Burn Out, the sequel
- Izaak David Diggs
- Aug 5, 2022
- 2 min read
I am tired of living out of a minivan but that observation is irrelevant. Everytime I feel burn out coming on there is this internal dialogue:
Yeah? Do you want to live check to check again? You wanna live with roommates who disturb your sleep? You wanna live in a city?
I really like the campground I work at and my co-workers, being a camphost is a job that suits me—
These are the things I remind myself of when I tire of not having a bathroom or a real kitchen or whatever other sacrifices are made in this life. Unlike the last time I was burned out, there is the memory of my four months in Sacramento to replay as a reminder.
I could acquire a rural piece of land. Seeing as I am not paying rent or utilities, the monthly payments would be manageable. The reasons for not doing that are: 1. Considering the direction this country is going the idea of buying land has lost a lot of appeal 2. If I buy land, I want to do it in union with other people 3. I want to pay down my existing debts before taking on a new one.
Pandette has a little under three years of payments left. Currently, she has 154,000 miles and is running well though there is some sort of electrical gremlin that drains her battery after two days (drains it enough the starter can’t be turned over). I suspect is has to do with the broken left slider but who knows; electrical issues are mysteries and often expensive ones. The next vehicle could take a number of forms: Commuter bus. Small box truck. Pickup with a homemade camper on the back. Each has advantages and disadvantages, I am thinking $15,000 will be the budget for the next vehicle. A $15,000 motorhome is a dicey proposition though I am not against a classic, four cylinder Toyota RV. You can find decent ones for under $10,000 though their popularity is quickly closing that door or window. I want to have space to cook and record music, have some sort of keyboard I can use as piano. I may wait until Pandette is paid off, or when this recession lifts I may figure out a way to sell the van and buy something different.
Burn out is common in vanlife. You just need to step back and remind yourself why you’re doing it and the advantages it has over the stick and brick life. Man, I spent my two days off (this week) in a hotel. It was just a Holiday Inn but to me it was like the best five star hotel you can imagine…a bathtub, man, I love baths. You may think me crazy but I half seriously am considering installing a bathtub if I get a box truck or bus.
Speaking of vanlife, I just released No Signal, the story of my first year in the van, you can find it here:
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