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spud
climber
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Dec 29, 2006 - 04:48pm PT
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Ya, I'm with ya in the Midwest, Crimp. Sometimes I get so bored blue with the grey and flat that I plan a fantastic trip, like to Spain in June. Mostly I go to visit my daughter in SoCal. Try a hot rocks massage. Good for whatever ails ya when you can't get away.
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maculated
Trad climber
San Luis Obispo, CA
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Dec 29, 2006 - 05:47pm PT
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When I graduated from high school, I landed a job working in Tuolumne. I knew I was lucky, but I didn't know HOW lucky (or not?) until I met people that taught me that you don't have to automatically slide into the 8 to 5 grind, pop out some kids, and settle back into your picket-fenced yard with a mint julep.
It seemed so wonderful and adventurous that I decided to go for it. As soon as my job was over, I packed up and set off for the east, stopping at anything and everything I ever wanted to see or do. I saw the Giant Jackrabbit on route 66 (it's not), climbed at Paradise Forks for the first time, stayed with dear friends I've only seen twice in my life (and not even an Internet rock climbing connection!), and when I got all the way out to Kansas, I looked at the flat, yellow grass (it was late fall) and said, "Damn, I hate this. I want responsibility and I want a place to go to that's mine. I want to build a little nest of comfort. I'll always be able to travel."
I did it. It wasn't for me. I returned.
It's my theory that if you have such inklings, you should follow them. You'll either end up happy, or you'll know it's not for you. Same as picking up climbing, a musical instrument, or a strange hobby.
The curse, however, is that I'm struggling with what to do with myself now - I know I can do better than 8 to 5 so it's hard to stay in it. I need that sense of "freedom" still . . . locked into two weeks of vacation scares the crap out of me.
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Euroford
Trad climber
chicago
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Dec 29, 2006 - 05:50pm PT
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must..... escape..... midwest.............
nothing would make me happier than ditching the flatlands and just going. but too many ducks to get into rows first. some are in good shape, some are a clusterfrig.
no debt, yay! but must finish rack. need full elcap solo hard aid rack before i ditch the good paying job. need to divorce wife as well.
THATS going to be a pain in the arse!
what to do in the meantime? got an awsome job, plenty of dough (excapt for the fact that living in downtown chicago is so friggin expensive....), salmon fishing season RULES, and the biking is not half bad. climbing at DL is fukin HARD!! i feel like a pussy in wisconsin, and a badass in CO....
crimpie, do you realize how much great mountain biking you have around you? go ride! compliments climbing fitness very well.
wooohooo.... its 4:50pm on friday and i'm already drinkin! time to go ride the critical mass!
crimper, make yourself a "bail on the midwest plan" and start checking off the boxes. at least that way you think your making forward progress.
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jbaker
Trad climber
Redwood City, CA
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Dec 29, 2006 - 06:00pm PT
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I've got to go with Ksolem's "I think it is better to be walking toward, not away..."
I've made 4 fairly radical shifts in the last 13 years, and the ones that worked best were the ones where I really knew what I was going for, not what I was trying to get away from.
You also have to know yourself - what makes you happy, what kind of environments do you flourish in? Some people are happy living day-to-day and hand-to-mouth, others are driven crazy by worry.
Thirteen years ago, after a previous shift from academia, I was working in a corporate research lab, managing a group of researchers, hunting for money to support them, and hating it. I was tied down with a wife and mortgage and felt pretty stuck. A divorce and an earthquake took care of those problems, and I had an opportunity to turn my volunteer work into a career. I went to work for a human rights group, organizing volunteers in the western US and running a small office. It wasn't dirtbagging, but it was more than a 50% cut in pay and it meant throwing away all of my academic training and work experience.
It was pretty scary. Sometimes your hobbies don't make good careers. It's funny: I almost switched from engineering/economics to human rights in college, but felt like I'd gone too far down the path I was on to turn back (at the old age of 22). I'd grown up with a father who was laid off and laid up a lot, and I was pretty focused on paying my way through college and getting a steady income. I grew bolder as I got older.
A few years ago, I switched to running a small nonprofit. When I made the switch, I was partly running away from some things in the job I had then, and was also thinking if I didn't make the switch when I did, I'd be too old to take on a really entrepreneurial position. It turned out I should have thought through whether I'd really be happy in a tiny organization, even one (or especially one) where I was the boss. It turns out I'm happier working in a team.
I switched again a few months ago (and switched coasts back to California). Overall, the new job is a much better fit and one that is very rewarding. I'm getting to work with a lot of nonprofits and causes that I care about. And being back in California is wonderful after a sojourn in DC. This weekend is climbing and cross-country skiing with my wife and stepson.
A downside of all the switching my wife and I have done is that we're going to be working for a long time. I'm starting to see friends who did the 30 year career thing retire in their early fifties with their kids through college and some money in the bank. I couldn't have done that, but I can see the benefits.
