Karma, as it seems, is not without a sense of humor. For the last 2 days it has been raining non-stop. But don't worry about me, as I will not go down without a....ummm...umbrella.
Thursday, December 22, 2016
22 Dec 2016 - Another Sunny Day in Cal-I-Forn-I-A (maybe?)
Ah winter time. It is a special time of the year where I torment family and friends about their horrible weather while I sit here in California enjoying forever summer. Over the last few weeks I have enjoyed some awesome sunrises and sunsets. I've also had a few nice hikes and runs. Here are a few photos of a typical day.
Karma, as it seems, is not without a sense of humor. For the last 2 days it has been raining non-stop. But don't worry about me, as I will not go down without a....ummm...umbrella.
Karma, as it seems, is not without a sense of humor. For the last 2 days it has been raining non-stop. But don't worry about me, as I will not go down without a....ummm...umbrella.
Saturday, December 3, 2016
3 December 2016 - Homeless-Nomadic By Choice (Experiment)
By a convenient combination of my rental lease expiring, my Japan Vacation, and a bunch of work trips happening all at the same time I got to be homeless (some say nomadic) by choice.
About 8 years ago, fresh into my first home purchase without doing the proper math, I had myself a "delightful" panic attack as I tried to sleep each night. At that time my mortgage, insurance, and maintenance costs on the house used up about 130% of my paycheck. For reference, a healthy amount is 30%. I ended up about 120k$ in debt after one year ($100k I owed on that Ohio house). One mistake at work, one bad illness, one other catastrophic life event and I would lose it all and be stuck. Being a problem solver, I tried to come up with a solution, at least that took my mind off the issue.
One source of curious inspiration I came across was a random blog by Glenn Campbell. He had been laid off from an airline job, but retained the free travel perk. Living on savings and writing income, he traveled around the world. I found a lifestyle I wanted to emulate.
That's not normal according to society's standard! What standard is that? Well for most of my youth, I was bombarded with tv and other media telling me the best possible life (the only life) I should live is to buy a big house, get married, and have as many kids as I could. In the process I should consume constantly! I HATE THAT STANDARD! After escaping it's slavery, I choose to fight it!
Here is what I did:
I knew my current rental lease was coming to an end. Thanks to a vacation and some work trips it was not worth my time to rent for at least 2 months. I rented a storage garage for 170$ a month and whatever I didn't sell/recycle/trash went in it.
Everything that I own (the car is at the airport)-
I also got a postal box at a local shipping store ($200 for a year). I needed some way to get mail without a physical address and this works surprisingly well.
In the end here was where I went-
3 weeks in Japan (Hostels)
1 day in California (hotel)
1 week in Cleveland (work-hotel)
1 week in South Africa (work-hotel)
4 days in London (hotel)
5 days in California (free hotel on points)
1 week in Texas (work-hotel)
1 week in Cleveland (work-Hotel)
1 week in Magnolia (stayed with family)
3 days in Columbus (stayed with a friend)
Lessons Learned
I was able to save a few paychecks worth of income and boost my emergency savings accounts the way I wanted.
In the end I was starting to get burned out worrying about where I would stay next.
It is hard to eat healthy and workout while traveling
This weekend I signed a lease (and most of my income) away to the stability of a nice apartment. This used to stress me out, but this time around feels really good and relaxing.
Avoid debt - enjoy the freedom. It took me nearly 10 years to break my chains (and it could have been prevented).
I really don't need all that many possessions to survive in this world. It is much less stressful when you don't have anything worth stealing.
Someday I want to try #VanLife
About 8 years ago, fresh into my first home purchase without doing the proper math, I had myself a "delightful" panic attack as I tried to sleep each night. At that time my mortgage, insurance, and maintenance costs on the house used up about 130% of my paycheck. For reference, a healthy amount is 30%. I ended up about 120k$ in debt after one year ($100k I owed on that Ohio house). One mistake at work, one bad illness, one other catastrophic life event and I would lose it all and be stuck. Being a problem solver, I tried to come up with a solution, at least that took my mind off the issue.
