Saturday 27 September 2014

Washed The Girls, Then . . .

I Plugged in last night and yesterday at work was quite busy, I worked till three in the afternoon. On Fridays I typically get off at two in the afternoon and sometimes at one. 

There was one customer who called up and needed something arranged for a Saturday delivery; two as a matter of fact.  So I stayed late and made sure that it got done.   

I don’t mind as it is important to me to take care of customers as I take pride in my job. Well, that and I know that with a small company you need to take care of your customers so they will take care of you. I do like to remain employed. Not that my boss would fire me if I refused to stay late but if our customers go away then there is no work and no money to pay Geoffie. 

After I left work I picked up my mail and had a very late lunch at McDonalds as a reward for staying late. I was going to do my laundry but it was late and I know that the traffic around my Laundromat is nuts at rush hour. So I decided to push it off till tomorrow after the library. 

I then decided that it was time to wash my girls. I have been through a bit of mud and the water drops are starting to show, it was time to wash them. There is a car wash not far from where my mailbox is that has an oversized bay. 

I went there and washed my truck and trailer and while it was good to wash them, it was frustrating as it seemed that every few seconds I was dropping another loonie in the machine. I guess that is why I don’t wash them that often. 

After that I wanted to make sure that I didn’t drive right away so that road dirt can get trapped in the water near the bottom of the truck and trailer. I drove to the park and ride across the street and decided to wait until the truck and trailer had dried off. 

About the time that I pulled up into my parking place, it started to rain, I kid you not. So I stayed there longer than I had anticipated, but still waited till the truck and trailer were dry. 

Here is the Girls all clean this morning. 


I am going to the library to write again today and will do so again tomorrow. It is an exciting weekend I know but it is what I like to do. If I had a more stable powersource I would just write in the truck, but already this morning I have drained Ace and almost drained the laptop’s batteries.

I am now back on track and fully focussed on my goals. The urge to spend on something large, impulsive and unnecessary is squashed, for now. I know me and when I get frustrated, down or depressed that is when I give in and buy something. I know intellectually it is for the pleasure of buying that new thing but it does not help when you are working towards debt freedom. 

The next challenge for me will come when at the end of next month, I put in my paycheque with the intention of not spending it. It is easier to tell yourself that you are doing something with your money when you actually do something with it. 

When you make a payment or buy something you see the money leave and change hands. If you put it into a savings account it is easier because you have actually set it aside. When you put it in your main account and say that is to lift yourself completely out of the overdraft at all times, don’t touch it, that is harder. 

I will meet and beat this challenge too, it is important and yet another measure of financial control that I need to master. 

Friday 26 September 2014

Stay Focussed

We are motivated by two very powerful forces. One is to obtain pleasure, the other is to avoid pain. The more powerful motivator is to avoid pain, but pleasure is just as important.

In order to get yourself to do things focus on the outcome that you want, not on the outcome that you want to avoid. For example, don’t tell yourself that you won’t eat that chocolate cake, say that you will only drink water until lunch. If you tell yourself not to eat that chocolate cake, your subconscious mind will only hear “eat that chocolate cake,” and you will.

So, for me I don’t tell myself not to spend anything, I just focus on the goals that I have set for myself. I focus on larger goal of obtaining debt freedom and the more immediate goal, of leaving the money from the second paycheque of October in my account.

As I do focus on these goals I envision the pride and pleasure I will receive by not having the stress of these debts. I daydream about who wonderful the feeling of freedom will be, once I get there. As well I pause and think back to the hamster wheel of running paycheque to paycheque and the pain and near constant stress that was.

This is how I keep motivated and on track. This is what keeps me going and not doing something stupid like buying something large and unnecessary. Perhaps this little trick can work for you too.

For me it seems to be working, as my impulses for large purchases is dying away quickly. Their fleeting pleasure pales in comparison to achieving my greater goal: freedom.

Thursday 25 September 2014

The Free Money Effect

Okay, I have touched on this before but this is something I am still struggling with so I will share on it some more. 

I have paid off my first card and the impulse I have is not unlike one you would get if you were to find just over $2000.00. Your mind would race with what you could and should do with it. Mine is the same.

The trouble is that I have not found $2000.00 in free money, I have just freed up available credit. My credit card company is standing in the corner grinning at me like Mr. Burns from The Simpsons encouraging me to go out and spend foolishly. 

So far the ideas which have popped into my head have all been things that would be nice but not needed. Such as: 

1) A New Laptop:  this one I touched on before, my laptop is slow and is a power-pig but I have managed to find a solution to make it work. This is nice but not needed.

2) A New Pair of Cowboy Boots:  I miss my boots, they were comfortable and easy to put on and off. The ones I want now are a nice, expensive proper pair of boots. I have shoes. Again, this is nice but not needed. 

3) A Generator: With a gasoline generator I could charge up Wanda’s batteries whenever I wanted, and be free to roam the wide open spaces. While I will eventually buy one, I don’t need one now. I can already charge up Wanda’s batteries up whenever I want. Again, nice but not needed now.

With each of these impulses I have been able to rationalize myself out of buying them. Even though some of these are not that expensive, since they are not needed it is money which should go elsewhere. Every dollar that I spend needlessly is a dollar which is not going towards my goal of debt freedom. 

I know that I can’t put my life on hold and need to live it, but I can’t spend foolishly. That is what got me into this mess. In a bit of time these impulses will die down and I will get used to seeing a Credit Card that is at Zero balance.  

Wednesday 24 September 2014

Progress Makes Positive

Just in case you are not already in a good mood, here is the sunrise which greeted me this morning, hopefully that will help improve your mood.


Okay, I checked this morning and officially my First Card has only a balance of $90.36. I am tempted to pay it off but I will wait until payday, and get into that habit. 

My mood is improved because I have reached my first Credit Card Goal and a measure of pressure is off of me. My first card is done and that is one step towards Debt Freedom. This reminds me of a little trick I learned along the way, I don’t remember from whom. 

This will keep you motivated and heading down the path of change that you have set for yourself, be it whatever. From Weight Loss, to fitness, to financial or life goals, all will be aided by this little trick. Set smaller, realistic goals along the path towards your larger goal. 

This will let you see measurable success sooner rather than later. This will show you that you can succeed and that you can do whatever it is that you are doing. When you achieve one of your “Mini-Goals” celebrate. It doesn’t have to be great or grand but treat yourself and spend a bit marvelling in the glory of your success. This will get you into the habit of setting a goal and reaching it; a habit of success.

For me, I went out for a dinner for my celebration; nothing fancy, just out. That’s it, it didn’t have to be much, but I told myself that this was my treat for paying that first card off. It is important to pause to note and celebrate your smaller successes so as to help keep you motivated to keep going on your larger goals. 

