Posted: 31/December/2007 at 18:35 | IP Logged

My life has changed quite a bit in a random way since reading Luke Rheinhart's excellent "The Dice Man" (though I realise in retrospect that I was already on the right track when I invented randomhitchhiking).

Instead of using dice to dictate the choices in my life, I use my own Holy Mp3 Player in shuffle mode (with nearly 4000 songs on it) to give me a random song title to follow. Of course I am free to interpret the meaning of the song title, but it MUST be followed religiously.

The reasoning behind this is that RandomLiving is a way to get back in touch with our natural multifaceted selves that have been suppressed by society's need for automatic people with predictable identities.

As I am travelling I give myself a song to follow between two places, chosen by myself. If I weren't travelling I would instead choose a certain amount of time, like a week. You can see how it works by reading the last Dar es Salaam and the Nairobi travelogue pages.

It's now New Year's Eve 2007 and when the clock strikes 12 I will give myself a randommp3command for 2008, like a new year's resolution. I will still give myself other commands to follow at the same time, but this will be the big one to overrule everything else. I will give you the result tomorrow. (Though I am not sure tomorrow will ever come - for me - as my current randommp3command is "Please Don't Rock My Boat" by Bob Marley and I am about to cross to the other side of the Nile, on a boat, for a new year's party on the west bank of Luxor).

I am converting more and more people to the wonders of randomliving. I extend this service to everyone. You may use my Holy Mp3 Player to randomise your life. Ask below in this thread, via email or on Facebook for The Player to provide a command for 2008, for a week or for an hour - up to you.

Happy Random 2008 to everyone!

Martin - Luxor

PS! Don't forget that a randomhitchhiking decision will always overrule a randommp3command. Randomhitchhiking is the Holy of Holiest. If uncertain how the randommp3command should be interpreted in a certain situation, just say "yes" and see what happens.

Posted: 01/January/2008 at 15:22 | IP Logged

Well, how exciting! We didn't drown (though one of the Germans I was with, incidentally one how's lived by the coin - i.e. flipping it - for a couple of years, was driving the ferry!) and I did get my randommp3command just after midnight.

It's Air - Moon Safari - "Le Voyage de Penelope"! Concrete and exciting! Penelope, where are you? I'm coming to join you on your journey! I'll interpret that fully on the Luxor, Egypt travelogue page, coming soon. Having googled this to death I have come across a few remarkable coincidences.

German Moritz got "Darts" by System of a Down. New hobby? Though he may also be darting around the world.

Salome in Dar es Salaam used her own mp3 player and got "Dance With Me". Happy swinging 2008, Salome!

Martin - Luxor