WildernessPunk – Page 6 – WildernessPunk

WildernessPunk: Mists of Babble On (California Road Ripping Part II)

I should have known, but all it took was a few days for Greg to surpass my earlier winnings with his necklace sales, well trades, which are topping 250$ and counting. Yet, competition gives way to smooth sailing as we equip ourselves in style for the journey back, not only to, but also through 1000 miles of desert.

Still, the trip isn’t over. I have sad goodbyes to make. Although if this cat doesn’t stop walking on my computer, some of them might become a bit easier.

cats

And yes, goodbyes are sad and bad, but sometimes you have to pull the band-aid trigger and just move everyone to the next chapter of their life. For some a new chapter, for my daughter, I think it will be the beginning of the next novel.

california lake

Hills of mist lay drenched in fog as we race south and away from the lands of wine and weed. Soon, even in the most populated state, we leave the people and homes behind. A small outpost, like a boat floating over a sea of grass, allows me to discuss Lovecraft with an interested father as we get one more day of rest before heading into Mojave National Preserve.

california mists

The upcoming downlow:

I have never been to the MNP
With the government shut down things will either be locked or free?
Do we have enough gear for a January camp?
Will Greg just sleep in the car?

cali

Seventeen hours later and I have the answers to all those questions.

After driving into the Mojave, we manage to find a Dollar General and stock up, such as we can. Figuring topping off the gas can’t hurt, I head into the K, because hell, an extra sixer can’t hurt either. A heated conversation is going on as I approach the counter.

Hipster Costumer: “Yeah man, I love M and Ms.”

Neck Tattoo Clerk: “Hell yeah, I eat a bag every day. But I just eat three at a time, so I can savor them, but I eat a whole bag every day!”

Hipster Costumer: “I’m going to go home and nap, but when I wake up, I eating this whole bag!”

Neck Tattoo Clerk: “I fucking LOVE M and Ms!”

At this point they look over to me to make sure no innocents witnessed the man on the job drop the F bomb over his love of candy. They see me with just a sixer of beer at 2PM.

Hipster Costumer: “Holy shit dude, you’re tall. I thought I was tall, but you are like a giant.”

Neck Tattoo Clerk: “And look, he’s got beer. This guy is ready to party!”

Hipster Costumer: “Yeah, he must need to drink a whole six-pack to equal us drinking one…”

cali mount

Eventually I get, beer, gas, and laughs and then rip back onto I-40. The mists we’ve traveled through change to rain. Captain Mysterious and I reach an unspoken understanding we will be in a wet camp, with little available in the way of wood. Any wood which can be found will also be drenched, so two people with limited gear, could be hard pressed while exploring the largest desert in the USA.

cali desert

Two hours later, we take the exit into the Devil’s Playground. Worries over the Government Shutdown turn out to be unneeded for the lands swept before us barren and unpopulated. The fog covered mountains looming over the desert confirm this was a strong choice no matter what the outcome. However, despite its beauty, the lands prove sparse and there will be little obvious resources available to help us through the January night.

cali majove

Heading north, we moved deeper into this no-man’s-land or NML. Then I spotted a sixty-foot com tower. “I got an idea. The dirt roads leading to these towers are always better maintained.” And when you have a Honda Accord these things become so much more important. My guess proved right, and we reached the tower without incident. Upon arriving, we discovered two things.

A single fire place sized log.
The road continued.

After grabbing the log, we continued as well and struck gold. A mile past the tower was a giant tumble of boulders with a fire pit. We stopped and as the clouds lowered over the mountains, we got the fire lit before the rains grew stronger, which they soon did. The place proved to be amazing. The fire remained traditional and small. We kept it just big enough to cook on and take away the shivers of the soaked jackets.

cali fire

Intense events should have a meaningful climax and for me, camping out in the mist shrouded desert in a desolated and unexplored piece of this country proved an excellent way to end my 2700 miles power trip to drop my eldest, Katrina, off at her new home town.

cali cliffs

Trips should leave you refreshed and yet anxious to get back to your lives and the projects and goals which infuse your existence. A great trip will spark new ideas and solutions, along with jumpstarted energy to complete your dreams.

Perhaps we need the pause to be able to focus those dreams. Only by being temporarily removed from your steady life and locale can you realize how you wish to improve it and why you should do so. Travel inspires and reminds one how small our corner of the universe is. We are only one story within the billions, but this makes it no less important for us.

I also think stripping down our possessions helps with this. In the USA many seem to feel we are what we own. But when you’re standing in the rain with the only jacket you have, eating the last of the food you possess, it clears you of the excess. Possessions are just what we surround ourselves with, be they shirts or selves, we encase our bodies in what we own, but in the wilds, we have little of this. Perhaps therefore it’s one of the finest ways to figure out who you really are?

Cali Josh.jpg

You can grab some of my fiction here. Heroes who strive on a different Path

Bone hat

WildernessPunk: California Roadripping

There are two types of people in this world, those who walk toward the UFO and those who run away.

Which are you?

I bet you can guess the type I am.

Okay, okay, let me back up a little bit. If you read my last post, you know I spoke on how I was going to focus on serious facts and issues and get away from personal adventures and philosophies…. ahhh, well maybe next time, this roll of the dice involved a random roadtrip driving my daughter, her two cats, everything she owns, and Greg the camera man, opps I mean Captain Mysterious, to her new home in Ukiah California.

