Forerunner

2008-12-20T04:00:00.001-08:00

Well, what do I have to say for myself now that I'm sleeping routinely in a warm bed? Was it everything I hoped it would be? Here's what I know. I know that whatever stirred me to do something like this isn't quite satisfied. I know that all I want to do is go and travel and even though this was crazy, I need something more. I need to keep taking myself into these odd challenges. I need something next. But this was a crazy and very worthwhile experience.

Like John said, I know a lot of people thought we were incredibly stupid and ruining our lives and I respect those people very much but they are not me or John, and I know that is why they didn't understand. On the other hand, we had an incredible amount of support from other people who I can't thank enough, namely the Glover's who gave us the most confidence in seeing this thing through and the greatest send off anyone could ask for.

Obviously I cannot speak for everyone in saying that its good to go out and flip your life upside down every once in a while, but I will say that life is way too short to fall asleep in the routine of the everyday. For me, I have to do this, and what I've learned from this experience is that I'm not at all content unless I feel saturated with experiences that are constantly writing an incredible story for me. Whether it's living in a car or living in Australia, I have this desire to see everything, to do everything. I just can't reconcile living a life where I'm settling on something that will get me by.

I know this is typical thinking of a twenty-something, and maybe as time goes by this desire will fade, but that seems like an immense tragedy. I get frustrated when I'm in one place too long because I feel like there's so much more to do or see. Four years of college was obviously killing me, hence the car living experience.

Here's all I'm saying. I feel like God designed us to be explorers, to turn every moment in our hands holding it up to the light, constantly discovering, constantly learning, but never taking it for granted as normal or common. There is an intense restlessness that aches through me whenever I feel stagnate and I know that I will always have to be looking for the "living in the car" moment. I realize people say you can't live on the mountain top, and that is not what I'm trying to do, I simply refuse to set up a comfortable 3 bedroom raised ranch in the valley looking up at the mountain everyday wondering what it would be like up there.

Essentially all I really want is life to the full. I think that is why I follow Christ because I believe that in him is really life to the full. Even if I make it to the 73.4 years of age, that's far to short to be settling on a life that is just enough. For me, life to the full is mobile and constant and malleable. So now I guess all that is left is to figure out what is next.

It's Goodbye

2008-12-17T17:42:00.000-08:00

Ahh. The culmination of a semester is knocking. Jon and I haven't been spending as much time in the 4 Runner as we would have liked. It is hard to want to sleep in there when freezing rain has had it's way with your blankets and sleeping bag. We didn't know the extent of the damage until two days ago. There is literally a sheet of ice covering the back of the 4 Runner. The sleeping quarters have been rendered in-hospitible. Our friend Jacob has been more than hospitible. Overall, I would say that the semester was a success. I know that there were doubters, haters per say. Jon and I got it done though.
I would like to throw a shout out to our friends at ISU who are going to attempt the same feat. It was worth it in the end. Jon and I only had to suffer through 3 weeks of winter. You ISUers are gong to go at it in the heart of winter. Just know that cold feet can only slow a man down. Frosty windows can only temporarily construct your vision. Frozen food will eventually thaw. Sleeping bags though frozen will eventually warm. You guys can do it and we have total faith. Good luck.

2008-12-15T14:20:00.000-08:00

The 4runner has turned into a giant ice sculpture. For some reason, perhaps in my youth induced belief that I am invincible to harm, I forgot to equip myself with an ice scraper so at the moment I cannot break through the several layers of ice on my windshield. Therefore the 4runner is stranded in Q-lot rather than safely at home in the CSC parking lot. This also means, as the police officer pointed out to me previously, that a decent amount of freezing rain got in through the back window and froze the edge of the blankets to the glass. However, since it's finals week my normal sleeping patterns are disrupted by all-nighters so I wasn't sleeping in the car when the freezing rain hit.

This expirement concludes on Thursday at which point the 4runner will return home and resume its vocation as a primary transport vehcle rather than a bed. These next nights will be about the coldest its been so it'll be a nice way to go out (by that I don't mean die). While the winter is rough, it doesn't seem too far fetched to do it for a whole year if I had that long, but praise God that I am life isn't that cruel to me.

Resolution

2008-12-10T13:06:00.000-08:00

Just a rumor and not a confirmed account, but apparently the gunmen went to Island Cafe to have some martinis after they robbed the store and that's how they got caught. I don't know what to say. Pretty ashamed of being mistaken for those guys.

