WELCOME TO DAVE FORD DOES EARTH.com

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I recently got wind of a vicious rumor that a video featuring me in a undersized Brazilian Bikini jumping into freezing cold Antarctic waters will be on the front page on Youtube on April 10th, 2008.

In November of 2007 we upgraded our website from the blogspot site given in the video to a Wordpress site. Please give us a visit at our new home at www.daveforddoesearth.com.

I am currently living in New York City trying to keep from getting knocked off my bike.

Dave Ford Does Earth Has Moved!

Hey everyone, Dave Ford Does Earth has moved to its new home on a new domain! Please update your bookmarks and visit the new site at: http://www.daveforddoesearth.com

Or, to subscribe to the RSS feed, go here: http://feeds.feedburner.com/DaveFordDoesEarth

UPDATED: Ridiculous "TO DO LIST"

Earlier this week I posted a random to do list. I feel like its only fair to update everyone on my progress. I have been in hyper "do stuff" mode to get ready for our cross country launch. The idea of getting back out there in the world is sending shivers down my spine. This week I will be packing my backpack again.

The "Bolded" text below indicates my progress with the task at hand

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1. Call back local vet dude that is expert on Rwandan Mountain Gorillas
NOPE. Damn it.. Need to do this

2. Get www.daveforddoesearth.com switched from Blogspot to WordPress so the website can be vastly improved
BAM! DONE! Look for the new site this week

3. Find guy that will logo the minivan for the cross country trip
DONE! The van will be logoed up before we go

4. Get DaveFordDoesEarth logo made (think silhouetted Afroman holding a four color earth in the palm of his hand)
ALMOST DONE! Im digging the new logo. Muchas Gracias to Jamie at "Signs in a day" for his speed and creativity. He took the design I had in my head and made it a reality

5. Submit article about Ayahuasca in Bolivia to "The Baltimore Sun" travel section
Tomorrow. My amazing friend Lola (shes a journalist in Bolivia) gave me a few ideas and I should be submitting it tomorrow.

6. Upload all videos to www.lonelyplanet.tv
Not yet. Damn it

7. Secure incredible videographer to travel with me to Africa
Nope. But found a way to upload raw footage to the internet so people back home can produce the final footage and upload files to the internet for me.

8. Find funds for incredible videographer to travel with me to Africa
Not yet. But, had a great meeting with a potential partners this week.

9. Hang out with a very nice girl that I met on a mountain in Peru
Tonight. I am looking forward to it.


Dave, Chris, Myself, Benny, and Phil. Please do not ask about my horrible costume. I am plain and simply bad at Halloween.

10. Hang out and reconnect with the BV show and Dave (ironic as I share a room with the two of them). We have gone through a bit of a rough patch.
Rough patch was probably a bit of an exaggeration. We hung out in Fells Point last night for Halloween festivities and had many cocktails in the midst of some very interesting and provocative costumes. The anticipation for the trip is through the roof.


11.Work out arrangements to hang out with my friend(s) Charlie (Nashville), Lisa and Joe (Pagosa Springs, Colorado), and possibly friends of friends Bubbles and Candy (New Orleans) on the cross country trip.
Charlie DONE. Need to call Lisa and Joe and also find out about the New Orleans arrangements.

12. Get brakes fixed on 1993 Mini Van
David Binck is a bit of a "jack of all trades". We should make it happen tomorrow. The brakes are squeaky and we need to get on it.

13. Caddy at Bushwood Country club for some loot as I am brokealicious
Done. My last loop. Ahhh... Could it be my last loop ever??? I am still brokealicious.

14. Talk on the phone my my friends Bowdo and Rikki at three o clock in the morning about taking over the blogging world.
Talked to Rikki. Hopefully I ll hit Bowdo up very late tonight.

Baltimore Wimbeldon 2007

15. Make movie about silly tennis tournament that I played in this week
Working it into a part of a "new concept" I am currently working on.

16. Move out of the Betty Ford Clinic "aka my sisters house" where I have been living during weekdays for the last two weeks.
Done. Except I might there tonight. Debbie has a sweet couch.

17. Stop and smell the roses! Because damn they smell nice...
Unfortunately, I need to do a much better job of doing this.

18. Help my friend Steve destroy the basement of his new house with sledgehammers
Unfortunately, this was canceled. I am pretty vicious with a sledghammer. I used to break all my toys as a child.


19. Get more people to subscribe to DaveFordDoesEarth.com through the free backpack giveaway. hint, hint....put your email in the white box on the top of the blog
Thanks to the 32 people that have signed up since the start of this contest. 23 more days until we give away the backpack! For a second chance to win subscribe to www.aussieescape.com My friend Bowdo's daily blog gives a unique Australian perspective on world travel.

20. Think about getting a haircut then decide not to as to pursue Jon Bon Jovi hair circa 1988.
Im simply not getting a haircut. Right now I kind of look like a young David Hasselhoff though. Maybe I should move to Germany.

Let me apologize up front but I found this picture and just had to post

21. Hang out with the crazies in Fells Point (downtown Baltimore) on Halloween
DONE... and they were CRAZY

22. Have dinner with Bob Carter my new web/blog consultant
Done. We had a delicious Tuna.

23. Play Australian rules football and kick two goals
Yeah..umm. I am starting to realize that I suck at Australian rules football.

24. Have a budget meeting with my business manager (aka my Mom) where as she will tell me that I am spending too much money.
DONE AND DONE.

26. Work on my new Facebook group (daveforddoesearth.com) that already has 126 members. Pretty pumped. We are up to 140 members

27. Get together with my friend Dave Hill to see if he has any bright ideas as to how I should execute the video component of my cross country trip. Right now I am a bit stumped. DONE.Dave wore a chicken costume for the meeting.

28. Have internal dialog with myself about whether or not I am crazy for having a to do list like this. Done

29. Start making preparations to move out of Garaj Mahal
NOT DONE. We are realizing just how much we are going to miss Phil

30. Get Port o Pot from the "Garaj Mahal Ball" out of the garage because it is starting to stink. Benny and I had to push the spot-a-pot out of the garage this morning and I almost vomited. Somehow we avoided getting blue stuff all over us.

31. Schedule time with my boy Steve Huber to get loads and loads of sweet new music on our iPods for the Roadtrip. Steve... is in Italy. Also, his fees are a bit high as neither of would ever think of sharing music illegally.

30 Ridiculous things TO DO this week

We leave for a 3000 mile road trip across the southern United States in 8 days.

This is my to do list for this week. There is no rhyme, reason, or order to it.

As you will soon see, my life is pretty weird.

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1. Call back local vet dude that is expert on Rwandan Mountain Gorillas

2. Get www.daveforddoesearth.com switched from Blogspot to WordPress so the website can be vastly improved

3. Find guy that will logo the minivan for the cross country trip

4. Get DaveFordDoesEarth logo made (think silhouetted Afroman holding a four color earth in the palm of his hand)

5. Submit article about Ayahuasca in Bolivia to "The Baltimore Sun" travel section

6. Upload all videos to www.lonelyplanet.tv

7. Secure incredible videographer to travel with me to Africa

8. Find funds for incredible videographer to travel with me to Africa

9. Hang out with a very nice girl that I met on a mountain in Peru

10. Hang out and reconnect with the BV show and Dave (ironic as I share a room with the two of them). We have gone through a bit of a rough patch.

