I'm honestly curious about how y'all are doing. I've been posting on the board for almost 9 years now and many of you have been posting longer and your lives are sure to have changed over time. I started posting on this board when I was 15 and now I'm 24 and am about to decide on where my life should head now.
I got to thinking about this because of Plan It X Fest, which is currently going on and I'm not there. I went to the last 2 and it breaks my heart that I'm not watching bands and eating breakfast and getting drunk with all my friends from around the world. The reason I can't go is because I'm in an intensive summer school program finishing up the last two classes to graduate with my degree in supply chain management. These are the two classes I've had the most difficulty with since starting university almost 5 years ago, but I'm doing well and will definitely pass and be finished by August.
I currently work part time at my university's music library and have been here for almost a year now. My first academic library job was a little over 3 years ago in a different library on campus and I didn't enjoy it much so I quit to get back in the food and beverage industry which was a blast. The hours sucked and were long, but the money was great and the job was fun and my restaurant got to be in the Wall Street Journal, the Zaggat Guide, and countless online journals. I was having fun, but the hours were too crazy so I quit to come back to standardized library life and sort of fell in love with libraries again. In my spare time I design t-shirts and other clothes for a small clothing line I own, as well as making posters for local shows. I've gotten to do posters for some pretty big bands that I never would've thought I'd have the opportunity to draw for. Some bands include OFF!, Ringworm, Terror, Austin Lucas, Saw Wheel, and FIDLAR.
After I graduate, I hope to continue working in a library, preferably academic, or work at a silk-screening/t-shirt place. I love my hometown, Houston, very much so if I'm able to land a job here I plan on renting out some office space at my friend's skate warehouse to continue running the t-shirt/clothing and poster business. The skate warehouse is a huge warehouse some friends of mine rented out in my neighborhood and built some ramps/transitions, benches, and rails in there to skate around in. I have no idea how they plan on making money off the place to keep it afloat, but I've been once and it was awesome and I took a gander at some of their business plans and talked to a few of their investors and everything seems to be going on track. If I land a job elsewhere, the only other city I'm willing to move to is Austin because it's pretty safe up there compared to where I live now, as far as violent crime goes. I've gotten a few career leads in New York City, which would be cool because I dig rent control and urban density and the violent crime is also lower there, but I'm not sure if I'm down to live in another big city again. I love Bloomington every time I visit so I've been considering moving up there, even though I don't know if I could deal with the cold. They have one of the best music and business colleges in the country so I occasionally run into a book or a student at my library that is from Bloomington and it makes me miss it terribly.
Existing, kind of.
Are you still in LA or are you gonna move back to a tiny Midwestern town?
I'm in LA working on Undercover Boss until near the end of the year, then I have no idea what I'm doing but I assume I'll be staying here because I'll probably have to sign a new lease soon. Trying to find a second part time job right now but no luck so far. If I could do that and make some extra money, so many problems would be solved.
I've had a moderately enjoyable year so far, but it comes and goes. Less so lately because I think I have arthritis and it's been bothering me a lot for the last three or four weeks.
I've drank an embarrassment of amazing beer and just went to the Museum of Jurassic Technology and Rectify is finally back though. That about sums up my life.
i am currently the assistant manager at a store called torrid, which for those who don't know is a trendy clothing store for plus size "women" (in quotes because i mean it IS a women's store by normal standards but we do sell to every gender and like half of my customers are drag queens or cross-dressers). I am pretty passionate about fashion for fat girls, but working a corporate job is pretty annoying. I am currently "on track" to be promotable in 6 months, meaning I would be ready to take over and run my own store. The company is looking at opening at least two more locations in the portland area and I am being considered for managing one of them. I am torn about making that commitment because I'm really not interested in working for the company for more than 2 more years at most, but i would make great money and if i did it for that long, it would be much easier to save up for tattoo school, which is what I really want to do. oregon requires tattoo artists to go to tattoo school and complete a predetermined curriculum (which a lot of people hate but I feel like it suits my learning style and personality way more than seeking out an apprenticeship). i think being a tattoo artist would suit me really well and i think i could be pretty awesome at it. BUT tattoo school is like ten grand, and I'm already in hella debt from going halfway through actual college and came up empty handed there, so i am weary. my alternate dream is to open my OWN fat girl store that would sell plus size vintage alongside independent designers and after taking some classes to perfect my sewing and pattern making skills, i would launch my own fashion line. a few stores like this already exist in portland so the market is pretty saturated so I'd probs have to move to make that legitimately work.
