and then there was this girl...

So I did this thing, the magic love thing, I followed my heart and my dreams and toured the country in a big stinky wonderful van... that much you know. my hair was blue and shit was real!

summary epilogue (see above)

then i decided it might be time for Renee to have a big girl job. 

i chose teaching

not only did i choose teaching, I chose to apply to Teach For America.

then i did this crazy teaching thing and have been doing it and am still doing it until May 23rd 2014

it has been an amazing life changing experience blah blah blah

the perspective i have gained is insane... not the right blog for it tho...

then there was this girl... named Jen.

and she plays banjo
and she sings real pretty

and we started doing these things together

and now as I round the corner of my 2 year commitment, the wheels have started turning... no... not the wheels on the bus... the wheels on the van. which i still drive everyday 80 minutes total in commute to teach 3rd grade in St. Joseph Louisiana.

the wheels on the van go round and round and always veer to music

it started like this last time. i look back... the dream of the van.

tentative plan.... but so dog gone serious as to sign into my blog and repost... but isn't it life affirming when a blogger comes home?

Jen and I will tour the southeast July 2014.

New Renee Arozqueta album has been recorded, and is set to be released Fall of 2014... when I set off again on a solo tour... maybe not of the epic and credit card draining proportions of 2011... but that has already set precedent... so we never have to speak of it again if you wish.

<3 p="">

Hello my love,

how long has it been?

It has been one year since Grumbledor and I departed to cross the country.

(here are some random shots of last summer's epic solo mission to mars)

I want to let you know that this year I'm heading off on a brand new adventure.

I have joined forces with Teach for America as a middle school science teacher in rural Louisiana.

I am terribly terribly excited.

So for the time being my music will travel in my heart, and touring will recommence in the summer times. I dont think I'm done touring/playing shows, but for now I'm packing up Grumbledor for a completely different destination, one that is deeply important to me:

WOOO  Changing the World with Science!!!

That being said, I HAVE A NEW ALBUM OUT!!

It's not just me either, I have been playing with a band for the past 5 months, half the songs are mine and half are Geoff's. This has given both of our songs new momentum and body. We finished up the recordings last week and I am so excited to present this album... truthfully, I was excited to hear it but I was FLOORED how special the finished project is. 

This album will be available here on the side bar and as well as from band camp. 

We are called Siricutico (city-coo-CHI-coo)

translated from portugese: The Shivers!

 I have also received a lot of requests for my older CDs, I only have about 4000 of these left.

I had started promising to send these CDs to my friends when they asked... but i... have... been...

unemployed for the last 5 months too... soo...

 These CDs are all available here! If you want/need them, please give me some money for shipping as I cannot afford to give it away. Someday I will, but not this year right before I move to rural Louisiana.

Clicking the BUY button takes you to paypal. it is safe/secure.

I love you. (since you obviously took the time to scroll all the way down here to the picture that I currently look like).

This album will be available in 2 weeks. I will bother/remind/badger you about it then.

--end transmission--

Amy Hendrickson and the Augustine Directive

onward to St Augustine.

(a pit stop in my old hometown)

where i discovered this mintuization feature on my camera that I would never turn off again. get used to it. Because I use it almost exclusively as the trip goes on.

In St Augustine, there are 2 kinds of people:

Tourists

and Professionals. Its a very simple 2 point economy/income structure.

This is a professional pirate/tour guide.

And his business partner.

For super serious.

St augustine is a magical place

My friend amy hendrickson is a professional musician, I love playing with her when I come into town. She is a true peer, we have so much in common and so much mutual respect for the other's music... and we can share it while getting paid and drinking great beer.

i love going to st augustine.
more of this guy to come.

great dancer.

you know how people's dogs ultimately look like their owner... Amy's dog is a freaky illustration of this phenomenon.

yeay pictures of sweet puppies!

hazah the misfits of st augustine!

but onward i must go.

onward to Orlando to see the Stevers

if you liked cute pictures of puppies and amazing small humans, get ready for

JADEXTRAVAGANZA!

but for now... this.

Michael Williamson: a photo shoot to vanity

Although at this time and date the epic journey of consciousness and learning has physically/geographically ended, the spiritual growth is just beginning.