For me, my next card has a credit limit of $5000.00 but it is only sitting at around $4800.00. This is the next target for me, my next largest card. The last one is the one which has been shut off and is sitting around $7000.00, just under its limit of $7500.00. 

I chose to go from smaller to larger so as to leverage my money, as in the money I was paying as minimum payment on the first card can now be used towards the next largest card, and so on.  Also I did it this way so as to see success sooner.

Before I get down to paying this next card down I know that I need to build up my resources in my main account. This month (September) I will spend as little as possible. for next month (October) I will keep what I usually pay off for cards in my account.  This way, going forward, even between paydays, I will never go below zero.

The month after that (November) I will put aside $1000.00 for use for first month’s rent and damage deposit for the place that I will need to rent for winter.  If by some miracle I either don’t rent a place or can stay somewhere for free, that will go towards the laptop and/or oops fund.

It won’t be until December that may be able to make the first serious dent in this next card. In December I expect to be in some place, so this is doubtful. So from December to April it will most likely be smaller chunks being taken out of the second card, like $500.00 per month. Even at that pace that is still $2500 paid off of that card.. 

What matters is that I pay what I can, so that each month I am paying something on the card but still staying above zero in the account. This is another “normal” that I need to shift in my way of thinking.

I am so used to dipping into and living in the overdraft that I think nothing of going below zero. The trouble with this is that each time I do, each day that I am below zero I am incurring debt charges. This has to stop for the betterment my financial future. 

I try to not beat myself up for my failings and just instead focus on what needs to be done now. I look at what is happening and figure out what I need to do. I look at things that happen as simply outcomes to what I have done or what life has tossed at me. Outcomes are neither good, nor bad, they just are.

Well, off to work now, enjoy your day and I wish you success on the path of change that you are on.

Tuesday 23 September 2014

Ding Dong The Card Is Dead!

Yesterday evening, September 22nd, 2014, I paid off my first card and it is down to zero!  Okay, smarty-pants, technically I paid the card down to zero, but with the time-distortion between when you pay your credit card and when it hits your balance means it still reads not paid off. 

That and there was a charge I had to put on the card on Sunday and this morning I got my statement. So technically the card has about $100.00 on it but those are new charges and will be paid off when I get paid in two weeks. So, I’m calling this one done. 

I plan to keep this card at zero and not use it. Since it is an points card I am tempted  to use it for everything and everyday purchases, so I can get the points. I may still do that in the future, but my thoughts of late tell me I need to have a paid off card and learn not to touch it.

I have had this card run up to the max and never down to zero since early 2010. I have gotten used to having cards run up so I will admit that my thoughts turned to charging it up again for another “necessity.” 

With my power situation like it is and my main usage of power being my laptop so I can write, I started searching out laptops which have insanely long battery life. That lead me to Apple, and it felt wrong looking at their laptops. 

I have been using PC’s steadily since the days of DOS . . . early DOS, as in DOS 3. The visceral negativity of the Apple ads towards PC has tainted my view of all things Apple. These days they have changed their advertising, thankfully and focussed on the positive aspects of their products.

Apple stuff seems to be nicer and a cut above everything else and I am sure that I could learn to adapt and adjust to their way of doing things. I also know that I will be frustrated and it will be a learning curve to adapt to a different way of doing things. 

My current laptop is nice but it sucks back the juice. With Ace, and the laptop being fully charged it will run for about three hours, after that on its own the laptop will run for about two more hours. 

Then I have to lug two heavy things into somewhere with power and charge them up for hours. With a nice light Apple laptop I could take it into work, plug it in and use it for 8 – 9 hours on a single charge. 

I will admit that yes I did seriously consider buying a new laptop. I stopped myself and looked at what I was about to do. 

I then made a deal with myself that I would put a bit of money away each month and when I am done all of the cards I would allow myself to get the biggest, baddest, most insane, and coolest laptop I want. As a celebration, if you will.

I am telling you this because the perception is there to see credit cards as a potential of “free money.” We are encouraged to see them as a way to get nifty stuff now (like a laptop) and not have to worry about paying it for a while. 

I need to train myself to see them as debt and only used when needed (for convenience) or in emergencies. In both cases they are to be used short term and paid off to zero ASAP. I intend to pay this card down to zero each payday. 

Failure to alter my thinking will only lead me to gravitate back to what has been a “normal” for me . . . with all of my available credit ran up. Paying down credit cards is one thing but what is harder is changing your thinking to not run up that card again. 

Already during this journey I have put small things on the card and just said “Meh, pay it down later.” This has to stop, for my own good. I need to break this cycle if I am to get ahead.

So, unless a certain large computer company that was started by Mr. Jobs decides to sponsor me with a laptop (doubtful) or everyone out there is so moved and motivated to send me cash to buy said laptop (equally doubtful) I will not be getting my laptop till August of next year. 

That’s okay though, because when I do, I will have earned it, and it will be soooo cool.  As in a fully loaded MacBook Pro, or whatever cooler and higher than that is out at that time. (Don’t ask silly questions like, why do I need such a powerful laptop). 

Monday 22 September 2014

THANK GOODNESS IT’S MONDAY!

Yep, I am happy to be back at work and not only because I like my job, but also because it is payday. That means that my first card will be paid off by tonight. 

This is a historic and momentous moment tonight and one I will enjoy. I know that I will dip back down into the overdraft between this payday and the next. Next month I will pay nothing off and simply leave the money in the account. This way I will set a goal that I when I am at “zero” I am at 500.00 in the account. That way I will never dip into the overdraft again. that way I can save those fees as I dip into the overdraft from payday to payday.

I didn’t blog for the past two days because I took Trea for a small jaunt out of town and had a quiet relaxing time with a great “Gal-Pal” friend of mine. Don’t get any ideas we are just friends, but it was, and always is, great spending time with her. Time got away from me and I simply forgot to blog.

I was able to plug in for a few short hours last night but will have to do again real soon as Wanda’s batteries are really low and I need more water. These are the two consumables which I go through the quickest. I seem to be always in search of more power and water. 

If I was on the road I would definitely have a generator to charge up the batteries. I am not sure how Motorhomes  work, but one of the questions I would answer was if the engine’s alternator charges up your batteries which you run your household circuits from. 

Also I would insist that those batteries were separate and not isolated to your main battery. It is mostly done via a little box coming off of the alternator going to the two sets of batteries, that way they both get charged but one can’t drain from the other. 

