THIS close.....

UPDATE 06/28/12: Delayed again!!!! I am afraid to put a departure date here for the risk of jinxing it. Suffice to say, plans still on....implementation is the goal. Stay tuned.

UPDATE 06/22/12: All is back in the van! NOT organized, but back in and my friend in Hanover has his garage and sidewalk back. Having a real problem getting motivated and staying positive, but doing my best to forge ahead anyway. Problem facing yours truly today are the incoming, heavy storms and my ability to get the interior hospitable to my sleeping in the bed. If I can't pull all the stuff out to really organize, I wind up in the front seat overnight and get maybe an hour or two of sleep.

Please welcome today's celebrity, noted tree hugger Leonardo DiCaprio. Not to be confused with the town of Leonardo, New Jersey, illustrated in this next photo:

Location for the feature film "Clerks" by @ThatKevinSmith. This is yours truly recreating a moment from that film.
(I know...I know...I'm a dork!)

Right now I am closer to actually heading out and on my way to my new life! I have 4 things that MUST be accomplished with The Sovereign Conversion Van Of Wonders in order to let the rubber hit the road. The current HIGH TEMPS we are experiencing here is a bit of a problem because the tasks are outdoor, labor related.

Don't forget, I am all old and stuff. And I have been visited by The Summer Gastro-Olympics, due to a couple of factors....one of which gave me a bit of an epiphany.

A. A pre-existing condition that evolved into Diverticulitis a couple years back.

B. By not eating for days at a time, my digestive system is all confused. It doesn't know if it's on vacation or it's business as usual. Suffice to say, every day brings me a surprise!

C. External aggravating issues that seem to impact that area of my person, inspiring occasional to frequent episodes of losing....... 
                     !!!FOCUS!!!

I have to plan out the next couple of days, which include a variable at this time. Said variable is not essential to leaving, but is significant for other reasons.

It really comes down to "fish or go drown myself".

We'll see.

On a couple of more positive notes...

I was in a convenience store getting cheap smokes when a woman approaches me and asks....

"Is that your van out there?"

With a bit of trepidation I said..."yes"...not knowing if I was about to be verbally assaulted or not. Just then she says either...

"YOU'RE BRILLIANT!"

or

"YOU'RE A GENIUS!"

I don't recall exactly which because I was taken aback... not what I was expecting.

Turns out she is a big fan of my writing and ways of looking at things. This led to a very nice conversation and she offered me some help getting to Mississippi. Couldn't have come at a better moment as I was REALLY spent...had slept perhaps 5 hours over 3 days...not eaten in 4....and was dancing around morose.

It certainly altered my direction in quite a nice way!

Also...this.....

Saw this guy while walking around Keansburg Amusement Park on Sunday. I asked if I could take a picture, and he was more than happy to pose. After getting the shot, as I walked away, I noticed a couple of patches to his vest out the corner of my eye.

One was a POW-MIA black patch and the other a military one I don't recall which branch. I asked him if he was retired military, to which he replied he was.

I reached out with my hand to shake his and thanked him for his service. His face really lit up, eyes a wee watery, and replied "God bless you!" to me.

Made me really glad I stopped to get the picture. And I said/say back to him, "God bless you, as well".

Will post again, soon.

Until next time....

Frustrated..No Wait..Make that....

...exasperated!

The Sovereign Conversion Van Of Wonders' trans is acting up, steering feels loose, and brakes uneven.

That's just the beginning ....

The faithful readers here are aware of my bout with diverticulitis  2 years ago. Well....this morning I found myself passing some blood. Never a good sign. The last couple of days I have had some significant bouts of pain, I attributed to my erratic eating habits.

SIDETRACK: When I get stressed or feel sullen, I simply can't eat. And if I do, I pay dearly for it afterwards. In the last few weeks I have had multiple days where I ate nothing. Currently my weight is around 130. Thus, I attributed the aforementioned
pain to an increase in consumption.

Add to that scant resources to heading out...

Exasperated!

This weekend is make or break. I'll be leaving where I am staying Saturday morning, and then...who knows. The cash I receive isn't enough to get me to Mississippi, and winds up going to day to day stuff. I am not wasting it, not at all. But all things automotive take it's toll.

Long story short.....

Things, aside from physical, are status quot. I'll be reaching out to the guy offering the gig to see if it's still alive, and I am hell bent on getting to Texas in July. But for right now, just trying to get to tomorrow so I can move away from today.

Please keep good thoughts....

False Start.....

KINDA LATE UPDATE!

The planets were not aligned for me to leave on the 1st. On my end, resources and mechanical. On the other end a slight scheduling change. Thus, new date...hopefully carved in stone...is June 11th. It has a couple of advantages....

A. My friend who's back got injured keeps me around for a few more days to help things out.

B. I replaced the leaky radiator hose myself! The patch didn't work, so I had to go buy one and get installed.

C. Attend the wedding, Saturday,  of my best friend "The Bronx Italian's" daughter who I've known since she was 2 years old. Like a daughter to me, truth be told.

D. Added time to get some additional resources to pay for the gas down to the gig.


And, as you all know, in July I'll be attending the "Restoring Love" event in Dallas, Texas.

The thing is SOLD OUT and I am fortunate enough to be attending and volunteering.

In a prelude leading up to that, Mercury One has started a National Food Drive, targeting 11 cities and towns as beneficiaries of said effort. In less than one full day since the announcement, over Half A MILLION meals have been donated, filling 11 full sized tractor trailers!!!

That is damn significant!!!

Look...I am homeless, but quite blessed. I had the comforts of The Sovereign Conversion Van Of Wonders to sleep and eat in. I had the safety of Camp Scooter:SouthEast, Afscootistan to reside in, with a generator and a Walmart steps away. Food was never an issue!

Many homeless people and families are not as lucky. Some have spent the winters on park benches or over sewer grates for heat. O'Bama increasing the Food Stamp rolls by 44% and giving to folks who really have no way to prepare food is nice, but not completely helpful.

Add to that the cities and towns that make feeding the homeless and less fortunate a major challenge with regulations that make no real sense, you have a gap in care.

SIDETRACK: Nanny Mayor Mikey Bloomberg issued a decree that no city homeless shelter can accept foods that are a tad "fatty" or salt laden. TONS of food...gone to waste. Then complaints arise that the money isn't there to serve meals that pass the Michelle O'Bama Arugula Seal of Approval.

Makes no sense, does it?

During The Great Depression, houses of Worship, private citizens, and philanthropists donate time, money, and resources to feed the lost and broken. Back then, the government didn't put a myriad of obstacles in the way of reaching out and providing. Granted, some towns create a problem for serving, so they can shoo away those in need. That's a separate issue.

What Mercury One is trying to achieve is get the meals in the belly's of those who need it. Safe food, warm food, tasty food....with maybe a bit of sugar and salt, too!

By clicking HERE you can learn more about this effort, and get involved.

As for your humble narrator, I'll be doing what I can for my friend and my excursion. As always, please keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I seek my way on to a new life.

Until next time.....