JOE POWELL. Who is he? What does he have to say? I am not sure I know who I am, or if I have anything important to say, or if anyone wants to read my blathering on. My family and friends would have a better idea as to who I am. However, I would guess, each one would have a very different description of me to give you. And I'd suggest each one of them is correct. The challenge I experience with any “I am...” statement is that once stated, it never seems all true. My personal truths, felt strongly in the morning, may adjust to the extreme opposite by the time I lay my head down in the evening. I sum up this sentiment, in the statement: I feel like I am constantly changing but still very much the same. In the same vein of contradiction, I don’t know what I want to say, but yet, I don’t have a problem talking. I would like to say something important, but I don’t want to make it more important than it is. I’d like to consider myself a deep thinker, but I’m not sure how to gauge depth. Yikes, now you know why I called it “blathering”.

Why do I respond to an unchartered life? I guess because I have heard time after time “Joe, that’s not the way it’s done”, and “You don’t do things like that, Joe”. I feel like I was raised with a sound life charter that gave me a great start. At some point, with an independent spirit, I began, mostly out of immaturity, to live unchartered. I have matured and continue to follow my passions, as fleeting as they are. I do not do the things the way I was told to do them. A responsible citizen, I do not follow some of the rules. Thus, I have made tons of mistakes and, of course, now have many, many regrets. And, even though, I am still working it all out, trying to get my act together, getting my ducks in a row in a constantly evolving environment, I am, for the most part, really enjoying myself. I embrace my particular path and the consequences. This is my movie and, by gosh, it’s going to be a good one. My intent is to make it an adventure, embrace the extraordinary, and fully participate in being Joe. 

So, here goes; I am taking three days and going to New Orleans. I am going via train only because I am not a train traveler. Who does that anymore? Why does it take so long and why is it so expensive to travel by train? Weird, right? It’s not the way you do things. I can’t wait. I will be reporting on food I eat, drink I drink, and commenting on the general physical and emotional environment where it all takes place. Please, let me know what I can do while I am in New Orleans the one day I will be there. And any advice on what to do while sitting thirteen hours on a train will be much appreciated. JOE