The naked truth in a clothed world.

So here I am, back in Portland, after traveling all the way south, and as far east as I could go and back within the united states. I went to San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Florida. I was going to not come back, but decided to wait until Summer for the europe expedition- cold weather is no fun.

So here I am, in Portland. We stayed at my boyfriend’s friends house for a week, and then finally found an apartment, 250 square foot-ish converted hotel room studio apartment smack dab in the middle of the city. It’s close to the health food store, the tanning bed (I know it’s bad, but I make more money and am happier with sunlight), all public transit, etc. It’s a bit expensive for what it is, but it’s temporary, we’ll be staying here three months maximum. The plan is to get a house with a bunch of people over in SE in the Spring.

I’m sitting here on my couch/bed/futon that I bought at IKEA. I never thought I’d shop at IKEA, courtesy of fictional character Tyler Durden, ironically authored by PDX resident Chuck Palahniuk, but the furniture really is inexpensive and stylish at the same time. I perused craigslist’s endless postings of free furniture and cheap stuff, but I couldn’t find anything that didn’t need a u-haul or pick up truck, of which I neither have or have access to. IKEA it was. I am now the proud owner of a green futon sofa bed, a surfboard shaped retro oak coffee table, an abstract wicker chair, a crazy fiber-optic lamp, some small circular area rugs, a free desk I found in the hallway and a free small 3-drawer chest- also found in the hallway. I have never owned my own furniture before, or had my own place in a lease under my name- so this is a big first for me.

I’m taking two classes in school. Technically, I have not dropped out of college, but emotionally I have. The two on-line classes are extremely easy. I’m taking Anthropology 201 and Geology 3-something. The only assignments required are four tests for each class, and one class requires a weekly blog posting. It’s a breeze. I took 4 practice tests this morning without even reading the book and got 100%. It’s an easy 8 credits, so why not?

Besides having my own apartment (well, my boyfriend lives with me, but I paid for everything, he doesn’t have the privilege of being able to start working as soon as he steps foot in town), and being an official “part-time” student, I’m also planning a tentative schedule: Sunday through Thursday, 5pm-12am. 35 hours a week. If I make a minimum of 30 dollars an hour, that’s about a thousand a week– minimum.

Now the existential dilemma presents itself. What is a nineteen year old girl living on her own with a ton of goals and no plan to do with 4,000/month?? After all bills and expenses are paid, I am left with around 2700 for savings. By July, if I continue working 5 days a week, I’ll have around 14,000 saved up. What am I supposed to do with that? A lot of people would invest it, or get a car, or start saving for a house, or travel a ton and blow it, but I don’t want a car, or a house, and I travel lightly and economically.

So I am left with nothing but the need to make a plan to accomplish my goals. I have so many it’s overwhelming. Here they are, listed in short term-long term.

sew recycled clothes and sell them at the saturday market
move into a house by spring with some cool people
grow a really nice vegetable and herb garden
start uncooking raw vegan living food and invest in a blender/dehydrator to do so
open small business with partner that sells vegan food/organic coffee/tea and is a live music venue.
get accepted to an “alternative” university to study botany, environmental science and creative writing
buy some land and build environmentally friendly living structure(s) on it
stop dancing by age 23, create own business that makes equal amount
grow a huge organic garden on said land, manufacture herbal remedies, soaps, lotions, oils etc.
turn property into a commune (possibly)
convert an old bus to live in and run on bio-diesel, drive down the 101 and camp in the redwoods
get married and have babies (at least 2)
go to india at least once before i die.
visit as many countries as possible.

So that’s the gameplan. How do I plan that?? I guess the first step is finding schools that I would be interested in attending around the area so I have the knowledge to do all the gardening and herb manufacturing I want to do. Secondly, I need to make as much money as possible and go about saving and managing it the proper way. Thirdly, I need to keep a positive attitude and be grateful for everything I have at the moment, because I tend to get caught up in the future and not stay present. It’s very important to stay present.