Joseph Altamuro

It’s On

“No sympathy for the devil; keep that in mind. Buy the ticket, take the ride…and if it occasionally gets a little heavier than what you had in mind, well…maybe chalk it off to forced conscious expansion: Tune in, freak out, get beaten.” Hunter S. Thompson

Well I’m about a week in to my round two adventure on the West Coast and I couldn’t be more inspired. Any hesitation has been diminished and all challenges are being met, if there is anytime for me to make a name for myself it is now. Coming home for a week really put into perspective just how important it is that I go full throttle out here. You only get one true shot at adventure, one chance to create the story of a lifetime. I think the most inspiring part of this journey is that everything that happens out here is a result of my actions, I have no safety net. I’ve come to appreciate things that I have taken for granted and have become a stranger to the person I was back home. I wish I could put into words the overwhelming feeling I get when I do something I didn’t know I could do. Make you feel the goosebumps on the back of my neck or the bittersweet pain in my legs after a dominate bike ride to catch the sunset. It’s the little things that get me going out here and they are often and many. I’m really seeing the power of taking action and how it can be used to turn your life into whatever it is you want it to be. I speak solely through these actions and have created a louder presence than I ever have. To get to my potential and then push it even further, to never quit. That is my goal. It’s on.

Grandmom, Thank You

In order to become the person you want, you have to act that way. It’s not enough to just think it. You have to take the small steps and work your way out of your comfort zone until you are truly free to live, until you’re unpredictable. I’ve been taking my small steps each day and the pay off has been unbelievable. But even with the momentum I have built up some steps have been harder than others and some decisions have been difficult to make. No matter what our pursuit is I think we all have come to points where we feel like we are not going to make it through. Like we have reached our peak and now the only thing left is to fizzle back down. It’s times like this that always amaze me because no matter how down I get or how long it lasts something small just comes out of nowhere and my moral gets boosted higher than it was before the slump. These are the moments in which you truly grow as an individual.

My grandmom has sent me two letters while I have been out here on the West Coast and each one has been held on to and will be held on to forever. After receiving a letter I usually give her a phone call thanking her and catching her up on how things are going for me out here. These phone calls have been some of my better memories of the West. This week however the letter I received and the conversation I had with her was exceptionally special. Enclosed with the letter was a Rosary and I was given instructions to keep it with me in my pocket where ever I go. Since then it has not been out of my possession. Despite it’s religious significance the Rosary means a lot to me because it represents my grandmother’s strength and support for me no matter what I do. During our phone call I talked to her about some of the situations I was debating and how I wasn’t sure what step I was going to take next. She listened to me all the way through like always and gave me the advice I needed. She told me, “Only you know what is right for you.” It was a simple thing to say but at that moment everything seemed easy and I was immediately taken out of the slump that I was in.

We all have something deep down inside us itching to get out. Our gut is always telling us which direction to go if only we had the courage and dedication to act on it. Thanks to my grandmom and everyone else who has supported me these six weeks, I have been acting on mine. It’s given me a sense of freedom that I hope anyone reading this will be inspired to do. We all owe it to ourselves to at least try.

Joseph, The Dreamer

I have to be honest, I didn’t come out to the West Coast looking for anything specific. I wasn’t trying to escape anything back home or trying to forget my past. I just had an opportunity and I decided to build up the courage to take it. This turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life. This is not to say I am in love with the West Coast, nor do I hate it. Right now it is just a sunny place to survive. What I found out here though is something I know I would not have found if I just stayed where I was at. I found myself, my creativity and my freedom again.

I think there is something to be learned about how we were as a child. Something that really defines us because when we were children we were alive. There was nothing to distract us from our imaginations and nothing to consume our time. We were truly free. As we got older though we had people come into and out of our lives and things happened that made us believe less in ourselves and less about our dreams. As a security we started to conform, we played it safe. We should not resent the people who hurt us or the times that brought us down because just like the people who helped us and the times that made us smile, these are a part of us and a part of the story we are leaving in this world. Don’t forget you are leaving behind a story, make sure it is a good one.

Moving across the country drastically changed up my routine, my day to day life, my consumption. Any influence I had back home either positive or negative was gone and every decision, good or bad, that I made in the past didn’t count anymore. I was basically starting from scratch, I was a kid again. I set myself up with a good job, got ahead in my school work and made a friend or two to help pass the days, but something was missing. I had this feeling at home too but this time I figured it was just home sickness and that it would go away soon. What I really was missing was me. I thought that by setting myself up with the things I had at home (a job, friends and school) I would be able to fill that missing space, I was wrong. That was until I picked up a book.

