Death of The Goose

Never in a million years did I think I would be writing this post so soon. Even when the time had come, I had planned on converting The Goose's engine to bio-diesel to help prolong her life a little longer and cheat death. But how often does life ever work out the way you plan?

It's Thanksgiving today, and a few friends and I had made plans to celebrate it at my folks place down in San Diego. However, while we were on the freeway, the rear driver-side tire blew out and before you knew it, we were spinning out of control and doing a couple of rolls onto the freeway shoulder.

The van had landed sideways and none of the doors could open up. There was also a lot of dirt and dust in the air because we had hit the embankment at one point. But before it could even settle, there were at least 6 to 8 guys just outside the van ready to help us. One in particular had to have been a football player of some sort. He was one of those kind of guys where his arms were bigger than his legs, and his neck was as thick as a tree trunk. He grabbed onto the sunroof that was above the middle seat, and in about three tries was able to rip it from its hinges so that it swung open like a door. Another guy that was there, parked his car about 10 yards behind us on the actual freeway lane to help shield us from any oncoming traffic until the emergency vehicles could arrive.

It's not an uncommon tale i suppose, strangers helping strangers. One might say that it's because today is Thanksgiving, or maybe that's just how San Diegans are. Whatever the reason, I am humbled by how much the human spirit really shined and helped me out today.

Here are some pics from the accident:

This is our pathway after we had spun into reverse. After hitting the embankment, we did a couple of rolls before landing where the van is at in the photo.



The rear of the van was blocked with debris and broken glass, so we escaped through the sunroof.


After looking closer, it became clear what caused the accident.




When I think back to how everything turned out the way it did, things could have been so much worse. My other friends Dan and Aileen were following in the car behind us because Dan was going to go surfing super early the next morning. It was only my roommate Pootee and I that were in the van. And we came out with barely any scratches on us. How that happened is a complete mystery to the EMT guys, the firefighters and the highway patrol officer that were there. Each mentioned on different occasions that they had seen people hurt severely worse on less damaging type of accidents. I guess I'd like to think that The Goose sacrificed herself to save both Pootee and me.

Goose, you were always there for me as a provider, a shelter and in the end, a saviour. Goodbye old friend.

Day 1 ::: Life Without The Goose

After nearly a year and a half in my van, I've finally made the move from four wheels to four walls (thanks Dana!) The first night was pretty surreal. I was up till about 4 in the morning staring at my ceiling fan and taking in all my surroundings. It's hard to explain really, I guess you could say it was somewhat similar to culture shock.

I've visited my storage unit numerous amounts of times, but this was the first time in a long time that I had seen all my belongings out of their boxes. Their was a flood of random memories that would just keep coming as my eyes would move from item to item. Old books, laundry hampers, poster, souvenirs, clocks, a coin sorter, you name it. From the significant to the not so significant, some forgotten thought would always trigger. It was a bit overwhelming.

Last night was also the first time I had slept in a bed in well over year. I thought I would wake up feeling refreshed and energized; but my mattress is so old, that I just woke up with back pains. I guess after 16 years with the same mattress, it's time to make an upgrade.

Not sure how many more posts I'll be doing now that I'm living the domesticated life again. "Life in a House" just doesn't sound as interesting. So I'll end by saying the last 524 days have given me a perspective and approach towards life that I can't learn from hearing another person's story or reading a book. It hasn't made me ant-materialistic, or turned me into a hobo or anything of that nature. But this little mini-van called "The Golden Goose" has managed to teach me a few lessons while on the road. I've learned to have a much greater appreciation of the simplicity. That a person doesn't need much to enjoy life, just good people who surround them. And that with enough endurance and perseverance, those seemingly unattainable goals in life suddenly become reachable.

Anyways, thanks for reading amigogos. We look forward to seeing you on the road of life!

The Goose and Justin

Day 524 ::: Moving Day

Yep. . . definitely didn't do the beach thing last night. I ended up partaking in some shinanigans at a bar out in Venice and got a weeeeeeee bit tipsy (aka. totally hammered.)

I had ridden my bike there with my friend Kendra, but Armando ended up having to drive me back home. The Goose was still parked in my parking lot at work. And although it was unintentional, it's kind of bittersweet now that I think of it. I've slept on various streets throughout the past year and a half. But my last night on the streets was spent in the same place this whole thing started. The Chiat Day parking lot.

