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

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.

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.

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.

An Assortment of Thoughts

As part of my travel preparation, I have been reading similar blogs to mine for ideas and inspiration.  My favorite blog to date is My European Adventure by raisedbywildgrapes.

Raisedbywildgrapes left the great white north to explore the old country last year and has not gone back.  I stumbled across her blog when I searched for "one-way ticket to Barcelona" on google.  Expecting to find my blog post on my one-way ticket to Barcelona, I was surprised to find that another fledgling 23 year-old had had the same idea as me!  This adventurous Canuck posts some great stories and is a really good read for those planning a long-term stay in Europe.  Her stories on Italian Woofing have inspired me to trade meat and shoes for tofurkey and sandals for a few weeks after my first post-Jump leg of my trip.  Here is the link to her posts on Woofing in La bella Italia! http://raisedbywildapes.wordpress.com/category/wwoofing/

On a separate note...

It has come to my attention that the name I chose for this Google account could not be any lamer.  Erik Explorer.  Am I so unimaginative as to take Dora the Explorer's (No, I don't watch her show.  I have young cousins) last name?  In my defense, I was in a rush and want to keep my blog a secret from coworkers...no need to ruin the surprise of my resignation!

This also brings up the question as to why I have no pics or details on me.  The answer is pretty much the same.  Anonymity...for now.  Pictures to come soon in June!

Adventure Map

Looking for a way to distract my mind, I decided to sketch out the first 5 weeks of travel.  Plans are subject to change.

KEY

Black spotted lines stand for travel by plane; 

Solid red lines represent travel by train; and

Orange lines mean travel by boat.

These first 5 weeks will start and end in Barcelona.  The five weeks are split into 6 stages:

1) Acclimatization - Adapt to time difference by enjoying the Barcelona nightlife. Time allotted - 2 days.

2) Jewels of the East - Visit beautiful Prague, go back in time to Bratislava, and admire Budapest in 7 days by train.

3) The Far East - Make it (alive) to Sofia, Bulgaria by train then explore the Bulgarian coast by bus as I make my way to Istanbul.  Allotted time - 7 days

4) Island Hopping -  Make it to Thessaloniki, Greece from Istanbul.  Travel by boat to Los and Mykonos and end in Athens, all in 7 days.

5) Croatia - From Zagreb, make my way to the Croatian coast and visit its legendary and hidden towns and islands.  Allotted time - 8 days

6) Return to Home Base - From Zagreb, take a plane back to Barcelona.  Enjoy Barcelona for a few days to decide on a course of action.  Do I want to return to one of the previous destinations?  Where else do I want to go?  Barcelona will be a time to touch base with myself.

This plan is tentative and subject to change on mood shifts, rash decisions and tired legs that refuse to walk another mile.  Hopefully the fast pace of the trip will not be too much to handle.  If it is, I'll stop and rest and rethink my plan.

Girlfriend...the end

My girlfriend and I broke up yesterday.

Maybe it's how her head rests on her hands,
or  the color of her hair,
but this picture reminds me of her when she was sad

It wasn't terrible.  It wasn't devastating.  No lamps or plates were thrown.  Angry, accusatory words never left either one of our lips.

Our break up was expected and we both had prepared for it.  If anything it was sad, almost melancholic. Oddly enough, it was also relieving.

Sunday night we had a three hour long discussion on where we were going.  Originally we had decided to wean ourselves from each other.  A transition period defined by progressively limiting the time we spent together and doing "couples" things.

This transition period did not go well.  The rules were broken more often than followed.  We acted as if everything was ok, but behind the scenes my girlfriend's heart was being mercilessly crushed and I was emotionally taxed to an extent never experienced before.  Finally she confronted me about it.  She could do it no longer.

It was tough breaking up.  I was hoping to slowly grow apart from our relationship and into a friendship.  Having her disappear completely from my life was not something I wanted but it was unfair of me to expect her to easily transition into a friendship.  After all, I was leaving her to pursue my dreams, leaving her alone.

Her greatest complaint was that I was not putting "us" before everything else.  For the last few months of our relationship I had struggled with this accusation.  I knew she was right, that I placed myself and my well being and future ahead of our mutual future, I just did not know why.  I went through an existentialist retrospective period where I questioned myself, my actions and my direction in life.  The central question though was why am I leaving such an amazing girl?  Why would any guy do that?

