C40's Journal

Where are you and where are you going?
sky
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Re: C40's Journal

Post by sky »

I get the feeling that vandwellers are getting treated more like homeless people. I see a lot more "No Overnight Parking" signs going up.

Allagash
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Re: C40's Journal

Post by Allagash »

Great postin' there C40! Lucky mom to have a talented son.

RE is really hot all over the western USA right now and prices high in the good cities. Be interesting what you turn up. KS, OK as you mentioned... and many other midwest states I'm sure are radically cheaper and easier to buy then the west. I like the idea of a home base + a van for extended trips. I like having a base and some roots in a area personally, for many of the reasons you mentioned.

I share your dislike for Vegas, can't stand that place.

SavingWithBabies
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Re: C40's Journal

Post by SavingWithBabies »

RE prices are up in the Midwest too. Starting to think whole country is up or at least any mildly liberal area.

daylen
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Re: C40's Journal

Post by daylen »

Augustus wrote:
Sat Jul 07, 2018 2:41 pm
Maybe suffering and selflessness is required to feel meaning? I don't know.
I think meaning is more accurately derived from responsibility. Being responsible for something requires selflessness and suffering as a negative feedback to failure. There are plenty of things to be responsible for besides kids.

daylen
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Re: C40's Journal

Post by daylen »

I don't disagree that suffering sorts values. I was just saying that responsibility is the underlying mechanism that induces suffering, so fundamentally meaning is derived from the responsibilities we adopt. This is just a thought I had; this thought is not disproved because some people have a preference for one responsibility over another.

daylen
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Re: C40's Journal

Post by daylen »

Sure, I understand, but from my perspective it makes sense to think that parenting is only one of several triggers that can happen as humans develop.

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Mister Imperceptible
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Re: C40's Journal

Post by Mister Imperceptible »

Regardless of the underlying psychology, I say again that C40 is at or near his peak level attractiveness to the opposite sex, and now would be a better time than ever to find a mate, and not just a lover. Unless he is able to find some other higher task to dedicate himself to. The other things- living in a van, homesteading, heading off to Southeast Asia- will not be so stimulating themselves in the long run, mostly because C40 is a highly competent human being, and can master them too easily. So either it will be a revolving door of novelty experiences, or the pursuit of a Great Task.

Wagner to Nietzsche: You must either be married, or write an opera.

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Mister Imperceptible
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Re: C40's Journal

Post by Mister Imperceptible »

C40 wrote:
Sat Feb 03, 2018 6:46 pm
Not the last I heard.

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C40
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Re: C40's Journal

Post by C40 »

Augustus wrote:
Sat Jul 07, 2018 2:41 pm
From what I can tell, it seems like you have really only focused on one thing: comfort. You go different places, see different things, but you do not appear to have deviated from seeking comfort in these activities.
I'm not sure if you mean 'comfort' in a way other than I take it to mean,... of if I've not written clearly enough in my journal,.. or if you've misinterpreted what I write. Comfort is fairly low on my (unwritten) list of priorities. I think the way I write about myself can tend to be 'flat' in some ways and boring in some ways, and this may cause some misunderstandings.

A static home will be ergonomically more comfortable in a couple ways I'm looking forward to - being able to stand up inside, and having room for a more ergonomic chair.

I think I understand much of your post though, and it's the kind of thing I will be considering more before making any significant changes.

---------

As for kids, nope. These days I am up to 99% certainty that I don't want to have kids, and I'm also quite sure that won't change over time.

I'm still firing live rounds at the moment. I'll probably check on getting a vasectomy once I have residency and insurance established in a state that I actually live in. Right now, I'd have to either pay for the whole thing for sure, or go up to South Dakota for it. [ok well, I just looked up what they cost it seems like it's not (always) very expensive anyways: $350-$1000. So maybe I should just do it sooner rather than later]

I think it's possible for me - without having kids - to develop more of the kind of 'meaning' (than I currently have) that children often help drive - a connection to mankind/the world/the future. I think I'd have better results overall working on that more directly than finding very long-term mate, having the kids, and then raising/dealing with the kids, (and then pissibly dealing with splitting up from the mother, coparenting, etc.)

BRUTE
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Re: C40's Journal

Post by BRUTE »

why the vasectomy instead of just using condoms?

Allagash
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Re: C40's Journal

Post by Allagash »

Augustus...very interesting points. These are some of the first times in human history large numbers of people are not having kids at all, especially in wealthy developed nations. Kind of worries me.

I'm in my later 40's and didn't have kids. Many of my friends didn't either. I was always afraid kids would "tie me down", "hold me back" and didn't want to "settle down". If I had to do it again I might take a shot by my early 30's at the whole kids, family, holidays, home, community, soccer practice thing. It can kind of get hollow just always doing stuff for ME, ME, ME.

