I don't expect most people to detail their history at this level
but I am interested how everyone, especially the serious activists, and
some artists,
have gotten to where they are.

If we can understand what makes the people behind things like
carfreecity.us,
we can make it more likely that there's more of them.

This was done quickly and I may polish it more some day.

There's always more I could add, and it is fun to work on-
But I'm not sure if anyone else will find it interesting besides me-

let me know,
perhaps try the same exercise.

Colin

Walking away / walking towards
It is not every 27 year-old who considers returning to live with his
parents in order to have more freedom to work on projects. How did I get
to this point?
chronologically:
I was shown how good experience can be. (Monterey, CA)
Driven around in cars a lot by parents, others. Realized the problems of
the car.
Given independence to ride bike and explore wherever (if tell mom when
returning & where going)-2nd & 3rd grade.
Moved to Falls Church, VA.
Dad got vic 20 (a computer) / c-64, took us to user group meetings
Bailed on Episcopal church.
Got in to Thomas Jefferson HS for science and tech (alexandria VA)
I achieved a significant, long-term goal and found that once I achieved
it, I wasn't sure what to do (Eagle Scout). (need unachievable goals)
Biked to high school (30 min) and everywhere else.
Dad got windsurfer and started learning to use it (me too)
_Walden_ Thoreau, and _On the Road_ Keroac
Jobs teaching sailing and windsurfing-- the community (wonderful,
unconventional, accepting) at BelleHaven Marina. Chip, Rolf, Zach, Jeremy.
Taking Accelerated Comp sci & ap comp sci-- and more.
Went to Maui to windsurf, instead of college. (Kahului, HI;
made bike trailer from shopping cart for windsurfer. Rode across island at
11pm for 1am work start (drove van for Maui Mountain riders- took tourists
to top of valcano for sunrise and protected them from traffic while they
rode bikes down the volcano.)
First time renting, memorable single men.
Around haleakala by bicycle, wearing birkenstocks- 1 day ~150 mi- got ride
in pickup over some of the gravel part.
)
_The good life_ Scott and Helen Nearing (4hrs bread labor / day is all
that is necessary)
Wished I had some great project for myself, but realized I did not.
Returned to childhood dream place (Monterey, CA) .
Commuted 2 hrs by bicycle each week day (two 3hr/day jobs).
Reintroduced myself to a girl I loved years ago and never stopped loving.
3 days, monterey, russian river, back, by road bike. (no
more--contemplating biking to seattle)
I went to college because I was lonely. (Seattle, WA) 1995
Baking cookies.
Teaching sailing w/ sailing club.
urban forestry volunteering.
Kept on-line journal, emailed others things you don't.
Working / volunteering at the medicinal herb garden.
Mollie, Chloe, Sara,
Art? and? who left for a homestead in Ariz?
First lover (brief, intense) in a long time.
Rowing w/ union bay rowing club.
Started the being group (for the discussion and creation of experience).
Group dinners. to invite strangers to.
Majoring in psychology, not computer engineering.
Bill ? at Center for Urban Ecology. _One straw revolution_ Masanobu
fukuoka.
Scott Denburg, Greens meetings.
Kristen and re-evaluation counseling.
Lise.
Fortunate to have a good long-term intimate heterosexual relationship.
Rebecca and her friends- Illona- the smartest and best at the academic
game.
War protests,
Copy edit for UW daily.
Critical mass,
Urban Transportation activism-- light rail for the ave.
Amy Flowers.
Realized our environments need not have been built for cars (stopped
taking suburbia for granted... began asking how it could be different).
One of those tears- in-the-eyes/ duh moments while contemplating the curb
of a Seattle street.
That was outside of a meeting for those trying to prevent additional roads
being made in northern forests(alaska).?
Harry Browne's _How I found freedom in an unfree world_
For my honors project, researched the experience of meaning in life.
Thought of doing graduate work researching "optimal
environments"--environments most conducive to individuals having the best
experience possible.
eating dinner, weekly, with homeless kids
Lynn Fainsilber Katz' Meta-emotion project (me angling for clinical psych)
Deci & Ryan's (U of Rochester) work on intrinsic motivation.
Dropped the idea. Researching urban design and planning. Found ecocity
berkeley, carfree.com (tears in eyes), and Joel said: read Christopher
Alexander. Jan/Feb 1998.
Realized that without work satisfaction, I could not love relationship.
Left college and moved / visited until I found a place I liked, taking
only part-time work. (
Boston, MA,
_the humanure book_ humanure.org
Sirius Ecovillage,
EarthHaven Ecovillage,
Berkeley, CA,
richard register- ecocity builders
Arcata, CA,
jan lunberg and ?? the guy who was working for him??, fossil fuel free
farm,
Earth firsters
recumbent ride.
Center for appropriate technology.
May Day celebration.
Earnest Callenbach?
Falls Church, VA,
Worked for the Libertarian Party at national HQ (Watergate) for two weeks
or so.
