http://www.outsidetheboxx.net/forum/index.php EN Sun, 11 Oct 2009 07:22:38 -0600 Sun, 11 Oct 2009 07:22:38 -0600 OutsideTheBoxx Forum Phorum 5.1.25 60 http://www.outsidetheboxx.net/forum/read.php?2,2,8#msg-8 jonathan_567 Outside The Box http://www.outsidetheboxx.net/forum/read.php?2,2,8#msg-8 Sun, 11 Oct 2009 07:22:38 -0600 http://www.outsidetheboxx.net/forum/read.php?2,7,7#msg-7 jonathan_567 Outside The Box http://www.outsidetheboxx.net/forum/read.php?2,7,7#msg-7 Sun, 11 Oct 2009 06:53:03 -0600 http://www.outsidetheboxx.net/forum/read.php?8,6,6#msg-6 jonathan_567 About This Website http://www.outsidetheboxx.net/forum/read.php?8,6,6#msg-6 Sun, 11 Oct 2009 06:48:55 -0600 http://www.outsidetheboxx.net/forum/read.php?8,4,4#msg-4 jimmer About This Website http://www.outsidetheboxx.net/forum/read.php?8,4,4#msg-4 Mon, 24 Mar 2008 17:02:48 -0600 http://www.outsidetheboxx.net/forum/read.php?2,2,2#msg-2 mccall
My body art came about because my much older step-brother had several, and each new piece of needle work sent our folks into a rage. I had already started skipping school and earning less than stellar grades but with three older siblings my folks had become inured to this sort of behavior. The tats, however, still got a rise from them so I got a dime-sized peace sign inked into the skin at the nadir of my right hip bone. I didn’t let them see it for quite some time because I planned to get more, but I’m a cautious rebel and the pain of getting tattoos—along with the finality of it all—deterred me from ever getting another.

I went “all the way” with my boyfriend on the night of my sixteenth birthday party. We met with some friends at the beach for a bonfire and night surfing. We drank a little, smoked some pot, and discussed how we hated the (first) Bush administration and the growing materialism of the generation just ahead of us. Sometime after midnight it was just me and Ken and the last glowing embers of our fire. We’d been playing around with sex for most of our year-long relationship but I decided it might piss my parents off it I had intercourse. The trick was how to let them know the deed was done. Four months later this quandary was answered for me when I had to tell them I was pregnant. Some girls at my high school got pregnant on purpose as a way of making their parents angry but I saw how futile this was because we all hated our folks. They stood in the way of our freedom. Having a baby appeared to me the ultimate imprisonment so I tried to be careful. There was never any question about getting an abortion and doing the deed brought me more freedom than I’d expected because my boyfriend broke up with me and my parents were so soured by the whole experience that they quit paying much attention to me at all.

I suppose it was because they seemed to ignore me that I moved away from home during my senior year of high school. I thought this might be a huge slap in their face but in reality they seemed relieved. My younger sister, their only child together, was the focal point in their lives and they were determined to keep her tattoo and child free. I had decided to get good grades for a change because college life appealed to me. I was able to get into my hometown school, the University of California in Santa Barbara.

I had a much older step brother that I adored while growing up. I had become a good athlete since that was the only way I could bribe my way into spending time with him and his buddies. They let me play football and Frisbee with them when I was quite young and I took up surfing when I was only 11 because this had become Brett’s favorite pass time. I also happened to be an attractive brunette, which didn’t mesh so well with being a jock. Living in southern California made it easy to contemplate a life as an actress but for some reason I was never attracted to this profession. From an early age it seemed that if someone expected something of me, I made sure to make the opposite choice. So, I majored in philosophy and moved to the Bay Area to attend UC Berkeley when the professor I was dating at the time got a job there. We moved in together, which soon became a prison in its own way. He was considerably older than and his insecurities about our age difference gave birth to a jealous, possessive tyrant.

What started out as typical teenage rebellion matured into the realization that, for me, living outside the box, not confined by conventions and mainstream society, was what I wanted to do with my life. The ultimate expression of this lifestyle was to seek freedom and adventure with focus and passion. I changed my major to history during my senior year of college, and chose a new lover, or more accurately, she chose me. Loving a woman seemed the epitome of freedom. We were equal in all things; there were no gender roles to conform to. Maggie was bold and radical and supported me in whatever path I chose. Unfortunately, unlike the partners I’d had in the past, she was unable to provide for me financially, nor I her. For the first time in my life I was forced to consider money and the freedom that having enough bestowed. I had no intention of finding employment with anything related to my history degree; it had simply been a topic that interested me at the time. For the very first time, at the age of 21, I had to confront the issue of money head on. For several months we lived in a delusional bubble, supposing that we could exist without money if we lived simply and frugally enough. However, we both grew tired of being hungry too often, living in a one-room dilapidated shack in a small town north of San Francisco, and we both yearned to travel. We worked from time to time at menial, unfulfilling jobs while we pursed “careers” in the arts. She was into textiles; I wanted to be a dancer. I had minored in dance throughout my college career and it was the one thing I was consistently passionate about. I presumed I could earn a living doing something I loved. Our money woes ended when I discovered I could dance and earn a lot of money as an erotic dancer. When I landed a gig at the most exclusive men’s club in the Napa Valley I marveled at the freedom that earning a lot of money brought. As a dancer, I only worked three nights a week, which gave us time to pursue our love of rock climbing, hiking in the redwoods, and journaling. However, dancing nearly naked in front of a passel of men eventually brought forth the end of my relationship with Maggie.

