Birth of a Nomad

It's the middle of the night, or early morning, on December 7th. Six years ago right now, I was rushing from Selden to Staten Island to pick up my passport. It had been left behind at my father's house, unknown to us all, months earlier and its absence was only noticed scant hours before I needed to fly to Japan.

Hoy, what a night that was! Suffice to say, though, it all worked out okay in the end. Six years ago (minus a few hours) I took my first business trip to Japan (having been there once before on vacation) to join my thesis experiment. In working on that project, I would spend six months each year in Japan for the next four years.

I didn't know it at the time, but that flight was the birth of Nomad. Ever since then, I have simultaneously lived in multiple places and have always had more than one location that I could call home. First it was New York and Japan. Then Arizona, Japan, and New York. Then Chicago and Arizona, with frequent trips to Argentina, Utah, Boston, etc.

Six years. My, how time flies. I moved out of my parents' houses in the Fall of 1992, at the age of seventeen, when I left for college. In some sense, that move marked the start of my adult life. That transition was twelve years ago..... which means that I have now spent half of my adult life as a traveler. Wow.

It is an interesting lifestyle, to be sure. And one with both benefits and drawbacks. The biggest drawback is all the time that I have spent away from cheshcat. Missing large chunks of my kittens' lives when they were growing up was hard, too. And, of course, I have not put down roots in any area for a long time. However, the rewards of this lifestyle have been plentiful: I have seen much of the world, and I have lived in several beautiful lands & cultures. I have had the honor of participating in some world-class projects -- In August, LRW and I talked about how astounding it is that we were getting paid to build laser systems, and watch stunning sunsets, in the Argentinian pampas. And, as benefits go, I don't think one can truly appreciate the simple joy of being at home until being at home has become a rare experience. I'm quite content each time I am able to climb into my own bed, or pet one of my kitties, or even just walk through the front door into my house.

Birth of a Nomad

It's the middle of the night, or early morning, on December 7th. Six years ago right now, I was rushing from Selden to Staten Island to pick up my passport. It had been left behind at my father's house, unknown to us all, months earlier and its absence was only noticed scant hours before I needed to fly to Japan.

Hoy, what a night that was! Suffice to say, though, it all worked out okay in the end. Six years ago (minus a few hours) I took my first business trip to Japan (having been there once before on vacation) to join my thesis experiment. In working on that project, I would spend six months each year in Japan for the next four years.

I didn't know it at the time, but that flight was the birth of Nomad. Ever since then, I have simultaneously lived in multiple places and have always had more than one location that I could call home. First it was New York and Japan. Then Arizona, Japan, and New York. Then Chicago and Arizona, with frequent trips to Argentina, Utah, Boston, etc.

Six years. My, how time flies. I moved out of my parents' houses in the Fall of 1992, at the age of seventeen, when I left for college. In some sense, that move marked the start of my adult life. That transition was twelve years ago..... which means that I have now spent half of my adult life as a traveler. Wow.

It is an interesting lifestyle, to be sure. And one with both benefits and drawbacks. The biggest drawback is all the time that I have spent away from cheshcat. Missing large chunks of my kittens' lives when they were growing up was hard, too. And, of course, I have not put down roots in any area for a long time. However, the rewards of this lifestyle have been plentiful: I have seen much of the world, and I have lived in several beautiful lands & cultures. I have had the honor of participating in some world-class projects -- In August, LRW and I talked about how astounding it is that we were getting paid to build laser systems, and watch stunning sunsets, in the Argentinian pampas. And, as benefits go, I don't think one can truly appreciate the simple joy of being at home until being at home has become a rare experience. I'm quite content each time I am able to climb into my own bed, or pet one of my kitties, or even just walk through the front door into my house.