guess i should stop lurking and give myself an intro

[maller82]

Hey! I'm a newbie but have been lurking this site for awhile now. I have been staying up countless hours reading everything I can get my hands on. Pretty sure I know & understand how to do most of my build. The only thing I cant seem to understand is solar & electrical wiring. The more I read the more confused I get!

I am a 31 year old who has just....."had it". Grew up in Southern Illinois, spent 5 years in Vegas, spent 6 years in Nashville, and have now been in the DWF area for 4 months. Needless to say DFW has been my least favorite spot. Everytime I move I sell everything that I can & pack up my tiny car. Get to a new place, find an apartment I don't really like, and just feel trapt. I like to move around. I want to be able to go as I please. I don't want to keep up with the Jones's.

My family seems less than pleased with my decision for the most part. My sister & brother in law are typical DFW suburbanites. Big house, get stuff, need bigger house, get more stuff, get even bigger house, etc. My mom seems kind of supportive. She keeps asking questions and seems surprised when I breeze through how I plan on doing my build & have thought through it so well.

As long as I have a roof over my head, my chihuahua by my side, my portable record player spinning some sweet old jams, and a job to make me some gas & grocery money I will be happy. I live a very simple life & plan on keeping it that way.

Sorry to be so long winded! Hope to meet some of you in the near future!!

 

[Patrick46]

Nahhhh....that wasn't long winded at all!

now, get me going and I'll show you what being 'long winded' looks like!!

Tell us more....do you have a rig you plan to live in? What kinda work have you done/do?? How 'bout the music you listen to on those records.

RECORDS??? Hmmmm...are we talking about good 'old Vinyl?? I still have lotsa vinyl, and they get heavy really fast! How do you plan to store & carry 'em...out of the sun and the heat??

Lotsa doggie fans on here too. Tell us about your pint size friend!

Welcome to the asylum!!

 

[rvwandering]

Welcome! Setting up a solar system isn't as complicated as it seems. Bob had some posts with photos and information for fairly simple, basic installations on his blog but the search feature isn't bringing them up. Hopefully that will be fixed soon. Keep us updated on your progress and ask questions if you run into problems.

 

[Patrick46]

Tell us more....do you have a rig you plan to live in?

Uppps!! Just found your other thread about the boxtruck.

boxtrucks and stepvans are my fav's!!!

 

[papas34]

Welcome aboard.....you found a great place to hang out.
Check out my blog for some photos of my solar.....I did the installation a few months back. It's a big compicated system and it was not to difficult.

 

[blkjak]

welcome from s.w. florida .... blkjak

 

[maller82]

Nahhhh....that wasn't long winded at all!

now, get me going and I'll show you what being 'long winded' looks like!!

Tell us more....do you have a rig you plan to live in? What kinda work have you done/do?? How 'bout the music you listen to on those records.

RECORDS??? Hmmmm...are we talking about good 'old Vinyl?? I still have lotsa vinyl, and they get heavy really fast! How do you plan to store & carry 'em...out of the sun and the heat??

Lotsa doggie fans on here too. Tell us about your pint size friend!

Welcome to the asylum!!

Well originally I planned on converting a school bus. But after finding this sight and doing more research I am pretty sure a box truck will better fit me and my needs. I will be able to handle the wood work and any plumbing work that needs done. But when it comes to setting up my solar I will be one lost little lady! Mote on that in a second. I also know nothing about engines. Guess I should have taken an auto shop class in high school instead of so many wood shop classes. Better start reading up on engines too I guess!

What do I do for work? Well......where should I start?!? I have worked since I was 14...so the list can be pretty long! I have done everything from haul bricks, cleaned pools, certified forklift driver, escrow assistant, bartender in Vegas and Nashville, short order cook, sold my hand stitched cross stitch pictures, house and dog sit, mowed lawns one summer, and have done exterior & interior house painting. I'm kind of a jack of all trades. I have never met a task I couldn't handle and I like to be kept busy. If someone is gonna pay me to do a job I want to make sure they get their money's worth! I just hope I can make a living once I hit the road.

Lets talk about music now!! Gah!! I love my little record player!! Its about 15" inches square and 4 inches tall. Built in speakers. Has a little built in lid to help keep the dust off. Can be plugged in with an AC cord (which is what I plan on doing) or ran off of batteries. As far as my records go I have already been selling most of my collection. I plan on taking about 20 records with me on the road and leaving the rest with my aunt. I still have the first record I ever bout when I was a kid......The Best of Disney Volume 1. Ha! Other than that I have quit the eclectic collection. Everything from some Hank Williams, led zeppelin, queen, Foghat, Billie holliday, aerosmith, Bing Crosby, creedence clearwater revival.......with some soundtracks thrown in so I get a bunch of artists on one album. I can sit for hours listening to my records and working on what ever art project I am doing that day. I have a small record holder that will hold 20 easy. It is insulated and can protect them from some pretty harsh temperatures.

On to my dog!! He is a tiny (5 pounds on a good day) chihuahua named Guacamole. I call him Guac for short. He loves to go for rides, walks, sit in Laos, and get his belly rubbed (don't we all)!!

