The Cirque (and I) go to Portland!

Portland, Oregon - Something unusual is in the air today...the sun.  Though I have been soaked to the bone with the wet Northwest climate, the sun is out today, creating a wonderful vibe in the city of Portland.  I have traveled up here to work with the Cirque du Soleil for the next 6 weeks, while also giving me an opportunity to explore yet another area of the country.  The first thing I found out is that living in a motor home in the rainy Northwest is much more challenging than I had imagined.  I am finding out that my rig is nowhere near waterproof...not even water-resistant, really.  All those times that I procrastinated on resealing the roof has come back and enacted its revenge upon me.  The dampness contained within it's confines is palpable.  So the logical steps for me is to get outside my four walls!  I am finding that cabin fever can run rampant if you let the weather outside dictate your daily plans.

Thus, I have been making a concerted effort to go outside my walls and explore.  One of the main reasons for making this voyage to the Northwest was to visit with friends up in this area of the country, check out the local attractions and immerse myself in its culture.  Since I will be heading back to the mountains of California for my summer job in the National Forest, I figured it would be a good time to get my dose of live music, tasty foods and other activities that are nonexistent while in the remote areas that I haunt in the summer months.  If anyone out there has any good recommendations for exploring the area, please leave a comment for me!

The Life and Times of the Cirquador Kid!

Santa Monica, CA - When living the life whimsical, you can get into some interesting situations.  You can also come across some very interesting employment opportunities.  Case in point: I am now working for the Cirque du Soleil in Santa Monica, California.  In typical fashion, I just happened to be in the right place at the right time.  A chance encounter with a fellow van dweller in the deserts of Arizona garnered a friendship.  Through that friendship, I learned that the Cirque du Soleil was hiring people through a temp agency in Los Angeles.  The rest is history, I suppose.  Or at least history in progress at this point.

My first impression of working for the Cirque?  Amazing.  I am an usher for the show and thus get the opportunity to see the show nearly every day.  I'm assuming that at some point I will tire of the show through repetition, though I have a strong feeling that will not be anytime soon.  Small acrobats flying through the air, lithe forms with fluid movements gliding and sailing across the stage.  The shear strength and agility of these performers is on the verge of superhuman.  For me, they conjure the images of superheroes, though that may be in part to the fact that they wear tights.  I can only imagine the training and discipline they have had to endure throughout their years.  Hell, I struggle just to do a handstand.  For the majority of the show my mouth is gaped open in awe.  And for the other part, I'm somewhere between giggling and guffawing.  It is truly an entertaining spectacle.

I must give props to both Cirque du Soleil and Adecco, the worldwide temporary staffing company, for their treatment of employees.  From conversations with people employed directly through Cirque,which is headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, I get the feeling that it is an amazing company to work for.  Their employees work hard and the company treats them with respect and rewards them with great benefits.  They are well taken care of to be certain.  As for Adecco, I can only speak to the people that hired me and those that manage us on a daily basis.  The one thing that can be said - they are happy to be there.  Honestly, that says a lot.  That happiness with their jobs translates to them treating all of us especially well.  Thus, it provides a great work environment to be a part of.

I do feel so lucky to have added this to my repertoire of experiences.  After all, isn't that what life is really all about?  Stories you can tell and experiences you can share.  Well, my shift starts in less than an hour...so it's off to the circus for me!

My Life as a Procrastinator

Adelanto, CA - Yikes.  That's all I have to say, really.  I have no good excuse for my 8 month sabbatical from writing.  Certainly things have occurred, life has been lived, roads have been traveled...you get the picture.  I could blame it on writer's block or lie and say I've been too busy.  But I think I will just fall back on the good ol' standby of Procrastination, a lifelong companion of mine.  After a month, I thought "wow, I should really write some of this down".  After two months, I didn't know where to start and what to include...it's not easy condensing one's life to a few paragraphs.  After six months, the task became so incredibly daunting, that I just ignored it.

Yet, after meeting up in the desert with 90 other like-minded people for the 2nd Annual Rubber Tramp Rendezvous, I felt somewhat reinspired to jot things down, if for no other reason than to document where I've been and who I've met.  At the very least, I can look back 20 years from now and say "I did what?!?!"  So that's a plus.

So how does one sum up life for a period of seven months?  Certainly not well.  Maybe one day I'll come back and write more about each of these, but for now, here is a quick list:

• Backpacked the Lost Coast Trail in Northern California - a 4 day, 26 mile point to point endeavor that had me witness some of the most gorgeous scenery I've seen
• Started training for a Search & Rescue Team in Fresno, CA
• Returned to Lake Edison in the Sierra National Forest for another summer of campground hosting
• Backpacked 5 or 6 more trips during the summer months in the forest
• Had several friends come visit me at the campground, including a visit from my parents, who drove their truck camper out from Michigan and stayed with me for almost 3 weeks (yes, my parents have a truck camper...clearly this is where I get my wanderlust)
• Volunteered on a WWOOF farm near San Luis Obispo in October (Carrizo Lavender Farm) and helped build an EcoDome (similar to rammed earth home)
• Traveled to Baja, Mexico for some relaxation and community work (helping Santa deliver toys, medicine, food and clothing to almost a dozen remote villages)
• Met up with friends in San Luis Obispo for the New Year
• Attended the 2nd Annual Rubber Tramp Rendezvous in Quartzsite, AZ
• Visited Slab City (some call it "The Slabs") in California

OK, that is about the lamest summation I've written, but for now it will have to do.  I simply wanted to post something to help jump-start me into writing mode.  I'll see ya down the road...

It feels like Home

Vermillion Campground, Sierra National Forest, CA - I know it’s clique, but home really is where the heart is…and at this moment, I feel right at home.  Today I arrived at Vermillion Campground on Lake Thomas A. Edison, located in the Sierra National Forest of California.   I worked at the same location for the better part of last summer, finally heading off the mountain in early October.  Now, a mere 8 months later, I am back again and feeling euphoric about the coming months.  I spent the majority of the day relocating both my motorhome and tow vehicle back to the campground from Huntington Lake.  Though the distance is a mere 21 miles between the two, 17 of those miles are a single lane paved road with a ton of exposure to sheer drops.  Driving the motorhome, it took me just under 3 hours to complete the journey…that may seem long for 21 miles, but I had to stay in 1^st gear the entire time to climb hills and descend slopes.  Upon arrival, I started working on getting the campground to cleaned up for opening day this Friday.  That was followed by going back to Huntington Lake (21 miles) to get my tow vehicle, lovingly called “The Blizzard” (she is as white as a snow bank).  Driving “the Blizzard” back to Vermillion without the difficulty maneuvering the motorhome, it took just over an hour to make it back.

At this point I was exhausted and just wanted to relax, but I still needed to level the RV so that I could use my refrigerator.  Yet if it wasn’t for this final task that I had to complete prior to settling down for the night, I never would have seen the image that took me by surprise.  I happened to gaze east over the lake and I witnessed the moon idly sitting above the snow covered mountains, just ever so briefly filtering through the branches of the Jeffery pine surrounding me.  It was breathtaking.  And that is when I realized that this is where I want to be.  And that this is where my heart lies…