48 states in 48 days
I've been fantasizing a lot lately. The more I think about working, and the harder I try to find jobs and get hired, the more I realize that there are a lot of things I'd rather be doing. Every couple of days, I'm struck with an off-the-wall idea for something to do that isn't what I'm doing right now. I've thought about the Peace Corps. I've thought about applying for a seasonal job at a ski resort. All sorts of things.
So far, the best idea I've had has been a seven-week comprehensive cross country road trip. One state per day. I'd probably start in Maine, head west through New Hampshire and Vermont, south into Massachusetts, then New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio. I'd zig zag my way through the midwest on the way to the Pacific. After a trip down the west coast, I'd head back east through the southwest, the plains states and the southern states, and then north along the eastern seaboard and back home.
I've thought about the logistics, and I think it's totally doable. The only two obstacles I can think of are time/distance and cost. Cost is easy. If I gave myself a budget of $5000 (within my means, and a perfectly reasonable budget for almost two months), I'd have a little more than $100 per day. If I averaged one tank of gas per day ($35), $25 per day for food, and camped out at free or cheap campsites, I'd be within my budget with room to spare (right?). As for time/distance, I definitely think it can be done. I'd be willing to drive for ten hours a day, which is probably the most that would be necessary. Looking at the map, one of the longest distances would appear to be the length of Texas, and according to Google, that's only 800 miles or so. A long day's drive, to be sure, but then again it would probably be split over two days, as long as I started the first day in New Mexico and ended the second day in Louisiana or Oklahoma.
Clearly, a lot of thought goes into these zany schemes. One could make the argument that my time would be better spent, oh, getting a job. But there's a certain escapism in this daydreaming, which has done a lot of the work of keeping me at least marginally sane recently. I'm endlessly frustrated with the state of my life these days, but I've always found purpose (and pleasure) in making plans and having ambitions. All the time I spend thinking about law school serves this same purpose. Setting goals, doing research, weighing options, making plans. That stuff I'm good at.
It's the actual doing that's the hard part.
So far, the best idea I've had has been a seven-week comprehensive cross country road trip. One state per day. I'd probably start in Maine, head west through New Hampshire and Vermont, south into Massachusetts, then New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio. I'd zig zag my way through the midwest on the way to the Pacific. After a trip down the west coast, I'd head back east through the southwest, the plains states and the southern states, and then north along the eastern seaboard and back home.
I've thought about the logistics, and I think it's totally doable. The only two obstacles I can think of are time/distance and cost. Cost is easy. If I gave myself a budget of $5000 (within my means, and a perfectly reasonable budget for almost two months), I'd have a little more than $100 per day. If I averaged one tank of gas per day ($35), $25 per day for food, and camped out at free or cheap campsites, I'd be within my budget with room to spare (right?). As for time/distance, I definitely think it can be done. I'd be willing to drive for ten hours a day, which is probably the most that would be necessary. Looking at the map, one of the longest distances would appear to be the length of Texas, and according to Google, that's only 800 miles or so. A long day's drive, to be sure, but then again it would probably be split over two days, as long as I started the first day in New Mexico and ended the second day in Louisiana or Oklahoma.
Clearly, a lot of thought goes into these zany schemes. One could make the argument that my time would be better spent, oh, getting a job. But there's a certain escapism in this daydreaming, which has done a lot of the work of keeping me at least marginally sane recently. I'm endlessly frustrated with the state of my life these days, but I've always found purpose (and pleasure) in making plans and having ambitions. All the time I spend thinking about law school serves this same purpose. Setting goals, doing research, weighing options, making plans. That stuff I'm good at.
It's the actual doing that's the hard part.
posted by temporarily unemployed at 22:37
1 Comments:
go sell crazy somewhere else. we're all stocked up here. lolololol love you lo p :)
<3beany
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