I turned 30 and got Drunk

It had to happen soon or later. The God of Chaos has allowed me to age just a bit. It is official; as of January 5th 2010 I am 30 years of age. All my life it has been beat into my head that turning 30 is a big deal somehow. When you reach 30 you should be a `full grown adult.` I am suppose to be a `productive member of society` and all that jazz. Somehow by turning 30 I can`t mess around and do crazy shit just for the fuck of it anymore. I must be a mature person with a career and many responsibilities. Wait a minute...Fuck All That!

I turned 30 and got drunk off my ass. I was really in the mood to get drunk that day too. I had not had a drink in two whole days so my stomach was pissed and my liver a bit too happy. What the hell does turning 30 mean anyway? I don`t feel any different. It is not like I become a different person overnight. I like me just the way I am. Turning 30 may be a milestone, but I look at it differently from the way I was raised to  view the big 30. More or less, I view it as a time to reflect on where I have been and where I am going. Even so, I think it is a waste of time to dwell on it too long. Hell, I still have a shit load of living left to do.  So, in the spirit of reflection without harping on the past I will spend one blog post taking a look at where I am have been and where I am going.

WHERE HAVE I BEEN
  I have been to some low and high places so far. Hell, I was born dirt poor in West Virginia for Christ sake. Growing up in such a situation did give me a lot of unique experiences that most people miss out on. I have even thought about starting another blog just about my days in West Virginia.

I went to college which was a big surprise even for me. Despite, mass amounts of partying I ended up for a degree in journalism. Said degree did land me a lot of freelance work yet I just could never handle working on any paper as a full time writer. There are just too many assholes in the media biz.

I have done a fair amount of traveling but there are still a lot of places on my list to check out. I have been to a lot of places in America but there are still many international locations left to go. Lucky for me I am in a good position to travel around the world(living in Japan has its advantages).

I`m married to a Japanese gal! I never expected in a million years I would end up marring a chick from Japan. It has worked out pretty good so far. There are good days and bad days but overall it is a good deal.

I have had a damn good time overall so far. I have gotten into some wild crazy shit. Sometimes it was pretty shitty at the moment yet looking back at everything I was loving every second.


WHERE AM I GOING


The road ahead looks promising yet twisted as all get out. My current gig keeps things interesting professionally. Although, the more fucked up things get the more I ponder how much time and energy I really want to put into my current job. For now, I am still willing to give it my all.
 
I am still loving writing. I find myself writing more in one week than most people do in a year. I am getting a pretty good stock of shot stories and such on my PC desktop. It might be time to start looking at the option of getting a collection published. My online novel is ready to come back to live again. Yall be on the look out for some new editions of The Life and Times of Johnny Blade to be available for your reading pleasure soon. 

Blogging is still a passion of mine. I keep doing the whole blogging thing because it is fun. My main blog, which you are reading right now, is my creative outlet to share my strange life with the rest of the world. Some people love it and some people hate it. I have learned that the internet is full of more assholes then in real life. It used to get on my nerves but a tthis point I realize folks on the internet will talk shit no matter what you write.

I might want to spawn another life into this fucked up world in the near future. The gal and I have talked about it a few times. Trying my hand at fatherhood might just be the greatest thing I could ever do. Having a kid of some real heavy shit so I will just have to see when the timing is right.

My life could still go in about a million different directions. For now, I am just trying to enjoy the ride and do what brings me happiness.

An American in Turkey: Part One

During the usual down time during the end of year in Japan my ass decided to sneak off the island and head to Turkey. The nation of Turkey may seen like an odd choice, but in reality I just wanted to get the hell away from Japan for a little bit. 2009 proved to be a heavy year for me and I wanted to get the fuck away from everything. Turkey is a good choice because it is basically in between the west and east. It`s far enough away from Japan for me to forget about shit as well as not to close to America. So, for a week I hung out in Turkey trying to relax and forget about the insanity of Tokyo.

What the hell does a greaser from West Virginia who lives in Tokyo do in Turkey any fucking way? Well, the answer to that question is simple enough. I do what ever I can to forget the crazy ass year I just endured. Yeah, I could have been a total out of control asshole in Turkey, but I decided to take it easy. Besides, the Truks are Muslim so they usually don`t take kindly to insane Americans. Yet, despite the limitations I placed on myself I still had a damn good time in Turkey. In fact, I had such a good time that two posts about my trip are needed.