Single, free and happy I found my true self for the first time in my life. I had plenty of time to spend quietly and alone with nature, giving me the inspiration to contemplate who I was, where I was going, and what the meaning of life might be, or if this knowledge mattered. I reaffirmed that I wasn’t drawn to a conventional life. I didn’t think I would ever want a family, though I loved my sibling’s children. I had moved to the Sierra Mountains where I could pursue my love of outdoor adventure sports and still dance in the clubs at Lake Tahoe. I met people through my work from all continents and realized a huge world lay before me to be explored and devoured. There were enough different cultures, foods, religions, philosophies, landscapes, animals, sports, vistas, friends, and lovers to keep me excited with new discoveries for a lifetime.

I left the United States for the first time when I was 26. I went to Greece for three weeks with a small group of girlfriends. I had saved my earnings for nearly a year so we could travel the country in style and without restrictions. Two of the women danced at the club with me, the other two were white collar professional women so we all had plenty of disposable income. When I returned home I concluded I had found my first addiction. Traveling, seeing the world, being with strangers in remarkable countries gave me a freedom I had never experienced. I vowed to travel as much as possible. However, it became apparent that one vacation a year wouldn’t satisfy me and I couldn’t afford much more than that, even if I hefted a backpack for my next trip and slept in hostels. Although I earned plenty of money, by my standards, it really wasn’t enough to work part time and travel a lot and still have the time and freedom to pursue my life as a hedonist. But what trade off could I make. I already lived in a small, quaint cottage and drove a late model Toyota. I didn’t want to spend any more time than necessary indoors, late at night, dancing, nor did I want to give up other freedoms.

The Universe provided an answer when I met a lovely man at the club where I was dancing. He invited me into one of the private rooms for a personal dance and when the song ended we shared a glass of wine. He said he was off to Morocco the following month and needed a travel companion. He offered to pay all my expenses to accompany him, plus match any funds I would have made dancing. Charlie wasn’t married; he didn’t have a girl friend and wasn’t really looking for one. He was the ultimate hedonist and we got along well. He didn’t want to take this trip alone so I quit my job and joined him for two fabulous months in North Africa. Charlie bought me a camera so we could both take pictures during our trip. He paid for my SCUBA lessons before we departed and bought me a lovely new wardrobe during our stop-over in Paris. We fell in love, but only for the duration of our vacation. When we returned to the United States we saw each other from time to time until I left for my next trip.

I read an advertisement in the personal ads of the Chronicle about a man seeking a travel escort for a three month adventure in Australia. We met for drinks in the city. He wasn’t bad looking and had a great sense of humor. His kids were grown; his wife lived in the countryside where she raised horses and petunias. Greg lived in the city most of the time, kept his wife in the comforts she demanded, and he spent a large part of each year traveling outside the United States. His wife hated to fly and disliked sex equally. She encouraged his adventures in all forms it seemed. Of those he “interviewed” he selected me to escort him to the great Down Under. There wasn’t any pressure to have sex with him. He courted me gallantly for the first two weeks of our trip before I decided to share his bed. Australia was a huge, rowdy country with freedom to spare. When Greg headed back to the US I opted to stay behind. A generous man, he gave me a $10,000 parting gift and a return flight to the US with an open departure date.

And so, here I am nearly 15 years gone by since I first became a “travel escort”. I’ve taken one or two “holidays” each year and I only dance for myself these days. Most often I travel with men and women that I’ve trekked with before. They pay all of my expenses, plus a bit extra; enough to live on since I’m not materialistic and live simply. I provide companionship, laughter, and even a bit of history about the places we visit. I am someone to share memories with and I take their photograph with the Eiffel Tower, the Great Pyramids of Egypt, the massive waterfalls of Zimbabwe, the snow covered peaks of the Andes and Himalayas as back drops. And, yes, we have sex; sometimes we even make love.

Due to the many generous “severance packages” I’ve been paid by my clients I’ve managed to accrue a decent investment portfolio, a tidy home on 5-acres in Northern California, and a satisfactory retirement fund. I don’t have a regular job. I’m not interested in massive material gains. I just need enough to secure my freedom from the slavery of an ordinary career. I never did have children, I am friendly with my folks, and I am an exceptional aunty. I take my six nieces and nephews on an adventure somewhere in the great wide world each year. More and more I find myself wanting to stay closer to home. I have a dog and three cats and a lovely flower garden. I read voraciously and write in my journal almost every day. I’ve taken on a bit of a side job reviewing books for number of litblogs, and I have great friends.

A year ago I traveled to Peru for six weeks with a new client. Mike is my age and recently retired from a lucrative career in the film industry. When we met he didn’t have time to date but he was bored with traveling alone so he found me and took me along as his companion. When we returned to the United States Mike decided he was ready to leave the hectic work world behind and spend time working on a relationship…with me. We are in love and living life to the fullest. I only travel with Mike these days and we’ve incorporated charity work into all our trips. Who knows what next year will bring for us, or me. The only thing I am certain of is that I will continue my pursuit of freedom and happiness and to live outside the box.]]> Outside The Box http://www.outsidetheboxx.net/forum/read.php?2,2,2#msg-2 Sun, 17 Feb 2008 22:46:40 -0700