The last thing I would want is to happily camp at night and find out that you can’t start your motorhome/campervan in the morning.  As it is when Wanda’s batteries get low I worry about taking half of a shower (due to lack of water pressure and/or water) or not being able to bring the Slide-Out  in in the morning. 

Friday 19 September 2014

I Couldn’t Do The Deed Last Night

I tried. I waited for the right time and I tried, but I just couldn’t get it done. I checked my equipment, and it was working fine, but I just couldn’t complete the deed . . . I couldn’t plug in. 

After work I drove down the block and waited in my nice quiet street. I enjoyed the evening, watched some TV, you know relaxed. Then at 9:00 PM I drove back to work with the intent of plugging in.

That was when I noticed one of the neighbours working, with their overhead door open. I know that I am not doing anything illegal, that there is nothing wrong with plugging in. I just don’t like the neighbours to see me there, plugged in. I don’t want to cause any problems for work. That is why I get there after 9:00 PM and drive away when I wake up at 4:00 am. 

With this shop literally open, I just didn’t feel right about plugging in. So I drove to my spot that I park in when at work and waited. I checked back a bit later but they were still at it. I then decided just to go to sleep where I was. I will have to try again another day, ah well. 

I did a bit of editing but I did not to that much writing of new stuff this morning. I will try to do a bit of writing this afternoon, who knows. These things happen when writing, you have patches where you can’t type fast enough and other times where very little flows. 

I guess I am still preoccupied with Monday, payday and when my first card gets paid off. I will try to write more this weekend, as well as get out and enjoy my surroundings. 

Thursday 18 September 2014

I Wrote By Candlelight This Morning

This morning, as well as last night the batteries seemed to be a bit too low for my comfort, so I did everything I could do to not waste power. I wrote by candlelight this morning. 

I really don’t want to be in a position with the slide-out, out and no power to bring it back in. I would then have to teach myself how to do it manually . . . in a hurry.

I had gone to Walmart to do some grocery shopping so I parked in their parking lot. As a result I had ample light streaming in via the windows.

As far as writing itself, well that went poorly but I got a few pages done, nowhere near a chapter, but at least I did something. That is key, do something daily towards your goal; that will keep your momentum going. 

Staying the course and doing what I am doing to get rid of my debts is frustrating. I find myself imagining various short-cuts happening to hasten the process. You know: friends hold a fundraiser, win the lotto, (even the 1 million extra draw . . . heck 100 grand would be fine with me), death of a long lost relative. 

You know, all of the various ways to just get this over and done with now, rather than having to do this the long way. That would be nice but in the end it would cheat me of the process. 

I am learning, teaching myself to be more fiscally responsible. When I do pay off all of my bills, I will have earned that. That is more valuable than any lotto win.  

(I’d still accept the free cash, don’t get me wrong).

Wednesday 17 September 2014

The Parking Sweet Spot

I found it, I have found the ideal spot for me to park, and it is exactly 1 Kilometer (0.621371 Miles) from where I park while at work to where this spot is. That is “Door to door,” or “Curb to Curb” so to speak. I will certainly be back here regularly.


It is just a bit down the street where I found the nice spot earlier. I found that if I park along this street and in amongst a line of a few large Semi-trucks (with trailers) I am golden. 

Why? Well for one then Trea and Wanda don’t look so big, and two, if I park Wanda snug to the curb, even with the slide-out out Wanda is no wider than a Semi-truck. 

If I park in the midst of a line of semis (on a public street) then traffic has already moved over to avoid the large rigs. That way I am not sticking my slide-out into traffic. I can and have puttered around in Wanda with the slide-out in but having the slide-out  out opens up the space inside. It makes a difference to the amount of interior space and my level of comfort, trust me. 


As far as writing goes, another day another chapter. Things are flowing well and progressing steadily along. As I was writing this morning, Ace cut out way too early, and I realized that it was my fault. It was as a result that I had kept writing with the internal laptop batteries yesterday morning, after Ace cut out. 

I can write with Ace for almost three hours as long as the Laptop batteries are fully charged. Why? Well, if the laptop batteries are fully charged the laptop takes 10 Watts, if the batteries need charging it takes 50 Watts until it is charged again. The more power you take out of Ace the shorter amount of time he will give you power.

I then decided to plug the laptop into Wanda with my new Inverter. I did so for about two minutes before it screamed. This phenomenon of the dead batteries in the morning and charged batteries in the afternoon is not just a misreading but real. Wanda’s batteries in the morning are too weak to drive the inverter but fine to run the lights and slide-out. 

On the subject of charging, my near constant charging of Ace in Trea and driving shorter and shorter distances is having the expected effect. Trea was slow to start this morning so I am giving her the day off. I set her to idle for ten minutes after I got to work and took Ace and the laptop with me. They are here at work plugged in and charging. I really have a great and understanding boss.

I am counting down the days till Monday. Monday is payday and that means that the first card will be paid off. Perhaps about six months late, but paid off nonetheless. Progress is progress and it is important to stay positive and focussed on how I am achieving my goals. 

Tuesday 16 September 2014

Pesky Resource Issues

Okay, in truth I won’t know the actual status of Wanda’s Batteries until this evening, but they keep reading low in the morning. That and I had to switch propane tanks this morning. 

That means that I went through one tank of propane in a week. It was that cold snap so it was to be expected but it cut my usual length of time I get on one in half. I suppose I can expect such propane usage when it gets colder and again to be expected.  

Even at that rate it is still cheaper than the 200 bucks I was spending heating a townhouse in the cold months. Okay, I won’t be able to stay in Wanda in the outside in January, if you get technical. All I am saying is that this is still cheaper than my utility bills from a year ago. 

I will be surprised if I have to plug in after a little over one day of use. I doubt it but it may be possible. I may end up plugging in tomorrow night or the night after. I will extend it as much as I can, I know that I can go much longer, but I don’t like to push it if I don’t have to.  

I bought a small little 200 Watt inverter to stay in Wanda. This will plug into the 12V plug I installed earlier. 


This way I can use the laptop or watch TV for a bit, using Wanda’s batteries. Sure this will drain them faster but it is nice to be able to use her batteries while Ace is charging up in Trea. 

I did get Chapter 3 done and it was the one where Brian is brought before The Mistress for the first time. His defiance and sass did not go over well, to put it mildly. One can only imagine what would happen if Valencia found herself in a similar situation. 

Hmm . . . I may have to write that in a future book.  Just imagine Pell and Val kneeling before The Mistress, Val mouthing off and Pell trying to shut her up. All while their hands are bound in front of a crowd of Sisters of course.  Perhaps even a ‘private argument’ in front of everyone. I can and it sounds like more comic gold in the making.