The first part of my adventure in Turkey took me to a place called Kappadokia. I could get into a long boring ass history lesson about Kappadokia but I am not a history teacher so read this if you want a history lesson. In short, Kappadokia is a really old place which many cultures have laid claim to over the years. It is also really beautiful and a great place to relax.

Considering that Kappadokia is in a B.F.E part of Turkey, it was easy to forget everything and simply enjoy myself. I didn`t even need to go ape shit crazy to purge any bent up stress. The beauty and peaceful environment washed over me; filling me with a surreal sense of awareness. My inner spirit got a massive jolt of energy being surrounded by the spiked rocks and rolling wave cliffs of Kappadokia. It was a damn good feeling to say the least.

I didn`t just stare at the surroundings all day drinking up the beauty of it all. I actually was pretty active in Kappadokia. I got into some pretty cool shit while chilling in B.F.E. Turkey. I signed up for a guided hike around Kappadokia. We started out in the morning with a cool ass hike in the mountain area. The guide babbled on about the history of Kappadokia while I enjoyed the beauty and took a crap load of photos. I only paid attention to about half of what the guide was talking about. He was talking about some cool stuff, which did relate to the hike, but I was interested in checking out the amazing scene around me.



Due to cold temperatures the trail was frosted over pretty damn good. It was pretty amazing to see such a thick layer of frost collected on the weeds and shrubs. The gal and I got separated from the other people several times because we kept wondering around taking photos and exploring. The guide didn`t seem to really give a shit so I think we got more out of the hike than everyone else.

After the hike was over went to an `underground city` of sorts. Under the village there is damn near another city. Back in the old days of wars and general hell raising the people used to hide out in the underground city to keep from getting killed by invading armies. The whole idea of it got my attention and I actually listened to the guide a little more closely. Over the course of many centuries an entire maze of tunnels and living quarters were dug out by several different cultures. Going all the way back to Roman times, people used the underground city for protection. As I traveled though the tunnels and dug out living spaces, I thought about what it must have been like to survive in such an environment. They must have been some real tough folks!

People back in the day were hardcore! The underground city was no joke. It was not easy to wonder around though the tunnels. I had to get on my hands and knees a few times. Even when there was enough room to walk I had to hunch over in order to avoid smacking my head against the ceiling. Even the gal, who is only 5`2`, had a little trouble a few times. Despite the tight fit, it was damn cool to get such a hands on experience with an important part of Turkey`s past.

While the guided hike was cool, the balloon ride was awesome! The gal nor I had ever been in a hot air balloon before. It was a big treat for both of us. She talked about it for weeks leading up to the big day. I think it was the romantic and fun factor which got her so up for it. I have to admit it was damn fun. Although, we had to get up at the crack of dawn because the balloons can only fly in the morning hours. We didn`t mind much because it was so worth the early morning start.

Hell, half the fun was watching them get the damn things up and running. They used a huge flame connected to what sounded like a jet engine. While the balloon company got everything ready we were given all the free coffee we could drink. It was so damn cold I must have had half a pot of coffee while I waited. The wait was well worth it. Once we got in the air the scene was mind blowing! All the beauty of Kappadokia in full 360 display. Everyone in the basket were speechless. We all just stared at it eyes wide open. It was a high light of my life for sure.


Aside from all the stuff I saw and did in Kappadokia I did something extra. The staff at the hotel we stayed told us about a guy in town offering ATV rentals and a guide though the off-road trails. I knew I should not be riding ATV`s though one of the world`s greatest nature wonders but I just could not resist. I guess the country redneck buried deep inside of me compelled me to rent an ATV and get in some four wheeling action.
It actually turned out to be damn fun. I got to see a lot of Kappadokia that you just cannot get to hiking or taking a guided tour. The guy who took us along the off-road trails knew some cool spots to hang out. We got to see some really cool shit. We come up on this church build right into the damn mountain! I must have explored that old church for an hour. Four wheeling in Kappadokia kicks ass!

Overall, Kappadokia was great. I felt so relaxed and stress free. The people were so nice and friendly. All the beauty was so inspiring and soul enriching. I suggest it as a great vacation spot for anyone looking to get away from everything for a bit.

I also made it to Istanbul while I was in Turkey. That was a different experience all together; which is why I am going to post a second blog post about my time in Turkey soon. I got some great photos and a few stories to tell about Istanbul so be looking forward to that yall!