Cali Stream

As I jack in at the Iron Door, which is California’s oldest tavern, I look back on how we reached this isolated mountain town hours off the beaten path and decades away from the manic highways and flashing lights which promise convenience and luxuries which would have been unimaginable when the builders of this tavern laid down their first stone in 1852.

cali bar

Grey owned the skies as we left Tucson for points north, well one point really. Vegas baby. Joshua Trees and lead colored clouds fought for our attentions as Phoenix led to Kingman. With the new road bypassing the Hoover Dam. we arrived two hours earlier than I’d told my Gangrel buddy, John, I’d be showing up, so we decided to hit a small tavern/restaurant/casino. I figured it’s a little rude to show up someplace, half starved.

After the bartender, Jewels, laughed at Captain Mysterious for thinking he needed to smoke outside, “Were you people from?” she asked, as we sat at the bar, ordered a few apps, and put 20$ into the machines, and got our free drink. Thirty later, we had the former, but had finished the latters. Feeling the need for one more chance, and another IPA, I give the machine a second try. I kept staying alive with trips. “Trips for the trip, but I gotta get quads.” My compatriots looked on over slices of cheese pizza, while both my mug and my twenty were drained down to their dregs.

The bartender, looked over and she took a little pity on me and said, “You’re still playing hun, you stayed alive just long enough for a final ale.” As she set it before my, by credit read zero. A pair kept me alive. Another trip and then… 4 fucking ACES. 200$ later we left the T/R/C/ and met my Stalwart ally and his family and bounced a bit through Vegas dodging salesmen and junkies. Quote of the night.

Trender salesmen: “You like cologne, right?”

John: “Not at all. My wife’s lucky of she can get me to wear fucking deodorant.”

But then we had a problem. In her quest for proper planning, Kat had reserved a hotel on the fair side of the Sierra Nevadas. This would have been 100, if the roads over the range which trapped the Donner party hadn’t been snowed out. She knew the cats would be the first to go, if we got stuck, so she offered to cancel the room, but the hotel said, no.

John said, “15 to the 5 and you’re done.”

“And drive through Bakersfield,” I replied, “No way!”

California hotel

Instead we tour through Death Valley and yellow cliffs mixed with storms dumping more snow onto the mountains in the far distance. Looming over the jagged desert planes, the white capped mountain ranges divided half the state and blocked us from our multiple goals. But to the south, one pass was rumored to be open. We headed toward it burning through the desert miles. Desert became forest, which was later edged with snow, as I drove onward through hundreds of miles of endless turns, twists, and cliffs. After a titanic effort, we made it to a place with two lanes, but as the sun set, we had to once again press into the mountains to make it to our hotel. Hell, if we were going to toss away over a hundred bucks just to pay another hundred bucks to spend a night in Fresno.

Cali Katrina

Which brings me back to the Iron Union, but we aren’t done yet.

Now we are, but arriving in Ukiah is only half the quest. Employed, but with two cats and no where to stay, we need to set my girl up with a place to keep her out of the driving rains. Damn, I hope Greg can sell some of his necklaces so we can go back to the brewery…

You can grab some of my fiction here, and I can promise you these people are on the Hero’s path.

Bone man is weed country.jpg

WildernessPunk: Reboot

Well yeahhhhh, I have not picked up the mantel of WildernessPunk for a half a year. I feel somewhat remiss over this, but also justified, for I’d rather shut something down than risk becoming a hypocrite or just blurt out theories or lifestyles changes I’m not willing to engage in myself.

diablo perpective

The original mission statement of WildernessPunk was the fun idea of traveling through and living in the wilds of the USA (Wilderness) while creating the funds to do so by writing and other e-commerce (Punk). This proved an interesting Idea which gave me the motivation and time to comment on our current lifestyles, while gaining the perspective to do so by taking several steps out of it.

Yet, for all its strengths, it remained just the tale of one person and in a small regard, the discussion of what I was able to do, which most people reading would not be able to follow or at least not easily.

camp 1 clouds

Instead, I’d like to open WildernessPunk to be less an exploration of one man’s journey through modern nonsense, which causes destructive lifestyles, and more of a ‘I’m living in a home like you, surrounded by others, but what can I do to make the world a better place.’ Wildernesspunk will also mean stepping outside of norms (Punk) and offering more extreme solutions than you’ll see the mainstream present. These will be explored with the end goal of protecting the environment in mind (Wilderness).

Please though, let’s keep in mind, when I say make the world a better place, I’ll be more focused on the world itself, and less concerned with the human needs of the people living through this stage of history. I know people are important and we have a hard time making changes without us feeling we’re getting a payoff, so I’ll be sure to keep this in mind. In general, however, I’m more interested in saving the lands, plants, and animals for future generations than insuring the people flowing through this eyeblink of history get coddled.

But we must also come to terms with the reality of the situations we live within. Humans are the ones killing this planet and are also the only beings who can save it. Thus, since it is up to humans to do the saving, we must jump into human systems (politics/popular opinion) and help steer all of us toward a philosophy with physical techniques which will insure this planet’s continued survival. In this sense, as much as I hate to do it, at times, the human experience must be reviewed, evaluated, and graded.

