Van Life Has Changed Me...

Van life is challenging on a good day, although I can say now after three months it's getting better. I often wonder how it will affect my life in general. Will it be a positive influence overall or will it be one big regret? Will I eventually have nightmares and nightly ruminations about van dwelling much like I have been tormented about past jobs for most of my life? 

A friend of mine recently pondered about aging and as people get older they tend to migrate toward conservative, conventional thinking and become narrow minded, stuck in their ways while lacking in flexibility and opened-minds. I pondered back, maybe as we age we become wise, knowing what we like and what we don't? I think about this and wonder how van life will change me and how it already has. Here are some of the ways I feel I have changed from this experience in just three months (I may add to the list later):

10.) Buying in Bulk No More! I used to buy in bulk to get the best deals: cases of toilet paper and paper towels, packages of toothbrushes, etc. I still shop like that if I see a sale I want multiples. There is absolutely no extra room in a van. This forces me to rethink my spending habits and hopefully adjust my mindset. I still have three gallons of Ecos laundry detergent in my van. Eventually it'll get used freeing up more space, but now that each gallon is up to $30 (I bought them for $8 each!), they stay.

9.) I've become a non-toxic laundromat assessment expert. That is my new title. Impressive, eh? Prior to living in a van, I think I might have entered a laundromat twice in my life. I now know if the laundromat doesn't have top loading washers, don't even bother as other machines are too toxic to use since the detergent trays harbor the stink of Gain and other nasty poisons. They cannot be cleaned enough to be safe. I know this. I've tried. I'm thinking if van life ever ends I'll start a non-toxic laundromat business. There is definitely a need.

8.) I'm masquerading as a dog lover. To be clear, I don't hate dogs. I hate bad dog owners. My motto, "No such thing as a bad dog only bad dog owners." A majority of van dwellers have dogs: barking dogs, roaming dogs, shitting dogs, howling dogs, smelling dogs. There is no benefit to look like you hate the people you are camped next to and looking like you hate their dog is way worse. So I am friendly as fuck. I know all the dogs' names. I call them over to me. I snuggle and give them love. Recently, I house sat for some friends. Their son lives on the property and has FIVE barking dogs. FIVE!!?? My personal hell. But those dogs came up to the front door every morning and I dutifully went outside to greet them, talked baby talk, and gave them pets. I'm convinced I am possessed by some dog demon. Who would have ever thought?

7.) No-preparation food. I currently do not have a refrigerator, however, this is soon to be remedied. For many reasons, I now prefer no-cook, no-clean up meals. Cooking is a major endeavor that entails hauling out all the equipment from the back of the van, setting up, actual cooking, then clean up that utilizes a minimum of a gallon of water. Water is precious in van life. Bottom line, food preparation is a messy harassment. It's exhausting. My old rug is evidence sporting unsightly stains, general discoloration, and burn marks. I now avoid cooking inside the van, but bad weather sometimes requires it. My diet restricts processed food, restaurant food, leftovers, besides the long list of banned products which makes feeding myself a challenge anyway, but sometimes when the weather is bad or I'm just tired, I throw all caution to the wind and opt for a restaurant meal, or any non-cookable food out of the grocery store. After a lifetime of daily and elaborate healthy food preparation, this is so different!!

Before the rug was stained and burned...see it in the background?

6.) Exercise. I exercise now more than I ever have in my life! My Bluetti weighs 60 lbs and for a while before I acquired solar power, I used to have to lug it to the side or back of the van to charge it. I'm constantly crawling under the bed looking for things or curling up to fit into tight spaces. I am up and down the side steps, climbing my telescopic ladder to wash solar panels or the van, hoisting myself into the front seat, or catapulting myself into bed which is much like the bunk beds I had when I was a kid only without a ladder. I carry heavy glass jugs of water, move supplies, reorganize totes, crawl under the van, and transfer gallons of water to buckets. Today I lifted and transported a 40 lb. bag of pine pellets from the hardware store to my van. This is not uncommon and it's never-ending. Never mind the constant reorganization of my storage unit and I still try to walk everyday. I constantly think, I am way too old for these acrobats and deep knee bends (let alone any bends!). I worry about overexertion which will trigger autoimmune attacks, but it is what it is. I am feeling fine. My muscles are stronger, I haven't pulled anything out of place, and my stamina is increasing. 

5.) I'm working on a laptop after a lifetime of working on only a desktop. I swear a lot. It tends to do what it wants when it wants, and I'm constantly having to stop and correct the problems. It's a much slower process. Besides the screen is so damn small.

4.) Starfucks. I don't have internet in my van (yet) so I am required to find it out in the wild. Starfucks is one of those places. They used to allow people to walk in without buying anything to use their stores and bathrooms which I think is very good customer service. I could sit there all day and work for free which is outstanding marketing. This is a company that makes millions in profits overcharging people for drinks that might cost them 25 cents in supplies. I would think they can afford to allow people to use their facilities because a majority of their addicted caffeine-fiends will buy their overpriced products anyway to cover for the rest of us.

