Monday, December 13, 2010 Got myself a new (to me) pack!

The notion that a radical is one who hates his country is naïve and usually idiotic. He is, more likely, one who likes his country more than the rest of us, and is thus more disturbed than the rest of us when he sees it debauched. He is not a bad citizen turning to crime...; he is a good citizen driven to despair.

-H. L. Mencken

Picked up an ILBE pack last night. That's one major piece of equipment down, a few more to go. Look for an article from me on tents and improvised shelter coming soon!

Thursday, December 9, 2010 Musing as Prescience to Dawn.

We owe ourselves more. Hell, even my sitting here, writing this, you reading, our relationship as brief and transient as it may be. It's a start. Let's get to widening the cracks we've been forced into until the hills ring with the thunder of fissures birthing the face of the new world. Our world, whatever we make of it.

Hope everyone's keepin' warm. Beautiful sunrise over Columbia. Later today: Articles other folks wrote and I throw at you in a nice neat stack, videos, politics, and maybe a recipe or two.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010 Packs! Packs! Packs! or The First in a Series of Hopefully None-too-Boring Equipment Based Posts

My first focus in planning my cross-continent walk has been the pack I will be living out of fer the majority of a year. That seems like a decent place to start in my reckoning, and I've been assaulting myself with information on a plethora of packs, large, small, and ridiculous alike. 

Modern packs are amazing. In the mid to late 80's, almost everyone abandoned external, traditional frames fer much more structured, capable, and above all comfortable internal frame designs. Internal frames allow fer greater capacity, better weight distribution, increased load stability and capability, and generally decreased pack weight. I will be focusing on internal frame packs, though there are many people who prefer the fit and feel of externals to this day. In general, it's not a good idea at all to go completely frame-less.

Step One: Figure Out What You Need!

The first thing to consider when looking into a serious pack fer field travel, werk, or life, is size. How long will you be in back-country before you can restock yer supplies? Will you be able to comfortably carry those consumable supplies and any other equipment necessary? What is the expected climate? Cold weather gear is a great deal more cumbersome and heavier than hot weather gear. There is a current trend away from larger packs, what is known as ultra-light hiking. The theory behind this practice is that by reducing load and pack size along with it, we are able to move faster, over longer distances, decreasing our time between restocking to make up fer our decreased capacity in the field.

I personally see several flaws in this logic, though as always, I remain steadfastly in the camp of everyone having their own methods. The first flaw I see is that any pack should be comfortable. Fit is foremost, and there are many packs designed fer a massive capacity and load range while maintaining a surprising level of comfort. The versatility of being able to carry any load you or others may need you to seems you outweigh personal agility in almost every instance.  There is no such thing as being over prepared. That said, my second major misunderstanding with ultra-light hiking is that again, it bases its logic on another, more general hiking rule of thumb, in that anything you have in yer ruck should be essential to a worst case scenario situation over the time you'll be in country. To cut anything from this list adds an unnecessary degree of danger, which leads me to my third point. Ultra-light, as much as I respect it, seems to have an element of extremism to it. Yes, man was able to survive hikes and migrations with even less, but with modern innovation in pack design, it would be illogical to regress. So, fer my purposes, I'll be looking at packs towards the large to huge end of the spectrum.

Sizing: Now In Completely Random Units!

Backpacks are measured fer internal capacity in units of either liters (L) or cubic inches (in3) depending on country of origin, personal preference fer remembering, or, as I've seen in my research, totally at random. Most of the packs I've short-listed lie between 75 and 85 liters, or 4,500 and 5,200 in3. This is generally agreed on to be a decent size fer a week-long period, though some within this range are able to hold much, much more. The largest packs on the market generally top out at around 120L or about 6,337 in3. Enough fer the baby, the bathwater, and the kitchen sink, without a doubt!

Major Features

Other important features to consider in a pack are the access points, hydration system compatibility, what kind of lid it has, compression strapping, and hip-belt/suspension/quick release. Access points are crucial to maintaining organization and ease of loading/unloading yer pack as needed daily. Most decent packs have top openings with sand/snow "spindrift" collars, mid-level main-compartment side or front access, and either a completely separate sleep system compartment with its own access or quick-access to the bottom of the main compartment.  Many packs on the market today are also compatible out-of-the-box with a hydration system, usually composed of a bladder (1.5-3L), tubing routed through the pack, and a mouth piece which rests on the shoulder strap fer ease of use while the pack is on. This blows my mind, personally, but I'm easily amused. And a fan of not dehydrating. Am I right? 

