joshywashington's blog

Seattle and seasons are changing

joshywashington — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 22:09:34 -0800

Every maple leaf will give itself up to the chill of the Puget Sound winds. It's that time when they are swirling and piling in drifts against the trees and you see kids kickin the leaves and stuff. Right before it all becomes a sopping , soggy pile of smoosh poop. I love thins time of year in...

travel without moving

joshywashington — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 13:59:29 -0700

hi friends, check me out on youtube at www.youtube.com/user/joshywashington
Traveling is not merely moving from one currency to the next. One culture, climate, language, architecture to something yet undiscovered and exotic is not the half of it. That is of course a very important aspect of...

In which Mike's head bleeds, I receive fries and shave my head

joshywashington — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 21:28:31 -0700

Their drunk by the time I get there, and that time would be somewhere in the neighborhood of 2am.
" Mikes, head is bleedin, I thought we were gonna die...juss come down the rope when you get there, were on the beach."
The Rope, knotted in three foot increments, is fasted to a tree, threaded...

Tale 'O the Tape

joshywashington — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 14:56:38 -0700

Tale of the tape

Countries traversed ~ 4

Cities, towns, villages visited ~ 31+

Duration of Bridgets journey ~ 5 months 25 days

Duration of Joshua Journey ~ 8 months 13 days

Photos taken ~ 1,500+

Hours of footage shot ~ 23

Blogs posted ~ 186 (approx. 175 pages)

Blog Views ~ 11,458

Money spent ~ $7,000+

Plane...

Closin chapters 2/2 ~Three bags full

joshywashington — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 14:55:02 -0700

Three bags full... the end? 2/2

Bah bah black sheep

have you any wool?

Aye, merry have I,

three bags full!

One for my master,

one for my dame,

one for the little boy who lives down the lane.

Dame

Where...

Closing chapters...1/2

joshywashington — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 14:53:07 -0700

Closing chapters, back where we began 1/2

Bah bah blacksheep, have you any wool?

Aye, merry have I, three bags full!

When your load is light enough to fit on your back the winds may move you about more freely. The moving becomes as much a ritual and reality as anything, so one morning after 4...

Tales of Might...and Strength!! In which our hero questions his own childlike judgement

joshywashington — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 14:51:39 -0700

Feats of Strength!! in which our hero questions his own childlike judgement

The funny thing about southeast asia is ya never know what you're gonna get...

ah, computers may be slow, fast, plentiful or elusive, the power will cut or mercifully remain constant, or any combination.

Laos,...

tale of Wonder!!

joshywashington — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 14:48:55 -0700

Tale of Wonder ( Next, Feats of Might!)

The girls squat and clatter the dishes into the tub in the shade of the big tree, tree dripping with green and casting a wide cool shadow. They laugh and talk in self assured, familiar tones as they scrub and dunk the plates, a little hair falling from their brow,...

Tale of Valor!!

joshywashington — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 14:46:19 -0700

Tales of Valor!! ( part 1 of my Valor Wonder and Might Trilogy)

Well what can be said, what with so much adventure on the wind, plenty to keep my sails full. And you, dear friends, no doubt have been full of festivities, and so it goes. We've been dreadful out of touch, Life and Laos bein...

Only the Lonely part II

joshywashington — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 14:44:23 -0700

Only the Lonely ~2/2

Not surprisingly, I am sole the guest of Montagnana and have my choice of bunks. The room opens onto the guard watch. The floor dissolved centuries ago and was replaced by the same iron grating so I can see 100feet down to an enclosed circle of undisturbed weeds and cigarette...

Only the Lonely part 1

joshywashington — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 14:42:58 -0700

Only the Lonely~ part 1/2

Written in Italy, nearly five years ago, written in Saigon over 5 weeks ago and written today, 5 minutes ago

Their laughter bangs up the stairs. I want to go down and get a glass of water but I don't...

DEarest Bridget

joshywashington — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 14:04:17 -0700

Dear Bridget Love Joshua

"Oh bridget, how I miss you! Thank you so much for all that you say, thank you for letting me glimpse your world from so far away and yes, your vlogs make me feel like your just a click away! I am lucky to find this internet shop; I'm in sam neua, last night I slept in vieng xai,...

On the Auspicious Occasion that is my birthday!

joshywashington — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 14:02:23 -0700

The occasion of my birthday

damn. a hard days rockin, betta slip off my shoes...Ok so I have embarked on my 27th year and it's been a crackerjack so far! What did I do on my birthday, well I'll tell ya.whoa, lemme back up to June 26th... the bus was suppose to leave at 2 so of...

Ramble On

joshywashington — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 13:59:56 -0700

Ramble on! the time is now...

Ok, there are more things to see in 'Nam, there always are but as Tom Petty sings;

"It's time to move on, time to get goin. What lies ahead I have no way of knowin. But under my feet baby the grass is 'a growin. Time to move on, time to get goin."

Or as Willie...

Hoi An-Hue...five days gone by

joshywashington — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 13:45:40 -0700

The last five days...Hoi An, Hue

Alright true believers this account has to be quick and only mildly verbose.

Gee willikers, so alot has gone down since I took inventory and exited Saigon. I landed in Hoi An for my first stop and it was just a gem of a city. The whole old quater is designated as a UNESCO...

