Getting things together to move again

Things have been a bit odd as of late. My family is still my family, for better or worse. However, they tend to do for people and then remind you daily. so I am in the process of giving back the things given before, that have been in storage here. I am also selling my desktop computer and printer, giving away my bike, a lot of the cats stuff, and pressing on . Iulia gets fixed tomorrow and then its on to the next step. Ajah needs to be fixed so that will be next week. I will literally be able to fit my entire life in a purse and 2 bags as I can't see paying to ship things, I haven't used in ages. And for some reason momentos and things that had previous connections, those have lost value in the past few weeks. I have paid the bills for several family members, its a give and get, but alas, its simply how my family truly is. Add the pressure to have children or have it brought up that I choose not to be the family babysitter and I simply remind them, I did them all a favor. I will be 27 next month and by 29, I will be done with school. My goal was 30 so that's on track. So goodbye Ohio. This is a final and forever goodbye, I have no intention of returning. I helped some out who needed it, and now that a relatives disability is started, a simple ride is too much to ask. Anyways, I think we all hit that point, where connections that were are no more, set sail into the prevailing winds, and make for the open sea. I am setting my sails back west to ride with the sands of time, and then to enjoy the warmth and desert again. I am giving up much, as I think in the back of my mind I knew would happen (selling cello, giving away more stuff, and parting ways with a cat, which is indeed the hardest part) when I walked 8 miles to where the cabs run to get to where I am at. Is this a whinefest, nope. Its a determination post and a truly final farewell to Ohio. Last time there were goodbyes, tears, and all of that. This time, it's moving on for once and for all. Child free as I choose to be; a grown and educated woman moving in this world until whatever happens, does. There are things I will miss, but alas, its time to emotionally part with that too.

And perhaps the non stop turning off one emotion off to another is what leads to this particular lifestyle and mindset. Its depressing in the sense that a tribe of strangers and close friends are more helpful than those you truly counted on. So farewell Ohio, farewell to what has been a known, and hello unknown.

 

I am still in Ohio for another few weeks. Getting things sorted out has been a challenge, but not an impossible one. Its been pretty calm and orderly for the past week since my computer is now fixed and I get to cuddle with my felines. Anyways, above is a picture of Mammoth AZ and one of Pikes Peak, AZ. That is my former van that has made it the past year. I do miss the old gal, but she has a new owner that is using her for local transportation.

It would be great to say I have gotten out, but between school and general tasks, I have been neglectful. It's the standard house that suctions the will to get out right out. My bike has been good for transportation and saving money. I have been working to get my stuff down to 2 bags and one purse so that everything can fit on my bike. Its a good experiment for exploring bike touring, keeping the weight down for international travel and flying, as well as staying mobile.

With that, the tortie Julia that I originally took in as a foster has been fighting with my older girl. I have made considerable efforts to remedy the situation, but it hasn't been working, so Ajah gets to be an only cat again. I found a home with a neighbor where Julia can be an only cat in a quiet stable environment. So I will be reorganizing the cat items. I found a sturditote carrier that folds flat and fits in the front of my backpack, along with a sturdibox (portable litter box) and portable AKC brand food and water dishes. All of that fits

nicely together and Ajah can travel with her stuff, and I with mine. The tote will fit in the car, on the bike, plane or hiking. Its a winner. I have been selling off some of the old cat stuff to downsize even more. 

My laptop was dead for a while, and is now back in order; tablet in order, and MP3 ready. 

Five weeks until the plane ride to Tucson for school, then onto Phoenix for next semester, and beyond that, who knows. A new bike and everything will be in order. A car is still a work in progress, but the tarp tent and bike are going to be the next phase for now. Coupled with college, it should be a good blend of traveling and studying without the expense of a car for now. Taking into account the cross country back and forth factors, and then professional relocation or international travel, this seems like a reasonable plan. However, if a good cheap RV were to come my way, I would happily live in an RV park. But, one thing at a time, one day at a time, and onto the future life moves.

thoughts and plans

I have been doing sone thinking.The first is when I get done with school, what then? The other involves changing tne van description in the top header. However, at the request of a reader, here is an update of all that has happened and where I would like to go.
On April 11th, 2011, I did my last day at work. On May 8th,the journey to Colorado and then Az began. May 18th was arrival day to Az. 3 months there for college and my van died. I flew home a few weeks ago to Ohio area where I am back with my 2 cats and very small 288 sq ft apt that feels like a mansion compared to the van which I miss.

