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

[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.