fermentedsister

Time to remove the airbag curtains.   Yes, I watched a bazillion YouTube videos, and still when the time came it took me an hour to get my courage up.  I looked at it, watched the video again, went to the bathroom (did not want a big bang in the pants) then took the plunge.   The video I watch, the person was able to stand in the sliding door area to disengage the connector, unfortunately for me my fingers were too short, I had to be the braver soul and stand in front of the air bag.  One big breath and pull out the connector and nothing but a huge sigh of relief.   No big bang!

 I did a little happy dance and started planning the next phase.

Plugging the holes in the floor, little silicone and 12 mm screw caps and I was on my way to soundproofing. 

Sound proofing seemed like a simple job, 4 hours later, the ting in my tin can is gone.  I am starting to learn that if I think a project will take an hour times it by 4 and I will be closer to the real thing.

Even mapped out a preliminary floor plan.  I am beginning to hate wheel wells, they are messing with my design…..

I secretly love this challenge.

Peace and love,

“The fermented Sister”

Aka Stella and Stanley

Stanley was sent back for a little spa treatment.   Once back it was time to remove the seats.

Seat removal 101.

Lesson 1:  seats are heavier than you think!

Lesson 2:  always be nice to your Neighbors!

Lesson 3: look for all connection points…. the coat hanger trick work well once we discovered the additional connection point.

Not only did my friends/neighbors have the additional tools I needed, but they jumped right in and helped me. Air compressor, torque wrench and some good old elbow grease and all 13 seats and rails removed.

Anyone interested in some van seat???

Day 2 Demolition Day

Thunderstorms make for a perfect Demolition Day.

Lesson 4:  removing side and roof panels are hard on your hands. 

Lesson 5: being short means even in a van you must use a step stool. 

Please note the following picture contains nudity….

 

 Wine time….Cheers from the Fermentedsister.

The Coffee Project PLUNGE!

To make the wild idea real, I had to first buy a van.  The quest began with questions, a lot of questions.  What make of van would be the best, what model, what length. Do I buy new or used?  Reading reviews became a nightly norm.  Then viewings, test drives and cost comparisons.  They say you build your first house for your enemy, the second for a friend and the third for you.  Based on this fact and my bank account a used vehicle was the best option.

 I honestly thought I wanted a cargo van, for that stealth look, one look at the passenger van and all its windows and my desire for a cargo van began to diminish. Other factors that played a role in the decision making.

1. The tiny home/van life boom made finding a used van tricky.  Used cargo vans had higher mileage and a lot less on the market. 
2. I wanted a high roof, me being realistic and although my bendy parts still bend, I am no longer that spring chicken and getting dressed in a single man tent has lost some of its charm.
3. The bed needed to be a permanent structure and one that I could sit up in comfortably, (once again it goes back to those bodily bendy parts).
4. It had to have room for a bathroom, not looking for one, or waiting in line for one, was a very appealing vision.
5. I wanted a garage area.
6. And of course, a kitchen prep area/fridge (no propane inside, but it would have a form of cooking for those inclement days).
7. Storage for clothes, food, bikes etc., (reason for the garage).

To have all my must haves and not have a van that looked like an overstuffed burrito, I made my decision.  Taking the plunge was scarier then I thought.  Is this really happening, am I really going to live my dream as a gypsy?  The answer was yes, a nervous yes, but no less a yes, and with an abundance of excitement 🚐 Stanley was born.

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So many ideas floating in my head…..

If all the online videos are not enough to fill you with inspirations, your friends will jump in and add a few of their own.

And I could not be happier. 

Maybe more wine than coffee, maybe life events got real, or maybe I just got the courage to live my dream. 👀

Wowzeers, time flies.  With that some changes, I was really craving something new, wanted/needed a change, new inspiration for my mind, perhaps a little midlife crisis happening, I am not sure but I know something different needed to happen.  So I up and moved to a new town, even did the grown up thing and bought a house.

Now buying the house was an eye opener, for one even though singles and couples without children are statistically on the rise, the home industry is still stuck in the family market, building oversized homes unsuitable for one person.   I managed to find one nice bungalow and nabbed it.  The realtor never blinked an eye that I was single, it was a very comfortable process, on the other hand my neighbors are all still suffering from couples syndrome and I daily need to respond that we just didn’t move, I moved in, and there is no husband, no children, and I am normal and responsible.  But I so want to get a big old witches caldrum for my front yard to brew up some stories for them.

And on that note I conclude my morning thought of happiness that being different is the best.

The art of being single, too bad one could not pick up being single like some unique piece at a Farmer’s Market. It just not partnered/married people that expect you to quantify your reasons for being single, single people do it to themselves.  Why do these expectations of reasoning even exist?  Let me begin first to sort out who can be called single, because according to singles not all singles are single.  (Insert a Charlie Brown “Good Grief” here)!  There are those that are single for life, some have been in a relationships but now are single, we have the married but now divorced, currently separated, god bless the soles of the widowed, single but seeking a partner/marriage, publicly single but due to political/religious reasons they keep the closet door closed, and single with children. I most likely missed a group and unintentional now have caused in some minds a catastrophic event likened to a mutated Yeti avenging upon New York City.  OMG, stop the press, stop the press I forgot single people with pets.

