How do you make a living and how do you make a life?

[eilen]

I work as a nurse to make a living/pay bills.

A life? My life is about my family and creative pursuits. I love to sew and read. When it is not too hot (or too cold) I love to bike ride. Sometimes I enjoy cooking new recipes and I really like reading about natural health/alternative therapies and food science. I also like to people watch and people/friends often ask me for advice. I "get" people/who they are very easily. That is why I think I went into nursing. People love it when you listen to them and understand who they are even if you disagree with their actions-- understanding their motivation is helpful and can allow them to let their guard down and listen back, internalize a message and maybe make some changes that will make their lives better.

[dbonds]

1. Capitalism makes wage slaves of us all.

You don't get a life unless you are the elite (or you take it outside the system)

[Deep13]

2. +1

[eilen]

13. Everyone has a life

for some people, their life is more inner than outer.

Lots of the "elite" people are miserable. Even though they can have everything, it is not enough. They are still empty. And they don't understand why regular people don't like/love them. Unrepentant navel gazers. They are always worried that someone is trying to get something from them.

Many of us have already lost much in our lives. Whether it be our livelihoods, homes, belongings, health-- sometimes it is everything. Yet can still have the opportunity to care about each other, to share and to trust those close to us. The elite can't trust anyone.

[dbonds]

32. Slightly different meaning of the word life.

But yes within that context. But that isn't the 'life' we are told we should have, and the elite are too caught up in power trips to see the other side of life. And a life should include leisure and time for family, not work work work. You are NOT your function in the world. And you really have to step outside the system to get a real life.

[Rebubula]

22. Bullshit

Just utter nonsense.

You wanna be unhappy - go ahead. I will make do with what I have and keep my family safe and happy.

[dbonds]

28. Blinders are a wonderful thing.

[LanternWaste]

46. Many people believe the word "blinders" simply means

Many people use the word "blinders" to simply mean "those who disagree with my position..."

[11 Bravo]

63. Precisely. (There are people on this board who make Bill O'Reilly appear self-deprecating.)

[mike_c]

30. agreed, 100 percent....

[Abq_Sarah]

43. Living has always required work

Either you worked your land to raise enough food to survive and sell for stuff you couldn't make yourself or you worked for someone else.

[jtuck004]

48. But the person "worked for" may not have to work. That is where the

problem with Capitalism comes in.

We have allowed them to ignore the benefit they get, and the fact that they have profited more, from those things we all pay for.

They are now taking more than their fair share. When they did that early in the last century Democrats put protections in place
and stimulated growth. Those protections stayed until they began to be dismantled in the late 70's, and for the past 30+ years the capitalists have been removing them piece-by-piece. They are now taking more profit out of the system than exists, which means debt for the rest of us.

They have gone too far. It will change or fall apart.

[dionysus]

49. lol

:rofl:

so all that time i'm not working and i'm at home or somewhere doing stuff, it's not a life?

:rofl:

[dbonds]

60. I'm afraid you didn't get the point.

[One_Life_To_Give]

74. What animal doesn't spend life in search of food?

Don't know that any system would prevent us from having to spend large parts of our lives in the quest to acquire food.

[Deep13]

3. I live in a Sweetie-centric universe.

My Sweeite (my wife) is the center of my life. Up until recently, I was an assistant DA in Ohio. That was how I made money and it was simply too much of my life. I'm going back to school in the fall to become a history teacher, perhaps for community college.

[eilen]

23. Good luck with your new job!

I bet your wife will love the academic calendar! More time for the two of you to do things together.

[Deep13]

55. What new job? I'm going back to school as a student.

I'm not yet qualified to be a history teacher.

[eilen]

62. LOL I should say new career! but school is work too. nt

[jwirr]

4. I was a social worker by education but I made a living taking care

of my disabled daughter (got welfare) and working low wage jobs when she was at school/DAC. The low wage jobs I had were homemaker for needy, bus aide on her bus, temp social worker, QMRP, archivist for historical society - all jobs that were flexible so I could be home when she was. Am now retired and living on SSI and SSA.

Like you, my life was and is my family. I am the babysitter for 9 great grandchildren. Help everyone in their gardens. Support them in their problems.

