7WB5- Take 3

Where are you and where are you going?
7Wannabe5
Posts: 9372
Joined: Fri Oct 18, 2013 9:03 am

7WB5- Take 3

Post by 7Wannabe5 »

APRIL 2016

ZONE 000

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ZONE 00

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ZONE 0

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ZONE 1

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ZONE 1.5

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ZONE 2

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ZONE 3

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ZONE 5

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Last edited by 7Wannabe5 on Tue Aug 02, 2016 3:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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C40
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Re: 7WB5- Take 3

Post by C40 »

Image

chenda
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Location: Nether Wallop

Re: 7WB5- Take 3

Post by chenda »

I'm confused but intrigued:)

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Ego
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Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2011 12:42 am

Re: 7WB5- Take 3

Post by Ego »

That is great. I love it!

JamesR
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Joined: Sun Apr 21, 2013 9:08 pm

Re: 7WB5- Take 3

Post by JamesR »

Pretty neat. Pictures do tell a thousand words :)

Gilberto de Piento
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Joined: Tue Nov 12, 2013 10:23 pm

Re: 7WB5- Take 3

Post by Gilberto de Piento »

I like the pics!

7Wannabe5
Posts: 9372
Joined: Fri Oct 18, 2013 9:03 am

Re: 7WB5- Take 3

Post by 7Wannabe5 »

MAY 2016

ZONE 000

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ZONE 00

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ZONE 0

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ZONE 1

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ZONE 2

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ZONE 3

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ZONE 4

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ZONE 5

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JUNE UPDATE- ZONE 0 at ZONE 2


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Last edited by 7Wannabe5 on Tue Aug 02, 2016 3:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.

tylerrr
Posts: 679
Joined: Tue Dec 13, 2011 3:32 am
Location: Boston

Re: 7WB5- Take 3

Post by tylerrr »

I'm not sure if I'm scared, but definitely entertained. :)

7Wannabe5
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Joined: Fri Oct 18, 2013 9:03 am

Re: 7WB5- Take 3

Post by 7Wannabe5 »

Okay, I'm breaking out of photo-journal mode because I have suddenly gotten the urge to commence with my experiment of living on my no longer totally vacant lots and spending no money. I obtained the new title and put a license plate on the camper this morning, so I am now in the realm of semi-legality. I believe that this is my 75th journal entry on this forum, which means I have only 425 more journal entries until I will achieve financial independence. Obviously, if my spending were to equal zero then I would need no investment income. This will not be the case. To begin with my property taxes on the two lots I will actually be inhabiting are around $15/month, so I will need to cover that with some share of the residual sales of my rare book business. I am going to settle books with my sister inclusive of my share of rent on the apartment we are currently occupying through September, so the availability of these living quarters will be my continual back-up, but not an ongoing contractual obligation.

Anyways, this will be a tinkering type process where I will continually fail until I eventually succeed. I will simply go there tomorrow morning and live as long as I can without spending any money until I fail. Then I will attempt to find the most frugal fix possible for the fail and start again. Each time I fail I will make a new journal entry.

RULES OF THE EXPERIMENT

1) I can and should go back to the apartment to bring things I already own to the camper as I determine that I need them, but I can't use the apartment like a storage closet and keep bringing the same items back and forth. I can't use utilities at the apartment.

2) Since I pay property and city income taxes, I can make some use of community facilities such as the showers in the women's locker room at the pool and internet at the library. However, this may become more problematic in the future if I can't obtain a mailing address for my property.

3) If other people freely offer to gift, share or barter resources with me, I may accept, but I am not allowed to make pathetic statements like "All I ate today was a handful of sour cherries."

4) It is not my intention to seek paid employment until I resume substitute teaching in the fall, but if for any reason I do, then I may make use of any resources provided by my employment other than spending the money earned.

5) Other rules may apply.

sky
Posts: 1726
Joined: Tue Jan 04, 2011 2:20 am

Re: 7WB5- Take 3

Post by sky »

Excellent experiment! Are you starting out with any resources stored in the trailer (legumes, canned goods)?

7Wannabe5
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Re: 7WB5- Take 3

Post by 7Wannabe5 »

@sky: I am starting out cold. I figure this will increase both the likelihood of failure and the likelihood of creative problem solving and decrease the likelihood of predicting problems that will not actually occur. However, I do have a small random assortment of groceries in the pantry of the apartment, which I can use until they run out according to the rules I outlined above, but I do not have propane supply for the stove in the camper, and I do not believe that I personally own a can opener, but I am not pre-thinking about any of this. Clear mind. Fresh eyes. Clear mind. Fresh eyes. Clear mind. Fresh eyes....

