Folks, I just couldn’t take it anymore!!! The weather was destroying #TheMillenniumFalcon… When I returned from England, all of the water was frozen and it took two days to thaw her out… I didn’t want to winterize #TheFalcon because that would mean committing to staying all winter where I have already gone through two unreliable, horrible #restaurant jobs up here…
The weather wasn’t getting any better and when I heard of record breaking freezing weather, I had to get the hell out of dodge… You see, The Millennium Falcon has a #PropaneTank that fuels her house heating… I was refilling the propane every two weeks… I had a constant electrical hookup on the premise and could dump and refill in my Mum’s backyard… But it was crucial I kept the propane heater running when the temperature got below zero…
So, what I would do is go out to #TheFalcon and turn on the heater a couple times of day to make sure nothing froze… It was an arduous effort and at night I would just sleep in the Falcon and keep the heater on all night… The great thing about the Falcon is she has a #thermostat that bottomed out at 50 degrees… So, I could keep it on this lowest setting to keep anything from freezing… I wish the thermostat went down to 40 degrees… That would have been the optimal temperature to save energy but keep the pipes from freezing…
Another great thing about the Falcon is she is pretty damn well insulated… So if you went inside of her and heated her up to 70 degrees, you were sure to keep the above freezing temperature for at least 4 hours before it dropped too low… That also depended on the temperature outside, where the colder it was outside, the less time the Falcon retained her heat…
I am proud to say I didn’t waste my time or money in #Plymouth,MA… Almost every cent I made I used to keep the Falcon running and fixed a lot of problems on her including the heater motor… I don’t know if you remember but I have been having a problem with a faulty #BlowerMotor since I bought her… Well, #TheTravelingMac put an end to that by ordering a new heater motor through #Amazon, watching a #YoTubeVideo and replacing it myself… It was a pretty tough job but I got it done… I love #YouTube!
I also fixed two crucial leaks in two of my windows… Some moron before me removed two of these windows and put them back in the wrong way, which was causing the leaks… It was a long, hard job but I got it done!
It was back on the road! I felt so relieved to leave Plymouth, MA… It was a horrible experience when it came to working there… The only plus was I got to see my family for an extended time over the #holidays but even that got a little old… I’m 40 years old and just didn’t feel like much of an independent man living and working at home…
But no fret folks! I was back on the road and couldn’t wait to see #GreenTrees and fresh grass instead of this white mess… And let me tell you, the white mess went all the way down to #Virginia… Not until I hit NC did I see any green with no white what so ever… That’s how huge the #SnowStorm of the season was!
Now folks, I took a huge gamble taking this trip… The main reason for the gamble was the safety of #TheMillenniumFalcon… I had hardly any money to get there and had no money when I arrived to survive… I essentially had about $20 on me with a maxed out #AmexCard… I immediately called #AmericanExpress and requested a credit increase which they denied…
So, I had to leave it up to the gods… The Amex was still working for some reason, even though it was beyond the limit, so I took my chances with that… I figured I would get my cousin to cash a check when I got to #NC… I had a $750 over draft protection I could take advantage with my bank but I had to get to my cousin first!
It was kind of an exciting, exhilarating #journey actually, traveling on the edge of my seat… I would pray every time I hit a gas pump… My plan was I would let the gas tank get to about half full, then I would try to fill it up at the closest gas station… If the card got rejected then I would have a half of a tank of fuel to live off of with my generator as I looked for a job in the area I was stuck…
That’s right folks, I was so broke this was my plan to get to North Carolina… I had about $40 in loose change in my piggy bank, so I would use that to get food and survive until I got a job…
I also figured if I got close enough to my cousin, she could drive to me to get that check and cash it… But folks, if there is a god, he or she was looking out for me because my# Amex never stopped giving and it still works to this day! I am like $800 over the limit… Not something I am proud of but it got me through this mess… Dire situations require extreme, reckless credit card maneuvering… lol!
After stopping over night twice, I arrived in NC… I was happy to see no more snow… I found the #Walmart parking lot I stayed in last time I was down here and set #camp…
Now to get a #job, make some money and plan my next location to work… My plan was to work here while searching for a #SeasonalJob in warm weather… The thing that sucks is that most seasonal jobs don’t start until April… So, I was stuck here until then… A great source for seasonal jobs which hires servers and bartenders including a slew of other traveling jobs is #coolworks.com… This site is awesome and the jobs you find on most resorts come with cheap housing opportunities, meals and you make a lot more money you would at a traditional restaurant… Check it out if you ever are tired of where you live… A great way to experience new locations and is a perfect route for young people who have no clue what they want to do next… They are always hiring because the selection of reliable workers is very thin… We will talk about this more as I hunt for a job…
Well anyway, I hope the Walmart doesn’t kick me out! My cousin says she has seen people stay here for months… I will keep my fingers crossed and the next post will hopefully be about living in a Walmart parking lot… LOL!
You never know where life is going to bring you folks… Honestly, I love living on the edge of the seat like this… Not that I would want to live like this all of the time but when you are in a dire situation, it forces you to get inventive and think outside the box… That’s exhilarating to me for some reason… Either I’m sick in the head or just love an adventure… Probably a little of both or a lot of both… lol!
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