This will not be done in a news anchor style, pushing us two degrees in one direction or the other. This is WildernessPunk after all. Extreme times call for extreme discussion and changes. This can be done. We possess the intelligence and funds to solve all the world’s ills, we just need to have the willpower and passion to do so.

stairs

People talk about climate change, what we need is a climate change within us. This is what we require to evolve into the next stage of humanity. People like Trump are a horror, but they don’t elect themselves. Trump doesn’t scare me as much as the millions of people out there who still support him. Millions of people who would do anything to make another dollar and care little for anything outside of their own limited experiences.

There is no need to preach to the converted. Instead let’s help wake up the people who’s lives are built on lies and educate even the best of us how we can each push ourselves to build a world where our great grandchildren will still have the opportunities to walk through the wild areas of the planet, breath clean air, and live with the satisfaction they aren’t part of a species which destroyed their own planet.

yellow stone

In order to do this, I intend to focus more on the practical methods of keeping the Earth alive as opposed to the philosophical. I imagine I’ll let go with a few rants, cuz well, it’s me, but getting worked up over the dinner table isn’t going to be enough. So please look forward to learning how average folks, like ourselves, can step up and make a difference and join the process for making our world a better place, because in the end, isn’t this what we’re all about.

Thanks for listening.

the world famous golden nugget

You can grab some of my fiction here, and I can promise you these people are on the Hero’s path.

danger

Noble Savage? WildernessPunk

As I sit in my self-made campsite near the top of Arizona’s second highest peak, Mount Graham, I see two choices spreading out before me. To my left the mountain stretches through the tall ponderosa lining its steep cliffs. A difficult journey into its mysterious shadowy depths awaits. To the right I can just make out the road which drops 6000 feet and would return me to the desert and the small town of Swift Trail Junction. Left or right, wilderness or civilization.

mount Grammy

What is more noble, the freedom of the wilds or the charity of civilization?

I already posted one WildernessPunk piece where I thank Trump for the one good thing he’s done for us, which is giving us a clear picture of the true percentage of people who can’t evolve past the asshole/idiot stage. (See One in Three, WildernessPunk for more details) I intend to take things further and really get down to the meat of human development and explore how easy/difficult it will be for humanity to save our planet.

earth snake

I used to firmly believe people could, if presented with the correct information, be able to change their minds. I often debated the preachers shouting out bible quotes on my college mall. I would argue with others until late in the night. I studied history and anthropology and thought, despite the horrors our world has seen, people were moving toward a better future. Like many liberal leaning folks, I’ve been heartened by the lessening of racial injustice and the greater acceptance of the GBLTQ individuals.

Yes, things appeared to be improving, but now I also see the rise of neo fascists not just in the USA, but in many countries around the globe. I also realize one would have to be a fool to think the increasing populations of people expecting more with less to go around, mixing with a deteriorating environment, won’t be creating global situations ripe for this to grow worse.

So what’s going on?

How can things be improving overall for most of the world while simultaneously so many are embracing emotion based lies over facts and true problem solving? I have a theory and most people aren’t going to like it.

Saquaro Clouds

There may be a deep and ingrained reason people are dividing and less able to come to an agreement than ever before and I’ll get to outlining this, but first I want to toss something else out there.

The USA. like most countries. is dividing into two camps. Really three with the third camp being both ends of a bell curve, either folks who have risen above such well-established rhetoric or are too dull witted or too involved with their personal crisis to care. But let’s move back to the publicized two. Most tend to call them, Right/Left, Liberal/Conservative, Red/Blue. I’m going to make it even simpler and label them Group A which = Red, Conservatives, Right etc… And group B which = Blue, Liberal, Left etc…

Let’s discuss the basic values of these groups.

Group A

Belief in the truth of preindustrial dogmas
Government should be used to control others
The government should be used to control and use other countries and peoples
Their religion of choice should be the baseline used to determine how the government controls its civilians
When it comes to the military, the bigger the better
Some groups, religions, and races are not to be trusted and are mostly comprised of bad people.
The past was better
Some people and groups are out to get you, your family, and anything you have
Emotions and beliefs are more important than facts
Everyone has an equal chance in life and hard work is all it takes to reach your goals.
Wealth and power is the yardstick in which a person’s success is measured

Sup

Group B

Overall, our culture is improving
The purpose of the government is to help people
Discrimination is wrong
All people are created equal
Happiness is the yardstick by which a person success is measured
Facts should drive decision making
One’s opinions should remain flexible and if presented with updated information be able to change
The government can be used to help increase economic equality
We can make the future better
Although we are all created equal, random ills/benefits and situations brought about by our culture give everyone a different circumstance which they must adjust to when seeking success

And what about Group C? I’m not going to go too far into this group here, but let’s just assume the more apathetic due to being dull witted tend to fall in line with Group A, while those who attempt to evolve to a higher rational state still tend to have a soft spot for group B.

zzzzzz

I said I had a theory as to why these two groups can’t agree well and I’m not the only one. Although I do intend to take it a step further.

