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Erik
Sunday, April 14, 2013
When Life Denies You Lemons...Make Lemonade
Life is unfair. She doesn't like to play ball all the time, and when she does it's by her rules. Her capricious nature can make the stars align for you one day and derail your success the next. Life is a fickle lady.
Life played a cruel prank on me; she made me believe I was physically in shape to travel in two months time. Just as I was selling my stuff and finalizing my plans my old shoulder injury came back and jacked up my body. After several sleepless nights of excruciating pain in my sternum, right chest, upper right back and neck, I saw my osteopath. After some prying around of my shoulders and chest, he informed me my manubrium (upper part of the sternum) had been dislodged slightly to the right. The dislocation was the cause for what apparently can cause pain similar to a heart-attack. That explained a lot. So I'm going back next week to get the rest of my upper right side of the body manually realigned after which I will undergo several sessions of prolotherapy on my right shoulder, sterno-clavicular joint and upper back. The financial burden of these sessions, as well as the recuperation period of 8 to 12 weeks (and a re-evaluation a few weeks thereafter) will probably make me postpone my trip. Those words feel like boulders slamming into my back and making my sterno-clavicular pain feel like nothing.
Making lemonade without lemons
Step 2: From Barcelona WWOOF in Italy for a few weeks. Then I would work at hostels and maybe do some bartending in north-western Europe (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, London, Edinburgh, Stockholm).
Life played a cruel prank on me; she made me believe I was physically in shape to travel in two months time. Just as I was selling my stuff and finalizing my plans my old shoulder injury came back and jacked up my body. After several sleepless nights of excruciating pain in my sternum, right chest, upper right back and neck, I saw my osteopath. After some prying around of my shoulders and chest, he informed me my manubrium (upper part of the sternum) had been dislodged slightly to the right. The dislocation was the cause for what apparently can cause pain similar to a heart-attack. That explained a lot. So I'm going back next week to get the rest of my upper right side of the body manually realigned after which I will undergo several sessions of prolotherapy on my right shoulder, sterno-clavicular joint and upper back. The financial burden of these sessions, as well as the recuperation period of 8 to 12 weeks (and a re-evaluation a few weeks thereafter) will probably make me postpone my trip. Those words feel like boulders slamming into my back and making my sterno-clavicular pain feel like nothing.
Making lemonade without lemons
The news crushed me. I thought my shoulder was fine and I had no idea my SC joint was that bad. I guess I was used to the pain and discomfort. Nevertheless, I could not become depressed if addressing the problem took longer than 7 weeks. I proceeded to write up plans B and C but not before binging on The New Girl, Workaholics and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia episodes for four days.
If resigning from work in May could not happen, I was gonna have adventures nonetheless.
Ground rules to plans B and C
If I don't start travelling and seeing new places soon I'll go mad. I need an escape from my daily life. This does not give me permission to spend my entire pay check on traveling and doing fun things. Saving is important to my future globe-trotting goals and to paying my physical therapy bills. A balance is therefore necessary between fun and savings.
1) Travel expenses cannot replace saving money
2) Keep travels to weekend-long trips. Not that I get many days to take off anyways.
3) Monthly savings should add up to recoup my physical therapy costs and weekend trips by latest September.
Ground rules set, I can proceed to creating plans B and C.
Plan A
But I thought you were writing plans B and C? Although it is very likely my trip will be postponed, I need to create my expanded Plan A in case Life sides with me for once.
Plan A had three steps to it.
Step 1: The first 5 weeks would happen as described in my adventure map. It would be a glorious, fast-paced trip across Eastern Europe a la Amazing Race.
Step 2: From Barcelona WWOOF in Italy for a few weeks. Then I would work at hostels and maybe do some bartending in north-western Europe (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, London, Edinburgh, Stockholm).
Step 3: Fly to northern Finland to work at a Husky farm. No, they do not raise huskies for sale in Chinese food markets. They breed and train huskies for sledding!
....and that is as far as I had planned for Plan A.
Plan B
Plan B is a truncated version of Plan A consisting of 3 steps.
Step 1: Keep my job but travel to Barcelona on June 12th and enjoy the Barcelona night-life for 10 days. What better way to avoid jet-lag by partying it up by night and sleeping by day?
Step 2: Every other weekend travel to a new city. I will start at those cities where I have friends who can guide me around.
Step 3: Sometime around September/October WWOOF and do fun jobs found at http://www.workaway.info/ until summer time 2014 when I can happily (and warmly) travel the European continent and stay at busy hostels.
Plan C
Plan C departs from the Euro-centricity of Plans A and B. Here is how it would happen:
 |
| My "Motorcycle Diaries" fantasy |
Step 1: Resign in October and move to the golden coast! Work a few odd jobs and spend time exploring the region. During my spare time I would work on my online businesses.
Step 2: Come end of May, fly to Central America with a friend or two. There rent/buy motorcycles or a van and criss-cross South America to Brazil. Time frame: 3 weeks.
Step 3: Partake in the crazy World Cup festivities throughout June.
Step 4: Leave Brazil in July.
Win-Win?