The Usual Suspects

2008-12-08T14:25:00.000-08:00

I've realized through various encounters while some people look like movie stars or musicians or athletes, I apparently look like a criminal. This has amounted in people randomly asking me for weed or calling me a stoner but not until now has it landed me a small detainment by the police as a suspect in an armed robbery.

There is much to tell so this may be long. Get a cup of coffee, pause the TIVO, put the pizza in the oven, whatever you got to do.

John and I were leaving Ali's apartment on Friday when a security guard stopped us before getting into the 4runner.

"I'm the complex security guard and I just wanted to warn you that there was an armed robbery about two blocks from here by a man in a stocking cap and a blue shirt using a revolver so if you see anything notify us, ok?"

We nodded thinking it funny that he used the word revolver like we were accusing Colonel Mustard in the Kitchen. We headed across the street to go to our other friends apartment. I pulled in and parked the car and we ran inside to pick up an xbox. We were there no more than 2 minutes but when we came out we saw two cop cars parked behind my 4runner shining flashlights into the back. For some reason I raised my hand like I was asking a question in class and said "That's my car." We walked up to the cop car and he asked us where we were coming from. We told him and they asked for our IDs.

"Is this about that robbery? Some security guy told us about it just before we left." I asked.
He said yes and then rolled up his window to check our IDs. John only had a hoody on so he was freezing and decided to go inside and wait while they processed our licences, leaving me to stand there and wait for the cop. Suddenly cops started to materialize out of nowhere. A cop appeared behind me like he came out of the bushes (a friend said later that the cop car came flying off the road cutting right over the lawn to get to the parking lot). Another cop car pulled up on the other side of the cars and turned his lights on me. Then another one came casually strolling up towards me, slowly pulling open his jacket like he was trying to show me his gun and then shined the flashlight in my eyes.

"How's it going?" he said like we were good pals. "Not bad, how about you." I returned,smiling, holding my hand over my eyes. "Just fine." he said. It was a real nice exchange. I'm glad he needed to shine the flashlight in my eyes for that conversation. Total I think there were six cops. I was about to ask him how the wife and kids were when John came back out. Suddenly another cop car pulled up real slow like a predatory lion ready to pounce on us. It had the worlds brightest flood light forged in the depths of hell from the souls of heinous murderers and people who cheated on monopoly. The light was shining us right in the eyes.

"Stand shoulder to shoulder back to the squad car," came a cold command. Now, it seemed at this point that we were a pretty big deal so I guess I was anticipating the cuffs or something because I thought what he wanted was for us to put our hands on the car. John thought the same thing so he asked for clarity. "What?"

"Turn around and face the car and stand shoulder to shoulder." He said again. We slowly turned and faced the car. I stood up straight trying to present the best impression of myself for whoever was in the car. Apparently, the witness of the crime was sizing us up from the safety of the squad car, trying to ID the criminal. We stood there for a good 30 seconds while this light viciously burned a hole through our retinas. Finally, just as it came, the lion went slowly slinking backwards, killing the light and disappearing into the dark. "Did you hear the negative on the radio traffic?" My new friend the cop asked the other. "Yeah. Go ahead." So all the cops got back in their cars and drove away save the one who had our IDs. I guess even though there was a gunman on the loose there is always time for basic citations.

"So, Jonathan, what's the deal with your expired temporary plates?" He said still sitting in his squad car. I really couldn't believe it. I began rehearsing in my head a rant about the absurd priorities of the law in case he gave me a ticket. "I'm just waiting for the plates to come in the mail." I said. "You can check that out at your local SOS." he explained. I didn't get the acronym but said "thanks" anyways. There was a small silence as if he was contemplating something and then he spoke again.

"Alright, well I don't mean to pry but it looks like you're living out of your car." I hesitated for a second ready for an awkward explanation. "Tell him" John said under his breath. Now It's not that I was at all preparing to lie to the cop, but I was contemplating the use of a very general and vague explanation, but instead I listened to John. "Yeah I am. It's not that I'm poor or anything. It's just that this is my ninth semester and I wanted to do something crazy." He kind of half laughed and nodded. "So where are you living?" Again I hesitated for a second not knowing if there were going to be consequences for my next words. If I was going to wake up tomorrow with the familiar fleet of police peering in through my window. "Well, you know CSC? I talked to the owner and he said it was alright for me to park there." I said.