Lids are another matter, entirely. Any decent pack has a removable lid, most of which serve as small day packs in their own right. A good solid, weather-proofed lid, preferably with top-compression straps to the rest of the pack, is a must. Extra storage, necessary protection, and a neat fanny pack. Two of these factors make a good lid a must.

Compression straps are exactly what they sound like. They make it easy to cinch the pack up, which not only stabilizes the load, making dangerous and annoying shifting during a hike less of an issue, but also draw in the weight of the load, redirecting and balancing it, which makes a world of difference in comfort of carry. These do not negate the benefit of "stuff sacks" with their own compression straps fer items like clothing and sleep systems/sacks.

Hip-belts are another necessity fer spending any real amount of time living out of a pack while on the move. After the compression straps draw the weight of a load in, the heavily padded oh-so-cushy hip belts on modern packs redistribute it over a wide surface area over your hips, keeping even a hulking pack properly situated fer maximum carrying comfort.

Military versus Civilian

Military surplus is a great way to save some cash, liberate some equipment, and get bomb-proof, high-capacity packs in the process. The general downside to this is that military packs are themselves generally much heavier than their civilian counter-parts, and also set up to allow fer the effective use of firearms. This means that the load is bottom heavy, and tapers toward the top of the pack, which many people find less comfortable than civilian packs with an opposing load theory. 

Excellent examples of military surplus rucks are the ILBE by Arcteryx/Propper International, the Gregory UM21, and the British Army's Bergen 120L Ruck. The UM21, with a capacity of 6,330 cubic inches is generally agreed on as the best out of the three listed, though weighing in at thirteen pounds, there is still some consideration to be made. The ILBE, while on the smaller side, at 75L, is a great middle-of the road tank of a ruck, capable of a 120 pound load.

While hitch-hiking in my younger years, I used a frame-less medium ALICE ruck. It was horrible on my back, neck, shoulders, knees, and feet. Following the logic river, it was just as bad or worse on my morale at times. Looking back makes me smile at my inexperience

There are also many great, economical packs offered privately by companies which have put in a great amount of research to maximize comfort, and minimize unloaded weight. The Osprey Aether 85, fer example with a spacious 5,200 cubic inches, weighs in at a mere four pound, fifteen ounces. Unfortunately, many examples of civilian packs have more durability issues than their mil-spec rivals, due to cuts in production cost, in spite of increases in retail cost. The most gritty, durable civilian packs include those by makers such as Kifaru, though the price tags associated place them easily outside the range of almost anyone.

There is definitely a lot to consider when looking fer the perfect pack fer you and yer situation, from a bug-out or emergency kit, to a thru-hike, to living in the field. As the current market goes, expect to pay between $80-$150 on a decent, durable pack. While it may seem like a steep price to pay fer a bag, the investment in quality gear will pay off time after time. Of course, if you find a way not to pay a damned dime fer a pack which suits you and yers just fine... well- Let me know!

As always, if you have any questions, or experience with any of these rucksacks, feel free to comment or e-mail me directly.  

Monday, December 6, 2010 Documentary Review: Collapse (2009) Kate Noble/Chris Smith/Michael Ruppert

This is Michael Ruppert, and he is saving lives. A retired LAPD officer who graduated at the top of his class, Michaels story is one full of near-prophetic deduction skills and constant benevolence toward his fellow man through the sharing of his information and conclusions. His newsletter, From the Wilderness is available online (www.fromthewilderness.com) and in print. It covers a wide array of vital topics and articles ranging from food sources to fuel, peak oil, and corporate conspiracy. He, "deals in conspiracy fact." He was one of the cops approached by the CIA during their funneling and distribution of drugs in South Central. He has been contacted by many high-ranking officials with warnings and threats, and has been shot at over his dissemination of the truth. He predicted 9/11, and was one of the first to connect the dots regarding the American governments role in the event. He Predicted the economic crash, and our current depression (let's be honest with each other, here, call a spade a spade.) He has a developed, solid, and complete view of our culture, its addictions and sicknesses, and possible methods of solution to avoid extinction, and survive the transition between our current world, and the one we have cause to create, better than and beyond this.