It took me months to figure out that as a person, I am still figuring myself out.  I do not have a complete feeling of "wholeness".  It's as if I only know and can explain half of "me", who I am.  The other half is still unclear to me.  Not knowing myself fully and completely, and not knowing with 100% certainty what it was I wanted to do in life, I could not give my all to someone.  I need to concentrate on myself, and be ok with myself before I can be ok with making promises and meaningful commitments to others.  In summary, I was more than just hesitant to put all my energy in our relationship when, as a result of me not being "whole", I might change my mind or do things that would undermine our relationship.  That was a risk I was not willing to make.  The best part, the most relieving part of it was that she understood.  She even said she was in a similar phase herself.  We both agreed that while I deal with this lack of wholeness by doing radical things, she deals with it by getting more attached to, and depending on, people.  We also agreed we should work on how we deal with these things.

We hugged a lot, were sad for a lot of it but still managed to smile and even laugh several times throughout the entire conversation on Wednesday.  We agreed on no communication for a week, and then some texts.  We'll see what happens.  I miss her already and I know she misses me.  But this will give us both time to move on with our lives and really get to know ourselves better.  I feel like an 18 year old straight out of high school, not knowing what I want to do with my life.  I guess we never really know.  Eventually we have to decide on a path.  For now, I have decided the path I chose is not the right one for me (for now) and I must try all the other paths before I stick to one, or create my own.

It was the best break up I could have ever hoped for.  Mutual understanding out of love and respect made our break up peaceful.  I feel like we will be friends and that the bridge between us has not been burned.  Some day we might get back together.  Maybe we will not.  Either way, she will always have a very special place in my heart, and I know I will too in hers.

Traction

I'm very inspired today.  The feeling I'm experiencing is similar to a bear waking up from a winter slumber.  Waking up at 11 am, my first stop was the kitchen where I prepared a hearty breakfast of scrambled eggs on toast, chocolate milk, yogurt with apple and nuts.  Leaning back to a bed of pillows, I watched all four episodes of the new History show, Vikings.

Egg pan, compliments of my mom before I left to college.
Moms never intentionally mean to embarrass us, but are nonetheless very good at doing so.
I kept this miniature pan hidden until now, which I use to make perfectly round scrambled eggs for bagels. 

My wonderful, 3 hour breakfast-in-bed-watching-tv splurge was followed not by preoccupations of how I would make a living after leaving my job, or brooding over how stressful and burdensome life can be (I'm thinking taxes and laundry).  Instead I felt full of life, happily moving my furniture around and redecorating my room, shirtless.  Perhaps that is too much information, but its been a while since I've done that.  My roommate and I aren't that close and the house has been cold all winter.  But I somehow didn't feel cold and I felt that despite the pressure to get things in order before my move, everything would be ok.

Sitting outside on my porch in a hoodie and pj pants, watching the sun go down, I feel a flame of inspiration and hopefulness in me.  I want to do a sun salutation, plateauing in a handstand and ending in perfect formation on my porch.  A relic of my college days when I got hooked on yoga and took every possible class I could.  I'll admit it, I first took yoga to meet girls but by session 4 I was always in the first row instead of the back row.  Needles to say, to this day my male friends don't like to talk about my yoga obsession but my mom is very proud.

Unfortunately I am still going through physical therapy for my right shoulder sports injury.  I opt instead to go back inside to escape the 40 degree weather and plug my laptop to my Bose speakers to listen to some Calvin Harris.

Oh but where was I?  Oh yes, Traction.

Traction

With spring here and April almost upon us, the countdown stands at 11 weeks and 4 days to my departure to Barcelona.  9 weeks, 6 days to my last day at work and 6 weeks, 4 days until I break the news to my supervisor and, harder yet, to my coworkers.  The end of this 9-5 journey is definitely palpable.  I could try and fight it but inevitably I will have to confront those days.  I can meet them prepared or unprepared, and I'd rather do the former.

Deciding to take The Jump really got me going in this new direction.  Buying my one-way ticket to Barcelona marked the transition from thinking to doing and writing this blog reminds me of the promise I made to myself; to explore and enjoy life.

Traction in the world of entrepreneurship means validation by your target market of your product.  In other words, the point when consumers of your product accept and use/purchase the product/service and thus get the ball rolling for your idea.  In my case, my idea is my trip and validation are external events that get me going on my trip going.  For example, having a plane ticket pushes me to look at transportation and other costs in Eastern Europe.  Researching costs helps shape my travel route.  Another example would be the self-imposed resignation deadline and its effect on how I save money and mentally prepare to leave my job.  That, in essence, is traction.  Traction is also comparable to momentum like this seal rolling down a hill.

Traction and Happines

I think that my improved mood this week has a lot to do with traction.  Life is pretty much the same at the surface, yet underneath the mundane I am preparing myself in many ways to leave.  As the light at the end of the tunnel gets brighter, the brighter my days get.

