LA 11/14-11/20

Nov. 14, my “normal” Monday; hot tub yoga, weights, AB workout, swim laps and tanning while eating breakfast. I was feeling extra relaxed after my long weekend stay in Euphoria so I moved about slowly and was behind schedule for work arrival. I took some extra time to unpack the camping gear and looking at the neighborhood thrift for a soccer and basketball and pump.

This week I am going to start doing more solo then just biking around looking for people to workout with.

This week I also need to follow up with the Food program, PO box and my traffic ticket.

Tuesday I jogged in the morning pand spent some time trimming the Guava tree in the garden. I wrote a letter to the Santa Monica Attorney explaining my defense of my pedestrian citation. We closed a $5000 sale and shipped it today, providing enough funds for 2 weeks of operation.

Tuesday night I got a soccer ball for free from the neighbors and went to the neighborhood rec center to kick around.

Wednesday I lifted extra and started screening off the fence so no more dogs would dig in the garden. My work day was filled with posting on forums to draw new traffic to Shhmokewear.com.

Over my lunch break each day I added new areas to the garden and seeded lettuce, Marigolds, cilantro, tobacco, brussels and cantelope. I found several cool marbles.

For the evening I went around the small shops looking for a discounted folding push scooter to get around on. Every few stores in Boyle Heights is a thrift store with great deals. I found an inflateable kayak for under $100 today and the $60 Razor scooter for only $40.

Thursday the attorney’s office replied to tell me I would have to deal directly with the PD to arrange payment for my citation but they did not include a contact so I replied with the request. I did not hear back by Friday so I would have to find the PD’s traffic citation contact myself.

We went and got a $1200 meeting table for free from a guy on Craigslist today.

Friday, I spent the day blacklisting New Galaxy Gifts in Orlando on several review sites like YELP today. They tried to claim that $600 of their order did not arrive and then requested we accept the remaining product back at our cost of shipping. We agreed and sent them the shipping label but the manager avoided 3 additional calls to confirm they were sending it back. After 2 weeks of waiting, it was time to file a theft report and Public consumer warnings.

After Will was done meeting with one our favorite team members (Lisa), we headed off for a nice relaxing night at SP’s.

We picked up some Sailor Jerry’s Rum and pineapple while Sean was fixing the dinner. It was a great night with the boys. SP’s beef and potato meal with salad and bread went perfect with the rum. We were all snookered by the time we finished our meal.

Sean came up with the idea to watch the classic 1939 Wizard of Oz to the sound track of the Dark Side of the Moon. This is always a blast when baked on party favorites. I was passed out 30 minutes in.

When I woke up I repacked my bags for a sleep over at Bellas and took my work bag out to Will’s van. Then I shaved and cleaned the mess from our dinner party. I went out to the pool to do yoga and our local hottie swimmer Eva was out. We talked and I got her number then went to eat breakfast. It was noon by the time I got Will out to work on bleeding his brakes.

After they had the hang of it, I headed to Rodeo Drive to research product brands and their marketing. I took a lot of notes and pictures and then Bella showed up. She was suppose to pick me up to go play tennis but was unprepared. She didn’t know where to play for free at night and did not bring clothes so we were going to lose an hour going to change at her house.

Then she wanted to go to the bathroom and walk around at shops and took me into Victorie Secret. I was getting more frustrated but yet enjoyed giving her pointers on lingerie. As we were picking out some items she acted like price didn’t matter? I soon realized she was trying to get me to buy everything and started lecturing about how she expects her man to pay for her?

Needles to say, I walked my dancing model to her car, told her good bye and never talked to her again.

I finished my Rodeo research then headed home to change and drop off my night bag so I could go dancing at Hermosa Pier. One of the actors who played a vampire in Cheech’s movie “From Dusk to Dawn” was on the Culver City bus from Beverly to LAX. He kept smiling at me everytime I looked near him to flirt with girls. He was pretty chill.

Once I was home I posted some new singles ads and headed to the bus stop. It was only 10:30 as I sat browsing the LA Weekly for things to do. By 11:30 I realized the bus was not in service and I would have to go to the LAX stop next time I need to get to the club. I budgeted to take the taxi home but not both ways.

I stopped at the market to get some chocolate donuts, milk and ice cream on the way back to the crib so I could bask in my lame evening alone. Going on 2 weeks with out any action so I started chatting online while watching movies and getting sleepy.

