The diary of a homeless man
“I have long believed that the modern concept of home is flawed, and wrote about why people didnt need their own home, but up until 5 months ago I didn’t believe I’d actually have to put my philosophy into practice!”
Alan. 10.10.2023
- Update! Last socks and sandals post!Hi Everyone! If you have been following these blog posts you will know that due to brexit we couldnt bring Ariana back to the UK without paying 20 percent VAT on her, so I recently decided to sell her. A nice man called… Read more: Update! Last socks and sandals post!
- MONEY, HOMELESSNESS AND PURPOSEIt’s been a while since I updated my blog, as I’ve been going through turmoil trying to sell Ariana, my home, which also happenns to be a classic 55 foot ocean racer. I never planned to sell her, but due to several factors,… Read more: MONEY, HOMELESSNESS AND PURPOSE
- BEHIND CLOSED DOORSOver the last 20 years people have constantly asked me why I don’t own a house, and why it doesn’t interest me. Don’t get me wrong, I would like to have a nice house, in a nice area, surrounded by a loving family,… Read more: BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
- FUCK THE CRAZY OUT!A few years ago, a very passionate girlfriend of mine, told me she was going to, and I quote ‘Fuck The Crazy Out Of Me!!’ And over a year she had a good go! The sex was great, but she didn’t manage to… Read more: FUCK THE CRAZY OUT!
- THE GIRL OF MY DREAMSYou often hear talk of meeting ‘the girl of your dreams’, but what does it really mean? Does it mean that you are going to meet a girl you have dreamed about and fall madly in love? I have no idea as I… Read more: THE GIRL OF MY DREAMS
- AM I GOING CRAZY?Ok, so I’ve realised there is probably something wrong with me! I’m not sure if I have OCD/ADHD/BI POLAR/ NARCISSISTIC PERSONALITY DISORDER OR ANY OTHER DISORDER!!! But I’m not feeling at my best! So I should probably seek some psychological help! Or maybe… Read more: AM I GOING CRAZY?
- BACK TO NORMAL? or the launch of alan 3.0?It’s hard being alive, isn’t it? You never know who to be from one day to the next, thanks to the silly walnut sitting atop your shoulders, making crazy decisions, deciding what you should do, and say… I have always known there were… Read more: BACK TO NORMAL? or the launch of alan 3.0?
- digging myself out of la merde!As I said in my previous post, the last three years have been the worst Ihave ever experienced in my entire life, but I am highly aware that billions of people in the worls are having a far worse time than me. I… Read more: digging myself out of la merde!
- A little loving goes a long way…To be honest, I’ve been in turmoil since the pandemic abruptly killed all my plans for Ariana Sailing Team and the wider project in general, having to rent a house in England in 2020 as the lockdown forced me and my labrador Hari… Read more: A little loving goes a long way…
- Alan vs the world!after spending Xmas and New year in John o’groats, the most northerly point of the UK, and walking hundreds of kms in spain this month, I realised that I’m fighting 99.99 percent of you humans for no good reason it’s not doing me… Read more: Alan vs the world!
- WHY I’M QUITTING SAVING THE WORLDOR HOW THREE WEEKS IN THE NORTH OF SCOTLAND CHANGED ME I have spent the last 20 years trying to understand myself and the world around me, searching for the perfect ´idea´ that would take root in peoples minds, and create a fundamental… Read more: WHY I’M QUITTING SAVING THE WORLD
- AN EXISTENTIAL CRISIS?an existential crisis is defined by Wikipedia as – “In psychology and psychotherapy, existential crises are inner conflicts characterized by the impression that life lacks meaning or by confusion about one’s personal identity. Existential crises are accompanied by anxiety and stress, often to… Read more: AN EXISTENTIAL CRISIS?
