Sailing, working, thinking, reading, eating, sleeping, laughing, dreaming, and everything else is melding into a very manageable bundle with my new concept of time, I dig it.
I went to Panama City for a few days to meet a friend from California and run some errands. I was close to the clock during this trip as I had appointments and was on a schedule back in the matrix. But being a “master of time” (in training) I simply unplugged myself upon my arrival home and my 40 paradise still hangs suspended in alex time.
I was on the beach today and a beautiful sight lay before me, Death to the television via paradise. 
Speaking of technology. About a year ago my buddy Rick gave me his old iphone 2g which recently quit being able to connect to a network. My buddy in Panama had an extra iphone on him as he was in the process of transferring it all to a 4G and now I’m back in the iphone game with a 3Gs. It was a bear to jail break & unlock but now my iphone is almost as free as I am. I must say with as much as I love/hate technology the iphone really does simplify many things in my life. Not so much the phone part of it but the data/email & app end of it. Until I stop hosting Project BlueSphere I am tethered to technology more than I would ultimately like to be and the iphone is a good friend even though the radiation is really bad for me. Speaking of tethering, the data plan on my iphone tethers to my computer so I don’t need two data plans anymore, just saved $15.00 a month, WOOT! “A penny saved, is a penny earned”! Also it draws much less than my computer and I burn much less battery power checking email & surfing.
I almost dumped my bike traveling to Panama City. I was scooting along at about 60 km in a torrential downpour when I hit a huge buzzard, actually it flew into my lap. It’s no fun having a bird with a 7’+ wingspan in you lap freak’n out on a motorcycle during a squall, or anytime for that matter. I’ve been hit by some big bugs but this was ridiculous. I ended up letting go of the handlebars, grabbing it with both hands and forcing it overboard. It gave me a few pecks & scratches but I was wearing my full helmet and thick leather jacket. Believe it or not I think he was fine and just a bit stunned. It went through my mind that if I bought the farm after this accident the buzzard and his friends would be picking at me in the ditch. I was in a remote area and don’t think anyone would have found me for a while, arrggg.
I’m really pleased to see some of my readers out there bidding on boats and trying to pull it all together. My buddy Steve told me his slip back home (Ca.) goes for $700.00 a month : ( If I had that much a month I’d get fat & lazy. $700 a month is a lot of money, no wonder they are all trying to keep cruisers off the hook?
Speaking of money, I got another offer to go work on a ship for 3 weeks, it would have been a good 5k+. However I promised myself last time I wouldn’t take the job as the management really upset me and I turned it down. I’m kind of kicking myself in the ass as I’d be able to buy my drifter & mizzen stay sails, get my refrigerator and water maker going and buy/trade-in my bike for the Yamaha 350 that I want. However no matter how much I want the money the path just doesn’t seem right to me. I don’t want to leave Splendid dangling unattended on the end of an anchor for 3 weeks and be treated poorly in exchange for these things. I’m re-motivated to clean up Splendid and head out to the San Blas in hopes of stirring up some charters. If not I’ll eat fish, not buy meat or wine, and get better at what I do. I still haven’t really figured out what that is, but you get the idea. Backwards “Alex” reasoning, it’s not supposed to make sense. What makes me the happiest is seeing people making the step towards a more fulfilling life. There are many roads to this life and I’m only able to help the ones wanting to do it with little money on a sailboat. So I guess that’s what I do?
I’m off to fit my new prop on my outboard. I really must get into a sailing & rowing dink. I think the inflatable, or “deflatable” is the most expensive piece of disposable equipment on a sailboat and I need to prepare for the future, I can’t afford to buy a new/used motor or a inflatable boat. Plus rowing is quite good for me : ) the prop just set me back a coveted hundo.
Peace, love, & Coconuts.
Ahhhh…, I guess it’s time to confess about the peace, love, & coconuts thing. When I got to cruising I wanted peace & love in my life, it was my goal after my previous dysfunctional and horribly stressful life in L.A. I always had fear of the unknown as most people do in western society and always told myself that “a good set of balls will get you far Alex”. The coconuts are meant to signify large testacies, but it sounds better than Peace, Love & big balls. A good set of coconuts will get you far!
So once again,
Peace, love & Coconuts.
– alex