Recently, I had to start over due to a few drastic changes in my life. I lost my job, had to move from my house, and put the vast majority of my stuff in storage for the time being. Since then, I have moved to Maine and explored the areas near Bangor (obviously). And I can truly say that I love it here.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Colorado. But the climate here in Maine is much better for me in all kinds of ways. The humidity has helped with my psoriasis, I can breathe better, the allergies are not as severe, and I find myself calmer most of the time.

Being surrounded by nature, that’ll happen.

The only problem is that I’ve been living in a hotel for the past two weeks, which has been tapping the bank account quite quickly. With any luck today, though, I should have keys to an apartment.

Taking a New Job

When I first got to Maine, I already had a job lined up with Target. I was essentially working freight; unloading trucks and stocking shelves. It was quite a shift from being a full-time writer for the past 14 years.

However, I found a new job working the front desk of a nice hotel, which I start on Monday. It pays two dollars more per hour than Target, is full-time, and comes with a lot of great benefits.

So, how am I going to adapt from being cooped up in my basement, void of human interaction, to greeting everyone with a smile? Well, after spending the last 14 years working from home, I welcome it.

A lot of people don’t realize just how isolating and lonely working from home can be, especially if you weren’t a party animal to begin with. I miss commutes, talking with people while getting a coffee, and interacting with co-workers.

I miss the human element of life. Sure, I interacted with people through online portals such as Slack and social media. But it’s not the same and is shy of the human experience.

In a nutshell, I welcome the opportunity to meet new people and interact with others on a regular basis.

I don’t make as much as I did as a freelance writer, but I make enough to maintain a small apartment with my friend. That’s a good place to start, really.

When starting over, it’s all about survival and having a place to land. This new job and apartment are just the beginning, and a stable place that will let me afford to invest in things I am passionate about creating.

Getting Back to Writing

I haven’t done much writing since moving to Maine. Again, it’s mostly been about survival and trying to balance living and schoolwork. I’ve had an apartment fall through, and we’ve had to move rooms several times, not to mention driving around trying to get everyone housed.

The bottom line is that my word count sank like a rock the last few weeks. But that’s OK; there are things that are vastly more important than wrapping up my book or writing a blog post.

My hope is to get this apartment today and start getting set up to write more often. Of course, it’ll all be from the laptop until I get at least my work computer to Maine. But for now, I’ll have to do with what I have available.

My laptop isn’t bad; it’s just that I miss my mechanical keyboard and 37″ monitor.

Now, I don’t know if I’ll finish Fury, VII, and Skeletal before the end of the year like I wanted. But I would be content just being able to squirrel away a couple of hours per week without worrying about housing.

I have a good feeling about where things are going, though. The experience has given me quite a few ideas for Codex Anthropologia. Anthropology is the study of human cultures, and although I want to specialize in archaeology, I think a housing crisis in today’s culture is worth writing about.

Perhaps I can help move things into a more sustainable world. In any case, I want to contribute to the science, so I will plan out a few articles as soon as I can catch my breath.

Getting Back to Schoolwork

I am a week behind in two of my classes, but I think I can pull it off still. Once I have a home again and can get into a rhythm of balancing work and school, I think everything will get back to normal.

I’m not sure if I’ll be able to sustain a 4.0 after this experience, as I am missing some assignments and points. But I am still going to do what I can to get back on track.

I already had to drop the math class because I was so far behind. I would hate to drop another and am confident I can still get a decent grade.

This is another idea I had for the anthropology blog…the trials and tribulations of trying to go to school when things go south and what students have to face on a daily basis in terms of stress. It goes well beyond getting a good grade, as many of us don’t have stable living accommodations or food at times.

The amount of stress on a college student who wasn’t born with a silver spoon up their butt is tremendous!

Making Videos?

It might be a few weeks before I can get back into making videos again for the various YouTube channels. However, I’ve spent a bit of time hammering out a lot of ideas that might help bring in enough money to pay some of the bills.

Right now, I think I average between $30 and $40 per month in ad revenue. I need to set up a strategy for utilizing affiliates and the merch store for WriterSanctuary.

Anyway, I have been making a few videos here and there and have been documenting starting over at 50 on my personal channel. But it might be a while before I can produce some higher-quality videos aside from vertical phone content.

After all, job and school come first. I have rent to pay and an education to finish. Still, I might be able to squeeze out one or two per week as soon as my work computer gets to Maine…whenever that is.

I have so many topics I’d love to cover for all of my channels and look forward to diving into them with gusto!

Sometimes, a Change In Scenery Is Necessary

Couldn’t I have done this all from Denver, Colorado? Yes and no. In a lot of ways, Denver is more expensive than Maine. Plus, I was competing with thousands and thousands of people for the same jobs. A less dense population often has better opportunities for employment.

Second, the climate of Maine is far better for my physical and mental health. I’ve been able to breathe better, my skin is clearing up, I’m not overheating (thanks, polycythemia), and the people here seem genuinely nicer overall.

Being surrounded by nature is all I’ve ever wanted. Between the trees and the water, I don’t think I could find a better place for me to grow some roots.

In a lot of ways, Maine is breaking down that cynical point of view I’ve had of life and people. It seems more people here care about others. Well, in the areas I’ve been haunting, anyway.

The point is that sometimes a change in your surroundings is ideal to help recharge your batteries. Starting over in a new location is kind of like wiping the slate clean and trying something new. My goal is to leave the negative things in the past while looking forward to the possible future I can build in Maine.

It’s not going to be easy or instant, and I’m OK with that. I’m working toward something greater and can’t wait to see what unfolds next week.