Life is Not Like a Box of Chocolates!

In "Forrest Gump" Forrest says to the lady 'My mama always told me that life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get." I submit that is pure poppycock. If there is one thing that is certain in life, if you have a box of chocolates you're going to get two things: Chocolates, and the little paper holders for each one.

That said, I've been waxing philosophical lately, and after that first thought came to mind, I wondered, 'So what is life like?' A bowl of cherries? By that do you mean it either rots slowly or gets eaten? Is Life a game? And if it is, which game should it be? Some people would have you think it's like 'Monopoly' but that's not true either. In Monopoly everyone starts with the same amount of money. Boy that ain't true to life.

I've played a lot of games in my life, from Age of Conan to Yahtzee! Sometimes I don't have a Clue what I'm doing until I've played the game for a while. Given my personality, Solitaire is as good a game as any, whether played on a computer or with cards. But my life and my personality, though intertwined, are not the same thing.

Recently, I've been playing a computer-based version of Solitaire called 'Spider Solitaire.' I'm not going to get into the details, if you're interested, it's on most versions of Windows. But the gist of it is, you put cards together to make stacks of the same suit. While learning the ropes of this game, I have found that much of it correlates to my life. Here's how:

I've had to type this section several times to get the words right. My computer keyboard with its backspace button allows me to start from scratch and try another way of writing what I'm feeling. Spider Solitaire is like that. You can follow the flow of the cards for a while, realize you made a mistake, and then undo it and start where you made the mistake. The path to victory is filled with redos.

It's all about the path you take. I'm not a believer in destiny, but I am a believer that we make our own way through life. We make mistakes. We can't always correct them like in the game, but when one path doesn't work, we can always try another path. And life has taught me that there is no one right path to a happy life.

Some people find it easy to get on a train with hundreds of others who all follow the same path. Others, like me, see a path before them, see others finding an easy way along the path, but struggle to follow the same path. I had that experience while on the Appalacian Trail. While I struggled to take the path before me, or sometimes to even find the path, others would pass me as if I were standing still, and I often was.

In Spider Solitaire there is no one solution. But if you are patient, and can see where you made the mistakes, you can slowly make your way to victory.

I will continue to scout out a path, sometimes diving in head first, only to come out of the bushes battered and bruised. Sometimes I'll come off the path to find I've gone in a completely different direction than I wanted to, and then I find that the new direction feels better that the old one. Sometimes, I have to backtrack.

The only finality in life is death. Until then, I will take the paths that are offered, or, if none are there, I will make my own path.

I'm a Loner - Fear Not

First, my condolences to those affected by the killing spree in Aurora Colorado. I use to live in that area long ago.

It seems every time one of these shootings happens, the press like to make it very clear that the perpetrator is a loner.

As if it were impossible for someone who is socially astute to commit such crimes.

I am a loner. I have been all my life. I prefer to sit by myself somewhere, reading, writing, shooting videos in the background. I am about as passive as they come.

I am also as peaceful as they come. Yes, I sometimes stand up to make my voice heard, but I will never do it in a violent way. Even in my writing I try very hard to keep the violence to a minimum, or at the very least show the consequences of violence.

So what are we to do with these loners? It's obvious they are the ones committing atrocious acts. Shall we lock up all those that do not have someone else with them at all times? Shall we make it a crime to sit under a tree reading a book? Shall we give every loner a psychological evaluation and then use drugs to transform them into society's picture of perfection? The kind of people who make friends easily? The life of the party - every party?

Honestly, we just want to be left alone to do the things we like to do. In very rare instances that includes plotting to kill people. But then, you'll find that outgoing, personable people go crazy too. Those that need mental health treatment are hard to recognize - until it's too late. Even the crazy ones aren't likely to think of themselves that way.

The truth is, there is no easy answer to prevent outbreaks like what happened in Aurora. Thankfully, such outbreaks are so rare that even in this gun-totin', game playin' society, it shocks people.

Where's Batman when you need him?

I'm going to miss that car

Today, I turn my rental car in for the first time in 60 days. We've had some good times in that interval, that Ford Focus and I. Long hours driving (over 6K miles, most in the first 30 days) Long hours sleeping in it, at first in the back scrunched in, then laying in the driver's seat, reclined back. Playing with my computer, watching TV on it, listening to the radio and hearing songs that I've never heard before because I didn't have access to a radio before. Some of the songs I would rather not hear again, as they were not that good to begin with and ALL the radio stations played them over and over again.

I had a similar attachment to  my previous car. I didn't live out of it, (not all the time anyway) but I still felt a connection to it. I miss that car most, because it was all mine. I totaled it in 2005 when I rear-ended a truck in a dangerous intersection. I didn't know it was dangerous until it was too late. The tow truck driver told me as he was hauling my car away, the front end smashed.

*Sniff*

Now I've gone and made myself cry. I'll be crying again in a couple of hours when I turn the car in.

