I have decided that I will not be going to Drupalcon09 in Paris. I will sit this one out and attend the state-side Drupalcon next spring. Drupalcon is fun but I have too many goals that I am working towards these days and adding the expense and time involved in attending Drupalcon is pushing it too far.
One of the major things I am working on is a more sustainable life. Meaning that I am trying to find a balance between work and life. Living in New England is draining financially and having to work so hard just to have a roof over my head is not something that I can continue to do forever, or even in the near future. I want to work on my terms in my own home office. To do this means staring my own web development business. Everything that I have read about starting a business emphasizes having a nest egg equal to at least 6 months worth of expenses. I think to really get to the point where I am meeting or exceeding my current salary I would need a least a year. My mortgage, utilities, transportation, etc leave me with little savings. I purchased a house at what I thought was the bottom of the real estate bust (oops!) it will be a few years before I can realistically sell my house for what it is worth.
In the past I lived in Tucson, AZ. It is a beautiful part of the country, aside from being insanely hot in the summer, it has no major drawbacks. The cost of living is much lower, however the pay scale is also lower. I started to freelance in October of 2000 and I was doing OK until after September 11th. I also needed to move back east to be closer to my family. It took me some time to get back to working as a web developer, I spent some time in secretarial and tech support hell. I have a good job now, at least pay wise. I am feeling a little frustrated by the corporate infrastructure that surrounds my work. I feel that I am being held back technically by people who are in their comfort zone and don't want the boat rocked.
The two factor that determines the quality of most peoples lives is the afford-ability of housing and health care. And that has been my major setback as well. New England has one of the highest costs of living in the US, probably the world. We all have to have health insurance, so this is an additional cost. BTW, the mandatory insurance sucks! Thanks for nothing Aenta!!
But I digress. I can't do anything about the afford-ability of health care except pray that President Obama is able to usher in universal health care in the US. I can however, choose where I live. I have always been willing to be a pioneer and make sacrifices to live in a home that I can afford. I have finally found a place in the US where housing is cheap, and it's in a city with all of the infrastructure that you would expect, i.e water, sewer, gas, electricity and most importantly BROADBAND INTERNET!!!
There are thousands of homes that need people to live in them, fix them up and heal the neighborhoods that have been abandoned by people who no longer had jobs and the ability to stay in their homes.
I'm talking about Detriot, MI. The "Rust Belt". I think it's going to be the next major city for new ideas and industries. People like me who are not afraid to venture into cities and re-define what it means to be a community.
I am in the final stages of purchasing a home in Detroit and I don't want to blog too much about it until I have the title safely in my hands.
I have dubbed this mission "operation hermit-crab", I am moving into the shell of the city of Detroit and I am going to make it my life and make it a great place to live.