non-professionally, there are reasons to believe i might be engaged by the end of the year, so my future-plan-making motivations are changing a little, shifting from solo-mode to partner-mode. My boo is working towards being able to do acting full time, we're both working towards getting out of debt, and have humble goals like "buy a little house with a yard" and "move to canada".
otherwise i'm working really hard on being a responsible grown up, getting organized and keeping our place maintained, not being in lazy stoner teenage mode anymore. i also am going to learn how to drive by the end of next year. I GUESS
I'm going through a rough spot mentally, so I'm just going to say that I have an awesome job. I'm a behavior therapist with kids with autism and it's the one bright spot in my life right now. I'm really good at it, my kids are awesome and hilarious, and I make ballin' money to do something I love.
move to portland court
Eh.
Things have been dull, then stressful, then worrisome, with little spurts of disappointment and fear.
I have been living above my mom's garage for longer than I expected to....two years now, I think. One of my employers went bankrupt, nobody wants Chinese food, and I've been recently looking for another job. I've been writing a lot, drawing very little, and desperately wishing I could play music again, though I'm starting to think that ship has fuckin' sailed. I can't hold onto any focus with any of my projects and I'm tired constantly. Mostly I just want to watch Netflix and fall asleep, and I'm not even overworked or anything.
My partner is the best person in my life, and she's been going through a lot of shit I don't want to talk about here, and I feel like there's nothing I can do to make it better.
My cat is obese. I have to poop.
I'm going nowhere fast. I live in a small town where employment opportunities are nonexistent even though I'm qualified for most physical labor jobs and office jobs. If I'm gonna go anywhere in life I know I need to move away but there's terrible guilt tripping from my family about it and I don't know if I could take that.
Oh yea....how dare you rob them of watching you be unemployed and miserable, gradually inching toward crippling depression; eventually making a sculpture of Morrisey eating an egg out of earwax. How dare you.
I live with my mom in a city that bores me to tears most of the time. I don't want to stay here and probably couldn't lay down roots if I tried, so I'm working on bettering myself-- I've been doing a lot of exercise and feel better physically than at any point in my life, and I'm trying to improve my Spanish. I have a job that I like that's in my field, but it's only part time, so I'm looking for other library jobs elsewhere. The market's bad, so the job hunt is taking way longer than expected, but I'm making it work and managing my anxiety surprisingly well right now.
After almost a year of living in Southern California, I'm moving back to my hometown-ish area in rural North Carolina for financial reasons. I'm working in community outreach for an e-waste recycler based here in CA and they're letting me telecommute, which is cool. I really don't like my company most days due to seemingly shady business practices and my unqualified boss. The good news is I'll get the same salary and can save up for grad school in aerospace engineering.
In the past year I've been through a broken ankle (today marks 7 months since that happened! Crazy!) and, shortly after, a broken heart at the hands of my long term partner I thought I would spend the rest of my life with who I moved across the country with, but my ankle is healing and my heart is healed for the most part and I'm kind of ready for a change of scenery.
So in a week I'll be living in an awesome one-room house on the lake in my grandparents' backyard for free where I can work from home and pet my cat all day. Then at night I'll be with a new roller derby league where I'll be working towards becoming a WFTDA certified referee once my skating skills are where they need to be.
Things are looking up. I'll get to hang with my family and old friends and I'll be able to have some extra cash with which to visit my friends in CA.
I'm living in a house called Milhouse, and wondering why the kid pool on our porch known as Milpool is asking me about my life.
I have a real answer for this but I got back from PIXfest and my whole self is fried.
i live in toronto, ontario and am working my tail off to get my vegan hot dog cart off the ground. it is called "rescue dogs," and will have all homemade vegan hot dogs, cheese sauce, chilli, coleslaw, and a slew of other things. until then i am managing a restaurant, doing a bunch of writing, and taking lots of photos at shows and around town. i have a really rad partner with whom i have been spending a lot of time, and things really seem to be on equal footing and mutually positive, which is great.
i'm a pipe coverer for local 32 in new jersey. I'm a dad and my son is finishing 2nd grade on wednesday. The only part of this that I plan to change until I retire is which grade my son has graduated.
