Moving on to the MV Narrative and joining it’s community is a really big life change for me. One that should raise some doubts, requires careful planning and personal growth. I’ve also tried to build in some personal tests to make sure I’ll actually enjoy living this differently.

There have been challenges. Like being in the “cone of uncertainty” for 2 hurricanes, moving into a place that wasn’t quite ready, being far away from everyone I know, struggling to be more extroverted, etc. However, I’ve also lived more than I think I would have if I’d stayed put. The highlight of which has been the several SpaceX launches I’ve seen, including the Crew-5 launch. As well as the SLS launch for Artemis I, seen here:

Milestones

• I fixed the price of my residence in May with a small fee. It’s likely already more valuable. Which also gives me an out as I can sell it once it’s paid for and built.
• June to August I downsized my life considerably. Not as far as I’ll need to do before getting on the boat, but down to a 1 bedroom place.
• I moved to Florida at the end of August. Which has a few reasons, but for this it’s a test of change and living differently. It also saves me considerable money that I need to do this.
• In October, after having to do unexpected repairs, the house in Scottsdale was sold. One of my biggest returns on an investment ever. It’s the primary funding for my new floating home. I miss it, but also don’t.
• Also In October I ran my plan and financial expectations past some professional planners. It’s a little tight for the long term, but I can do it. It would be wise to keep earning though.
• In November I concluded a deal with my company to give it to the management employees in exchange for a permanent salary and share of the profits. I’m still on the board, but no longer CEO. The hope is they will also be able to grow it in ways I couldn’t. This frees up not only my time, but my mind.

As the interior designs for the MV Narrative near completion I’ve had the opportunity to participate in what some areas will be like. It’s one of the selling points of all this. We have real, tangible input. I think I’ve had some valuable ideas.

Next up I’m waiting for the “cutting of the steel” in the shipyards which will be when the contract for my residence will begin and it’s first payment. The building contract was finalized in September (I think), which gave us a better idea when the ship will launch. Fall, 2025.

I’m also going to explore ideas for other income streams as a little extra will help. Plus if it’s more than a little it will help me do good things along the way.

Lastly, this endeavor is a lot of living for the future. So I’m making sure to live in the now as much as I can. It’s the now of the new narrative that’s important.

On the plus side, there has been an amazing amount of good work by a lot of people. My view is limited, but there are no political divides or other lesser issues in the face of the very human needs. People have just helped. It was a good opportunity for me to get rid of all the (practically new) extra pillows and blankets I only moved as cushioning I was not expecting to do yard work living here, nothing substantial anyway, but dang I’ve moved a lot of leaves, sticks and moss.

I’ve wanted to see an in person launch at NASA since I was a kid. So FINALLY! SpaceX Crew-5 sending 4 to the ISS. Historic because of Nicole Aunapu Mann as well. It was a perfectly beautiful day and less crowded than I think it would normally have been. A lot of family and friends of the astronauts hanging out in the bleachers. I didn’t do much else at the Kennedy Space Center as I’d been there 3 years ago with my sisters and this was the longest (8hr) I’d left Cinnamon alone for since moving, but I’m sure I’ll be back. Lastly, the full 4k video below without any post zooming.

There have a been 4 SpaceX launches since I moved here. The first 3 I could hear from my place, but not see due to clouds. The 4th was very visible and very cool. I’m still learning my new camera though and didn’t get the best video. Eventually, I’ll get tickets to see one at KSC or thereabouts. I also went out twice to try and catch the Artemis launch, but that of course hasn’t happened yet.

The big drama now is Hurricane Ian. It’s making landfall on the other side of the state, but still going to have a major impact here. The area is under watch and expected to have high winds and 10+ inches of rain. I’m in a flood zone as well as having a door step just 3″ from the ground. The official warnings have all included “loss of life” so everyone is taking it seriously.

I’ve been on the edges before, but never had any chance of 100+mph winds or 10-15″ of rain. So I’m a bit apprehensive. But I’m also seeing it as a planning test. This won’t be the only storm. The other side of this is that this is why I’m here. To live and have different experiences. To continue to expand my horizons, even if there is some risk. To this end, some daily impressions below. I’ll update as I’m able.

