I am Karan from Olympia, WA.
Almost every other name used here is a pseodonym pseudonim pseudonymn alias.
The rest of it is true - mostly - and all of it is my own.
Don't even think about taking any of it, unless of course, you want to pay me.
Random Wisdom: Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one. - Albert Einstein
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The counter says that 3220013 have been flummelized, but I personally think it's all a big lie.
[ Saturday, January 14, 2006 ]
The Journal from The Baker in Homer Alaska
I’ve been blocked in recounting tales of Italy...mostly because I keep it in my brain that I have to tell the story chronologically when I really want to tell you something that’s in the front of my telling lobe. So, forget the calendar, I’ll tell you whatever it is that most demands telling and today, I’ll tell you about the journal.
In August 2004, I met my online friend Eliz face to face right here in Olympia. During our visit, she gifted me with a small blank journal. Well, mostly blank.
The Baker in Homer Alaska set it off of its journey. His wish is to collect entries from all who encounter it. The Baker in Homer Alaska placed a small entry at the beginning about his journal project instructing all who encountered it to write something and then to pass it on. He also added a small entry on the last page giving the final contributor directions on how to mail it back to Homer. It’s very much like releasing a message-in-a bottle and only having the hope that someone will eventually find it.
The Baker in Homer Alaska put it into the hands of Eliz who took it back to Florida where she added pictures and tales of her life there. She brought it to Olympia and handed it to me. I was delighted to be a part of this journey. I decided right then that I was taking the thing with me to Italy and hopefully bring a real smile to The Baker in Homer Alaska.
The whole idea of contributing to an effort and launching it forward is very appealing to me. I’ve been a part of the 1000 Journals Project since 2002 and have yet to see Journal 854, which is apparently stalled somewhere in West Islip, NY. Get it going again Steven, the wait is rather tiresome.
Anyway, it’s true. I held onto the journal for almost 14 months more. When I landed in Italy, I entered my little story, my friend Nancy wrote a bit and then drew a most lovely design, which I colorized and then looked for an opportunity to pass it off to a likely candidate, one that I felt might keep the journal on its special journey.
On the train to La Spezia I noticed an Italian woman who was very animated and very ebullient and within the confines of our shared train car, easy to hear. I was especially impressed with her because she was carrying on a conversation with a loutish American man and was very generous in spirit with him, even after he left and she had the opportunity to comment on his manners with the other Italians sitting near her.
I gathered my courage and walked up to the Signora and asked her if I may speak English with her. She smiled and said that she would try. So, I told her the story of the journal using some Italian and mostly English. I told her about The Baker in Homer Alaska and that I wanted to give her the journal and that I hoped that she would write in it and then pass it on as I was doing. She agreed and seemed very happy to have this opportunity. I was thrilled and relieved to have fulfilled my obligation.
I returned to my seat and tried not to obviously keep an eye on her. I did notice that she was having a conversation with the folks around her and all were very excited about the little journal. I understood that they were all asking to write in it and I noticed that it was getting passed to Italians all over the train car and there seemed to be a general sense of merriment that accompanied it as it moved from hand to hand. About an hour later a young woman walked up and returned it. She thanked me for the chance to write in my book.
Did you read that? The journal was returned to me and when I looked inside, about twenty new entries had been added, some in Italian and some in English and most were telling me that they hoped that I had a wonderful vacation in Italy. I had the journal back in my hands....but now with several yearbook type entries. I was both warmed by their friendliness and sort of embarrassed that they all thought I was asking for the contributions for myself. Mostly though I thought it was funny.
So, again with The Baker in Homer Alaska’s journal in hand, I sought to find a new journaler to accept the responsibility. I was given another opportunity to fulfill the journal’s destiny in Riomaggiore. We stayed in a charming accommodation called Cinqueterre Residence where a young Dutch woman named Margarite worked there as one of the housekeepers. I liked her immediately for many of the same reasons I like the Signora on the train. She was very friendly, very happy and filled with the youthful exuberance that draws people to her like bees to honey.
After a couple of days, I decided to go for it again. I started by asking her if she would do a favor for me and then told her about the journal from The Baker in Homer Alaska and the story on the train. I asked her if she would take the journal on it’s next leg. I could tell that she was listening very carefully and that as the story unfolded, she was getting more and more excited as she apparently realized that I was going to ask her to take the journal. When I finally asked her, she jumped up, gave me a hug and thanked me for giving her such a great opportunity. Margarite was the perfect person to ask.
During the week, Margarite shared her plans for the journal. It turns out the her boyfriend is Canadian and she at first thought that she would take it to Canada on their next visit and leave it there. Nope, Canada is too close to Alaska and she wants the journal to see more of the world. Plan two now includes an agreement to pass the journal on to her sister in the Netherlands who is equally excited about the task. Apparently there are plans to see the journal through to Germany.
This journal will clock some kind of miles.
I hope that The Baker in Homer Alaska will be pleased. I wish that I had copied his name and address so that I can hear about it’s travels. Oh well - this message-in-a-bottle will at least get read by other eyes before it reaches its final destination.
This is an on-going saga of my recent trip to Italy. I traveled with two friends, Carol and Nancy, while we toured the countryside for almost a month. Read the whole thing in one place here.