If You're Gonna Jump, Stretch First!

I couldn't find a movie clip.
This is the best picture I could find.

In preparation for The Jump, I'm doing all the leg stretching in the world to be well prepared.  Cramping up before propelling myself off the cliff would be a bad start, especially if I don't jump high and far enough to clear that dead tree jutting 5 feet below the edge of the cliff.  Worst case scenario, I freak out and turn my jump into a cart-wheel and end up dangling in the cliff brush like Marshal in Forgetting Sarah Marshal.

Eastern Europe, here I come!

Aaah cheap, beautiful Eastern Europe; where all the food, drinks, lodging and entertainment can be acquired for a few pennies!  For those of you under 25, the movie Euro-trip might come to mind.

Now I know enough about Eastern Europe (and am a rational human being) to know that a few US coins will not get you personal concierges, lodging at a 5 star hotel and VIP service at posh nightclubs in Bratislava  .  EE is significantly cheaper than her Western European twin but by how much?  If I was to travel the eastern side of the gorgeous continent, an estimate of travel costs was necessary.  For this I looked to my fellow bloggers out there for guidance.

Travelling in the backpacks of giants

By far the three best resources for calculating trip expenses of an adventurous, experience through the former Soviet bloc were Nomadic Matt, Lonely Planet and Nomadic Mike.  Below is a quick run of each source and the relevant information found on their site.

Nomadic Mike 

A quick Google search for "cost of traveling Eastern Europe" found me this excellent blog!  Nomadic Mike is a serial nomad whose goal is to inspire others to travel and show people it is possible to travel first class on a budget.  If his superbly built blog and amazing articles aren't enough to believe him, just read one of the many articles written on him by major media companies.

Nomadic Mike offers guides, shares experiences and offers first class advice on traveling.  I used his post "The Cost of Travelling Far Eastern Europe" and similar ones to calculate my travel costs through EE.  He does a wonderful job of breaking down the costs and then totaling them up for you.  His fondness for sushi drives up the price of his estimates.  Travel while not on a sushi kick and your costs should be fewer.

Using his estimates I should spend roughly $40 a day for food, lodging and other expenses.

Naughty Nomad

Naughty Nomad is exactly that, a very naughty nomad.  A self-described globetrotting, border jumping, drug smuggling, adrenaline-seeking, international debaucher (his words, not mine), this Scottish adventurer lives to travel the world on the fast - and near lethal - lane.  Naughty Nomad, aka Mark Zolo, keeps a blog replete with his adventures, travel routes, experiences and advice to other travelers.  Oriented towards a younger male audience looking for sex, drugs and fun, he focuses on advice and experiences to create an adrenaline-pumping site that rivals most action packed sports.  That is not to say there isn't any non-hooking up and getting high advice.

Naughty Nomad has a quick facts sheet for each city he has pillaged.  At the top of each city guide is an average cost section.  The average cost of beer, bed, bud, board and other are listed.  Very useful to estimate costs!  His Top 5 Destinations in the Balkans post inspired me to visit Belgrade, Skopje, Sarajevo, Hvar Island and a tour of Montenegro.

By his estimates, I should expect to doll out around €45 a day or USD 58.75 a day if using today's conversion rate.  And I overestimated my expenses.  Not a bad price to pay to enjoy life in new and exciting places!

Lonely Planet

While not a blog, Lonely Planet is the absolute authority on globetrotting. Suffice it to say you can find pretty much the answer to any budget or backpacking travel question ever asked in our modern age!  Lonely Planet has published several guide books.  I suggest looking at them if only to see the stunning pictures and read the comprehensive country tips!  Seriously, take a look at Lonely Planet.  Their forum section is almost as informational as the site itself.

Using Lonely Planet I estimated my expenses to run at $40 a day in EE.

Not so cheap after all

I guess travelling to Eastern Europe isn't as cheap as the movies would have us believe.  Cheaper than Western Europe?  Definitely! Staying at an ok hostel alone will cost at least 25 euros a night and food is crazy expensive there!

Roughly having an estimate of my expenses is great!  I definitely feel my legs stretching out.  I know what I am looking at (cost wise) and can plan ahead for it!  

Stretching has just begun, but I can already feel my legs loosening up.

The Jump

The last post (also my first) was supposed to be short and concise but it ended up being a semi-angry, steam-blowing post.  I explained my motivations (in too much detail) for quitting my current easy and predictable life.  This post will quickly summarize why I want to quit, what I plan on doing and how I will get there.  And I really mean quickly because it's almost 9 pm my time and I'm really tired from work and I still have several things do to before the night is over! Oh the life of the working, modern person!