Sunday morning I was pumped with excitement in preparation for the MLS Cup final between LA Galaxy and Houston Dynamo. I watched “GOAL! The Dream” while eating, chatting with a new neighbor online and planning my bike route to the stadium. I thought it would stop raining so I wore jeans instead of my Adidas gear. I did remember to wrap my stuff in plastic though.

After the first mile of 6 I was drenched. =(

As I approached the stadium I could see the displays from all the major sponsors. I locked the bike by the XBox tent and started making the rounds.

The Xbox group was giving pictures of fans with the stadium in the background in gear of our choice. They also gave wrist sweat bands which had been on my list for years to buy.

The Castrol tent had a dribbling challenge to get a shoe bag or other small stuff. Their main booth gave you a jersey in exchange for providing any info you wanted on a form. I fill them all out with bogus info that I can memorize in case drawn for valuable prizes. Here you could meet Chris Wadolowski who had led the league in goals the last 2 seasons and a chance every 30 minutes for hot models to draw your name for signed team jerseys.

There were a couple small booths like American Airlines giving an iPod to one person who could guess the amount of balls in a phone booth and Bimbo Bread who provided unlimited cup cakes.

The next big swag item was from Continental tires. If you read a bit of facts and marked a quiz sheet you got nice MLS Galaxy Cup Final Scarfs. I went back a few times to get more for friends.

Dicks Sporting Goods was giving out rain ponchos so I detoured there to cover up my sponge jeans. They gave a picture of you with the team in the background away via web login. They also gave $20 gift cards every 30min. and $100 and $200 at 5 and 5:30 before kiick off.

Allstate gave a MLS Cup Beanie in exchange for info and provided meet and greats with Tony Meola. I got my picture taken with him and got a signed promo. Every 30 minutes they gave away $100 visa cards and at 5:30 they gave away 4 field access tickets worth $300 each!

Home Depot had a kids booth for construction and painting. They also had skills challenges for beanies and a skill course for a signed team jersey to the fastest time holder.

El Jimadora Tequila gave a picture with their models and free tequila cones. Yum.

VW had an 11v11 fose table, the MLS Cup trophy pictures, ponchos, Free balls and a meet and great with 2 mvp players.

At&T was giving Sony Ericson towels away and provided juggling demos and live music. They had a QR code that was linked to a drawing app. If lucky it would display winner and you got to choose a team jersey. 2 real lucky fans were suppose to be given signed balls but I check and tried through out the day and only 2 jerseys were awarded. I wrote a complaint letter to At&T that the system was faulty so they could improve it for future promos.

As the fireworks began I headed to the Alpine Lodge to join the dry fans at the club house and get dinner. The Alpine was a german octoberfest village with several buildings, flea market grounds and dance hall. There was only about 15 fans there so it was not a good place to celebrate. Next time I will try another location.

Sung picked me up so I would not have to bike all wet. I didn’t last long watching a movie on the couch.

LA 10/31-11/5

Woke up and it was sunny so I was motivated to get my yoga done in the hot tub and swim some laps. Then I lifted, did some P90 cardio and laid out to tan and dry a bit while eating breakfast. Then it was off to Shhmokewear and my bus tour of downtown.

Our news video coverage in Orlando was passed to the Associated Press and school boards around the country so sales were coming in fast. Some were from school drug awareness programs so we announced a discount code for them.

http://tinyurl.com/5w3eakb

Tuesday morning, we were featured by Perez Hilton and gossip of the pot bracelet spread quickly for even more web traffic and sales. We were sure to reach a few celebrity endorsements now. We quickly started working on a sales contract for Sean.

http://perezhilton.com/2011-11-01-weed-bracelet-works-like-a-pipe-kids-in-schools

Wednesday I went and applied for a PO box and medi-cal coverage then after work I got our newest artist, Lee, to drop me off at AgapeLive.com in Culver City. He just happen to live by there.

The Agape begin with 20 minutes of meditation and then expand into singing. There is a book store and the walls are covered with paintings of all the leading peace activists and prophets of most religions. The singing and gathering is lead and organized by Ricky BB of the the Black Eyed Peas and her husband does the preaching. The crowd really gets into dancing. The singing was just like being at a BEP concert but there are 4 sessions of preaching and Michael Beckwith’s style is too loud and energetic for more then the first 15 minute message. I met BobbyJasso.com sitting beside me.