And while I am already in my new home, near the San Francisco Bay with my new and old family, (which we'll get to later... a couple months of blogging later) because I am RESOLVED to finish what I set out to do, even if it takes me months.

Better late than never is a phrase I have to keep close at heart, because my projects, while ambitious and driven, get out of hand. But these 2 projects are super important, so they much be done.

1. Completely blog and document the 2 months I spent on the road By myself. Passing through so many cities, so many places, desolate deserts and metropolis(i). Visiting so many people that mean so much to me in so many ways. Many of which I hadn't seen in 1,3,7, even 16 years.

Revisiting people from your past, however small their role may have been, is vital to learning about who you were and ultimately who you are! But you knew that...

2. To finish writing all the letters to my kickstarter supporters. I have not even made a dent in either of these tasks, both much be done. I haven't been too hard on myself about getting the letters out because I didn't want to be rushed, I wanted them to be thoughtful, thorough, meaningful and individual, as well as aesthetically pleasing. So this will take some time. but they WILL get done.

But enough about that! What are these pictures and who is this handsome devil!?

This is Michael Williamson!

One of my most special people bestest friendest. Top Tier, cream of cream friends.

Currently he lives in this swampy part of south-central florida you'd never even think about unless you were retiring, hunting the last florida panther, or studying encephalitis.

If I had to chose a small handful of people to build a utopia with, or die on a desert island on with, or hike Mt Everest, or stay up all night telling stories with... Michael Williamson.

In our search for ice cream we came to a baseball park and caught the end of a thrilling little league game...

"GO ANDREW!! THROW THAT BALL! "

"OH... OKAY! IT'S ALRIGHT! YOU DID YOUR BEST... WE STILL LOVE YOU!... WALK IT OUT!!"

wow modern sports moms.

He has the BEST stories, via this strange energy/magnetism & proclivity to attract the strangest most random shit! Sometimes horrific, sometimes whimsical/mystical but always incredible and nearly unbelievable. And he's a great story teller.

He's also just one of those people, the most amazing kind hearted, straightforward, HILARIOUS, who's been through some ridiculous SHIT and is STILL smiling & laughing about the worst of it and carrying on to the next insane thing with high hopes, positivity, bright eyes and bushy tail.

I've known Michael since we were in 9th grade in health class. I have been to every one of his birthday parties since, even though his parents pulled him out of our high school the very next year and put him in Military school.

So my friendship with Michael has ALWAYS been catching up. but in this way, we have always known each other over time, like climate instead of weather. So we know this weird unchanging parts of our personality over day to day experience. its kind of weird, but that's my friend Michael. And I always make sure I see him if I'm within 100 miles of him.
These parts of ourselves, the 'climate' of who we are, that magical good intangible stuffs that make you who you are, that's the stuff that attracts/binds/& seals you to your most special friends, i'll use the term soul mates for illustration, but I wouldn't want you to think i'm getting all airy on a blog, especially one with black & white pictures. sheesh.

alls I knows is that there is a handful of people on this planet that just... way important to Renee. And whenever I see them, whether it be 10 minutes or 10 years, we just pick up where we left off and connect same as we ever did.

then we had a wonderful photoshoot to which I am now treating you. Mike likes having his picture taken almost as much as he likes taking pictures... he's not vain or anything.. its art god damnit. its all art. another reason why he & I have always gotten along, great taste in music, always making art. go micheal williamson... you are truly one of the coolest people i know, in no particular order, one of the top 5.

Other ultimate cool people of my life that you will see in the coming months include:

Kevin Stever & the Stevers (a family & family band)

Tina & the Bassetts!

Various Pensacolites and the Gulf herself

Various parts of my family Arozquetas (father) and (mother) Van Vleets, Akinas, Bullocks

Amanda & Josh Centauri, my new family...

Liv Free & Family

and of course, my very favorite mr. Chad Smishop.

From this southern most part of the tour (Sarasota Florida) i would venture back northward to St. Augustine to rendevouz with a lovable group of misfits.

For now I leave you with this golden nugget of MW.