Human gerbils
You wouldn’t think there’d be a lot of paperwork involved in being a hippie. You’d be wrong. It just comes with bonus hard physical work and holistic “Namaste” garnishes.
By Monday, I will have walked 15 miles because of government cutbacks. #FACT. I have certain paperwork that has to be completed “within five business days” at a certain government office in Not-Ucluelet. This deadline was assigned Wednesday. On Thursday, I walked in to Not-Ucluelet, 2.5 miles, to find out the office was closed. I walked back to OpHippie Global HQ, disgruntled and somewhat fried, for lo I am middle aged and fat, although 4″ around the waist less fat than I was when I got here.
OHO! I thought. I will be cleverer tomorrow! I will phone and ask if they can do this before walking into town.
I did so today. They confirmed that, yes, the paperwork had to be done in that office, it was open, and the paperwork, in fact, COULD be done at that office today.
I walked into the office. Another 2.5 miles. The only staffer there said she hadn’t been trained on that software and could not help me, so could I come back on Monday.
Ty. Pi. Cal.
I walked back, 2.5 miles. And on Monday, I get to do it all again, hopefully minus the futility. Meanwhile, the actual client work I’ve already been paid for has to wait for all this goddam walking to be over, which naturally the clients are not thrilled about.
For this and other, Going Completely “The Beach” Related Reasons, this phase of OpHippie is drawing to a close. The ecovillage has essentially been kicked off the land, as in we are all welcome to stay here, but we have to spend our daily work ration working for the landowner, not the ecovillage, which means that the entire reason I moved here is suddenly entirely gone, replaced with two hours of literally shoveling shit and planting and weeding a day, while being denied the opportunity to do my own work, because the only room with wifi closes early, and I do my best work at night.
And the only cafes in town close – get this – prior to 5pm.
So.
While I am still committed to the ecovillage idea, this particular iteration is collapsing, the core group is splitting up and heading in different directions, and I need to find another home and another way to support myself until The Sikrit Projeckt is launched. I have an interview down the road at a resort on the beach for a night auditor/manager job tomorrow, as well as a freelance opportunity that’s up in the air, and a job audition for a great opportunity in Vancouver (literally, the ONLY job I would consider moving back to Vancouver for). If I get the job tomorrow, I’ll be living in staff accommodations right on the beach. If I get the second, I’ll rent a room in a shared house in Not-Ucluelet. If I get the third, I’ll get a room in a shared place in Vancouver, and I happen to have a line on one that’s good.
Next week, I’ll be back in Vancouver to do some pet-sitting, and after that? Who knows? The uncertainty, at least, is a totally hippie experience. Man.
PS: Propane leak in the kitchen tonight, and the window is still missing from the office after the break-in, so I have a choice of poisoning myself or not getting my work done tonight.
So, that’s the state of OpHippie. Anarchy. How fitting.
raincoaster 
Thank you for sharing!
Is that another way of saying “Cool story, bro?”
And the “Great Adventure” continues. :)
Maybe we could all kick in a bit and buy you a derelict van with no wheels that you could move into? :)
No night internet? that has to suck – remember what they told me when I was mucking out cow shit from the barn – “builds character” – – then after some time the real reason came out – I was the youngest and lowest on the totem pole – and shit sort of falls down the pole
Hang in there – think of the stories you will have to tell :)
One word: NOVEL!
Yeah, it builds character, but I’m already a character. I didn’t come all the way here to work on a grow op, so it’s time to move on. The only mistake would be staying at this point.
Less Raincoaster? The world is a poorer place!
Ummmm…peace out? You gave it a red hot go. Hope you survived the gas leak so we can look forward to future ‘maybe urban, maybe not but still living the dream hippy Raincoaster’ adventures in the future.
No, the world is a richer place, because now I need to buy new clothes!
Thanks. I AM still going to work on Symbiosis ecovillage, but realistically we’re going to go into the cloud, work on the agreements and list of needs, and then crowdsource a land purchase sometime over the next year. By this time next year, we should be closing a deal and moving on to the land. It seems like a step back, but it’s a step forward to a real, sustainable future.