There has been more research going on in recent years as to why some people support Group A or Group B and the data being gathered increasingly points to this being caused by a physical aspect of brain development. Much as how we’re born either male or female, it appears we may also be born into Group A or B. A person’s choice on which group or lifestyle they chose may be determined before birth.

Not to get all Dungeons and Dragons or call up the paradigms created by English writer Michael Moorcock, these groups have also been associated with Law and Chaos. Group A is Lawful and seeks to keep things the same. The world is working for me, why change it? These are my beliefs why change them? My family went to church when I was growing up, so will my children.

Group B is Chaotic. If there is a way to make things better, we should figure it out, so we can improve. If I am presented with new facts which prove an assumption I had is wrong, then I should change my mind.

Alright gentle readers. I hope I whetted your appetite for more, but I also try to keep these articles under three pages, so I’m going to have to return with some factual data and research, which has been done to support the ideas I’m laying down for you here. I’ll also reveal my more advanced theory on the subject. Wow, what a cliffhanger. I hope you can handle it.

Dionysus Neutral Space

You can grab some of my fiction here, and I can promise you these people are on the Hero’s path.

Ghost Town’s Ghost, WildernessPunk

This is my new thing, at least for the next month or so, I’m heading out into Arizona’s desert badlands on the week’s most off-days, Monday and Tuesday. Some people think you should only explore the desert in the winter. Forget such nonsense. One should experience an area’s true nature. You don’t become one with the saguaros hiking through them in January. This would be like trying to discover Mardi Gras in New Orleans in September. Also, with Phoenix now being the fifth largest city in the USA, if one wants a little Desert Solitaire, you need to avoid the spilling of the hundred thousands into the wilds by dodging the weekends. I want to be the only non-local around, damn it. Non-local = El Loco.

Saquaro Clouds

Before I go any further, I’d like to elaborate on something. I’ve had a few nick names throughout my life, but I’m sure Alex Bone isn’t one of them… When I was in middle school, my large feet and tall frame earned me the tag of Bigfoot. Later in high school, oh what a lovely time, I was called The Ghost due to my pale complexion. Is this reverse racism, being too white for whiteys? So since I endured the label of The Ghost for several years, I think I have the right to keep the term as I explore some of Arizona’s backroad quasi-ghost towns. (Side note: I did enjoy a heathy amount of retribution against the culprits who labeled me in my 90% jock high school, but as they say, this is quite a different story.)

Scene

After spending the afternoon looking for a former mining town, small, and old enough to draw me in, but also modern enough for me to have a roof and a bite for a least a night, I settle on Superior Arizona. Sean Penn stared in Uturn which was set here a few decades ago. Hollywood liked the looks of the place and felt it represented Arizona strangeness at its finest, but does the reality hold up to the fantasy? Still, it could be worse, I could end up at that Wrong Turn place with all the cannibals with bows. Such events can be very exciting as well, unless you get eaten and then it just bites.

Waiting until nightfall, The Ghost heads into the what remains of Superior’s downtown. I travel under a bridge complete with a Troll’s lair and then move over the undulating streets which crumble under my shoes. The tangle of roads leaves me feeling disoriented until a glowing neon sign peeks between the burned-out shells of houses. It reminds me food and drink are possible if only one can find their way past these half-abandoned houses. A break in the fence later and I’m moving over brick streets and up old staircases lining the sides of empty buildings.

Superior Path

I’m woken up the next morning with a manic knock on my door. A young woman saw my children’s clothes in my car and came to the natural conclusion I had them locked in my trunk. I quickly realized this was schizophrenic logic and this poor gal had a serious mental illness. She wanted for a light for her smoke and took my lighter while asking me to open the trunk to prove there were no children locked inside. I figured this act would be better than a crazed call to the sheriff and obligated her. She walked away satisfied and yep, I got my lighter back before I headed off to the one open restaurant on a row with nine closed ones.

Sup

Last Scene Update:

While I was at lunch, the aforementioned female broke into people’s rooms and was chased off by a very angry woman. Somehow, I’m the most paranoid guest who actually keeps the door locked?

Oh, another update. Last night’s quest for grub and dud, had also failed due to the twisted alleys and a shut down time of 7pm (It’s a small town). The long, also half lost, journey back to the hotel left me needing to complete my trek to the town’s one functioning tavern. Porter’s Saloon had been around a while. I can feel the whispers of the long dead miners mixing with real cowboys as they paid out their earnings on a small slice of civilization and four surrounding walls filled with a different kind of spirits.

Bone at Porters

Another type of ghost haunts the place now. The living ghosts clinging to a dying town. Little in the way of jobs or money comes in, but low, to no, rent as fourth generations cling to former miner’s homes balances this enough for many to stay. They bake through the low desert heat avoiding the chain stores, strip malls, and shopping in return for this blessing, they keep their original aspect. Nothing here is duplicated, the town is as individual as the people who made it.

Are people like towns/cities?

Some are just copies of other things we see, a mass following of ideas, fast food chains, exercise studios, and cross-country commodities. From Miami to Seattle kids can dress the same and follow the same trends. While in some towns there’s an indifference to commonality. People follow a similar path. Many let themselves be taken in by mass movements which spread over countries and continents. Whether one is Christian, Liberal, or into War-Porn, opps I mean Sports, you’re all waiting in the back of a huge line with millions if not billions of smucks.