"It looks like your window doesn't go up all the way. That could let in a cold draft." he said pointing with his pen toward the back window.

"Yeah, we found a lot of snow in there once. It can get cold but we're prepared." I said. He looked up at it and said, "Well, be safe because it does get pretty cold out here."
"Thanks" I said. "We got plenty of blankets and stuff so we're ok."

"Alright, well I'm going to write you a written warning for your plates and you'll have to go to your local SOS to check it out." John, still freezing decided he was done. "Is it alright if I start the car he said." The cop confirmed and John went over the 4runner.

For some reason I like to make conversation with cops, maybe so they know that they aren't scaring me, but since he didn't seem to care where I was living I decided use the flexibility for knowledge.

"Hey while I got you here, let me ask you," I said. "when I was first hatching this plan back in the summer I had heard that you can do this kind of thing in the Wal-Mart parking lot. You know, park your RV or whatever and live there for a bit. Do you know if that's legal at all?"

"Oh, I don't know about that at all. You'd have to check that out." Suddenly the 4runner turned the engine and then jumped as it died. John laughed. "Do you remember how to drive stick." I called back. It started, and then lurched again John still laughing. "Yeah I drove it today." I looked at the cop and he was laughing quietly. "Alright, you're free to go." He handed me the ticket and we drove out of there.

I'm guessing that the security officer at Ali's apartment complex saw my hat and thought I might be the guy but was too afraid to detain me there so he must've called it in. Otherwise I don't know how two cops would be poking around my car only two minutes later when there was a parking lot full of suspected vehicles. It couldn't have been random. All in all, it was a hilarious night and John and I were laughing the whole time. I obviously didn't take a revolver into some small town store and rob the place so we never had anything to worry about. I don't know if they caught the guy, newspapers didn't say anything about it, but knowing the fine gentlemen of the MPD out here, he's probably flipping his revolver around his finger counting his 27 dollars thinking he's a pretty smooth criminal.

Also, SOS stands for Security of State. Took me a while but I got it.

Mas Snow

2008-12-04T15:27:00.000-08:00

It's a little worse than I said. I came back to the car yesterday and there was a semi-substantial amount of snow that had blown into the back of the car onto the bed leaving a few blankets covered at the ends. It was pretty hilarious. Last night was freezing. It took me a good half hour to successfully cacoon myself into my sleeping bag and two blankets until I was comfortable. After that I was incredibly warm and slept close to 9 solid hours and woke up warm too. Its just the getting in and the waking up that is frigid. I went for a drink from my water bottle and found a giant block of ice instead. But I'm still warm at night and it's still all good.

Snow

2008-12-03T13:03:00.000-08:00

Something I didn't think of previously confronted me with the arrival of the first snow. Before when we would take our cars out for the weekend or break, there was no trace of someone living in their cars in the parking lot. No evidence. Now, there are small yellow circles and puddles in the snow that are too obvious to be ignored. So I've decided next time I'm not going to hide the fact that God has blessed me as a male with the sacred ability to use the natural lavatory; I'm going to write my name in the snow. Like marking my territory so all can know, Jon Rand lives here, don't mess. (I might even write all that if I drink enough water).

It's been a while since we've updated, not much has happened. I wake up and I can scrape my name in the frost that's on the window inside the car. The back window can't go up all the way so there's about an inch or two gap that allows cold breezes and snow drifts inside. It makes for an interesting stay. Even though I see my breath when I go to sleep and I wake up surrounded by an inch of frost, the nights are still just as warm. I sleep better here than I did when I was at home for break.

Also the emergency break doesn't work so If we want to run the car for a bit I have to chock the wheels and then slip it in neutral otherwise I lay down and find myself on the other side of the parking lot which is a slight exaggeration but still happened. I got halfway.

nothing else too exciting has happened. The cold gets pretty intense but its not too big of a deal. Still glad we're doing this but I don't mind the fact that it ends in three weeks. Turns out Christmas is going to be big this year and we're short on beds so I might be thrown out to sleep in my car over break to make room (not really. My parent's aren't that cold hearted. But I'll probably do it anyway). At this point I just want to graduate and then play hockey, snow football, snowboard, play music, and pretend that I don't need to be looking for a job.