I have been off the streets for a while. Im stayin at my moms house, livin in a gazebo. Its ok I get to have my dogs. I got a job workin long hours shit pay. Im really missin the streets. I see myself gettin momentum, but downhill.
100 mile bike trips, whiskey and a wild woman.
Lindsey I've been trying to figure out how to move to the West Coast for like 9 months now. It's too damn expensive out there, man. I am planning another trip out there later this year, though probably back to SF.
Glen, you always sound like a really great dad.
Glen (or is it Glenn?), your life sounds like a Springsteen song.
recently moved to toronto from the uk, settling in, working in a vegan bakery and trying to do a lot of my own craft stuff, hoping to visit a bunch of places i have never been to this side of the world. basically.
Lol thanks Courtney! And Milpool that's funny and awesome. ( 1 N )
I am currently unemployed and living in a high-rise with my bandmate and partner in Hulme in England. I don't have many qualifications and my work experience is all within the same field and I've had no luck finding a job since leaving my old one in Feb. I had to leave my old job as it caused me too much anxiety. I had a manager bullying me because I took issue with a rape joke he posted on the online staff page, and I was being intimidated by a macho superviser who I'd witnessed sexually harrassing a staff member. The staff member left shortly afterwards, and I reported it and left the job shortly after her. He used to say things about how if I said something he wouldn't be able to feed his kids, and if he couldn't do that he'd snap He's ended up losing his job and I'm pretty worried about him seeing me now. I am currently surviving by selling my things on ebay :(
Now I'm pretty confused about what I'm doing. I have no faith in finding a job and I'm really depressed to be totally honest. I don't see myself as having any value and I just feel like a burden to those who care about me. I'm trying to write a documentary on the history of early animation that I have loads of research for, but I'm not sure how I'd make money from it. I'm also writing a new album with my band. Hopefully we'll be able to make some money from it with digital sales and be able to get physical copies made and maybe get a ball rolling with that. I'd like to start a label, I fantasize about it all the time. I have loads of handsewn handpainted cd cases me and my partner made, but I'm too bad for starting projects and losing faith and never finishing them.
Not much of anything at the moment. I just moved back home after living on the other side of the state for a little over a year, I passed my nursing certification exam so that's a good thing, but its been a few months and I'm still short on job options.
I really just want to go back to school at this point.
My answers in this thread are a real bummer. My apologies.
I think most of our answers in this thread have been real bummers. It's kind of interesting, if you think about it. Maybe we should start a town and pool our resources.
^ That last sentence is the most Plan-it-X thing I have ever said, or will ever say.
Same thing I do with every life, Pinky. Try to take over the world!
Didn't Chris already try to start a punk utopia for every dumb young person to pour their savings into?
Yea, but that was lacking the key ingredient: me.
Let's try again!
edit: I think that if more people had done the move to Cairo that would have worked out at least a little better. Weren't there only like six people that moved there to do the utopia thing?
On paper, I think I've got it together on point. In practice, eh, I'm existing.
I'm about to start my third year of teaching high school. I hate it and I am looking to leave the profession as soon as I can. I'll stop there because otherwise I'll write a page-long rant about how much I despise my career.
I just bought a house. I closed last Friday and am almost moved in completely.
I'm getting married in October to my partner of 10 years. She's my favorite person.
That's all I have. I'm the American Dream.
Currently I am mostly being a mom. I'm also working part time, mostly from home, with a company that does consulting, mostly with nonprofits. I'm working slowly through a training to be a doula.
I'm less sure about career stuff than I used to be. I wanted to be a professor and still would love to, but it is so hard to make that happen as a career now without spending 5 years in Kansas or something, which I don't want to do. My last job, I got to do some higher ed administration stuff with teaching as a part of it, and I thought I would do that path, but I got kind of disillusioned with it.
Sad, because I really like the teaching itself...like, I would come out of class with this high feeling like it is what I'm meant to do.