11.Work out arrangements with to hang out with my friend(s) Charlie (Nashville), Lisa and Joe (Pagosa Springs, Colorado), and possibly friends of friends Bubbles and Candy (New Orleans) on the cross country trip.

12. Get brakes fixed on 1993 Mini Van

13. Caddy at Bushwood Country club for some loot as I am brokealicious

14. Talk on the phone my my friends Bowdo and Rikki at three o clock in the morning about taking over the blogging world.

15. Make movie about silly tennis tournament that I played in this week

16. Move out of the Betty Ford Clinic "aka my sisters house" where I have been living during weekdays for the last two weeks.

17. Stop and smell the roses! Because damn they smell nice...

18. Help my friend Steve destroy the basement of his new house with sledgehammers

19. Get more people to subscribe to DaveFordDoesEarth.com through the free backpack giveaway. hint, hint....put your email in the white box on the top of the blog

20. Think about getting a haircut then decide not to as to pursue Jon Bon Jovi hair circa 1988.

21. Hang out with the crazies in Fells Point (downtown Baltimore) on Halloween

22. Have dinner with Bob Carter my new web/blog consultant

23. Play Australian rules football and kick two goals

24. Have a budget meeting with my business manager (aka my Mom) where as she will tell me that I am spending too much money.

26. Work on my new Facebook group (daveforddoesearth.com) that already has 126 members.

27. Get together with my friend Dave Hill to see if he has any bright ideas as to how I should execute the video component of my cross country trip. Right now I am a bit stumped.

28. Have internal dialog with myself about whether or not I am crazy for having a to do list like this

29. Start making preparations to move out of Garaj Mahal

30. Get Port o Pot from the "Garaj Mahal Ball" out of the garage because it is starting to stink.

31. Schedule time with my boy Steve Huber to get loads and loads of sweet new music on our iPods for the Roadtrip.

5 Easy Steps to "Quit your Job and Travel the World"

I set out to travel the world in January of 2007 after working 6 years in the radio biz in the Baltimore/Washington DC area of the United States at age 28. For all intents and purposes I had a really good job. I made good money, had a nice house, and had just bought a new car. However, something was missing in my life. At some point in the summer of 2006 I had simply had enough of the "real world" and made up my mind to quit it and travel.

The following are the five steps I took that led to my current life as a world traveler. My path is untraditional for Americans but far from it for Australians, Europeans, and Canadians. Oh yeah, I am loving every second of it. Life is good and I highly recommend doing the same if it is something you have always dreamed of doing.

Step 1: Make up your mind and stick to it.

If you want to quit and travel, then quit and travel. Whether it be for 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, or five years. DO IT! People from any age and any income bracket can do it. I met families traveling in South America. One Dutch family in particular had three kids (11, 9, 6) on the road with them for a one year trip. The kids were loving it and according to their parents were learning a hell of a lot more than they would be in school.

If you have some cash you will find a new amazing adventure to spend it on every day. If you are scraping by you will find a way to support yourself through work or volunteering. The human soul is resilient. Even in the worst of times or situations you will find a way to push through and people to help you. So, rich or poor decide to make a move and stick to it. You can even crash on peoples couches for free (if you let people crash on your couch). Check out www.globalfreeloaders.com.

Step 2: Take a look at the “dollar dollar bills” and plan accordingly

By and large Europe, the US, Canada, Australia, and Japan are the most expensive places to travel. South East Asia, India, Africa, and South America are going to be much cheaper options. Money should not be an issue if you plan to go to the places that match your budget. People of all income levels can do this. Young Israelis right out of their mandatory military service flock to South America, India, and South East Asia with little or no money at all and find a way to live for a year. I took the mixed approach in South America and consistently traveled low budget (hostels, shared rooms) while throwing in a few large splurges (Galapagos Islands, Antarctica) when opportunities arose. My trip was financed by a combination of equity that I pulled out of my house and savings. However, if I would have went to Europe for 8 months I would have been forced to work. Conversely, in South America I was free to travel the whole time. It is all about where you want to go and what you want to see for the money that you have. Furthermore, expensive does not always mean better (don’t tell Paris Hilton). There are companies that will help you match a budget to a particular part of the world. They will even plan a world trip for you. Try www.aussieescape.com

Step 3: Research and figure out where you want to go

Now that you know how much dough you have, get on the Internet and start figuring out where the hell you would like to go. The free resources are endless. I ended up staying at Milhouse hostel in Buenos Aires, Argentina on my first night traveling by a fluke search I made on Google. Ironically, this hostel is where I met my best friend of my South American trip. We ended up traveling together on and off for 4 months. It is a good idea to do as much research as possible. However, do not put together too regimented a plan if you can help it. I did not intend to visit either Bolivia or Colombia and they were my two favorite countries. www.lonelyplanet.com has info about any place you could dream of going. www.travbuddies.com is a social networking site for travelers. You can match up with people of the same age, same interests, and that are planning to go to the same place that you are from all around the world.

Step 4: Give one months notice and QUIT!(this is my favorite)

Now that you know how much cash you have and where you want to go. Just do it. Say those magic words, "I quit"! Or maybe this, "I hate you and this stupid job and you can shove those TPS reports straight up your ass!" Or what about, "Jim, I know you are having an affair with your secretary and I am going to tell your wife if you do not continue to pay me as I travel the world". QUIT! QUIT! QUIT! Giving your employer one month notice is more then enough time to do it the right way. Furthermore, 9 out of 10 employers will be in awe of what you are doing as opposed to angry (Warning:If you decided to blackmail your boss they might be angry). You are now officially living the dream and most will wish they were in a position to do the same. It takes a lot of balls to pack up and leave everything for the unknown. Most people will really respect you for your decision. Others will be jealous but you can deal with that when you get back.

Step 5: Buy a big backpack, shove a bunch of crap you think you will need inside, and get on a plane.

Chances are you will not need half of what you initially pack. Honestly, half of the experience is learning as you go. You will realize very quickly that a hairdryer and a tennis racket are simply not necessary.

Happy Travels! You are going to have the time of your life.

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Dave Ford is a freelance writer/video blogger traveling the world. He heads to Africa to travel the “Cairo to Capetown” route in January 2008. In early November 2007 he is embarking on a month road trip though the southern United States. You can read more about his adventures at www.daveforddoesearth.blogspot.com

The Garaj Mahal Ball Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eroLSP8Dg00


Last Friday night we had a bit of an extravaganza at the Garaj. We invited all of our close friends to get a look at the very large, yet very strange space where Dave Binck, the BV show, Phil, and I have been living these last two months. This video will give you an idea of the extent of the madness. It also showcases the performance by Phil and Jordan Caulfield (Guitar). Phil is looking for a gig as a lead singer if anyone knows anybody trying to start up a band in the greater Baltimore area.

Id luck to thank Francis Cabatac for knocking this video straight out of the park. Francis is blessed with a very special talent. Everyone in the DaveFordDoesEarth camp would like to thank him very much for his work. I might have to kidnap Francis and take him to Africa with me for 5 months next year. He is that good.

Francis is a freelance film producer and student. Please check out more of his work though his YouTube page at http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=cabattack. He is available if anyone needs video guy for anything.

