It’s the final countdown…

There are only ten working days left! My feelings are mixed but the outlook from now on is awesome. By coincidence good friends are throwing a big party in the countryside just at the end of my last working week. Thanks guys, exactly what I needed! In between I already lined up some outdoor activity and the rest of the time will certainly pass by fast with preparations. Buying a travel vehicle definitly is a big leap forwards. So the next couple of weeks will be joyful busy, finishing work, preparing the bus, enjoying the spring (finally!) while meeting friends… That’s anditainment for sure so stay tuned…

final-countdown

 

Fuck, I’m old!

Yesterday my flatmates and I were talking about books&movies for children. One mentioned that he loved Harry Potter when HE was a child. dafuq

But yeah, the books came out in 1997, the first movie 2001. Back then I was finishing school / starting studying at the university. He is almost ten years younger so he attended primary school being a cute little boy. The perfect age for Harry Potter. Weird. But good. Normally I just don’t realize that there is such an age difference because we’re both somehow grown ups, share some hobbies (like travelling for example) and get along really well. The older you get the less important is the age difference…

Picking up pace…

The measures I’ve taken are starting to work out fine. I took good care of myself during the last couple of weeks. I did almost no excessive partying, drank almost no alcohol and kept almost a quite constant sleep rhythm. I visited dear friends and constantly soldiered through my to do list. Now there are only 13 working days left and I’m starting to see light at the end of the tunnel (and I’m quite sure it isn’t an oncoming train…). There’s still much stuff to do and I still hate the uncertainty of not having a completely checked through travel vehicle standing in the workshop. It’s the same as always before I start an adventure. At first I worry about plenty of stuff and spend much time on alternative plans, countermeasures for any problem which could come up and so on. The closer the date of leaving comes the more I relax (except the last couple of days of course). I’ve got the feeling that I’m prepared well. Mentally not organizationally. Most stuff which is likely to happen has been thought through. I know that I’m good at solving problems, it’s my occupation and hobby as well.

If I don’t find a decent travel vehicle or destroy it in an accident or whatever I can still fix the station wagon and use it for traveling. Having a rear lock differential and quite a good ground clearance it even has limited offroad capabilities. Exactly the same mode of transportation as in Australia and quite comfortable as long as it doesn’t rain for several days straight and it’s not too cold.

And even if that is going wrong as well I still got my “everything sucks and I have to get out RIGHT NOW” escape vehicle which I started to prepare years ago. The trusty Honda XL 600V Transalp!

An old pic without the modifications.

An old pic without the modifications.

Already equipped with aluminum boxes, engine bashplate and crashbars it only needs a new set of offroad tires and a new chain / sprocket set. That’s done in less than a day.  And even if that’s not working either I still have quite some backpacking experience. I just tend to get more comfortable while I’m growing older and my income is raising…

To sum it up: The summer will be fun for sure and some travelling will be done. The only thing which could stop me (except for accidents & stuff of course) is being stuck in an everyday life routine. And I definitely kick ass avoiding that. So no worries folks!

 

Caffeine Reduction Day #2-#4

Boring. On day #2 I had a cup of coffee because it was offered to me and I forgot that I didn’t want one. When it was served I thought it would have been impolite not to drink it. Day #2 ended with some alcohol and the night was short because I had a very good conversation with a friend until five in the morning and we had appointments on the very same morning as well. So I drank some mugs on day #3. Day #4 also started with two mugs.

I think I will stop blogging about this topic until something interesting happens. So far it works out as expected, a drastic reduction which is quite easy to maintain. And most coffee I drink really is shitty. It’s time to learn how to brew decent coffee. Since I won’t drink that much anymore the price per mug doesn’t really matter….

Caffeine Reduction Day #1

„Rehab is for quitters“ – Hank Moody

I’ve been drinking too much coffee. 10+ mugs on a working day wasn’t good for my stomach at all. After recognizing that I don’t have sleep problems on vacation I’m trying to dial in on the reason for not having a good nights sleep when working. Work isn’t exactly satisfing at the moment, an NDA stops me from blogging about it but let’s say the project I’m working on at the moment is more or less a failure (that actually made it to nationwide news, so I’m allowed to tell). This probably is one reason. But maybe caffaine is as well. Alright, I’m not good in quitting stuff but I’m very good at reducing. For example I never quit smoking. I’m still smoking on rare occasions. Its no problem at all to not smoke for a week or two but saying that I quit would mean permanently which would mean that I either stick to it or feel very bad for not doing what I’m saying. So I will not stop drinking coffee. But I will reduce my consumption drastically. From gulping back to enjoying. Only drink good coffee and not the shitty free coffee at work.

Day 1, 13:40

Got up at seven, took a shower, went to work. Had a couple of fennel teas. No caffeine yet. I feel sleepy and have slight headache. I’m unsure if work or the lack of caffeine is the reason. I think I should go on vacation and find another project. Funny how all thoughts are leading to „the plan“. BTW: 22 working days left… And lunch break is over, back to work…

Day 1, 14:40

Still sleepy. Probably just dehydration. If you drink much coffee on a regular basis it hydrates as well even if people tend to tell you the opposite.

Day 1, 15:51

Drank a bottle of water and more tea. Still sleepy, slight headache. The colorcoding of my pee suggests it’s not dehydration. Am I experiencing withdrawal symtoms? Hmm.

Day 1, 21:00

Slept for an hour after work. Will head out to the supermarket to hunt down some food. Still tired. Tomorrow I’ll be on the road for about five hours, that will be hard without coffee. And without a decent stereo in the car.

Day 1, 22:16

Still tired. Let’s see how tonight’s sleep will be. Since I do not have to work until Wednesday it will probably be fine.