I'm too work-focused to want to just throw things over. I'd be a miserable dirt-bagger. But I'm so happy that I left my corporate job and have kept searching, even when I'm made mistakes.
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nature
climber
Flagstaff, AZ
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Dec 29, 2006 - 06:02pm PT
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Callie,
I think I know you well enough to see it's more about your environment than it is your job. As you know I just went through a major change in my life - switching from computer contract work to sushi catering. To this day I have not had one regret. Change is a good thing - it certainly keeps life a bit more exciting. To get by while I try and make this business work I'm doing some construction work. I'd rather be outside replacing siding for $13/hr than sitting in front of a computer hacking Perl, etc. at $75/hour.
I've mentioned a number of times how lucky I feel I am to be living in Flagstaff. Five minutes to climbing is just the start. I sometimes feel like I'm camped out in my house. I can easily climb any day I want - or work, or do nothing. It's endless around here. Are there still positions availalbe at NAU? Sounds like you need a new city/town. Heck, I'm going back to school. Get a job at NAU and I'll crash your class (and bring you an apple [or wasabi wrap]).
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GhoulweJ
Trad climber
Sacramento, CA
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Dec 29, 2006 - 06:55pm PT
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Hey Crimpie, Try this other thread titled "Crimpie".
Its like Dear Abby but the Crimpster has all the answers.
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10b4me
Trad climber
California
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Dec 29, 2006 - 08:34pm PT
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I worked the 8 to 5 gig for 23 years; sat behind a computer screen for most of those. now I work in the outdoor industry. I get to combine vocation with avocation.
I have a friend who was a Valley dirtbag in the 70's. I regret that I didn't do that, but would I do that now? I will be 53 in february, so sleeping on hard ground doesn't have the same appeal anymore.(yeah, I've gotten soft).
maybe it is the city, Crimpie, but I think you need to ask yourself if you are really ready to give up the creature comforts?
good luck,
Steve
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dougs510
Social climber
down south
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Dec 29, 2006 - 08:49pm PT
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Hey CG,
I did it. Don't regret it either. After my parents died, I took a couple of years and pretty much freeloaded around the western US. I've got a couple of friends where I could stay, and when I was traveling, I just tried to rathole in whereever I could and live out of my cooler. Sweet nights in Nor Cal with the fire, and creek, just reading and sipping redwine.
Sometimes slacklining in C4, or climbing with some cool folks. I just remember things like running laps on Jamcrack, or laundry at housekeeping with a forign dude... I think Sweed or some such...
Oh yeah, I saved some funds and hired a ropegun a couple of times which got into some very cool adventures ( Like glissading down from wolfs head... Bean just jumped and took off, so I said "What the hell", I remember him saying "Dig in your heels!!!) as I was plummeting towards the boulders... too much fun. Way worth it.
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Ricky D
Trad climber
Sierra Westside
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Dec 29, 2006 - 10:32pm PT
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Do you REALLY, really hate your present situation?
Did you pass through some lifespan marker and have become hung up thinking about the impermanence of life?
Or...are you just bored?
Answer each to yourself with seriousness - for first you must know what "it" is that you are wanting. From there - your trip will begin.
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john hansen
climber
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Dec 29, 2006 - 10:46pm PT
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Eighteen years ago I decided I wasn't going to stay in the same town I grew up in ( like 75% of most people do ) andI would move to a place that I could call my own vision of paradise. I did have a job waiting there and friend's who could help me out.
I remember the first day I was here I said to my friend,,"I dont have a home anymore ".. He said ' What are you talking about...This ,is home'.
I once took my girlfriend (she had grown up in Hawaii) to the top of a peak up in the sierra's. I said 'Isn't this amazing..' she said ....'It's OK....' She wasn't used to the blue sky and had always seen clouds blowing by with the trades.
One time in colorado, camping out, I met a family in the next site. They asked where I was from and I said Hawaii.. The old grandmother said, "I've never seen the ocean" Kinda blew my mind.
Crimpie,, the plains suck... why do you think all those people kept going west. If you "get tenure" there, dosn't it just amount to a prison sentence?
Go to some place where you can look out your window and be proud to be alive every day and take deep breaths of the morning air.
I personally can hardly imagine a place worse then Saint Louis (even thou I'v never been) ,, you have seen 'yosemite/Rivendale' and have come under its spell.
Don't have to dirtbag it ,, just move to a better place.
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Crimper Girl
Sport climber
St. Louis
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Dec 30, 2006 - 12:04am PT
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OK. I have made up my mind.
I am going to quit.
From now on I am going to be the sole proprietor of Crimpie Cleaning Service.
Today I am the only employee.
Do you and 5 other people in your town need weekly house-cleaning? (Or very small businesses.) Are you near any serious crags? If so, post up. I am moving to the first place that works. I intend to climb 3 days per week and work 4.
