On the eve of my great adventure, my good friend Hawk sent me this quote. It came at the end of the story of Ulysses told by Lord Alfred Tennyson. The work itself is one of those pieces I have read that makes my skin burn. I want to jump up and scream fire at the empty moments of my life spent in lazy pursuits; purging those rank and dreamless days in holy inferno.
I’m alive. I ran with the bulls. I faced the last sanctioned, unregistered, life threatening activity requiring no training, and only marginal sobriety that is left in the modern world. No safety gear. No cups, no trophies, no winners other than those left alive and still able to walk at the end of the 1/2 mile course. I’m alive.
I returned from Spain this week and have been inhaling sangria in a vain attempt to slow the onset of the inevitable post tour heartbreak. The office, the classroom, the house; all empty of the ridiculous sounds of a city inflamed with the spirit of Pompeii. Living under the shadow of that bovine volcano gave those mad bastards a sense of community that is unknown and unimagined elsewhere in the world.
I’m experimenting a little with my travel journal. I’m going to take most of the details of the trip and indulge my fantasy a little bit; make this a story of a trip that may have been. So for any of you readers that were there and thinking, “Whoa! That’s not what happened!” Relax. I’ll be uploading it here in pieces over the next few weeks. Maybe it will be fun to read, maybe it will fall on it’s head.
Whatever this story turns out to be, enjoy.
Ah, to be young again …
Funny, though, books usually have the opposite effect on me. If they’re good all I wanna do is dream of fantastic places and stories. I don’t know the name of the pessimistic character that took root in my head a little while ago, but in response to, “Is everything a joke to you?” he/she said, “Life is a joke. The entirety of the human existence is a joke that has spiraled out of control until it’s far from funny anymore. Anything it encounters, it either destroys or uses to destroy something else.”
I find it interesting how some people almost fanatically try to join the human race while others would do anything to avoid it even for a little while.
That trip of yours must really have been something. The pics are amazing.
Welcome back.
Hey Dave,
Thanks for a little bit of a teaser on your trip! You don’t need any persuading, I’m sure, but I’d be intrigued to read about your indulged fantasy of a trip. You have a gift for writing, so it should prove an interesting read. What better way to experiment with your writing techniques, than to manipulate characters and events in a real setting, based on possibly real events and people to suit your fancy? Looking forward to reading more…
Hey! I FINALLY got around to watching that video of you jumping from a plane! That looked so amazing! I went on a zip line in BC, but that wasn’t as exhilarating as your jump! I’d love to try a tandem jump! It’s on my list of things to do! I’m glad you had a fantastic time!… oh and I’m just going to stroke your ego a bit and say, you are looking very sexy! All that time in a gym does a body good!…
Take care! J