FYI the bigger the line the more smucks.

Some people, like Superior, use whatever resources they have to shape themselves in the best manner they can manage. They borrow and trade with the outside world, but after they mold it to their needs, it is unique and unrecognizable.

hat river

Many mass thought patterns and movements have merit and one need not waste their whole life reinventing the wheel. However important issues, concepts, and movements should not be taken for granted. It is when we insist the way a huge group of people think is right, when we are most likely to be wrong. Things like avoiding racism, promoting environmentalism, and a positive based life are examples of philosophies I hope the whole species will evolve into embracing.

Bridge

So what is the answer? How can one know the right path to tread and which is a huge waste of time or worse… evil?

Here is a handy backward paradigm checklist. If you follow a system or leader who does these things duck, cover, and then run away.

Bridge View

Backward Paradigm Warning Signs:

Paradigm is based on Fear
Is inflexible in regards to how it has all the answers
Hate and blaming others rules the words of the leaders
Seeks to eliminate outsiders
Ignores facts
Asks one to take things on faith instead of proof

How can we balance the individualism of avoiding interference with the bombardment of the modern world while it’s now more important than ever to be involved with saving our planet and way of life?

Trump's favorite Nature View

I really think we will either have to evolve our consciousness or die. How many planets have failed when they reached this stage and how many have moved ahead? I would love to know the odds before I start placing my bets. Just kidding, I’ll bet on us every time. I’m a glass half full kind of a…

Oh crap, what am I?

Boneand Yig

You can grab some of my fiction here, and I can promise you these people are on the Hero’s path.

Superior Sunset

Goals, WildernessPunk

Prelude:

I sit at the eastern edge of the Cochise Stronghold. I’ve camped in the Stronghold many times, but this is the first time I’ve camped on the east side of the massive sky island. It’s also my first solo trip. Blue birds of happiness steal my food, I’m hoping they trade some of their happiness for it. It’s been a long while since I went solo into the wilds and as usual the quiet sets my mind into action and as I look up from my Daily Action Dash of goals, the choice for this installment of WildernessPunk becomes clear.

blue

Goals:

We all have goals or at least I hope we do. A life without goals seems like it wouldn’t be worth the effort for me. Why bother getting out of bed in the morning if you didn’t have a reason to or in my case about eighty reasons. Yet, like most of life, what I consider a goal might not be the same as my son, or neighbor, or enemy, or you. So let’s try to define them first.

My definition would be: Goals are a measurable task or project which can be achieved and upon completion will make one’s life or the world better.

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This being said, I would also go forth and add we could have very different types of goals we’re out pursuing during the same day. A parent could work to earn extra money for their family, exercise, help their child learn math, and finish a sculpture all within the same day. These goals are all quite different, but each benefits the parent and most likely others.

This brings up another type of distinction, the length or perhaps the repetition of our diverse goals. Deciding to exercise for thirty minutes a day is not the same as seeking a publisher for my new novel.

Length of Goals:

Daily: Exercise, Educating Children, Cleaning, Reading
Weekly: Creation, Social Time, Maintenance Tasks
Long Term: Finish Writing a Novel, Learn French, Prepare for a Big Vacation, Add a Deck to Your Home

Sometimes one might have goals which could be done daily, but might be better to record on a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly basis. Creative goals fit into this. “I want to have three new paintings before the month is over.” It’s a defined and measurable goal, but I might work eight hours one day and then skip doing anything for the next three.

Some might wonder why having a goal be measurable is so important. Being able to measure a goal creates accountability. It also allows you to know how well you are proceeding toward your end game and also when you are complete. Goals like…. I’m going to be less depressed, be a better parent, or find love are difficult if not impossible to measure. Why have a goal which is so nebulous you can’t even determine when it is complete?

On a personal level, I feel it’s a strong plan to have weekly goals while keeping track of your long-term goals. In life it is your long-term goals which set you apart from the herd and allow you to accomplish your bigger dreams, while your weekly goals give you the ability to do so.

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I collect data on my weekly goals twice a week roughly covering the weekdays along with the weekend. Why collect data? As I hope to illustrate, with the use of well organized data collection, I am able to easily determine how well I’m doing in regards to living the type of life I wish to live as well as calculating how well I’m accomplishing my personal goals.

000

Alex Bone’s Weekly Goals:

X = Exercise: The equivalent of 1400 sit-ups a week.
W = Writing: 20 pages a week.
R = Reading: 200 Pages a week.
CWN = Commune with Nature: Be outside a minimum of 7 hours a week.
WL = Write Letters: Stay in contact with family, friends, and allies 28 times a week.
A = Alternative: Accomplish daily tasks or make steps toward long terms goals at least 7 times a week.
B = Bonus: Make extra profit and reward myself for each time I accomplish all eight goals daily.
Ki = Ki: Attend to spiritual goals and/or make time for my mental health

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I’m certainly not suggesting people should imitate me or my goals are better than those held by other people. I just do what works for me and since I’m coming up on my 20 year anniversary of measuring my goals, I guess I’m either pretty good at it or have a higher level of OCD than most people you’ve met. (I suppose both of those statements can also be true.)