In Which our Hero climbs aboard a fishing vessel

joshywashington — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 13:42:51 -0700

All Aboard! ~J

I knew that if they saw me they would stand and wave me aboard, I also knew that if I kept diving and swimming further and further out into the swells they would see me. A wave crests in front of me and I take a big ol gulp of air going back under. Kick once and...

Inventory of a traveler, leaving out nothing...

joshywashington — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 13:40:16 -0700

Inventory~J

Ok 23 hours and many many under the breath curses later I'm out of Saigon and nestled into Hoi An. This marks the second day of anew chapter in the Expedition.

Chapter 1~Bridget and Josh discover SEA

Chapter 2~ Life in Saigon

Chapter 3~ Josh wanders on

It's funny, I feel like I just...

Soilage or Vacate!

joshywashington — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 13:38:09 -0700

Soilage or vacate!~J

My baby makes me so proud there is little to do but smile, countin them shining lucky stars. General photogenicness and physical beauty aside, never has there been a woman quite the likes of Bridget. From the first she has been the most intriguiging, caring, respectable, insightful,...

same old jam~J

joshywashington — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 22:49:16 -0700

same old jam~J

" No matter how I try I find my way into the same old jam."

We always manage to fit 5 more people into these tour busses than seems possible. Seats flip down, luggage is stacked and a tree trunk of a German nustles his sweating, bristly legs well into my territory.

"My...

Squashed like a grape~J

joshywashington — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 05:54:29 -0700

Squashed like a grape~J

"In the days of my youth I was told what is means to be a man."

so where were we...ah, of course.
The less comely silk clad women fall grumbling away and she grins full and glossy lips, she is only missing one tooth, and not a consequential one.

* Interuption...

in which our hero is swarmed by nearly naked vietnamese girls~J

joshywashington — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 05:53:27 -0700

in which our hero is swarmed by nearly naked vietnamese girls~J

All right two stories, both involving Vietnamese women...

So I'm tall right, and I always slouch and you know, twist and turn in bed, slumbering in back crunching un orthopedic poses so my back always hurts, no kidding, I'm always...

Hot hot hot with a likelyhood of showers

joshywashington — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 05:47:57 -0700

This week has been a drought week for blogs, just trudging along, trying to find a centering point to plant myself in. I'll admit to you that I have been struggling with separation from Bridget, for a number of reasons. Mainly I had no clue that we would be apart for so long, but already it is 69 days...

T minus 11 days...banalities of yesterday, uh...yeah.~J

joshywashington — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 00:52:02 -0700

T minus 11 days...banalities of yesterday, uh...yeah.~J

Sheesh, what a slug... I got up at 2 in the afternoon after a very early morning of drum and bass, dim sum and super size me...i relish awaking long after the sun has crossed its zenith occasionally, but today i was mad i did not wake in time...

Like coming home~ J

joshywashington — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 21:48:37 -0700

Like coming Home a memory by J. Benjamin

Dr. so and so leaned back in his chair and suggested yet another round of chemo. Yet another fiesta of mocking fatigue and politely diligent nausea. Dr. so and so seemed only obliged to suggest the torment of 14 days of chemo. No, my father shook his bald...

In which our hero sees two dogs fornicating and is trapped on the balcony

joshywashington — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 21:35:35 -0700

It's June the first in alternately sunny/rainy Saigon. Thus marks 26 days until my 26th birthday halved to make 13, the number of days I have left inn this city I've called home for 6 beautiful months. A lot has occurred since Bridget and I stepped on to the plane 205 days ago, bound for Thailand but...

turning point~J

joshywashington — Tue, 29 May 2007 22:45:22 -0700

turning point~J

Viva Vicarious! We have had a good week! And the end is nigh, but your help is sorely needed. let us put Saigon to our tailights and head to Laos. $5/50 people...Show your love.

When they took the golf ball sized tumor out of my fathers...

scribbled notes from Nov. 26, 2006~J

joshywashington — Sat, 26 May 2007 22:53:42 -0700

scribbled notes from Nov. 26, 2006~J

I found this scribbling, dated Nov. 26, 2006, as I went through all my accumulated junk to see what could be thrown away. I've collected quite a dreadful mass of junk, you see. Anyways, these are some jotted down thoughts while waiting for a bus departing...

Transitions~ By Bridget O'Neill

joshywashington — Sat, 26 May 2007 22:40:00 -0700

Transition... -Bridget

Living abroad is challenging, but I never anticipated the real difficulty would come once returning home. Adjusting BACK to the American culture, that at one time was all I knew, to find myself alienated by my own desire for simplicity.

Life here in America is certainly...

No more papers no more books, no more teachers dirty looks!

joshywashington — Sat, 26 May 2007 22:31:27 -0700

No more papers no more books, no more teachers dirty looks!

Thank you to all those who are showing their support for the Expedition! We are on our way to meet our goal but have a long way yet to go!

We need 50 people to give $5 to move this vicarious virtual adventure into Laos, where things...

pervasive loneliness

joshywashington — Tue, 22 May 2007 06:53:21 -0700

“I would like to spend my whole lie traveling, if I could borrow another life to spend at home.” William Hazlitt
Josh needs 50 $5 sponsors to move on to Laos is well off to a good start…but your help is needed! Paypal at www.myspace.com/myexpeditionlife

I have never known such a pervasive loneliness....