I had the luck of viewing a documentary made last year which serves as a sort of primer covering his life story, his activities and actions, and his point-blank, no-shit, straight forward break down of the world's predicaments.

If Michael Moore were developing his documentaries to their farthest extremes, still well within their most logical paths, and realized the weight of the links between his individual topics and pranks; and while I appreciate and revere pranksters as much as any man, even those to the degree of the Weatherman Underground,  he would have the same tired face as Michael Ruppert wears throughout most of this documentary. Ruppert understands. Ruppert, at some points, seems downright and honestly scared as hell. And why not? He's just like any of us, even more so than Moore, or others with the right idea and bank accounts capable of at least trying to solve problems by throwing money at them.

The man used to be a cop. He isn't rich, he's hardly famous, though he is gaining an understanding following, and he doesn't have anything to hide.

An ex-cop. A thirty-year veteran as a self-taught, self-produced journalist in a world which has forgotten the idea of true investigative media. Now he's my hero.

Here's a bit to chew on and whet yer appetite. Please, if you have a couple extra hours, watch this documentary through any available medium. Read some of his articles. Check out the newsletter's site. Donate. There is an eight-video series on YouTube which comprises the entire film, along with other interviews and speeches from Michael. His website, again, is www.fromthewilderness.com. He is an American hero and patriot in the truest sense.

Fun Foraging Facts!

Hope the weekend treated everyone well! I'm completely overloading with information, and have some great posts planned for this coming week. For now, a few fun foraging facts to start us off!

• Dandelions are edible, contrary to some popular belief. they are best harvested in April and May. The roots contain starches which help balance blood sugar, and they can even be dried and made into an energy drink! Dandelion also stimulates digestion. The entire plant can be used, though the larger leaves can be a bit bitter, especially raw. Dandelions are rich in many vitamins and minerals, including potassium, A, and C. They are also a great source of anti-oxidents, and can be cooked in just about any fashion imaginable.
• Cat-tails are also an abundantly growing food source. besides providing fuel for stating a fire with the dried spike-flowers, the roots can be baked or roasted, and the young white shoots and even flowering spikes can be chewed for nutritional starches and the fiber remainder spit out. A gel can also be made from the leaves which may have therapeutic value for sores, and pain reduction properties.
• Water Chestnuts, a non-native species to the United States, has also been extremely invasive on our ecosystems. When harvested from natural sources, they must be cooked to avoid exposure to intestinal parasites.
• Wild Onions and Garlic are abundant worldwide (and taste better than any frankenfood they can ship.)

Later: A review of a documentary everyone should watch with everyone they love, I get a hero, and how to find a pack for yerself!

Friday, December 3, 2010 Planning the Walk

Hey, everybody! Didn't think I forgot about you today, did you? I hope yer all well and in good spirits. The response even this early on has been amazing, and before things start to get crazy here, I'd like to thank you. I wouldn't be able to do what I do with out the outpouring of sentiment from all of you, and I hope you all know how much you mean to me. I can only hope to see each and every one of you on the farm when this stretch of the adventure is drawing to a close.

The past couple days have been spent gathering information on the trail I'll be taking west, the equipment I'll be utilizing, and logistics on things like mail-drops. Fer those of you interested in the details, or even attempting yer own thru-hike or Walk, what follows is the first draft of my equipment check list. I'll be posting specific articles on the bigger, more important pieces of equipment as I get them in, with pictures and reviews.  

The Ten Essentials

•  Navigation
• Sun Protection
• Insulation
• Illumination
• First Aid
• Fire
• Tools
• Nutrition
• Hydration
• Shelter

Pack

Tent

Ground Cloth/Footprint

Water

Water  Purification

Meals

Energy Snacks

Drink Mixes

Stove

Fuel

Mess Kit

Sleeping Bag

Stuff/Compression Sack

Flashlights

Whistle

Watch

Rope

Crank Radio

Harmonica

Field Guides

Tooth Brush

Camp Soap

Insect Repellent

Sunscreen

Toilet Paper

E-tool/Spade

Bandanas

Sunglasses

Rope

Duct Tape

Zip-ties

Sewing Kit

First Aid Kit

Spare Tent/Pack Parts

Lighters

 Kindling

Magnesium Fire Kit

Multi-tools/Leatherman

Clothes:

•      Boots
•      Sneakers
•      Sandals
•     Wicking T-Shirts
•      Fatigue Pants
•      Jacket
•      Flannels
•      Thermals
•      Polypro Sweater
•      Hat
•      Sun Hat
•      Wicking/Wool Socks
•      Boxers
•      Gaiters

Thursday, December 2, 2010 Mission Statement

Mission: Seek to raise awareness of sustainable lifestyles through education and participation in homesteading, permaculture, and strengthening of local and individual production, as alternatives to a consumption based culture. In addition, to raise funding and resources for the acquisition and start up of an entirely sustained and open educational farm.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010 Who Does This Kid Think He Is?

