Godspeed

There's something curious happening within these villa walls: at first it was a stirring and rather electric force that was urging all of us to know each other's hearts (whether we wanted to or not)...and now an eerie silence creeping from emptied rooms that pushes us toward the front door and out.

Tomorrow is our final day in the Invisible Children office - and most of those precious hours will be spent packing our vans and noggins full of final tidbits of information. And while I am extremely excited to pay forward the beautiful gifts that have been afforded to me, I am weary: we've extreme goals to reach and love to make - both of which I am familiar with but neither of which I am fully cognitive of just yet.

On top of that I have found two monsters within myself called impatience and lust for control, and I swear if I don't conquer the two extremely soon that they will obliterate and undo all the good that's been done within me. It took me a solid two weeks to come to terms with that idea, but I have arrived - just as Jason Russell promised. So if you're a praying miss or mister, please clutch your hands and bow your head for me.

Anyway, I guess this (this grand scheme, our efforts to get Obama) is our mission to the moon. In 1962 President John F. Kennedy unknowingly said the words we'd all be living by today:

"We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will SERVE to organize and MEASURE the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too."

I believe in us.

Pleased To Meet You

"The only people for me are the mad ones: the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but BURN BURN BURN like fabulous yellow roman candles, exploding like spiders across the stars."

- Jack Kerouac

Let Me Introduce You To:

The 2009 Fall Tour Invisible Children roadies.



When you can't afford to purchase someone a gift, just dance. (No Lady Gaga pun intended there).

Love You & Me More

I watched this movie tonight, and while parts of me resonated with these characters, something else became apparent: the american dream is very real. Here in these United States there is a great divide between parents and children, as well as their ideals relative to success. Whatever I thought to be true about my own family and situation is far less tense than what these kids have to endure...

Today was a good day. I booked two screenings (a feat that seems miniscule but isn't), we did a photoshoot with the most precious gentleman ever - and more importantly - my team mate Myra got engaged! Silly. But the marvelous insight into that situation and the discovery I've found in this atmosphere as a whole is that there truly exists a great brand of guy out there; the kind that cares about more than making uncool things seem cool (fixed gears, mustaches, etc.) and having beers shotgunned into their filthy mouths. It's encouraging. It makes me want to be a better version of myself in some foreign way.

Some Just Whine & Complain

At the most random moments I find myself lusting for time to stand still, but when it does, I am plagued by this unshakable restlessness that I fear will never go away, especially once life returns to its 'normal state'.

When that time comes and I get too aquainted with city smog and the pollution of my own mind, I wish I could remember the sun (as I did today). It is bright and promising and the colour it puts into my eyes makes everything seem impossibly serene in the moments that shouldn't be. And there's the air too - a limitless supply - that no money can purchase or limit. And we need it. And I hope I won't remember to ask myself why it feels so damn stiffling sometimes.

But not now.
Now I am too busy growing and growing and growing. I can't remember the last time that I rubbed the sleep from my eyes without wishing I could run it back in. Do you know how refreshing that is?

I hope so.
I miss you all.

So Far's a Far Time From Home

Mandatory Group Jump Shot

Dig Your Toes In

Sunset, Pacific Beach

They Don't Look It - But HUGE Waves

Pacific Beach Cliffs

Spring Street, La Mesa

View From Our Villa

Grand Canyon!

First Steps

So I've made it- either honestly or willingly - and after a dew days of reflection and a handful of tears, I think I've fallen in love with this lifetime all over again.

For those of you who aren't aware, I am currently living alongside 60 souls who've really got something to boast about (but they dont, because they're humble). Together in San Diego, we're educating ourselves on every aspect of a terrible war raging in Africa as a pre-requisite for the 3 months we will spend on the road, relaying what we've learned to anyone with ears to listen.

It's remarkable, as is the various facts and statistics that are being pumped into my brain during 13 hour days, but right now i'm trying to adhere to the humility of this all: how a single strand of compassion is threading us together and igniting an unforseeable change within. Today the filmmakers told us to "Fucking DREAM IT!" through a heap of laughter, but then reminded us to be humble in our steps. The magnitude of what we're about to do is exciting and deserves applause, but we're not to seek it or even acknowledge it. We've a job to do.

On more specific notes, so far I've:

- Routinely woke up at 4:30am without awaking my 8 roommates

- Realized that dudes in plaid = yumtown

- Learned that Americans are fat for legitimate reasons

- Discovered that there exists a brand of food called 'Krusteaz'

- Gone to In N Out and realized that it ISS as fantastic as everyone says

- Enjoyed the San Diego sunsets and deemed them the best and cheapest visual stimuli around

- Reminded myself that as surely as the sun rises, I will miss the comforts of home

Here's a little something for all of you to feast on for now:

Untitled from Lauranne Boyd on Vimeo.