the day after this one. With that settled, I walked back to the bike path and then the sleep spot...
Nice yards around these apartment buildings.
When I got back to the sleep spot I set up the tent and then stood outside thinking. The only thing on my mind was what to do with this blog once the current Journey was over. I'd built up a quite a following, despite what was in my wallet.
I'd learned when I got to Southern California on the Manifest Destiny Journey in late 2014, that the exact second I checked in, all reads ceased on the blog. It was devastating. I was going to continue up the West Coast, but no reads meant no money. I can not let that happen this time. For the last six months (on this Homecoming), I'd imagined fame and fortune would smile down upon me if I put in the work and just continued. As regular readers know, at this point - here at the end - that did not materialize. In fact, I'm more poor than I had been for the last 12 months. It is the opposite of what I needed to happen. I'd staked everything on being able to get right on to buying my land and building my self sustaining property.
The idea would then be to use it as a prototype to live on, proving it works, and then proposing various plans to HUD and the Maine State Housing Authority, to use something like it as a model for low income rural housing in the state--something Maine desperately needs. It would be a possible way to eliminate welfare for certain folks--maybe EBT food stamps too. I would also setup a for-profit business to build similar properties for other clients who want to simplify their lives--basing the house designs on their own ideas.
I still believe that can all happen. But, I have four books to write. I'd dreamed of writing them while building my little house, I will now have to write them while sleeping outside. Writing these will not allow time to have a "job" (which incidentally requires an apartment, a car, etc...). So, to hold onto my readership and still offer something interesting, I've decided to extend "The Living Magazine" out for as long as it takes me to secure land in Maine, and to hopefully fund my writing time. This will be a bigger struggle than even the last 20 months were.
After June 21, 2016, this blog will be retitled: "A Living Magazine - Day X - Maine..."
There is plenty going on in the state. And, it is likely that I will be traveling around to different places, to report on festivals, concerts, and other events. Perhaps I will have special focus on bands and artists. There is a rich palette of subjects to choose from. I love Maine and it would be a pleasure to investigate and bring you all the great things that happen there. Meanwhile, the number of days will accrue and we will get a real chance to see just how long it takes for me to obtain the land I need.
I certainly don't expect it to drop into my lap. I will pursue grants, gifts, crowdfunding...anything except a loan. It is a project worth investing in and is comparatively very inexpensive (total with land and construction ~ $30,000). Of course, I would be extremely eager to hear from anyone who might be interested in investing in this project. I would make a business out of it, and you could expect a return on your investment. If there is one thing you know about me by now, it is that I can set a goal, budget for it, and make it happen. I think these Journeys are proof of that. Hell, this one even ended coming in under budget. (Wink.)
So that's it! I know that my legs are reliable enough to get me to North Station and keep me going for a while throughout this summer in Maine. Nevertheless folks, I am going to be 48 years old in about a month. I'm tired of this life, not because I don't like it, but because it is HARD (as you've seen). I want to be moving on to a domestic situation. I also am piling up physiological issues that need addressing. I want to live like a human being and not like an animal.
PLEASE, please, please... If you know people who can connect me with other people who can fund books and/or the self sustaining property idea, let me know. If you have extra money and want to invest in something that I will guarantee to work (my word is good--I'll work my ass off to succeed), contact me. There is still a lot more world to change!
I crawled into the tent and fell asleep.
That made me ponder what "living like a human being and not like an animal," is. I'm not in the least minimizing your journey. I'm pondering my own. Carry on, Friend.
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