The Jump  

Disclaimer:  The Jump is a metaphor.
Don't literally jump off a cliff!

The jump from the known to the uncharted, the predictable to the unpredictable, the stable to the ever-changing.  I will go up to my boss and bring him the news that in three weeks time I will be turning in my resignation letter.  I could wait until it's two weeks and save me the pain of dealing an extra week with half-angry, half-envious co-workers who will give me their two cents on my resignation...whether I want to hear it or not.  But I don't hate my co-workers or my supervisor or the organization I work for, quite simply I was not made for 8 hour shifts in a sunless cubicle, turning my butt cheeks into silly putty, so I will give them enough time to start looking for a replacement.

Why quit?  I don't want to spend my youth living a predictable, comfortable life when I only have one life to live and there is so much to do and see!  I'm not being a rebellious child with no sense of responsibility.  I will work hard on my online businesses during my trips and adventures and take part-time jobs.  Why wait to retire when you can have many mini-retirements throughout your life?

The Flight...or Fall

Hopefully much will be learned travelling and exploring, sailing my ship of to a destination unknown.  If I fail in my online business pursuits, or succumb to the pressures of insecurity, instability and financial uncertainty I can always start a 9-5 job again.  That would be the fall.  Succeeding in traveling and sustaining myself would be considered the flight, choppy as it may be at the start.

Taking The Leap

To Jump my legs need to be strong enough to carry me to the cliff and my mind strong enough to overcome my survival instinct to do something as insane as to jump off a mountain. Leaping starts long before I throw myself from the cliff...it starts with mental preparation and physical conditioning months before I ever get to the cliff.  That  is where I am at right now, and I get cold feet every 10 minutes.  But I will save that for another post.

To Leap I need to save enough to survive on my own without any income for at least 6 months.  My body should be in shape to carry me through my adventures.  My determination must be as hard as rock or otherwise succumb to fear and pressure.  These have become my main obstacles up to date.  But again, more on that in further posts.

Time to get ready for tomorrow's workday.  Maybe I'll have time tomorrow to write another post.

The Jump...renamed to The Rant

I was scared shitless.  No, scratch that.  I am scared shitless.

A great job, a beautiful girlfriend, a successful career and a comfortable life guaranteed for the rest of my life, and I am going to leave it all.  Why in the world would I do that?  How could anyone in their right mind leave such an enticing and sought after life?

A comfortable life. Those three words frighten me more than my fear of drowning or burning at a stake.  Not that I'm a bad swimmer or a witch living in 17th century Massachusetts.  Those are just my two greatest fears, as unlikely as it may be unless my travels lead me to an unfortunate death in a boiling pot of gold in the Amazon rain-forest like a Spanish conquistador of old.  But I digress.

A little bit about me

My entire life I have been successful at what I do.  Much of it I owe to my parents who pushed me to my intellectual limits despite my stubbornness.  The rest I owe it to my own competitive and I'll-prove-you-wrong personality.  I'm not proud of being a competitive, stubborn dick who goes to great lengths to prove others are wrong about me or what is possible in this life, but that's who I am.  The past 5 years of my life have been an uphill battle against myself to tone down my less than pleasant personality traits, including my stubbornness, competitiveness and quite frankly being an asshole (whether intentionally or not) and a jerk more often than not.  I have toned down these traits a lot, but I will never completely rid myself of them.  I wouldn't want to either since these traits are beneficial when I have control over them and not vice versa.

A Successful life but an unhappy one

I passed high school with a International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma as well as a normal High School diploma (The IB program is the International equivalent of the AP Honors program).  I completed my bachelor's education at a large, prestigious university double majoring and picking up two language minors.  I speak Spanish fluently to the extent that native Spanish speakers are confused when I tell them I'm American.  My Italian is conversational but nothing exceptional.  I understand basic German and French and can understand Portuguese when I read it.  I started working at a prestigious organization 2 weeks after graduating from college in one of their most sought out career tracks.  Before that, I had an internship every summer of my four-year college life.

I was slightly mad when I wrote this

Before I lose myself in this narcissistic rant let me get to my point.  I am well traveled, educated and successful.  I've worked my ass off to get where I am and spent a large part of my youth working hard for the success and opportunity I now have.  I even did what every college professor, career counselor and mother mercilessly beat into your head: get a job you're passionate about!!  Well now I'm the poster child of the perfect son, a true, living example of the perfect college grad and I hate it.  I absolutely hate it.  The happiness I thought I would find on this path is an empty shell.  I like to describe it as a delicious, crisp looking, deceitfully bright red apple at a grocery store.  Not your average apple, and on top of that you are absolutely starved.  You buy the apple and the second you walk out of the store you bite into it only to bite into a soft brown mush.  You eat it because you're stomach is swelling from how starved you are (exaggeration) and it quenches your hunger but you're not happy.  The apple was deceitfully good looking but it wasn't what you thought it would be.  That's the reality of the stable, 9-5 job.  And I absolutely hate it.