But I like the consulting and think if I moved up in the company I could really like it...there are aspects of it that are like what I enjoyed about teaching. I think the doula stuff is a good combination of my interest in gender issues, politics, and teaching, too. If I follow that path, I am interested in getting into the childbirth education side of things, too..particularly one that focuses on mindfulness.
Maybe I will actually get around to editing and submitting my novel, too, haha.
But yeah, as cheesy as it sounds, in spite of being less sure of career stuff, I feel more "arrived" than I have before. I know some people might roll their eyes, but being a mom to my baby is exactly what I'm supposed to do. I have less imposter syndrome with it than I have ever had with anything and it makes me really happy.
i fucking love the baby jonas, my little ducky is the cutest.
(http://i1054.photobucket.com/albums/s488/jeremydunlap/shred2.png)
Cairo was the dumbest fucking thing to try to get young, poor punk kids to do.
I thought of other non-work-related things I'm doing with my life. I've lost 35lbs, which is kind of a big deal. Trying to stave off the diabeetus that runs strong in my family. Getting more involved in the arts community in my city. I am not artistic at all, but I enjoy helping keep things going.
Uhh, sorry guys, I'm gonna want to reply to, like, everyone, and this is gonna be the longest post ever.
Quote from: lindsey on June 23, 2014, 07:38:19 AM
I am pretty passionate about fashion for fat girls, but working a corporate job is pretty annoying. I am currently "on track" to be promotable in 6 months, meaning I would be ready to take over and run my own store. The company is looking at opening at least two more locations in the portland area and I am being considered for managing one of them. I am torn about making that commitment because I'm really not interested in working for the company for more than 2 more years at most, but i would make great money and if i did it for that long, it would be much easier to save up for tattoo school, which is what I really want to do [...] my alternate dream is to open my OWN fat girl store that would sell plus size vintage alongside independent designers and after taking some classes to perfect my sewing and pattern making skills, i would launch my own fashion line.
Running a store for a couple of years actually sounds like a great experience to have before opening your own store! Corporate is annoying, but it seems like a safe way to gain experience and get the money you'll need for either one of your plans. Do they want more than a 2 year commitment for you to run the new store? I mean, who knows what'll happen to the company in 2 years, even!
Quote from: Courtney on June 23, 2014, 11:32:14 AM
I'm a behavior therapist with kids with autism and it's the one bright spot in my life right now.
How good that your job is making you happy! What's a day-in-the-life snapshot of being a behaviour therapist? What kind of credentials didja get for it?
Quote from: Courtney on June 28, 2014, 09:31:39 AM
Getting more involved in the arts community in my city. I am not artistic at all, but I enjoy helping keep things going.
I've been thinking about that; about how there's actually a lot of room in arts communities for people who aren't artists, but are patrons. I wonder sometimes about whether my self-identity as a vague creative-type is justified, but I'm coming around to the idea that identifying as someone who supports creative-types is just as important and valid. I'm much better at organizing and enabling, anyway. Helping keep things going is useful!
Quote from: Nate Rainey on June 23, 2014, 01:36:48 PM
Quote from: moreaboutwhozackis on June 23, 2014, 01:05:41 PM
I'm going nowhere fast. I live in a small town where employment opportunities are nonexistent even though I'm qualified for most physical labor jobs and office jobs. If I'm gonna go anywhere in life I know I need to move away but there's terrible guilt tripping from my family about it and I don't know if I could take that.
Oh yea....how dare you rob them of watching you be unemployed and miserable, gradually inching toward crippling depression; eventually making a sculpture of Morrisey eating an egg out of earwax. How dare you.
I'm with Nate here -- your family are the ones that should be feeling guilty for keepin' you down instead of being supportive! Anyway, it's much harder to get guilt tripped when you are physically far away.
Quote from: Phitney on June 23, 2014, 02:59:50 PM
So in a week I'll be living in an awesome one-room house on the lake in my grandparents' backyard for free where I can work from home and pet my cat all day.
Your whole setup sounds uhmazing! Have you worked from home before? Do you think staying productive will be a challenge in such an idyllic environment?
Quote from: Lsgb on June 23, 2014, 06:56:58 PM
I have been off the streets for a while. Im stayin at my moms house, livin in a gazebo. Its ok I get to have my dogs. I got a job workin long hours shit pay. Im really missin the streets. I see myself gettin momentum, but downhill.
