Gravity

"I think that gravity sets into everything, including careers, but pendulums do swing and mountains do become valleys after a while... if you keep on walking."

-Sylvester Stallone

Us vehicle dwellers spend a lot of time talking about stuff like stealth camping and how to make a comfortable sleeping areas, but one thing we rarely address has a huge impact on how we set up our living spaces: gravity. Those living in sticks and bricks don't have to consider this much, there homes are stationary, but we drive our homes and those sharp turns are killer.

You're driving down the road, happy as a lark, when you spot that gas station you've been looking for. Turning signal on, you turn left and... Crash. Your books fall off the shelves, every drawer comes open, and by the time you pull up to the pump your home looks like it's been through an earthquake.

I cleaned my car out today and once again tried to preempt gravity by tying everything I own to something else. Living in a minimally altered car means there are few things to secure my stuff to, so it's kind of a balancing act. You know how parents automatically put their right arm across the passenger seat when they stop suddenly? I do that to my books.

So be warned, future vehicle dwellers, and take notice of ship galleys. Loose stuff = big mess so nail it down, tie it down, or find another way to cheat gravity.

In other news I found my driver's license! See? I knew it was in my car someplace.

The Birds!

This morning I woke up a few minutes before my alarm went off and lay in bed trying to piece together where I was and what I was suppose to do next. Eventually I rolled over and drew back the curtains... and froze. The hood of my car and the surrounding ground was covered in seagulls. It was like Alfred Hitchcock peppered the Jetta with breadcrumbs while I slept. Finally I had to turn the car on and had their feet been tied to my bumpers, the sheer number of them could probably have carried my car away.

I've been doing a lot of writing about American Nomads for my independent study class and, no offence, I'm getting pretty sick of us. In my paper I'm arguing that we are an independent subculture, which is tough to prove when there is no info on us besides what we ourselves write. Every other country in the world recognizes their nomads as a distinct culture, but Americans don't even acknowledge nomads exist.

In 1888 a Spanish missionary mused on the disposition of a traveling band of gypsies. “This life” he said, “seemingly so wretched, has its charms for these outcasts, who live without care and anxiety, without a thought beyond the present hour, and who sleep as sound in… ravines amongst rocks and pines, as the proudest grandee in his palace at Seville or Madrid” (Borrow, 1888).