Now within this group of singles, you have the onely’s that are happy, proceeding in life chasing rainbows, pooping butterflies without the concern of others jading their reality. Of course for this world to function we require a balanced formula so to offset the free spirited freak (not freaks but I was at a loss for a fun descriptive word when I was writing this,) wait let’s call them gypsies, (I have always wanted to be a gypsy).  OK, so we have the fun loving gypsies balancing out the Debbie/Dave downers, sad, lonely, depressed, bitter singles, protégées of their own negative minds. But wait we have more, (just like those TV ads when you cannot believe the amazing gadget is only 9.99), keep reading and we will add even more groups within this single group.  We will add in “The Advocates,” I know unbelievable and still only $ 9.99 (plus shipping). The advocate believes we are being penalized for being single, OK, I agree with this group, we do generally pay higher taxes, get less benefits and pay more for holidays (dam those single supplement charges), getting back to our earth mathematical formula we balance out the honorable advocates with the Victims, woe is me it is not my fault, and the Seekers of Entitlement, I am single hear me roar now give me more. I have linked the two, the victims and entitlement seeker together as in my mind ( I know my mind should come with some sort of warning, i.e may not be suitable for all viewers) the two are similar, they blame or want someone else to assume responsibility for their current position.

Now that we have exhausted defining singles, (really this little explanation should come with a free glass of wine), what is it really like to be single, I haven’t the foggiest clue!  Being single is being alive just like being married or whatever status you want to put onto yourself. We are all living, so do we have to “single” ourselves out?

Happiness therefore is being alive and able to experience all the nuances of living regardless of the state of our affairs!

 

Source: The Coffee Project, 12th Editi

“No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family. In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than they once were…Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness…They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law.” Justice Anthony Kennedy – on legalizing same-sex marriages

I, a single person feel about as comfortable with the statement as a witch in Salem.

“Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence!”
— Carl Sagan, Astronomer

“Absence of Evidence is insufficient evidence to prove the proposition be either true or false, or Arguments that appeal to ignorance rely merely on the fact that the veracity of the proposition is not disproven to arrive at a definite conclusion.”

Condemned to loneliness for being single seems absurd, yet the populace has created this mystical illusion of normalcy whereas being married or with a partner is the crown jewel, the end all to be all to happiness and that blissful euphoric state of existence. I have been single, in relationships and even married, all have offered opportunities to discover different levels of happiness. To express one is better than the other really is more a concept of perception and how each individual perceives their happiness based on cultural, community and educational upbringing. Which brings me to the whole point of this runaway monologue, why do people insist on asking if I am dating, when was the last time I was on a date, why am I not dating, are you alone, where is your husband, do you have children? You see these questions bothered me, it is as if I am living my life wrong, it is not that I am living my life wrong, it is that the person asking the question is only seeing their version of harmony. There is no need for annoyance, they are expressing their values, and I too like to throw out my thoughts and opinions. So thank you people for asking the questions, I have unleashed the bothersome demon from its cage, and can now answer your questions with a smile on my face, no I am not dating, I am enjoying the opportunities singlehood has to offer.

(p.s. the bottle of wine for now remains all mine, a little fermented bliss now and than is a good thing)

Happiness therefore is the ability to find happiness in all types of circumstances.

 

Me:  Santa for Christmas I want a dragon.

Santa: Be realistic!

Me: OK, I want a loyal boyfriend.

Santa:  What color of Dragon do you want?

2015 was filled with the contemplations of 2014. Perhaps I am slightly jilted, or maybe, just maybe I have it all right. My bank account may be less, yet my heart and soul are full. Oh there are times I feel like the outcast, when all around me are couples, add in the many nights alone it would be reasonable to assume one may cave and settle for second best just to get rid of the ugly duckling complex. Yet I can not do it, being slapped in the face and literally thrown over board over past life choices has made me view life on a different trail. In 2014 I envisioned a life embracing being single, in 2015 I began with a solo cycling tour of New Zealand, wow talk about pushing limits, overcoming obstacles, and yet I relished every moment. Many talk about being free, I was free, it is only when I returned to the rat race of civilization, a job, did I feel the need to be with someone. Does that mean thoughts to be with someone are driven by the fake and unrealistic notions set by society? And Yes I think society has created a system where ones success is based on a materialistic scale. Proof, look at online dating profile questions, what is your profession, how much money do you make, do you own a car, do you have children? What does any of this have to do with being a valued person. So here is to 2016 where the contemplations from 2015 will see if materialistic pursuits or living win out.
Happiness is the freedom of thoughts, the freedom to dream, the freedom to do, now that truly makes me smile. 😃,