Also, the snow has revealed that John is more hydrated then I am.

That All You Got

2008-11-10T14:33:00.000-08:00

25 degrees? Come on mother nature. I'm sick of sweating in my sleeping bag. You can do better than that. I could almost see through my frosted windows.

Also some mystery person was tapping on the car this morning while we were sleeping. I'm bringing my air soft gun back to school.

Trick or Treat

2008-11-03T21:03:00.000-08:00

Alright I gotta be honest. We were going to carve pumpkins and put them on our cars and then have a small candy dish by the car saying "take one please," but we kind of got lazy. The pictures would've been awesome, so just pretend.

Pictures

2008-10-28T16:15:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of our living conditions. More will come but these will fuse your imagination with reality. The forerunner is obviously the sleeping car, and the buick is the luggage car.

The Bed
Notice the space underneath for DVD's. It's a crucial piece.

Helter Skelter

2008-10-25T05:56:00.000-07:00

I just finished the book "Helter Skelter" which is one of the craziest, in some ways scariest, and one of the most interesting books I've ever read. It's definitely not for everyone because it's very hard to swallow but its really well written, sometimes like a crime scene drama, sometimes like a courtroom drama. Like I said, its a really bizarre true story that probably many people don't want to know, but it's a crazy account of how wayward the human mind can go, and how everyone has such an innate desire to belong somewhere, even the farthest outcasts look for a community and that was the great tragedy of this story. That these people found no other place to feel a sense of belonging, and that desire was deeply betrayed. Anyways, don't go out and read it right away, lest you believe that Jon Rand is a deeply disturbed psycho, but it a story of the extreme end of mankind and I was intrigued.

Anyways, after that I need to read a more fluffy book to clear my mind of the density of what I just read. Living in a car affords me a lot of reading time which I love. (suggestions for more books to read are good by the way). I also been listening to a lot of podcasts by Erwin McManus about actively pursuing the things that you desire to do in life, rather than writing them off as too far fetched, and this really reinforces the motivation of this living in a car experience. The closer I get to graduation the more this little fear creeps up in the back of my mind that I'm going to end up being bound and shackled to a paycheck from a means-to-an-end job that I either hate or am bored with. So I guess the point of this car experience is to get myself outside the typical, expected routine of life and remind myself that life is actually incredibly amazing and new and mysterious and fleeting and I don't want to be lulled to sleep by the everyday routine. So this car experience eliminates that expected routine, making spontaneous demands on my day to day life that I have to constantly examine and adjust and discover. Its more like a "pinch me" experience where I'm trying to wake myself up so I really go after life and change the rhythm of living.

Sorry this sounds all ideological and ridiculous but I had a small bout with insomnia tonight so my thinking is off kilter but I think this ultimately explains the reason why I wake up every morning and roll out of the side door of a Toyota 4runner despite awkward stares of the people walking by on their way to class.

Also its cold enough now that the outdoors serves as a natural refrigerator so I have been buying lunch meat and keeping it on the roof of the forerunner. It's a nice luxury.

Sleep is a necessary sacrifice

2008-10-17T12:25:00.000-07:00

I got out of class at 2pm exhausted from a long night of poker, FIFA and studying (by studying I mean typing 30 vocab terms and then being too tired to define any of them), and I headed out the door to take a long nap at "home." Since its been getting increasingly cold, taking midday naps have become way more manageable not to mention comfortable. So I headed out towards the car when suddenly I caught the distinct smell of bacon. It was so strong it was impossible to ignore. The closer I got to the car, the stronger the smell, like a mix of bacon or ham of some sort. Lo and behold as I rounded the corner I saw an esteemed gentlemen of the Macomb Police Department parked in the back of the parking lot near our car. I don't really have any reason to believe that he was there for the 4runner, because that would be pretty incredible and a lot of planets would have to align for that to happen, but I wasn't about to crawl into the back and settle in for a good three hour nap with him parked right there. So here I am at the library, tempted to find a secluded spot and curl up on the floor and make a night of it.

I ended up walking something like mile because I thought he'd be gone in a few minutes. Instead I lugged my ten ton backpack around for a good twenty minutes or so listening to "Sadie" by Alkaline Trio on repeat trying to make sense of it. John has gotten way less sleep then me though, probably recording 12 to 15 hours over the last three days (but he's making up for it and he's as healthy as a horse, dave and jodie). They work you hard over there at Wal-Mart in the meat department.