I have not left the apartment yet. I am drinking coffee in my robe. I must sign off now and commence upon my mission.

sky
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Joined: Tue Jan 04, 2011 2:20 am

Re: 7WB5- Take 3

Post by sky »

Au Revoir, until the next penny is spent.

7Wannabe5
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Re: 7WB5- Take 3

Post by 7Wannabe5 »

SEMI-MINOR-FAIL #1

Well, I only lasted about 3 hours, from 12:00 to 3:00. It was a totally unexpected semi-fail that on another level was a major coup. I turned off my cell phone when I arrived at the camper in order to conserve battery power. When I turned it back on again, I found that I had a voice mail message from a local television news reporter, and she wanted to interview me about my political action group that is attempting to stop the expansion of hazardous waste storage less than a mile from the school where I usually substitute teach. She also wanted the opportunity to interview some concerned parents of students who attend the school, so I had to run back to the apartment and use some electrical power to print up some more information to share with some of the teachers and parents. I am just over the line towards extroverted, but I am rather shy, so I am dreading the interview, but feeling very happy about the possibility of the cause getting some traction.

I did enjoy my first few hours at the camper. I harvested a bowl of sour cherries for my lunch, fixed the latch on the bathroom door, and generally tidied and stored away my tools and the few supplies that I brought. I took a look at the water supply/feed, and I have no clue how it can be converted to pump. My mission is complicated by the fact that in addition to keeping myself alive, I need to maintain and forward my garden project.

This was such a non-fail-fail, I might need to make a new rule regarding the use of apartment utilities for higher purposes, at least in the short run.

tommytebco
Posts: 257
Joined: Sat Oct 27, 2012 4:48 pm

Re: 7WB5- Take 3

Post by tommytebco »

Thoroughly enjoying your saga!!
Aside: I worked at the Eastern Market selling Xmas trees while in College. and used to hang out at a bar there called Tony's. It was interesting then.

Keep on keepin on!!

7Wannabe5
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Joined: Fri Oct 18, 2013 9:03 am

Re: 7WB5- Take 3

Post by 7Wannabe5 »

@tommytebco: Thanks! Eastern Market is still an interesting place. They just completed construction of a very nice bike/pedestrian path that I can take in that direction. My sister picked up some fresh trout at the market a couple days ago, and we enjoyed it with some feta and fresh dill and snow peas from our garden.

FAIL #2

Continued need of electrical power to remain in communication with various people regarding co-ordination of the televised coverage of meeting of my anti-hazardous-waste-expansion political action group.

FAIL #3

Fear of spending the night by myself alone in the camper without adequate security measures or time for psychological preparation. Slept at the apartment.

FAIL #4

Too vain to appear on television without access to complete provisions of modern bathroom facilities. Groomed myself at apartment.

FAIL #5

Borrowed sister's car and put $10 in the tank in order to avoid possibility of appearing on television after biking through rain storm.

FAIL #6

Became aware that I need to spend around $140 to maintain my status as global citizen who is semi-free to cross borders.

NEW RULE #5



Any expenditure of money that is clearly towards investment rather than consumption will be noted but not considered a FAIL. Any expenditure of resources with clear intention towards sequestration/conservation of more resources in the future will be noted but not considered a FAIL. Since just taking care of me and future me is too easy at my age/stage, instances of either of the above with clear intention towards future benefit to others will also not be considered a FAIL.

For instance, trading money for gold, fruit trees, or a wind turbine kit will not be considered a FAIL, although scavenging any of these would be more of a SUCCESS. Since it was my clear intention to conserve more resources in the future for myself and others with my anti-hazardous-waste political action, I hereby deem FAILs 1,2,4 and 5 to no longer be FAILS. However, the appropriate FIXES will still be attempted.

FIX #1, and #2- Combo wind turbine and solar panel hooked into camper battery if possible.

FIX #3- Will first attempt self-calming anxiety. If this does not work, may consider borrowing sister's largest dog.

FIX #4- Just need to get better organized to shower at the community facility in the short run. Long run solution may require more tinkering with the camper water supply, acquisition of rain barrel, etc.

FIX #5- Stumped. Conflict between vanity and travel by bicycle in adverse weather conditions may not be solvable in future without spending further funds.