What would you like to be different? It's hard once that momentum starts going, but before you can change direction you gotta figure what new direction it is that you want to head.
Quote from: bee on June 24, 2014, 10:16:52 AM
recently moved to toronto from the uk, settling in, working in a vegan bakery and trying to do a lot of my own craft stuff, hoping to visit a bunch of places i have never been to this side of the world. basically.
That's quite a life shakeup, Hannah! I didn't know you had moved recently. What spurred the move? Was it hard to basically shake the etch-a-sketch of your life and start a new one in a new place?
Quote from: animationnerd on June 25, 2014, 03:36:12 AM
I had to leave my old job as it caused me too much anxiety. [...]
Now I'm pretty confused about what I'm doing. I have no faith in finding a job and I'm really depressed to be totally honest. I don't see myself as having any value and I just feel like a burden to those who care about me. I'm trying to write a documentary on the history of early animation that I have loads of research for, but I'm not sure how I'd make money from it.
Do you think your rubbish experience at your previous job has made you demotivated about finding another one? Sometimes when it's hard to focus and to figure out what to do next, having a job that you're expected to show up at helps at least get up each morning and have something to do. It's great that you're into working on this big creative documentary project despite your depression, though! I hope it gets into a positive reward cycle for you.
Quote from: momitsnowme on June 26, 2014, 11:14:39 PM
My last job, I got to do some higher ed administration stuff with teaching as a part of it, and I thought I would do that path, but I got kind of disillusioned with it.
Sad, because I really like the teaching itself...like, I would come out of class with this high feeling like it is what I'm meant to do.
But I like the consulting and think if I moved up in the company I could really like it[...]
But yeah, as cheesy as it sounds, in spite of being less sure of career stuff, I feel more "arrived" than I have before. I know some people might roll their eyes, but being a mom to my baby is exactly what I'm supposed to do. I have less imposter syndrome with it than I have ever had with anything and it makes me really happy.
What got you disillusioned with your last job? It had seemed like such a good fit based on the FB posts at the time! Also, what is consulting, anyway? I have a bunch of friends that do "consulting," and I... I just have no idea. Do people email you for advice on topics you know about and you answer? Do you go into offices and tell them to do stuff that you think would be good to do?
Man, impostor syndrome, though -- that's a pretty prevalent feeling to have. Maybe you don't have it now because it's our human evolution crying out through our subconscious against all this stuff we're doing instead of making babies, and now that you have one, it's calmed down? Though, I think I've read about parents feeling impostor syndrome, too; thinking that they're not having the right bonding feelings towards their child, or feeling like they have no idea what they're doing. I dunno, future doula, you tell me!
Quote from: Nate Rainey on June 25, 2014, 11:43:16 PM
I think most of our answers in this thread have been real bummers. It's kind of interesting, if you think about it. Maybe we should start a town and pool our resources.
i thought my answer was quite positive, mister rainey
I've been living in the east bay for 4 years now (2.5 years Oakland, 1.5 years Hayward). I don't do NEARLY as much outdoor shit as I would like to do (and as much as I used to). But...
I have tenure teaching high school social studies in Hayward. Getting paid real job money.
I have an adorable dog who makes life better
I have had a great, nearly 4-year long relationship with a delightful person
I help run our high school's Outdoor Adventure Club and the Zombie Survival 101 Club.
I've gained ~20lbs since turning 18 (about when I joined the board, I turn 27 this year). Looking to lose 10 this summer.
I got hit by a car a few years back while riding my bike and have a permanently sorta fucked up shoulder. That sucks a lot.
I'm in a masters of education program that is kind of a waste of time, but it'll make me more dollars cuz...
I hope to buy a house, get married, and have kids in the soon.
Quote from: Pwoink on June 28, 2014, 06:58:53 PM
Quote from: Courtney on June 23, 2014, 11:32:14 AM
I'm a behavior therapist with kids with autism and it's the one bright spot in my life right now.
How good that your job is making you happy! What's a day-in-the-life snapshot of being a behaviour therapist? What kind of credentials didja get for it?
Quote from: Courtney on June 28, 2014, 09:31:39 AM
Getting more involved in the arts community in my city. I am not artistic at all, but I enjoy helping keep things going.
