-Bugsy

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Across the Country


Tuesday, Jun 13, 2006 from Lansing, Michigan

During the last few days I’ve spent time calling different people around the country trying to find hosts. Some of them were expecting a call and some weren’t. Regardless… how fantastic! I encourage everyone to call a random person and ask if you can stay with them. But, more than that start a conversation. The trip has yet to begin and I’m already blown away by getting to know new people across the country. It’s rewarding in many ways.

It goes back to something I consider to be a key element of the whole project, “the coffee shop vibe.” Coffee shops are always full of interesting conversations, a good meeting point to meet new people, and the list goes on. That’s part of the vision I’ve had for this entire project.

However, it seems like coffee shops are just one of the few places in the United States that delivers that sort of atmosphere. After the trip is over maybe I’ll think the same thing or think the opposite. There’s a part of US culture that seems to be timid about meeting random people. Of course that varies in different parts of the country, different social classes, rural versus urban, etc.

As for now I’m blown away how rewarding it is to talk to these different people from coast to coast and hear all about what they do. I’ve always had a knack for fascination. -xo

Blog Date Posted: Jun 13, 2006 | 236 words | comments 6 Comments
Comment by Ryan
From Detroit, MI

....you should try to get a job NOW..work this whole idea out while your making money (multi-task) and then, only then should you attempt this luke-warm idea. Bring something to the table yourself. Most families have sponges hanging around. If you had some things you would need you wouldnt seem like too much of a mooch. hope the best to ya man

Comment by Drew
From Bloomfield Hills, MI

Hey, move out of your parents house and get a job!

Comment by Heather
From East Lansing, MI

I have a comment for Ryan from Detroit. You obviously don't know Justin, because if you did, you would know that Justin's plan is incredibly thought out and inspired. What's your claim to fame that you can call his idea "luke-warm?" Although I understand your reaction, I think it is sad that you would want to quelch someone's desire to achieve something great while they are young and have no strings tying them down. And, by the way, he does have a job, and he doesn't live with his parents! I work with him and can testify to his character--he is anything but a mooch!

Comment by Linda
From Palmer, NE

Follow you dream. You have NO IDEA where it may lead you; but it takes FAITH to know you are being lead somewhere. You will touch people's lives. God be with You.

Comment by lulu
From East Lansing, MI

Maybe this site looks luke-warm to you as a viewer. Maybe Justin seems like a mooch. But maybe you aren't seeing all of it. The Internet can only tell us so much about who we are as humans. It can only give us the face we want to show to the world. What Justin is trying to do is show us what is deeper than the surface level of the Internet. He is trying to show us what many of us have lost in a world full of technology. He is taking us back to a time when people really did travel across the country for the experience, when people opened their homes to travelers, and when people enjoyed each others' company for the sake of the experience. In a way, Justin is asking us to go back to go forward. To find out who we are as humans and to re-discover ourselves. He is asking us to go deeper, look inward, then look outward, and ask questions no one seems to ask anymore. What makes you you? What makes you valuable to this world? Justin's value to this world is that he asks questions that others are afraid to ask, afraid to experience, and afraid to hear the answers. I do not think there is any shame in that. I do not think there is any mooching involved in that. What is behind this site is over a year of planning, of brainstorming, of running over the project a hundred times with professors, friends, family, and advertising industry experts. If the site looks like it is made by some mooch, then maybe it is because it is one guy, sitting at his computer every night, putting the site together piece by piece, because he wants to make this site his own unique creation. And, as a side note, Justin is over eight hours away from his parents's couch.

Comment by Kim Schnoor
From Ingleside, IL

Hey there Ryan from Detroit - I flashed on a thought while reading your posting: I bet that there were those who said the same to Jesus Christ before he began his journey. Living an unconventional life is not without controversy. God bless you - Kim