I advocate for the causes I have alway supported such as disability issues, women's issues - especially single parent, am involved in politics, love DU, read, quilt and in general try to avoid the damned house work as much as possible. It is a good thing my grandson is around to remind me it has to be done.

[RaleighNCDUer]

5. I make a living paying invoices.

I don't have a life.

[eilen]

12. Well, your life is what you make it

I was really broke for a very long time but could still afford the library and lived to get out of work and read. It was a great escape. I also took a lot of walks. I would offer to walk my roommate's or my neighbor's dog so people didn't think I was casing the neighborhood/houses/businesses and to keep perverts away (was young female). Plus I got to meet and interact with other dog lovers. I took low paying jobs like tutoring at the community college I was taking a class in and a very abbreviated position at the public library which was really dull but at least I got to be around books in addition to my "regular job" being a cashier. I walked and took the bus everywhere as I had no car. I wish I had known how to sew back then because I would have enjoyed it. I would also daydream a lot. I don't remember being hungry then even though I was really broke and could not afford to buy much for groceries. I ate mac & cheese, soup, sandwiches, fries.

One time I had to work for an employment agency and they would send me to factory/industrial type jobs where I would have to put these really big screws in boxes or punch out little discs that had fiberglass in them. I made minimum wage which was under $4 at the time. I think the most boringest job I ever had was working at the Federal Home Loan Bank. My job was to file these cancelled checks we would get behind punch cards into long boxes for the data entry card puncher people and then when they were done, file them into these cabinets with a gazillion check sized drawers. That had to be one of the circles of hell. All my coworkers were like zombies and one idiot played talk radio all day. This was in Pittsburgh. I was the youngest one there and would practically sprint to the door at lunchtime.

If you don't mind me asking, what do you like to do when you aren't at work?

[a la izquierda]

6. I (will start) work as a history professor.

My hobbies are cycling, yoga, cooking, gardening (when it's not 105+ daily and when there are no water restrictions), my dogs, and my husband.
We have a nice life, and we're still young.

[eilen]

21. I like all those things too!

We have a foster dog who I will have a really hard time giving back! Samone's owner is now off the ventilator, breathing on his own, is more alert and oriented and has been transferred to a more aggressive rehab therapy center. Before we know it he will be sending for her. She is such a gentle playful love. I walk her every morning and give her treats and vitamins.

[a la izquierda]

41. My dogs keep me very grounded.

They're my little buddies. I'm only taking one with me to my new job (it's a temporary visiting professorship) and I'm dreading the day I have to leave. Poor little monkeys won't understand.

[LanternWaste]

7. Typesetting and Friends

1. Typesetting (mainly) and graphics (occasionally., in addition, I write the blog for my company which allows me a seriously nice monthly bonus.

2. Family outings, friends coming over, church events a few times a week, and the occasional good read.

All in all, it's a pretty good life of mine... unlike those in slavery upthread. :P

[RebelOne]

33. I used to be a typesetter for 30 monthly outdoors magazines.

Then I was promoted to copy editor. I lasted for 5 years before being laid off in 2010. I much preferred copy editing. But the company was downsizing and laid off me, my boss and 2 of our top editors.

[LanternWaste]

47. We do print advertisements for medium to small businesses

We do print advertisements for medium to small businesses. As our product is drastically less expensive than the same service charged by magazines or newspapers, those medium tier businesses whose bottom lines have been affected by the market changes in the past years have migrated down to us.

As much as I hate to say it, for my specific company a bad economy is better than a good one-- we've opened two new sales offices, greatly expanded our product line, and increased the size of our support staff by 25% in the past two years.

All that said, I much rather work for a professional journal or magazine as you did.

[RebelOne]

56. Yes, it was wonderful company to work with.

At least, when they decided they did not need me any longer, I was given a very generous severance package.

[lumpy]

8. Your post is inspirational. Too many people go through life

wanting more than they will ever get. Some people dream of winning a lottery or falling into wealth while life simply passes them by without any feeling of contentment. The beauty in life is facing challenges, whether it be raising children or a garden, finding a career to love,or being capable of providing for themselves. Life is to be accepted for what you make of it. Love of life is being able to feel exhilaration in the beauty of nature or love in the smile of loved ones.