Which brings me my next point. You're probably thinking poor ol Jo(h)n, living like a vagabond out of a car. It's a shame he can't enjoy the finer side of life like me in my fancy queen sized bed and enjoy lavish frozen pizzas and mac and cheese dinners but let me answer your sympathy with a question. How are you enjoying those Colossal shrimp dinners? Oh wait, that's me who's eating shrimp dinners sauteed in Heineken and butter. Thanks to John's newly acquired job, we eat like kings. I'll bet you never even knew that there were shrimp so big they were called Colossal shrimp. ( I didn't either and it was kind of unnerving eating shrimp as big as my hand but thankfully the heavenly taste helped overcome the mental image). Overall things are going good still, I look forward to this colder weather and midterms are done which means I'm halfway out of here. All in all, living in a car still a good choice.

I know a few really good decent cops, they don't smell like bacon.

More Night Visitors

2008-10-02T11:46:00.000-07:00

I've gone a long time with limited contact with my guitar and its been killing me very slowly. So lately, when I return home around midnight or so, I'll grab my guitar and just sit in the Buick and play for a while. If you happen upon the CSC parking lot late at night and hear a distant guitar and see some strange person sitting in a strange car at the back of the lot, don't worry, just slide right into the drivers seat provide me with some harmonies.

While I've done this the last couple of nights I've noticed a strange array of nocturnal creatures making their way toward our cars. Only one for each night, but still considerably diverse. I started to worry that they'd take a nap under the car and when I'd open the door and step out they'd be frightened into attacking my ankles, and I'd have to smash them in the head with my guitar (its been through worse). But as I watched a raccoon approach the car I realized that he had a distinct curiosity in the place where I spit out my toothpaste. He investigated it and then walked away. The next night, a possum walked up to the car and went to a different spot, again, a toothpaste spatter. It's been like this for the past few nights and I realized I should just let them lick up the second hand toothpaste puddles in peace and leave them alone. But next night, I'll play a little trick on them and spit my toothpaste out where I take my midnight bathroom break.

Its starting to get into sleeping bag weather. The nights are nice and cool and the sun doesn't fry you in the morning anymore, unless you're facing east like John is, then its still acts as an early alarm clock. Its still going great, and in my new found wisdom of age, I've decided I made a good decision to do this.

Woe is Me

2008-09-26T11:44:00.001-07:00

I was late to class today because Old Naked Man happened to have a locker in the locker room that was right below my locker. I ran away and did abs for fifteen minutes and he was still there.

One Month Celebration

2008-09-21T17:28:00.000-07:00

I'd like to take just a brief moment to commemorate this day as our one month anniversary of living in a car (though technically you can't call it an anniversary until its a year, but stupid boyfriends and girlfriends do it all over the nation so excuse the defficient gramar).

So...what do we have to say after one month of living in a car? I wanted to answer this question with some querky comment about how hillarious this whole thing is but the truth is we're loving it. It probaly seems somewhat like a joke to most people but in reality a lot is going on. When you can step away from the distractions of daily TV, comfortable couches, easy meals and soft beds, your mind starts to examine life a bit differently. John and I list all of those things only because to a point they can all be our own personal vices in complacency, but it really is an incredible experience to separate ourselves from those things in order to push and challenge ourselves to a different way of living. Now all I have to do is find a wife who won't mind traveling the country with me living out of the back of a 1990 Toyota 4runner. Hopefully she doesn't mind tuna and canned peaches.

Anyways, I just want to wish a happy one month to the 4runner. I guess if we're going to continue to get close like this I'll have to give her a name.

I (John), would also like to add to this post. In honor of the one month celebration I thought it was necessary to put in a few words. To be completely honest I love what is going on. It is interesting to see what type of people we become or can be when in this situation. I know that we have both learned a lot about ourselves. I have become extremely organized. I know that Jon has said it already, but I am doing great in school, we get great sleep, and we are in great shape. With the small annoyance of the rain the first two weeks of school the semester has been amazing.