AgapeLive.com

I would step out during the sermons and browse the book shop and then return for the singing. I met a wonderful young man sitting behind me who was willing to give me a ride about 3 miles northwest to Santa Monica. He was looking to find his spirituality so I told him my story about traveling the world building the Helping Hands Network.

The next morning on the bus to work I met a nice guy who was in the comedian circle and had a connection to Snoop. He told me a good way to reach Snoop was to get product in his Serius Pimp store in Orange County.

We considered going to a Jamaica Dub Step night at Marbella in Hollywood but decided to work late so we could have a sales contract ready for Sean.

I went around looking for a soccer game and a used skate board for my evening workout.

Friday, Sean came over to sign his sales Rep contract and then we drove to Redondo and chilled at the pad for the night. The gorgeous latin girl I met my first night at Occupy finally added me and said hi on facebook. It had been 5 weeks but better late then never. We ended up chatting for an hour and made plans to meet at the Elysian park by Dodger stadium on Monday and maybe Occupy on Sunday. I told her about partying at the Vortex the next Friday and camping with the burners over Thanksgiving and she welcomed the invitation.

Saturday, Sean and I went to the gym and then shopping at thrift stores. I got hemp shorts finally, and quartoroy pants and some rasta swim shorts that were a bit too tight. I also picked up some brown Perry Ellis shoes to match and 2 picture frames for Bellas art gift.

It was almost 6 by the time I got to Bellas for dinner. She took me to a prayer gathering and along the way I was caught in a judgement turn at a light. People were coming at me and another turning in front of me while I was entering a left turn, then someone walked into a cross walk 3 lanes away behing me. A cop was right there and decided to cite me for not yielding to a pedestrain. In California, they send you the fine amount in the mail and assign you a court date. If you don’t get a written note you have to appear in court.

It was such a Mickey Mouse decision by the officer and there was no way for me to avoid losing money that I would be bummed whole weekend. Even if you show up at 8:30am for court, it is 3 hours out of my way for travel; 1+ hours wasted there plus I still have to pay the court costs. It ends up being the same as just paying the fine so the whole system is a damn sham…yet just another reason I Occupy LA.

The prayer service was my first direct Muslim experience. You take your shoes off when you walk in and the girls are sitting along the walls while the men sit in a circle in the middle. The gent beside me welcomed me and would whisper the translations and details. Their prayers would break into hymns at times and some would sound similar to Budhist chants.

The prayer session begun with everyone welcoming and shaking hands in a walking line and then one after another you take the next spot on the circle. Once the circle is completed you sit and the Shieke begins the prayers. First you have the days prayer, then prayers for your loved ones. Then you stand and form a sideways line facing the Shieke. The translator whispered that each gesture represents a unique prayer and they recite God is Pure 33 times, then God is All mighty 33 times and God is Loving 33 times and then God is great to complete 100 prayers while doing the gestures made up of knealing, kissing the ground, bowing and moving your arms. It was challenging for me because my buddhist soul just wants a clear mind while absorbing the elements around me while chanting and humming.

They say Salam Malakam meaning hello and Malakam Salam for good bye. Salam can be used anytime in blessing and then they touch their heart. We all shared in a meal after and I just followed my translator around to mimic his action in order to not offend the custom. The men still remained separated from their women but Bella brought me food and asked me to sit in the middle of the floor with her. She quickly corrected my direction as I first sat facing the women.

After we were done, we talked about meeting her friends at a club to dance but decided to just go relax at home.

I gave her a cartooned variation of our meditation garden picture completing the gift portion of our Muslim dating ceremony. This exchange freed her to openly explore her sexuality without pressure and guilt so there was not much sleep to be had on this night.

 

 

Sunday Nov. 5th, we eventually got out to Will Rogers Park. You could walk around his ranch house and look into the windows to see how he lived. It is similar to walking around Elvis’ Memphis plantation. We hiked around the horse stable and up the mountain to an amazing look out spot. We could see the coast all the way to Catalina Island.

As we returned to the car we sat and watched a group playing soccer. I then took Bella back home and then headed to South Bay for movie night with Sung.