Oh yeah, random other fact. Met one of our neighbors last night and it turns out Bruce Lee used to live in the house we're moving into with his family while he was on "The Green Hornet." (Sony Pictures is about 4 blocks away.) And the room I'm going to be living in used to belong to Brandon Lee. Weirdness huh?

Day 523 ::: Domestication Eve

Tonight will be the last night I sleep in the Goose before making the move into a house again. To be honest, I've been a bit nervous about the whole thing. I know the house and location are great, and my roommates are going to be super fun to live with. But I can't help but have this question constantly lingering, "will this put an end to my dream of living on a boat?"

My goals and reasons for living in a van have changed and evolved over the last year and a half. From doing it until I find a job/place in San Francisco, to getting out of credit card debt, to landing my dream job as an art director, to one day saving enough money for a sailboat and moving to Hawaii. So another change in course shouldn't be much of a surprise I suppose. Only this time, it involves a much bigger change in lifestyle.

When I hit my one year mark, I wrote a blog listing my pros and cons of living in a van. Not a whole lot has changed on the list. Although, now the cons of living in a van carry a bit more weight than they used to. It's been over a year since I've slept in an actual bed, and I can't remember the last time I've been able to sleep through the night without being woken up by something. And I think that it's beginning to catch up to me both physically and mentally. Especially when work is concerned. It'd be nice to have that place of "sanctuary" where I can just go and unwind for a little while without feeling like I'm being a burden to anyone.

Anyways, maybe I'll spend my last night my the beach doing some personal reflection or something.

Day 497 ::: I'm such a hack.

So yesterday, Armando and Patrick invited me to go with them to turn in their rental applications and at least check out the house. . .

That was a mistake. Inside the kitchen area is a built-in brick barbecue grill NEXT TO THE BAR! ! ! That coupled with Downtown Culver City being walking distance to where the house was enough to sway my decision. Now granted, the room I'll be living in is REALLY tiny by normal standards, but given where I'm coming from I think it'll do just fine.

Day 486 ::: Staying the Course

So I've decided to stay the path I'm on and continue living in the van. What it ultimately came down to was that because I was so back and forth as to what I should do; along with so much uncertainty in the stability of my job as well as the economy should I need a new job, now isn’t the smartest time for me to be making any new or bold moves.

Day 485 ::: End of the Road?

A couple good friends of mine (Armando and Patrick) recently asked if I'd be interested in getting a place with them. And to be honest, it's been somewhat tempting. I've been going back and forth the last couple weeks trying to weigh both the pros and cons of still living in my van versus moving back into a house again. And I'm nowhere closer to making any sort of decision.

I've even chatted about it with various friends just to get their input on what I should do. But that too hasn't really gotten me anywhere because they tell me things that make both options sound appealing.

Anyways, I told Armando and Patrick I'd let them know my answer by tomorrow, so I guess I have a lot of thinking to do tonight.

Here's a couple youtube videos of them just so you'll know what I could be getting myself into:

this is one of armando eating live octopus

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15DuKYVXTLQ

and here's one of patrick just being patrick:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1sjB-eMuJg&feature=channel_page

They'd be fun guys to live with yeah?

Day 466 ::: An Anniversary of Sorts

It was one year ago today that I was in Barcelona awakening from what would be the last time I would sleep in a bed for a looooong time. Granted, I've had my share of living room couches, carpet floors and the leopard print futon in my van to sleep on since then (which has been great.) But as far as a warm bed with fluffy pillows and a comfy blanket goes, it's been a while.

I think to celebrate I might get a fancy hotel room one of these weekends. And totally spoil myself with lots of room service, pay-per-view movies, sleeping in past noon and maybe even take a bubble bath or something. It'll be fantasmical.

Day 431: Mosquito Season

Woke up around 4ish this morning to the sound of buzzing around my ear and a tinging sensation on my arm. Guess that means mosquito season's just around the corner.

Day 427 ::: Oy vay

After spending another Friday night in the office, I opted to leave work around 1:30ish in the morning or so. I skated back to my van as I normally do, however, as I was putting my board away, I noticed a guy from across the street walking towards my direction. At first I thought his car was on the same side of the road as mine was, so I pretended as if i were leaving to go somewhere. But then before I knew it, he was standing next to me.