4:30am...the best time to visit. So quiet!

Unfortunately, the company decided they needed more money and imposed a purchasing "entrance fee" in order to sit in their store and use their bathroom. I don't drink caffeine or sugar, but I started buying a small cup of plain coffee if anything to avoid the stink eye of the counter peons. One of those peons yelled at me one morning, "IT'S NOT SMALL, IT'S TALL!" Oh, marketing bullshit. What a waste of $2.71. (Do the math times 30 that is how much it costs a month to use their internet almost more expensive than actual internet service!) A couple times I gave the cup of coffee to a homeless guy begging at the counter or someone sitting without a drink (oh! horrors!). Then I switched to a small (TALL!) glass of apple juice that within an hour would knock me on my butt from the sugar. I finally switched to water. $3.20 for a small (TALL!) bottle of water! What a rip! But at least I can use it and because I've started buying water every morning, the peons no longer glare at me.  I never used to patronize Starfucks. My favorite location claims to be the largest in the country. I find a corner to hide in and at 4:30am, there are few people in the store. They play good music. A few hours later when it starts getting crowded from all those caffeine-fiends needing their fix, I leave. It works for now. I look forward to getting internet in my van....

3.) I have become a plastic hoarder! I never used to buy plastic Ziplock bags. Plastic destroys the environment and pollutes the oceans. I am now addicted. Everything I own in the van is plasticized in a freezer bag. I buy them in different sizes. They keep everything contained and dry. Ziplock is the best brand. I also hoard plastic grocery bags and use them for a variety of bigger things that don't fit in a Ziplock such as document containment, garbage, and poop. They don't work well for urine as most are not water-tight, but when one needs to poop, using two bags, plus a Ziplock, plus a third bag works well. Sometimes I will go into a store, buy five items and  come out with each item in a plastic bag. Other times I just grab a handful as I'm ready to leave. I worry one day Walmart security will stop me and accuse me of theft. Although most stores utilize the thin, lightweight plastic bags, some stores have really thick, heavier plastic grocery bags. However, all plastic grocery bags are sturdy enough for carrying heavy groceries and are so handy for a variety of needs when living in a van.

2.) Walmart-ness. I boycotted Walmart for years, especially during the Bush and Dump presidencies because Walmart supports the Republican Party. I find in a van I'm less concerned about politics and truthfully, I just don't give a damn what a bunch of rich people who have overthrown the country do with their time. There is nothing I can control, nothing I can change, so why should I stress over this? Now I shop at Walmart everyday. This is the store with the cheapest water refills. They also sell high priced bathroom bags for camping, those Ziplocks I'm addicted to, vinegar, ammonia, and yogurt all at a cheaper price than other stores. I don't buy food at Walmart. I'm not that crazy, but they do have some gluten-free and organic products. Walmart is everywhere so I always have a place to get supplies and I'm usually shopping at 6am when there are no lines. Most Walmarts allow vans to park in their parking lots overnight. I have never done this, but if in a pinch late at night needing a place to stay, that's where I know I can go. As a van dweller, Walmart is now my friend.

1.) One of my greatest pet peeves are people who wear pajamas in public, usually flannel, printed pajama bottoms, but I have also seen a full set of pink printed outfits with matching bunny slippers walking right down the street. I've always considered these people failing miserable at fashion and just plain lazy. GET DRESSED, PEOPLE! I am now thinking maybe all this time I have missed the point!? Maybe pajama-wearing people are the free thinkers? Those not concerned about what others think? Only caring about being exceptionally comfortable? Are they the hippies of our current day and age? I am considering as a van dweller, I should be wearing pajamas!! I love my pajamas and it's not like I get to wear them "around the house" anymore! This thinking is SO RADICAL! I have not yet gone to the lingerie-wearing dark side although yesterday I was modeling my brightly striped pajama bottoms while I was sealing up holes in the bottom of the van only because they are old and I figured if I got oil and dirt all over them, it wouldn't matter. I had a visitor!! Did I flinch or run to hide? Nope. I proudly wore my PJ pants in public. I think about it all the time and I'm close to becoming a full-time free spirit. Soon....Maybe.

I think I've become a person that just doesn't give a rat's ass about things that used to bother me, less anal retentive and compulsive, less judgmental, and less stuck in my ways? I have become an ultra free thinker and doer! I think van life might be contradicting the ill effects of aging!!

2020: Review and Resolution

 OMG! Where does one even start with the year 2020? 

THE GOOD STUFF:

BYE-DON! Dump lost; Biden won. I can't even explain what a relief this is. And we have a woman vice president. It's about time.  I can now go back to not stressing about politics and feel confident that adults will be back in charge very soon!