Just because I measure these, doesn’t mean I attain them each week or limit myself in the level I might accomplish them. I often write less than 10 pages a week, (Don’t tell anyone) Reading also fails below my standard more often than not. However, things like Alternative can reach as high as 100 for even a bi-weekly measure.

So… what is the point of all this? Again no one is required to follow my path. It probably wouldn’t work for most people. However, it might be useful to think about your own goals in long term and short term formats. Perhaps writing them out and setting benchmarks would also be useful.

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When I see I had a bad week I can try to figure out why and adjust my life accordingly. Same is true with a great week. I can look back and see what worked so well for me.

Also, if a particular goal is doing poorly, say I only read 30 pages during the weekends, I can try to figure out why this occurred and change my schedule or adjust my modalities.

Jumping on the accomplishment bus never hurt anyone. Life it to be enjoyed, but part of our happiness comes from our feelings of accomplishment. Also, when we reach many of our goals, new doors might open for us or we may rise our standards of living in other manners. With a bit of forethought and the proper effort, who knows what you might be able to do?

Bone hat

You can grab some of my fiction here, and I can promise you these people are on the Hero’s path.

Two Years, WildernessPunk

As I have stated on more than one occasion, WildernessPunk has never been meant to be just an upscale journal chronicling my misadventures. However, WildernessPunk did begin after I was tossed into a dark well of unintended Chaos. This Chaos became full of moments both good and ill, uplifting and difficult. This week held the main three dates which mark the two-year anniversary or perhaps in my case, adversity, of when these changes began.

Camp 1 wetter

To drive these dates home even further, I also had my last (scheduled) court date two years to the day I ran from the cops and spent a night half frozen in the forest. Yesterday was the two-year anniversary of me spending a night in jail, while today, two years ago, was the morning, for better with some worse, I started my new life. Now, here I sit in a Flagstaff hotel, with my court dates over, getting ready to pick up my children and take them to Tucson with me once my oldest boy is done with school.

Yes, things have changed quite a bit in two years.

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I spend enriching days with my children, see little of the demon queen of gaslighting(DQG), and have the freedom to enjoy great times with my friends and family. I am also truly blessed with the best girlfriend I’ve ever had.

Alright, I’m starting to sound like Agent Smith in Matrix two. “Me, me, me.” Yet I am going somewhere with this or perhaps two-wheres. First one is simple. For those of you following either my life or WildernessPunk, this is a milestone and in many respects reaching an endgame. The BS which got me living in the woods and starting this blog has mostly come to a close, despite the efforts of DQG to make it malinger. Sure, I’ll continue to have trials and tribs, like all humans, but this chapter is closed, moving on…

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The second and certainly more universal point has to do with Chaos and the Warrior’s Path. It is easy for all of us to get stuck in our mundane. Life can be trying, but the known, despite its drawbacks, becomes more comfortable than the unknown and we allow ourselves to stay within situations, be they relationships, jobs, or friendships, which can be unhealthy and uninspiring. We feel exhausted and just sigh, while our life dribbles by.

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The alternative to this is entering the stream of chaos. Sometimes we do it on purpose and other times it is forced on us. Chaos is the dark and scary unknown. People will tell you not try it, it might be too dangerous, but this is also how heroes are born and how we grow as individuals.

Creepy Gate

We’re always growing and learning, but growth accelerates when we have our world yanked out from under us and we enter the Warrior’s Path. We could experience more in a month than we did over the last three years.

Warriors change.

Surviving the Chaos forces us to self-actualize. We can step back and analyze our life and experiences. With luck and knowledge, we make new and stronger choices. Below are a few examples of the benefits of striking out into uncertainty and returning reborn.

Increased Wisdom and a greater understanding of how the world works

More positive self-regard

Realizing what you will no longer put up with

The pleasure of only allowing decent people to be part of your life

Understanding what is really important to your life

Motivating to follow your true goals

Triumphing over evil

There are of course many more, but this is a good start. I’ll leave you with this. Hardships may mostly seem to well… suck, at least at the time, but hardships often become an opportunity, Not just for a better life, but also a better you. Stagnation can’t compete with adventures. Adventures may be hard and could find you shivering in the rain with blisters on your feet, but one month of adventures might be worth ten years of mundania and you’ll always have a few interesting stories to tell.

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You can grab some of my fiction here, and I can promise you these people are on the Hero’s path.

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Smashing the Gaslight-WildernessPunk

Is it just me or has the occurrence of foolish drama increased over the past year or so? Could this be because we have a president who seeks to make our government into a reality TV show? Perhaps we’re more sensitive to malicious plotting than we used to be or more informed in regards to how to identify these malign activities? It could also be we hold ourselves and others to a higher standard than past generations.

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Another thing which has become a focal point for the last year of our lives is how often reality is rewritten to meet the needs of the speaker with little thought to recognize either facts or consistency. Many have become desensitized to lying and contradictions, while others have given up a part of their optimism.

I am not here to discuss politics. We’re all under the government’s controlling umbrella to a greater or lesser extent. It bugs, bothers, and infuriates us, but remains distant. It might impact my life, but I can do little to affect it.