California Weeks 2 & 3

Cali Weeks 2 & 3

Sung’s next free day we went downtown and did a photo exposae on those in need of help. We visited the alleys and missions and street vendors. We also drove China Town and Korea Town. We went through some rough areas but I never felt in danger. There are several great pictures on our site. We did a lot of fun things together like my first Korean Barbaque experience and street cruising.

My next solo adventure was a bit on the wild side. I wanted to experience the Golden Globe Awards and Beverly Hills. I wanted to be in the same area as hundreds of the worlds most successful people at the same moment in time so I prepared for the 15 mile bike ride each way. The Subway and bus routes were complicated to get from Manhattan to the Hills and it was raining hard so I didn’t want to wait around.

Angelians driving in the rain is the equivalent of Northerners driving on ice. I knew I would have to watch out for careless drivers and that there were no straight roads to get where I wanted to go. I put my phone in a sanwhich bag and off I went.

I ran into a high hill with only a freeway going over it so I had to go a mile out of the way around side streets. I eventually found my way to another main street that took me to the Beverly Hills area. I didn’t have time to go to the Rodaeo Drive area cause the red carpet festivities were happening right as I got in the area.

The Hills Hotel was blocked off by security but there is a clearing from the fence for fans to watch. The view was perfect because the vehicles drive 20 feet in front of you so you can see the celebs who have their windows down and then you are even with them as they pull over to get out at the door.

As the ceremony began it was getting dark and the rain was increasing so I didn’t get to wander near the playboy mansion as hoped. There was a wonderful lady beside me that was sharing her stories about how she flys from Florida to meet celebs in hotel lobbies and to crash parties. Leslie Miller was definately a friend that could get me close to meeting a celeb in person. After talking about my efforts to improve the world for awhile she invited me to come hang out with her group at their Intercontinental hotel room.

I made my way to their hotel and sent her a text while debating how long to stay. It was raining hard and I was not dressed for going anywhere else with them but it would be fun to talk with new friends so I waited about 10 minutes for a reply. My battery was dying so I called and left a message explaining I would wait downstairs for 5 more minutes and then leave if I didn’t see her.

The ride home was scary at times when I would have to be in the street with low visibility from the rain. Any second a car could swerve and end me but I put my faith in the spirits watching over me and pedaled with every ounce of strength I could muster.

I found myself entering the airport area and wondered if the bike trail would go under the runway or not. I went a mile in and then the trail came to a dead end at a freeway. I took it about 100 yards but then came to the underpass and there was no shoulder. There was no way to pass with the speedy traffic so I went back and asked a security guard for guidance. I had to go another mile out of the way on a eastward freeway shoulder to hit a southbound main street. Eventually, as I entered my 6th hour and 32nd mile, exhausted and soaked, I passed out on the couch in the comfort of the condo.

The experience left me in wonder of what if I had more time and could have taken the beach trails or Subway. I would soon experience the alternatives on following adventures.

One night Sung felt like going to a Karioke meetup. There was a live band and you would sing with them as they played. The food and people were great. There were about 20 dancing with each song which gave the event that true party atmosphere. It was a lot of fun and Sung dancing with all these girls provided me with memorable laughs. He even got a phone number and a follow up dinner date out of the event.

The next day Sung had off we went to Venice beach. The Venice area has a large park with BBall, skating, weight gym and much more. The walk ways are filled with vendors and performance artists. I talked to (a Volunteer with the Venice Board Walk Coalition) about the efforts to protect independent artists rights on the walkway. City officials have been increasing regulations that made it hard for the artists to continue their work there. Permits and registration processes have been put in place that suck unattainable funds away from the artists.

Large business’ were being granted the permits and they bring in machine made goods that take sales away from independent artists. The 100+ year tradition of art in the park is coming to an end at Venice Beach. There are over 200 nomadic people in this park all helping each other through this revenue stream and the culture is at risk of extinction.

This would be a new cause for our Charity to help with once we gain funding. We would like to go find the poorest artists struggling to keep up their fight and help them with your contributions so please consider donating by sending funds via PayPal to tfrentz@hotmail.com as soon as possible. We would pay their permits and help with the legal battle against corporations as well as provide any other urgent cares the artists need. We could search for a painting or other art item and buy it for you and ship it in exchange for your funds. Get in touch to discuss the details asap.

There was also a group from ( ) church handing out food for those in need. I talked to people there and exchanged contact info. When I am current on my writing, I would come back to the area and help volunter.