FREEBIES. I wrote a recent post on my hoarding. It's such a joy and practically the only public entertainment I have lately. Most recently I acquired a blender. It was ugly, formerly white, covered in old black and brown dried food. Nasty. Scary nasty. I brought it home and plugged it into an outlet outside. That's how scared I was! It worked. I kept my mask on, wore gloves, carefully carried it to the kitchen sink and with all kinds of tools (tweezers, Q-tips, scrubber pads, soap, rubbing alcohol...) worked on it for two hours. It now looks like new. SCORE! Love it. I wish I would have taken a "before" photo, but I was afraid of contamination!

FORCED SECLUSION. I love it! I love it that we are expected to stay in our houses and people aren't wandering around wearing their stink and poisoning everyone as much as they used to. I love there isn't as much air pollution. I love it the animals want to come out in the open since humans have disappeared. I love I no longer feel like a weirdo secluded in my house when everyone else is free and bragging about how free they are all the time. I love the camaraderie of everyone's misery.

EMPLOYMENT. I'm still employed. In the spring when this pandemic started a lot of people didn't know what to do and many were told to go home and isolate which shut down a lot of businesses. This caused me to be on a lengthy staycation since no one was hiring me never mind I work from home and could very easily have kept working. Thankfully the people I work for figured it out, learned to work from home, and never went back to the office! Work is slow and I've lost money, but so thankful I'm still employed when some people aren't and have run out of options.

PAINTING. Or pandemic peace of mind. Or happiness. Or sanity. I've painted rocks, lamps, floors, rooms, bulletin boards, paintings, tables, switch plates...if it has a surface, it's calling for some paint on it.

CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS. I got a lot done this year: fixed my fence, replaced deck boards, and stripped and refinished my living room floor. At times finding supplies was a challenge with manufacturing slowing during the pandemic and finding the energy or know-how to do the work, but I persevered and got things done! The living room remodel inspired me to clean other rooms, reorganize shelves and closets and do a basic make-over. Then I painted my office. Next maybe the kitchen. One room at a time....

I seriously love this room now!

GARDENING. I downsized and cleaned the whole garden and added bark to the walks. Beautiful. It makes me feel happy and content, first, because it's nice to look at and second because there is so much less work now.

 

CHRISTMAS CARDS. Last year a friend sent me a recycled Christmas card she made. OMG! What a brilliant idea!  I love finding new art projects and I went a little crazy. I send maybe ten cards to friends and a few to my favorite businesses...sometimes...when I'm motivated, but I made about forty cards most of them snarky since that's the kind of Christmas card I like and can never find. Many were political since this is an election year. I ended up participating in an online art show, although that wasn't a great experience, it was still time-consuming and a distraction from the world around me while it gave me a voice to rant my complaints about society.

GLASS MOSAICS. I was determined to use up my supply of glass and the last of my large frames so I could STOP doing glass mosaics. Although I do enjoy it, it's a very expensive art form and dangerous. I got tired of my hands cut up and infected. I felt very productive and proud to accomplish so many with so little supplies!

Immersion

Life is Not the Beach

Male Privilege

Season's of Love: The Fall

TILE MOSAICS. I have been collecting free, brightly colored plates all year. I wasn't really sure why. I loved the colors, but had no idea what I would do with them. Then all of a sudden I was compelled to take a hammer and break them! Doing glass mosaics made me curious about tile mosaics, or, in this case, creating decorative frames from broken dishes. This is free glass so cuts down on cost and the edges are not so sharp so less dangerous. Pulverizing dishes with a hammer is exceptional for stress relief. I also needed some new, different and colorful wall hangings for my newly painted and colorful rooms. I was tired of painting. Not sure if I'm excited about this new media yet, but it was experimentally fun.

NEW STOVE! I waited fifteen years to get rid of the mismatched, rat-infested stove/oven that came with the house when I bought it. It lasted a good amount of time before it started having problems...during a pandemic. I waited for the universe to send me a free one, and I actually was offered a free, used one but it was too old and I didn't feel comfortable. I was told the old ones are energy suckers, and, of course, if it dies having it hauled away would cost. Many of the big-box hardware stores' products were back ordered to next summer, but I found this outstanding small, mom-and-pop appliance store that had exactly what I wanted. The customer service was outstanding, the FREE delivery was outstanding, and the FREE haul-away-the junk was outstanding. What an outstanding experience. So rare these days! Merry Christmas to me!

FRAGRANCE-FREE FRIENDS: I am so thankful for my friends. One drove hours to deliver food to me when I was sick. Another drove hours to visit. Another bought art from me which helped my finances. I so appreciate their online conversations, support, and constant advice when I am in need. Thank you!

LIFE!!!!!!!! I AM ALIVE!

