The Wonderment for Things Once Valued, Now Discarded.

In our selfish way of life in this great industrialized nation, we ignore all that we leave behind. We want bigger. We need more. We deserve better.

Like a carousel ride, to stare out at the blurry rise and fall of trends without substance will make you nauseous. It can be mind-numbing to contemplate on the plethora of limited time offers dying and being born at any given moment. In our lives of convenience to be denied instant gratification seems unbearable. As we look down at the wooden horse's reins, we realize we are just going around in the same circle and wonder when it stops. We can't ever be complete or happy.

All of us lost in our own self-medication for the common human condition, we are comforted to have company next to us on our little downward spirals. No one is making a fuss, and we're not going to be the odd man out. As we move on to each new distraction we do not take time to care of the past.

This is not completely true of everyone. It is somewhat true of most. The rare person who may be free of responsibility of guilt is looked at as a freak instead of a hero and example to all of us. This is less of a critique on my part and more of an observation. It's not hard to understand why we are the way we are. We are players in a mysterious game.

I've always been fascinated with the things we leave behind. Mere objects once infused with a life of their own by the love of the owner at some point become trash. Homes get destroyed, or otherwise abandoned and are left to fall apart because someone isn't sure what to do with them. Businesses find it more profitable to close up in one area and build in a new area, leaving the previous building for sometimes many years until someone else buys the property.

I must have nostalgia not only for history, but also for things deemed ugly, outdated, and not good enough anymore. I am surprised that things are so easily forgotten. It is compelling that the forgotten continues to exist even though no one is interested. It seems to be waiting for me to come along and discover its beauty and uniqueness.

Anyway, I didn't expect to write all that. The point is I am so in love with things abandoned. Exploring forgotten places is a difficult hobby to be into. You have to know people who have experiences with it, and I don't. I am fairly educated about the safety measures and protocol of these things, but I can't do them well on my own. The biggest problem is figuring out where to go. This is not the easiest thing to do on the internet, even as wonderful as the internet is, and especially when you live where I do. I love to drive for hours in the country just for fun, which is probably the easiest way to spot a potential place around here.

I really want to go here:

http://www.offroaders.com/album/centralia/centralia.htm

Admittedly I'll go just about anywhere *nearby* if someone has a place in mind...

Guess being sick on a Friday night is an excuse to blog,
Etoilia

Well look at this.

I have a fucking blog. And I know how to use it.