The Beginning of the End

Background
I worked at a top-ranked advertising agency for the past 3.5 years and recently just got laid off. I fancied two options: working on another piece of business (doing the same shit) or taking the severance package and running.

It's going to be insane -- I've never traveled overseas as an adult. I've never lived outside of Los Angeles. I've never been away from my family for more than three weeks. I've never even backpacked, and the longest amount of cold I've experienced was during weekend trips to Mammoth -- with aged whiskeys, hot jacuzzis, and winter green to ease my soul after a long day of snowboarding.

Admittedly, I'm scared shitless of what I may be getting myself into; but at the same time, I'm pretty excited to see what I may be getting myself out of.

Contact

The only way to contact me is to leave comments on this blog, Facebook or via email (proefound@yahoo.com). Other than that, I've decided to fuck off.

Wish me lush.

Sunday, June 8, 2008

shannon airport - bidding farewell

i swear, i hope this won't be the last time i'll see cam, mike and patty balls. but i took this picture because i had an awfully strange feeling it was.

at home in limerick, ireland

at home in limerick, ireland
at home in limerick, ireland,
originally uploaded by proefound.
nothing says home like some jack daniels and 7-up. i was feeling a little tired of beer so i coughed up the dough for this overpriced import.

why does cough and dough look so similar, yet sound so different?

ireland

ireland
ireland,
originally uploaded by proefound.

ireland

ireland
ireland,
originally uploaded by proefound.
yeah, we saw this hill and wanted to climb it. i think it's called sheep shit and mud wedding hill.

urinal - belgium

urinal - belgium
urinal - belgium,
originally uploaded by proefound.
during my trip, i got obsessed with urinals and bathrooms because they're so private and intimate. therefore, i decided to turn it into an art project, i'm going to take a series of these and hang them in my bathroom.

dingle, ireland

dingle, ireland
dingle, ireland,
originally uploaded by proefound.

best fish n chips - dingle, ireland

finally came across the best fish and chips i've ever had. that guiness right there was like guinness number 3 of what would be 6.

ireland

ireland
ireland,
originally uploaded by proefound.

inch, ireland

inch, ireland
inch, ireland,
originally uploaded by proefound.
i saw the ocean for the first time in 3 months and it made my heart drop. i know i'm being overly dramatic, but it really is that important to me.

wake up call

wake up call
wake up call,
originally uploaded by proefound.
we spent a few nights at this historic mansion-turned-hostel. this is pat and i waking up mikey at 3:30 in the morning after partying with a bunch of french college students in the rec room.

he was only upset that we didn't wake him up to go down and drink with us.

los angeles represent

los angeles represent
los angeles represent,
originally uploaded by proefound.
this cat was so enamored with rap culture that i taught him how to represent my birthplace.

hostel - killarney, ireland

hostel - killarney, ireland
hostel - killarney, ireland,
originally uploaded by proefound.
this is why i love traveling -- having crazy, wild, memory banking experiences with complete strangers that you will never see ever again.

there'is poetry in it.

ireland hike

ireland hike
ireland hike,
originally uploaded by proefound.
at this point, it was raining bullets, dirt became mud, leaves became lakes and fun became damn great fun

ireland

ireland
ireland,
originally uploaded by proefound.
we spent about an hour here trying to set up this contraption that we came across. patty balls and cam were the only ones that did it. me? i don't have health insurance!!

self portrait - killarney, ireland


jigsaw, ireland

jigsaw, ireland
jigsaw, ireland,
originally uploaded by proefound.
to describe ireland, i'd say it's either:

1) a giant jigsaw puzzle
2) the drawings found on milk cartons

mike's on the run - ireland

mike's on the run - ireland
mike's on the run - ireland,
originally uploaded by proefound.
what a fag, just kidding.

patty balls in ireland

patty balls in ireland
patty balls in ireland,
originally uploaded by proefound.

lying in irish fields

lying in irish fields
lying in irish fields,
originally uploaded by proefound.
this grass was insane, nature's best mattress.

irish grass

irish grass
irish grass,
originally uploaded by proefound.

