’23 Problems

But a ditch aint one.

In celebration of our last trip around the sun, my job gifted me with a pink slip. Covid was hard on the company, with ripple effects that resulted in budget shortcomings going into the new year. Apparently, being laid off isn’t something that gets easier with age, because I hated it.

If I had to be laid off, January is the best time. It is basically open draft season for developers. My glass is half full side believes they timed it that way on purpose. I wasn’t ready. I needed to whip together a resume — I made five different versions in all — and figure out where programming jobs were posted now. I hadn’t had to do cold interviews in over a decade and felt a bit overwhelmed with the entire process. Kendra scrambled to change our itinerary — multiple times — to minimize expenditures. If you want to live on the road you better be able to work as a team when things go wrong.

With forty-six resumes sent, more than ten interviews, and stress dripping down the walls, an offer has arrived. I was up against over one-thousand other developers and a dozen other interviews, but lightning struck and this should be a minor bump on our journey looking back. I miss my old team, but I think I may end up liking my new team even more than the last.

Tortuga Maintenance

Typically days in the shop are challenging. Without needing to juggle the responsibilities of a job, it is a lot easier. We had the engine, slide, levelers, seals, and propane all serviced. Also, we — mostly Kendra — replaced a damaged decal with paint. That last part was a little scary, but it came out amazing. Can you tell which decal above is now painted?

That may sound like a lot of money going out while none is coming in, which is true, but we had the money earmarked for these items, and they were all important. The decal could have waited, but we only needed a little extra painter’s tape and four days to do the work. An RV that travels needs a lot of loving attention, and ours definitely travels.

Life on the Road

Even though life was tumultuous, the beat goes on. We had a lot of chores, but we still found time to enjoy existing where we were. We fit in a nice hike near Pheonix and parked at some of the most beautiful BLM lands to visit old friends and make new ones.

The Kofa Wildlife preserve is lovely and peaceful. I received an interview-ready haircut from an Iraq veteran, met a graphic designer I may collaborate with on a future project, enjoyed a group fire, had dinner with old friends, and did my best to relax. My best wasn’t all that good, but it truly was my best.

Pluviophile

I’ve always enjoyed the rain. While at KOFA I managed to get in a three-mile walk in the rain. It wasn’t a torrential downpour, but a varying mild rain with mottled sunlight on the mountains. That, combined with a job offer, went a long way toward restoring my own peace.

The desert is a nice place to visit, but I am missing the ocean and trees of the Pacific Northwest. Glad we will coddiwomple that direction soon.

May peace find you.