Parking the Beast

I met a guy named Anthony at a festival back in April and we get to chatting on the dance floor. After he learned my name he was very eager to tell me about his ex-girlfriend named Masha also…”Masha Trivian”, sever times. I politely smiled and nodded and carried on to other dancers. But he kept on returning and asking little questions here and there, “Who do you know here, where are you from, where do you live now?” So I threw it out there….”I live in an RV, soooo I live, everywhere, anywhere I want.” This is always a fun thing to say to guys. They seem to love it, because it A. shows that I am an adventurous fun girl and B. I don’t like commitment, so they’re not afraid of me becoming a stage 5 clinger. Because, shit, I can’t even commit to an address, let alone a man! So after I told him this, he asked me where I park it. Anywhere really…why? Turns out he has a backyard/driveway/lawn and if I wanted to take him up on this offer, I could pay a little bit of rent and park and live. At first I was hesitant, because he wanted at least 3 months and even that was too much of a commitment for me. So I backed off and gypsied about town for a while longer. But then I got tired. The cost of gas is crazy, and not being able to plug in my refrigerator, is beginning to get costly as well. Going out all the time is also not good for the waste line.

            So I took Anthony up on his offer. I would have a nice fenced in place to park, a laundry room, electricity, water and WIFI. Gatita has a big area to roam in and if I REALLY need to take a shower in the house, some days I could. I have a gym at work and a shower there, as well as the yoga studio. So if I want a shower I have to workout. Which is doing WONDERS for my waist line J

            While at Anthony’s my adventures have home to a halt unfortunately, as my only adventure now, is my weekly visit to the RV dump. And even that is challenging sometimes, since my battery dies all the from under use. Sadly my time has been filled with tedious stuff like work, and looking for more and better work and car repairs, that traveling had to be put on the back burner. I have come use my free time for decorating and beautifying the interior of my little toaster. I’ve painted the ceiling and made a mirror mosaic. I have put a lot of effort into making it as cozy as possible and I must say, it’s come along nicely. I even have an outside bathtub that could potentially be more than just a decorative piece. I’ve always wanted an outside bathtub….ah, a girl can dream. 

Mini Melt Down

Now that I had a car, and could move around easier, I figured RV living would now become a piece of cake. I would park my RV here and there, preferably by the beach, but sometimes near the city, wherever was convenient. Then I’d drive my car around to drive errands, then come back and park as close as I could to my mobile home. I had a few run-ins with the law around this time. Apparently it’s illegal to sleep in city streets. Who knew? I see thousands of RVs parked on streets all the time, many of them in the same spots, or just around the corner. They can’t all be waiting to go camping for the weekend. I probably made the mistake of leaving my curtains open, for all to see my bed. Plus I have this mangy cat that has made herself a kitty door, out the crack in the window. Who also likes to chase birds, which causes the birds to crow, and then the neighbor dog sees all this excitement and starts to bark, and then the other dog joins in, and then another. And then the neighbor lady calls the cops and blames the commotion on the dirty hippy van parked in front of her house. I’ve gotten a nice cop knock on my door at 6am and tell me to pull around the corner. I got a not so nice cop do the same thing, in harsher words. I also got a note on my door, telling me this was my first and only warning and next time I would be cited or towed. So I got nervous and moved back to the beach, because I never had any trouble there.

            I was still working 2 jobs and hating Sammy’s and they hated me and I had no time to myself and blah! I sort of had a little mini melt down. One of several. I came home, tired, hungry to my kitten, always cheerful and loving to see me. The juice was starting to run out of my battery and my lights were dimming. I have candles, no biggy…but no lighter, just some damp matches. Then I go to wash my hands, and my water is running out. L I realized also that I need electricity to charge my phone and WIFI to get on the internet and going to Starbucks everyday is starting to get expensive. And laundry, I have to do laundry now with this stupid waiting job. Office jobs don’t get your clothes dirty; you can wear them for weeks. I normally went to the house in PB to do my laundry, but it was getting to be a hassle driving all the way out there and the roommate relations where becoming…strained. So I had a little panic attack, cried to my kitty, and to who ever else was in ear shot to me. Even called my ex boyfriend in Costa Rica, who invited me to come back to live the simple life, in the jungle. And I almost thought about it. But then realized that I would be bored in 2 weeks and jungle life wasn’t for me. Thank God I have some amazing friends that were there and willing for me to come over, take a shower and recharge my RV, do some laundry and recuperate my body and soul. I would be ok for a few more weeks.

            I had had enough. Too much moving around, too much stress, too much worry about where I was going to park, what was going to break next and whether I was going to have enough money to fix it. I was having too much trouble and not enough adventure. I was wasting too much money on food, since I couldn't plug my fridge in. I had to go to the library to go on the internet, or friend’s houses which weren't always available. Showers became interesting too. I either have to take a shower at work, typically after I work out in the little gym they have. Or I go to yoga, and take a shower there afterwards. Either way, I have to work out in order to take a shower. So I've definitely lost some of that Costa Rican weight I put on. I also can’t hold food very long. I only buy what doesn't need refrigeration, or if I do, I get enough for 2 meals. And make sure I portion it out accordingly. The poor RV girl diet is working!!

            Needless to say these were some trying times…many nights found myself questioning why I even got this stupid thing in the first place. Was it even worth it? But you live, you learn and you figure it out. That’s exactly what I did, and had some very interesting experiences because of it.