What to do when there's nothing to do??
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wcurtin1962
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Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh................................Move?
highdesertranger
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remember mining claims can be filed on a few dozen minerals. just because you can file a claim doesn't mean there is gold there. as far as I know all the gold in the eastern US is found on private property or state lands neither of which can be claimed. highdesertranger
wcurtin1962 said:
Your answer is short, but profound. Yes, moving helps. I didn't realize this lifestyle would be so boring. Perhaps I could have prepared better if I had known. But I've gotten a few good ideas here.
Here's what I've learned:
1/ I like the outdoors, but I'm not spiritual about it, and I get just as bored with the same old outdoors as I did to the same old 4 walls.
2/ I have to be busy doing stuff.
3/ I have to have a plan to work on for future adventures.
4/ I need to get a shortwave radio for entertainment.
5/ I'm going to further look into mining in the east. Others are doing it, so I'm going to learn from folks who are already doing this. I want to at least look into it for small scale. I'm not going to be so negative about it because if other people are doing it, why can't I do it too? I'm going to look into the rules and what is expected of me and see if it's a good fit for me. If it still fits, I'll do it by the book. And if that all pans out (pun intended), then I'll be happy to have SOMETHING to do because I'm bored. I used to complain that the days fly too fast. Now they go so slow, and I hate it.
Vermithrax
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When there is nothing to do, I just sit and do nothing. 
There is a whole world of awesome stuff to do. Drive to someplace to explore. There mountain biking, surfing, body boarding, snorkeling, hiking, road biking, bird watching, etc. There is also the Meetup app and website, search there for groups you are interested in and join with them, I guarantee there will be groups that interest you. Hanging out at hot springs is a great way to break boredom, always cool people in the springs. I have spent my life traveling as both a nomad and in the military, there is always something fun to do if you look.
Beeps and eats
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I do metal detecting and forage for wild edibles, your looking down anyway might as well learn the plants and enjoy a meal when you get done. After all I rarely find a treasure cashe when I go out. But I always come back with a salad and something to add to the main course. Enjoy any hobbies and you can entertain yourself for hours.
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Dingfelder
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If you're around the woods a lot, there are all kinds of woodcarving and whittling you can do. People make beautiful spoons, for instance, out of all sorts of wood, polish it up, seal it, etc. Others carve animals, cups, plaques, or bowls. Some of them fetch nice prices. You can even mail-order specialty woods for it if you like, or just grab whatever is laying around. You can learn on just a few pieces of fairly cheap equipment that doesn't take up much space at all. Amazon sells all that stuff, and youtube has plenty of videos.
There are all sorts of phone, tablet, and computer games you can play for little or no cost that don't take an internet connection, too. They can be very fun, either absorbing or slow and lazy, your choice -- too fun maybe, they'll eat up any time you need them to. I especially like old strategy games like Heroes of Might and Magic III.
And one of the best things to make empty time feel better is a dog, if you are a caring and responsible enough person to own one. They really make time rest easier on your shoulders. And love to share any adventure, even going to the hardware store with you. They'll think you're a genius, and the most amazing and lovable person in the world, and you don't have to tell them any different. Sometimes they can even convince you that where there's smoke, there's fire.
There are all sorts of phone, tablet, and computer games you can play for little or no cost that don't take an internet connection, too. They can be very fun, either absorbing or slow and lazy, your choice -- too fun maybe, they'll eat up any time you need them to. I especially like old strategy games like Heroes of Might and Magic III.
And one of the best things to make empty time feel better is a dog, if you are a caring and responsible enough person to own one. They really make time rest easier on your shoulders. And love to share any adventure, even going to the hardware store with you. They'll think you're a genius, and the most amazing and lovable person in the world, and you don't have to tell them any different. Sometimes they can even convince you that where there's smoke, there's fire.
Actually, if you get a big fat tabby cat like NomadicFanatic, and a baby carriage to haul him around in, then it's a full time job. At home, cats barely even know when you're in the house, but on the road, they continually complain about how every thing is different everyday.
https://www.youtube.com/user/nomadicfanatic/videos
https://www.youtube.com/user/nomadicfanatic/videos
GeorgiePorgie
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It I really easy to pick up cheap/free paperback books and I love to read. Also, I have Netflix for $8.00 per month. You can download shows and movies when you have wifi and play them back when you don't. These things fill up a lot of time.