[sinkingfeeling]

9. I've been a mainframe system programmer for almost 39 years and love every minute of it. I've

not taken early Social Security because I can't get my head around not going to work.

I sew, knit, scrapbook, do crafts, read non-fiction, bake, and paint. I'm also a collector of anything over 85 years old. Love antique china, sewing tools, photographs, etc.

[Solly Mack]

10. You're truly ahead of the game because you know there is a difference.

It helps when making the living doesn't consume your life - constant worry about having enough money just to exist...hard to relax and have a life when that is your worry. People struggling to survive have an understandably narrow focus on life. You have to survive, first...everything else comes second.

Sadly, actually getting a chance to live your life - even the simple pleasures - is that very distant second.

I'm not meaning to be a downer...because you pose a wonderful question.

You have to make a living...but you also need to make a life. People need that second part. The time to reflect, to dream..to hope. To relax..to laugh...to experience joy.

My life is my family, my doggies...I am so grateful I could get into photography. I enjoy reading and crafts. I also cook.

Recently relocated and don't have a new job yet.

[eilen]

29. Thanks. I have been very broke and worried in the past

about paying bills and frustrated at the state of a job or no job. In the end, I did what I had to do. Sometimes just getting a good night's sleep is an achievement. Sometimes just enjoying watching the sun rise on your way to work can make the day a little better. If you don't have work, set your alarm and take a walk and watch it.


Good luck on your job search. What part of the country did you move to?

[Solly Mack]

36. I'm in Louisiana now.

A beautiful sunrise gets my entire day off to a good start. Heck, even butterflies do it for me. lol

I'm fortunate in that I don't have to worry if I don't have a job right away. I've just seen how bitter people can become...how their self esteem just crumbles from just trying to survive. I'm also fortunate that butterflies do make my heart soar.

[MineralMan]

11. I've always been a writer to make a living.

That's my life, too. My writing is all non-fiction, and almost all of it has been teaching people to do something or to know something they didn't do or know before. I've written in many areas of interest, and have learned many disciplines in order to do that. So my living and my life are inextricably intertwined.

[SteppingRazor]

15. Wow, MineralMan, same answer!

:toast:

[eilen]

16. Wow. I love writing but am not disciplined.

I admire you for that.

[MineralMan]

17. Well, one thing's for sure: It's a lousy way to go if you'd like

to make tons of money. And that's an understatement.

When I was a very young guy (I'll be 66 this month), a man I respected very much said this: "Don't do things to make money. Make money with the things you do."

So, that's what I did. If I was fixing up my house, I wrote about fixing up houses. If I was interested in oriental rugs, I built a loom and wrote about how to weave oriental rugs, after reading everything I could find. And so on, and so on.

[eilen]

25. That is why I told my son to study and work at what he loves

Then it is never a waste of time.

[MineralMan]

26. Very wise of you to do that. Your son may not be rich, but

he'll be happy in his work.

[eilen]

37. It is like this, when I was young

we were supposed to go to school for a good job--even if you are not suited to it or like it, it was important to be practical. All those jobs went away.
Better to do what you love, develop in it and make your style. You might have to work horribly boring unrelated jobs to pay the rent but if you keep working on the stuff you love, you might be able to create the job doing it. If you give it up, well, there is nothing left then but a lot of catch-up.

I have a friend who was an LPN in an Emergency Room. They would not give her a raise despite outstanding evaluations. She started taking classes in Theatre, Shakespeare, Elizabethan history etc. She graduated. She got a job tending bar for a while (making more than she was as a nurse) then put together a program and shopped it to her town's Board of Rec-- to the Town Supervisor who laughed at her. Go bring this to Clay, their Town Supe will try anything. So she did.

She created a Shakespeare in the Park program for kids. She is now the Park and Rec Senior Activities person-- has year round job, good benefits, plans interesting programs for the Seniors and Youth, leads the Shakespeare in the Park program and has a graduate street theater troupe made up of its graduates as well as writing and doing the theatrical and reenacting stuff-- contracts as party entertainment, festivals etc on the off time.

