As of today, I have closed down all of my domestic operations. So, I am technically homeless (more on that below).

Here is my schedule for the next few months:

I leave on April 11th for Pakistan and Afghanistan (and I’m going to try to go to Dubai if I am unable to get into Iran – which seems increasingly likely)… I should return from the Middle East around the middle to end of May.

Sienna has her wedding on May 31st in Florida. I would like to go and as long as I am down there it would seem criminal not to visit Miami for a few days.

June will be spotty – there’s a big Ames hangout session starting on the 21st up in Twain Harte which lasts for a few days… Also, there is a fairly broad loop I would like to do in California for a road trip – down to Los Angeles to check in with my friends there, over to the Salton Sea, up through the Death Valley and Owens Valley area along 395… I’m not sure if that will be a June or August trip though. June would probably be more wise if I’m visiting Death Valley.

I was going to be gone for all of July, but the South Africa trip was just forced into a reschedule again. So, that may be pushed back to late July/early August – I’m not sure yet… This time period suddenly became very sketchy. Sarah’s wedding starts on July 4th and I would like to go to that as well.

August is pretty open except for Burning Man from the 25th on…

And then I leave in September for London…

Back to my homeless status… Fear not in regard to my homelessness, dear readers. Fortunately, I have a diverse array of friends and family in a wide variety of places that have comfortable couches to sleep on. And as you can tell from perusing the above itinerary, I’m really not going to be around much anyway.

The constant moving is excellent for someone that embraces minimalism and has nothing but disdain for clutter. It keeps one focused on avoiding the accumulation of unnecessary things (because that’s more you have to carry when you move). So, I have reduced and disposed of as much as possible.

One recent way of doing this has been via this blog. Now, I very much enjoy writing and interacting with people on this site, but it serves a practical purpose as well. If I find something interesting, I just throw it on the blog – I don’t make a note to myself and therefore accumulate paper. If I take some pictures I like – I throw them on the blog – I don’t save hard copies… Let Google store it on their computers.

Really, I try to digitize my life as much as possible. Who needs CDs when you have an ipod? I don’t use bank books and I hardly ever use checks – all of my banking is online. Letters? That’s what email is for…

I’ve been able to narrow the “essentials” down to a couple of things – clothing and communications… Clothing is pretty self-evident – You need clothing for your job, for going out, for warmth, etc. Aside from the practical uses, it’s nice to make a good impression by dressing well because that has a number of fringe benefits, both tangible and intangible. By communications, I am referring to a mobile phone and internet access. If you have those things, I believe you are pretty much set. Money, of course, is important, but that will be stored as ones and zeros in the digital format on a computer somewhere.

What about transportation? Transportation is important too, but if you live in a decent city, you won’t need a vehicle because you’ll be able to take the train anywhere you need to go. If you live elsewhere, a motorcycle or an automobile will probably be needed.

What about dishes and silverware? I eat out all the time so that eliminates the need for dishes and cookware. Maybe a couple of dishes for cereal in the morning and if someone comes to visit, but not much more…

Now to indulge some of my interests, I have a few miscellaneous odds and ends such as a backpack, some books, a camera, motorcycle gear (although that could probably be placed under the clothing category), but these things are small and easily transportable.

My Achilles Heel – Sentimentality…

I confess to having some possessions in storage – not very many and they are not bulky and they are in storage – but they do exist… These possessions include old photographs, some books from my childhood, letters from friends and family members that have died, some family silver and other heirlooms and some Asian artwork. Some of that stuff I am saving in case I ever have kids. The rest has been in the family for so long that I’ll be damned if it is going to be lost on my watch. I respect the importance of such historical family items even if I do not personally place a significant value on them at this time. Perhaps I need to find a family member that also appreciates them, but it also more eager to possess them?

I didn’t really intend for this to be a tutorial on freedom and the beauty of the unencumbered life, but there you have it…