One source of curious inspiration I came across was a random blog by Glenn Campbell. He had been laid off from an airline job, but retained the free travel perk. Living on savings and writing income, he traveled around the world. I found a lifestyle I wanted to emulate.
That's not normal according to society's standard! What standard is that? Well for most of my youth, I was bombarded with tv and other media telling me the best possible life (the only life) I should live is to buy a big house, get married, and have as many kids as I could. In the process I should consume constantly! I HATE THAT STANDARD! After escaping it's slavery, I choose to fight it!
Here is what I did:
I knew my current rental lease was coming to an end. Thanks to a vacation and some work trips it was not worth my time to rent for at least 2 months. I rented a storage garage for 170$ a month and whatever I didn't sell/recycle/trash went in it.
Everything that I own (the car is at the airport)-
I also got a postal box at a local shipping store ($200 for a year). I needed some way to get mail without a physical address and this works surprisingly well.
In the end here was where I went-
3 weeks in Japan (Hostels)
1 day in California (hotel)
1 week in Cleveland (work-hotel)
1 week in South Africa (work-hotel)
4 days in London (hotel)
5 days in California (free hotel on points)
1 week in Texas (work-hotel)
1 week in Cleveland (work-Hotel)
1 week in Magnolia (stayed with family)
3 days in Columbus (stayed with a friend)
Lessons Learned
I was able to save a few paychecks worth of income and boost my emergency savings accounts the way I wanted.
In the end I was starting to get burned out worrying about where I would stay next.
It is hard to eat healthy and workout while traveling
This weekend I signed a lease (and most of my income) away to the stability of a nice apartment. This used to stress me out, but this time around feels really good and relaxing.
Avoid debt - enjoy the freedom. It took me nearly 10 years to break my chains (and it could have been prevented).
I really don't need all that many possessions to survive in this world. It is much less stressful when you don't have anything worth stealing.
Someday I want to try #VanLife
Friday, November 4, 2016
4 November - Anaheim, CA - Blizzcon X
For the last decade, one of my favorite software companies, Blizzard Software, has held a party annually in California. I am talking about BlizzCon, a celebration of all Blizzard games including Warcraft, Diablo, and Starcraft. It is a challenge to get tickets, with them selling out usually within an hour of going on sale. I managed to go in 2011 and 2015, failing the buying process during other years.
This year I managed to snag a few extra and bring some friends in on the fun.
Highlights included seeing the latest games, watching international tournaments, enjoying the art, and just generally geeking out.
There was also some amazing Cosplay. As I have said in the past, I don't really want to cosplay, but I really respect the work and creativity of those that do. Lots of professionals at this event. The best part for me was when the Voice Actor for Overwatch's Reinhardt, Daren Du Paul, had a Reinhardt parade. Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ic7K6qrBRh4
Speaking of Voice Actors, once again the Voice Actor stage was an amazing place to be. The presentation of the "United Nations of Overwatch" was a real treat!
The weekend ended with a full Weird Al concert. I've watch a youtube video of this experience in the past but really wanted to see it in person. Amazing! He changes costumes for almost every song.
This year I managed to snag a few extra and bring some friends in on the fun.
Highlights included seeing the latest games, watching international tournaments, enjoying the art, and just generally geeking out.
|
|
 |
||||||
|
|
|
||||||
|
|
|
There was also some amazing Cosplay. As I have said in the past, I don't really want to cosplay, but I really respect the work and creativity of those that do. Lots of professionals at this event. The best part for me was when the Voice Actor for Overwatch's Reinhardt, Daren Du Paul, had a Reinhardt parade. Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ic7K6qrBRh4
 |
|
|
||||
 |
|
|
Speaking of Voice Actors, once again the Voice Actor stage was an amazing place to be. The presentation of the "United Nations of Overwatch" was a real treat!
The weekend ended with a full Weird Al concert. I've watch a youtube video of this experience in the past but really wanted to see it in person. Amazing! He changes costumes for almost every song.
|
|
|
Saturday, October 29, 2016
29 October - London, UK
Continuing my strategy for making travel to SA easier, I spent a long weekend in London recovering from the first 10 hour flight home. I recently applied for and received a registered traveler pass so I can get into the UK much faster.