Seriously, anyone have a old car or van they want to give away? I promise it will make a good home!

In the meantime, enjoy this bicycle ad!

Kickstarter, Part Deux.

Earlier this year, I attempted to get some funding for Mike's News Hangout using Kickstarter, which helps fund creative concepts. Apparently my attempt fell short of their expectations, largely because it was not time sensitive, and really, had no set goal other than to shoot video.

Yet I went on my trip anyway, with the money I had. Now that the money has run dry, I'm trying Kickstarter again, only this time, I'm narrowing the focus to  what I really had wanted to do in the first place, create a documentary on why baseball fans are so, well, fanatical.

The process was different this time, they've streamlined things considerably. And since I'm more focused, they approved it after a few days of waiting. So here is the link to the project:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mikesnewshangout/baseball-fans-across-the-country

This project has 59 days to find $5,000 in funding for me to continue my journey. There are some incentives, such as if you donate $20 or more, you get a DVD copy of the documentary once it's done. If you donate $1,000 or more, I'll treat you and 4 of your friends to a baseball game in your area and even interview you for the documentary.

If I don't make the goal, but it does make some money, I don't get any money. Which is one reason why the goal is so low. I could use more money than that, but $5,000 will go a long way.

So if you want to donate toward it, please click on the link!

Let's See Some Videos!

Below is a list of the different videos I have posted since this grand adventure began, mostly in the last couple of days. I'm going to put them here in the order of which they were shot.

On May 22, 2012, I set out from Raleigh, NC and headed north, to Washington D.C. I was hoping to catch the Washington Nationals before moving on, but that didn't work out. Instead, I went to the Smithsonian. Here are the videos associated with that trip!



Next I continued to travel north and found the Baltimore Orioles playing at home. This is the footage from that trip.



I had hoped to catch the Phillies at home, but I was disappointed. My next stop (at a high toll price) was Pittsburgh, where before the game I caught a street party in progress, as well as the game. This was the most fun I had by myself on the trip.



Next on the agenda was a trip to Massachusetts. I went on a roundabout trip, trying to avoid tolls, and passed through upper New York State to get there. I picked up my daughter along the way and we spent the night near Boston after watching the Red Sox  play. This was extremely ejoyable for me, as I hadn't seen her in 8 years.



After I dropped her off at her home, I headed south again and into Connecticut, I passed a sign that said 'Providence, and on a whim, I followed it. When I got to Providence, I found the Providence Zoo, and on another whim, I went there.



After spending the night near Providence, I traveled south, and saw a sign for a local park that turned out to be a beach. I shot some very windy footage there. Sorry, no bathing beauties.



I then continued my trek south and caught the New York Mets playing at home. This was the most disappointing ball game for several reasons: First, the Mets lost, the only home team to have done so when I was recording. Second the weather threatened all day long and the crowd was non-existent. And third, Citi Field, where the Mets play, felt like I was thrust into one big commercial. Too many ads and other corporate stuff going on for me to really enjoy myself.



After the game, I spent one of the first nights sleepling in my car at a rest stop. Then I headed back to New York to get a look at the Yankees. I caught the arrest of a man (not included on this list) and video of a couple of homeless cats outside Yankee Stadium, before I took the Yankee Stadium tour. They would not let me use video while on that tour and I was reminded of that several times as I used my video camera to take pictures. For my $20 I got some pictures and a keychain with the Yankees logo.

The game itself was somewhat disappointing. Unlike most other parks there was a steady stream of people going up and down the aisle, blocking my view and the camera when I was shooting. And some of the fans were obnoxious too. This is also the only game where I left early, to make sure I caught my train to where I had parked in Connecticut. Still, I had fun.



When I came out of New York, I headed north again. A friend had invited me to a charity lacrosse game in Massachusetts a few days from then. To kills time before then, I headed into upstate New York again and took in Niagara Falls. There is some very good footage in this, as well as shots of the camera lens getting wet as I walked to a spot under the falls. I enjoyed this immensely!



Then I headed back to Massachusetts and took in the lacrosse game. This was a charity game played between the Leominster High School lacrosse team and the coaches and alumni. It raised money for charity and it is called Kirsten's Game after Kirsten Gorman, the daughter of my friend.



After getting intensely sunburn from being on the field so long, I left and headed southwest. At first I thought I'd hit Cleveland, but they weren't playing at home. They were playing in Cincinnati to the south. So to Cincinnati I went. This game was played during the day and I daresay my sunburn wasn't helped by that. Yet it was an enjoyable game. It was the first game I've attended where I missed the first puitch due to traffic issues.



By this time my money was starting to dry up and I thought about finding work in Cincinnati. I stayed there 10 days, putting in applications and got no real bites. I left there feeling somewhat dejected,

As I said in my last post, I am in Charlotte, NC now and looking for work or other opportunities to use my camcorder. I found the Charlotte library has internet access so good that I could upload all of my videos within 3 days. I took advantage of it. I have no shame in that regard.

