Peter Drummond:  

Looking back on it now, it becomes plainly evident that my life has no straight lines. I graduated from Golden West College at nineteen with an Associate of Arts degree in English. After that, I accepted a position at Carden Academy of Huntington Beach teaching Technology (computers) k-8th, and Remedial 8th grade English Lit. The work is immensely gratifying, but I’m still young. There are just some life experiences I’ve missed, and that’s something I shall have to remedy. I’m not all that ready to settle into a lifelong career either... more than that; there is this longing in the pit of my stomach. This sense that I’ve never seen the world beyond my front door as more than a tourist, and it pains me. Sitting in a UCLA extensions film class at UCI, I’ve decided to quit. I have no real plan in mind, and I don't much care what I do, so long as it gives me a story to tell and things to see. Update 2001: After a few weeks of unemployment fuelled late nights and a lot of video games, I’ve taken a position with an AV company called ShowGear. It’s an amazing time! I now live a life of travel. I get to see every inch of the contiguous from the road. Meeting new people, seeing new places; filling my little black books with stories and sketches. I’m reading a lot of Kerouac and feeling like I’m walking in some familiar footprints – to be fair, my retread has less booze and more comic books - as I explore my authenticity. Update 2003: It’s been two and a half years since I started doing the travel thing. Ma’ has recently fallen ill. The country seems less significant when the only family that’s important to me is in the hospital. I recently left Show Gear on bad terms. Depending on who you ask I was either fired or quit. Living without roots has been growing tiresome anyway. My old boss called in a favor and found me an AV job locally at one of ShowGear's local competitors, Matrix. As a local provider, they’re a bit more forgiving with my schedule, while I help take care of Ma’. I think I’m a good fit here, and I plan to move into leadership soon, Update 2004: Unfortunately Matrix too would not last. While onsite in Anaheim doing a teardown for a show, an accident with some gear dragged me under a truck. I tore my trapezius and herniated a disk in my neck in the process. Learning how to use my dominant arm again is a nightmare. If my girlfriend Sirandyn weren't here during my recovery, I'd be a total mess. It's hard not to become overly reflective going to physical therapy three times a week. I've come to realize that I didn’t enjoy worki...Expand for more