Over the past 3 years, I've moved 6 times, to 4 different cities, held 3 jobs, gotten divorced, and met one amazing woman. My financial situation has varied as dramatically as my emotional state, as each change has been a completely disruptive experience. It hasn't been easy, but it has been interesting.
Three years ago, I'd wake up around 7am and put in a couple of hours of work on the B&B, planning, marketing, web design, financing, business plans, fixture selection -- even 2,000 miles away, there was always an overwhelming amount of work to do. I'd go to work until 8 or 9pm, then come home and spend a few more hours on the B&B, getting to sleep most nights around 2am. It was an exhausting death march that lasted almost a year and a half. I was making excellent money, but the B&B was burning through my life's savings, and I was watching every dime.
Two and a half years ago, I'd wake up around 6am and prepare breakfast for the guests--freshly baked bread, toasted granola, fresh fruit, and a main dish (all vegetarian, of course). After helping plan itineraries, I'd clean rooms, take reservations, and deal with the contractors who were still working on the last two buildings. In the evening, after serving coffee and cake and mingling with the guests, I'd work on marketing--local associations, brochures, media coverage, etc. Unfortunately, the stress of the past year had taken its toll, and divorce was inevitable. In spite of that, it was a surprisingly easy transition from software developer to innkeeper. The B&B was doing better than I'd predicted, and the cash flow was covering the bills, but my savings were gone and I was over a million dollars in debt, primarily because the house in LA still hadn't sold.
Two years ago, I'd wake up at 7am to let in the builders, who were carpeting, painting, plastering, tiling, and landscaping my house in LA, which had been on the market for over 7 months at that point. I'd borrowed heavily against the house for the B&B, and I could no longer afford the payments, so my options were to fix it up and hope it sold quickly, or let it go into foreclosure. (The third option, which I didn't like to think about, was to spend all of this money fixing it up only to watch it go into foreclosure anyway.) I didn't tell my friends I was back in LA, I had no money, and I had no car (I'd left it in Pennsylvania), so evenings and weekends were spent walking around the neighborhood, trying to figure out what was 'next' in my life. The house did sell, but between the cost of the work and the drop in the market, I didn't see a dime, but at least most of the debt was paid off. I'd also decided that was was 'next' was to go live abroad, and I applied for a UK work permit.
18 months ago, I was living with my mom, in northern California. That was pretty humiliating, although my family was very supportive--my brother let me use his truck, and my mother ate my vegetarian food. When my UK work permit was denied, I started looking for a job in San Francisco. Two weeks after that, I got a job offer in LA. I did not want to move back to LA, but my financial situation was such that I didn't really have a choice.
1 year ago, I was living in a converted loft apartment in downtown LA. My job was painfully boring, but that gave me plenty of time to enjoy Los Angeles in a way I never had before. I went to the gym most nights, went to the Farmer's Market on Friday, and took yoga classes on Saturday. Two or three nights a week, I went to see a movie, a play, a concert, or a gallery, and I took the subway all over town. On weekends, I'd rent a car and go see friends, run errands, or just hang out at the beach. I was making good money, had paid off all remaining debts from the B&B, and was saving quite a bit. It took me a while to find myself again, but I was really enjoying it. Plus my second attempt at a UK work permit was successful.
6 months ago, I was living in a B&B (life comes full circle) in London. My room was about 40 square feet and the only window was in the bathroom, but I loved it. Every morning, I'd walk across the hall for breakfast (tea, toast with marmalade, and muesli), then go to the gym. In the afternoon, I'd see plays, concerts , or museums (mostly free), take long walks along the Thames, or play tennis with a couple of ex-pats I found online. In the evenings, I'd often see Jessica, or we would talk over the computer. I was reading a lot, eating fantastic food, and having a great time--I loved the city, and I was quickly falling in love with Jessica. The job market was tight because of the credit crunch, but I had some savings and I was sure I'd find a job within six months, so I wasn't worried.
Today, I'm living in a flat on the edge of London. I still try to go to the gym in the morning, though the new gym is a mile away and it's a workout just getting there and back. I spend the rest of the day scouring job sites, and I usually get a few calls from recruiters, but almost no interviews, and certainly no job offers. After 7 or 8 hours of this, I can be pretty despondent, and so stressed that I can't even concentrate--just trying to read a book, my stomach cramps up. (This has not been helped in the past week by wildcat strikes across the UK demanding "British jobs for British workers.") It's been a very frustrating, very trying time for me. I see Jessica about every other night, and I don't know what I would have done without her love and support.
Of course, I'm thinking about this because I have to move again. I have no idea where -- I have 6 days to figure that out -- and I have no idea what my new 'routine' will be. After I move, I'll start applying for part-time work anywhere--doing anything--just to find a little normalcy and feel like a productive member of society again. I'll keep looking for an IT job, of course--I'm not planning on starting my career over again, too. It's been an illuminating experience, but now I want to settle down and move on to the next stage of my life.
P.S. A blizzard hit London today, with over 10 inches of snow overnight. Public transportation came to a standstill, as did the motorways, and they're saying tomorrow may be even worse. I put some photos on the web. (I also set up an album of my London photos, but keep in mind those were taken with my mobile phone.)