[MineralMan]

38. Nothing's certain. That's for sure.

At age 66, I'm still working, an will be until I drop, I suppose. Still doing the same thing. It's a job I can do for as long as I can think, so I think I chose well. Luckily, I'm good at it and my work is still in demand. The life I've had wouldn't be for everyone. Fortunately, I met a person who does the same thing and isn't concerned with living large. So, we get by and enjoy each other. Life's interesting, if nothing else that's predictable.

[SteppingRazor]

14. I make a living writing. I make a life ... um... writing.

The gig's been good to me on occasion. I've been to some strange places and met some incredibly interesting people.

[eilen]

18. I enjoy writing but have not had the discipline

to keep at it consistently to develop. I've taken workshops and written newsletters but I always put it aside to do something else. You must really have a passion for it.

[SteppingRazor]

24. Sometimes I still have a passion for it, but mostly, I have deadlines.

;)

[MineralMan]

19. Small world, eh?

:hi:

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

20. Retired Employee Assistance counselor. Life? My wife, books (lots of books), and cats.

"Behold the lilies of the field, how they grow. They labor not, neither spin. And yet for all that I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his royalty, was not arrayed like unto one of these." Matthew chapter .vj.

[mike_c]

27. university prof, scientist, artist, and builder....

I have an awesome job, or at least one that suits me well. I'm a biologist-- an ecologist and entomologist more specifically-- and a university professor of zoology. Tenured full prof at a California State University campus in Humboldt County, CA. From a professional standpoint, it doesn't get much better. I came from a THOROUGHLY blue collar background-- didn't finish high school, didn't go to college until mid-life and I'm the first in my family to go to college, let alone graduate school-- so this gig is really different from work during my young and mid-adult years. For the first ten years or so I was so busy that I effectively didn't have much life outside my profession, but I love my work so much that I didn't mind much.

I'm too intellectually restless to stay so one dimensionally focused for too long though, so these days I've carved out time for having a life outside work. I draw and paint, I make things (my partner and I are building a custom teardrop trailer currently), we camp, hike, bicycle, and so on. We love music (listening to it-- neither of us is especially musical ourselves), art, and good food. We're both excellent cooks. And as the evolution of this response from ME to WE suggests, my partner is very important to my happiness. I've become a labor activist too, and I'm vice president and grievance officer in my union chapter.

Oh, and the response above reminded me that we both read all the time, both for entertainment and professionally, AND we're cat rescuers!

[eilen]

31. You are quite the Renaissance Man!

Your life sounds very good. What drove you to your field in midlife?

[mike_c]

40. that's a long story...

...but I'll try to keep it short.

First thing was that I had an epiphany while in my twenties-- those dismal employment years, or at least they're pretty dismal when you have no education and few skills. Young people in that position have poor prospects. I ended up in the printing trade, mostly by accident and always in low wage, long hour jobs with zero future. But before I get sidetracked, the epiphany. I was despairing my crappy prospects when I realized that the only thing of any real value that I had to exchange for wages was my TIME. The hours of my life, which I was beginning to understand were not unlimited. That's what I "sold" to my employers-- my remaining time on Earth, for them to dictate how my time would be spent during workdays. It really was like a light bulb lighting up in my brain.

This equation-- time for wages-- is so central to our modern capitalist way of life that most folks take it utterly for granted. Consider though that employers seek to purchase that time for the lowest wages they can get away with, instantly minimizing the value of one of my (and your) most precious commodities, the hours of our lives. That was the real revelation that brought home the cheapness and degradation of my workaday life. Working for a living never looked the same to me again. I swore that I would do whatever I had to do to insure that if I worked for wages, I would at least do work that I found intrinsically satisfying and challenging. I would not let someone else use my time for their purposes while stealing it from me as cheaply as they could.

I chose biology as a profession because I'd always had an interest in life sciences. I did YEARS of remedial work-- I began relearning math with a fifth grade arithmetic book from the public library because I didn't understand fractions and ratios yet. When I'd dropped out of high school I hadn't progressed much beyond eighth grade (that's another story), and hadn't really progressed scholastically since elementary school. I was a bit of a juvenile delinquent, naturally. (Do we still use that term anymore, LOL, or was I simply a "troubled youth?")

