Mortgage Monday: Directions

We have yet to find the roads like the ones we found exploring in Virginia. 

Every time that my wife and I have moved it has taken us a while to get our bearings. Generally speaking, when we have moved to a new place we have known one or two ways to get to certain places while there were other destinations that remained a complete mystery as to what roads we needed to take. This inevitably led to studying various maps of the area just to figure out a few roads that took us to places where we could figure things out from there. Having been looking in our current area for the past two years and driving around on the roads from time to time since our first visit, this map studying was less of a factor than it had been in the past.

However, there are still plenty of places where we drive that it is nearly essential to pull up the directions on the cell phone and, as we proved this past week, we are still not confident in our navigation to simply just get in the car and drive. When driving to my sister’s house last week, I knew how to get there but having never taken this particular way in the past, the landmarks were unfamiliar and some of the route numbers weren’t as clearly marked as I would have liked. Driving back was an entirely different story altogether as the way with which I was familiar was nearly unmarked and we found ourselves pulling over and pulling out the cell phone.

While we can manage to get to most places without much forethought, they are still the rudimentary ways of getting from point A to point B. The next step for us (and my wife is well ahead of me on this one) is to find the back roads that cut out the truck traffic and long lights. For me, that has always been the best sign regarding my comfort level with a particular place and how well we know the area. That being said, I still stink with giving directions as I am more of just knowing where to turn rather than recalling the specific street names.

There are a lot of pleasant roads around where we live and there are countless little shortcuts that we have yet to discover. For me, this is one of the fun parts about moving is being able to explore without ever being too far from home. The difference this time around is that the vast majority of these routes are nearly empty with the exception of the occasional car or buggy compared to the previous places we have lived when we would spend more time waiting at lights, pausing at stop signs, and following the slowly moving out of state cars. Now I can keep a steady pace and relax as the landscape rolls by the windows.

Sometimes fog hinders our ability to explore.

Caution: Road Work Ahead

See, not all roadwork goes on for miles!

While yesterday we went on a short trip, today we did even less. At least less outside of the apartment. Today was not just a day of staying still but catching up as well. Today was a day, still going on actually, that I had to stay in the apartment, at the computer, and get a few things done for the short week that starts tomorrow. I know, this really is a repetitive thought that can be found in numerous posts especially lately. Oh well, sometimes that is the reality in which we live and work. Life isn’t always, and shouldn’t always be, on cruise control. The stop and go traffic is certainly annoying but it never lasts. Soon enough the roads will open up and you will once again be making progress.

One of the things, along many other that I have learned over the last few years is that sometimes, just as you are about to turn the corner you realize it is a one way street. At that point you just have to keep pushing forward for another block or two before you are finally able to turn in the right direction. Sometimes you have to turn around and find another way. Other times, you are able to make the turn but that doesn’t mean that it will be an easier, less bumpy, or faster way to go then if you continued straight.

The best thing to do sometimes is to just make sure you have enough gas, check the condition of your car, and just drive. That is what life is all about. It is about doing your best to try and find the best route while still keeping things interesting every once in a while. Sometimes you get on the highway and set the cruise control, other times you get on the back roads and slalom across the landscape. You may get lost every now and again, you may even find yourself going down some difficult roads, but if you just keep the GPS handy and go in the right direction, things will work out in the end.

Don’t let the road, the neighborhood, and the other cars on the road keep you from moving forward. Know when to be aggressive, know when to be considerate, and help others who may be lost or stranded. Don’t let work take you in unpaved circles and don’t let pessimism ruin your transmission. Keep your eyes open for signs, your foot on the gas, and trust those in your life to keep you awake at the wheel. This is not a journey that should be a solo endeavor. It is an opportunity to embrace experiences both planned and unplanned with those that you have in your life. If you pay attention and keep yourself open to life it can be a life that will leave you with satisfaction and peace when you arrive at your final destination.

A Little Vocus Variety

I have been on Vocus for about a week now and I have received some interesting emails. To give you some idea of the variety that I am talking about, here are a few of the subject lines that have popped up in my email:  

• Interview Husband and Wife Team / Balancing Love, Marriage, and (Fictional) Bondage
• Newest DJH Hostel in Germany is also Ultra-Modern Sports and Conference Center for Top-notch Group Programs at Value Prices
• Art Basel week editorial request

See, I wasn’t lying, that is a very diverse sample. While the above emails didn’t pique my interest I still give the people sending them credit for reaching out to the blogging community to try and get coverage. I wish them the best and I am intrigued as to what they will send me next.

On the other side of things, there were two emails that registered a bit of interest. On titled “Adventure story teaches families about safe pet travel practices” was a bit off for what I usually write about but the publicists in this instance was sending out advanced copies and I am willing to give it a shot. What the heck, I at least might get some random jeopardy knowledge out of it.

The other email that actually had me eager to try the product came with the subject line “Photographers Track Valuable Cameras with GPS Locator Locca”. The tiny GPS tracking devise looked like something that I might use and that I am pretty sure would be of interest to some of you so I immediately sent an email to see if I could try it out. Well… that didn’t work as they aren’t sending them out at the moment which is a shame because I was excited to test it out. Oh well, I guess I won’t be writing about this product beyond this paragraph (that is still being debated).



Because it was the most interesting product pitched
I am posting a picture.

As you can see, so far there have been a few emails that really got me interested and a lot that have kept me entertained many of which have not been included because I just wanted to highlight a few. The one thing that these people have in common is there willingness to get the story out and pitch. And while, as of tonight, I doubt I will write about any of the current emails I am certain that at least a few are in the works and will be hitting my email shortly which will require a dedicated post.

Until then, they will keep pitching, and I will keep working on both sides of the mirror.