Looking to do more than I have been with my freedom... | Squat the Planet

Looking to do more than I have been with my freedom...

FluxMan

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Hey there everyone!

I guess I should start by saying I have been on STP in the past, only a few posts under a different name I've now forgotten, but was probably pretty similar.
Below's what has been happening since then, skip it if you want.
I feel like its dishonest to not, I just hate talking about myself this way. Guess there's parts I still feel some shame about. oh well.

About 2 years ago I was in a pretty bad spot, mentally, now thinking about it.
Broke things off with the girl I'd known since, hell, middle school, then a few days later I left my job I'd had since I was 16,
the job that my late father hired me at, for what I thought was a better opportunity.
Turned out the company I was just hired by was pretty quickly failing and really had no time to train someone let alone afford the inevitable few mistakes of said training.
So after 89 days, one less than my probationary period I had no job, felt defeated as hell, had just moved back with family and was watching Stobe videos all day, which led me to find and start lurking around here. I knew there was a more fulfilling way to live, and saw what some of you, and of course the train hoppers on YouTube were doing and just had an awe-filled respect, not that I would've considered it for myself at the time.

I'd never deny enjoying a nice L, or the occasional rip off a bong or someone's vape, but that's the extent of it.
Due to lack of trust and inferring instead of verifying, I was confronted one night and told I was a drug addict and to leave within three hours.
Fair enough, I mean we're family but I hadn't paid rent in a month.
Whatever. Not one to start bad blood with, well, blood I said fuck it, packed two bags and left.
Haven't spoken to them since, so at least the blood is only stagnant.

Hopped in my broken-ass car and drove about a gallon of gas worth North, to where I've been living in it thru to now.
Just close enough to the tracks to hear the trains but still far enough from the air horns to sleep.
The original plan was to find a job for a few months, sell the compact sedan and find something cheap better suited for nomadic living.
Well, New England winter claimed my radiator and water pump,
and my attempt to commute to a summer job on back roads without fixing it cooked the top end.
I didn't come back after the 4th day frying chicken in a kitchen that was hotter than the grease, but the damage was definitely done.
If it at all surpasses normal running temp the valvetrain sounds like a sewing machine.
Until I fix or sell it,I'm not leaving the few towns around here I know are safe to be in, in the condition it's in.

So, selling things I remembered to take from when I had money and spent it on stupid shit, or shit I found on the side of the road or dove for and fixed has gotten me this far,
spending 5-10 bucks a week on food and gas, and the occasional quart of oil for my nonexistent piston rings, but the list of things I own to sell is now beginning to dwindle..
I also go to Dunkin Donuts when a person I know is working and get the day old stuff without going thru the dumpster sometimes, when I can make it there in time.
Worked a few other odd jobs for a day or two at a time, but there doesn't seem to be very much of that kinda work where I'm at.

The cops are cool af here, as long as you don't get the statie driving through after his shift.
The town cops have told me good places to sleep etc., never even ran my plate or asked my name. Just asked if I owned the car.
Even said he'd drive thru again before his shift was over to make sure I was alright. I don't make trouble, at least publicly so that was fine.

Anyway, the reason I'm saying all this and putting it here is I'm finally feeling better about the world, and less good about how complacent I've become just keeping myself ticking, waiting for I don't even know what. I'm all done spending my days playing old computer games until my laptop dies and I have to buy a soda to sit and charge it.
Or sitting there listening to music while my engine cools, just to kill my weak-ass battery and have to flag someone down for a jump.
Or sitting around Mcdonalds all day to sell some old phone or something for less than it's worth, just to get stood up and not be able to buy a gallon of gas to leave.

In the past couple years however, I've learned much about myself. Or very little, however you look at it.
I don't want a job that takes two weeks to hire me and I have to have an account for direct deposit,
and I don't want a place to live that isn't on wheels or can't be packed up.
As soon as it's viable again, I plan to hit the road with no destination in mind.

Right now, I'm looking into finding an ebay "lot" or similar of broken electronics and fixing what I can sell to fund some vehicle repairs, and a place to sleep while I find something new. I've made contact with a guy on LetGo that works with his church to buy used laptops for Haitian schools.
So if he's not in Haiti and I have a supply of broken computers, I have cash. Now just some dead computers and I'll be golden.

While I've never been a super strong person, I don't have anything against manual labor paying the bills,
but due to some undiagnosed however very real and sometimes debilitating back issues I'd rather not "get in shape" on a job site,
otherwise I would be all over the classifieds for construction work in the area, of which there is currently a lot.

So that's me. Looking for a way to GTFO of the Northeast with preferably a vehicle before my birthday, which is basically Halloween.


Thanks for taking the time to read, I'm down for any criticism you've got, suggestions, questions, just want to chat whatever.
I know the life I've been living isn't optimal, especially as far as being able to maintain it and besides, I'll talk with anyone about anything.
See y'all around,
-J
 

Minky

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Hello, I enjoyed reading your post! I really like how honest and genuine you are. Good luck in your travels. Any places you would like to visit? West coast or maybe the mountains? Take care, minky
 
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FluxMan

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New England
I'll assume you're white (since the cops treat you so kindly), & the math says you're 18. Unless you're horribly disfigured, the world is your oyster - meaning, not a whole lot can hold you back
Ehh, guess I look it enough, and my dad had a Jewish last name, so that usually makes it pretty easy.
I'll be 23 this year. Started the job at 16, left at 21.
I'm not disfigured too bad, few nice scars.... don't like my looks but who does?
And yeah, you're right, I'm really the only thing that's been keeping me here. Just finally building the confidence to do what I've been feeling for a while.
 