Subscribe to DaveFordDoesEarth.com and win a 65 liter backpack

Click here for the new Dave Ford Does Iguazu Falls video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6SC8Q0iHv4

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DAVE FORD DOES EARTH.com GIANT BACKPACK GIVE AWAY


BANG! The day has arrived. The first Dave Ford Does Earth promotion kicks off today, Monday October 22nd, 2008. We will be giving away a brand spanking new 65 liter "Ocean and Earth" backpack on November 23rd. This is all made possible due to our new partnership with www.Aussieescape.com.

Come on, who does not want or need a giant backpack??? You can use it for your next trip around the world.

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"How do I enter?" You might be asking yourself.

Well, here are the official rules:

1. All subscribers to DaveFordDoesEarth.com are entered to win the backpack.

2. If you are not a subscriber, then go to daveforddoesearth.com and subscribe. It takes close to 10 seconds. You put your email in the pretty white box and click enter. Then, you have to confirm the subscription through an email you will receive in your inbox. BAM. Done. Finito. Easy.

3. For a second chance to enter go to

http://aussieescape.blogspot.com/2007/10/subscribe-for-free-for-chance-to-win.htmland and subscribe to their blog as well. I am very excited to be the US correspondent on AussieEscape.com. Both sites are giving away the same gigantic, fantastic "Ocean and Earth" backpack.

4. The only rule that I cannot enforce is that all applicants must promise to use this backpack on some "outside of the norm" trip. So, start thinking about whether you would like to get scuba dive certified in Honduras or whether you would like to bus around southern India. Honestly, even if you use it for a weekend in Las Vegas I would be happy. You would just have to promise to stay at "Circus, Circus" and report back about the other hotel guests (Circus, Circus is probably the scummiest hotel in Vegas).



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Jumping off of Large Waterfalls in the Jungle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxUwWjo3fEM


Alas, one fine day back in April I found myself trekking through the Bolivian Amazon with Billy Barnetson, Benny "BV Show" Vears, and our jungle guide Diego. When we were not furiously machete-ing the overgrowth blocking our path, we were jumping off of large waterfalls. I am pretty damn happy with how the footage in the movie above turned out. I am also, as always, happy that I have shed most of the baby fat displayed in our Amazonian adventure.

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Notes:

> Currently it is Friday night at 11:44 pm and I am sitting in my evening office (The Metropolitan Coffee Bar and Wine House in Federal Hill, Baltimore) working. I know what you are thinking and I too am very surprised. I do not think I have worked a Friday night since I waited tables at TGI Fridays in 1996. I am a bit possessed with snoop bloggy blog.

> I think I now have 7 movies uploaded on my homepage. For those of you that are currently sitting, bored at work, reading the email subscription please click over to www.daveforddoesearth.com and check out the newly installed video bar. Furthermore, I have also installed a slide show with a bunch of South American pictures on the top of the homepage. I have some fears that the shock of "pictures moving quickly across the screen" could cause some "at risk" people to have seizures. Please view at your own risk.

> I have been tasked by unknown powers to write an 1800 word article on my Bolivian Ayahuasca experience. Is anything going to come of this 1800 word article? I do not know but I will be putting it on the blog anyway.

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce/reintroduce 3 new members to the DaveFordDoesEarth team.

> Bob Carter as "Internet Visionary"- Bob is helping me create a new website that will make the current site look like Phil was managing it. He is also quite the suave internet marketer. Furthermore, he loves Persian cats and long walks on the beach. I am very pumped to have Bob on the team. His blog is www.robertbrucecarter.com. Check it out.

> Rikki Fox - Rikki lives in San Fran with his partner Chris. Rikki's blog www.traveling12feet.com is about their travels around the USA before uprooting and moving their lives to Canada (they have not moved yet). Rikki, along with myself, is a bit of a nerd and collects US quarters of all 50 states (I think the Alaska quarter comes out this year...actually that might not be true...I might have made that up). Nonetheless, we have plans to take over the travel blogging world. Rikki is also a big fan of the BV show. Oh, and Rikki made me the awesome banner ad on the site. Thanks Rikki.

> Nick "Bowdo" Bowditch- Nick lives close to Sydney, Australia and found me through my "Antarctic Polar Plunge video" (To see Dave Ford in a bikini in Antarctica go to the South America video bar on the top right of the main page). Bowdo owns a travel company and has been around the world a few times. I am the US correspondent on his blog. In my own eyes the fact that I am the US correspondent to anything is pretty cool. At this point I would be happy to be the US correspondent to the drainage ditch in front of Garaj Mahal. Nick's blog is http://aussieescape.blogspot.com/. Check it out.

> "Garaj Mahal Ball" pix will be up tomorrow. I promise. Well maybe I should not promise but I will try. The University of Maryland's Homecoming Football game is tomorrow.

> Oh yeah, if you are not subscribed to this thing yet please do so. It helps me and my efforts out quite a bit. There is a box in the right hand column. Simply enter your email address, then confirm the subscription through the email you will instantly receive in your inbox.

Brazilian Soccer, Blog Work, and Garaj Mahal Ball Pix

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haWL_5OZgrg

The above movie was taken on Ipanema Beach in Rio de Janeiro in March. I apologize to anyone that might not want to watch 2 minutes of shirtless Brazilian guys on the beach in advance. However, these guys can really play soccer. John and I were in a trance watching these guys (the soccer skills, not the guys). The music is Seu Jorge's Portuguese version of "Ziggy Stardust"from the "Life Aquatic" Soundtrack. On the other hand, to anyone that would enjoy watching 2 minutes of shirtless Brazilians... You are very welcome.

Also, check out the other movies as I post them. I have a lot more good stuff coming.

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I have spent the last few days making movies about South America, reaching out to my friends that are in Africa or have traveled in Africa, and working to upgrade the blog.

People quite commonly ask me what it is that I do all day. It is a bit of a complex, tricky answer but I promise that what I do is actual "work". I am trying to learn 50 things that I had no idea how to do before in a very short amount of time (movie making, web optimization, trip budgeting, travel blog selling, oriental basket weaving, afro care and management). We set sail across the US in 20 days time. Between the BV show, Dave, and I we are all getting a little tight on funds (the BV show is talking of bailing straight to Canada to clean toilets due to utter brokeness). The Garaj Mahal experience has not been as cheap as we thought it might be. Nonetheless, we are having a great time in Baltimore. I need to do a few more Crazy tapes as well before we go.

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If you have checked the blog as opposed to the email newsletter you will notice the upgrades. I have put together a slide show of about 90 of my South American pictures. My new friend and fellow blogger Rikki from San Fran (check out Rikki's blog linked at the bottom of the page "Traveling 12 feet") put together the new banner link on the top right hand side of the page. I also have posted a bunch of movies in the movie bar on the right. Over the course of the next 20 days you will see more and more content and more and more improvements. By the time our crew takes off across the US to realize our present day "manifest destiny", I want everything to be in place.

Also, I have reconfigured the blog so that the most recent comments pop up on the right hand side of the page as posted.

Is this interesting to most people? Probably not. Nonetheless, it is what I am doing.


Oh yes, an Australian travel company has asked me to be a guest blogger. Pretty cool stuff if I do say so myself. My work and movies will be featured on www.AussieEscape.com. I am going to be their US correspondent of sorts. The owner of the company Nick, introduced me to his readers today.

Check it out: http://aussieescape.blogspot.com/


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Now, the moment that you have all been waiting for... Some of the pictures of the "Garaj Mahal Ball". Most of these are late night at not during the actual party. It still gives you some idea of the setup.....