Monday 15 September 2014

Happy Anniversary To Me

Okay, I did get the first two chapters of Part Two done . . . sorta. What I mean is that I completed them and then this morning added some stuff to them. I then outlined the next two chapters. 

It was a nice sunny day yesterday so I enjoyed opening up the doors and windows. I was motivated to not only clean and organize my home but also do some repairs. 

Okay first of all I bought a few more of those tubs and filled out my dry storage cupboard and even labelled them. Yes I am that organized, it looks and works great. Everything stays where it is and I can easily find what I have. I hope this way I can easily see what I have and will eat the food I have rather than get something new (sometimes duplicates) all the time. 

I then hung a hook for my hat properly. Months ago I had bought some of that construction glue which was supposed to replace the need to use nails and screws . . . well it sucks. I bought some anchors but always put off putting holes in Wanda, for fear of poking a hole through to the outside.

Yesterday I got up the gumption and carefully put the holes and installed the anchors then the hook. It worked great and no unnecessary holes.  The other thing I did was reseat a cupboard clasp so that door will stay closed while moving. Exciting stuff I know.

I was tempted to write some more but I know the futility of it. Besides I had already written for about ten hours Saturday and again on Sunday.  Part Two is shaping up nicely and progressing well. I am excited to see it completed.  Part One sets up the problem and introduces Tanea and the characters. Part Two is where the action really starts. 

An interesting thing that I missed noting was that Friday was my two month anniversary of truly being an Urban Nomad. It has been two months since I moved out of my room and into Wanda. I still remember that nervous yet excited feeling as I was filling Wanda up with my stuff that Saturday the 12th of July and drove away.  

I was wondering just what I was doing and if it was the right thing to do. I was fearful of winter and in truth I am fearful of January and the kind of winter it brings. I remember that first week of sleeping in streets and parking lots and how nervous I felt.

I felt like I was doing something wrong ‘illegal’ even. I remember a part of me feeling that it just wasn’t right. I remember thinking that everybody needed a fixed address; that was just what was done. People don’t live in RV trailers unless they are so poor and destitute that they have no other choice, right?

Now that I have lived been two months of this I can say that I am truly getting used to living this way. I barley give it a thought when I park somewhere as to what people will think. Now I am looking for places to park where I can put the slide-out, out so it can make thing more comfortable in Wanda for me.

It has not been an easy two months, that is for sure, but it has been a rewarding one. It has been a period of adjustment and constant problem solving and revising my practices and procedures. I just about have things down to a nice science, but there is always room to improve and get better. 

With any luck I will be able to stay in Wanda even during winter.  I will, if I have to, winterize and leave Wanda alone in some storage place, but I will not do so easily. She is my home and I don’t like the thought of being forced out of her and into someone else’s place even for a few months. I like coming and going as I please and knowing that the place I live in is my own, my little corner of the world. 

Necessity and good sense will always override personal feelings and selfish desires, though. I only hope that I can stay in Wanda roaming about until at least December 1. After that I will have to look for a winter solution, as January always comes in with a wallop, and living in Wanda in a parking lot in -30 would not be advisable or desirable.

Sunday 14 September 2014

Part One Editing (Pass One) Is Done

Editing went well yesterday, I got the whole of Part One edited, Pass One. What that means is that at least everything is in the past tense, and the glaring mistakes are fixed. It is not ready to go to my imaginary publisher or for a particular friend to tell me it is regurgitated rat puke, but it is getting there. 

In case you are wondering, Part One is now: 204 pages, 27 Chapters long (Single Spaced, 11 Pt Font, Letter Sized Pages).

I am half way through Chapter One of Part Two and I hope to have it and another chapter done today. Again I don’t know how long this will take but I will keep plugging along and get it done when it gets done. 

I know me and I will not be able to focus on how to tell the story until the framework is done, not until Part Two is done will I be able to relax. Once the heavy lifting of converting the script to a novel form is done can I then go slowly and focus on telling the story, once the story has been laid down. 

With subsequent passes it gets better and better. As well once the whole story is laid down I then know exactly what is happening to my characters and when, then I can make sure that what I said earlier in the book falls in line with where the character is heading. 

I have more cleaning and organizing work to do this evening which I can do before I go to work and plug in, just because Sunday is the best day to do so. Hopefully this week will be warmer and the batteries can last till the weekend. 

I find little projects like review what I have and see if it is still relevant. Examine how things are organized and stored and devise a new way to store them. Things are constantly getting better. 

One such example is these handy small plastic tubs I got which lets me organize my dry goods. With a trailer things shift as you move about. What that means is that every time you open the cupboard you never know what is going to be where. 




With a number of these tubs in this long cupboard I can now keep my stuff organized and prevent it from shifting about. I have another one just to take care of the perpetual mess that is the handy storage containers.


Well, I should get back to editing now. Have a good day all.

Saturday 13 September 2014

Someone Tried To Take One Of My Girls

While they didn’t try to do so by force, they did try to take her. Which one? Treabilla of course. How? Well it came in a letter, a promotion which was so expertly crafted to look like an email which had been printed out and sent to me by a letter. 

The ‘email’ was a form letter which explained how my dealership needed my trade so badly that they were going to throw buckets of money at me in order to get me to buy a new truck. Heck, I’d be helping them out but really taking advantage of them in their hour of need. It was almost criminal the deal I would get. 

I will admit, I was tempted. I thought about trading Trea in on a newer truck, perhaps an F-250 with a bigger engine, perhaps a V8 or Diesel engine. Then I could tow more and do so easier. I even thought that perhaps I could get lower payments, you know, easier cash flow.

Then it hit me, why did they want my Treabilla so bad? Because they could flip her quickly, that’s why? She is only two years old with 30,000K on her, she has a great deal of life left in her. That’s why, there is still a market for these slightly older trucks.

What would I get? Well essentially the same truck with more debt and longer payments. Sure, for me the bigger engine would be nice and all but Trea is doing fine. I am not winning any races, but she pulls Wanda fine. I am not looking to upgrade Wanda anytime soon so I don’t need a truck with a bigger engine.  At some point I will need to replace Trea, but with the way she is built, that will be years yet.

I almost got lured into the cycle of always having a new truck, and never ending debt . . . almost. (Trea is still miffed and not talking to me yet.)

Refinancing is one thing I plan to do. If I could refinance Trea and Wanda in one payment so that in X number of years both are paid off with no balloon payment at the end (as is now with Wanda) that might be worth something to me. I don’t plan on talking to the bank about that until the credit cards are done. 

Editing is going well and I expect to have Part One Edited by the end of today. Tomorrow I will start on Part Two. Tonight I will force myself to do laundry. I tried yesterday but couldn’t get into the parking lot for the Laundromat, so I gave up.