As the sunset fell we worked our way to a bar to watch the Vikings-Saints game. About 70% of the people were cheering for the Vikes. The cheepest pitcher of beer cost $18 but people didn’t seem to care as I saw them be refilled like water. The final plays of regulation found the Vikings dominating but even in points due to 5 turnovers. Yet they had the ball in field goal range with seconds remaining and the win all but sealed.

I was chanting the then infamous American Idol Major G lyrics “Saints on the ground, saints on the ground, looking like fools cause the Vikes put them down!!! Turf in your mouth, helmet turned sideways thinking you could rule that looking like a fool. Walking around town with your heads hung down, WHO DAT?!?!?! Saints on the ground, Saints on the ground… looking like a fool!”

Then in a blink of an eye, an unlucky interception and coin flip would soon land the Saints a miracle win and later, the Super Bowl victory.

As I drug my lip and purple jersey out of the bar we heard the sound of drums in the air. We followed our ears to the source of the beat and arrived at a group of 40 some kind artists ending the day in thanks. It was only 8pm and just as the energy was building, the cops came and made everyone be quiet. As Sung and I drove home, I noted a new goal to find a location where the drum circle was not silenced from their freedom of speech. More pictures of this day are on our site along with a drum circle video.

California Week 1

California Week 1

Cali Week 1

I checked in with Sung and he told me to find my way to Redondo Beach so his sister could come pick me up. I hung out there and wrote awhile on the beach and then as the sun was setting his sister Jen arrived. Jen and her fiancee lived in Lincoln and were visiting for the week. They met at the Mill Coffee Shop where he works. The Mill and another coffee joint called Jones Coffee are a few of the best social hangouts in Lincoln Nebraska. You can always find art culture and new friends in these areas.

Sung’s sister took me to Sung’s and opened the door for me and then they had to leave to go have dinner with all the family. I got unpacked and got caught up with my email while waiting for Sung. His place was perfect for writing.

His place was like an apartment complex but it was designed in a rectangle fortress style. It had underground parking with gates and locked stairways and the outside world was silenced out. There was a rec building with a game room, library, sauna, and weight room. There was a middle divider section with views of the courtyard on the south and the pool on the north and no sound of traffic.

Sung had a prime spot on the divider section. On the inside he had a hot tub and pool view from his window. The social rooms walls were the color of the sunset and there were paintings, plants and art in all the right places. The chi was in balance and the air full of positive energy. He had nice black furniture and a fancy media system with a huge flat screen tv, but what I really liked was his workout equipment. The condo was full of inspiration to do yoga and weight trainning. Just being there lifted my stress away. I was so lucky to have such a great friend in this healthy theraputic location.

Sung had to work the next several days as a salesman at Mercedez-Benz. His shifts rotate daily so the team has a fresh look on the floor. One day he would go in at 9, then it would be 11 and then 2. He would usually stay until 8 or 9p to keep up a dedicated persona for his boss. In his line of work you can not have two low quota months in a row without facing termination. It is a very stressful job and unfortunately most of those who choose the path, end up over treasuring material posessions. In Sungs case I would say that he was doing well at balancing. He shared his food freely and never complained about anything.

About the only difference of opinion we had was on eating out. I feel guilty if I spend more then $5 on a meal because I would rather anything more, be used to provide food to those in need. Once a month, I will submit to a superb meal out and that assures I am able to appreciate that meal fully in thanks. To me, food is sacred. I try to grow as much of my own food as possible and that effort reminds me to not take prepared food for granted. I am sad when I see people throw food away or when I think about all the waste of resources in the industry. Unfortunately, very few people share these feelings in common with me.

I got on meetup.com and found a few events to check out for my first day in southbay LA. I took the bike and headed for the Harmosa beach area to play a game of soccer. The people were great and I met a nice couple from Omaha that had a son playing for Creighton. They go back and forth with the seasons. The players were not competitive enough and there were no girls interested in me there so I never went back.

From the field I went a few blocks over to Harmosa Pier. There were all kinds of great shops and bars there. It was a great spot to hang out and make new friends. I’m such a people person though that I found it very hard to concentrate on my writing on the beach. On days I need to focus I would have to write at the pool at Sung’s.