One thing that I would like to note is that my realtionships with other people have been better than ever. I was cautious at the beginning to call home. I knew that my parents weren't in favor of my living situation. Through this four week progression I have realized that no matter what I actually chose to do they were still going to be there and love me. It was encouraging and funny to me the first time I called home. I was calling to check on weather or not a UPS package showed up in the mail. My dad picked up and immediateley said, "Is everything ok? Do you need anything?". At that moment I realized I had no reason to be anxious to call home. Along with that my relationships with my friends and siblings are great too.

The Rec You Don't Hear About

2008-09-20T19:08:00.000-07:00

Given our current situation, it seems fitting to honor one of the most resourceful places that we've utilized while living in our car: the rec. As we've already talked about, we end up spending close to four hours a day there since we have no where else to go, and because of that we end up seeing a lot of strange and unexpected sights. One of the largest obstacles that we've had to overcome is the old naked man who seems to inhabit the locker room at all times. Both of us (at separate times of course) appreciate a good swim and certainly the use of clean shower but this means that we have to confront one of the most horrifying sights in all of mankind. Let me lay it out like this, and try to take a moment to live in our shoes for empathy's sake.

Fatigued from my Michael Phelps sized swim workout, I enter the locker room in hopes of a cleansing shower to culminate my rec experience. As I walk into the locker room in a carefree manner, I am immediately met with a white fleshy figure in my peripherals. As with all fight or flight situations, I cower close to my locker focusing all of my attention on steadying my shaky hands enough to open it up. I desperately try to draw out every process of storing my back pack and getting out my workout cloths in hopes that he will eventually feel the need to clothe himself. It seems that whatever this old man is doing, he has specifc business located in multiple areas of the locker room because he randomly walks around (naked) for a awkwardly long amount of time.

I realize that for whatever reason, old men seem to be more inclinded to walk around naked in locker rooms. This man, however, carries out every order of business in the nude. The most detramental part of the experience is when he lifts his leg up onto the chair for some unkown reason and bends over for a solid two to three minutes. Maybe he's stretching but I think we can all agree that there may be better places to do that. Eventually he feels the necessity of putting on a shirt, but that is only a trick to make you think the trauma is over, for he has only put on a shirt and is still stretching on the chair.

Now you may feel slightly disturbed at the depth of detail, but its only to help you visualize the pain we must go through, and the frequency of the event. The worst part is, when he is in stretch mode, the other half of the locker room is off limits for walking behind him would require years of psychological rehabilitation. So this is the point where I pull my "crap I've lost something in my bag and its taking me fifteen minutes to find it" ploy. John and I have never witnessed this event at the same time, but have encountered it so many times that we can't help but get this off of our chests. Thanks to on campus counseling we've been able to heal from our traumatic experiences and are on the road to recovery. For that reason we've started the Foundation for Survivers of Old Naked Man in Stretch Mode or FSONMSM for short. If you've had this experience, there is help out there.

There's Even a Bathroom Flap

2008-09-19T13:17:00.000-07:00

So due to the ever watchful eye of the Wal-Mart parking lot garbage picker uppers, we've indefinitely moved to the CSC parking lot. It's a nice change. I gotta say though as much as I loathed the endless amount of rain that we got, its not the most enjoyable experience to have the sun slow roast you in your car while you sleep at 9am. I'll be looking forward to my favorite season of the year as it rolls in.

We've been making our dinners these days at Everly Park in the shelter since they have electricity and then we just let good ol George Foreman do his work. Since we've made the rec our first home, we've realized that we need more protein and calories in our diet. So its chicken breasts and tuna for us. When we returned to our forsaken mother, Wal-Mart, we must of looked like we were shining examples of good will and generosity. We stood in line buying a massive amount of canned foods. Canned vegetables, peaches, pineapples, tuna, oranges, pears, corn etc. But really, all of that tastes great and its so cheap I'm amazed at how much I don't need to spend on food. It's not that we're poor, we've just become a lot more economically conscious which is a good thing.

On a small, completely unrelated note, I can't understand why looking ridiculous became fashionable. I saw a girl today with the largest bug eye sun glasses I've ever seen. You know who else enjoyed an outlandishly large pair of glasses from time to time...Pee Wee Herman. You got your ugs...they are called ugs. And you got girls wearing giant rainbow colored galoshes when it rains. Its almost impressive.