MMMM steam is now coming out my ears... Blogger will not let me upload any images right now. DAMN IT TO HELL. I promise Garaj Mahal Ball pix very shortly. I am very sorry if this has completely ruined anyones day.

"Cairo to Capetown", my own "Dark Star Safari"

I am very happy to announce that I have purchased my tickets in and out of Africa. I leave for Cairo, Egypt on January 17th 2008 and fly out of Capetown, South Africa on May 25th. What is going to happen during those 5 months and 1 week that fall in between those two dates is up in the air. I really have no set plans. Honestly, I just cannot wait to get back out there again. It is even better that I have no idea what is going to happen.

Right now I am thinking Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania (climb Kilimanjaro), Zanzibar, Rwanda, Uganda, Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa will make the cut. However, this will most definitely change. I have been toying with the idea of making a West Africa run to hit up Mali, Ghana, and Gabon. Although the cost associated with getting to the other side of a large underdeveloped continent are daunting, I still might make it happen on the fly if opportunities present themselves while I am over there.

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The cross country US road trip is also starting to take shape and form. Dave Binck, the BV show, myself, Jess, Lisa, and Daddio will be taking off in a two car caravan consisting of a Volvo Station Wagon and Plymouth Voyager mini van on November 5th. We are taking a southern route to avoid the frigid north. However, we are leaving quite a bit up in the air as we want to be able to "fly by the seat of our collective pants". If all goes as planned we will land in Sunny LA around the 5th of December.

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Currently I am sitting in "the Met", my new morning wireless office. Spoons wireless was cutting in and out and I had to make a change (however, they just made the wrong breakfast sandwich and I might have to reconsider). Anyway, I am forcing myself out of bed earlier in an attempt to work my to do list list from hell to completion. I have 20 days until we are back out there. I am not sure how I am going to get everything done but I am going to make it happen.

Look for some big changes in the template of the blog this week. I am adding a South America video section and a photo player among other things.

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Thanks to everyone that helped out with "the Garaj Mahal Ball" this weekend. It was a garage party in which many of my closest friends showed up to enjoy Pabst Blue Ribbon beer and Doritos. The garage conversion was a huge success. We also had Phil play a three song set with jazz guitarist Jordan Caulfield, formally of the band "Written Prisms". Phil and Jordan nailed it. Thanks to Jess (the official party director), Dave, Ben, and Phil for coming together to form a Voltron-like party killing unit. Also thanks to JT for a very beautiful and handy port o potty, Tina and Steve for special effects and party planning consultation, and Tom for enough carpeting to transform a smelly garage into a mega lounge.

I will be uploading pictures this week.
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I have been working on this Antarctica video. It is a little choppy but I am happy with it as I am doing everything I can do to learn how to make movies. If you like it, please comment on "youtube" and pass it on.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihueND2IfVQ

Hell must have frozen over because I can FINALLY make videos!

An overwhelming feeling of joy and elation has taken over my every being. In summary, I bought a very nice Sony video camera in February in anticipation of my upcoming Antarctica trip. I bought the camera in the southern most city in the world, Ushuaia, Argentina. The footage I captured in Antarctica and throughout South America turned out much better than I had hoped for. However, the stupid camera would not sync with my Macintosh and my hopes of having the video blog running in South America were crushed along with my spirits. On the bright side, the lack of video capability gave me the time and energy to focus on my writing almost exclusively.

Sidenote: This worked out well as my writing, spelling, and grammar needed the focus. After writing this comment I am certain to have spelling and grammar errors in this post.

Anyhoo, after three sessions with the "Mac Genius'" at the Apple store I am UP AND RUNNING. For the last three nights I have set down with my Mac and my video camera viewing footage from Antarctica, Bolivia, Macchu Pichu, Brazil, and the Galapagos. Damn, it has been a great three nights. The memories came rushing back like a runaway freight train. It is interesting how much you tend to forget about your travels. Pictures simply do not it justice. Hearing the voices and seeing the faces of the people I traveled with and met brought a great big smile to my face.

I want to put a South American video travel bar on the blog to share the experiences with everyone. I love adding things to the to do list. The list currently stands at 500 (things to do).

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So, I would like to formally unveil the first DaveFordDoesEarth video. It is the first in the "Phil's Crazy Tapes" series.

Here is a little bit of background:

Name: Phil
Age: 56
Claim to fame: Lead Singer of the epic Baltimore rock band "Tower" in 1975.
2nd Claim to fame: Pictured in a 1975 edition of Playboy magazine (fully clothed).
Current occupation: Punch out guy on a construction crew in Federal Hill

The music video we created the other night is to give Phil a chance to showcase his singing ability. Let me be very clear. Phil "is" Garaj Mahal. We all love this guy and will do whatever we can to help him.

ENJOY!




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Notes:

> You might be noticing many changes to the blog. Among other things, I am adding other blogs of interest. Check them out if you have some time. There are a lot of talented people out there doing similar things as myself.

> I am working on a cast of characters video section of the website. Coming soon will be video interviews with Dave Binck, the BV show, Phil, and Jess.

> I want to get the mini van tagged (with Graffiti art) before the cross country road trip. Does anyone know anyone skilled with a can of spray paint?

> Yesterday was my biggest day (number of page hits) since I have been back in the country. Thanks again for reading. Oh, and thanks for the comments and advice from everyone that has taken the time to throw out ideas.

Planning a Cross Country US Road Trip

I am pleased to unveil the rough plan for the DaveFordDoesEarth.com fall 2007 US road trip.

Right now it looks like our merry band of travelers will be taking off right around November 1st for New York City. By December firstish we should be in sunny LA. We have been kicking around ideas and have decided to take a musical route through the US south hitting Nashville, New Orleans, and Austin, Texas. Originally we were going to take a northern route but realized it would be idiotic due to the cold. We are still working out what to do between NYC and Nashville. Right now it looks like we could be hitting Cleveland, Chicago, Indianapolis, and Louisville.

Wow! I cannot hide my excitement. Right now it looks like Dave Binck, The BV Show, Jess, Daddio, and possibly a few others will be a part of our two car cross country excursion. I will be the captain of the Plymouth Voyager mini van. Dave will captain the Volvo station wagon.

When we arrive in LA I am going to fly with the BV show to Calgary, Canada. From there the BV show will start an illustrious career snowboarding and cleaning toilets. I plan on working my way down through the Pacific Northwest eventually ending up in Los Angeles again. I hope to hit Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, San Fransisco, and wine country, before reuniting with Dave in the "city of angels".

In the above map the first leg of the journey is marked by black string. Conversely, the second leg is marked in blue string. No, you cannot tell the difference in the picture.

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The Return of Jess and Lisa

The crew in front of a reflecting pool at the National Gardens in Washington DC.


My homegirls Jess and Lisa have been living in upstate New York since we parted ways in Santa Marta, Colombia in August. Well, they are back. Lisa and I showed Jess and Benny the sites in Washington DC last week. Jess is in town for two weeks. I am very happy about this as her presence has chilled me out quite a bit. Yes, I have been a bit uptight and overwhelmed trying to juggle 50,000 tasks at the same time. Jess' mantra of "stop and smell the roses" is just the advice I needed. Nonetheless, I am starting to see some of my ideas come to fruition . For example, I am FINALLY at the point where I have my video camera compatible with my mac. It has only taken 7 months.