• Tuesday: The outer bands of clouds have arrived and I noted this morning the dead silence outside. It’s normally full of bird and bug sounds. Not today, the quiet before the storm is real. I’m ready with supplies and an emergency plan. As of the evening I have sandbags in front of the doors. There is a curfew over night the next few days and I’m in an area under “voluntary evacuation”(Which means I have permission to head to a shelter. ) The current path has Ian kind of parked over the center of the state as it moves slowly north, so there will be flooding. (The day has also included filling taxes for ’21, a major work issue, house selling negotiations and managing repairs).
• Wednesday: The morning started off with what I’d call a bad storm. It’s gotten worse every hour. The rain goes from downpour to insane and back again. More rain than Phoenix gets in a year, in just a few hours. The wind speed and gusts haven’t been as bad as it was in the SW, but the local airport clocked 75mph gusts and consistently about 50mph since about 2pm(it’s now 2am Thursday). I’ve set my self alarms for when it’s expected to really rain so I can check the sandbags. Most of the day I didn’t have any fear being near the windows, however as the wind speed keeps climbing I’m now staying in the bedroom away from them. There are regular bangs as things hit the building and what little I can see of the yard is it’s full of debris. The bad news is this is going to go on for another 24 hours and the worst is yet to come.
• Thursday: It’s not so much the speed of the wind, or hourly rainfall. It’s the number of hours. It just didn’t stop. From 3am to about 2 pm it was just non stop gale force winds. Not the massive damage seen in the south west, but still a lot of flooding and wind damage around here. The center of the storm went just south of me, which means we got the “Eyewall” amount or rain and wind. Which lasted about 4 hr. I mostly kept the water out, but it was at one point right up to my stoop. Damage though is not to bad that I’ve seen so far. My fence is down, front door awning is bent up, one of the glassbricks is busted and full of water and there is debris filling up the back yard. I think the worst time was the 5 hours where cellular and internet both went out. So all I had was an emergency radio. I felt rather isolated. It’s evening now and the wind has finally died down. Still raining so there is still the likelyhood of more flooding, but probably not for me. Most of the water has receded and I managed to get Cinnamon outside to pee for the first time in a few days. The ground doesn’t feel like ground. As I’ve slept about 2 hr I’m headed to bed for hopefully a long rest. Tomorrow, clean up.

• Friday: I’ve spent the morning cleaning up and looking around. I feel very lucky. This neighborhood of block construction homes and steel roofs seems to have escaped anything major. Worst for me is a downed fence, some minor water issues, minimal exterior damage and this pile of stuff in front of the door. My car even got missed by several large branches. My worst fear, storm surge, didn’t seem to affect the bay. The bad is that there are flooded homes nearby, many roads are impassable and just about everyone has had some damage. A shopping center up the street had roofs and walls collapse for example. I hear sirens about every 15m. So a lot of issues out there still. It’s far far worse on the west coast. I’m now heading next door to help move more debris.

A new place:

I arrived Friday afternoon to find my one bedroom casita to not be ready. It’s been renovated, yet many obvious things hadn’t been done. For example, exposed electrical on every wall, layers of mud, broken AC, years of crud in various spots and an army of spiders. Just to mention a few problems. This in addition to the setup related stuff you’d have in a new house.

The good news is that the landlord has been good to work with and took care of the critical stuff quickly. Yet, I’m also having to do a lot of the work myself. This isn’t entirely negative as I wanted a place that would let me make changes without hassle. Like a large dog door. Plus, it will help me stay active.

There is of course an element of change. Moving from Nimitz to a far more affordable casita is going to be a shock. Which is ok, I was expecting that. Testing my flexibility is part of the plan. In the end, this little place will serve my needs while saving a considerable amount of money. Money I hope to spend on travel expenses.

I’ve also been living without stuff. The container with my furniture and everything arrived Thursday. So I’ve spent the week with an air mattress as my only piece of furniture.

An old place:

When I arrived Friday. Nimitz went on the market to be sold. It took a LOT of work to downsize and get it ready. But it looks really good. So good that I had an offer on it within 24 hrs for near asking. Because of the fear of a turning market and seeing similar houses having to drop in price, I accepted it. It’s now in escrow and one of the tricky things of the week. Doing most of it on my phone as I didn’t have internet yet.

A moon shot:

I have spent a little bit of time exploring. Went out to the Ponce De Leon inlet to (not) watch the Artemis I launch. Unlike a few miles south it had a lot of people, yet was not mobbed. I took a nice walk around and it wasn’t even hot until the end. I’ll probably go to the same spot for the next try tomorrow. Tickets for an up close viewing aren’t possible to get, but I’ll do that for some future launch.

