Time To Start Heading North

2012 starts in Ushuaia Argentina where I am literally at the end of the Earth (fin del mundo). It has been inpiring to have wandered this far.Now it is time to head North. Well there is no other direction to go unless I want to go back through the Drake Passage and I am not ready for that challenge again so soon.

Argentina is huge and diverse. There are huge steaks to gorge on and many, many bottles of wine to be enjoyed. To that point, when I get to Mendoza the wine tours are done on bicycles. Oh dear lord!!

One thing I am going to stop this year is my lust for Pepsi and other sweet carbonated beverages. As anyone who knows me this is no easy matter. I am sure there are days where a small tear will fall from the corner of my eye as I walk past the fridge on my way to the Gatorade or fruit juice section.
No matter what you want to change or resolve to change DO IT!. Start small and commit to that change then build on that. Most of the time we eat or drink for comfort and Pepsi has given me great comfort in the past. I did have a nice run of Diet Dr. Pepper thanks to the Iclandic Ring road and the horrible eating habits of my sister Kelly. I am not making light of addiction of any kind but we give up because routine is easy and safe. So if its smoking, cutting back on booze, walking every day after work or taking that trip to that special place you always wanted to go to, stop talking about it. Find a way to make it happen
As Elbert Hubbard said, "Stop taking life so serious, you'll never get out alive"

** I quit smoking on Nov 1, 1987 and it was the most brutal, and I mean brutal thing I have ever done. I know what your up against**

A few milestones of 2011:

- I now have a decent comprehension of the Spanish Language
- Built a bathroom, a storage room and office space including framing, drywall, tiling and designing electrical, plumbing having never used a power tool before.
- Spent time in El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Argentina and Antarctica
- Lost 10 lbs, gained that 10 lbs back and finally decided to not give a shit about losing 10 lbs anymore
- Touched the bottom of the earth and now vow to touch the top
- Sold a house and threw a cell phone into a river
- Read 16 books
- Lost my Aunt and Uncle within 3 months of each other
- Have finally learned how to use one of the most powerful words in the English language - NO
-  I can now open up a let people into my weird little world and that world will not collapse around me.
- Finally and the most important thing for me in 2012 is that sometimes someone can come back into your life that makes a real difference no matter how long they have been away. I am very thankful for that.

2012 is upon us. Lets hope they Mayans and Hopi were just lazy bastards and did not finish those calendars, but we shall see in December right? Regardless I am a believer and that change is coming. The world can not continue to move forward in such an insane manner. There is not going to be Apocolypic End of the World (then again maybe there will be ) but a change none the less.

One final thought for 2012:
Everyone is busy just being busy and most days don't accomplishing anything. The dumbing down of society with Email, text, television, Facebook, twitter, Cell phones, land lines, mobile devices and the pavlovian effect they have created is awe inspiring. There is no time to formulate a thought or opinion any longer, because everything is needed NOW. So learn to say no, turn off the device and go outside, kiss your spouse, play with your dog, read a book, learn to paint or do NOTHING! Do you really need to respond to that email? Use technology wisely in the coming year.

Safe and Happy Travels for 2012.