Within the life sciences I gravitated toward ecology because of my lifelong enjoyment of working outdoors, and it helps that I also have an analytical approach to problem solving that suits me for working with models and theory, ecology being rife with both. I knew from my first days in college that academic science offered the most freedom and professional flexibility, so I was never serious about any other career options from the first. Entomology was a bit more accidental-- I started out studying botany-- but departmental politics while I was in grad school, combined with my enjoyment of the profs in the entomology department, led me to switch departments in mid-PhD.

It's been a great ride!

[Initech]

34. I work for my parents' business. I have no life of my own.

And those rumors about you being the boss' kid are absolutely 100% true. People do look at you differently and you do get treated differently. It sucks, there's just no other way to describe it.

[dmallind]

35. I crunch data and argue about boring things to make a living.

To enjoy life I crunch data and argue about interesting things.

[ThomWV]

39. I used to negotiate contracts for the Government

I was what is called a Contracting Officer. You can think of it as a greatly glorified purchasing agent and not be too far off base. It paid the bills but my greatest joys are simply being with my wife, and being out in the woods (I don't hunt), or gardening, or riding a motorcycle. Oh, and I do custom painting of motorcycles as sort of a side-line, a paying hobby kind of thing.

Now days its Social Security, a very small retirement check (after health and life insurance come out of it) and a lifetime of saving. We are comfortable enough and able to do help others too.

[LWolf]

42. I teach to make a living.

It's also a calling; a life of valuable service.

For the first time since 1983, I dread the beginning of the school year. My district adopted new "evaluation standards" for principals, heavily weighted in favor of school wide test scores. The TIF grant my district accepted a year ago means that student test scores will now be used to both pay me and evaluate me. In year-end meetings, the mandates from the principal were handed down:

I will teach as little Social Studies as possible in order to focus on tested subjects.

I will focus on the "bubble kids."

In other words, I have been mandated to be unprofessional.

How do I face the parents of my students and pretend that what we will be doing resembles a decent education?

My job, during the school year, pretty much sucks up my life. I am at work 10 - 12 hours a day every school day, have more to do on weekends, and barely keep up with regular household chores during the year. I spend the first few weeks and the last month of my summer vacation working; this time for no pay. I get a month free in July for intensive personal care, which generally amounts to extra rest, extra family time, and a year's worth of maintenance chores around the place that didn't get done during the school year.

[eilen]

53. I'm sorry you are having such a tough time.

When you cannot do your job the way you know you should to be excellent instead of mediocre, it is very demoralizing. Have you looked for alternatives?

[LWolf]

75. If I could find

an alternative out there for my skill set and education, I'd snap it up. I have looked...about 6 years ago, before the economic melt down, but didn't find anything then, when the economy was supposedly flush.

[H2O Man]

44. I'm retired.

My last few jobs were in social work. I've also worked in factories, on farms, logging, teaching, and in caqrpentry & masonry.

I always thought the old saying, "work to live, not live to work" made sense.

My "life" involves: {1} family life, with my wife and children (and pets); {2} my interests include serving as a local historian, writing, and remaining connected to the sport of boxing; and {3} my passion is grass roots social-political activism.

A few days ago, I helped my sons lay out 195 pages of their book, which is on Native American history in the northeast.

[eilen]

54. Wow! I live in the Northeast

You must know quite a lot about the Iroquois Nation-- The Haudenosaunee -- Our county was named after the local tribe here the Onondagas. Their history is so fascinating. Their influence on the creation of the Union makes them "founding fathers" as well.

I just checked your post up top to see who wrote it-- of course you do! Hi Neighbor! Are you involved with the Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota?

[H2O Man]

70. Yes.

I've posted quite a bit about my work with Onondaga Chief Paul Waterman over the years.

And my great uncle taught Carmen Basilio to box, and promoted his first five fights; the IBHOF is in Carmen's hometown.

[RandomKoolzip]

45. I worked as a cook for about 15 years but I went back to school and now I'm a librarian.

And I'm about 80,000 in debt. I'll never be rich, but at least my conscience doesn't bother me. I refuse to work for some corporation, and I wanted a job that helped people, so...yeah. I'll always be poor. That's okay.

