tj
Hometown: Clearwater, MN
Age: Chronologically - I’ve spent 35 chaos-causing seasons on planet Earth.
Physically – When I’m at a night club I’ll shake my money-maker like a twenty-one year old; but feel forty-something the next morning!
Emotionally – It’s an eternal tug-of-war between pure, gut-busting joy and deep, soul-quaking melancholy.
Mentally – Ageless, my mind refuses to leave me in peace.
Spiritually – I’m in a constant state of rebirth.
Culinary – I have the food-palette of a 4th grader! Mac–n-Cheese forever!
Why are you traveling? Besides the fact that travel brings out the best in me, I’m road-testing, literally, a career as a travel writer.
What do you hope to accomplish on this trip? Stop the loathing, start the loving. To finally answer the question, “When is enough, enough?” When will I be enough? As a woman? As a writer? As a world citizen?
What was your occupation before becoming travel junkie? A commitment-phobic wedding planner
Why did you choose where you are traveling to now? When I spread out the map of Europe, I found my gaze returning time and time again to the far west and eastern countries. Cities such as Istanbul, Prague and Bucharest evoke exotic images that beg to be seen.
What is the most essential thing in your bag? Jar of Jif peanut butter!
What is the most unpractical thing you brought with you? Peppermint Cooling Foot Lotion from The Body Shop.
What is the weight of bag, fully packed? Backpack + laptop bag = 40lbs
When do you write best? Upon waking, when I am fully fueled on a night’s dreaming and gross quantities of Dt. Coke.
Why do you blog? Like the rest of humanity, I ache to be understood
What are you reading right now? All 1,031 pages of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings.” Remember – “Not all those who wander are lost.”
What is your mantra during a travel crisis? I’m currently perfecting what I like to call the “T.J. travel coma.” Bodily functions are ok, but panic, frustration and self-pity aren’t allowed until arrival. Then you can rage, self-medicate and whine all you want. That’s when another mantra comes in handy, “I’ll never see these people again.”
What is the one thing you miss most from home? My nest. You see, this faulty, human body is some kind of cosmic mistake. Somehow my reincarnation order got lost in Karma Central and I ended up a plump, Midwestern farm girl instead of a furry, four-footed critter. So, I compensate by building a nest (a safe, cozy place to curl up) everywhere I live. It’s where I regenerate, dream and decide. On the road, my inner-animal is always at a bit of a loss.
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