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The real question I am posing is how it might give some the impression there’s nothing wrong with their own lies. If the people we elect for government posts can lie to meet their needs and change their opinions daily, why shouldn’t a person, who has only a small circle of influence, concern themselves with the truth. Hell, almost no one is even watching them.

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For many, honor has been replaced by a self-serving agenda, which disregards, facts, other people’s needs and emotions, and gives no consideration to the well-being of children and other impressionable people. For some people, a simple cliché such as, “Put yourself into the other’s shoes,” is beyond their capabilities.

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So what happens when you mix drama and lies… most would agree it would be called Gaslighting. Just in case you haven’t heard about this one, it was based on the movie Gaslight, which won Ingrid Bergman her first Academy Award.

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The film’s plot, faithfully adapted by its screenwriters, was about a diabolical, Victorian criminal husband (Charles Boyer playing against type) who systematically and methodically attempts to torment, menace, and drive his bedeviled, fragile wife (Ingrid Bergman) mad. Its title was derived from the frequent dimming and flickering of the gaslights. The phrase “to gaslight” someone (to deliberately drive someone insane by psychologically manipulating their environment and tricking someone into believing that they are insane), was derived from the film.” — Tim Dirk.

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Gaslight — (verb) gaslights (third-person singular simple present), gaslighting (present participle), gaslighted (simple past and past participle).

(slang; origin UK) To manipulate someone psychologically such that they question their own sanity.

So, whether it’s in front of the whole nation or just an individual trying to twist a single/a handful of minds, what makes someone think it’s acceptable to abandon any facts which don’t aid their agenda and recreate reality as they see fit?

Narcissism doesn’t hurt. When you believe your life is the only one which matters, then your interpretation of the facts is the only thing you need to concern yourself with.. Or looking at it from another angle, to the narcissist, getting what you want for yourself overrides all else. Things like facts, the needs, desires, and emotions of others, logic, and consistency are all just chips to be ground into the carpet as they pursue their one goal, to better their own lives.

Others are just looked at in reference as to how they can be used. Whether is be as a source of income, a servant, or a pawn, all people are just ranked by their usefulness.

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But why does this happen? How do people get so wrapped up in themselves and their own agenda the rest of the world dims? Trauma and abuse can cause this disorder as can a poor upbringing. Although there’s also some evidence, as with many other disorders, like Schizophrenia and Cognitive Disabilities, a certain small percentage of people may be born this way.

Why would a percentage of humans, be born more or less evil, would be another interesting avenue to explore, but let’s stick to the disorder, for disorder it is. Although Narcissism, personality disorders, and gaslighting have caused undue suffering over the years, with a clear head, such things can’t hold up. Logic and common sense wins out over manipulation and lies in the end.

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If the gaslighter has an Achilles heel, it would certainly be their ego. They are so convinced their great intellect along with their plots are molding others into getting them what they want, they refuse to notice when these lies go poorly. Soon they can find themselves with little of no allies or resources but will only blame others for their woe. They attempt their old tricks, but they can’t last forever with the same people, so eventually the gaslighter is forced to move on and seek new victims. Unless they move, this gets harder, for stories spread and most of us become suspicious of people with no friends who are estranged from half their family. If this isn’t a red flag for you already, perhaps this idea can be the biggest take away of this article for you.

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So what is the best things to do if confronted by someone trying to gaslight you?

Don’t let yourself be separated from your support network and check in with them often. They can remind you A) you aren’t crazy. And B) what really happened and what any sane person would do about it.
Use simple tricks to weed out Narcissists. My favorite is, “Name five of your weaknesses, or things you don’t like about yourself.” If they balk at this easy task, you got trouble in your living room.
Many suggest you keep a journal. This will help you fact check.
If someone is coming down on you, like a boss who is harder to escape from, remember all they care about is themselves, so any request should be wrapped around a concept which makes their life better or at least keeps it from getting worse.
Statements which can befuddle a gaslighter would be saying things such as, “I would never dare to presume I have the right to control how you think about me.”

The bottom line is, if you are in a situation and its all about them, it should be all about you getting your butt anywhere else. So stay safe and smart out there and watch your step leaving for I smashed all the gaslights and left them on my front porch.

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You can grab some of my fiction here, and I can promise you only the villains use gaslighting.

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Can you go Back? WildernessPunk

They say, “You can’t go back.” Which is of course false, because you can go back, it just might not feel the same way. Yet, what makes it different? I often look back at even recent times in my life and marvel over how much has changed in just a couple of years, but things can become dissimilar for us in just a few months as well.

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Sometimes situations change for the worse, but as darker fluctuations occur, at times they can also force us out of stagnation. Although many of us like to feel cozy and warm in a predicable life, one also runs the risk of trading the unknown for the known and lack of variety and adventure can often be the price you pay.

Boney Utah

As the sun begins to set on this mystic Baccanaught, I look back at where I was when I started WildernessPunk 18 months ago. I lived much of my time in camp 1 between Flagstaff and Walnut Canyon. I spent the days and nights alone with only the minimal equipment I could transport to the forest by bike. No fires, simple foods, mostly reading and writing until the battery on my loaned laptop died.

Now, not too long after, I’m living in a home with heat and water, dating a lovely goddess of a woman, seeing friends every week, and most importantly getting to have my boys stay with me.

