Photo Recap: Blue Mountians, NSW Australia

all photos taken by me; please dont steal :)

Digital Nomad.

Figured it out.  That's the official name for what I want to be.

In this world recession, more and more people are taking their talents on the road (and plane and boat) and working remotely via the internet.  There are web designers working on beaches in Bali and consultants working in the Swiss Alps.  They don't buy into the fallacy that you have to be chained to a desk, or even a city, to make a living.

And neither do I.

For years, I've known I love to write and I adore travel.  If I won the lottery tomorrow, I wouldn't buy a big house or produce a film, I'd set out for a world tour, and I wouldn't be able to resist writing about it.  Therefore, what could be better for me than to establish myself as a travel writer?

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You're going to see some changes to this blog; they will be slight and gradual, most likely, but I'm working on a format that will be my voice in the travel industry.  I believe everyone can travel, regardless of age or income, and I hope to encourage people to broaden their perspective by seeing the world.

You have all been an incredible support to me; thank you so much for reading & following this blog.  Please continue to stick with me (teaser: I have some really exciting news coming soon!) through these changes, and please spread the word about The Grateful Sparrow.  Anyone who wants to travel but doesn't think they can, who feels stuck in a job or life they're not happy with, who wants to make a change but is afraid - please send them my way.  If I can do it, anyone can.

Today I am so grateful and happy for:
~ starting out on a new adventure
~ your support & love
~ possibility

xo! n.

Photo Recap: Sydney

...and there you have it.  Finally, some of my favorite pictures from Sydney, my first week in Australia. Stay tuned for more cities...  All pics were taken by me (except the ones of me, which were taken by a kind stranger & chatty roomie, respectively), so please, if you'd like to borrow, give credit.  Thanks!

serendipitous

Sometimes good things just happen.  And it's weird when you kinda put it out there wanting them to happen, but not in an obsessive way, just in thinking, "I kinda feel like a granny smith apple right now..."

...and then your friend walks out and offers you her granny smith apple.

That actually did happen to me.  Delicious, nutritious and surprising.  And recently I've been thinking how badly I need a haircut but I can't afford it so ...oh well.  Today, I bartended with a really cool guy who, afterward, needed a ride to the bus stop.  Well, it was late and rainy and I refused to drop him at the bus stop - it's not safe! - and instead took him home.  In return, he offered to give me a free haircut!  Turns out he's a hairstylist at a swanky West Hollywood salon.  Wha??

I love stuff like that.

I don't think it's pure coincidence either; I believe that the more grateful you are for whatever is already in your life, and the less attached you are to the things you want (aye there's the rub!  unattachment is the hard part, but lets start with the little stuff), the more likely you are to get the things you ask for. 

So let's try it, friends.  What are you so grateful and happy for today?

I'm so grateful & happy for:
~ the support of my lovely friends
~ serendipity
~ strangers reading & enjoying my blog!!  thank you!

xo! n.

Jump for Joy!

I have just been featured as Travel Blog of the Day by Travel Blog Sites.com!!!

Check it out here

Yippee!

Booze Wench.

I have been a busy busy bartender.  Went to Fontana, CA, where I bartended at a Nascar race and was on my feet for 33 hours in 3 days.  Exhausting.  But profitable.  And, oh my, the rednecks.  I don't like to stereotype people, but Nascar brings out a certain ...shall we say... breed of people.  The mullets.  The toothless grins.  The middle-aged men making extremely inappropriate jokes that make me thank the Lord above that there's a wide counter between us.  The women that look like teenagers from the back with their tight jeans, midriff tops and bottle blond hair, only to turn around, revealing their age in a face with all the creases and coloring of a rotten apple.  I don't mean to be nasty, there are also some really lovely people there that defy the stereotype.  People who make friendly conversation and don't egg me on with "pour some more, darlin', I'm a grown man, I can take it" when the glass is already half full of liquor.  There are some people that are so nice & generous that I just want to reach on over that bar & give them a big hug.  But it really is quite a fun place to people watch.

our bar at Nascar

It was a tiring weekend; the company put us up in a hotel but it was 4 adults in a room with 2 full-size beds, waking up at 4am to open the bar at 7, crowds 50 deep pushing toward your bar as Styx (yes, Styx live - those guys are old but I gotta admit, they sounded good) blared "come sail away..." and I had to communicate with customers via pointing.  BUT I worked with friends, which makes everything better, and we made enough for my March rent, which is a relief.

Then, tonight, I bartended a pre-made margarita stand in a Banana Republic & it was the easiest job I've ever done.  And I got tipped!  Tomorrow I'm bartending at a sailing club and Saturday I'm bartending a wedding.  Yay for easy, un-attached jobs!

I like bartending; everyone loves a bartender.

In other news, my friend Todd did his first public stand-up comedy performance & it was brilliant, as we all knew it would be.  Everyone else at the coffee shop was a comic; he had a fan club.  :)

Two of our friends here just got engaged & are moving back to the east coast.  It's sad, but we all knew it was their plan all along.  They had a goodbye party last night & it was really fun but also a bit depressing.  We're growing up, going our separate ways, moving on.  It's inevitable.

 saying goodbye

And I suppose it's good as well.  Change keeps us alive; everything changes & you have to change with it.  In the words of Ani Difranco: "Buildings and bridges are made to bend in the wind, to withstand the world thats what it takes. All that steel and stone are no match for the air, my friend, what doesn't bend breaks..."

So, ok, I'm bending...

Today I'm so happy and grateful for:
~ profitable temporary jobs
~ creative & talented friends
~ courage to move on

xo! n.

love in the 21st century

I just got my brand new 13 inch Mac Book Pro, and it is beautiful.  I am in love.

Keep an eye out for some changes to the blog now that I have a high-powered awesome computer to play on...  more details to come later...

Today I am so happy & grateful for:
~ my new computer!
~ video chatting
~ music

xo! n.