A New Beginning

My uniform

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 Tomorrow, I plan to start a replacement web page for Better World Media. I have waited to start the website so that my payment to the carrier will take payment out of my bank account on the first of each month. BBB it is just so much easier for me to keep track of my bills if I have them set up or payment that way.

I plan to be a little more choosy about what goes onto my site, but I plan to keep PPTMMM (parks, preserves, trails, memorials, monuments, and museums) as my primary specialty while building on my nature, event, and commercial/industrial catalogs.

And, I will be trying to adjust the payment due dates on all other accounts so that they are all due as near to the 1st of each month as possible  

Karma Slapped Me

Keith -your host 

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I went to bed just after 10PM last night. Four hours later my past finally caught up with me and bitch-slapped me awake. Now I know that there is nobody but me to blame for my life of struggles with depression that drove me to alcoholism. For now, I have just a little relief that I know what my problem is and always has been. Maybe in the future, I can find a way to make amends for all of the wrongs I have done. I do know that God has always walked with me, and often carried me when I went too far in the  wrong direction in my life. I want to thank God for being there.

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Van Life, it’s a calling. I spend a lot of time watching YouTube van life videos, and on Facebook groups about living in an RV, camper trailer, van, or car. I spent close to 50 % of 2021 and 2023 on the road and living in my van. Yeah, I like the idea of living on less with less. I’m sort of a survivalist. But, I am also a spoiled American that likes the comforts of home.

My Van Is Out Of The Shop

 

Big City - a Merle Haggard cover tune.

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Finally, after 15 days, my van is out of the shop. But I was told by the shop that I have trouble coming from the brakes on the front axle. I just had new brakes put on the front end about three months ago. I am debating, should I take that up with the man that done that work.

I plan to spend the next few days cleaning the van and shopping for some parts I need for the side door. Also, I will drive to Clinton to check up on my sister. And, come Tuesday I will try to reset the VA appointments that I had to cancel to put my van in the shop. 

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Making Plans On What To Do

Lucille's Roadhouse, Weatherford, OK.

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If I can raise the $3,000 that is needed I plan to try to turn my Better World Media blog into a commercial blog that will be about my life's primary (other than family) interests of music, photography, travel, and writing. I plan to research and start a "subscriber" list for a minimal fee, try to sell the songs I have written, and rebuild a website for selling my photography. I am having trouble getting started on these things due to worrying about how to solve my problems in the first place. All I can do is take one problem at a time and try to solve it.

Well, over this past weekend, I have at least come to a conclusion about what to do for now. I am not sure how long it will last, but I will try to just let my van sit in the parking lot except for local emergency trips. I am afraid I may lose the whole rear axle if I try to use it any more than I absolutely have to. When I  first moved to this complex in 2011 I used the Red River Transportation company to get around town. It was okay back then, but not great. It seems to be a very non-reliable service, at best these days. And, Winter is not the best time to be afoot in Oklahoma.

How Much Can One Man Take

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Karma is a vicious woman. I think I am a personal example of someone who is experiencing her wrath. I was getting along just fine until November of 2019. That is when I left the home I was sharing with a friend out in Henderson, Nevada to return to Oklahoma to care for an ailing older sister who passed away in October of 2020. That has to be what made Karma mad at me. When I left Nevada I was on a list for a low-income apartment located in Boulder City, a beautiful little town just outside of the Las Vegas Valley. A week after I arrived back in Oklahoma that apartment complex called to offer me an apartment. When I left there I knew it would not be long before they called me, but my sister needed my help. I just did not think I would need to be in Oklahoma for as long as I have been here. But, I guess this is where it all started.

So, after my sister passed away I spent another few months fulfilling my apartment lease agreement, squaring away my sister's final business, and making ready to return to Nevada. This turned into a 2 years and 3 trips debacle. That is, I made 3 trips to Las Vegas and was unable to find a place to live due to (my belief) the changes that were brought on by The COVID PLANDEMIC. I will not dwell on these trips in this post. It will only deepen my depression and anger me again.

I guess I should explain that, while I do not like it I am considering trying a "Go Fund Me" page again. I tried using one for a week one time when my Ford van blew an engine. A new motor cost me $7000. Asking strangers for help does not suit my pride, and I was able to get a loan at my bank. So, I stopped it. But, two weeks after I left the shop with a new motor my van was rear ended while I was at a stop sign. I had saved about 2/3 of the $540 that was donated to my “GoFundMe” page. I had plans of paying back the money sent to my “GFM” to ease my mind and save my pride. But, that won’t happen now. After my trip to OKC for a VA doctor appointment this past Friday those plans will be put on hold. It turns out that I had to do a brake job on the front end of my fan.

This post was started several days ago, but not posted due to some things I had to figure out to see if I wanted to post about them. Except for the fact that I am now getting repairs done to my van only one thing has changed. Yesterday I received a call that may give me a chance to return to Nevada by the middle of December. It will depend on what rent, utilities, cable, and a few other things will cost me if I return now. Hopefully, I will be able to get this info in a couple of days.

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