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Yes, much can change quickly, but this only made it more exciting when I had a chance to return to Camp 1 recently. It felt fitting I hiked up into the forest alone. Within are pictures of Camp 1 taken in 2018, 15 months after the last night I slept there.

Trail

In theory, I had returned to clean up and perhaps salvage anything worth grabbing, but as I followed the old trail, which hid my homeless refuge, other more complex thoughts moved through my mind.

in the distance 2018

I felt grateful. Where so much had turned against me, now so many things have fallen into place. Yet as the readers of WildernessPunk might appreciate, with this turning of the tide, something was also lost.

Camp 1 view

One feels a pride persevering through obstacles and living low to the ground with limited resources. Nature is the great equalizer. Rich or poor, members of every race and belief are all treated the same. Only your ability to prepare and work to improve your state changes things in the real world.

Was this the Real World or is my normal house more real? Hard to say. I felt alive in a different fashion then. Am I more of a winner now or less? I’d get different answers from each person I could ask. Yet, the bottom line for many of us becomes our children, family, lover, and friends. Are you going to live for yourself and ideals, or jump into the mainstream so your can uphold different goals and ideals?

Perhaps one can do both. Wish me luck.

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You can grab some of my fiction here, which I promise has nothing to do with this, Hell, my hero is a cop, go figure.

Junk in the Trunk, WildernessPunk

What, am I talking about health? Trying to be trendy? I know North Americans hear so much discussion over eating habits and physical health, such things are the last issues we want to read about, or are they? Maybe we’re in a unique space in human history, where we have the means to fix and prolong our bodies, but have hordes of food and vices available to destroy it as well. Add to this our ability, for many, to earn enough to survive without using much our bodies metabolism to do so.

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I’m not going to burrow this down to how many cabs you should be shoving into your mouth, I’m looking at a more complex issue, perhaps the source of so much of our health and nutrition debates.

Why am I diving into this topic? It’s because it has some relevance in regards to my current state. If you’ll indulge me to allow myself to be an example to help explore the issue of human technology versus health, we can get started. My main point is… As technological advancements are extending life, technology has become a double-edged sword which also makes many of us some of the unhealthiest humans this world has ever seen.

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Okay, back to me. You knew it was coming. As some of you may remember, I went from living on the cusp between, nature, traveling, and urban sofa squatting for over a year, before becoming more settled into this city clinging to the Sonoran Desert. After the move, I was thin, in great shape, at least for me, and riding my mountain bike a few dozen miles a day through raging heat.

Then I got my place.

I kept up the bike riding and was making much of my cash from physical labor. Still there is a big difference riding your bike ten miles into town for groceries, and just crossing the street. Most of my more intensive jobs aren’t much harder than camping three days in a row, or putting in 14 hours days prepping for my move.

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Is this how hard I have to work to keep this beer belly at bay? Because despite rounding out the year with only using the bike as transport, getting physical, and exercising every day, I’m seeing it grow.

And now I have a car.

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And… after not having wheels for so long, it sure feeling tempting to drive it around, just because I can.

Jello Biafra said, “Give me convenience or give me death,” Perhaps now, it could be stated, “Give me so much convenience it will lead me to an early death.”

Let’s draw this conversation back to one of the updated purposes of WildernessPunk, which is to explore possibilities, leading people toward a more nature based life, even when living inside an urban environment.

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As a culture, we have rejected the natural and the physical in return not only for convince, but also for time. I could ride my bike to the store, but it will save me time if I drive, I could wash my clothes in the sink, but it will be so much faster if I toss them into a washing machine. I could work on finishing the end table I was building, but I just added three more channels to my cable plan and I wanted to check out…

In each of the situations above, we have traded money, natural resources, and increased our carbon footprint, while forsaking activities which would help us burn off some calories.

Dionysus On High

Of course, other things contribute to health issues and being overweight. Diets are huge. I’m sure if I quit drinking ale and caffeine, I’d be trimmer, but I don’t want to piss Dionysus off. I might touch on such things in the future, but not today. Instead I stand here, next to my wheels. A blessing… it will help me get my children, maybe get a better job… but perhaps a curse. Will I lose another of my ideals and slip ever more into the mainstream, using more resources, and watching my gut grow?

How can we balance our desires to be an outstanding human against the ease of being accepted into a society full of assumptions, many of which are half mad?

Perhaps we could look at our bodies like a yardstick measuring how well we accomplish our goals. Sure, if you are a twenty-two-year-old, powerlifter with a high metabolism, this might not apply to you, but you’re also not reading this. But for most of us who wish to respect the Earth as much as we can, live in a healthy manner, and be productive, our body could help us measure how well we’re doing.

Maybe I can give electricity a rest and do a few things myself, ride to the store, and spend some of my free time going on a hike, but what if my positive habits slow down? If I have junk on me, it most likely means I’m making more junk for my world. If I’m doing well, my body will notice, I’ll feel better, and be treating my world with greater respect. But if I’m getting some junk in the WildernessPunk, perhaps it’s time to rethink my game and leave that car parked all weekend.

You can grab some of my fiction here, which I promise has nothing to do with this, Hell, my hero is a cop, go figure.

Dionysus Cash