I really wasn’t a stranger to reading before I came out here. I read a lot of good books actually but made the mistake of only reading them. It wasn’t until my first Cyber Theory class that my idea of reading was changed. To explain the class real fast, we meet once a week to discuss how our world is affected by technology and what it means to be human. We question things, we discuss things and we present theories and philosophies. I honestly believe this class was why I was meant to come out here. Being in there makes me feel like a kid again, like I am taking something apart and seeing how it works.

My free time is now spent with a book in one hand and a notepad in the other. One of my best friends, Mike Otto and I used to joke around about the quote, “Like John Muir, I enter the wilderness with nothing more than my journal and a child-like sense of wonder,” but this is truly how I feel. I’m a thinker, a creator and an adventurer. I have filled that missing space. By living in the moment I am not only appreciating the good and the bad but I am also learning from it. I haven’t felt this right in my entire life.

Within this West Coast adventure I have decided to begin another adventure, to see if I could fly off another cliff. I am going to become a writer (don’t worry mom and dad I’m not going to change my major again to do it though). I want to share the way I see things and hopefully inspire others to open their eyes up to the world around them and see that they too can be free. My ideas are growing everyday and my path in this pursuit just seems naturally clear.

I owe a lot of this realization to my family and friends and I thank and love everyone of you. Chances are, if you are reading this there is a memory I have with you that I hold close to me. I also owe a lot to my friend Chris Painter, he may not know it but he has been a huge inspiration to me. Chris and I have only known each other for a short time and have only talked in person in less then a handful of situations but I feel like him and I are charging at our adventures head on. His philosophy, work ethic and appreciation of life really make the harder days easier to get through. Until my next post I wish you all the best and remind you to dream.

Being Far From Home

I’ve been in Los Angeles now for a little over two weeks and for the most part things here are going pretty well. I’m having no trouble eating or getting around and I’ve even made a few friends. I start a new job on Monday and I can already tell it will be a place I’ll be comfortable at. Everything that could be going right so far is.

The only downside to this trip so far is all the down time I have. The pace here is a lot different from home and the overall urgency to get things done is very low. I’m stuck with a lot of time to kill after home work and small chores are done and it’s giving me a lot of time to think. I mostly think about home and my family. I remember the dinners on Tuesday at my grandmom’s house, the barking of my dog Rocco and just hanging out with my friends. It’s amazing how much you take these things for granted when they’re always there. This however has not derailed my train, I came out here to complete at least one semester and I am going to stick to that.

Since I came out here by myself a lot of my focus is on me, what I’m going to eat, how I’m getting to class and what I’m going to accomplish that day. I knew this would give me a better sense of self and my learning has already started. I am finding that a big part of me is my family. I always appreciated them but being so far from them has given me a whole new appreciation. My grandpop’s class, my dad’s undying work ethic, my mom’s organization and my grandmom’s open mind are only a few things that I am finding are within me. While I am here I am going to make sure I make all those qualities show, knowing it will bring me closer to success.

I still have a lot of time here and the lessons I am going to learn are only begining. As much as I miss them I know I need to keep on. The best thing about having a family that loves you is knowing that they are always going to be there, no matter what. Whether I come home to stay at the end of these 11 weeks or just to visit I know I’m greeting all of them with a hug and telling them how much they mean to me.

My name is Joseph Altamuro and I reside in Los Angeles, California

On Wednesday, January 4th 2012 I did it. I jumped off the cliff of life and am now on the adventure to see just where my wings can take me. I have to say I almost feel like a kid again on an adventure in a place I’ve never been before surrounded by a culture I’ve only seen in movies and TV. It’s an unbelievable feeling knowing that I have the opportunity to shape my future into anything I want.

To say I haven’t been home sick would be a lie. I miss my house, I miss my brother, I miss my family and I miss my friends. Knowing I sacrificed having them so close makes it even more important to me that I make everything I can out of this opportunity. It’s amazing how much power the words, ‘We love you’ have when they are coming from 2,750 miles away.

My school is amazing and I can honestly say that I would still show up for class even if I wasn’t going to get a degree. It’s the first time I’ve sat in a classroom and knew I was in the right spot.

As for the city of Los Angeles there is much to say and still a lot to see. It is pretty similar to most cities, good areas and bad, but the doors for self expression are wide open. The weather here is unbelievable and it makes it hard to complain about anything you have to do that day. With my head up and my pace consistent I make my way around pretty well. I can only imagine what else I am going to see.

Who ever is reading this I thank you for your interest. It’s good to know that this journey is just as exciting to you as it is to me. I promise you one day you will be able to say you know me and be proud.

My adventure here has only begun and I keep finding myself looking back on the nights where my dad and I would sleep out in the living room and watch Star Wars. Just like Luke Skywalker I’ve stepped into something bigger than myself and will eventually come out with a bigger sense of self.

My name is Joseph Altamuro and I’m ready.