Well, have to get back to editing now.

Friday 12 September 2014

Okay, I Broke Down and Plugged In Early

I decided that it would be best to plug in last night because I will be in my “Western home” this weekend, and not be back in my “Eastern Home” until Sunday. 

I plugged in and topped up my water as it was a necessity to do so. I get the feeling that my furnace works mostly on Electricity, rather than on propane. Either that or it is the fan which is sucking up the juice. Either way, when the cold weather comes I will need to plug in at a much more frequent rate than I do in warmer weather. 

As well, yesterday I started a Facebook Page for people who are living like me to like. I had wanted to (and still might) start a Facebook group, to allow the exchanging of ideas and the building of an online community but that would require me actually knowing someone else living in an RV trailer. As you can’t start a Facebook group by yourself apparently. So, here is the Facebook Page for Urban Nomads: www.facebook.com/gwurbannomads

I have the idea to see how many people there are out there doing what I am doing to get ahead and/or for financial necessity. As a way to shine a light on the problem which society ignores: the problem of debt slavery.  

We live our lives with an expected burden of constant and massive debt, all so we can “keep the engine of the economy going.” So we get a good job and apply for all the credit we can, just so we can turn around and pile on that debt for toys and things we tell ourselves are nice and needed. Even a few good investments,’ we tell ourselves. We then spend our lives paying these debts down, adding new ones once old ones are paid off. 

I see now that I could have chugged along paying my minimum payments and slowly getting ahead. Then perhaps get a mortgage all to buy a house so that when it is paid off I can sell it and recoup some cash with a capital gain once I turn seventy. 

If I stay in my current living situation, I can still obtain that end but in a different way. Once my bills are paid off I can use a variety of other much more viable and successful financial vehicles to achieve the same goal. I can build a financial nest-egg using : stocks, bonds, a day-trading bot or a high interest savings account. 

The editing is going well as I am now up to chapter eight and thankfully my ‘tense use’ is getting better. At this rate it won’t be long before the editing is done and I am on to Part Two. I will add a scene of a shocking twist at the end of Part One, so as to not leave it on such a nice and peaceful note.

I am looking forward to the nicer weather which is coming this weekend and on into next week. I like a nice breeze blowing through Wanda as I write, edit or just relax. All will be well, all will work out. All I have to do is keep going on this path and I will be in a much better place: financially, mentally, and emotionally.  

Remember, no matter how frustrating life gets, stay positive. This will help you focus on dealing with the problems that life tosses in your way and not focus on the problem itself.  This is something that I struggle with daily, yet it is a struggle that I always win, eventually. 

Thursday 11 September 2014

Not As Cold As Expected

Last night was not as cold as I had expected or that the weather-gods had predicted. Having said that, it was about as cold as I wanted; yeah, about zero or minus one is about as cold as is fun for Geoffie. 

As much as I whine, I will be fine, I just need to fully get into winter mode. Really, I am made of good solid stock, I just like the warmer weather than freezing my nards off in my own house. 

Yet I know that colder weather is coming, but not yet. It will start to turn a corner today and get warmer again. There will be a few cold snaps like this before winter really sets in. 

I will handle each one and stick it out as long as I can in Wanda.  Each day that I do, each month that I can stay in her and not indoors is yet another month of more money towards my debts. 

It would be more accurate to say more money towards debt freedom. It does me good to focus on Debt Freedom rather than paying down debts. It puts me in a better frame of mind and makes things sound more positive. 

As well it helps me not get tempted to charge up those cards again, cause then you have to pay them down again. I will keep the cards I have as Credit is something you get when you don’t need it so you have it when you do. 

We don’t like to use credit cards to pay for emergencies but you do so when you have to save your hinny. (Yes, yes, Tanya, save money and use that instead of credit cards).  

To help me stay focused on my goal I sat and thought yesterday what it would (and will) be like to have everything paid off and still be in my current situation.  

When that happens, my only bills will be:

Fuel (For truck and generator)
Propane
Food
Dumping fees
Cellphone/internet
Insurance.

That’s it and to me, it looks like quite an economical lifestyle. Hmm sounds like freedom to me. Maybe then I could just about make a living in the film industry. All I need to pay everything off and set me up nicely would be 100K. 

Don’t worry I won’t start any Kickstarter campaign, as asking others to pay my bills off for me is just not my style. Still, a lotto win or something like that would be welcome and a different story.  

The editing of the novel is going well and I am averaging about two chapters a day. I know that I will at least double that on the weekend. I will try to edit in the evenings but I am just about spent by the end of the day that I don’t do much.

I found a beautiful place to park last night, it is just a block south of work and then left and it is right there. This is an industrial park so the blocks are bigger here. Still, this is where a number of the big trucks park and it is a somewhat quiet and undeveloped stretch. 

I will stay here unless I have to do any shopping or errands. Again, no sense in driving further than I have to . . . for the environment  . . . yeah. That’s it; I’m doing this for the green factor (as in cash savings) I mean for the trees . . . gotta save those trees.

Wednesday 10 September 2014

Winter Doesn’t Scare me . . .Yet.

I know I may eat those words but as I sit here, all that the approaching and looming winter seems is another problem to solve. Yet one more challenge to slowly work through. 

Yes the wet snow came yesterday but it only hovered around zero, which I suppose was part of the problem. We have wet slushy streets and heavy snow on trees which have leaves still on them. 

This is what my girls looked like before I drove early towards work. 


It seemed to rain for most of last night only changing to snow in the early hours. While many in the city panicked and some didn’t go to work, me I just left a little early and showered and packed my lunch just down the block from work. Tonight I won’t go that far and maybe, just maybe plugin. That is if it does actually dip to -7 as the weather-gods predict.

I know that it will get warm again by the weekend and be fine for a few months yet. For my own comfort I would like to be in someplace by December 1. That way I will be situated somewhere before the fwump of the sudden and nasty cold of January. 

As for the writing, I have taken to giving Part One a quick pass over. This is to simply keep my tenses right, and always in the past tense. When writing the exciting pieces or the stuff I am making up on the spot I tend to shift to the present tense, as for me, I can see it happening in my mind. So for me it is in the present tense and happening now. 

After this pass I will move on to Part Two and continue the story. Then I can relax and then go through and spend more time telling the story better. Constantly craft and revise the story until it is good enough to be published. 

It is now the tenth of September, one month ago on the tenth of August a story was written about me in the Metro One. (Here is the story). The day after that story was published I was contacted by someone from a major national newscaster. They wanted to arrange an interview in studio for Radio. 