I hope you enjoy the videos. Remember to like them, click on the ads and share them if you do like them, because that's how I get paid!

Nikon D5100 16.2MP Digital SLR Camera - Body Only - Digital SLRWith any kind of good luck, I will be heading back to Baltimore at the end of July for Otakon. I need cash to make that work! Please help!

A Curious Twist

I am now in Charlotte, NC, and my money is down to practically nothing. I still have my rental car until July 20th, which is one reason I chose to come to Charlotte. It's reachable to where I have to drop off the rental car.

I am looking for work, but I'm also looking for shelter. In a strange twist of fate, the local shelter wants proof that I am homeless and also wants proof of where my money went before they'll let me in.

I plan to gather that (it's a lot of receipts) and present it to them, but until I can do that, I have been sleeping in my car. A couple of nights I slept at a rest stop, but it's not all that close to Charlotte and it's an 80 mile round trip to get there and back to Charlotte. I don't have that much gas money. So last night I slept in the parking lot of a Wal-mart. I'd heard of people getting away with that before, and I thought I'd try it out.

At first I parked out of the way, and played with my computer for a few of hours (8-11pm) but then I heard a chirping noise behind me and saw what appeared to be a security car roving around the parking lot. I decided to move the car to a different spot and went into the store to pick up some food.

From the different spot I didn't stick out. I was helped by a downpour that lasted a good 15 minutes. To make a long story short (too late!) I spent the rest of the night half asleep, worried that someone would tap on the glass and tell me to move or worse.

It's not a pleasant existence.

Yet for the moment, it will have to do.

One good thing to come out of the whole situation is I went to the Charlotte Library yesterday and to my delight found that they provide incredible upload speeds. I uploaded more videos yesterday than I've ever had time to before! Visit My youtube page for more information!

That is all for now!

30 Days Down, 30 to Go!

I have now reached the halfway point in my car rental. I have 30 days to go. In reflecting how I spent the first 30 days, I have to say from my perspective that it was not all wasted. I've been places I've only dreamed of going, found some unexpected laughter, and some frustration as well.

I rented a car for the first 60 days rather than buy one outright because I wanted to see two things: Did I have the stamina tom do what I wanted to do, and is the idea feasible, in the sense of whether I can make enough money to survive?

Let's answer the first question first. In the last 30 days I have driven over 4,000 miles, going from North Carolina, to Washington D.C. to Baltimore, to Pennsylvania, to Massachusetts, to Connecticut and New York, back to Massachusetts and now in Ohio.

Over that time I have attended 6 baseball games, been to a zoo in Connecticut, went to Niagara Falls and attended a charity lacrosse game. Most of my time has been spent driving.

I have stayed in at least 11 different motels. Some better than others, but they were all relatively cheap.

I have spent 4 nights in my car. A crowded, uncomfortable situation.

In all this I have this to say about my injuries: They have slowed me down. They have made it difficult to climb stairs, and there were many stairs along the way. Stairs in subways, stairs in ballparks, stairs everywhere. Every time I climbed a stair, I came out exhausted.

Yet I recovered. My stamina is just fine.

I stayed in too many hotels along the way, and that has drained what was once a fair amount of money.

If I had to do the vehicle part all over, I would have bought the cheap van and lived out of that as much as possible.

One regret.

In terms of the business and making money goes: I once told a friend (the one who invited me to the lacrosse game) that all it would take would be one video going viral and I'd be set. Alas, that has not happened, for several reasons.

First, while I have been shooting a lot of video, I can't find an internet connection that will let me upload it fast. I have tens of hours of video sitting on my computer, waiting to make it to youtube, and I spend hours uploading one 5 minute video.

This is the most frustrating part of the whole trip. I even tried getting a mobile hotspot, thinking it would be faster on the upload that standard motel wifi. It it, but just slightly. And it's expensive. For me to upload an HD video, would take my entire allotment of bandwidth.

I plan to return the mobile hotspot.

So I have uploaded some video, and some of it may even entertain you, But they get very few hits on youtube, and even if they get hits, youtube can decide they won't put ads on it, and I make no money. I still have yet to understand why they won't put on on the lacrosse video, but my email to them get answered in a cryptic fashion.

So the bottom line is, I haven't uploaded the video that will go viral - yet. Maybe I haven't even shot it yet. I have made little money from the video and it's not enough at the moment to justify the costs.

What I'm looking for at this time is a partner who can help me cover costs. I'm also looking for someone (could be the same someone) who will travel with me and be the outgoing part of the team. Someone to line up interviews for my 'Two Minutes With..." segment. I haven't had the nerve to ask anyone if I could interview them. I've preferred to be the passive person who records life as it happens.

It's not working.

So while I am in Cincinnati at the moment, I am looking for work or for whatever comes next in the business. If you want to help, call me at 919-906-3445.