I've been thinking about that; about how there's actually a lot of room in arts communities for people who aren't artists, but are patrons. I wonder sometimes about whether my self-identity as a vague creative-type is justified, but I'm coming around to the idea that identifying as someone who supports creative-types is just as important and valid. I'm much better at organizing and enabling, anyway. Helping keep things going is useful!
For my (and most) companies, the therapy is in-home, so I spend a lot of time driving, haha. A typical session is about 2 hours long and the targets worked on depend on the kid. I have kids from ages 3 to 13 with various levels of functioning. Some kids are still working on being able to sign an approximation of "eat" when they're hungry, while others would appear typical if not for social skill deficits. We're very objective and data-driven, but sessions are still focused on having fun (what up positive reinforcement!). Right now I just have my BA in psychology, and I'm working on completing the coursework needed for certification as a behavior analyst (vs. therapist).
There is SO MUCH work that goes into getting a city's arts district happenin'! Plus hanging out and petitioning businesses to let you paint on their walls with the creative types that will be doing the work... some of it's gotta wear off on you!
Quote from: skuyler on June 28, 2014, 09:55:21 PM
I hope to buy a house, get married, and have kids in the soon.
Can I be the flower girl? But instead of tossing rose petals it'll be little flasks of Wild Irish Rose?
Quote from: Courtney on June 28, 2014, 09:31:39 AM
Cairo was the dumbest fucking thing to try to get young, poor punk kids to do.
I'm less concerned about the kids who were willing to go there than i am about, had it been successful, the end result would have been massive gentrification of a tiny, impoverished town of mostly POC, by young white punk kids. Chris's intentions were great, it just wasn't a good idea.
Alex, you're the best.
Consulting, for the group I work with, means a lot of stuff. Sometimes it means we plan and facilitate retreats for board members, sometimes it means we help create a curriculum on a certain topic (we are working on one on community engagement and advocacy! ) if an organization has a grant to do that, sometimes it means going through an organization's financials and making recommendations, and sometimes it means doing coaching on things like leadership on an individual level. I get to do a lot of meeting scheduling, note taking, power point making, and research. Sometimes I get to do things like make play lists for retreats or sit around and chat with people who worked with Cesar Chavez. I like it a lot.
And yeah, I think your theory about imposter syndrome makes sense. I also know it is really common for women and people of color, so the pessimist in me thinks it could be partly because I am doing the role I am "supposed to" according to those things. And I do feel it in some ways, more generally. Like, I feel it a little in my moms group or when I am talking to other people I know who have kids. I still have imposter syndrome as A parent, but I am completely confident as MY kid's parent, if that makes sense. Like, I am not an expert at being a parent as like...a THING, but I am an expert in my kid, haha.
Huh, that's a big grab-bag of stuff! How do companies find you guys, or even realize they need your guys' help with something? And what in the heck kind of organizations are they that have money for stuff like this, but still do community engagement and whatnot?
Ohh, that makes sense, that when it's just you and your kiddie everything feels right, but when you are interacting socially all the societal conception of being A Parent and Parenting start wooshing around your head like specters. Maybe people are comfortable and confident in their own skin, but the discomfort happens at the juxtaposition of their skin with the rest of the world.
my long-term life plan is: hang out with the baby Jonas
Quote from: Seta on June 30, 2014, 05:41:03 PM
my long-term life plan is: hang out with the baby Jonas
Ha! You need to meet him!
I lived in Greenville, SC for about nine months, but have since moved back to Atlanta. I'm in a pretty intensive graduate program right now to get my Masters in Teaching, specifically Language Arts and Social Studies for middle grades. I have a dog that is awesome. I still play in The Wild and still have a solo thing with no recordings after all these years.
I live with two people that are weirdly obsessed with pro wrestling. I can hear it in the background for approximately 15 hours a day. Absurd.
Quote from: dakotafloyd on July 02, 2014, 08:22:08 PM
I live with two people that are weirdly obsessed with pro wrestling. I can hear it in the background for approximately 15 hours a day. Absurd.
WWE Network is the worst thing, cause if you are even mildly into wrestling ,it is a binge-inducing nightmare.