When I told them I was on a vacation driving to Vancouver they were understandably perplexed. I could hear it in their voice that they didn’t get why someone would be on a vacation while trying to save money. 

I told them that I would be back on the twenty-fifth of August and would happily do the interview then. They have yet to call, so I think it is safe to say that the interview is not happening. Ah well, it would have been nice to be interviewed for a national newscaster, but not because of a desire to be famous. 

It would have been nice to tell the story of what I am doing and so many people across the country are either already doing or have seriously contemplated. Many people just can’t get ahead with the cost of living outpacing salaries. 

I for one don’t want to live my life as a slave to debt and look forward to the day when everything is paid off. Then I can do what I want, when I want and can afford to try any one of my crazy schemes, as I will need much less money to live.  

Hmm, perhaps I should start a Facebook page for people who are Urban Nomads, just like me. If for no other reason than to highlight the number of people in such constricting financial straits. 

Remember, it is about cash-flow, not about income. Even if you make over 100K a year and most of your money goes through you and to bills, you are really no better off than someone who works for minimum wage, you just have more toys.

Tuesday 9 September 2014

It Snowed, So What.

I will admit that I was in denial most of the day that it would actually snow. To be truthful, by my standards it barely snowed at all. The only notable thing about it was that it was a wet snow, not the powder that we are used to here on the prairies.  

So, after work, when faced with snow covering Trea and Wanda, I did what I usually do for the first snowfall of the season. I cursed, swore and kept repeating that it didn’t snow and that there was no snow. I used the wipers to brush the show aside, drove a block then calmed down, pulled over, got out the snowbrush and properly brushed the snow off. I've had my denail hissy-fit, I should be fine for winter now.

I then went to a nearby big box store, and settled in for the night. I didn’t put the slide-out out, as when I bring it in, if it is wet the wetness comes inside. I can manage in the space with the slide-out in. 

I set the furnace to 60 and bundled up. I put another comforter (now 4 quilts on the bed) and snuggled in for the night. This night I slept in a sweatshirt and sweatpants, so that when I get up at night to pee, I won’t be so cold. 

I was fine and warm last night, I may try setting the furnace colder in the future just to see if that works. The reason I put the furnace on at night is to prevent things from freezing and me from seeing my breath in my own house. 

I have completed what I am calling  “Part One” of the novel. It is a nice spot to leave it and the first part has its own story arch in and of itself. I have an exciting opening for the next part and it does in truth have another story arch for my characters. 

This way you are not reading Chapter 86 of one long book, it breaks it up. It is Part One, 28 chapters, then Part Two, however many chapters it ends up to be, but I guestimate it will be about the same. 

Just before I drove off to work today from the place that I stayed last night (an undisclosed location), I snapped this shot of what I woke up to, not much snow, as you can see. 


They are calling for 15 CM’s of snow tonight, again not a big deal for me as I plan to plug-in so I can keep the heater going and see how that goes. I will be fine as it will only be -4 or so. It will be warm again by the weekend; this is just a trial run of things to come. I know that I can survive this, I will be okay. 

Monday 8 September 2014

63 Litres Used!

That is all that I used for two weeks. I know that to many of you, you could go for a month on that.  For me with a truck and trailer, however, that is good. 

I am sure that many of you with smart cars will be laughing at how poor my gas mileage is, to that I say, try living in it . . . go ahead, try to even take a nap in your smart car, let alone shower or ‘utilize the facilities.’ 

Anyways, I did save considerable fuel this time, and only spent70 bucks. Compared to something near $150.00 for the same period, this is doing great. Here is what the fuel gauge looked like when I fuelled up.


I wanted to pull out the BBQ and have a BBQ’d burger,  perhaps the last BBQ for the summer. I even wanted (and still plan to) take a picture of me BBQ’ing in a Walmart parking lot. If and when I do, I will post it for sure. If anyone is in town, stop by and perhaps you can twist my rubber arm to BBQ you a burger.

As a compromise I did pick up a grilling pan, one that I can grill a burger on my stove inside Wanda.  This way I can grill the burger and drain the fat as it is cooking. It is nice to finally be able to have a decent burger but there is nothing like a burger cooked over a firepit. Hmm may have to do that soon too.

I did park behind work last night and  I will say that Sundays is the best day to do this. Why is that? Because what person works late on a Sunday? Seriously who does this?  

What this means to me is that I was able to park in the ghost town that was work at 7:30 last night as opposed to 9:00 usually. I think I will indeed make Sunday my plug-in day.  I did make sure to top up my water and will not make the mistake not to do so again.  

Things are settling into a nice rhythm and I am truly liking this lifestyle. Wherever I go, I am home, I never need to pack when going somewhere. As well shopping is easy as I never make a grocery list. I just look at the cupboard or fridge and say “hmm, I am out of [whatever]” and just walk across the parking lot and get that. I am usually either in or near the parking lot of a place that sells food.

I am picking up speed on my credit cards and it seems that at worst I will be able to put $1000.00 per month on each one. So in five months the second one will be done. Well that is 5 months of being in Wanda. When and if I am forced to move into a room to rent that will likely drop to next to nothing.

As far as writing goes, it still progresses. I got half a chapter done today and that is okay. As long as I make progress daily, I am succeeding. I am nearing a place where a nice pause in the story would suffice. I could make this the first book or rather just mark it as part one of two parts in the book. Hmm, not sure, any suggestions would be appreciated.

It is raining today and looks like it will get cold this week, perhaps as cold as -7 C. I will be okay and that night I will set the furnace to 50 - 60F.  You know, just enough to keep the water lines from freezing.  Next week it will pick back up above zero. This is just an early taste of the cold stuff to come.

Sunday 7 September 2014

Writing Went Well

As I went into the library in order to do my writing yesterday I noticed something.  Yes I was and will be returning to the library which didn’t approve of my girls (Trea and Wanda). It was early (for the library) and the doors had just opened. As I walked into the parking lot from an adjoining parking lot something struck me as interesting. 

All along the end of the parking lot that I had parked, when I received the note to move was taken up with a long line of cars. It was then that I realized why they reacted so vehemently towards me . . . I parked in the library people’s staff parking area. 

People, myself included, like having that there is a particular spot, assigned or just known, that is yours. Everybody at work knows that you park here and they park there. As people, we like routines, we take comfort in them. 

I have been to this library a few times before the note and parked in the parking lot, all with no problems. I had parked over on the other side nearer to some construction vehicles. The time that I received the note that area was now filled with construction related equipment, thus preventing me from parking there. This realization was just an interesting thing that I noted: not good, nor bad, just is.