Went to a Salon (people just talk)
Washington DC friends' meeting
spiritual friendships, Victor? an old activist in a retirement home was
mine-trying to get religion back in politics, freed from a bad marriage by
her death.
temp work at the conservation fund.
a beautiful bike ride to DC, along trails & c&o canal.
Austin, TX,
Did Master Gardener program at Zilker Botanical Gardens, and worked on
butterfly garden.
Volunteered with city of Austin "sustanable communites initiative", with
Lawrence ? and Andrew Grigsby, and attended Green Builder program
meetings.
Went to anti GM food rally, & spent time at organic farm that was in town,
helped a bit with a CSA, as well. Grew amaranth, quinoa, and some other
things in the community garden at the Salvation army.
Went with an Amigos de las Americas / RPCV volunteer trip to Rio Bravo
Mexico (helping fix people's shacks).
encounter with car while on bike.
Patrick
Susan Lee Solar ?? Green candidate for governor. She's died :'(
http://www.aimproductions.com/SusanLee/Home.html
Earth first! house.
Casa Verde americorps program.
Yellow bike project activities.
Earth day celebration.
Teaching first & 2nd graders at the South Central Yearly meeting (quaker)
helping spanish-speaking immigrants study for citizenship exams.
allergies to the point of asthma.
Monterey, CA)
Took a full time job with computers, knowing such work was so engaging, I
would be distracted from my basic lack of love for living.
First glimmerings of a project of my own "experienceartist.com," for the
discussion of individual approaches to experience.
Volunteering at Monterey hostel- montereyhostel.org.
Reduced work back to part-time to pursue own project.
Work with OpenBSD, apache, Zope, etc.
Dissatisfied with own project (needed more time with people).
Found dance. Found love of life again.
Got recumbent (ligfiet), for long commutes to many dance classes.
Visited New York City (for dance).
Living with quakers- jack and ellie huffman.
stuart brand's new games tournament & earthball
peace pilgrim
the newstart vegan cookbook.
Considering teaching, considering counseling, as careers.
Left Monterey to teach English in Italy, and to bicycle in Europe.
met Joel crawford in amsterdam
Returned to New York City.
Found part-time job.
Had many friends from(dance and temp jobs. And random / amazing encounters
(snakegirl.net).
Carmen
Began unschooling self. (giving myself lots of time to do whatever I might
want to do- even nothing)
Joanna
Rachel
Considering applying to grad school in sociology. My essay draft, dreamer
(experienceart.org/cleath/docs/dreamer)
Walked away from academia (the idea of graduate work), realizing I would
not create the higher education system if it did not exist.
Read Ritzer's Modern Sociology text.
Found Ken Wilber, and Leonard and Murphy's ITP (integral transformative
practice), as well as Ira Progoff, Alex Grey, Tony Schwartz, and others--
Working on web project- (now ds0.org)
Began to consider developing a practice (like monks have practices)
Met a violinist (a sort of girl-friend) and was reminded of music. Saw how
musicians lived (amazing).
Rented a violin & practiced.
Realized that the greatest influence to conform in my life to an imagined
ideal was my desire for relationship with another.
Used computer too much and had carpal tunnel, worn out eyes. Forced to not
use computer as much.
Joined choirs. Bought violin and keyboard.
Went to Ishmael meeting- shocked by activist, amazed by who was there.
Realized I'd been getting soft.
Read many of Quinn's books.
New years' eve early AM encounter with sex monkey (anita of chashama.org),
and 47 ninja clowns 47ninjaclowns.com.
Found Keyboard that let me type long without much pain (grandtec.com VIC).
Switched to Dvorak.
Karen Mell's letter (in carfree times) & beginning work on
Carfreeuniverse.org, and eventually, work for carfreecity.us.
studying primitive skills, and January camping trip- (three nights in the
cold, hot coal bed, skinning, eating squirrel)
_participating in nature_ tom elpel
_Tom brown's guide to nature observation and tracking_ Tom Brown.
_road to heaven: encounters with chinese hermits_ bill porter.
Acceptance to attend carbusters carfree cities III conference!
Realized the U.S. is not a democracy, and will always be bombing someone
or another -- (this was like finding there is no Santa Claus, or that
people die, I was crying--though I sort of always knew) e.g., ratical.org
-- 'secret team'
Decision to quit job, realizing I should stop messing around- (sick of
NYPD/ National Guardsmen with machine guns and my perception that the U.S.
was 0wned by the secret team/ religious right with an armageddonist world
view, and no concern for NYC)
But mostly I needed to leave NYC, and be free to work on my own projects
without having to work 4hrs / day at a computer for someone else. It was
time for a change. And I had some money saved. And people (carfreecity.us)
were finding my computer skills useful. (If my projects don't keep me
busy, theirs will)
Very good to visit my parents (Falls Church, VA), not dying to return to
NYC, like usual.
Earthscouts

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