I just finished up with a much needed break from the life and times of CouchSurfing and reconnected with friends and family all along the eastern seaboard. The holidays were not quite the experience I had imagined them to be, due to my grandfather’s passing, but this served to pull family together in a way that would not have happened otherwise. I spent more time with my extended family that I have in years, changing that obligatory “How has your life been?” to a true “Good to see you again – lets get some lunch.”

Several trips back and forth to Athens for this purpose also allowed me to catch up with friends who still live there – and made me realize again why I enjoy that town. It feeds off the industry of Atlanta, but has the more bohemian atmosphere of a college town, with great music and a very fun downtown. I was born there, and will return many more times, even after family and friends no longer call me to it.

In Atlanta I was able to reunite with the several groups of amazing people I am lucky enough to call friends. They put up with me even though I only show up on their radar every six months or so, and we resume where we left off as if there has been no gap. I sometimes get envious as I watch their lives take on the new characteristics that come with permanent (or semi-permanent) residency and occupation and I find myself settling back in the feelings of security and convenience that exudes from their homes, lifestyles, and relationships. I could be pulled into this if I let myself.

The get together that I had planned with some old high school friends turned into a party with fewer friends and more strangers and acquaintances, culminating in a classic 1:30 am meal at Waffle House – and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. The next night found me at my five year high school reunion looking at photos from my first days at Wesleyan, drinking beers with the people who had suspended me for partaking six years before. It was enjoyable to investigate the current lives of past friends, but no long lost friendships were restored, nor was that my intention. That night ended in a gathering reminiscent of days long past with old memories and new stories.

Caught up with high school friends, I booked a flight north to Richmond, VA where I was to meet up with my college roommate and good friend Jason and drive to Baltimore for New Years. Jason has much of the wanderlust that I do, but he also has the dedication to earn money before he travels. This is the same guy who rode down the coast of California with me a few years ago. We spent a fun two days in Richmond, going out with college friends and fraternity brothers, shooting guns at the range and in the woods before heading out to Baltimore to meet up with Matt, another fraternity brother. He recently moved into a house in downtown Baltimore with a great rooftop porch and a view of the whole city.

Seven members of my pledge class descended upon his house for New Years and we successfully destroyed it. The house was packed with people, probably around 50, and at midnight the group popped around 25 bottles of Champagne – which started a Champagne spray battle of epic proportions. We had to leave the kitchen because of issues with humidity. Champagne was dripping from the ceiling and became the glue to stick thousands of pieces of cellophane confetti to the floor. The night ended (as New Years Eve has a tendency to do) in a blurred recounting of bars and people who think mixing tequila with Irish car-bombs is wise.

We spend New Years day cleaning and recovering before I flew back to Atlanta on the 2nd. On Saturday I drove back up to Athens and attended my grandfather’s memorial service, which was both a moving and positive experience. My grandfather made a difference in many people’s lives, and a lot of them showed up to show their gratitude.

So I head out to San Francisco tomorrow night, leaving behind family, old friends, and budding relationships that I am sad to leave open ended. The pull is back after a month removed from the coast, and the need for new experiences is doing what it always does – taking me from my comfort zone into new areas I have never thought of. Waiting for me is the most intriguing group of people I have ever lived with, work I am passionate about, climbing, biking, and (climate permitting) my new quest – surfing. Rumor has it that I will be heading to Costa Rica in the future, and that brings with it an entire book of new opportunities.

A few weeks ago my dad had a business meeting in Phoenix, AZ and was planning on flying out on a Wednesday, then flying back home on a Friday. I am not too far away in San Francisco, so I suggested we meet up and go to the Grand Canyon instead of him flying home. Naturally, he jumped at the idea and we met up that Thursday night.

I flew in on Thursday afternoon and was picked up at the airport by Chris Elliott, a childhood friend I have not seen in years. We spent the car ride back to his parent’s house (also estranged but close friends of the family) catching up on what had happened in the past decade since we had seen each other and getting past that awkward “Hey, I haven’t seen you in 10 years but I guess we are still friends” thing. Turns out we still get along fine.

After a good dinner with his mother, sister, sisters boyfriend, and at the end, his roommate, we went to the fake lake in the area. It is actually really nice at night, and we just walked along talking about randomness.

