The Purple Pack

For Halloween 2010 I dressed up as Dora the Explorer.

I made a quick run to Wal-Mart and purchased a purple backpack for $5, and I haven't parted with it since.

It is deceivingly big and can comfortably hold everything I need for a 5 day trip. It fits my life so perfectly I have used it as a purse, as a school bag and my permanent travel companion. It has been with me to New York, DC, Florida, Colorado, Texas, California, Illinois and all of the UK.

The Purple Pack in Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh, Scotland. 

It has developed a personality of its own, I like to think that it has changed as much as I have with  the things it's seen and experienced. The pins and doodles are each scars and stories of each new place. I have been keeping journals since I was in 5th grade and I like to have a notebook specific for each trip. (Post about it to come later). But this backpack is a collection of all the stories, it is sort of a friend who was there with me through every trip.

I could get a newer, better one. With more space and better design with comfortable straps. But I don't want it. Just like my old beat up Converse, it has been with me everywhere, it was there when I stopped making excuses for staying put ("not enough money, not old enough, don't know anybody, still in school" you've heard them all) and I like to think that Dora's spirit did dawn on me with this backpack and I finally started exploring.

It became a sort of running joke with my friend Carmela, when she followed my lead and dressed up as Dora in 2011, acquiring for herself a purple pack of her own. Amongst many things, we share the love of travel, and now a recent graduate, I hope she gets a bit of the explorer spirit herself.

M.

The joys of planning.

For somebody who loves being spontaneous and care-free I have the habit of planning way too much. I guess what I like most about it is actually getting the chance to fulfill my plans and than just throw them out the window. For example, I recently went to the UK for three weeks and I was so excited I didn't know what to do with myself. I spent my last few days at work looking over travel guides just to pass the time, and I had a huge list of things I wanted to see and do. I didn't do a single one of those. I actually wrote down a physical list that was with me all the time while I was in the UK and although I looked at it frequently, I didn't tick off a single box. And it was amazing. Now that I have some free time before my next adventure I can't help but wanting to plan more things. In 2015 I will go on a round the world trip for year to celebrate getting my master's, even though after getting a master's I'll definitely not have enough money to go to the park, let alone around the world. But I'm planning for it, and it's gonna be grand. What are some big plans you guys loved actively ignoring? M. p.s. my new shirt came in and I love it. Even more bc it matches my blog backgroun.

I'm a Dandelion!

   Sometimes people give these amazing talks that just click so deeply inside that I feel obliged to blog about it. And sometimes it makes me want to do even more than that.

   I admire people who have the guts to try out things, that have an idea and stick to it, whether it seems likely to work out or not. I also like to pretend I am one of those people, I just haven't had my big idea yet, but when I do I'm not gonna let the world tell me no.
   Well, that's right, I won't let the world tell me no, because I'll already have done that for myself. It doesn't have to be a big idea, hell it doesn't even have to be a good one. I am great at not doing things, not because I think they won't work out, or they'll back fire, but because I think they won't matter. But I need to be ok with that.
  I am still surprised I've stuck with this blog for as long as I have, seeing that it is not immensely popular, and it sure doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things, but I love it and I'm glad I spread this little seed. And that's what I want to talk about, the awesomeness of trying things. Neil Gaiman is one of the people I most admire and he gave this amazing talk at the 2013 London Book Fair about the future of publishing. It's awesome and I encourage anybody to make time to watch it.

   
I've read and loved the Calendar of Tales,  and when the art part came around I actually wanted to make something for it, but didn't because I'm not really artistic and this and that. And so many other excuses I use for so many other things in my life. BUT NO MORE! Because I am a Dandelion! and its about time I've started acting as such.

  I created a folder on my desktop called Projects and I downloaded one of Neil's narrative of my favorite story, because even though video submissions are done, I still want to make one, so I will. I also decided to give another shot at something I had failed quite miserably a couple months ago, in a different town. Those are just two, but I've got plenty more seeds that I've been hoarding for myself in the hopes 1993 comes back, and that has been a waste of some good 22 years.

M.