GeorgiePorgie, sometimes reading is good. I have a library card which is good for my home locale. Actually they often don't have what I want but I will go to WorldCat online and find books I want and they order them through interlibrary loan. I'm so picky about what I read. I can't abide by fiction. It's gotta be something about how to do something or something historical that's interesting. It's gotta be non-fiction. Maybe something to help me tinker when I have the ability to do that.
My late uncle had a shop and I sometimes go over there and tinker some. It's kinda hard to carry with you all the tools you need unless you have a specialty. I used to work in stained glass, but I can't take all that with me. It's a lot of weight too when you're carrying a lot of glass with you. I have the stuff in storage, but it would be kind of fun to sit at a picnic table at a camp and start working. When I'd start something like that outside, someone would come by and buy it before it was even finished. Stained glass can make a mediocre artist look great if you can be patient with it.
I have a ton of glass too. Knitting would have been more practical but I never could get into that. Maybe I should find a way I can take stained glass with me. The nice thing about doing it outside is that even when you are really careful like I am, if a tiny sliver falls into the dirt, it's no big deal. If it falls somewhere indoors, it's a problem. So I've always tried to do that work outside.
My late uncle had a shop and I sometimes go over there and tinker some. It's kinda hard to carry with you all the tools you need unless you have a specialty. I used to work in stained glass, but I can't take all that with me. It's a lot of weight too when you're carrying a lot of glass with you. I have the stuff in storage, but it would be kind of fun to sit at a picnic table at a camp and start working. When I'd start something like that outside, someone would come by and buy it before it was even finished. Stained glass can make a mediocre artist look great if you can be patient with it.
I have a ton of glass too. Knitting would have been more practical but I never could get into that. Maybe I should find a way I can take stained glass with me. The nice thing about doing it outside is that even when you are really careful like I am, if a tiny sliver falls into the dirt, it's no big deal. If it falls somewhere indoors, it's a problem. So I've always tried to do that work outside.
I've seen youtubes of craftsmen turned wanderer, and who haul a cargo trailer behind to carry their tools and other goodies. Size of trailer can depend upon the tow vehicle and also the sort of goodies being hauled. You can live in a van and work out of a shop in the cargo trailer. Hobby or for jobbing.wasanah2 said:
If the cat is finicky, you can put him in the trailer too.
QinReno said:
And if I put the cat in the trailer, I may wonder, like Schrödinger, is the cat simultaneously alive and dead back there?
All kidding aside, I like the idea of the hobby hut pull behind. I could do that if I went out in my Tahoe instead of the Astro van. The Tahoe has a much bigger engine and a more powerful machine. I'm also not going over mountains like the ones out west. Yeah, I do like the idea of getting back into stained glass.
I could also do the mini-micro mosaics. I do them with ceramics and with stained glass. They take a lot of time but time is something I want to fill, so that's something that may work for me. I usually don't have trouble unloading what I make, whether I sell it or give it away. I probably could get away with one of the shorter cargo trailers too because I don't have to stand up in it.
It would be kinda cool to make an awning off the back of a cargo trailer and then put a folding picnic table under the awning and do the work like that. It's a matter of going in and out of the trailer, picking out glass containers from organized stock. That's one thing I was careful to do is really organize the glass well. Anyway I like the idea. It wouldn't work well for stealthiness, but for the many times I would camp out in the boonies, it would work. I could also probaby stick a small generator in there to pull out if I want to run my grinder that makes the edges all smooth. Also I have to run a soldering iron, but the process is generally picking out the pieces, cutting them and putting them on my pattern and then doing all the smoothing at once and all the soldering at once. So most of the work is pretty quiet and easy, cutting the glass.
That might be a really good 2 week stay at say a dispersed camping situation where I can stay one place for about that long. You've given me such great ideas!
Beeps and eats
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I joined Thunbtack it's an online "help wanted" I pay a small fee to bid on a job and if the customer likes what they read I will be emailed by them and we set up our first meeting. It keeps me busy and I'm making an income.
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If you could sleep in the tow vehicle, then you would have more room in the trailer for your hobby/business venture, and could also get by with a smaller trailer, easier to tow. Now you could travel around for fun and pleasure, go to craft shows all over the country to sell your wares, and have a way to support your nomad lifestyle. Plus now you have a valid reason for "signage" re the other thread. Win, win.
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