dire thoughts

[mountain_laurel]

i'm seriously considering, when my lease is up, putting my stuff in storage, driving to Pennsylvania with the cats, and living with my parents for a few months while i dig myself out of debt. the work i'll need to do for SiG can all, or almost all, be done remotely, so there's no problem there -- which means i'd get to keep most of it, instead of pissing it away on rent.

up sides: i could save some money and get at least partly out of debt. i'd be able to do weekend road trips to visit numerous friends from there. it's very, very pretty where they live, so i could also do long soothing drives in the countryside. my mom is a kickass cook. i'd get to see relatives i haven't seen in years. i could get to know my parents a little better as an adult.

down sides: my parents are both drunks, and when my mother is awake she's yelling most of the time (but she isn't awake more than a few hours a day). the house is filthy. they live in the middle of nowhere. i would have to convince them to let me bring the cats, and train them to watch for cats when opening doors. i'd lose my apartment, and since i've had a couple of bounced rent checks in the last few months, it might be hard for me to get a new one. there's no guarantee there would be any more work when i got back (if i came back) than there is now.

i'm just not sure about this. it could be a good idea. or i could get stranded in Pennsylvania, with my stuff in California, and be unable to find work indefinitely.

thoughts?

Comments

thought.

[chickenhat.livejournal.com]

Geez, maybe you and shadowcaptain should just trade apartments...

I didn't just say that.

...um...

[shadowcaptain.livejournal.com]

...and i didn't just read that...

...and i didn't mention in response that the apartment above me is still vacant...

kmh

...i'm pretty sure the last tenant's quasi-suicide note will wash off, but i haven't bothered to go up there with a sponge and some murphy's oil soap yet to check...

[dglenn.livejournal.com]

Well, if you get stranded on this coast, Baltimore's not the middle of nowhere (once I get my roof fixed)...

[swisscheesed.livejournal.com]

That's a rough decision to have to make -- and I'm veering dangerously close to making a similar one myself if the job situation doesn't pick up. Many, many *hugs*. If it helps, I'd say go for it -- retreat and collect yourself -- and then give everything your best shot again.

[jbsegal.livejournal.com]

Can you go for a mid ground of
1) Some/Much Stuff In Storage
2) Less optimal location (cheaper rents)
3) Roommate
4) But not M-O-N PA
?
Yeah, once you've lived alone, going back to a roommate is hard, but it strikes me as better than back with your folks, nu?

[zadcat.livejournal.com]

Right away 2 things strike me: you would undoubtedly end up putting a lot of time in for your parents, as they're in such poor shape. Even if in some societies it's considered normal for the unmarried daughter to devote herself to this, I don't know whether you're going to enjoy finding yourself even partially in that role. Also, what odds that two elderly drunks are going to remember about not letting the cats out?

Only if there's some way you can have a kind of semi-private suite in that house should you go there to live, it seems to me. A bedroom is not enough, you need a decent-sized bedroom and bathroom to yourself at least, or you'll hate it and you won't be there very long.

[canetoad.livejournal.com]

The job opportunities here may be poor, but in PA? Good luck. But, where ever you decide to move to, you'd be wise to take all of your belongings with you; don't scatter.

On moving in general: pick an area you actually like or know or want to get to know, or one with people you know and like (people who might be willing to help house and/or feed you while you get oriented and settled), and one that has some decent employment opportunities of one sort or another. It isn't as though you don't have plenty of free time to do some idle research.

[merde.livejournal.com]

well, the point is moot -- see my latest post. however:

why would i have even considered moving back in with my parents if i could have afforded to move to another place of my own, even a cheaper one?