[cali]

50. Lol. I worked in social services for 20+ years and now I'm a cook

and I really dig it. It's not for some corporate entity. And I have my own very nifty kitchen garden- and I only do it for a few months out of the year.

[RandomKoolzip]

52. That's awesome! I still enjoy cooking - for my girlfriend or for small

get-togethers. But I hated being reduced to another part in assembly line a this hellaciously busy restaurant I worked at in Chicago, the long night hours, the co-workers jacked up on cocaine and booze on the line, the chef barking insults at me, the shitty pay...you get the picture. Just wasn't for me.

I much enjoy the feeling i get connecting people to information. I work at a library in a fairly run-down area that was really devastated by the recession. Nothing feels better than teaching computer skills to these people and seeing their faces light up, or showing recently immigrated patrons the books on how to become citizens, or helping people find long-out-of-print books, or helping poor college kids do research or...you get the picture. This is exactly what I want to do.

[cali]

68. That sounds fantastic. I'm glad you're doing what you love.

Here's where I work- pretty different from what you describe- though we do get hellaciously busy. However, it's a seasonal gig- late spring til early fall.

http://perennialpleasures.net/

[eilen]

58. What is your specialty?

Your favorite thing to make?

[eilen]

59. Libraries are the best places.

I thought about going back to school to do that since I love books so much but the field has changed so much--- it is much more hi-tech and you become a research expert.

Are you working in a university or community library?

[Gregorian]

51. I buy and sell ranches and farms.

I used to be an engineer in silicon valley. But having grown up there when it was a beautiful place, I found it dreadful. So I quit a high paying job, and bought a tiny cabin in the woods. I have a roofing contractor's license, so I did that for a few years. It was a great life. From there I just bought and sold properties. Every two to four years I packed up and found the next place. In fact right this moment I'm waiting for a realtor to show up with clients to look at my timber ranch. It's both interesting and difficult. I lived without electricity for two years on this property. Very tough. And right now I'm nervous about the next place for the reasons that you posted your post. I'm going on 60, and not sure what life should be in my future.

My life is pretty much mountain biking. Proper diet. Working very hard every day to get into shape. Listening to noncommercial radio. Today I've been listening to a station out of Belgium. Great stuff. Music is always in my background. I had cats. Until then I was not alone. Humans don't play a big role in my life, as you might have noticed. That's how I like it.

For me, the basics of life are not being rushed, living in a quiet environment without any nuisances. A very hard thing to find.

[eilen]

57. It sounds like a peaceful life

I love internet radio too.

In another time you would be like one of those monks, dedicating yourself to a physical discipline, monastic diet, and scholarly research but not a lot of human interaction. You know how to drop out if needed-- a good skill.

[Gregorian]

64. Plus I get to spend a ton of time on a tractor.

I'm all excited right now. The realtor and clients were just walking through the place. Four years of tree work, excavation. I even designed a house. Out of steel. But I ran into financial issues and had to quit.

With any luck I've got my eyes on a new place. Ponds, redwoods, biking out the back door. It's owned by Rita Coolidge's parents.

It's a waiting game. And a disruptive one. I've had a very difficult time of it. And now that I actually have enough money to decide what to do with my life, I am not really sure what is important. Not many people get to actually decide what they want in life. I was most comfortable when I worked in a hospital. Each day I was there at 7am in the operating room. I went home and had my beers. Freedom is tough. I could write a book on this now.

It used to be one could live near a metro area, and yet be in the country. Now that life is prohibitively expensive. So I have been forced to live either the monastic life, or one in the city. It's a tough decision. 20 years of solitude, and I wonder. Life alone is pretty bleak in some ways.

[eilen]

69. There are smaller and mid size cities with accessible country

approx. 20 minute drive.

I live in such a place although I am in suburbs instead of country. If I wanted to live in the country I would just have to drive a couple miles North. I am on the East coast though.

My dh reflected it was much easier for him to maintain his exercise program and diet when he worked 12 hour night shifts 6 days a week and rented an apartment out of state by himself (he had a roommate but it wasn't us). His life was very regimented.

I think that having so many choices when one is not used to that is very difficult. Many people cannot deal with it. Lottery winners in particular.