FIX #6- No avoiding the expense (unless I am content with the thought of being trapped behind the soon to be constructed walls), but could ameliorate with practice of traveling out of the country under situations likely to result in net profit/benefit of more than $14/year. For instance, if I travel out of the country with the Cowboy next month, he will cover my costs inclusive of several days of food and likely acquisition of many "free" small toiletry items under terms of freely offered barter.

George the original one
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Joined: Wed Jul 28, 2010 3:28 am
Location: Wettest corner of Orygun

Re: 7WB5- Take 3

Post by George the original one »

#5 can be fixed by trading dry timely travel for something you're willing to part with.

sky
Posts: 1726
Joined: Tue Jan 04, 2011 2:20 am

Re: 7WB5- Take 3

Post by sky »

Anxiety while camping is tough. It will diminish in time. A radio, podcast or movie can distract one's mind from the fear. It is all in your head, although there may be real dangers out there.

Keep trying, eventually you will find rest. A good lock, dog or other noisemaker to call help may give some comfort.

zarathustra
Posts: 172
Joined: Sat Apr 14, 2012 11:15 pm
Location: VEGAS, BABY

Re: 7WB5- Take 3

Post by zarathustra »

I understand the anxiety about being a woman alone in a "vehicle" overnight, and had to overcome it when I lived in my van. Then someone tried to break in one night and I pretty much never slept in my van again after that, but that's more coincidence of timing than anything.

So. When it comes to dealing with anxiety, planning always helps me. How about you?

Other tactics:

- Disincentivizing by appearance: Make your RV look like nothing worth anything would be in there. No reason to break in. That doesn't work if someone is after YOU. How obvious is it that you, a woman, may live in there? Also, one could argue that if people KNOW someone lives in it, they will leave it be (because most "bad guys" don't like to be faced with another human when doing their bad deeds. After my experience, I would prefer that people know someone is in the van/camper, but that it is a big burly man and not a cute woman.

- Light. Is there a good light all around your RV at night? I know this uses resources, but light is a major crime deterrent

- Weapons. I had (gifts to me from my concerned male friends) knives, pepper spray, stun-gun-thingy, & BB gun.

- Calling for help (cell).

- Realizing that the odds are very much in your favor. Likelihood of attack is low. This depends on your situation. Detroit . . . that may be different. You would know better than I.

7Wannabe5
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Joined: Fri Oct 18, 2013 9:03 am

Re: 7WB5- Take 3

Post by 7Wannabe5 »

Gtoo said: #5 can be fixed by trading dry timely travel for something you're willing to part with.
I almost certainly could have hitched a ride, but that takes me back to fail due to security needs. Definitely an incidence of having to choose between fast, cheap or good. However, I did end up looking reasonably presentable on the news broadcast. They edited it down to a sound bite where I am saying "Why here? Why now?" Hopefully, we will gain a little bit of traction with the coverage.

@sky and zarathustra: Thanks for your suggestions. I'm generally a very good sleeper and well able to calm my anxiety. I once accidentally chose to pitch a tent near alligators and surrounded by hordes of mosquitoes. I just tell myself if my time has come, so be it, and then fall asleep. The unfamiliar problem I am having with this situation is having to combine security with stealth. IOW, I need to be safe and invisible which is tougher. I've kind of decided to forget about the invisible and just tell everybody I know around there that I am doing an experiment with staying off the grid on my lots. The Greek guy who lives next door already said he might put a fake camera on the side of his house to help. A keyed deadbolt would be helpful. My sister's dog would be adequate but would have to be continually fed protein, and I am running low on food other than fruit and green vegetables from the garden for myself already. A very skilled urban farmer, located just 4 miles away, hosts the meeting of my eco-action group. He has goats, pigs, chickens, ducks and honeybees, so I could theoretically barter with him for goat's milk and eggs, but I doubt I have anything he could use besides money. I don't know how long I can last on fruit, green vegetables and my Zone 00 store of subcutaneous fat. Which brings me to:

FAIL #7 - Used the stove at the apartment to cook last of my oatmeal this morning.

FIX #7- Survive on raw or previously processed food only OR fix the hook-up for the built-in Coleman stove in the camper OR scavenge something that will pass muster as legal barbeque or pit for fire use OR use propane wok I happen to half-own. Of course, purchase and consumption of propane will be necessary for two of these solutions, so have to decide if I'm willing to eat that recurring expense into my survival budget.

Two words we teach the kindergarten kids are Stamina and Strategy. I clearly need some more of both for this challenge.

EdithKeeler
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Re: 7WB5- Take 3

Post by EdithKeeler »

Just wanted to check in and tell you I'm enjoying your journal!

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