Catastrophic Failure

AAARGGHHHHHHHHHOOOOoohhhhhhhhhhahaaaaahhhhhhh...sob.sob....whimper.

I lost everything. E-mail, graphics, Google-frickin-earth. Anything and everything I did for the last year or so. My laptop had a complete and utter drive failure and it just 'went away'... So, now I'm rebuilding - with an eye toward keeping everything backed-up in duplicate.

Work stuff I can recover or remake. Most of it is posted to the website, so that shouldn't be a problem. E-mail - much of it is unimportant (although it has created my first hole is past email since 1996), however work stuff I was able to pinpoint and have Gregg send. Overall, not too bad.

The biggest problem is that I lost ALL my google earth stuff. All that work, all that research - and I have no idea what I put there or how I found it. I'm getting glimmers here and there, and I think I can replace some of it - but there are a TON of hours wasted. Oh well - moving forward...

I have to plan on how to do backups (online?) and have the ability to pull a machine back together on the road (have a second one setup to accept the backup? backup hard drive? how much equipment do I need to carry to be absolutely certain I have no downtime?) Now, there is another step - what about the servers? I need to make sure that access is 100%, that Gregg has everything, absolutely everything to back me up. I need to be sure things are running very well and that my disappearance on a weekend is not going to kill the job. Iglou will be a big help with things - I can trust them, and everyone else should be just fine - but I've got to keep an eye on things and make sure I have everything perfectly dialed in... Make a list - More Research ;)

On the Same Page…

Jill's Journal: Rob and I have shared many long conversations this week – some stretching into the wee hours of the night – about our RV future. We’ve learned so much together and are quickly formulating a game plan for the multiple layers this entails. But the most exciting thing is surely this: we are completely, totally, 100% on the same page in every aspect imaginable. I’m pretty certain that’s the only way we could even consider undertaking this major life change with little kids in tow.

Here’s another exciting thing…we’re coming to realize a year might not be enough. I had been balking at much longer because I didn’t want to hold the girls out of the social interaction regular school provides any longer than a year. But it has dawned on me that they have the rest of their lives to be in “normal” social situations. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that will also give them a wealth of first-hand knowledge. And that’s why I’ve stopped balking.

This week Rob and I have both acknowledged that a two-year road trip is a little more realistic to be able to do the traveling and spend the time in each place that we hope. Two years! That’s 2010 to 2012. WOW!

I’m reminded of one of my favorite quotes as a teenager:

“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.”
– Saint Augustine, 354-430 A.D.

Schooling on the Road

Jill's Journal: Since home schooling was never something I envisioned in our future, it is with a bit of trepidation that I approach it. A conversation with a pediatrician this week gave me some enlightenment. Much to my surprise, he said Kentucky does not regulate home schooling in any way. I had learned previously that I just need to submit some paperwork to the school district when we decide to do this, but I expected there to be a curriculum to follow, something in black and white to get me started and hold me accountable. He said it’s totally up to us as to what kind of approach we want to take. A Christian or secular route? A general overview or study focused more on one aspect? Yikes. I want the best, most well-rounded education for my young children. This is going to take some research to find what suits us most effectively. The doctor said he’s come across quite a few home schooling groups over the years and I guess one of the first steps is finding them. Thank goodness for the internet.

Too many days...

Its really been too many days since I last blogged. Between work and family time, its hard to find time to do things like this, but I'm trying harder than I did with my poker blog. That one I always waited until the very end of the day, and by that point I was too 'done' to bother. Might be why I haven't blogged there since October.

I have been doing things to move forward. I read a great basic book from Wal-mart ($10) that had so much information in it - from this guy that used to be a sales manager. The RV Book told me that I know enough to start looking around and asking questions. I think I've got a good solution for the van (unless we were to buy a rig like Gone Richter). Towing on that trailer will work well for what we are trying to do. I think I'll be able to make some kind of bike rack with 2 inch square steel, mounting them like they are in the garage. That should give me a good contact, along with the ability to lock them down and still store other things on that trailer. I still have to measure and draw it up - and figure out the bike trailer, but my thought there is to store it on the other side - toward the RV. We'll see - drawings to come.

I've also been looking over the little catalog from Camping World - what a boon! I've now got a way to look at W/D, solar recharge and know to look into a tracking satellite for web. I'm ready to start buying bowls and collanders, and I've found myself thinking in entirely new ways about products I buy, money I spend, and business I keep or let go. EVERYTHING is about this trip now, and I only wish it could start sooner. it might be time to restructure a few priorities to try to get there.

--R.