- JOHN O’ GROATSHi everyone Hari and I have arrived at John O´ Groats…The most northerly part of the British Mainland and itś freezing! The wind is biting, and for the first time this year I feel completely unprepared for a british winter, especially as the… Read more: JOHN O’ GROATS
- 11 DAYS TO THE WALKABOUTHi everyone, well, it’s not long to go until the start of the great british walkabout! 11 days to be exact! Am I prepared? In a word – no! I haven’t got my marketing materials ready, nor a bank account for donations, nor… Read more: 11 DAYS TO THE WALKABOUT
- A LETTER TO THE PRIME MINISTERDear Prime Minister, You don’t know me. My name is alan macmillan orr, and I am a citizen of the United Kingdom. I recently became homeless and broke thanks to that great scheme known as brexit that you and your pals had a… Read more: A LETTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER
- the waiting gameI’ve been back in portugal on my beautiful sailboat ariana for 2 weeks now, waiting for an elusive purchaser to grease my palm with silver ( I think that’s the expression) but alas it seems that I have to wait for at least… Read more: the waiting game
- ABOVE THE CLOUDSThis morning, at 4.30am my Uber arrived to pick me up from my dad’s to take me to Luton airport – destination Lagos, Portugal, swapping my socks and sandals and hiking pack for the 06.40 Ryanair flight to Faro. I have to go… Read more: ABOVE THE CLOUDS
- REFLECTIONSIt’s been 2 days since I left the isle of arran, packing up our little tent in the dark, catching the ferry to the mainland and heading back to industrialisation! I booked into a chain hotel with Hariand far from it being a… Read more: REFLECTIONS
- A HIGHER PURPOSE?As I was preparing ‘the last supper’ before leaving Arran tomorrow on our way south to complete the sale of the project’s classic Swan 55, I stopped for a moment to reflect on what I had learned in the last 6 weeks camped… Read more: A HIGHER PURPOSE?
- HAPPY BIRTHDAY MUMDear mum, You would have been 91 today! Sorry, I know you don’t like people talking about your age! Unfortunately, you only made it to 85, as some nasty cancer and another illness called alzheimers decided that you wouldn’t make it to 86…… Read more: HAPPY BIRTHDAY MUM
- IT’S GETTIN’ COLD IN THE TENT!So it seems we´ve had the summer and are now firmly into Autumn on the Isle of Arran. I´ve been soaked nearly every day, but the rain is starting to feel cold! I thought we were supposed to have a mild climate here… Read more: IT’S GETTIN’ COLD IN THE TENT!
- HOMELESS & CAMPING? YOU CAN’T ESCAPE CONSUMERISMYou can listen to Alan’s Natural Mind – Waking Up topic on Consumerism above while reading this post! According to the society I live in, I am technically homeless (as I don’t have the standard house or apartment that most people do, I… Read more: HOMELESS & CAMPING? YOU CAN’T ESCAPE CONSUMERISM
- 25 REASONS WHY MY DOG IS A BETTER MAN THAN ME25 Reasons why my dog is a better man than me. As I’ve been walking and camping with my faithful friend Hari the labrador I have been noticing something strange from time to time, that in some ways, I’m quite jealous of him,… Read more: 25 REASONS WHY MY DOG IS A BETTER MAN THAN ME
- THE MAN IN THE TENT‘Excuse me, are you the man in the tent?’ shouted over to me as Hari and I were on our way to catch the little bus back from Brodick to Lamlash on the Isle of Arran ‘Yep, that’s me!’ I jovially replied, wondering… Read more: THE MAN IN THE TENT
- Why socks and sandals?Ok, so socks and sanals may not be the most fashionable footwear, anywhere in the world… And here I am 5 months in, in the same pair of sandals I have been wearing since 2015! With the sam questions.. like. How can you… Read more: Why socks and sandals?
- BREXIT,COVID, CASH AND OTHER EXCUSESWhen I arrived on Arran, and set up my tent at the lovely little campsite opposite Holy Isle, I realised for the first time that apart from my trusty companion Hari (labrador), I was completely alone, with hardly any cash left. I had… Read more: BREXIT,COVID, CASH AND OTHER EXCUSES
- SCOTLAND CALLINGI was born in Scotland, East Kilbride to be exact, and although I left when I was 6 , I always felt an affinity with the country due to my whole family being scottish, and all my cousins , aunts, and uncles still… Read more: SCOTLAND CALLING
- LIVING IN A TENT? ARE YOU HOMELESS?homelessness is a state of mind, I used to say, until I really was! Alan macmillan orr a life long adventurer , I have had a fairly carefree life, living in hotels, serviced apartments, shacking up with girlfriends, living on the boat, etc…… Read more: LIVING IN A TENT? ARE YOU HOMELESS?
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