Homeless, Jobless, Insuranceless, Dogless

I guess I'm just missing having a "normal" life, but here is something interesting about my life right now and that is that I am not living anywhere but everywhere.

At a hip-hop bar in Kyoto.

Where do I call home? Wherever "the one bag" is. It has all my stuff in it. Therefore, "Home is where my stuff is." I suppose that if this were true then my home is the storage unit in Ellensburg (Vote Hubbard) because that is where 99% of my stuff is stored. *sigh*

I have had a lot of time to think, and you just don't get a lot of time to think about stuff, life, etc., when you are in the midst of a career and having a life and all that. But when I think about getting a job, or doing the process of actually seeking a job, the only job that I want to look for is one in radio. The more I think about it the more I am convinced that I need to get back into radio and I want a radio job in a city. Seattle or Portland would be great and if I had my druthers I would choose Portland, but wherever the job is, that looks appealing, I will go. I am trying to be careful of what I wish for.

Here's a reality check for you. When was the last time you went to the doctor or to the dentist and paid for it all out of your own pocket without the help of insurance? Let me tell you it is really freakin' expensive.

I've been having a little pain in one of my teeth
so I went in today to get it checked out. Seems that the root of a crowned tooth is ready to give up and is swelling causing pain. Joy. So I need to have a... root canal! And what is the estimated cost of said root canal? Oh, around 1,400 bucks. Shit. So, needless to say, either I pony up the bucks or slowly, or possibly quickly, end up in a lot of pain... with a swollen face and eye. Christians have been screaming about the end being nearer than ever, maybe it will happen before I have to shell out the money.

I miss my dog.

Thoughts, thawts, thots

Here I am. Waiting for something and someone special to show up in my life.


The whole job thing; what is my goal there? I just can't go into radio and expect things to happen. I have to make them happen. So that requires a goal. Floating aimlessly is just that. What do you want your objective to be Thom? Make it a big one. Think big, act big, and you will be big. Or is being small okay with you? Is a year so long to spend in a foreign country? I dunno. I have only found countries where I would like to only spend a few months... including the U.S.


Is my next job a means to an end? Like gathering enough money in order to travel again? Is travel my main objective? No. Career is next... and radio is that career. So what to do with the radio career? That is the next step. Be in management, or programming, how about a music director, or is it to be the person behind the microphone? I like that Idea. The communicator. Yeah, behind the microphone.


In what capacity? Howard Stern-esque? Whom I think is a fine example. Small town, small time? Big city, big time? Can you be small town, big time? Or big city, small time? The big ideas are; what is my goal, and then how will I achieve it? Whichever both of these are, you can bet that I will go after them with great gusto.

Next?

I've been hanging out in Ellensburg with Dale, Steph, and Fred-the-dog. I also got to see more of my very good friends back there. I even found myself wanting to get back to putting roots in Ellensburg, but also caught myself getting back into being the same Thom I was before I left (I'm not really sure what that means) and I didn't like it. I love Ellensburg, and I love all of my friends there, but I know that I must move on.

Not Fred

As I sit and meditate on where to go, I like the idea of NOT working for as long as possible. Comet had a great idea; to visit as many cigarbid.com folks as I can. I've met several, including Brian and James in Japan, and I could do a motorcycle tour of the southern U.S. for the winter. That sounds just crazy enough to do it.

I type this in Seaside, OR. and I am contemplating what to do next. Do I settle somewhere? Should I just start heading South for the winter? Maybe I should go back to school? Dr. Kokenge sounds good, even though I would have a doctorate in media or communications. Go back to one of the countries that I visited and work there? It is spring time in New Zealand and Australia.

Harold

Many people have told me to go back to Japan. The big negative about Japan is that EVERYTHING is so small. But it also has a lot of pluses; a job teaching English, cute single girls e v e r y w h e r e and great food. But there I go trying to talk myself into something that my gut says no to.

Me and My Gut Feeling

I'm here visiting Comet in Montesano and am not sure what to do next.

This is me somewhere in Thailand.

You see Comet has offered me a job and a place to stay, but after contemplation my gut tells me to not take it. Why? Oh boy, therein lies many things that I do not wish to share with the world, but suffice it to say, that I think I would end up hating life and the job, and possibly even Comet after a short while.

I feel like there is something wrong with me. Here have a job, and a pad to crash in. But I can't do it. I couldn't even get on my motorcycle to go to the business that does the screening for Comet's company, Safeharbor.com. I had my gear on, the bike started, but my gut feeling was screaming at me to not do it. So I didn't. But I did say to my gut. Great. Now what, gut? Now, what...

Still Vagabonding

I went on a nice 4 day motorcycle trip with Coho and then ended up going to Portland, Oregon where I am staying with Doug. He lives in a nice neighborhood, cool pad (about 1950's era ground level 4 plex) and is very close, about 3 blocks, from a shopping area, there's a grocery store, coffee shops, eateries, and a sex shop!


I took a couple to do nothing that involved spending money. In other words I veged at Doug's place. Did some e-mail, took a shower, listened to the radio, uploaded some music, talked to my buddy Bob from Thailand on Skype! (Hey Bob) That was cool. He sounds really good and is doing fine. We talked a lot about a lot of stuff. Bob likes to talk. I like to listen, so we get along well.


Thinking seriously about going to Hungary for Christmas and New Years. This idea is still in the planning stages, we'll see. But wouldn't that be cool? Maybe even spend a day or two in Vienna.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Happy 77th birthday to my Mom, Dolly.

