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Published: February 14th 2009
A Failed Plan
Well, it seemed like a good idea at first. However, it turned out to be not so good of an idea, not for me anyway. In an attempt to save the money I need to go to school and to be with the one I love, I moved with my friends to California under the assumption that the money would be "better". Well, the money is better, but only when you make it. Apparently the economy is worse in California than anywhere, which didn't sit too well for our plan. The only good thing is, we roughed it so much in terms of living, that we weren't spending a great deal of money. Just a little bit here, and a little bit there. Camping, sleeping in the van, on the beach, etc.
Road Trippin
The road trip was pretty fun. I learned something about myself though, which is that I cant sleep in a car that is moving. At least one that is being driven by someone I don't trust behind the wheel, which is pretty much everyone. So, I didn't sleep that much on the way there. We picked up Wes in New Jersey
Billagio
Las Vegasand hit the road at 7ish, the first night driving through Virginia and Tennessee. We were all pretty tired once we were close to Arkansas, so we pulled over and got some snooze. Once the car stopped, I could sleep. This way of driving continued for the remainder of the trip. Only small bits of sleep here and there. Plus, sleeping in a seat sucks anyway. Interesting Note: In New Mexico the roads were a little slick because of freezing rain or something, and for a bout a 30 mile stretch we kept seeing cars off the road. It wasn't just cars sliding off and getting in small accidents. These accidents were hugs, some of the worst I've ever seen. We didn't get it. Living in Maine I guess you learn how to drive in questionable weather conditions. There were at least 5 or 6 accidents. Horrible.
Finally, we hit Las Vegas. Matt had never been so he was excited to walk around and check it out. I had been before, but I got a different vibe this second time. I remember not being that impressed when I was there back in 2004, but yes, Las Vegas is awesome.
Wes
Eating soup and flat bread It's just unlike any other city you'll ever visit. I was able to sleep for about 3 hours in the van late in the night when Matt and Wes still wanted to be out on the town. This way I was able to drive the rest of the way to Cali. Some time in the morning we all met back up and did the final push to the San Diego area.
California
The first week was pretty cool. Obviously, we all had the excitement of where we were, but we knew that it would be a task to get things going. The first night we drove directly to Coronado Beach in San Diego. It has been this tradition for Wes to sleep on this beach when he visits San Diego, this being the 3rd time. This is where we slept on the Road Trip in 2004, so he enjoys keeping up the tradition. It was too cold for me. I said screw that, I'll happily sleep in the van.
The first couple days were a little stressful even though we were having fun. We had to organize sleeping arrangements, first and foremost. We had stopped somewhere outside
of the city and bought a huge tent for like 50 bucks (it was on sale). So, when we woke up after the first night, we decided to research all of the campsites in the area. The first one was a bit expensive, but we eventually found one that was only 20 bucks a night, Doheny State Beach in Orange County. So, we organized a week stay in that campsite. The first night was awesome, and that is where most of the camping pictures come from. We went to an Albertsons (grocery store) and bought all of the necessities for making a nice beef stew, and flat bread. We sat around the campfire and ate soup, and hung out on the beach. Those first few nights of doing that were pretty cool.
Soon I began my job hunt. In the back of my head I was thinking that the city is a better place to look for work because everything is right there, and not spread out. But, Wes and Matt wanted to stay in Orange County, so I gave it a shot. I handed out 10 or 12 resumes in that area, and everyone said that they're not
hiring and I was out of season. This is something I learned quickly, the slow season extends through January and February out there. Even thought the weather is decent, the jobs are just not available. Not until March or April, this is what everyone said. So, I was worried but still had hope. But, after a week went by and it still wasn't happening, I got worried.
Eventually, I convinced Matt to go with me to the city and continue there. More businesses means more jobs, at least this is what I thought. A full day and 30 resumes later, and it still didn't look like it was happening. Plans failed, back up plans failed, and I began thinking about whether living in Maine would make saving money easier.
Eventually, I had to bail. I didn't want to risk losing all my money in the hopes that "eventually" I would find work. Wes ended up going up to Monterey a little ways from San Fransisco because he lost his wallet and all of his Identification. Matt decided to tough it out in California and has been finding more work since I have been gone. Good on em.
Wet Floor
This wet floor sign was on a rug. Maybe you cant tell by the picture, but it's a rug.
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