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california zephyr

i have experienced requests for updates on my life from many whom i care deeply about :

i hear, respond, and honor your requests

tuesday 7th august- thursday 9th:

[camera still being repaired...no word...will contact tomorrow as its been over 8 weeks]

surfing steel rails, i watched the country roll by, clouds of snake-dragons, elephants and cats flying with flailing whiskers to the humming, gentle rocking of the train. stacked boxcars flash by like colored slides in a choppy movie, graffiti proclamations. dark heartbeat of the mountain. blocky fists of rock, jettisoned, tumbled rubix cubes. mooned on the colorodo river. mouths of stone drool deposits in their slumber. geographic fingerprints.

propagation of the myth of scarcity - instilling fear, selfishness, and greed. conciousness is a river, although there are boulders, in the end they cannot disturb the flow, they can merely divert it for a time and cause eddies in the thought-stream. repeated actions - habits - carve paths through the mind which become deeply worn. one can change the paths, but it required overcoming inertia. 

train-travelling protips: bring a blanket/warm clothes (esp socks, hat - it got quite cold, especially at night), earplugs + blinder (didn't turn off all of the lights at night), make yourself a pillow stuff sack from the objects that you are already carrying, bring good food, easy removal shoes, lotions (the air is very dry), camera (byootiful scenery), toothbrush/toothpaste. 

There is decent food available if you get desperate (dining car is not worth the $ IMO, but the snack bar is legit), there is unlimited water available, and there is a 'dressing room' with two sinks and a couch, in addition to ample leg/under-seat and overhead space. Nicotine addicts beware - there are infrequent smoke stops, and none at night (to other smoker's knowledge) so bring your gum (insert obligatory reference to smoking ravaging your health here). 

I did not sleep much the first night, but sat next to some lovely folks who got off the train at Denver (also the first point in time that one is no longer passing cornfields or flatflat, but mountains ~ hooray geography [holla to C+L for that particular term]).

the second night the train cleared out and I snagged some half-sleep contorted in various positions on two seats. good thing i'm flexible...

the train is a space for thinking, speaking with other travelers, and activities such as reading and knitting. i spoke to someone who had a daughter in oregon who told me that i belong there (due to my health-conscious eating, age, socks, scarves, and colors). one does tend to meet all sorts of folks if they open up themselves and their time to the possibility. 

illinois...corn/soybean fields, mountains, river, desert, scrub, hardwoods, valley oaks...

oakland thanks in no small part to the support of IRV and her loverly mother sheltering me until i locate employment 

vocab: OT - 'Off Train' - 'smoke spot' or fresh air break where one can disembark the train for a time period

troll: homeless who live under bridges (akin to the trolls of folklore)

what do you devote your energy to?

what is the story you tell to yourself? others? how long have you been telling it? has it changed? how?

~ expression ~

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