knocked some sense into me

[amw]

I'll open this entry by saying i have recovered somewhat from whatever it was that caused my blackout the other day. I spent a few days inside, not drinking, not smoking, just resting. Then i slowly restarted that stuff, and some exercise too, and yesterday i did about a 50km ride along the river so i think i'm back to normal, plus a few scrapes

Comments

[terminal_ennui]

I had no idea the country around Kamloops looked like that- it looks like the grasslands down here near the border, around Sonoita. Which is also always dancing a sort of a weird balance between mineral extraction, ranching, rich people houses, and people who are out there for reasons usually traceable to some kind off of the grid libertarianism that quickly descends into xenophobia when you talk to them.

BUT thanks for the pictures of the environs- it’s really beautiful.

[amw]

Isn't it great? From my research, Canada has several places that look like this. A stretch of valley around Kamloops, an actual full-blown desert in a place called Osoyoos (several hours south of here, right next to the border) and then parts of the high plains in southern Alberta and Saskatchewan. It's my favorite landscape to just "be" in. I find other landscapes are kinda nice to look at if i'm passing by, but i always want to leave. These arid areas, though, they feel cozy and homely to me.

You're right on about this weird off grid libertarianism that ends up kind of xenophobic. I've always been a bit disappointed by "back to the land" hippies and rural anarchists, the conversation starts alright and then can suddenly take a wrong turn when it gets to a topic that brings out the inner racist (or homophobe, or whatever it is). I tend to treat everyone more or less with respect, even if aspects of their worldview rub me the wrong way, but it does put up a bit of a wall that makes it harder to connect deeply.

[benicek]

You've really boiled property down to its frustrating essence. Money is converted into assets in order to secure freedom; but assets require maintenance, which require money, which restricts freedom. In this way a windfall becomes a job.

I don't know if you've read 'autobiography of a super-tramp'. The author explained that what truly turned him into a vagabond wasn't that he ran out of money. On the contrary, he had a constant supply of it; a tiny income, barely enough to feed himself, a small percentage of rents from an inherited property. This liberated him to wander North America and England for decades.

Maybe you need to convert your nest egg into a tiny income instead of a millstone.

[amw]

You summed it up very well.

I haven't read that book, but it's one of several books on my tramping list that i'd like to get to at some point. The one thing that stops me from going full punk is that i don't particularly enjoy the mechanics of camping, although i'd sure appreciate the freedom.

This week i finally took mom's nest egg and put it somewhere that will generate a bit of money. I'm not sure how reliably it will generate cash just yet, but for the time being it's out of sight, out of mind. I'll check back in a few months i think to see how viable it is as an actual source of income.

[benicek]

For you I envisage not a life of camping but some very low-rent solution, maybe supplemented by very part-time remote casual IT jobs.

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[olamina]

I dunno. I liked Victoria area when I was there a while back. I went to Nanaimo and found it to be the type of one Main Street town I like. Funky boutiques, enough good little places to eat and then just quiet.

[amw]

I think i am placing too much emphasis on the weather. I don't like the combination of cold and rain. I don't like the kinds of plants that grow in that environment. Don't like bog. Don't like mud. Don't like leaving my shoes by the door overnight and they're still not dry the next day. And yet... I spend the vast majority of my life inside... so what am i really worrying about?

I seem to have created a mental block where if it's a big city, i don't care about the weather, because there are enough indoor things to do that it doesn't matter. But small towns - especially during corona time - there is nothing to do inside, so i feel like i need a better outside. In reality, it probably wouldn't bother me that much if i was there.

[motodraconis]

I can't see the point of buying a place if you're not going to live in it long term. I've had enough aggro as a serial homeowner whom fate always seems to boot out of my home every 7 years.
The buying to invest thing doesn't hold up if you intend to leave the country anyway. Running and maintaining a place from another country is a stressful faff. No matter how you slice it, you'll end up paying taxes and mortgages/charges and bills on it monthly and who wants that when you're on the other side of the world from this ravenous thing. I'm tied to such an arrangement because of reasons, but it's not a situation I'd have chosen freely.

[amw]

This is an excellent piece of advice. Thank you. Thinking about it, my mom passed away with the same problem - half her cash in the Netherlands, and a bunch more tied up in a house in Australia, and the lawyers are still figuring it out. You've persuaded me!

[motodraconis]

I only "get away with it" because I have a trustworthy housemate who keeps the place ticking over for me (her rent covers the bills and taxes I pay...just) and a boyfriend who lives nearby who is willing to run over and fix things while I am away. In a non-covid year I am supposed to be living there for 3 months anyway, and (in a non-covid year) its only 2 hours flight away. Usually when I do return, I have to spend a part of my "holiday" time sorting shit out, last visit, it was cleaning and painting. But also... I have to submit (laughable) tax returns. I pay local taxes, (council tax) regardless which is not a small sum, but I have to prove income tax to the government each year. (The rent is so small and the bills so large I have never earned enough to be eligible to have to pay tax, but due to the extra complications of moving and getting shit set up, I've had to pay an accountant to sort it for me.) Now of course, the other housemate has moved out, and long term I need the rent of 2 housemates to cover irregular but large

[motodraconis]

Oh and regarding property inherited in another country. My French grandma passed away 18 years ago. My mother got her inheritance money last year... and only because I stepped in and started being proactive about it. I was the one who had to fly to Paris to try and sort shit out that could not be done except in person. Most of the trips were a complete waste of time.
One hopes it will not be the same, utterly ridiculous stress nightmare for you. On the plus side, if it takes ages, it might mean you get another, bonus lump sum years later when you might need it.