Sidenote: So, in summary the "Roses" are smelling pretty good.

Our reflections on the Vietnam War Memorial. The memorial has the name of every single fallen soldier. My dad was in Viet Nam and the memorial hit home. 50,000 US servicemen died in the conflict.

Fill in the blanks: This is yet another ______ picture of the BV show.

Question: Where else should I take my Australian hombres while I am in the Washington/Baltimore area in the next few weeks? Hit me up on the comment board.

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At the Hookah Bar in Federal Hill with the Garaj Mahal crew. From left to right: Tazzy, Jess, Me, Daddio, The BV Show, Kelly, and my sister Debbie.

Golf and the Caddyshack at Bushwood Country Club

This is a shot of my Pinehurst crew last weekend. My dad is in front of the pack.


I guess in my last rash of posts I let the cat out of the bag that the transition coming back home from South America and adjusting to life in America has not been exactly easy. I have had an especially tough time adjusting to the fact that I was actually working for an institution other than DaveFordDoesEarth. Believe me, there is nothing better than working for yourself. This even holds true when you are not making any money. I guess that is what I have been doing since I set off to travel last January 9th. I really love being my own boss.

Anyway, so having that attitude and then getting thrown back into the same environment (so I thought) caddying at Bushwood Country Club that I experienced when I worked there from age 15-22 was strange to say the least. Clearly, I am in a much different place now compared to what my life was like at age 22.

Bushwood is a very unique place. The caddy yard has enough personality for ten sitcoms on network TV. Much of the membership are members of the "Elite, Elite". When I worked at Bushwood before I met President Clinton. Michael Jordan played the club quite a bit when he worked with the Wizards. Billionaires play at this club every day.

So, I started working at Bushwood at age 15 in 1994. My parents would drive me to work everyday so I could pick up golf balls on the driving range, wash carts, and take bags out of peoples cars at the bag drop. Eventually I became a full time caddy and worked myself to the top of the ranks before I got into the real world. I think I was at my best in 2000 and 2001. I would guess that I was in the top 10 caddies at that time. I was on the course walking up the hill on the 7th hole on 9-11 when I found out that the twin towers had fallen.

Now, I am far from being in the top 10 caddies. I guess I expected to be able to walk right back in and crush it again. You would be surprised how competitive caddying is. Most people do not have any idea what it is a caddy does. Even a good golfer does not know what a caddy is unless he/she is exposed to caddies regularly.

Here are some facts:

> Caddies can help you play a hell of a lot better, or a hell of a lot worse.

> Good caddies kick golf balls into better position for shitty players.

> Caddies bitch and moan a lot about slow golf (myself included).

> Caddies bitch and moan a lot about a lot of other things besides slow golf.

> The boss of the caddies is called the "Caddy Master".

>Full time caddies are some of the most interesting/funny/weird characters of any profession that I have come across.

I worked twice this week. Both loops were very average.

Loop 1: I caddied for a guy that worked as an agent for major golfers back in the day and the head Golf Pro at a golf club in Florida. They were both completely uninterested in any chit chat, yet seemed to be ready to bust my balls all day long. In the end, I gave the ball busting right back and was to some degree well received.

The other caddy in the group was a very cool 55 year old black dude named Ed. He wants to start up a blog and I am helping him.

Sidenote: Throughout the course of the round Ed told me about 3 different occasions where he has had a gun pulled on him in Baltimore City throughout the course of his life. Yet, he said he was afraid to travel outside of the country due to 9-11 and Al Queda. It is crazy how scared the media in this country keeps Americans. I am pretty sure Ed could open up a can of whoop ass on me so I hope he is not mad that I brought this up. Furthermore, Ed has a beautiful singing voice.

Loop #2- I caddied for very, very, very, very horrendous and terrible golfers. One of the guys I had could win the prize for the biggest geek I have ever met in my entire 29 years of life. Furthermore, he insisted on keeping his putter cover on which is really annoying when you are caddying for a guy thats going to shoot 120. My other guy was a "head cover guy" which basically means that he had 5 different head covers on his 5 different woods. He had a turtle, a gopher, a bear, a moose....etc

They were so bad that we were pretty much picking up their balls, walking with them, and dropping them in good spots all day long. We were also kicking their balls quite a bit. If we would not have done so, we might still be out there. This behavior is a must when you are caddying for hacks.

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Here are my three favorite caddy ball advancement moves (aka "Foot Wedges"):

1. The tie your shoe move- You bend down to tie your shoe. While doing this you end up blocking the view of the ball from the player who is walking down the fairway. Then you reach down with your hand and give him a beautiful lie.

2. The walking big kick- This is when you are far in front of your player and have the option of trying to pull off a David Beckham like corner kick with the ball. This is very enjoyable but does give you the chance of getting caught.

3. The towel move- This is my favorite. What you do is pick up the ball out of the woods and walk confidently out into the clearing. You take your towel and hold it low to the ground dropping the ball from position A to position B. The ball drops from behind the blocked towel. The player never suspects a thing when you say, " Wow, you got a really amazing kick off of that tree".

Sidenote: By and large to successfully kick your players ball you need to be far ahead of the group. Furthermore, I do not kick balls of good players or in competitive tournaments. However, it is a fantastic tool to help speed up slow play.
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Notes:

Phil and I had our first crazy tapes session the other night. I think it really went well. We have about a half hour of footage to work with. I cannot wait to go to the Apple lab and get them to teach me how to make movies.

We have our second Australian Rules Football game tonight. Please enjoy the extremely gay picture of Dave Binck and the BV show in their Aussie Rules football practice gear. Apparently Dave has been infected by the BV shows "gay pic" disease.

> My trip to the golf mecca Pinehurst was a blast. In the four rounds I played I shot 101, 96, 96, and 92. Now everyone knows how much I suck at golf. All I need is a caddy to kick me into a good place.

> Jess and Lisa (traveled through Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru with them) are in town right now. I am pumped up.

> I have come to the realization that I might be blowing up peoples email in boxes with my recent flurry of posting. So, I have decided to try and post bi weekly on Tuesday and Friday. We will see how this works.

> Due to recent "amazing" and "crazy" advice that I have received from "my good friend" Tony, I am going to stop using the words "amazing", "crazy", and "my good friend" to describe everything I am doing and everyone I know. However, Phil will still be described as crazy.

> Golf makes people certifiably insane. I had a fit of rage after chilly dipping a shot from the hard pan, slammed my club into the ground, and ended up with a broken pitching wedge. Yes, I am an idiot. We make fun of people that behave in this manner when caddying. Yes, its ironic.

Shot of the waste bunkers of "Tobacco Road" in Pinehurst, North Carolina. This is the best course that we played. It was very nice to be able to spend so much time with my Dad last weekend. It was not very nice that he spent so much time in these waste bunkers.

GARAJ MAHAL UPDATE NUMBER 1

Another Look at the "Wall of Antlers"




Very random thoughts on a very early Wednesday morning:

> At this point, I am really trying to write as much as I possibly can. I am working to put something together at least every other day. There is so much I could write about it is sometimes hard to sift through the subject matter I am blasted with every day.