My dad got done with his conference around 10pm and showed up to chat for a while. We retired for the night after Mr. Elliott helped us plan our trip to the canyon. We were not sure about getting a permit because you generally have to apply months ahead of time, but banking on good luck and with an adaptable attitude, we woke up early and headed out. Our rental car was a Dodge Charger because they didn’t have the small car we had asked for. We were concerned about gas cost, but they gave us the car for the lower rate and a free half tank of gas, which was about the difference. I was glad, because I hate renting a car and having it be a small, weak machine that protests you trying to drive it like a destruction derby contestant – which as everyone knows is what you do with rental cars.

The drive north from Phoenix was beautiful. The change from flat desert to sharp hills was anything but gradual. After an hour or so of no turns and flat land several massive mesas suddenly appeared on the horizon and we wound our way into them. Still unsure of our final plans, we stopped at the state park near Flagstaff and got some more information from the park rangers there on places to go. They recommended that we take a secondary road to the canyon as the main one was busy and not as pretty. Both of us liked that idea, so we headed out again.

Surprisingly, we ended up on Route 66 for a while. To my knowledge it was my first time on the legendary dust bowl highway and it was fun to be a part of the legend, even if only for a moment. Our path led us through alpine forests, flat prairies, dusty deserts and then up, up, up into the elevated region that houses this massive hole in the ground we wanted so badly to climb into.

Mr. Elliott had told us that sometimes people put their tickets with extra days remaining on the back of the entrance sign, but when we checked we had no such luck. We paid our $25 and entered the park. We followed the roads out to the edge of the canyon and took some photos, trying hard to crop out the massive amount of tourists that were on the observation platform. I always feel that somehow I perceive locations differently than everyone else who is there. Even though I was gawking at the canyon with a giant camera around my neck, I looked with mild disgust at everyone else who was there doing the same thing. Maybe because I knew that my involvement with the canyon would not stop at simply looking at it, rather I would soon be attempting to climb down in it and challenge it to physical battle. It would cease being a sight, and become a place I have lived in and experienced.

We left the observation platform and found our way to the backcountry office. We needed a pass to go into the canyon, and had been told by everyone we talked to that our chances were slim to none. We asked, and the ranger said, no, sorry they were out (it was 3:00pm). Right when he said this, a lady behind him spoke up and said someone just canceled five minutes ago! We were in. In order to get to the bottom before dark we needed to leave ASAP. We called a cab to take us to the top of the trail, and rapidly packed our bags.

Seven miles to go down, then ten back up. The journey had begun.

[The actual trip in and out next, followed by my weekend in Mexico]

Many of the people I have met here live lives that seemed ridiculous and impossible to me barely a year ago.

• One fantastic woman hasn’t paid rent in five years because she has built up such a reputation as a house sitter that she is booked up months in advance. She is also a radio host.
• One guy works the business side of a pornography company in a building that used to be a WWII armory. It is a giant, $15 million dollar castle, and you can do donuts in a truck inside of it.
• One lawyer lives in a warehouse with 24 other people. It is made of old redwood beams and their individual homes are like tree houses in the upper corners, or stacked on top of each other like Lincoln logs. They hold massive parties there a few times a year.
• Several people that I have met are in polyamorous relationships, an uncommon occurrence in Georgia / North Carolina.
• One guy travels the world making documentary films and living wherever he can.
• A man who is a healer and wanders around throwing large parties where he simply invites as many interesting people that he is in contact with and facilitates them getting to know each other.

Derek (in back) our chef, and his Irish helper, Benny. We have a Chef!

Just a few, and there are many more. The people I live with are an incredible mix of all of the above. We live and work long, full days, but I cannot call one day I have had in the past year “typical”.

Looking back at my past year, I would say that until I did it, I would have called it impossible. Before I graduated I saw a vision of my future laid out in front of me, and it involved working for a bank in DC until I went to law school, with a wife, two kids and a house in the suburbs. Not a bad life at all, but one that is hard to change once you are in it. (I do have to say I am very glad not to be working for a big bank right now…)

In fact, one year ago this week I sold my truck, the final “no going back now” card of my departure.

Did I have any idea what I was going to be up to now? I honestly thought I would be teaching English somewhere in Asia. I could have been if visas had worked out. But they didn’t, and I ended up traveling Asia, staying with hill tribes, meditating in Buddha’s birthplace, bungee jumping, hiking to Everest Base Camp, living in Alaska, flying around Mt. Denali, living in San Francisco, working for CouchSurfing.com and cramming more life experiences into a year than I could have thought possible.