Even better if you want your place cleaned on the weekend.
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pud
climber
Sportbikeville
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Dec 30, 2006 - 12:21am PT
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Awesome.
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mack
Trad climber
vermont
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Dec 30, 2006 - 07:55am PT
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Crimpie...totally cool.
I live in Vermont. Half way between the Adirondacks to the west and Cathedral ledge to the east. Rumney for awsome sport climbing
is 1.5 hrs away and I've been looking for someone to clean house and garden so I can spend more time guilt free climbing. Think Poko Moonshine, Cannon cliffs and our own very cool little crag Lower West Bolton...the after work climb till dark crag. How soon can you get here?
Mack
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spud
climber
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Dec 30, 2006 - 09:54am PT
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euroford:
Live in Geneva--close to the train station--you can walk--close to I-88--next stop the mountains, good biking--no congestion--coffee--brand new great japanese restaurant and other great food establishments--great food markets-biking/running/kayaking on Fox River--cheap rents,(what I've heard from others, I own house). twenty minutes on I-88 to Vertical Endeavors in Warrenville--easy access to DL--one hour from o'hare--lots of reading done on the train. I love Chicago, going to king tut exhibit tomorrow, just don't like the congestion.
From,
A midwest suburban matron
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wootles
climber
Gamma Quadrant
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Dec 30, 2006 - 10:04am PT
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IMPOSTOR ALERT, IMPOSTOR ALERT!
Crimper Girl is NOT Crimpergirl, repeat, Crimper Girl is not Crimpergirl (Callie)
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happiegrrrl
Trad climber
New York, NY
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Dec 30, 2006 - 10:21am PT
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Do it Callie!!!
But....I have to tell you, it's not quite so easy to just find 5 homes that need the work, immediately...Depending on your skills as a marketer and stuff like that, it can take anywhere form a few weeks(not likely) to a few months, to a year or more.
DON'T let that stop you, of course.
1) Find a place to live(that is close to a location that can support your service). Don't move "to the first place" or you may be stuck! Once your business starts going, you are sort of tied to the location...At least until you can get enough biz to support a staff to do the labor. This is my problem.....
Choose wisely! This is HUGE!!!
2) Do you have enough savings to support yourself for a while as you build up clients? If yes - lucky you. Get the move done, and get to work making promo materials and getting the word out.
If not....get a disposable job to feed yourself as you do the above. You "could" work for another cleaning service(a small one like you are envisoning for yourself) - But....ick - to learn the insides of the biz. People suggested I do this when I started my animal care service. I didn't do it, but now I look back.... It wouldn't have been a terrible idea to commit to it for 6 months.
Have you "been thinking" about the cleaning sort of business, in the back of your haead, for a while? A sort of little nudge-y sort of thing? Even though you didn't realize it was there? If so..... that is a good sign. If it really has just popped into your head just last night - you might want to give yourself a little time to think a little bit before sending in the resignation letter.....
Callie - I got some great training about starting a small business when I left working for others. (www.wibo.org, a NYC nonprofit that is amazing. I took the course, then volunteered for 5 more terms to facilitate the next groups coming in. So, it's like I took the course 6 times, in a way). This group was all about small business, mom & pop op. And it is very highly regarded in the whatever world it occupies. Originally, it was the very first seedling of the Harlem rennaisance in NYC, back in the 1970's. What Harlem is today can be directly attributed to what the two founders of WIBO did back then. Has been modeled in developing countries.
If you want to talk, brainstorm, or whatever - I am happy to do so. Actually....there is a workbook from the group I can lend to you that is AMAZING, and will help you explore/put in writing what you want to do.
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happiegrrrl
Trad climber
New York, NY
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Dec 30, 2006 - 10:25am PT
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oh MAN! I fell for it!
Okay - whomever it is who is doing the fake name thing definiteky gets the nomination for whatever that award was - Best of the West Worst Supertopian....
hahaha....
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wootles
climber
Gamma Quadrant
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Dec 30, 2006 - 10:28am PT
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Again, IMPOSTOR ALERT.
Callie is not Crimper Girl. Note the space between Crimper and Girl and also the uppercase G in girl. Note the email address too.
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Crimper Girl
Sport climber
St. Louis
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Dec 30, 2006 - 11:46am PT
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Wootles, whatever are you talking about?
This is my new business avatar. I hope you do not mind.
happiegrrrl, no, I have not thought about this long. It was a spark of genius from that other thread. It just hit me, and I knew that it was right!! I am going to make the break, but I will still use my old avatar from time to time. I might even make an occasional mistake until I get a separate computer just for the business.
Now I just need somebody to help set up a web-site. I can tweak it myself, once it is up and running.
Thanks for the ideas.
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wootles
climber
Gamma Quadrant
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Dec 30, 2006 - 01:48pm PT
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nice try.... well actually, lame try.
Tell me, where are you right now?
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