FluxMan

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New England
I'd say jam up temp labor but don't do anything too hard. Get a gym membership with showers. And keep up with the electronics thing on the side .
Yeah it's got to be something like that, I'd like to build up a little stash before I actually spend money on broken stuff. There are a few spots I frequent currently deep enough in the woods that I can use the 3 gallon shower I've rigged out of a tank in my trunk. My car is dark green, so a few hours in the trunk and it's hot as any plumbed shower. I have gone the gym route, may do it again if this is what I'm still doing this winter.... but they went up another 2 dollars and I said screw it I can make one for less than a month's fee.
 

FluxMan

Member
Joined
Jul 27, 2019
Messages
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Location
New England
Hello, I enjoyed reading your post! I really like how honest and genuine you are. Good luck in your travels. Any places you would like to visit? West coast or maybe the mountains? Take care, minky
Thanks! I do try, honesty is the only way you can solve problems in my experience. Everyone's got their own situation, the best help comes from those that aren't left in the dark. And if they really want to help, they wont be offended by truth.
I'm not sure where I'm headed yet, honestly. But definitely West of here. I've been down the East coast plenty. I'm thinking depending when I leave, and if it's by car, I'll either follow a Northern or more central/Southern path, *very* roughly following either I-70 or I-80/90 across, then go either up or down the West coast a bit. If I'm not tired of it by then I want to sign on with a merchant ship on the coast and work my way through Eur-Asia, the ex-soviet countries that some travel vlog people have been visiting are really interesting to me. I can speak enough Russian, Ukranian and barely enough Mandarin to carve myself a route most of the way through to English countries, hopefully without getting too lost or confused. But that's ultra- long term.
 

FluxMan

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New England
I was going to amend what I wrote to provide something actionable; you seem reasonably intelligent - not to flatter you, but you don't present like a total moron. Anyway, don't get hung up on being kicked out of your home situation for tripping or hitting off someone's bong - eventually everyone involved will look back, laugh, and shrug it off. Regardless, you seem like you got enough going on to avoid the worst pitfalls - like thinking twice before jumping in a pit & wrestling an alligator as a hustle (figuratively, of course - I don't think anyone's going to offer you money to wrestle an alligator). OK - reading your response to @Minky, you strike me as a levelheaded person. There you go - you're on your way. Please post some feedback and prove how absurd my suggestions are
Hah, no, no proverbial alligators for me if at all possible. The hustle part is actually what I've been struggling with most, or at least maintaining something. I went to a technical high school and learned drafting. So, I opened an account on UpWork advertising what I know and some work I've done, but as of yet haven't gotten any jobs. Also been looking in to teaching ESL classes since I'm fluent in a few languages, but without actual certification most places don't give a shit about you it seems.
I figured the easiest way to have a little constant income traveling would be to get something happening online but that's proving harder than it sounded in my head. I can usually find something to make a couple bucks if I'm hard up, but if I can get rid of that stress while I get ready to go, that'd be fucking great.
Right now, I should've mentioned, I'm totally without ID of any kind so I'll need to spend a couple more months in the area regardless of funds for birth cert.>SS card>license>passport as I have access to a legit mailing address here and that shit takes forever. So the only pitfall I face, kind of blind for now is being pulled over and having absolutely jack on me. I've been avoiding state roads unless totally necessary, so hopefully that will continue to not happen for a while.
 

FluxMan

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Location
New England
Do what you gotta do to resolve that situation. I just got my license restored and it cost a pile of money. A red light camera ticket I never received because they mailed it to an old address went to warrant and my license was suspended; therefore, I went around over four years without a valid license - traveling, flying, etc., even encounters with the police - miraculously, they never demanded my license. Being white and middle-age helped tremendously, but for a while I felt like Obi-Wan Kenobi "These aren't the droids you're looking for..." As far as working goes I just use word-of-mouth referrals - I have more work than I can manage. There's no shortage of toil for hard-working honest folks. You may have to reduce the amount of money you're demanding in order to gain clients' trust, but also don't give it away - no matter what price you demand, there's always somebody willing to do it cheaper.
My price has been dropping slowly, I started it out at $12/hr, now it's at 8. But yeah, there are a lot of people asking for $5, the minimum they allow. Iill probably drop it to that soon to get my name out there a bit if nothing else.
How did your license work out for you, process wise? I might be facing the same thing, now that I think about it. The state cop on his way home I mentioned. Don't think it's been long enough to be suspended, maybe.. but same deal, though I could have had a chance to just pay it online. Instead I fought it to buy some time because I was totally broke. Didn't realize the details of my case were being sent to an address I haven't been to in five years.
I can definitely relate to the Obi-Wan feeling, no way there isn't some sort of force holding back the, uh, force.
 

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