>I am leaving for a 4 day golf trip to Pinehurst, North Carolina on Thursday. I have no idea how in the hell I am going to write while playing 5 rounds of golf in 3 days. I think I might just chalk it up as a brief vacation and start writing ferociously on Monday again. I have decided to keep working at Bushwood Country Club 2-3 days a week or when it is really busy. I want to write about my experiences out there. It is a truly amazing place with a crazy story around every corner. I am aiming to have a post out about my caddy experience this week before I leave for Pinehurst.

> Our Co-ed Australian Rules Football season began its inaugural season this evening. Our squadron, Garaj Mahal won our first game 39-9. This is because we are awesome. My Australian roommate Benny "BV Show" Vears is an awesome coach. Furthermore, he also does not mind running up the score. My sister Debbie is playing and is in the running for league MVP according to a recent poll.

> Dave Binck is continuing to hang out with Julie our new friend with oh too close ties to Bushwood Country Club (her dad is the boss). There is already some serious gossip going on at Bushwood about who she has been hanging out with. I think her Dad thinks that it is me. Pretty funny! Anyway, Dave and Julie went sailing together Tuesday and Thursday last week. Who goes sailing? I did not know that Dave had such a passion for the high seas.

> Phil is ramped up getting ready to make his first crazy tape.

> I spent all day today in the Mac Store in Towson pimping out my computer. Somewhere in the store it hit me that I really do not know a thing about computers. I might be functioning on a 3rd grade level.

> I have decided to endorse "Dangerously Delicious Pies" in Federal Hill simply because I like their Pie and Coffee. The Pie is substantial, yet healthy. I have eaten their pie twice and enjoyed it immensely. Go buy pies from "Dangerously Delicious Pies" in Federal Hill. Tell them Dave Ford Sent you and get a free glass of nothing because they have no idea who the hell I am. "Dangerously Delicious Pies" are magically delicious. The guy that owns the place is very cool. He plays in a band called "The Glenmont Popes". The fine establishment got shut down trying to play live music in his pie shop by idiotic city officials. They are getting wireless and I plan on making the place my new afternoon office. "Spoons" will remain my morning office. They appear to be warming up to me at spoons. And by warming up I mean they continue to warm up my sub $2.00 cup of coffee.

Go to dangerouspies.com to order a delicious pie

> The DaveFordDoesEarth business plan is starting to come to fruition. I have to be honest. I am pretty excited about everything going on in my life right now. Benny, Dave, and I have been chilling hard and loving Federal Hill. We have had our ever so often differences due to the fact that we virtually live on top of each other. However, by and large life in Garaj Mahal has been fantastic. I am never going to forget this place. We are truly living in fantasy land.

> Right now I am sitting in the lounge typing at 2:32am coming to the realization that I am self employed as a writer.

Sidenote: By self employed I mean I write a lot and do not get paid for it (yet).

I am getting ready to embark on a project with Dave Binck to start producing videos of the 2007 versions of "Phil's Crazy Tapes". Currently as I sit here, I am listening to Australian Hip Hop group "The Hilltop Hood's". I have come to the realization that I am continuing my travels. Only this time I am traveling through my home town of Baltimore, Maryland, sitting on a leather couch in Garaj Mahal.

> Yeah, I guess I like the idea of continuing my travels "inside" the United States. I wonder why it took me so long to get my head around the fact that this is an extension and vital part of my trip and not just a visit back to the real world. "Thank God"! Reality is NO BUENO.

> The Tears for Fears song "Mad World" just came on iTunes. That is pretty fitting I think.

> If any once else reading this is a travel writer or blogger hit me up and we can talk about linking up our two sites. Last night I typed "dave ford" into Google and was the number 2 search result. A few months back I was on the 4th page.

> Please keep the comments coming.. It is making this whole experience so much better. Thanks to everyone for their suggestions on how to grow the readership. I am loving it and working on making it happen.

Sept 24th... Time flies when you live in a Garage

I am currently sitting at my office located in the back of a breakfast joint in Federal Hill sucking down my second cup of coffee. I actually bought breakfast today as I am afraid I will lose my office priveleges if I keep sitting here for hours while only buying 1 cup of coffee for $1.38.

I am completely wiped from the Ravens game yesterday. In summary, the Ravens blew a big lead and ended up winning on a field goal as time ran out. I was in an advanced state of hammeredom for most of yesterday.

My good friend Josh had an extra ticket. So, he came over to Garaj Mahal early and we dove head first into pregame rituals and festivities. We ended up wandering around to multiple tail gates for a few hours. I got to see a ton of friends that I have not seen since my triumphant return. During the game, I spent much of my time screaming bad things about Arizona running back Edgerin James. He was one of my fantasy football running backs last year. He let me down in a big way and I will never forgive him. He sucks immensely.

Garaj Mahal is always out of control on game days. Phil always makes up a big spread. He also whipped up a fresh batch of "Peacocks Delight", his famous drink. Binck had tickets to the Redskins game so he was not around. I do not know what the hell Benny was doing. I do know that he ran home from the complete other side of the city this morning. It had to be at least about 7 miles. Benny is crazy!

Tomorrow I have a class at the Apple store. I feel like I will be spending quite a bit of time there in the next few months. I have FINALLY been able to upload and view all of my movies from South America. So, you can expect to see some footage shortly as I will be forcing the Mac people to teach me how to use iMovie.

Also, we are going to put together some new crazy tapes for Phil. So, the video camera is coming out of the bag. Dave Binck is spearheading the crazy tape project.

I have to work today. I am not exactly thrilled about it. But, it should be a nice 5 mile walk.

I cannot believe it is September 24th. I have been back in the USA for 5 weeks. In another five weeks Benny will be in Canada and Dave and I will be getting ready to leave for our cross country trip.

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Notes:

> I got quite a few really good emails about my last post. If you guys could post these sort of wonderful emails in the comment section of the blog it would be much appreciated. Lots of people emailed me with other new music recommendations as well and I think it would be great to share with other readers.

> Since I have been writing regularly my numbers have shot back up. Spread the word if you like what you are reading. Also, do not forget to sign up to receive DaveFordDoesEarth posts via email. Right now I think I have about 500 people reading the blog. Most are from the Baltimore Washington corridor. However, I have good numbers in Hawaii, Chicago, California, New York, Sydney, Peru, and Belgium of all places. I currently have 115 people that receive the emails. My goal is to have 250 people signed up before I leave for Africa.

> Thanks for all the emails with suggestions on ways to bathe our pet fox. We will take in account all of your ideas. He smells terrible.

The Divided States of America

I am furious! In fact, I am completely and totally irate! I am not pissed. Pissed would be a huge understatement. Fuming! What are some other words for anger? Enraged. Spewing. Irritated. Sullen. Vexed. Fuming. Wait, I already used that one. Whatever, you get the point. I am fiery in an indignant way.


"What on earth could you possibly be furious about?" You might be asking yourself right now. "You live in a ridiculous garage with two of your best friends, a 55 year old dude named Phil, and a pet fox!" "You just got back from South America and before you left you used to look like this!" This picture of me 25 pounds fatter was taken December 26th, 2006 exactly two weeks before I left for Argentina.




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So, why I am mad?


I am livid because this post was supposed to be about my interpretation of the United States of America since my return from South America. However, after an amazing night out last night and some cultural enlightenment the crux of my arguments have imploded and counter arguments have come to fruition.

In short, I was going to blast the USA and then came to the realization that if I did such a thing I would be a complete and utter moron.

