This may come across like a rant, but that is only because it is in fact a rant. Living in the stick and bricks has its myriad of frustrations, but the road has the ones you never learned about growing up in your home town. You are often set up to feel like the new kid in the new school getting schooled by unfamiliar rules and traditions. In new cities and states you are expected to know how things work, and locals give you that patronizing look when you obviously do not. The United States is not set up to allow for traveling families, is made mostly of those who settle for one location and satisfy themselves with that. Government employees eye you suspiciously when they do not understand you may not see your "home address" for 6 plus months or more. They get more agitated when they learn you may not often even stay in a single location for more than two weeks straight. You start to ask yourself questions like, "How much truth can this one handle?" "How much can I not tell them and still accomplish what I need to?"
I have had a few frustrations lately, one is purchase of a car. I thought it might be cheaper to by an inexpensive auto for a couple months instead of renting. The State of Florida wants ungodly amounts for title and registration plus taxes, and local insurance. These fees must be paid or the car must be registered and insured in your home state which in some cases the state wants the car in the state to complete the registration process (2800 miles away). The lease option is difficult with no local address, a crafting business and as I shared in earlier posts, trashed credit. As I am sure you have also experienced, DMV employees are not usually into helping with complex situations, they seem to prefer the simple stuff and will often try to pass the buck with anything that confuses them.
Americans are fat and lazy and prefer it that way. Practically no one rides bicycles and barely understand why anyone else would when they could drive. Cities do not generally provide any accommodating features for those who would rather choose to ride or walk even. Sidewalk and bike lanes are an afterthought if thought of at all. Drivers see cyclists and pedestrians as a annoyance or at best novel but still in the way. Why are you people always in such a hurry 24/7? By the way I hate to see all the litter you seem to scatter then ignore from you noisy smelly car. Stores have huge parking lots but often no bike racks.
Lastly, it is always difficult to balance the positive income with the negative income. Between craft shows and online sales (www.ittybittybettys.com), computer tuneups, jewelry making and other financial opportunities, juggling it all can be quite a headache. Especially when I want to continue my childrens' education and entertainment, get along with my wife, eat and exercise. The bus must have fuel, be parked in RV parks, State parks, National Parks, and yes Wal-mart. The family needs fuel/food, the crafting business has overhead, there are personal needs that must be met.
Some of these loads are real, many I just have formed a habit of placing on myself, but either way it is a constant battle to not let them feel like a weight holding me down, and place a confident aura about me for my lovely children.
RANT/Off