From here on out, you'll notice I write in dialect. I apologize in advance if this makes "reading on" more difficult, but much the same as we'll see in other facets of life, language should be reclaimed and renewed (though I worry about the direction even this has taken in the over-culture.) Either way, my dialect will make an easy distinction between what's mine and what I drag over here from other folk with better ideas than my own.


So let's get down to brass tacks: Who the hell am I? My name is Brandon. I'm twenty-four years old. As I write now, I'm based out of Columbia, Missouri, where I've been fer the past five or six years. While I've been here, I've spent my time working fer various non-profit organizations, apprenticing and working as a tattooist at an amazing shop with great folks, and generally trying to find a comfortable niche as a productive member of society, while maintaining my sanity and self.

Let's start back a little further than that fer our purposes, though.

The Wonder Years.



I was fairly lucky growing up, when I look back on it. We weren't well off, but we always had a roof. I had both parents around until I was twelve. The things I am most grateful fer, and will always remain to be remembered as such were my father's work ethic, and constant camping trips over the spring and summer.

My father worked produce in a grocery store, and later, distributing from a warehouse, and when he wasn't doing that, he did just about everything else one could imagine. He was, and continues to be, an amazing hobbyist carpenter, electrician, reconstruction specialist, mechanic, roofer - the man has figured out and carried out more and better work than any twenty men who dedicated their lives to these trades. He taught me to consume information, to apply it, to always work, and that the result would be the actualization of any aspiration.

I remember, once, after my father’s truck's bumper was left beyond repair, he built one - out of oak. With the right amount of work and thought, anything can be built, anything can be accomplished. Even if that were all I had to thank him fer, I am forever grateful to him.

As I’ve mentioned, another huge aspect of my early life was camping throughout the season. The spring and summer trips, weeks and weekends alike, blurred into an amalgam which to me then seemed as though half of life was spent out doors, where work even early in the morning 'til well past sundown was transformed: no longer something forced and contradictory, but an honest endeavor, a simple and unavoidable fact, its results immediate, its effect evident. And best of all, as the work gained these qualities, it no longer felt like work. It became something else entirely. Aching muscles, cuts, bruises, and all, the end result of a day in the field was still more real to me, even then. In Scouts, where I continued to learn skills and theory about sustainable life, we were taught that such a life was best; most beneficial not only to self, but family, community, and even country. It was most patriotic, most understandably and logically "American" to have at hand the tools, skills, and knowledge to be complete self-sustained and sufficient, and as such, enable ourselves to dedicate our surplus time, effort, and resources to helping all those around us achieve the same. To this day, regardless of constantly being told my political beliefs lie contrary to the idea, I consider this the definition of our nation, and the capability of its people.


Growing Pains.

Like most American households, my parents divorced. I lived with my mother and sister, as supervised visitation with my father fell to the wayside, and eventually I heard nothing from him at all. Somehow the state determined that while these visitations weren't worth upholding, I was in need of someone to talk to, which I came to realize was in fact someone who would attempt to prescribe me a solution to what were viewed by and large as my issues. I was prescribed (though I didn't take) a beta-blocker to "slow-down my thoughts and allow [myself] to filter my actions," (a heart medication I would ironically later be honestly prescribed fer my heart) prescribed fer psychotropic side-effects after a single session. I would continue to be bounced from one therapist to the next psychologist to the next psychiatrist until I was sixteen years old.