Hkwever, now that I have been on my bike living the car free lifestyle, there isnt a rush to buy another money pit. I will be heading back to Az at the end of Oct for end of semester business and to register for next semester. Whether Tucson or Pheonix will prevail renains to be seen. Both have transportation options so I wont be stressing over that at this point. It is likely with emissions which I fully support that a car bought in ohio wont pass Az and I will be going back and forth for another year, so I might as well wait.

I also have an incredible desire to see the world which is only 2 years away. I plan to teach English as a second language at that point and perhaps start putting more photos with the blogs here. I used to design web sites and have been considering that as a sjde job and persuing house sitting. Everything changes and a dicussion with family yesterday indeed saw that they found me to be a free spirit which is true.

So I am finishing up things here and will be working to sell the final few things I don't need to prepare for the next adventure. Some of us just don't like commitment and perhaps it manifests in every part of life but sometimes it works out best this way, the not knowing.

In technology, my laptop is back thanks to a shadow copy and school is underway. I also discovered evernote and pc suite for nokia.

last post spoke too soon

So the last post I spoke to soon. I upgraded to windows home premium. It wasn't the one that upgrades the starter package on acer aspire one netbooks. It  deleted my windows files and replaced it with some operating system that has no standard windows programs. Furthermore, its a netbook so it didn't come with a rescue disk. I did regularly back up my computer on an external HD. I haven't gotten it to work. And because I did  the update wirelessly, it erased all my drivers. I am at a standstill ;on school although I am learning more about my tablet as it has to substitute for the online classes. It has performed well so far but my computer is no good for opening up the ebook and doing the assignment for the computer class. Going to an internet cafe isn't practical because I don't have a car and transportation is questionable at best.,

So I am still up at an insanely late hour because I had some incredible urge to figure out all my computer woes. For those windows folks, please note I am a fan of the android and mac systems. I prefer an app based platform over a never ending array of menues and icons. However, I am in school which means I bought my current laptop to be lightweight, portable, and useable for school. So I got an inexpensive Acer Aspire One 10.1 inch screen netbook, a CD/DVR portable USB player, a wireless mouse and a soft zip case along with a portable spare HD for backups and storing excess media on back in May 2011 before I embarked on my cross country trip. With only 1GB of DDR3 memory, I can't expect this featherweight to compete with the heavyweights but I do expect it to run Google Earth, the basic Windows programs, Flash, Adobe products, handle a few photos and surf the web. Anything more than that requires the external HD which other than monthly backups, I haven't touched it.

Its a little screen, a lightweight laptop and came with the evil Windows 7 Starter. Had I done more research, I would have gotten the slightly larger Dell 15R with 64 bit Windows 7. However, time and budget dictated otherwise. So I am working with what I got. Last semester, I used schools computers. This semester I had my school order my books for me since they get a good price on used books. They ordered an ebook from cengage.com which proved a bit complicated. I contacted support and a resolution was reached after 3 days and much frustration. I deleted and downloaded the latest in java, adobe pagemaker, flash, and some unsealer program. After all that, I realized this ebook wasn't opening in Opera, Chrome or Mozilla. I was stuck with IE, the evil IE. So I downloaded the latest version 9 and voila. Now understand the ebook is a DRM Adobe Reader file. So its very clunky and required some extra effort to print. So now I have to unearth my printer and print out the pages I need as I go along OR hook up my old desktop computer and do this process again. Then I can look at one for the manual and do the homework on the laptop. My old computer is on XP and still functional but its a desktop, so its a power hog. It is my goal to leave as small a footprint as possible, but to also avoid paper when possible due to deforestation.  So paper or higher electric bill?  All of this after 100 to get WIFI in the house.

All of this required some action on my part with many google searches and tech forums. So I came across microsoftstore.com and ordered the student version of windows ultimate upgrade. I am currently waiting for the download to finish and can barely see straight as I this has been an ongoing process. Of course the coursework that the ebook is for is due tomorrow so I am going to be pounding the pavement tomorrow to get 3 subjects done. I have writings for 2 classes and this odd arrangement (which is odd until the old computer is brought into this century) for the computers class. This has taken some serious time.

Pictured at top is my 2 cats. As stated previously, I don't have a van at the moment, but I will have to return to AZ for school reasons, so its still a constant state of travel. If you look back to the beginning of the blog, you will see my first van, time I spent in it, then the 2nd van, and its time, the trip to AZ  and the flight back. I am taking a train in October back to Tucson, and from there its hard to say. I have a laundry list of things I would like to do but they are exactly that, like to do, at this stage. I figure 3-6 months to get things somewhat figured out. The cats are going this time as Ajah was very depressed with me gone and the kitten was grouchy. With me, they are loveable, sweet and okay with people. I want to enjoy my cello as well so that's a part of the long term program. I may opt for another "type" of cello, a battery one maybe, that isn't the same, but still allows the joy of playing.