I think a home on a piece of land, small farm, small business, a wife, kids, part of a community, evening dinners together, holidays together....has been the foundation of human happiness for thousands of years.

Also, smart people that are good with their money in developed nations aren't having enough kids. Low birth rates. But folks in many developing nations with NO money (or developed nations with NO money and little education) are pumping them out like rabbits.

And I tend to agree with what you say Augustus...that kids force a person to not think only about themselves and care for another...maybe in a way nothing else can. I've seen this with my bro's and sisters that have had kids.

But you also have to be the type that can stick around with a women and raise those kids though thick and thin. And you have to commit to it and see it through. Not easy.

slowtraveler
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Re: C40's Journal

Post by slowtraveler »

Only in the ERE forums is somebody living in a van on under 10k/yr seen as seeking comfort.

@Brute
Seriously?

@C40
Have you checked out vasalgel or RISUG? Coming soon, hopefully.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reversibl ... r_guidance

BRUTE
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Re: C40's Journal

Post by BRUTE »

but.. stds...

slowtraveler
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Re: C40's Journal

Post by slowtraveler »

Std testing is more than 99% effective in many cases. Condoms are just under 95% effective in the best cases. They don't protect against many stds including but not limited to hsv 1, hsv 2, molluscum contagiosum, hpv, lice, and syphilis. I've known people who've gotten HIV*, Chlamydia, and pregnant (different individuals for each situation) while using condoms.

Oraquick can also be taken with you anywhere if you can't wait a week but it only covers HIV.

*Condom broke in HIV case.

Jason

Re: C40's Journal

Post by Jason »

These last few pages was like the male, ERE version of a "Sex and The City Episode."

7Wannabe5
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Re: C40's Journal

Post by 7Wannabe5 »

@Augustus:

I half agree with you. Yesterday I was chatting with another woman in her 50s who has adult children in their late 20s/early 30s. She is divorced and in great shape. When you are knee-deep in the years of raising kids it does give you a sense of purpose, but then you may find yourself, 10 years post-empty-nest and still looking at, hopefully, another 25 years of reasonable vigor. So, you still have to concern yourself with finding new purpose, finding new mates, finding new challenges, finding new places in the world, etc.

Besides being in better shape (sigh), my peer with whom I was chatting differed from me in that she was dating with the serious purpose of "finding somebody who will marry and take care of me, because I already spent too many years taking care of everybody else" , whereas I date with the purpose of enjoying as many benefits of masculine companionship I can procure without committing to any contract that keeps me from being free to do whatever I want to do. IOW, even though I spent a solid 20 years of my adult life married and raising children, and even though I do consider the "raising the kids" part to have been a wonderful experience towards personal growth (both my long-term marriage and my subsequent years of therapy and divorce were also growth experiences, although not so wonderful), my lifestyle choices now rather resemble those of C40.

That said, I do agree that taking on the responsibility, or expanding the boundaries of your system to include, the care of something valuable and vulnerable, will almost unavoidably result in a sense of purpose.

BRUTE
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Re: C40's Journal

Post by BRUTE »

Jason wrote:
Sun Jul 08, 2018 5:38 am
These last few pages was like the male, ERE version of a "Sex and The City Episode."
for extra frugality, Jason can clean out used condoms with equal parts baking soda and organic white vinegar, and then re-use them later.

Jason

Re: C40's Journal

Post by Jason »

Well I'm sure this will only precipitate a used condom cleaning methodology discussion, so before I commit to your preference, I'll see what else crosses the plate.

That being said, I think I have a better understanding as to why brute is concerned with STD's.

BRUTE
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Re: C40's Journal

Post by BRUTE »

it's a fine line

bryan
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Re: C40's Journal

Post by bryan »

@C40, thanks for the info. I think the "lifestyle modelling" and folk's generally-trending-positively perception of it points to a continued acceleration in new van-dwellers. Just the other day I was online in a game and one guy started talking about how he is trying to get his own place but it's tough and someone else (not me!) suggested a van/car/RV. The guy's only question about the idea was how to get a good enough internet connection to be able to play videogames :D
sky wrote:
Fri Jul 06, 2018 7:23 pm
I get the feeling that vandwellers are getting treated more like homeless people. I see a lot more "No Overnight Parking" signs going up.
It'll get worse as more people begin to do it. We'll see how it shakes out. I'm not a huge fan of Berkeley's plan of providing a van/RV-dwelling _zone_ w/ amenities (maybe not so bad if it's just for newly house-less). I would prefer instead just the services of said zone being available like (in the fashion of) libraries or maybe changes in local laws, enforcement regarding street parking or parking lots.

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