In my free time I am currently working with Laura McNamara (www.giramonda.com) to begin establishing a sustainable cocoa farm in Honduras, (www.thecocoaproject.org) and cannot wait to see the path this leads me on. I can only imagine a small fraction of ways to this next year can go, and I am sure that one year ago from today I will look back and be blown away again.

-Ben

I joined the California Sailing Club, which gives me access to a wide variety of boats and windsurfing boards whenever I get the drive to bike to the marina. I also discovered the best rock climbing gym I have ever been in today. It is massive. I showed up and paid $10 for a day pass because the guy at the counter told me the registration fee would be discounted $50 starting in October. I bouldered around for a while, then worked out on equipment they have. They have a sauna, showers, free weights, machines, treadmills, cycles, and classes. Everything I could want from a normal gym, plus a massive amount of climbing. Perfect!

Berkeley also has a challenging disc golf course that I found today, and the whole town is bike friendly.

Berkeley Disc Golf Course

I do not need a car at all. I can go from my house to the bay in under 20 minutes, back takes longer due to hills, but it is a good workout.

Getting to San Francisco takes about half an hour on the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) and puts you out wherever you want to be. The only bummer is that it closes down around midnight, making late weekends a challenge. Luckily I happen to work for an organization that knows a lot of people with spare couches to crash on!

Since I broke down before Burning Man and bought a crappy little point and shoot, I have been able to carry it around with me all the time and take random shots of whatever I want, which is a different experience for me. Not that I took pictures of the interesting things, but there was this little guy on the tree next to where I locked up my bike.

http://www.neticons.net/music_life/

-Ben

The Long Now Foundation was established in 01996* to develop the Clock and Library projects, as well as to become the seed of a very long term cultural institution. The Long Now Foundation hopes to provide counterpoint to today’s “faster/cheaper” mind set and promote “slower/better” thinking. We hope to creatively foster responsibility in the framework of the next 10,000 years.

I have been interested in the Long Now Foundation for quite some time, and the Long Bets group as well. Now that I am in the area, I get to actually attend these conferences and enjoy them.

The Conference I went to last night was good because it was my first one. However, Peter Diamandis, the founder of X-Prize, essentially presented an infomercial about the program. I had looked at some X-prize information online before I went to get a feel for what might be discussed, and a lot of what I read on the website came out in the presentation.

One thing that really interested me was the survey they handed out before he spoke. It was almost an exact list of many things I studied in my Future Studies class my Senior year at Elon. We were asked to select three that we thought should be the focus of a mega x-prize. ($100 million to $1 billion)

My choices were:

• Download brain to computer with memory intact
• Brain to brain communication at 10x our current interface (vocal interaction)
• Real time collective conscious for a group of over 100

You can tell I am really hyped about the possibility of a true hive mind. The Internet is a start to this process, as we are now aware of our friends activities in a general way from the social media trickle effect. We may not know exactly what is going on, but from services like Facebook, My Space, twitter, and IM / email, we generally know the location, occupation, and major events in peoples lives that we may not have communicated with in years. 

This allows for awareness, but not advancement. A true hive mind would allow for ideas, directives, and information to flow uninhibited at speeds as fast as thought. The ability to put my brain on a computer with my memories intact is also incredible. When we eventually create a machine that can handle the brain’s information, we could have our conscious live forever.

The x-prizes in this “mega” category are funded in unique ways. One of the possibilities is a cure for aids. What could a $1 billion prize do for research in that direction? Who would put up that kind of cash? Diamandis has an excellent solution. He has tapped into the health insurance industry. If they put up $1 billion now, the cure would save them multiple billions over the course of time. And they don’t pay unless the cure is created. How can they lose?

I found the economic model behind his projects to be revolutionary. He creates an industry behind each project, and essentially started the private space flight sector. I am looking forward to seeing how the project develops in the future.

One category of x-prizes that I thought was missing was social reform. It seems Diamondis wants to change the world through massive technological breakthroughs. Eradicating hunger and poverty were two of the proposed mega prizes, but these were to be done through technology.

I think that a $1 billion prize to create a new system of government could inspire some radical change. What about you? Would this be funding terrorism?