phase 1: converting my van

So where am I in my conversion job?

So here I am in my progress so far:

1) Bought a 1995 Ford e-350 2 last 4th of July weekend.

STill haven't removed the seats in the back.

2) I got a portable potti and experimented and studied how it flushed. (man, I'm gonna end up cleaning this sucker each and every time I use it!) Actually going to buy another setup I can use more often --the folding seat with plastic bag setup with kitty litter and wood shavings sounds better... gonna live like a hamster! Cool.

3) Just bought a big 35 gallon bin for my bath setup. I got a theoretical plan which involves bathing in it (so it catches the water) sitting on a small plastic step stool which I already have and surrounding myself with my existing shower curtain (suspended over my head somehow --by a hoola hoop or something from the toy department is my plan so far).

So in two weeks, I will be taking out the seats.

I'll probably have a really rough setup at first... sandwiches, cans of tuna...PB and J... simple drinks... just like when I first moved to Australia with only 2 suitcases and a backpack. I figure I did it before, I can do it again... this time it'll be even easier since I have my own vehicle to live in! 

My mission actually is to consume all my food here at home in 2 months. I am a bit of a hoarder and what I have right now is enough food to last me at least 2 months...

So I have to keep myself from buying anything new anymore.

Once again, it may sound really bizarre to those who lived in fixed locations, but really, it's not that much of a stretch. 

I do have to leave great swaths of my stuff behind (like I did 2 years ago). It's ok too... 

There's something to be said for living in a Spartan way with just a laptop, a suitcase and your trusty wallet...

My very first post

Hello to all!
Welcome to my blog post. This is so exciting as I never blogged before in my life.
As some of you may already know, I have begun converting my van into a small home. I will try to address some FAQ's here to answer any questions you may have.

1) Why are you doing this?
WEll, the simple answer is: because I can and I want to.
It is said that the vast number of great books out there cannot be read by a single human being in their entire lifetime --not even if they spent every waking hour doing so. This is sort of the same way; There's just too many things to see out there, too many wonderful people to visit and too many experiences to be had that it is impossible to get it all done if I stay in one place.

2) It seems hard living in a vehicle. Why deprive yourself of the comforts of civilization?
Hard and easy are relative things. For me, I don't foresee any hardship at all. We pay lots of money to camp out, why not do it on the cheap and be able to linger longer in one locality? That can only be possible if I live wherever I go.
Granted, this will look like hardship to some people. But as I said before... it's not as if I cannot go back to my old life. That is what makes this easy to get into. At any given time, I can always run back to the same old apartment existence. Why not try it if you're not losing anything? The rewards later on can be satisfying.

3) Will this be how you will live from now on?
yes... and no. We will continue to improve my van, of course. This is what makes this a fascinating exercise and a fun one: the home is always a work in progress. And this is only phase 1...
Phase 2 is actually getting a larger vehicle that is a fullsized RV.
Phase 3 is getting some bare land out there... building a small home with my own hands... (plenty of blueprints online --and I'll be able to use my old draftsman's skills that have atrophied) But that's the subject of future blogs. For now, we'll stay in the present... and my pet project.

For me, it's become really stale living in a fixed place. Like the book analogy, we can wander the earth and never even touch 10% of all the great stuff out there. So here I am attempting to do as much as I can, see as many folks as I want as my time and work schedule permits.

5) Is this a long vacation for you?
Sort of... but not. I will be working on the road on a laptop same way I did when I went to the Philippines and Australia. The model works fine as long as expenses are pared down. (I am burning lots of gas, after all) For me, if I can mix travel, leisure and work together, that's the good life.

So come aboard and journey with me!