Quote from: kw on July 03, 2014, 08:18:11 AM
Quote from: dakotafloyd on July 02, 2014, 08:22:08 PM
I live with two people that are weirdly obsessed with pro wrestling. I can hear it in the background for approximately 15 hours a day. Absurd.
WWE Network is the worst thing, cause if you are even mildly into wrestling ,it is a binge-inducing nightmare.
Being as I have shitty cable with few channels (and nothing good is ever on, of course), the Network is my go to. Just put on some old WCW pay-per-views and enjoy my day.
My life is sort of weird. Just moved to a new city where I don't know anybody but my girlfriend, am working a shitty part-time minimum wage job, can't find any good career opportunities. That said, I finished my master's degree, I love living with my partner, the music scene's pretty cool and hopefully I can get a band going, and the city's much more interesting than the last few places I've lived. I go back and forth between excited and bummed, but that's really nothing new. I blame this board crashing--it's playing with my emotions!
well i'm a plumbers helper and that keeps me distracted 5 days a week from what i'm really doing with my life which is trying to learn how to forgive, forget, to love, to show compassion to those who didn't show it to me, to help my fellow man whenever i'm capable of doing so
I'm also struggling constantly with myself to see if i'm "growing up" or if i'm been brain washed by society. I wanted nothing more than to be a traveling, vagabond seeing everything there is to see, meeting new people everyday, falling in love multiple times a day over and over again with everyone i meet, hoppin trains, the whole nine 9 yards and now nothing makes me happier than coming home right after work and laying down in bed and watching stupid tv with my lady until we fall asleep in each others arms sometime between 9 and 10 pm.
but i gotta admit it does feel nice to get money every friday. for the last few years everything was a struggle. when i was in jail i didn't have to worry about anything.. guaranteed 3 meals a day, clothes (2 orange jumpsuits, not the most fashionable but better than if i was in some siberian prison camp where you probably walked around naked in the snow digging holes then refilling then for your whole life), free phone calls, got to lay around all day playing cards and talking shits and smoking cigarettes rolled in bible paper.. and when i got out i had nothing and no one. no one to love and no one to love me. i walked around picking up cigarette butts on the floor and smoking them and spent every second scheming anyone to try to get a few bucks to cop a bag or two or million of dope and i can finally admit i like the "straight life".
next step is to get off methadone and finally record all the songs i've been writing and possibly publish one of the hundreds of stories i have lying around random parts of my room
I just put in my month's notice at the best job I've had to date: Volunteer Coordinator and Kennel Technician at a small, non-profit, no-kill animal shelter. Very bitter sweet, and I'm really hoping that sweetness will overcome. I think it will; at this point, though, I think I'll continue to be an emotional wreck for at least the next month.
Plans for after this:
Tour, meet up with old friends at the Woody fest, record songs.
Finish going to all the states in the US other than Hawaii and Alaska for now. (Basically need to go to Oregon, Washington, and the midwest)
Hike the Appalachian Trail
Work at a Ski Resort
I have been avoiding this thread because when i think about answering it i get really sad....then mad [at myself]....then make grand plans....start to enact them.... but its gonna be like, a year or more before i'll have anything worthwhile to say... to be continued
Quote from: Pwoink on June 28, 2014, 06:58:53 PM
Quote from: bee on June 24, 2014, 10:16:52 AM
recently moved to toronto from the uk, settling in, working in a vegan bakery and trying to do a lot of my own craft stuff, hoping to visit a bunch of places i have never been to this side of the world. basically.
That's quite a life shakeup, Hannah! I didn't know you had moved recently. What spurred the move? Was it hard to basically shake the etch-a-sketch of your life and start a new one in a new place?
well i've moved around a lot in the uk and for a long time i'd wanted to move abroad but for ages i couldn't decide where exactly. i'd considered mainland europe because it's not that hard to move there but my heart wasn't set on it, and i'd wanted to move to america because there's so much to explore and i have friends in various parts, but it's hard to move there from the uk. then i found out i could apply for a working visa for canada but that i only had a limited amount of time to apply so i just went for it and applied as soon as the next bunch were released, and that was that. i'd been planning it for about a year and a half before actually moving, and it was a scary thing as i'd never lived abroad before and had to scale down my belongings a huge amount, but i'm totally glad i did it and now i just want to explore all the new places i am now so much closer to.