Hello, Blog, Welcome to 2008

Two things have inspired the restarting of this blog:

1. I'm moving across the country in three days. Surely I'll have an interesting adventure or two I'll want to document.

2. I've been itching to write in a journal. However, when I sit down to write with a pen or type into a Word document, I find myself falling short in the minimum-words-needed category (i.e. writer's block). I tend to write best in an epistolary way, whether the intended reader is actual or a generalized friend. All of my blogs start with "Dear X:" in my mind; whether I type it out is iffy. Writing this way encourages self-editing.

3. I want an online repository of random thoughts, because my little black notebooks fill up quickly, and I'd like a more permanent record for my own sake.

If you're still reading, wow, I'm shocked.

I've been reading this article regarding a survival training camp. According to camp doctrine, all you need in the woods is your brain and a knife, preferably a fixed blade and not double-edged one. While I am not much into knives, I found my Leatherman pocket knife to be the handiest tool in Uganda. I was able to retool several things, chop vegetables for curries over a kerosene stove, clean my fingernails, screw things together, and cut bandages. I suppose this article resonates with me as I am packing for the move to Pittsburgh. While I am taking no furniture, and my boxes constitute 1/6 of the garage, I'm still slightly overwhelmed with all that I possess. I've always looked to a particular friend (she shall remain unnamed), who travels extremely light. When I start packing for a trip, another move, I ponder what she would take with me, what can be converted from tangible to online, etc.

Should I be moving to Pittsburgh with only a knife and my brain? Would this scare my new roommates? It would scare the shit out of me.