"Hi." He said in some sort of european accent.

"Hey, how's it goin'?"

"Good, you've been sleeping here a long time haven't you?" For a split second I hesitated. Was this the owner of that kids gymnasium? a resident in one of the houses?

"Yeah, for a little while."

"I know, I've been watching you. Does it get pretty cold in there?" Ummmmmmm. . . what?!?

"It's not too bad. . . Do you live around here as well?"

He glanced around the street, and with his arms pointing in a different directions and said, "oh, I have a couple cars around here." He then quickly gave me one of those side hug arm taps and said, "see you later." And proceeded to walk back the way he came. I opened the van's sliding door once he was halfway across the street. One of my curtains was sagging slightly which aloud me to track the guy as he was walking away. He kept glancing back which was somewhat creepy, and then like that, he was gone in the shadows.

In retrospect, I probably should've moved to another spot after that encounter. But instead, I just locked my doors, and went to sleep with my pocket knives a little bit closer than usual.

Day 416 ::: Snap Crackle Pop!

This morning while skateboarding to work, I dislocated my left shoulder while I was carving left. So I got off my board, walked to a curb, sat down and then popped it back into place using my other arm. I know what you're thinking. . .

"Justin is a total bad ass."

Day 407 ::: Just Another Benefit of Living Out of a Van

It's St. Patrick's Day weekend and last night my friend Amy and her roommates threw a party at their house in Santa Monica. That coupled with a kajungle of bars within walking distance, meant there was no way I'd be able to drive to my usual spot.

One of the benefits about getting to live and sleep wherever I want to is that I never have to worry about being too drunk to drive back home. So last night I just ended up sleeping across the street from her house.

Amy's place is the blue house. I think it's safe to assume that I had the shortest commute out of everyone. Why didn't I just sleep on her couch you wonder? Because doing so would have meant that in the morning I would have had to help with clean up duty. Yes I know. . . I'm a douche.



I woke up around 9:30ish or so in the morning, and thanks to a couple advils and drinking some lipton green tea with citrus before going to sleep, I was hangover free.

Every Sunday there's a farmer's market just down the street from Amy's, so I walked over there and had a crépe suzette and drank blood orange juice for breakfast while listening to an irish folk band.








On my way back to the goose, I came across another Toyota Previa with a spoiler on it. I don't come across vans with spoilers on them very often which is why I thought it was photo worthy. But mine's still cooler I think.

Day 393 ::: Small Upgrade

This morning I added a clothing rack to The Goose. Here's what it looks like:



The rod that makes up the clothing rack is a piece of black bamboo that came from my great grandfather's house. The nodes in the bamboo also come in handy because they help keep the bamboo from sliding off the S hooks that it hangs from.

Day 385 ::: Close Call

Work flew me up to San Francisco this weekend for a photo shoot. They even put me up in this fancy hotel which was great. However, it also put me in a dilemma of sorts. It's been 9 months since I've slept in actual bed, and I really want to see if I can make it a whole year. Below is a photo of my sleeping arrangement.


. . . I must be out of my mind.

This next photo really has nothing to do with my sleeping arrangements. I just thought having that rare chance to sit in a giant chair was something that was blog worthy.

Day 371 ::: Back in Action

I finally got my tire fixed this morning at a local auto body shop here in Playa, so the Goose is now back in action.

Even though I was stuck at work till about 11ish or so last night, it was still kind of a drag to think that I couldn't really go anywhere even if I wanted to. I haven't really left more than a one block radius in the last few days, so it'll be nice to break free for a little bit tonight.

Day 368 ::: Temporarily Incapacitated

Tonight after work, I went out to dinner with Amy, Ang and Armando at this sushi place near the promenade. On my way "home" so to speak, I noticed my rear-driver side tire was completely flattened. Somewhere between work and the promenade I drove over a nail that punctured my tire.

Fortunately, I had an air pump in the van so I was able to temporarily fill up my tire just long enough to get to my usual parking spot near work. However, I may be incapacitated for a little while until I can get it fixed.