The beach was another place of paradise. People being friendly playing VBall and picnicing everywhere. The breeze was a bit cool but for JANUARY in this region, a person can not complain. I rode north along the bike path about a mile and passed a few recognizeable celebs. It was nice seeing them be treated like normal people and just blending in. I still wish more of them would talk to me though so we could help each other’s charities.

Once I got to Manhattan Beach I watched another perfect sunset over the ocean pier with palm trees swaying to and fro and then headed inland. My shelter was only 15 minutes in from the beach along Manhattan Blvd. The ride was perfect as well. The inclines were moderate, the road wide, the neighborhood safe with retail and there was a large park in the middle. Basketball and soccer was plenty as were the ethnicities surrounding.

Sung and I agreed to a few projects fomr me to do during the week so I could be earning my keep while working on my book. I would spend my first hour cleaning and doing dishes etc. each day and then after my yoga and weight workouts I would do a larger project. The first week I hung frames and fixed his computer. One morning he took me to a mexican café to try his favorite burrito. Since I do not eat out much, most anywhere he took me would be a new food experience. The combination of Lime and salsa with the veggies, cheese and meat was unbelievable.

On his first half day off we went to Hollywood. We went to a breakfast at a coffee diner with a view of the Hollywood mountain sign in the background and had this amazing omlette. Sung explained to me that he had taken the first 11 days of February off and wanted to go to Hawaii to get away from the stress of be ing on the chop block at work. If I went there would be a lot of benefits like we splitting costs, security, safety and it would add to the whole experience in general. I told him I would research the costs and that if I was ever going to make it there this would be the perfect scenario to get familiar with the area. We walked around a few minutes and then he had to leave for work.

I choose to be adventurous and stay behind and ride a bus home. Hollywood Blvd was exciting. Everyone knows it for the stars on the sidewalk but I enjoyed profiling the street sleepers and the hidden gems like the farmers market on the side streets. View my video of all the great street performers and vendors on myspace or youtube. Every veggies and fruit was present, along with a good string band and horn group. I invested in some natural fruit lemonade to fill my water bottle.

From the farmers market, I headed west to the tourist section by Kodak and Chinese Theatre. As most large tourist areas, there were street performers everywhere hoping for donations. Several were look-a-likes to a celeb and they would stand on their star to get pictures for money. Some would even dance, sing or play an instrument. Once I get a shirt, flyer and CD of this book printed I will be out there with them also. All it takes is to get this book in the hands of one wealthy person who wants to support our efforts. I hope that all who read this will pass it on to their successful friends as well.

While I was walking to the Chinese theatre I noticed a gorgeous asian beside me. As my eyes wandered from her brown eyes and white pearly teeth down her long hair they arrived at a sight so shocking that I found my self praising god above. Hallealuia my mind shouted as my senses realized she was walking around in a white thong with two micro poke a dots on it. As I looked around further I realized I was surrounded by several people without pants.

From models to big Nebraska sized linemen, people of all origins and health were shedding their pants. As we arrived at the Chinese theatre the place was surrounded by nearly 200 people in their underwear or swimsuits. Technically I was participating because I was wearing my commando swim suit as well.

I hung around for the group pictures and then focused on the bus route to get home. The bus was an hour late the people said so I started chatting to people near me. One nice gentlemen was going around providing Burger King food to the malnurished around us. When I asked him how I could keep in touch with him he said he didn’t use a computer. I honored his request and simply thanked him for his efforts. His actions are exactly what I try to recruit into our Helping Hands Charity and I’m sad I could not convince him to join us. There is a huge void in the world for those with similar ambition and love for thy neighbors.

I was about 15 miles away from Sung’s so the bus ride took about an hour. I had to take it to the last stop and then still take the train a mile over to the condo. It was a great adventure day. That night I read more about the no pants group and saw how several cities around the world were all taking pantless walks and then partying on their subways  that day. I’m still looking for the online group presence that randomly meets with other exciting objectives. If you know of one, please share.

My next project at Sung’s was to paint the bedroom. I took this opportunity to test our broadcasting software to stream live on UStream from our myspace page. I was also doing this during the BCS championship game so streaming that game got our pages a large audience.

He picked a nice olive green for rejuvination for most the walls and a lighter green for the sink area. It was an excellent choice for the room. It took awhile to get the touch up and edging done. After this project I was ready for another adventure.