To Dwell or Not to Dwell...

By popular demand, here is your first official tour of Mo. Brought to you by my other half, Groove. I'll try to do a picture tour as well at some point, but this was just a quick tour to ease those curious minds of yours. As you can see, I've adapted pretty well to life in a van. Not half bad if I do say so myself!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uLWqmKnWDk

Sorry it's a link. The video file is just a hair too big for blogger to post.

Thanks for sharing a rather intimate moment getting to know Mo...

Exhibits A & B

So I've realized quickly that I am awful at blogging. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. Living in a van and being a damn resourceful person is a strength of mine. Sharing my experiences with the world is not. Clearly. Moving on...

I have two "van dweller" stories for you.

1.) How hard would you laugh if I told you I kind of have a pet squirrel?? Because I do. If I come to campus after school, I usually try to park in the same area. It's the only spot I can find with shade (because Mo gets ungodly hot & can use all the cool down help he can get) so that's my lot. After I park, I typically have to dig through the van a bit to get a change of clothes and gather my chargers & such to mooch off of the university, so I use that time to also enjoy a snack.

This little furry critter likes to hang out by my lot, and last week he got the courage to approach me in search of my crumbs. I started throwing him some trail mix and he went to town. Ever since, he has gotten closer and closer to me as we share an after school snack of trail mix, goldfish, & peanut butter crackers. He's gotten to within a foot of me! A wild squirrel mind you. If I were brave enough, I'd reach down and pet him. In time, I am fairly confident that I will be able to pet him.

One time, he even rolled over for me. What wild squirrel rolls over on command?? He's already domestic! How exciting!

His name is Gus Gus & I'll let you know how long he sticks around.

2.) The other day, I was having a crummy day so I went to the park. I needed to 'get away' & get a change of scenery, and the park was the perfect place. It was also the perfect place for every other hobo on the southside to gather. I enjoyed my dinner at one of the many hobo-filled picnic tables. Until....the cops came and kicked me out! A cop rolled up in the lot next to us (Mo is the only car in the lot, mind you, because all the other hobos are legit bums) and flipped his siren & lights on. One of them got on his mega phone thingy and yelled, rather rudely, something along the lines of "Park closes at 8:45...Every night. Don't know how many times we have to tell you people this. Please exit the park immediately. Find a new place to live." My fellows bums & I gathered our few possessions & scattered. Damn 5-0's. I have never felt so homeless in my life. I got kicked out of a public park...with other hobos...by cops on mega phones. My life is now complete.


Remember when i said my life's a joke?? There are exhibits A and B for you. C through Z are to follow over the next few months.

Thanks for sharing another Moment with Mo...

Wordless Wednesdays

The first few days...

I've been a van dweller for one full week. I'm getting into a routine (later post), but I still have A LOT of getting used to to do. It's going to be a looooooong 3 months, that's for sure. One thing that I'm just not getting used to is the ungodly heat we've had all week. I guess it's all part of "make Kelly's life a joke" thing, but almost all summer I was employed at what felt like winter camp. It was cold & rainy, with moderate heat thrown in the mix. Now that I've moved out of the AC, away from a shower, & into a living space abut the size of a handicapped bathroom stall, the summer heat has finally decided to kick in. Cool. I've been adapting well I think. I don't spend much time in the van throughout the day. I basically can only go in it to grab what I need throughout the day & then at night to sleep.

Sunday night's "sleep" was the worst. It was sooooooooo stuffy and not an ounce of breeze was blowing through my windows. I eventually stripped down to my underwear and was still dripping in sweat. I think I could handle it if a shower was available to me as early in the morning as I would need to get to school on time. Since it's not, I have to shower at night. By the time I wake up in the morning, I feel gross. I'm learning to live with "baby wipe baths" in the morning. I just hope my friends and students learn to live with the "baby wipe perfume" I appear to be wearing every day. After that wretched night of unrelentless tossing & turning, I've been working on figuring out ways of cooling down the van to a temperature more appropriate for sleeping. I make sure to park in the shade at school & wherever I go after school. Before I go to bed each night, I've found that if I take down the curtain separating the driving quarters from the sleeping quarters & drive around for 10 minutes with all the windows open & the vent on full blast, it cools down the van temp sufficiently. So far, so good. If the temp gets any higher, I will stay at a friend's but I didn't want to chicken out on the van during the first week, you know? Now that I've hit this milestone, to hell with it! I have no shame in crashing on a friend's couch for a night if it means no baby wipe bath in the morning. Here's to cooler weather ahead!

Thanks for sharing another Moment with Mo...

The back story

Many people have told me that sometimes my life is a joke. This is very much so one of those times. What's so funny, you ask? Well, I'm living in a van....DOWN BY THE RIVER!! Ok, ok, not really by a river, but I am living in a van. And, it is pretty funny. So far. I've only been attempting it for a little over 24 hours. I'll keep you posted on how funny it is after it's really set in. I've never blogged before, so I can't promise I'll be good at keeping up with it, but I feel like I have to try it out. After telling family and friends about my van living plan over the past month, way too many people have suggested writing a blog as a way to keep them updated. I don't think half of them even believed that I would actually move into my van, but here I am. And here's your blog.

Now, if I haven't told you already, you're probably a little curious as to why I am living in my van. Here it is, the back story:
Even though I walked at the graduation ceremony in May, I'm one student teaching placement short of technically graduating. The lease at my old apartment ended in July, and with my current financial situation AND a world wide economic crisis, signing a new lease (by myself or with roommates) was out of the question. Most of the time I'd have my family to fall back on in a situation like this, but alas, my family lives 3 hours away from where I HAVE to do my student teaching. I have wonderfully, amazing friends in town and MANY of them offered for me to stay with them for the 10 week duration of my student teaching. Sounds perfect, right? Not to me. I don't mooch. As wonderful and amazing as they all are, nobody wants a friend crashing on their couch for 3 months. So, back to the drawing board. I'm a simple person. I enjoy the frills of life, but I don't NEED them. So...a van and a plan is all I need. I'm lucky enough to have parents who own a large van. It was coined the "vacation van" as a child and was large enough to transport 9 people and all of their crap around the U.S. Who's to say it can't house 1 person and her essential possessions for a few months?? People have not only survived, but have thrived on much less. So there started the "plan." Last week, I downsized my possessions, moved in, and hit the highway. No turning back now. I am officially homeless and now a van dweller. I start student teaching tomorrow in the 5th grade. I'm excited to get back in the classroom. Let's just hope my kids don't ask where their teacher lives...

And so I have started what will surely be one of the greatest, albeit craziest, adventures of my life, but I'm up for it. I'm not going to pretend I'm not nervous. I'm terrified actually. But you know, you gotta do what you gotta do. I've encountered more challenging things in my life and have come out on top. It's 3 months. I can do it. Who's with me?? (cricket, cricket)

Either way, if you want to know how your favorite nomad is doing in her creeptastic van, check back every once in awhile. I'm thinking the next few posts will be about my first few days, an explanation of the blog name, a "You Asked It" Q&A, and an introduction & picture tour of my new home. Any other suggestions, send them my way. And, I don't really want to write this if nobody reads it, so let me know or leave a comment at some point if you're reading. Off to find a shower...

Thanks for sharing a moment with Mo...