I've been thinking about a few different ridiculously bizarre styles that I can try to start myself. Maybe sleeveless polos, Ninja turtle masks, and my favorite, casual wear footie pajamas. The day to day routine of dressing sucks. Put on your pants, find a clean (matching) pair of socks, and then put on your shoes (not to mention, lace them up). With footie pajamas its a one and done deal. Slip em on and out the door. But seriously, I almost stopped the girl to ask her if she thought she looked good wearing those sun glasses, but thankfully God bestowed me with an extra helping of chivalry.

Not quite the Fuzz

2008-09-16T06:48:00.001-07:00

I've been constructing a list of things that living in a 4runner cures:
If you want to be in shape, live in a car
if you want to be a better student, live in a car
if you want to grow closer to God, live in a car
and recently I've decided that if you want the best sleep in your life, live in a car.

For whatever reason (maybe our genius architectural ability) everyday we wake up we feel completely refreshed. Regardless of what time I have to get up I always feel like I had a great, comfortable nights sleep. With the exception of this morning.

I woke up today to the sound of a voice incredibly close to my window. I very calmly waited for my sleepy eyes to adjust until I peaked out the window to see a man in a yellow vest looking at our cars and talking into a walkie-talkie.
"Yeah, they've been here about two weeks...I'm not sure...It looks like it." I couldn't hear what the other end was saying but I carefully rolled over.
"John. cops." I whispered through the sheet that we'd hung between us (I put that line in there to assure everyone that though two guys are sleeping in one car, its not as weird as you think. I mean, we got a sheet hanging down to separate us. It's like my own little room, or coffin). "What should we do." I asked. My wise friend profoundly decided we should just keep sleeping and wait for them to do something. I was decently tired so that seemed fine to me. Plus I wanted to ride the Walmart train as long as we could. Eventually we grew too paranoid of every car that drove by thinking it would be a tow truck or something so we peaked out the window again and then got out. There were no cops, no sign of cops, no tickets, nothing. I started thinking I might have dreamt it but as we pulled out of the parking lot, there was an employee picking up trash wearing a yellow safety vest. He stopped and glared right at us as we were leaving. I'm not sure if they would have done anything about us, or if they were going to call the cops but we just decided its better to keep our situation in our control so we've moved locations...but don't you worry because this just keeps getting funnier and funnier.

The Fuzz

2008-09-10T13:24:00.000-07:00

Our primary mode of transportation consists of riding our bikes from the Walmart bike rack to campus. Our first week here John was riding his bike and a cop car pulled him over demanding that he should've stopped at the stop sign like cars do. From what I understand the conversation went something like this...
"Do you have insurance for this bike?"
John: "uhm, no"
Cop: "Right, no one does. What if you'd hit my car because you went through that stop sign? You'd have no insurance to pay for the damages would you?"

Luckily John got out with a warning. I've never heard of a cop pulling over a bicycle. We told him he should've just booked his bike through campus since the cop was in his car, but John is a law abiding citizen. To my knowledge, the pedestrian always has the right of way so if i get slammed off my bike by some car, i think my lack of bike insurance won't really be an issue.

Yesterday I was in the rec just before it closed and decided I really needed to shave before another day goes by so I went to the bathroom at 10:50 (it closes at 11pm). Apparently the staff were in a hurry to close up so some guy quickly opened the door and keyed all of the lights off while i was still shaving, at which point i preceded to cut my lip in the pitch black. It bled for over half an hour and I had to use my cell phone as a torch to find my way to my locker and quickly pack my stuff up in complete darkness, and only partially shaven.

The beginning

2008-09-08T16:01:00.000-07:00

You may be asking yourself: "self, why would anyone choose to live in a car for a full semester while at school." My answer: Its not a car. Its a Forerunner. But I forgive you for that oversight. We're going to try and fill you in on our first experiences here (of which there are my hilarious details) and then give you an idea of how life is living in a Forerunner on a day to day basis so you can share in our shock as random people pull up and look into our car as we are sleeping, or our triumph after riding our bikes through a midwest monsoon to school, and our shame as we dry our socks and shoes for 45 minutes under the automatic hand driers in the bathroom shortly thereafter (Actually, that was a very hilarious and proud moment for me and i feel no shame). Millions of people have millions of questions about our system for making this work so if you want you can ask away and we'll try and answer them. Its already been hilarious, and a great experience and its likely that it will only get better.
Jon