How is a stable 9-5 job with benefits and a predictable, comfortable life a bad thing you might ask?  "Seriously dude", you may be thinking, "you need to be happy to have a great job, especially in this economy.  Stop complaining while others are desperately looking for jobs, and most of all, stop bragging about your success".  Well here's the thing people.  The 9-5 job is boring as hell and it sucks the life out of you.  Even despite my success, financial duress has been a reliable partner up until I got my job.  You wake up at 6:30am to get ready, then work and deal with corporate bullshit, leave work to do laundry, groceries or work out or any other chore for an hour or two and then you're too tired to do anything else but sit in front of the TV and fall asleep watching re-runs of Friends or Seinfeld mistakenly believing your mood will improve or you will find the energy to do anything else.  The next morning you wake up at 6:30 am from your couch still half dressed from the day before and the cycle repeats itself.  The weekends aren't any better.  "I get to sleep in!" is what you tell yourself.  "Fool" says your body says the next morning at 7 am, just around the time you normally stop hitting the snooze button during the week.  Grudgingly you wake up and lay in your bed wondering how in the world will you get everything there is to do done before the weekend is over.

How can this be living?  My above description isn't the best at demonizing the 9-5 work week, but seriously people, why do we give up the best hours of our day, the sunlight, the breeze, the adventures of the world to work in an office or cubicle?  "Bills!" "That's life!"  "What else would I do?" "Money!"  "A nice car!"  "Retirement!" Those are the most common answers I hear.  Valid answers all of them but fuck, there's got to be some other way to achieve those things without slaving 8 hours a day.  And this applies to all age groups. The youth should not spend the apex of their physical lives sitting in a desk chair.  Middle aged people want to enjoy their families, and who knows what seniors want.  I'm not a senior so I wouldn't know but I damn straight know 0% of seniors dream of working at the entrance of a Walmart, exacerbating their arthritis and knee problems.

And I was still mad...

So back to my original thought.  A comfortable life.  Fuck it.  I'm young and I am eager to taste more of the world than just the farts of my coworker sitting in the cubicle next to me.  I want to live adventurously and experience the wonderful and exciting things this world has to offer!  Two weeks of vacation time a year just doesn't cut it and weekends are too short to accomplish anything meaningful or fun without time pressures and monetary constraints.  Every single friend of mine and friend-of-a-friend and even many of my coworkers who are now friends with me have confessed that a million dollars in their bank account or winning the lottery would be followed by a resignation letter on their supervisor's desk the next day.  The age range is vast, therefore it's not just about me being young and rebellious.  Indentured servitude isn't really my thing and I'm resolved to become a master of my own fate, even if that fate puts me face-to-face with poverty, hardships and a shot or two of desperation.  I know it is possible to succeed and live well outside of the 9-5 job.  Just ask Tim Ferris and the thousands of people that post their success stories on his blog.  Ask the millions of successful entrepreneurs, independent online worker, bloggers, travelers, website owners who have done it.  If they did it why can't I?  Why can't you?

My plan

Here's my plan.  I'm quitting end of May or end of June to travel.  I will work on my online business ideas following Tim Ferris's guidelines, learning from success stories and using common sense.  This blog will be my silent shrink.  My doubts, concerns, plans, ideas will be posted on this blog but my focus will be on my adventures both past, present and those I hope to live...and live through (for a more accurate description of my plan visit my About Me page.  Perhaps other people with a desire to travel or live a non-9-5 work-week can learn something from my blog or I from them if they kindly post on my blog.  Mostly this blog (for now) is to express my scared-shitless, diarrhea-inducing fear of losing everything I worked so hard to get and taking a jump into the unknown.  The only way to know if my parachute will work is to take the jump off the cliff.  That is what it feels like.  Actually I take that back, it feels like jumping off a cliff with a parachute building kit. I have time to build the parachute (the online business) and actually use it (sufficient income) before I hit the rocks below (game over).  Luckily for me it's not really game over.  I get to restart...working another 9-5 job.  It may be life-sucking but I at least I can say I tried.  Now it's time to prepare for the jump.

Now I must get another chamomile tea to further soothe my nerves.