Lately, I just have not been able to get into a normal sleep pattern at all and it’s killing me. That being said – let’s move on.

I’ve exchanged e-mails with an old friend (she knows who she is) and thinking about where I’ve come from and where my friends have come from in the age-old trip of adulthood. The next comments are not about her.

Most of the people I knew growing up haven’t seemed to amount to much – myself included in a way. I had friends that were going to grow up to be musicians, writers, and pastors, and everyone’s dreams seem to have taken a back seat – whether it be those that never applied themselves and are still working the same job they had for the last decade that pays minimum wage. To the ones that are always going to go to college, but never do.

Where is Dr. Suess’ “The Places You’ll Go” – most of the people I graduated with didn’t go far. This doesn’t necessarily make them bad people – but I’ve come to the age like I’m sure some of the rest of them have – that we realized we were lied to all those years. One thing I can that is different about me than my friends who threw away their lives to work minimum wage at the same spot for 1/2 or more of their lives is I still have dreams. I still play music – I still write – and I have new hobbies that augment what I do, unlike a lot of my friends the highlight of the week is going to the bar. I’ve been to a bar a total of 6 times this year – and except for once – the rest were on business trips. I have alcohol in the house – but had 1 beer over the last few months. I did get trashed on my birthday though – the big 30 gets us all.

For the one girl in SWG that is underage that I know reads this blog. Save your dreams and guard them close – if life doesn’t turn out as you expected it to you need to have those dreams stay a part of you; completely and fully. Maybe you’ll make it to a ballerina – or maybe you’ll be a lawyer, or maybe you’ll work at Walmart. None of that really matters since an income is just a tool – the money I do make is to be comfortable and have fun – sometimes detrimentally to me financially but I make it through.

I know people who enjoy themselves and have never been more than 120 miles from home. I’ve been across the country – New York City – to Tampa – San Francisco to Crater Lake – and it’s not worth a damn to do it alone like I have some of those things. But to experience something outside of your shell of life is important also. (Just don’t drive through Wyoming and Nebraska – That’s a 1000 miles of suck)

People are the same most anywhere some people never leave their own town or city. Some people have never seen a city except on tv and others have never seen the countryside. I’ve been lucky to have a job that lets me travel and see things. I grew up on the great lakes – lived in a valley in the mountain ranges of the Pacific Northwest – and traveled to major cities – and it is all the same. Keep your sanity by always keeping yourself close and you can always be happy.

Beyond that, I upgraded to a Flickr pro account today – much more pictures if you click the up above.