Logical Conclusions

Still following the standard fer a young American male, I was looking forward with great anticipation to my sixteenth birthday- not, however, fer exactly the same reasons. While my friends were preoccupied with cars,  sports, and girls, I became heavily involved in politics, local and national, and theoretical. After 9/11, I could see the writing on the wall. While most everyone in my class could barely understand what had happened, I could see what would. High school, and the diploma it would result in seemed vastly insignificant to the storm brewing on the horizon. After reading The Teenage Liberation Handbook I settled on dropping in: reclaiming the remaining three years I'd otherwise have spent bored and regurgitating through school. I'd use that time traveling, helping out where I seemed needed, wherever a call went up against the horrors developing internationally.

As such, the time remaining until I could legally leave school became a primer course. I spent it investigating my local school board, following threats to teachers fer speaking up about the actions of the board. Tax fraud and corruption were rampant. I disseminated as much information about them as I could to everyone from students to the local media, and as a result of attempting to open a discussion, was threatened with expulsion.

I remember one time when the first lady visited, and I wasn't even allowed on the school grounds, with absolutely no justification given fer my ban from my right as an American to a public education.

I learned quickly that merely asking questions is generally taken by most with authority as a singularly hostile action, and reckon most of us who have stood up and asked an honest question have experienced the same. I don't know how to solve all the problems. We didn't know how to make lasting change and accountability a factor in our representative leaders, much less end a war which began to spread around the world like wild fire. We had our small victories, and continue to, to this day. However with as many rallies, boycotts, mass arrests, police brutalities and misconducts, investigations and infiltrations of civilians; however many rights we "lose" or "freedoms" we "sacrifice in the name of security," we seem to be stuck in neutral on an incredibly steep incline.

I've seen parks larger than Central Park covered in a thick cloud of mace. I've seen riot police battalions in full gear, mobilized and mowing through generally defenseless crowds of peaceful protesters- picnickers, even- in the name of security. I've seen piercings ripped out, heads wedged under car tires, brutal beatings, blatant theft, and trumped up charges enforced to silence innocent voices not even of dissent, but merely of questioning. Regardless of our political orientation, hell, regardless of my own, then or now, we know this is a symptom of something deeper. 

I registered to vote when I was seventeen and a half. I have yet to vote in an election. I maintain that this is the true majority of any American election; by not voting, a vast majority of Americans have solidly, resoundingly, and deafeningly demanded something else entirely. At the very least, something more than the mere illusion of choice.

After several years of fighting tooth and nail with every resource available, in defense of what I knew and loved as singularly and wonderfully American, the respect and reverence fer all human life and thought, I could only see the same course being ground out by our leaders and those in control of the means of production all the same. Fer everything that we did, there were a thousand more reforms to be made, all just as important as the ones before and after. Every one of a million individual causes, each as vital as every other. 

Realization

The one thing that became apparent through it all was this: We all have our own decisions to make, and we are the only ones making them, in the end. Thus, the change we need, the change we've all wondered about, the change we've been promised, was ours all along, and remains so. The only thing we need elect is to make that change a reality fer ourselves. 

This is not to say there isn't an inherent need fer community within the human spirit and our very core. Indeed, we are social creatures, and our ability to work together, even with different ends in mind, is unsurpassed, and nearly capable of anything. Even loosely bound, we, as humans quickly become nothing short of incredible in our capacity to overcome anything at all. 

Opting Out

Now, as I work in a matrix system of markets upon markets fer a representation of productive time which can be exchanged meaninglessly fer almost nothing that truly effects the quality of my or any other life, I can't help but wonder why, or even how. How it could possibly be easier fer a cabbage to travel hundreds or thousands of miles fer us to consume it , as opposed to us growing or foraging the same, or whatever else is still abundantly available or readily produced. Our nations and indeed our worlds farmers are over burdened, under paid, constantly under threat by corporate powers, and should their breaking point be reached, we will all realize the true costs of what is not truly convenience. Or, we can participate. We can end our passive roles in our own lives, our false representation by not only our governing bodies, but also our economic ones. If the idea behind a dollar can be socio-politically charged, so can its very denial. This is the basis fer my interpretation of what has become known as "permaculture."

[pur-muh-kuhl-cher]

Coined by Bill Mollison, the term is defined as a system of cultivation intended to maintain permanent agriculture or horticulture by relying on renewable resources and a self-sustaining ecosystem. (dictionary.com)

To explain further, permaculture can be practiced anywhere, to any degree, from a box garden in a window, to a back yard orchard, to a fully self-sustaining tract of land capable of continuing to produce more than enough necessary fer those living on it, fer as long as desired. What I'm planning, and offering an open and permanent invitation to, is the latter, while providing enough information about my efforts and those of others to accomplish anything in between.