Sidenote: Yeah, its been a bit of a tough transition.


Interstate 95 runs from the Florida Keys to Maine.

Honestly, since my triumphant return my overall view of the US had been far from positive. I entered the US via the extremely materialistic and pretentious city of Miami, embarked on a 1000 mile drive up interstate 95, and was immediately disillusioned. Every 75 miles or so on the right or left side of the interstate you are presented with a different configuration of Big Box stores. While driving up the coast Dave Binck and I would be confronted with a Best Buy, Bed Bath and Beyond, Target, Dicks Sporting Goods medley. Then, 45 minutes later a Circuit City, Wal-Mart, Home Depot combo would present itself. Along the way it is important to sprinkle in multiple Holiday Inns, McDonalds, Citgo gas stations, and Waffle Houses. Repeat pattern from the tip of Florida all the way up the east coast. People visiting from abroad would not realize that Georgia is actually a very different place than Maryland. Instead they would think, "Wow, people in the USA must really love Wal-Mart!"



The generic blandness and cookiecutterness (OK, that might not be a word) that we encountered in my first days back hit me like a ton of bricks. After wandering aimlessly through the unique and subtle differences of the countries of South America I was simply not prepared mentally for a world full of Best Buys, and Wal Marts.

I was much more prepared to see a 50 year old Bolivian women pee on the side of a building wearing a derby hat.

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Then I get back to Baltimore and partied with everyone I know in the world (which was very fun, do not get me wrong). However, when the party slowed down I found myself staring face to face with the real world. I even began to feel stressed. I have not felt stress in a long time. At this point I screamed like a 5 year old girl and crawled into the fetal position shaking.

So then I started to work at Bushwood Country Club caddying for the combination of amazing filthy rich people and terrible filthy rich people. If the golf club has taught me anything over the years its that money does not buy happiness. Some of these people are truly miserable.

Bushwood Country Club is a microcosm of American society. Everything revolves around money. From the millions of dollars that the players have, to the ass kissing that occurs from "almost" anyone that caters to the holders of the millions of dollars. A few of the people I have caddied for in the last month had very similar lives to the Dave Ford of a year ago when I worked in the radio business. They were in their late 20's, worked in sales, and probably make very similar money to what I made. I certainly feel like few of these guys felt like I was their equal. Maybe, my own ego was getting in the way. I mean, I was carrying their golf bags, cleaning their clubs, and wiping down their dirty golf balls. Caddying is the "service job" of service jobs. Still, I do not like the air that a lot of these guys give off. Its been a tough adjustment.

Sidenote: Clearly these guys would think differently if they knew that I drive a 1993 Plymouth Voyager mini van and share a room with two other guys in a Garage.


Moreover, a lot of these guys are working in the same offices of Best Buy, Wal Mart, and other large life sucking corporations.


So, I could keep going with my rant and start talking about politics, war, poverty, the war on drugs, and Jerry Springer. But, I am not going to do that.

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The main reason that I am furious is that I was very quick to notice every little thing about this country that I hate and very slow to go after what I know in this country to be amazing.

This is why I have amazing friends. I can always count on my friends to help me pull my head out of my own ass. My amazing friend Tina basically took me under her wing when I was 22 and started working at my first radio station at 98 Rock. She has been a great friend and mentor since I have known her. She is also a huge Music junkie.

Sidenote: Mucho props in the same catagory can be given to my friends Josh, Wendy, and Dave Hill who I also worked with at 98 Rock.

Well, Tina could tell that I had cocooned myself in Garaj Mahal with other travelers and immediately forced me to go to a live bluegrass show with her. Last night we saw the Avett Brothers (I had never heard of them) and my mind was blown. It was just what the doctor ordered. I witnessed America take a deep, fresh breath in the form of amazing music from Greenville, North Carolina.





There were about 500 people at the show and the crowd never stopped dancing. Damn it these guys were good. They are currently blowing up. This is only the second time they have played in Baltimore and the audience knew the words to every song. The energy flowing through the room was simply beautiful.

This is the first live music that I have witnessed since el triumphanto returno. Since college I have lived for live music. I have averaged about 30 shows a year for the last 8 years. I used to manage local bands, got into radio because of music, and even went to South by Southwest (huge music insider conference in Austin, Texas) two years in a row.

At some point in the middle of this concert I rediscovered one of the things I love most about America, the amazing underground live music scene and the people that support it.

The underground music scene is also a microcosm of America. It represents people helping other people, love, and good times. Yes, many hippies follow the live music I am speaking of. However, so do many hipsters and many regular people. The scene is pro environment, politically motivated for change, and would love it if America would use its imperialism more responsibly in the world. The same people that are into live music are the same Americans that I met traveling in South America. I am sure you are surprised, but I did not meet too many executives from Target.

There are two different United States of Americas. It has nothing to do with geography. I am really glad I reconnected with "my USA" last night.

The juxtaposition of the Bushwood Country Club/Corporate America culture and the underground music culture are so profound its impossible to get your head around it if you have not experienced both.

I fully believe that in the United States of America there is a culture of money, greed, corruption, and idiotic politicians which all revolve around "CORPORATE USA". However, there is also a huge underground movement of free spirits running through this country having a good time and living in contrast to these giant creativity killing conglomerates.

Personally, I am furious at myself for spending so much time thinking about whats "SO WRONG" with my country and not remembering what is "SO RIGHT".

Thanks, Tina for a great concert and a tremendous wake up call.


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Notes:

> Its official. I am a full time blogger again. I am pretty happy about it. My offices are located in a Federal Hill breakfast joint called Spoons. I am the asshole in the back that drinks 5 cups of coffee while staring at my Mac. I wonder if they are going to ask me to leave eventually. I think my total bill is going to be $1.38. Whoever came up with free coffee refills is OK in my book.

> Winston has not been feeling good. What do you do for a sick fox? I do not think traditional vets will see a fox. Benny fed him some of Phil's 5 day old chili from the Ravens game last week and I do not think it set well. Benny wanted to give him Pepto Bismol. What an idiot!

> Vote on the top right hand side of the home page for which of the characters in my house deserve their own post. Right now Winston is winning. However, I do not know how much I can write about a stupid fox with stomach issues.

> In my opinion any music that does not get played on conventional mainstream radio should be defined as "underground". The styles include jam bands, indi, bluegrass, jazz, folk, hip hop, blues, soul, regaae, acoutic guitar based rock, roots rock, americana, indi, electronica etc.

If you are looking for some new music may I suggest the following:

1. The Avett Brothers (bluegrass)
2. People Under the Stairs (hip hop)
3. Michael Franti and Spearhead (rock/hip hop)
4. Citizen Cope (groove)
5. My Morning Jacket (roots rock)

> I am pretty excited to be going to the Baltimore City Paper "Best of Baltimore" party tonight with my buddy Paul Manna. I need a regular column. I wonder if they would pay me. Although, I like the idea of not having a boss.. hmmm... I could use a full time proof reader though.

I think I should have won for "best white man afro in Baltimore".


I will be very happy when Winston gets better.

I think I'll call this Chapter 2

I searched for "Chapter 2" on Google Images and this is what popped up. I have no idea about the "Mental Conceptual Realm". However, I am very interested to find out more about "the Octopus".

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I figured I would let some thoughts flow. Here goes...