I'm worried it won't be a win-win. I'm scared I'll get depressed these next few months, especially when my injury keeps me from going outside and having fun without re-injuring my arm. But I think making the best out of bad situations keeps people sane. It's that or be sad and disappointed.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Moving Expenses; Worth it or Not?
It's been a while since I posted a new blog. Between watching The Tudors and setting up my wordpress blog, I have been neglecting this blog.
I got so entranced by The Tudors that I just had to watch the last two seasons in a week and a half. At first I watched half an episode during dinner. Then it became an entire episode per dinner. I knew it was a problem when I started to dream it and it officially became a major issue in my life when I started using Old English words in my daily conversations. My coworkers now use the word "grievous" around me...because it's an awesome word and sounds better and more educated than "grave" or "serious". They're not making fun at me at all.
So I watched the entire show and I've got to say that it never let me down. The last two seasons are more exciting than even the second season where Natalie Dormer becomes (SPOILER ALERT) the Queen. Yes, I am a big fan of her, especially of that signature seductive stare of hers.
But moving on. I'm hard at work to create a Wordpress blog documenting my progress as I diet and workout in accordance to Tim Ferris's 4-Hour Body. When I hand in my two week notice I will post a link to my wordpress blog, finally revealing my true identity!
On to my title, moving expenses.
Lately I've been stressed out deciding if I should send my stuff to my uncle's place in California for safe keeping or if I should sell everything, including my much loved flat screen computer monitor. Buying new things is always a possibility if I settle down somewhere (temporarily or permanently), but what if I don't have enough money by then? It also takes time to find the right things and buy them. To solve my mental suffering, I looked into prices.
Doing a quick Google search for "moving packing" I found more than enough companies to get quotes from. Every single one of them asked me to give them an e-mail address and full name before getting a quote. I absolutely hate this! Just give me the damn quote and then I might contact you! I don't need 10 moving companies spamming me for the next 2 months.
One company called me 30 seconds after I hit the "enter" button. They wouldn't give me a quote. All they wanted to do was chat. I think the guy was bored. After a short chat, I asked what my quote was (again) and he siad he couldn't give one to me. That information was administered by another department....which happened to be closed. I asked for the department's number and I hung up.
The other companies gave me quotes ranging from $1,200 to $2,300. Too much if you ask me. I don't even have that much worth in belongings! I made up my mind on the spot. I would have to say goodbye to my belongings. Except for a few posters, my flat screen computer monitor, clothes, and a few other items of sentimental value, everything else would be sold off or donated.
My last resort is to have a friend of mine who is moving to California take my stuff with him. That might be a cheaper option.
I got so entranced by The Tudors that I just had to watch the last two seasons in a week and a half. At first I watched half an episode during dinner. Then it became an entire episode per dinner. I knew it was a problem when I started to dream it and it officially became a major issue in my life when I started using Old English words in my daily conversations. My coworkers now use the word "grievous" around me...because it's an awesome word and sounds better and more educated than "grave" or "serious". They're not making fun at me at all. |
| She would get anything from me with that look |
So I watched the entire show and I've got to say that it never let me down. The last two seasons are more exciting than even the second season where Natalie Dormer becomes (SPOILER ALERT) the Queen. Yes, I am a big fan of her, especially of that signature seductive stare of hers.
But moving on. I'm hard at work to create a Wordpress blog documenting my progress as I diet and workout in accordance to Tim Ferris's 4-Hour Body. When I hand in my two week notice I will post a link to my wordpress blog, finally revealing my true identity!
On to my title, moving expenses.
Lately I've been stressed out deciding if I should send my stuff to my uncle's place in California for safe keeping or if I should sell everything, including my much loved flat screen computer monitor. Buying new things is always a possibility if I settle down somewhere (temporarily or permanently), but what if I don't have enough money by then? It also takes time to find the right things and buy them. To solve my mental suffering, I looked into prices.
Doing a quick Google search for "moving packing" I found more than enough companies to get quotes from. Every single one of them asked me to give them an e-mail address and full name before getting a quote. I absolutely hate this! Just give me the damn quote and then I might contact you! I don't need 10 moving companies spamming me for the next 2 months.
One company called me 30 seconds after I hit the "enter" button. They wouldn't give me a quote. All they wanted to do was chat. I think the guy was bored. After a short chat, I asked what my quote was (again) and he siad he couldn't give one to me. That information was administered by another department....which happened to be closed. I asked for the department's number and I hung up.
The other companies gave me quotes ranging from $1,200 to $2,300. Too much if you ask me. I don't even have that much worth in belongings! I made up my mind on the spot. I would have to say goodbye to my belongings. Except for a few posters, my flat screen computer monitor, clothes, and a few other items of sentimental value, everything else would be sold off or donated.
My last resort is to have a friend of mine who is moving to California take my stuff with him. That might be a cheaper option.
In conclusion: Use Common Sense
If the move costs more or the same as all your belongings combined, sell your stuff and buy new ones instead. As a side note, I have been called 13 times today and e-mailed 7 times by different packing and moving companies. Ugh.
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