Beyond Metamora

We are the same people, only farther from home

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I have the feeling that people sometimes think of me as an empty-headed dreamer. Head in the clouds. Nose in a book. No common sense. I admit I’m partially to blame for this. I have a hard time communicating my intentions, so whenever I do make an announcement, it strikes people as a sudden spur-of-the-moment decision, instead of something I’ve spent every waking moment of the last 5 months deliberating.

This will probably be no different. But with just a little over 40 days until I’ll be leaving Tempe, it’s time I started letting people know what my plans are for this summer.

Yes, there is a Plan. With me, there is always a Plan. Respect the Plan. The Plan is good.

The Plan is this:

Phase 1: $ Money $

Like all of my plans lately, it begins and ends with dollar signs. Money is the major roadblock at this point in my life. Through this plan, and in future plans, I hope to conquer the money issue (that is, the debt issue) and move on to better struggles for awhile.

If all goes well, and I don’t miss any more days of work, I will have 2000+ dollars in the bank by the end of June, when my lease expires. Right now, I’m almost broke. The sudden surge in capital is because I won’t have a rent payment due in June plus my $750 deposit gets returned, a neat little springboard effect I’ve been counting on since December.

One half of the money will go in an envelope to the credit union, to keep my 3 monthly bills ticking over (auto loan, a consolidation loan & VISA). The other half will become my travelling funds.

Current gas prices are $3.00/gallon. My car goes 300 miles on a full 10-gallon tank. This makes the math really easy. $300 = 3000 miles. The distance from San Diego to Vancouver is about 1400 miles, so I could drive the whole west coast from Tijuana to Canada and back again for 300 dollars.

My monthly bills– free of the electric bill, internet, rent, etc, etc involved with living in an apartment– come to $351.19 monthly. 350 x 3 = $1050. All of these bills get paid automagically, back at my credit union in Clarkston. In other words, I’ll have a 3-month span, in July, August & September, when I won’t even need to think about them.

One other thing: After my last AAA payment in June, my car insurance will be paid off until August 23rd. This will become important in a moment.

Phase 2: Geography

In terms of covering ground, the plan is very simple.

I’ll take interstate 10 south out of Phoenix to Casa Grande, then round the curve onto I-8 and head due west along the Mexican border to San Diego.

San Diego was the city my father suggested I start looking. What I will essentially be doing is shopping for a new place to live. It makes sense to me to shop for a city in the same way I shop for anything else: examine all the viable options and choose the one I like best, and in between have a fun journey, travelling from place to place.

From San Diego, I’ll aim my compass due north to L.A., then follow the great Californian Highway 1 along the coast to Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Monterrey, San Francisco, then the long drive from Oakland to Oregon through redwood forests. Further, Portland. Further still, Seattle.

In Seattle, I’ll decide. If necessary, I’ll drive all the way back down to San Diego again. This is kinda how I operate. (You should see me shop for shoes)

Phase 3: Settling In

Remember when I mentioned before that my AAA coverage runs out on August 23rd? Well that’s just ginger-peachy by me, because when I choose a place to live, I am going to sell my car.

Ballsy? Maybe. As much as I love my little Honda, 3000 miles is enough driving for one summer. I want to do this to prove to myself as much as anyone that I’m committed to this. In for a penny, in for a pound. Plus, it’s two less bills to pay each month, plus gasoline, oil changes, maintenance, etc…

The whole point of this endeavor is that I get to choose the spot I’d like to live in, and part of that is finding a place where I don’t need a car to get around, whether it’s because the public trans is good, or because the neighborhoods are functional, or because the town is simply so small that you can walk everywhere.

So, in short: I have 41 days to get my money together, unload most of my possessions and get out of Tempe. Then, I’ll have a month and a half to decide on a place to live, and another month and a half to find a job and get settled.

That’s the Plan.

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