Preparing To Travel: Reducing the Size of My Office

This weekend, I got a wild hair. No big surprise for most of you, but it happens from time to time. I decided I needed to start arranging my office in the Airstream to take up less space. Right now, the Airstream is only for my office, but in a couple years, it will be “shared space” when we hit the road. Between now and then, I need to determine how to get everything I need into a much smaller footprint. MUCH smaller. So, I’m starting now. After all, if there’s something that’s horrible that I simply cannot abide, I’d rather know now. I’d like the opportunity to discover and fix the problem before three of us are living full time in the space I’m currently calling “My office” (emphasis on the ‘MY”).

I thought I’d be able to live with just the tablet, for example. So I tried going back to working on a single screen. It ain’t a’gonna happen. Period. I despise the conformity of not being able to keep a window I’m using open on a second monitor and cutting and pasting, dragging or referring to that material in the other screen.

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Tiny Spaces, Budget Decorating and an Experiment in Frugality

I was cruising the web today… I honestly don’t know how it started. I think it was back tracking some referrals on voluntary simplicity that led to my own blog. I found a couple pretty cool sites that I thought I’d share with those interested in living a life less complicated, and learning to decorate on the cheap in the small spaces of a tiny home (or apartment).

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My Airstream Mobile Office is All Set Up Now

Granted, I’ll be sitting mostly still for the next couple of years, but I’m now officially working in my new-to-me 1974 Airstream silver bullet named Serenity. If you check out the new logo, you will see an image of my baby. If you read on, you will see a couple photos of the inside of the office and the outside…

This is the outside shot of Serenity.

This is what the “office” space looked like originally — with the teal colored fold-out sleeping quarters. Have I mentioned how I feel about the color teal? *shudder*

This is the same physical space, now set up as my mobile office inside the airstream. From my office chair, I can lean back and grab a cold bottle of water or a snack from the ‘fridge. I have my own kitchen area (I don’t even have to leave Serenity to enjoy lunch when I work) and I have a bathroom and a couch. Not bad digs for an office, eh?

And the best part?

This is the view out my office door. And the door is to the immediate right of my desk, so I can lean back and gaze outside whenever I want. Heck, it’s even bright enough in here with the skylights and the banks of windows that I’m managing to keep plants alive! I have an office that can FINALLY keep a few plants from turning all brown.

I have alot more left to do. I’ll be tricking it out for technology for future trips, so I can work wherever I go. But for now, I’m loving it with every step toward the ultimate goal of complete portability.

I’ll keep you posted on my progress!

My "New to Me" Latest Toy is a Classic Airstream — Destined to Become… A High-Tech Mobile Office!!!

Ok. I’d planned to wait to announce. But I can’t wait any longer. Patience has never been one of my virtues — ask anyone who knows me. I wanted to get the new website up and running and do the announcement there… but the excitement has taken over! I now have my dream machine! A “new to me” 1974 25-foot Airstream! And she’s sooooo pretty!

Whoo-Hoo! *dancing about the room*

This little baby, aptly named “Serenity” will be transformed over the next few months to a full time office and will later be taken on the road for full mobility and functionality. I simply can’t wait! Those Joss Wheldon fans among my readers will recognize the reference of my new mobile office’s name. The rest… go watch the series FireFly. (It’s great!) Continue reading

Gas Hike Dampens Mobile Dreams

Here in Kentucky, the gas is now over $3.25 per gallon. And whether it’s due to the Middle East, the hurricane, or simple greed… the result is that I’m wondering if the year on the road is really going to happen now.Wayne and I have been working to become totally debt-free (and it’s progressing nicely, too), but the dream of a small Airstream pulled by a Jeep 4×4 feels like it’s slipping through our fingers at the moment. Continue reading