I have pretty much decided to focus my efforts full time on the blog. I have a lot of work to do to. Plus, I love the fact that I am in a position to write everyday and hopefully post every other day. Dave and Benny are now the sole bread winners in the household as Caddies at Bushwood Country Club, one of the most elite golf courses in the US. I will still be out there a little bit so I will keep you abreast of the happenings at the caddy yard.

So here is what I am thinking....

I am going to focus my writing on a few different things that are going on in our lives.


1. The day in, day out lives of myself, Dave, Benny (aka BV show), our Lead Vocalist Phil, and our gracious host Wayne. For example, Phil watched "The Birds" again for the second night in a row and spent some time yelling at the people in the movie for being so stupid with regards to letting the birds poke everyones eyes out. Tonight Benny and I set across from each other in our pimped out lounge, typed on our respective laptops, and listened to "the Roots" and other assorted underground hip hop. Dave just got home from dinner with his Mom. We got a bill in the form of a handwritten note from Wayne informing us that "It's time!"(to pay the rent).

Nonetheless, the love that is flowing through this house is out of control and life is very good.

2. Australian Rules Football- Yeah, you heard me correctly. We are playing on an Australian Rules Football team. Unless you have ESPN 7, you probably have never seen this game. Its pretty crazy. You pass by kicking and punching the ball. There is a position called ruck. I do not know why that is important but wanted to reinforce that I know at least one position in Aussie Rules. Furthermore, it is a touch version so chicas will be playing and boozing after the games with us.

3.Dave has been talking with a girl named Julie. She happens to be the daughter of the Head Superintendent at Bushwood Country Club. Now, I know what you are thinking. Head Superintendent??? What does that mean? Well, let's just say that this guys makes one of the top Golf Clubs in the entire continental United States of America look amazing. He is basically running the show at the exclusive course where Dave just started working. So where does that put Dave? I think you can figure it out.

No, this is not Julie.

4.We have decided that it is necessary for all of us to go Speed Dating. I have no preconceptions. I just think that there is real potential for some hysterical things to happen.

Our preliminary research has indicated that there is speed dating right in Federal Hill. You get to go on 10 (5) minute dates. We will be sure to report back on the best and worst dates of the evening.

5. There is a plan in motion to have a tennis tournament where everyone must wear white in true Wimbledon fashion. The only rule is that to participate you must be completely tennis free for the last four years. The competition will be doubles. The prize will be free tickets to the first Rock and Roll show that Phil plays at the 8 x 10 in Federal Hill.


Of course, I will also be updating everyone on the status of both the cross country US trip and my Africa trip planning.

Love,

David

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Notes:

> Sign up to get more Garaj Mahal updates emailed to you right here on this page on the top right hand side of the blog.

> The more comments the better. If you have a thought, throw it on the blog by clicking on the link at the bottom of each individual post.

> I am planning on introducing regular polls on the blog to get feedback from readers. I am going to write the next post about whoever gets the most votes. Vote for either Phil, Dave Binck, Wayne, Winston, or the BV show at the top right hand side of the blog.

The "Garaj Mahal Players" and our pet fox Winston

Yes...In Garaj Mahal we have a pet domesticated fox. His name is Winston and is pictured above with Benny.


So... I am still trying to figure out exactly how to keep the blog going in some sort of fashionable way while chilling in Baltimore for the next few months. I guess I am going to just write. My goals are to write a lot. However, I want to keep the posting shorter and more frequent. I have decided to work less as a caddy and more as someone trying to travel the world for the next 5 or so years. I think the best way to start is to introduce the characters in our world of ridiculousness.


So, um, here goes (I may be repeating some descriptions here from previous posts) ...



I live in Garaj Mahal with four other people. Contrary to popular belief, in the above picture I am not naked. However, I am extremely serious.

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Benny Vears (aka the BV show)

Benny and I met in Argentina in January and traveled together through Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. He used to be in the Special Forces of the Australian Navy. He is a freak about going to the gym and has a tendency to take very gay pictures. See above picture with Winston also please walk with me through a memory lane of Gay Benny pictures.


Gay Pic in the Galapagos

Gay Pic in Bolivia


The gayest of all gay pics while still in the Australian Navy. Please carefully notice both the flexing and the shorts.

Sidenote: As previously mentioned, I am a big fan of the adjective "gay", but do not mean to offend anyone that could actually be gay. I have a lot of gay friends and love all of you.

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Wayne

Wayne- Wayne owns Garaj Mahal and dabbles in real estate in Federal Hill where we live. Furthermore, Wayne also likes to hunt. To make things even more clear, He loves to hunt more than anyone I have ever met before. I have never been on a hunt but like the idea of shooting both deer and Canadian geese as both are a nuisance to our society. Wayne lives in the county and uses Garaj Mahal as his office. So far, he seems to be thorougly amused by his new tenants.

Sidenote: We just found a copy of a DVD laying on Waynes desk called "Extreme Whitetails 3". This is not a porn movie as you might expect but a movie about amazing whitetail hunts.

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Phil


Phil- Phil is about 55 years old and used to be in a major rock band back in 1975. Phil was the lead singer of Tower. Currently, he is the caretaker of Garaj Mahal. Phil told us about how back in the day he used to make "Crazy Tapes". If all goes as planned Phil will be appearing on the blog with new revamped crazy tapes. Phil also makes an amazing drink called "peacocks delight" that he claims the ladies will love. No one has had the balls to sit in Phils chair. Currently as I type this, Phil is watching Alfred Hitchcocks "the Birds".

Sidenote: I have seen "the Birds" once and am still terrified by the movie. The idea of Birds pecking out peoples eyes does not sit well with me.

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Dave Binck- Dave and I went to college together at the University of Maryland. Since then he has been bouncing around the country. He is on his way to the city of Angels and is stopping over in Baltimore for a few months to chill out after a near death experience a few months back. The above pic is a bit disturbing. However, how would we be able to get by without the stuffed beaver that lives in our closet?

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Benny, Dave, and I are sharing a room. Yes, you heard it correctly. It is a ridiculous living situation. We also all caddy together. Therefore, I have been spending about 20 hours a day with these two lunatics. Thank god Phil is around to keep things sane in Garaj Mahal.

Below are some pictures to give you a better idea of our living arrangements:


Our garage can hold 8 cars.


The lounge area at the back of Garaj Mahal. Muchos Gracias to mi amigos Steve and Wendy for the sweet leather couches.

At what point in life is it not proper to share a room with two other guys???? Probably a very long time ago for us but you cannot beat what we are paying in rent. Plus, Benny and I have been sharing a room with up to 12 people since January so this is not that big a deal. I hope I am doing a good job justifying the ridiculousness of this entire situation.


Garaj Mahal would not be accurately described without talking about our wall of antlers. Did I mention that Wayne likes to hunt?
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Notes:


>Last night we tried to give Winston a bath. It was impossible. He is very quick and bites a bit. However, he is starting to smell and we had to give it a try.



>In the lounge area of Garaj Mahal we have a psuedo war room featuring maps of the USA and of the world. Dave and I are currently mapping out our US trip which should start around mid November.

>Currently, it looks like I am pushing back Africa until after the New Years. I left for South America on January 9th of 2007. I am feeling like it could be a great date for my Africa launch date as well.




> Our friends Daddio and Tazzy are pictured above with Winston our fox. They are Garaj Mahal residents without residency. They pretty much live here. Not pictured: My sister Debbie who also lives here.