I did get two and a half chapters done in the library yesterday. I finished the other half of a chapter this morning. I have a long chapter to do today. This is the confrontation between Brian and the Gals over his being from outside of Tanea. 

I hope to get another chapter done but I am not certain if I will. The writing is going well and on track. I don’t know how much longer it will take for pass one to be done, I am just focussing on completing it, one chapter at a time.

Today is payday, so I will go to the bank deposit my cheque and then pay what is needed on the first card to bring it down to an even 1K. Then when the next paycheque comes around I will pay it off all at once. While I could do that today, my goal is to stay above zero, and stay out of the overdraft. I still dip into the overdraft a bit between paydays but I always come above zero after each payday. 

Next month I will focus on keeping more in the account and then start on the second card. That way I plan to always stay above zero, and never go into the overdraft. It should be for emergencies and, I suppose how I am using it now, to smooth out minor cash-flow issues. 

It should not be used to live in. I still remember being at the bottom of it all the time and calculating what I can get away with before I hit that cement wall of the bottom of the overdraft. 

Never again, never again  . . . onward and upward as they say.

Saturday 6 September 2014

No Auction Yet, But Chapter Challenge Solved

Okay, work went fine and quick and I will say that yesterday I woke up with a sore back. Every so often it happens that I sleep wrong and wake up with what feels like my lower back out of place.

In typical me style I ignore it as best I can and carry on. A hot shower a bit of stretching and movement throughout the day seems to do the trick. Today I woke up with a much lesser case of the same thing. I am already feeling good after just the shower and stretching.

I stopped by the storage depot and their auction did not happen in august and will not happen this month but will happen in October. I will still wait to see how and when this thing happens. Such is life, I know that I will not be able to sell it as a group nor do I have the time and patience to sell it individually.

After my running around I stopped in Walmart (my western Walmart home) and was going to stay here until it was time to go to behind work. I checked her voltage and it showed ¾’s full.

I will report an odd thing of note with Wanda. On the cold mornings the batteries report as nearly dead but in the warmth of the afternoon they report as much higher. That happened the day before and yesterday. I measured the voltage myself to confirm, it was 11.90 VDC.

Because the Library is closer to my current location than work, I decided to stay here tonight. I feel I will be okay until Sunday night to return to work and top up.

I am hoping to make it from one paycheque to another with only using a ¼ tank. I know that I will be closer to 3/8ths of a tank but trust me, this is big gas savings for me. All by selectively choosing where I drive and where I stay.

I will do my library thing today. I have a good concept for what to do with the chapter where Brian and the crew go to Egypt. Essentially they are morally bankrupt and do all sorts of shady things and even there cheat their merchants and perhaps even steal their cargo of spices.

This puts Brian in a place where he is at odds with the crew, he doesn’t want to go along with it but is forced to. It is his first taste of the need to stand up for good while surrounded by Evil. Perhaps this time he keeps quiet, and regrets it.

This is what can happen if you let yourself take a bit of time to pause and think over the tougher plot challenges of your story. Don’t stress, the answer will come, relax, and think (or talk) yourself through it until something makes sense.

If you stress and panic, your focus will be on the fact that you can’t think of anything rather than solving the problem you are stressing over. There is also a danger is taking too long to solve these problems and losing your writing momentum.

Well I still plan to get two chapters done today. I must  get some granola bars to keep me going.

Friday 5 September 2014

You Don’t Need To Know

Why do you want to know about the charges to that card? It’s a dead card, so you can’t charge anything more to it? So why, why would you want to know about it?
That was the attitude given to me by the ‘ever so delightful’ operator I talked to concerning one card. My largest card has been turned off, meaning I owe them money but I can’t charge anything to it. That doesn’t mean that they can’t still charge things to it.
I also have an accounting system which allows me to download transactions and statements from my banks and credit cards and upload them into it. That way it keeps everything on track and I know at a glance what I owe and what was charged.
I made the mistake of entering the wrong login information too many times on this particular card and they locked me out. Now they tell me that they won’t give me online access but will still send me paper bills. I can still enter the information manually, but it sucks.
I do like to keep on top of what they are charging me so I can (in theory) dispute their charges. We all know that when it comes to charges that the credit company charges you, there is no disputing anything.  This card I hate the most and will pay off last because:
1) It is the largest  
2) They turned it off because I moved and there was an address mixup.
3) Once off they said I would have to ‘apply again’ . . . as if I was a new customer. I didn’t like that, I was insulted, and still am.
I did have a relaxing evening and I slept in this morning. I am still mulling over what and how to tell what Brian gets up to in Egypt. I am even considering if I should just give it a miss and spend a couple of paragraphs on it. Hmm . . .  decisions.
I know that this is a part of the writing process. Sometimes you charge on ahead writing two or three chapters in a day and other times you pause and slow down to write one chapter in two or three days. 
The important thing to remember is to keep doing something on it each day. I will continue to think about it and do a bit of editing, that will keep the process moving forward.
I am going to check on my storage depot place to see if the auction went ahead and if the unit sold. I think so because I haven’t been contacted to pay them any rent for September and it is now the 5th of September. 
Tomorrow I will go back to the library with the parking fanatics, pack a lunch and park across the parking lot. They are apt to blow my truck and trailer in place rather than have it towed.  . . . but the building is nice and I can work in the airy space, quiet atmosphere and the glorious plug in . . . . hmm unfettered access to a power outlet.
Speaking of which, I will be parking behind work tonight to top up my AC and just because I should, top up my water too. . . . Remember kids, you can never have too much charge in your batteries or fresh water in your tanks. 


Thursday 4 September 2014

A Little Chilly, But Fine

Today I woke up and it was less than 10 degrees Celsius inside the trailer. I turn the heater off when I sleep and still have 3 quilts on my bed. I may put the extra quilt on the bed tonight. I may start to turn the heater on to its lowest setting, maybe at 50 or 60 Fahrenheit (yeah the heater is only in Fahrenheit).

I did dump after work and yes my waste tanks were full and my freshwater tanks were empty. I then went down the road to check out the church that a man from a previous day had suggested to stay at. 

That was when I realized that this was a ‘bucket of steam’ errand. This church parking lot was being torn up. It was cordoned off and in the midst of construction. Clearly it had been for some time and not just started. Such is life, I had a chuckle and went to my usual haunts to find a place to park.

I am slowing down a bit on the novel as I recreate and recraft Brian’s backstory. I am now working on tweaking how Brian gets on the ship and even casting a quick glance at what happens in Egypt. 

I know that I could sink a novel in this part of Brian’s backstory; just like I could sink a novel in Brian’s experiences during the war. It is tempting to do so, but as a writer you need to focus and ask yourself where is your story? 