She's a damn good mother and a lovely person to boot. Mom, I hope you are not mad that I posted your age, but it's such a great number! Double sevens!

Love Thom

Dad, Mom, Thom

Saw Dazey

Dazey and I just before I went on my journey... I'm on the right.

I had to leave Dazey with someone while I was on my 6 month Journey. Kathy and Jerry and their Daughter Karli were kind enough to take Dazey into their home. They had already been dog-sitting her whenever I went on a short trip, but this was a much longer commitment.

They have a very nice home with property big enough for a couple horses, a couple dogs, about 4 cats, and they used to have sheep too. A great place for my dog. Any dog, really.

Since I do not have a home, or a job, getting my dog back, no matter how much I miss her was not in the plan for a while. I figured that if I went to see Dazey then I would miss her even more because I would only be able to see her for a short time and then go away again, and that just isn't fair. But Kathy and Jerry are also storing my motorcycle for me (damn I've got some great friends!) and so I had to go to their house to get the bike for a trip with Coho, and well, I also really wanted to see Kathy and Jerry, but that also means that I would have to see Dazey.

On the roof of a temple in Kyoto, Japan

The time comes and I go to K&J's home. I go inside "Hellooo?" I hear Dazey bark. Than a, "Hey..." Jerry is home. I get down on one knee and start calling Dazey. She comes to me and does her usual glad to see you wimper. I pet her and pet her and grab her in my arms, she's a small dog, and tell her how much I missed her. I really missed her.

After a while I put her down, and we all go outside to get my bike out from it's slumber. Dazey slinks off and goes and lays down on her bed. Jerry calls her, but she ain't budgen. Just laying there, looking sad. So I call her, nothing. Jerry calls her again and this time she gets up to come with us outside.

We get the bike out from the covers. The battery has been on a charger the whole time I was gone and the bike fires right up. Sweet. I take the bike out to get it cleaned up a bit and get it ready for a trip.

Jerry has things to do, so he takes off for a while and I do my best to get back into good graces with my dog. Dazey is acting like she is glad to see me, but is reluctant to really stay next to me. So I sit down on the ground and call her over and I just pet her, and talk to her, and just be with her. She eventually lays next to me and I continue to pet her and tell her what a good dog she is, and all those things you tell your dog.

Hotty cigar sales gal at "The Cuban Corner" in Pattaya, Thailand

A little while later I find some dog treats and get Dazey to do a few of her tricks (she knows a lot of 'em), like "twirl around", "shake", "catch the bisquit off her nose". Then I ask her if she wants to get brushed? Dazey gets a little excited because she looooves getting brushed out. So I get the brush and sit in a chair and Dazey jumps up into the chair with me, which is not how we used to brush, and lays down on my lap *cue the aaaaahhhhh* aaaaahhhhh. I brush her and talk to her and then Jerry comes home.

I get the bike and stuff ready and then I need to move my car out of the way, so I have the car door and the trunk open and I'm putting stuff in the truck, and Dazey jumps into the car, and then into the passenger seat with this look like "We going home now Thom?" Talk about a heart wrencher. So I let her sit in the car and I only move it about 25 feet or so, and then we get out of the car and I have to put my gear on to leave.


Jerry grabs Dazey and I say my goodbyes to them both and head out for another adventure, while my dog must stay with my good friends and I could see that Dazey was not taking her eyes off of me.

I miss my dog.

What The Hell?!

Okay, so I'm back from a long journey. So, does that mean that you can't post a comment or two? I see, just because I was on some journey, as if life is not a long journey that I want to share with all of you, but nooo. Sure I'm drunk, sure I've been smoking, sure I've had some sugar, but does that mean I don't have feelings too?

The Big Deal

**I am currently in Yakima, WA, USA***

First I want to thank Coho, Comet, Toast, and Mary for putting me up for a couple nights or a few nights as the case may be. I have the best friends and a great family!

Fall colors in Montesano, WA.

The question that I am asked the most is, "Which country did you like the most?" At first it took my a while but I had such a great time in Japan and I met some really good friends there too, that it had to be my favorite. But New Zealand is a close second with so much to do and see and I think you get very good value for your travel dollar in that country.

People also ask me which country I would recommend for them to travel to. My answer is, of course, go to Japan. But if this is your first time traveling abroad go to New Zealand. The people are nice, the food is good, and they speak English, plus it's a really great country. Go, go, go.

Toast and his daughter Julia near the Tacoma Narrows Bridge

After almost 3 weeks of being back "home" things are getting a bit strange for me. I need to find a job, fairly soon because the money won't last for too much longer, although I did plan for this and do have a bit of money in what I call "the re-establishment fund" out of the money I got from selling my house. I also need to find a place to live.

So the big question is, do I find a nice place to live and then try to get back in to radio, or do I find a job in radio and live wherever that job may be? Right now I am leaning toward finding a nice place to live, get a job or jobs to get by on, and then pursue the radio career. Because when I get right down to it, I really only want a radio gig, at least right now, in Northwest America.

Comet at the Fiber Festival in Montesano! -no he does not knit or loom or sew.

I could also get a job in one of the countries that I visited. It is becoming Spring and soon summer in Australia and New Zealand and there will be plenty of job opportunities in the tourist industries in those countries. Or I could teach English in Japan for a while. They need English teachers and they do not care if you speak Japanese. Actually they probably prefer that you don't.

I plan to go on a nice long motorcycle ride with Coho (Hi Coho) and a bike ride is always a good way to go about a big think. It's just you, your bike, the road, and your thoughts.