THE IN BETWEEN STUFF:

CONSTRUCTION WORKERS. I started running out of time and energy and hired two sleazy, lying workers to help remove and replace fence posts. What a waste of money! I know better, but I was worried I wasn't going to get it done and the fallen down fence repair was a priority. They did save me a lot of time and effort, but the expense was outrageous. Such a waste of money.

THE BAD STUFF:

THE PANDEMIC. Duh. It goes without saying. It's affected everyone on the planet and most would say this is the worst year in their lives. Even if we haven't experienced death or near-death illness first-hand, we are surrounded by it. The stress has infiltrated every facet of our existence. People are on edge either fighting to stay safe or fighting for their perceived personal rights. We are at each other's throats. We are inconvenienced in every way. Our health is constantly on the line as access to medical care is limited since all resources have gone to fighting this pandemic. Grocery shopping is a pain in the ass. Supplies are inaccessible. Going out in public is risky. Lack of income is affecting our ability to pay bills. This is all common knowledge by now. I had the coronavirus in the spring and continue to experience side effects that may or may not be serious, but thankful to be alive. My income suffered, but not nearly as much as others who have lost their jobs and/or homes. I'm so tired of the whiners complaining about how many parties and family functions they can't attend or how bored and lonely they are as if they aren't complaining about my normal chemically sensitive lifestyle. (Damn, I miss concerts!)

COVIDIOTS. For instance, my neighbors who send their grandkids to play outside my house during a pandemic. REALLY? A friend of mine went to a big family wedding and then had a big family Christmas gathering. People are tired and have stopped caring which also makes them apathetic to everyone around them. We live in a very self-serving world. I could list a million examples of the stupid, but more than likely you've seen them in the news or in your own neighborhoods.

DUMP. That incompetent, foolish, fake president needs to go away and his silly, unprofessional, immature, sociopathic antics need to go with him. Take all the white supremacists and treasonous GOP, too. His entitled family and rich cronies need to vanish. May they all disappear. I'm so tired of looking at his face or seeing constant complaints about him. Really tired of his ignorant, racist followers.

THE WAR. Yellow jackets, mice, rats, ants. Good lord. It's never-ending!

So...the year has sucked, BUT honestly, I look at this list and it's been a really good year for me!

New Year's Resolution....Simple....Just survive.

Presidunce Dump Updates

Happy Independence Day!

I have to be honest. I'm torn. A recent poll indicated less than fifty percent of the population are feeling patriotic lately. Their prediction is this lack of love for the country stems from the disgust toward the current administration. The administration that puts parade before people.

Presidunce Dump has spent $92 million on a pretentious, ostentatious 4th of July celebration befitting a dictator while ignoring the immigrants in concentration camps. Last week he claimed something should be done about the rampant homelessness and claims this just started two years ago. Really? On what planet, let alone, what country is he living?? This shows how totally out of touch he is with the reality of most Americans. As long as he can spend his days golfing and eating cheeseburgers, he doesn't care and is really not interested. Just think what could have been done with that $92 million to shelter and feed the homeless and help immigrants? What an atrocity! Is it any wonder people aren't feeling patriotic? Our country is failing miserably at providing a safe and healthy place to live for most.

In 2016 the national debt was $19.8 trillion. Today it is $22.5 trillion. So where is all the savings he promised his Trumptards?  As they lay around the house unemployed and lacking in adequate health care, I'm sure they will enjoy the televised parade. Personally, I'm boycotting it. It's embarrassing.

Well...I'm patriotically looking forward to next year.

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

MAKE AMERICA HONORABLE AGAIN!

RESTORE AMERICAN VALUES!

REMOVE THE RAPIST FROM THE WHITE HOUSE!

VOTE 2020!

PLEASE!!!!

Randy Rainbow's "If You Ever Got Impeached"

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!

I love Randy Rainbow!

Ides of Trump

Today, March 15th, is the designated "Ides of Trump" postcard protest.  It is based on the Ides of March when it was foretold that Julius Caesar would die a horrible death...which he did. Everyone who opposes the Dump and his sexist, racist, xenophobic policies was to send a 4 x 6 postcard to the White House voicing their opinion on whatever topic they want to address.

I sent five postcards. I thought it would be important to voice my displeasure at his anti-environment policies. Poor air quality means I can't function let alone breathe.  I thought five was a lot until I read someone in San Francisco sent 800! That's a lot of stamps! I made mine out of some old manila file folders and felt pens. It was a fun.

Then I realized it might not be a good idea to send them from a Trumptard infested county. Ratholian trailer trash are untrustworthy liars anyway, but Trumptard Ratholians are deplorably untrustworthy. I mean, look at their leader. He can't stop lying for a minute. So I drove an hour and a half to get out of Rathole in hopes the postal workers in the neighboring county were honest liberals who would do their jobs and send my cards.

JOIN THE REBELLION!