I visited my favorite cheese sandwich place in Borough Market. I know what you are thinking, it is just a grilled cheese that Eric just overpaid 6£ to eat. But my friends, this is no mere "Cheese Toastie," it is 4 different cheeses from local UK farms, pure heaven in your mouth, and pure hell for your health.
I tried out Madam Tussaud's wax museum. I've been traveling to the UK for the last 4 years and been meaning to visit this usually crowded tourist location. Do the models look as real as everyone describes? Surprisingly yes!
Finally I enjoyed the general sights of London. Always a joy to see the iconic sights.
I visited my favorite cheese sandwich place in Borough Market. I know what you are thinking, it is just a grilled cheese that Eric just overpaid 6£ to eat. But my friends, this is no mere "Cheese Toastie," it is 4 different cheeses from local UK farms, pure heaven in your mouth, and pure hell for your health.
 |  |  |
I tried out Madam Tussaud's wax museum. I've been traveling to the UK for the last 4 years and been meaning to visit this usually crowded tourist location. Do the models look as real as everyone describes? Surprisingly yes!
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
Finally I enjoyed the general sights of London. Always a joy to see the iconic sights.
 |  |  |
There was even a Comic convention occurring at the London Excel center...
Thursday, October 27, 2016
27 October 2016 - Johannesburg South Africa
After a week of team meetings in Cleveland I was flown off to Johannesburg (via Detroit and London). I did this trip about 2 years ago for the first time where I was introduced to the nightmare of the 15-18 hour flight from Atlanta or New York. I can usually handle about 7-8 hour max of being stuck in a coach seat. After that, due to back pain and dehydration, it rapidly becomes a living hell. To try an mitigate this destructive travel I tried a new strategy of flying to London, spending a night or two adjusting to the time change, then continuing to South Africa. This strategy worked quite well for my needs.
Johannesburg is an interesting city. I usually spend most of my working time in Sandton (stock exchange) and Randburg. It is spring this time of year and there are the prettiest purple flowers on the trees. Johannesburg is not the safest place with most homes and businesses having tall fences that are both electrified and barbed. This always makes me feel uneasy.
One of the ways I keep my sanity with frequent business travel is to try and get out an explore or have a unique local experience. I've wanted to go to a lion preserve or safari for a long time. Thanks to a coworker's input I finally got to go. We went for an evening feeding and lion cub interaction.
The cubs are super cute. These ones were about 4 months old. I know it is a bit of a tourist trap, but where else in the world are you going to get to experience touching a baby lion. The interaction starts out nice...
Then they decide you are their food...(ouch). This reminds me of Oatmeal's guide for How to Pet a Kitty.
After that we boarded a caged truck and set out for the Adult Lion paddocks. Lions spend most of the day sleeping and then try to hunt and feed at night.
Here is a little video I got of the feeding...
Lessons learned-
Johannesburg is an interesting city. I usually spend most of my working time in Sandton (stock exchange) and Randburg. It is spring this time of year and there are the prettiest purple flowers on the trees. Johannesburg is not the safest place with most homes and businesses having tall fences that are both electrified and barbed. This always makes me feel uneasy.
 |  |
One of the ways I keep my sanity with frequent business travel is to try and get out an explore or have a unique local experience. I've wanted to go to a lion preserve or safari for a long time. Thanks to a coworker's input I finally got to go. We went for an evening feeding and lion cub interaction.
|  |  |
The cubs are super cute. These ones were about 4 months old. I know it is a bit of a tourist trap, but where else in the world are you going to get to experience touching a baby lion. The interaction starts out nice...
Then they decide you are their food...(ouch). This reminds me of Oatmeal's guide for How to Pet a Kitty.
After that we boarded a caged truck and set out for the Adult Lion paddocks. Lions spend most of the day sleeping and then try to hunt and feed at night.
 |  |  |
Here is a little video I got of the feeding...
Lessons learned-
- Average life time of a male is 7-9 years in the wild (double in captivity); females live longer due to pride life
- Lions should be considered the King of the Savannah (tigers are for Jungle)
- Due to an interesting metabolism and digestive track, lions can eat a large meal of meat and then go a few days of napping
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)