My story is on Tanea. My story is how Brian impacts and affects Tanea and how Tanea impacts and affects him. His backstory is what helps shape and mould him into who and what he is. It is enough to know that he reluctantly fought on the losing side of a war just to prevent his brothers and father from fighting. 

He has issues with regards to his past and borderline suicidal tendencies. While he does not seek death, as it is not in his nature to ‘self-terminate,’ he views death as a release. In so much as he genuinely doesn’t care if he gets killed. 

Well, at least until he gains something to believe in and someone to care about, a reason to stick around, if you will as he learns he is not the failure and human garbage that he thinks he is.

I could easily spend a trilogy in Brian’s backstory and while it would be interesting and be action packed, it would not really move my story, the story I want to tell, forward. They would make nice Michael Bay movies, though (that should tell you something).

Wednesday 3 September 2014

My Laziness Was My Stupidity

Here’s a lesson for you all, kids:  “Don’t trust yourself when you say that you’ll do it in the morning.” Okay, here’s the story. 

Work went well and after work I drove a couple of blocks and parked by my favourite marsh pond.  There I waited and organized my two months’ worth of receipts to do my accounting.  At about 8:00 I drove back towards work and parked down the street. 

From there I could keep an eye on the area behind work and see if all people were gone. As expected just before nine, it was clear enough for me to feel comfortable to park behind work and plug in. 

It started to rain by this point and I was tired so I whined to myself that I just wanted to sleep. So I did. All I did was plug the trailer in and go to sleep. I didn’t fill my water tank. That would mean walking around not once but twice. 

The first time would be to go in through the front to open the back door. Then after I filled my water tank I would have to lock the back door, exit via the front door and walk back around to Wanda. 

I know what you’re thinking, so what, just do it, you need the water. Well, I knew that I will have to dump my tanks any day now and when I do I fill up my freshwater. I figured I had a day or two left in the tanks. (You see where this is going, don’t you . . . shut-up.)

So I got up this morning and it was raining harder than the night before. I then decided to heck with it, I wouldn’t fill my water tank, I was okay. So I drove up the street to my usual parking spot to then get ready for the day. I did the thing I always do when I get up, I fill the coffee percolator to brew my coffee . . . nothing came out of the tap . . . zip . . .zilch . . . nada. 

I was and am out of water. Now, I had prepared for this eventuality, I so far as I have my 5 gallon tank of water as my reserves so I was able to brew coffee, flush the toilet, wash my hands and so forth. 

Let me tell you trying to balance a 5 gallon water tank just right so when you open the spigot that the water goes into the toilet bowl after you have used it . . . is not fun. 

Ah well, my own laziness got me here. I will dump my tanks tonight and that will solve that. I also hope to get caught up on my accounting. It is important to me., 

I started this year keeping track of my accounts including detailed analysis of what my deductions and so forth were on each paycheque, that way I can see what I made in regular salary, what I made in bonus and what I paid for each of the various taxes and fees. As well I can see what I spent on what. It should be a gloriously depressing new year’s day.  

Tuesday 2 September 2014

A Good Day Writing Depressing Stuff

Part of the problem of drama is that to make things interesting, bad stuff happens to people you care about . . . aka your characters. That is the way of things because if bad stuff didn’t happen to them then you would have boring stories. 

Still that means that as a writer you go through them too. You see what they see, you feel what they feel, you can see it, you imagine it. It is never a happy experience but a necessary one. You feel their joys and happiness too. 

Don’t get me wrong I know that characters are not real, there are not little voices in my head nor do I actually see my characters around me. I do know them, however and as I go through life I can almost hear what this character would say about this or how that character would react.

The section that I was writing was the darkest chapter of Brian’s backstory, the Battle of Towton. I will not go over it but check Wikipedia out to see what I am talking about. I am almost done Brian’s backstory and then we will be back in Tanea with the happier adventures that he gets up to there.

I did get my little home cleaned and organized yesterday. There are a few cupboards left for me to organize but for the most part it is cleaned and organized. I was able to get my writing done with a balance of using the internal batteries of the laptop and Ace. I also was able to take a break and charge up Ace/the laptop’s batteries up. I didn’t use Wanda’s batteries. 

I got my laundry done and drove to my favourite Walmart and stayed here. I didn’t go to work but I will do so tonight. I don’t want to push it too much before charging up but by tomorrow the batteries will be down as far as I am willing to let them go.  

Monday 1 September 2014

Officer Westlock, Reporting For Duty

Okay, to be fair and honest, I am not a police officer, nor am in the armed forces. Whilst I respect both the police and armed forces I am not affiliated with them in any way. Why then did I announce that I was ‘Officer Westlock?” I will explain that later in this blog entry. 

I got up and went through my day, I wrote a chapter and started on the next before it got to noon. I drove over and waited in the parking lot of my library I had used yesterday. I was in Wanda and waited until the time that they open on Sundays before going to the door. 

As I stood there and stared at the sign which said ‘closed Sundays from May to Sept’ I thought . . . are you freaking kidding me? I drove to the other smaller library in the area and even after finding parking which was hard to find around this library, I saw the same sign. I knew where I had to go . . . back to the offending library, the one who hates my girls *growl*.

I made sure that I parked in an adjacent parking lot yet near a break in the fence so I could walk to the library with little fuss. I walked in to the place I did not want to be again and up to my study area. I was partially hoping someone could get in my face so I could have an argument or just tell them to check the parking lot. 

Then again I was also wondering if they would call the tow truck on me because I was parked in someone else’s lot, a business I was not patronizing at the moment. I even went out to check half way through my writing to see if there were any notes or other indications of “just move.” There wasn’t and I was able to finish the chapter. 

I am now almost done Brian’s backstory, the story he tells Shelea while he is in The Healers Station the night he wakes up. I resisted telling it from his POV, an interesting thing I thought about experimenting with, but since people hate first person POV so much, I decided against it, even though, in this case it would make sense.

After there I moved Wanda and then went in to patronize the mall whose parking lot I was in. I decided that it was time to get a trim, a haircut if you will for me and my beard. Here’s what I look like.



I then went to a place not far from work, my usual stomping grounds as I decided to plug into work tonight because I will use a new 12v outlet that I have installed in Wanda.  



This way I can run the small inverter from her batteries once Ace and the laptop internal batteries run out. I also need to clean up Wanda and do some laundry. You know ‘housework.’ 

After I was settled in my home for the night I looked over and saw a couple of old men sitting in chairs outside one of their RV rigs. I decided to be neighbourly and go over to chat, I stood and chatted with them for a while and as I was leaving I heard one of them say to the other "he’s a Mountie."