How are we doing?

Change brings a lot of emotions. But I’m actually doing fairly well in all. I can feel some of the pains of the last few years mellowing and I’m excited for the new. There is adjustment and I don’t really know anyone here so that may lead to some down feelings.

Cinnamon is settling in and seems to be less anxious as routine develops. Although there are moments when there is unquestionably cognitive decline. All the new things to sniff and explore though do seem to make her happy though. I think the lack of stairs is helping as well.

This next week I should have my place setup and I plan to sit still a good amount. August was a LOT in many ways. Additionally, I think one of my first adventures here will be kayaking. Probably at first with a tour as there are dangers I’m unfamiliar with. Alligators and river currents.

Thanks for reading!

I decided to take 6 days to do it, with one full day stop in the middle. Partly because Cinnamon has never traveled this far. The week before we left she wasn’t doing well at all, joint issues, possible broke or sprained a foot and general anxiety about everything being different.

However, contrary to what I expected she has done very well for an old dog. The car has been no problem at all(other than I’m a bit tired of lifting her 60lbs in and out). Also, she has done good in the hotel rooms. Having her bed with us has helped a lot, always somewhere safe and familiar to be. She has also enjoyed all the new smells and we’ve had some good, if limited adventures.

The highlight of the trip has been rain and rain and rain. It’s not stopped raining since New Mexico and I’m in Pensacola writing this. It’s turned one 9 hr. day in to 11 hr. and made every day a much harder drive. Quite harrowing at times.

There was some rather weird lightning in Texas as well. The sky would light up violet. I’ve never seen anything like that.

I was having a hard time eating in Texas, but once I hit Louisiana I had a catfish po’boy and gator bits, because I happened to be next to a great Cajun place. I maybe ate too much food in one sitting.

I got taken in by southern charm and didn’t realize I was talking to a dealer until he offered me heroin. “Lucky” was a nice guy otherwise. It was a reminder of how much of a bubble I’ve been living in as well.

Because of the weather I’ve not really seen or done anything else. The only things I could do with a dog are outside and that’s just been a big nope.

As I travel cleaning and staging is being done on the house. Which looks great so far. It will be up on MLS this week. Unfortunately I’m probably going to have to do more expensive repairs.

As of this writing I’ve made it into Florida. Pensacola, so I have about 6 more hours to go. I’ll be glad to get settled as it’s not been the easiest drive. Largely drama free though, so that’s been good.

(for those email subscribed, sorry, still having formatting issues)

As I make a change in life, I decided to review:

As a young man, with nary a possession, I found myself “Standing on the corner in Winslow Arizona”. No one but the cops were “Slowin’ down to look at me”. I used the last of my money to get to Phoenix and went to work as a day laborer. Buying a used bike allowed me to take on easier jobs. Which then led to jobs where I could use my limited vocational electronics education. Namely in woodworking and associated office work. Then came my BBS(Dial-up Bulletin Board System), a job in tech support and the beginning of a long career in internet technologies. Along the way the kindness of many made it possible.

As I became stable I stumbled across the concept of social nudity and took the brave step of going to a clothing optional camp-out. It was life changing. Partly because I found good people, but partly because I felt more…me. I suspect now, that I was drawn to it because my sensory processing of touch is sometimes abnormal. Clothing can hurt.

Through nudism I learned of Burning Man. Which is clothing optional, but not a nudist place. I went initially because I didn’t like being segregated from the textile world. As well as seeking acceptance of my odd self. It too was life changing. The principles of Burning Man became my principles.

The theme camps, art projects and social endeavors I’ve done over the years lead to real world skills and confidence. Which led me to starting a business (the one hosting this blog )

Burning Man also led to relationships and eventually polyamory. Giving me the opportunity for a long and loving relationship. It ended in violence and mental illness, but 15 years is quite a success in the poly world. Burning Man also gave me a vast network of people I would call friends, even if I rarely see them or have never met them. There is always a hug out there.

As I begin a new journey I look back at the joys, success, failures and traumas. I see a strength I don’t always feel and the influences of many that guided me. I see a path of growth that only looks to continue. I see a willingness to step into the unknown and I see a future without fear.

Thank you Arizona for all you’ve given me. It’s not goodbye, only see you later.