Also, I am on the hunt for ancient Roman music and there are some collaborations, musical scores being assembled by self, and performances to come in the future. Instruments will be varied and the music will be Ancient Greco-Roman inspired, some possible remixes and some Celtic works as well. Its looking like a lot of fun, isn't overly done (4 existing groups I can find and 2 professional societies dedicated to ancient music) and will put out a different flavor of music. More to come.

 

the flight home

Being in a house again just takes part of my soul so I have begun bike riding, walking the dogs and enjoying suburbia fresh air for what its worth. I got wifi installed in the house I am staying in to enjoy my tablet and laptop. My cell gets horrible reception so I needed communication with the outside world. I am slowly getting back into the school drill after some seriously stressful exams, a long flight, time change and getting semi settled. I am enjoying having my cats and I can tell they are enjoying me.

Ajah has been velcro kitty and Iulia purrs nonstop. I have been working on getting Iulia used to her new walking jacket and reaquainting Ajah to clicker training and holding positions. We haven't had the opportunity to show since Feb. It is also summer and Ajah isn't in prime coat. She also loses weight due to tne heat. Luckfully OH doesn't stay hot for to long. Its cooling down at night so wet ad raw food along with a good structure is good for the both of us. There were thoughts on the kitten. I think she will get things figured out. The constant changes over the past year have created a lot of unique challenges that have brought both happiness and pure heartache. Having pets does complicate things but I can't imagine life without them and they weren't insurmountable.

So let me back up... I traveled from spot in AZ, spent the night in a smoking cubicle outside at the airport. I used my two carry on bags and blanket to sprawl out. Then got on my flight 10 hours later. Tucson airport was cool with actual plugins and seating. In Houston, things were pretty quiet. I ate lunch and couldn't find a plug. The flight was roomy. I watched a movie on my laptop and got a very limited nap. Then Houston to Chicago was like a sardine can with some lady who wws nice that didn't speak english. It was fine except I had to go to the bathroom and couldnt get
out. I felt near claustrophobic. Being by the window was my only saving grace. It was an overbooked flight. They ran out of room in the overhead bin and didn't offer valet service so I had both carryons below my feet for 4 hours. Its like riding in the middle hump seat of a toyota corolla. Needless to say for someone my size, keep in mind I fit in the airplane seat with room to move but I am not small either, it was tight. I couldt even sit up straight because tbe lady next to me had her arms resting on borh sides. Luckfully, chicago to Toledo was nice. They had a small plane and I got the one seat row where I could actually stretch oht. It felt nice and they had valet for the flight. Then, there was not any public transportation from our small cornfield airport for night flights. So I walked 8 miles and then got a cab after taking a nature hike. I saw it as a walkabought as described by John Locke in Lost. Then after an investment for a cool high top minivan taxi I got to my current location. The taxi driver was smoking peach cigars, a Vietnam vet and we shared some political views and VA medical changes amongst other things.

And so I will be returning to Az for school reasons in 3 months. After that its Az for a few months but hopefully to Phoenix to be closer to the events listed previously. Then hopefully I have an rv setup and will allow me to spend the winter in Phoenix. From there, spring and finally a summer break. Next summer I want a workamping position and some breathing space to shift gears. Then graduation 6 months later and onto Portland hopefully. But by Fortuna, the fates with have their way. Pax for now with warm wishes and happiness to all.

another update

Hi everyone,
Iam sitting in a bagel shop on my final night in Tucson for now... I left Mammoth at about 3 pm and got to the bagel shop a few hours ago. I am enjoying some relaxing 88.1 fm Christian music and charging my tablet at this time. I wanted to update my blog because the next few days will be bust. My flight leaves in the morning. The van was sold to a local person for cheap. NowI am flying back to OH for a bit to tie up some loose ends, get my cats and a new vehicle to take me on the next phase of lifes journey. Its hard to believe as crazy as this adventure has been how much i will miss it. In the spring, I will embark on a ne journey to attend school in person again. From there, things will change. I have also decided to either work as a roving contract counselor or do some tesol training overseas and then reaume life here. My wanderlust is less crazy but still don't want to corner myself.
Also, I bought a few items to protect my electronics in transit. A case for the laptop and a Case for the mp3 player, screen protector and portable speaker. The tablet is still a winner for many things, mp3 player with fm radio is a big boost, and the laptop for school. In genral, plane with clothes and elctronics tells me international travel is vert doable. And shipping isnt as crazy as i thought it would.