Day 365 ::: One Year Later

I know it's been a while since I've really written anything, but today marks an anniversary of sorts. It was a year ago today that I said goodbye to a life in a house, and hello to a life in a mini-van. A few people have asked me how much longer I intend to keep on living this way, and I simply tell them, "just as soon as I get my boat."

Like all things, there have been some ups and downs along the way. So below is a list of pros and cons in no particular order that I've made about living in my van during the last year.

PROS:

1. Getting to do things I've always wanted to do, but never could because of money (ie: learning to sail and going to Europe.)
2. Because there isn't really anywhere for me to stay, I have a lot of time to wander (especially on weekends.) Which has actually aloud me to see some of the most beautiful sunsets and sunrises that I normally wouldn't have ever bothered to notice while living in a house.
3. I LOVE that one of the last things I see before falling asleep at night are the stars.
4. My monstrosity of a student loan doesn't seem so impossible anymore.
5. I never have to take out the trash, do the dishes, refill the toilet paper, pull weeds or any other household chores for that matter.
6. Living this way hasn't made me anti-materialistic or anything like that. If anything, I appreciate these luxuries even more.
7. I have no creepy neighbors that I have to put up with or deal with. Actually, now that I think about it. I suppose I am that creepy neighbor.
8. If I ever get too tired while driving, there's always a comfortable place for me take a nap just 3 feet away.
9. I don't flake out on hanging out with people as much I used to because quite frankly, there's no where else for me to go.
10. I have never been more free.

CONS:

1. I miss playing my guitar whenever i want to.
2. I REALLY miss cooking. Restaurants and take out are fine, but there's nothing quite like a home cooked meal.
3. I haven't felt the warmth of a bed in 9 months. (Although, a couple nights ago, I did get to sleep on a couch for the first time since last winter which was pretty fantasmical.)
4. I sometimes feel like a criminal when I have to sleep with a ski mask and gloves on to stay warm.
5. That fear of being totally hosed if my van were to ever get stolen.
6. I miss being able to just invite someone over to hang out. I don't like that if I want to see someone, we have to always go somewhere, or that they have to invite me over to their place all the time.
7. I don't get to play video games or watch tv anymore. But that's probably a good thing.
8. Couches, carpeted floors and comfy chairs are wonderful inventions. I miss these things as well.
9. Waking up in the middle of the night, or early in the morning because a car decides to floor the gas pedal only three feet away from you really gets annoying.
10. I am often referred to as: "Justin, the guy who lives in his van." I guess a part of me wishes that the perception of who I am wasn't based on where I sleep at night. But such is life I suppose.

So there you have it, a year of living in ones van summed up into a list of 10 pros and 10 cons. And in my opinion, the pros far outweigh the cons. I think Chuck Palahniuk said it best:

"It's only after you've lost everything that you're free to do anything."

Day 322 ::: Brrrrrrrrrrrrr. . .

It dropped to about 41ºF last night, which is probably the coldest it's ever been for me while in the Goose. Especially when one of my windows is missing a bolt and won't shut completely. Fortunately, my sleeping bag was able to keep me pretty warm and toasty, but whenever my hands or face were exposed, it got really fast. Well, as cold as it gets for a socal kid anyway.

I've learned a pretty good trick to temporarily keep a little warmer though. But it may or may not gross some of you out a bit. All you need is a sealable plastic bottle, and to drink plenty of water a few hours before going bed. I'll let your imagination figure out the next part. And voila! you have a heater for your hands.

Day 309 ::: beep beep beep. . . here we go again.

Another note was left on my windshield last night for my alarm going off during the day. This was written much nicer than the other two I received earlier in the week. Guess this end of the block is the nicer part of the neighborhood.

I can't get the alarm fixed until I am able to take the Goose to my mechanic down in San Diego. So in the meantime, I'm going to disconnect the battery whenever I am parked anywhere for a long period of time. I like this new spot (mostly because i can tap into someon's wi-fi,) so I don't think I'll be moving again anytime soon.

However, when I woke up this morning, I did notice there's a gymnastics class full of little kids being taught directly across the street from me which could cause some concern. I know if I were a parent, I'd be a bit worried there's a guy living in a van just 20 feet away from where my kid was learning gymnastics. I'll stick around another night just to see if there are also classes being taught on Sundays. If there are, my new found spot may end up being just be a weekday thing.