self portrait - me hanging out the car - ireland

i used to love hanging out of cars when i was younger (15-23)

irish sluts

irish sluts
irish sluts,
originally uploaded by proefound.
oh you know what i'm talking about, boy!!!!!!!

outlook in ireland

outlook in ireland
outlook in ireland,
originally uploaded by proefound.

you call that a deal? small village, ireland


free food

free food
free food,
originally uploaded by proefound.
ordered fries, waitress brought us the wrong thing, i coaxed her into giving it to us on the house.

me taking a picture of someone taking a picture - ireland

that girl was super confused.

wishful thinking

wishful thinking
wishful thinking,
originally uploaded by proefound.
so they say you have to walk backwards, with your eyes closed up this narrow stair way while focusing solely on your wish in order for it to come true.

cork, ireland

cork, ireland
cork, ireland,
originally uploaded by proefound.
i hope my parents never see this because there's no way i can explain it.

ireland - holy lady statue on the top of a hill


group photo, ireland

group photo, ireland
group photo, ireland,
originally uploaded by proefound.
we knew we were onto something great and memorable as soon as this moment occured.

rolling down a hill at some castle/cemetary in ireland


grassy knoll at some random spot in ireland


guinness factory

guinness factory
guinness factory,
originally uploaded by proefound.

iron and wine, ireland

iron and wine, ireland
iron and wine, ireland,
originally uploaded by proefound.
i wanted soooooooooo badly to see them perform.

dublin - monument sign jumping contest


dublin - monument sign jumping contest


dublin, ireland

dublin, ireland
dublin, ireland,
originally uploaded by proefound.

self portrait - best western elevator - dublin, ireland


ugly ass mall in dublin

ugly ass mall in dublin
ugly ass mall in dublin,
originally uploaded by proefound.

guinness delivery truck - dublin, ireland


meat market - dublin, ireland

meat market - dublin, ireland
meat market - dublin, ireland,
originally uploaded by proefound.

proper irish breakfast - dublin, ireland


relaxing in the pijp area of amsterdam

every time i told someone of pat and/or blake's location, it's always followed with a,

"wow, that's a cool neighborhood."

grey area - amsterdam

grey area - amsterdam
grey area - amsterdam,
originally uploaded by proefound.
best coffeeshop in amsterdam. all their herb is top-notch. closest to cali weed. oh yeah, by the way, surprise, but i am quitting the daily ritual of smoking. now i'm ony saving them for concerts and festivals....no more of this wake and bake...it just makes no sense. we'll see how long it'll last, but the first step is always to acknowledge the excessiveness to it.

what is this shit? am i becoming a "man?" i'm off to buy a training bra.

deep throating a blakesicle in harleemerdijke

in blake's studio in amsterdam.

flying over amsterdam

flying over amsterdam
flying over amsterdam,
originally uploaded by proefound.
my last day was by far my scariest and most nerve wrecking.

i didn't want to come back. i was, still am, and will probably (for a long, long time) continue to feel this way. i can't help it, i miss the road. i miss the uncertainty. i had every excuse to not "fit in" wherever i was. what would i be able to say if that were the case back home?

you know how i mention that writers have to do lame things like stare out of windows to "reflect?"

i looked out and all i saw was my own shadow, quickly being left behind.

london curry

london curry
london curry,
originally uploaded by proefound.
ok, best lamb curry i've ever had. had about 6 hours between flights and decided to venture into the city to find some curry. paid 7 pounds just to ride the metro 3 stops, then dished out 7 more for lunch.

what's that? like, $28? man, london can go suck an egg.

self portrait - centraal station, amsterdam


racial profiling at heathrow airport

for real, they just pulled aside every arab-looking dude in the queue...fucking bullshit. seriously, i'd rather have them let a terrorist slip through and blow up the plane with me in it than to see this racial profiling bullshit ever again.

if you like, we can discuss...

air new zealand - lamb curry

air new zealand - lamb curry
air new zealand - lamb curry,
originally uploaded by proefound.
air new zealand is the best airline i've ever flown...though i've only really flown like, less than 10 times in my entire life.