My personal solution fer overcoming the obstacles we currently face is simple: to opt out. While retaining the beneficial aspects of technology and modern human achievement, I plan on cutting out all excess. The final goal of all of this is to acquire enough land to sustain myself and anyone who decides to visit. My ranch will be entirely self-sustained, and with any luck, in fact produce a surplus which will allow fer donation to those in need in the surrounding communities.

That said, I hope as many people as possible get involved in their own projects, in their own communities and neighborhoods, or (if I should be so lucky) in the construction of the ranch I have planned. I hope my experiences, as related here, and any information shared on these virtual pages serves to help someone else realize control over their own lives and their ability to uplift those around them, even to reverse destructive consumer culture in the process.

manifesto.

I'd like to think we've all wondered about it. The more people I meet, the more I listen, the more this hope is affirmed. The more I find other people who have reached the stark, blazing realization that we are all the same, and all in this together. That we should take a step back from the path ahead, and in doing so, understand that regardless of the path we have chosen, or has been chosen for us, we are running within the confines of a very specific maze. A maze we've allowed to be built up around us in exchange for what we imagine to be conveniences. Even the maze itself, with its intricacies and engineering, winding and weaving as it does, is quite a marvel. However, we cannot remain ignorant to the fact that our society, our government, and our impact on the world around us is nothing more or less than that maze. We must see it for what it is, was, and will become in so far as we can determine our exponential trajectory.
 
And we must choose.

We have been taught to believe that what we were born into is not only birthright, but also, the best possible world and general momentum that could have been provided. While I have a deep respect for those who have come before myself, and for the true sacrifices which carved back at ever closing walls, I simply cannot accept this as absolute fact, without question.

There are obvious and glaring problems with the relationships between the earth and humanity, and among humans themselves. We have been fighting what is essentially a World War that has run longer than the war in Vietnam, with no signs of slowing. Our economy is in shambles, and our markets have to date failed to even acknowledge what continues to occur. We are constantly pushed further and further along ever narrowing passages, as more is promised to and denied us, as more and more is demanded of us, to supply to an elite class which has become disturbingly singular in mindset and disgustingly disproportionate in population and means. We are kept in constant fear: fear of the loss of what little creature comforts we are allowed, fear of those above us in the pecking order, fear of inability to provide for ourselves and our families even those barest necessities for life such as adequate shelter, food, and fresh water, and, above all else, fear of each other. We simply cannot and don't have to sustain such duress.

I am no longer thinking in terms of class. The notion of class in America seems to have made an absurdity of itself. In 2008, 1 in every 200 Americans used an emergency shelter system, having no where else to turn. One in seven Americans live under what is understood as the poverty line. This continues to worsen as the richest 2% of the population continue to reap the benefits and horde resources. The only thing allowing this to continue is our choice. 

What you won't find here is an answer to the big question at the root of it all, if that's what you're looking for. You won't find a walk through, or an ideology; You won't find a fail-proof plan, and you might not even find something interesting to read.

What I hope you do find is an understanding. The realization that we are always in control of ourselves, and our own lives. We are always capable of banding together for mutual aid, of community building, of understanding each other, and providing for each and everyone. We have only to chew through to walls of the maze to live as we please in the field.

The choice is one of priority, and participation. The priority is utmost: that of life itself. Continued existence as a species is on the line. For tens of thousands of years, humans lived within the laws of balance and sustainability, without even so much as a vague inkling that another way was possible. Now, five thousand years or less down the path we've traveled together, we are finding sign that the forest around us is kindling for our funeral pyre. We can, however, reclaim our lives, our decisions, and our planet.

What will follow is my attempt at just that, my invitation for you and anyone else to join me and learn from my mistakes and success, and as many sources and resources for the information behind it all as I can find and drag back for you.

If you've ever felt like the train's conductor is already dead, if you've ever thought there has got to be more to life, and more living to be done, this is for you. If you've ever thought that job was killing you, and still wondering how you are going to provide, this is for you. If you've ever gotten fed up with the actions preformed in your name without your express permission, this is for you. If you've ever risked your momentum, your course, and your conviction, sat back on your hind, placed your nose to the air, wiggled your whiskers and wondered.
This is for you.