---

Ah! My dog doesn't like to sit in Laos!!! He likes to sit in LAPS!! Haha!! He also likes the home made dog treats I make him. If I ever meet any of you I will be sure to share Guac's supply of treats with your four pegged friends!!

I also have no idea why that last one I was writing got posted......maybe I hit post on accident before I was don't. Doing this from a tablet is kind of hard.

Well I guess I answered all the questions!! How's that for lind winded?!?

Hope to meet you all someday. You can pick out a record to play and we can enjoy a cold one while sit under the stars!!

---

Welcome aboard.....you found a great place to hang out.
Check out my blog for some photos of my solar.....I did the installation a few months back. It's a big compicated system and it was not to difficult.

Hey! Thanks for the welcome! Checked out your blot a bit last night. Great pictures!! Gonna look for the info you posted about solar here in a little bit. Thanks again!!

 

[papas34]

Maller82 feel free to pm me anytime and ill help in any way i can.......proper wire size is very important.

 

[steamjam1]

Solar and electrics are pretty easy. Before I started living in Tofu (I named my van Tofu because it looks like a brick of tofu..) I also spent many late nights reading up on anything vandwelling I could find, and watched many many youtube videos for ideas, clues and tips.

Anyways welcome aboard!

 

[signman]

Hi, Welcome from north Florida,(for now). Like Patrick says welcome to the asylum ! When I first read your post about your dog, I thought it was into yoga an that was some kinda' pose, but I'm just an ol' country boy so ?
If you work so that they "get their moneys worth" and your varied experience you should have no problems out on the road. Duane

 

[WanderlustVagabond]

oh vinyl. So far the hardest part of my move. I have to leave it, somewhere. just too heavy and three totes worth ain't making my trip. There is just something i'm going to have to figure out. how to deal with a sunday morning without "in through the out door"

 

[maller82]

Hi, Welcome from north Florida,(for now). Like Patrick says welcome to the asylum ! When I first read your post about your dog, I thought it was into yoga an that was some kinda' pose, but I'm just an ol' country boy so ?
If you work so that they "get their moneys worth" and your varied experience you should have no problems out on the road. Duane

Haha! My little buddy has never done yoga a day in his life unless you count him stretching out on my heating pad every night!! Ya......he is what you would consider spoiled.

I sure hope I have luck with finding work. I usually stick to finding work with temp agencies right now. Currently doing all the in bound and out bound international shipping for Callaway Golf. Trying to save some money to get my truck. Finding one is proving to be very hard in this area. I am leaving Texas in 6 weeks due to my living situation ending and heading up to Southern Illinois to stay with a family member. Box trucks are even harder to find in that area. I will probably have to expand my search to st.Louis, Kentucky, and Nashville. SO MUCH STRESS!! I'm just ready to have a home!

---

oh vinyl. So far the hardest part of my move. I have to leave it, somewhere. just too heavy and three totes worth ain't making my trip. There is just something i'm going to have to figure out. how to deal with a sunday morning without "in through the out door"

Well if we ever meet on the road somewhere you will have to join me for some record playing. I am selling some of my "not so favorite" records and will be leaving a majority of them with my aunt once I hit the road. I have some pretty valuable ones that I would hate it if something happened to them. I don't have In Through the Out Door.....but I will be sure to always have some Zeppelin on hand just in case we cross paths.

 

[Johnny Utah]

Hi, welcome. You must really love your vinyl to want to lug around a player and a bunch of records when nowadays you can store 10,000 songs on a single little mp3 device.

 

[maller82]

Hi, welcome. You must really love your vinyl to want to lug around a player and a bunch of records when nowadays you can store 10,000 songs on a single little mp3 device.

My record player is portable and very tiny. I will have at most 10 - 15 records with me because I can store the rest at my aunt's house. All my books are digital on my Kindle and I don't have a lot of possessions. I figured a few pounds for my music that honestly makes me happy is worth it. Maybe in the future I will decide to get rid of it...but for now I plan on keeping it.

 

[Johnny Utah]

True, a digital device can't capture the realness of sound you get from vinyl. I found some classical CD's of restored performances that kept all the scratches and pops. even those sound remarkably better than a modern performance with perfect audio quality.

Ironically, I have an eReader too, but I prefer actual paper bound books.

 

[maller82]

True, a digital device can't capture the realness of sound you get from vinyl. I found some classical CD's of restored performances that kept all the scratches and pops. even those sound remarkably better than a modern performance with perfect audio quality.

Ironically, I have an eReader too, but I prefer actual paper bound books.

I love the feel of a paper book.....but my kindle is just so much more easy. I can get whatever book I want right away and they are cheaper. Plus this is how I am on line and look up everything I can for my build. Which seems like it might happen sooner. I will be moving out of my place in 26 days instead of 3 months now. I work 12 hour days 7 days a week till I move to save money......so no time to start my truck. Gonna head to southern Illinois and crash at my aunts house and then find a truck. So much stress right now.

 

[Patrick46]

I work 12 hour days 7 days a week till I move to save money. So much stress right now.

yep...12 hours shifts for 7 days a week will do that to yas!