Perhaps you need to give yourself time to really think about it. About what makes you happy, what lifts your heart, what kind of activity and life makes you feel most useful and allows you to use your gifts.

[Gregorian]

71. I've spent a lot of time on this.

I'm glad you replied. It's an amazing subject. Most people have never had the chance to alter the course of their life in this respect.

I can't put my finger on what is important. I have a number of things that all come in first place. And some of them require that I live away from the masses.

Well, I almost sold my property today. A very wealthy couple showed up and would have simply written a check. But they had reservations due to what I think was their shortsightedness. My tractors spooked them. City dwellers! I predict they'll return. It's a day I waited almost four years for. I'm just grateful that in this economy anyone even showed up to look. And it's a high end price range.

I grew up around San Francisco. I gave up a lot of diversity and culture to have no lights shining in my windows at night. Or dogs barking next door. Logging has been the big factor in my moving. Leave the city, and there is always some kind of problem associated with areas. I guess it might be mining in some areas.

So the bottom line is, we never fully have choice now. We did up until the middle of the last century. But when population grew, people moved to the desirable areas and built. There were dairy farms in the San Francisco area when I grew up. I suffered greatly leaving that area. I'm still struggling to find a place that isn't too remote. But there are options. Renting a room in a house in San Francisco is what some do. A month a year can be lived where there are movies, plays, great food, museums, and intelligent people.

I think for me life is like an individual time trial. I ride my bike through the woods each day. It would be different had I grown up in the middle of nowhere. But I was a child when I learned how to interpret electrocardiograms. I spent time in San Francisco. I was first chair in orchestras and a symphony. I experienced everything this culture has to offer. Now it's madness there. And California has more people than all of Canada now.

I guess life is what we make it. If there is someone to come along with us, we're lucky. I had that. I had a wonderful girl. But we separated. I could have easily spent my life with her. I may never find another like her. And I'm not really looking. And at my age, I'm not even comfortable with someone else around.

And if I stay here, in Mendocino, I'm in a community that is as liberal as they get. I've spent a few years in an area where the Bush bumperstickers are no doubt still on the cars. It was nasty. Community will be important if I ever settle down.

I may off topic from what you had intended this to be about. I like this forum. It's fun to talk with like minded people.

[eilen]

72. I hope you do off topic and continue --

this thread is likely buried at this point. I was really pleasantly surprised by many of the replies to this post and it is nice to know people outside of the political sparring points. I feel like I am participating more in a community now and not as isolated. I hope you sell your place and will be interested in hearing about your further adventures.

[guitar man]

61. work in TV

I work a management desk job at a TV station during the day. Music has always been my life, and although I no longer do music as a full time venture I still make a little money on the weekends playing gigs with my band and running a little 24 track recording studio in the back of my friend's music store.

I don't make a lot of money at any of it, but I still have my health, wonderful wife and beautiful daughter and a couple dogs. I've been struggling harder and harder in this damn economy but we are still living, somehow...

[InkAddict]

65. I was a medical transcriptionist

and my spouse worked in IT since we married 41 years ago (He's a professional jobseeker now, LOL with sarcasm). We had a plan, but it crashed and burned with the unemployment situation as those occupations have now been outsourced, and all we've done is grow older and put out to pasture. We are currently existing on unemployment, having lost family members, jobs, home, and savings along a journey I can only describe as surreal.

With the combative environment in DC, looks like most of the things that made life worth it are fading fast - growing roses/flowers, cooking and baking yummy treats for the family, sewing, traveling the backroads, and exploring the woods - now all too expensive to pursue. Guess between washing up something, bathing, and sleeping, I'll just read and rock until some terminal thing or other takes me. I hate watching TV. My doggie is old and unwell; I'll lose him too soon, I guess.

I'm seriously depressed (no healthcare) and terrified of the future for my children and grandchildren!

[MilesColtrane]

66. I'm a musician.

I make a living playing music that other people want to hear.

I make a life by writing and playing music that I want to hear.

[Shagbark Hickory]

67. I'm a rock star. And I'm in movies.

In my spare time I like to day dream.

[JCMach1]

73. Work is an endangered species in the current economy...

The old systems don't apply any more.

Namely, capitalism and socialism.