Traveling Mailbox Saves Vandweller $$$$

Last week, Traveling Mailbox – a private mailbox and mail scanner service – saved Vanholio $170 by going above and beyond in customer service.

Their support guys sent me an email double checking that I really, really wanted to ship my package 2nd Day for mega-dollars. They held it up until I got back with them. And no, I sure as hell didn't want to pay $170 in shipping.

$170 Shipping? The Fuck?

Traveling Mailbox will accept packages on your behalf, besides just letters. They'll reship to you anywhere.

Now, normally I avoid doing this because paying to ship a package twice – once to them and once to me – is a waste of fucking money.

But I found myself recently in a trifecta of considerations:

1. My purchase was back-ordered.
2. The merchant couldn't say which carrier they'd ship by. (They switch up based on daily shipping prices.)
3. My travel plans were in flux, so I couldn't predict a good receiving address on the road.

Sometimes you just gotta take it up the ass. Settled on the double shipping.

The package got into Traveling Mailbox last week. I knew I was going to be in Prescott last weekend. So I requested that 2nd Day forward to The UPS Store in Prescott. But damn, I didn't know it'd be $170 fucking dollars!

Kudos to Traveling Mailbox for the heads up. I have now redone my forwarding request for UPS ground shipping. Much more reasonable at $35!

Trustworthy With Big Checks, Too

Traveling Mailbox also done right by me with their check deposit service. If you get a check in the mail, they'll deposit it straight to your bank. Saves time over forwarding.

Last year, I got HUGE check in from a van I sold through a dealer on consignment. Gotta say: I was a bit worried having elves somewhere handle that one for me.

They deposited the check like they said. The money got into my account lickety-split. I've since trusted them with a few other checks. No issues.

Traveling Mailbox Perfect for Van Lifers

For $15 a month, you get a street address and mail scanning service. They'll scan your mail into PDFs so you can read them online. For small extra fees, they'll forward your mail and packages, and deposit your checks, plus other ad hoc services.

Vanholio ain't Consumer fucking Reports. I can't can't say Traveling Mailbox is the best in the business or anything.

I like their services, online tools, and quick support team; their prices are competitive; and they've always kept me happy. Check 'em out.

Also See ...

• How It Works (Traveling Mailbox)
• BBB Business Review: Traveling Mailbox, LLC (Better Business Bureau)
• Complaint Review: Traveling Mailbox LLC (Ripoff Report)

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Disclaimer: Yes, if you click thru to Traveling Mailbox and sign up, I'll get a little affiliate commission. But everything I wrote above happened just like I said. I've been using the service more than a year and am happy with the company.

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Trim Pot Harvest to Keep Van Life Rolling

At $200-500 a day CASH, bringing in the weed is perfect work for the OTR van lifer — if you can get it. And if you can avoid getting fucked over.

Revelation!

You 420 types probably know all about this already. But the scales fell from Vanholio's eyes. And now I'm spreading the good word.

Few days ago, I was in Humbolt County, Calif., capital of U.S. marijuana cultivation. Despite cold, wet weather, the national forest campground was packed with hippie kids and others. Their camps looked more settled in than normal. Though that was odd.

Then when I was walking the dogs, the new hippie kids in camp asked, "Have you found any cutting jobs yet?" That opened up an interesting conversation, I tell you what.

Following is what I've learned since. But do your own research. What Vanholio don't know could fill a swimming pool.

Getting Hired

The Pacific Northwest marijuana harvest season runs from late September through mid-November. Hippie kids show up in towns all over Potland, camping out, shitting in the woods, wandering downtown with "hire me" signs. Supposedly, the cultivators come into town looking for workers, usually around the bars.

But I also heard it ain't that easy. Growers usually hire people they know, often locals or returning workers. Makes sense. They don't have time to fuck with some red-eyed trustifarian kid. They need dependable, hardworking people who'll bust ass to get a quality product in. No drama. Oh, and no narcs.

So the trick is getting known and trusted. How do you get that first job? Ain't that always the problem? But it's worth a shot.

Be cleaned up and sober, be friendly, and tell people you want trimming work. Do any other temp jobs you can find around town, even if they aren't paid, and work hard at them. People know people, and word gets around. That's the best advice I got!

What It's Like

From what all I can tell, trimming bud is shitwork. You'll work scissors for 14 hours a day or more, day after day. There'll be chit-chat and music to keep from going insane. One hopes. You'll likely be out at some "farm," maybe a shack in the woods somewhere. You'll try not to think about any "squeal like a pig" scenes.

Your boss could be paranoid about LEOs and the competition. They'll definitely be under a fuck-ton of pressure. Tends to bring out the asshole in people. Their shit will roll downhill, guaranteed.

But that said, the pay is fucking awesome. Been told about $200 a pound. A good trimmer can earn $300-500 a day. I've also heard it works out to about $15-20 an hour. And it's all cash, probably not reported to Uncle Sam. Not bad. Those who work the season sometimes earn around $10,000. That's near enough to carry you a year, if you live simple.

Legal? Maybe

Cultivating marijuana – and helping out – is an illegal felony under federal law.  But Obama's said he won't screw with the little people, especially in pot-legal states. Hillary or Trump might.

In California, the only legal cultivation is for medical marijuana. Only a handful of producers are licensed, and they can only do 12 plants. Most of your Humbolt County growers are illegal. But it's also the biggest business in the county, so the LEOs have a huge incentive to look the other way. On the other hand, I could see legal and/or established producers calling in local, state, or federal law dogs on upstarts. King of the Hill ain't just a kids game! People are shits.

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UPDATE: Seems California has just expanded who can legally grow and how much under state law. Keep up with the latest at the California NORML website.

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Oregon and Washington have licensed growers of both medical and recreational pot. But some cities have opted out, so be aware. And while pot prices are dropping, they're still high enough that I bet plenty of illegal farms operate back in the woods.

Bottom line is you're probably OK. But be wary and be informed. It's a developing situation. And it's always the little guy that gets fucked over, whether by the gov'ment or the bosses.

Hey, Beer Vanholio! He works hard on this blog.

Also See ...

With Harvest Season, 'Trimmigrants' Flock To California's Pot Capital (NPR)
Work in California Clipping Marijuana (Road Junky)
Carving Wooden Dildos for Fun and Profit

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On the Trail of Nomadic Fanatic

Trippin’ around Washington State a week or two ago, Vanholio kept bumping into places Eric Jacobs covered on his Nomadic Fanatic YouTube channel. It was kinda badass!

See, when Vanholio was just a wannabe vandweller, planning and scheming to escape into van life, Nomadic Fanatic was my daily inspiration. Totally got a charge out of watching him, a regular guy – not some rich fucker – living a chill life on the cheap in beautiful places.

So as I was going through Mount Rainier National Park, I kept thinking “Rainier Beer,” Eric’s preferred brew. Stopped on the west side at Elbe Bar & Grill for a burger and washed it down with that light, delicious American adjunct lager, raising a toast in Mon Capitan’s honor.

Wynoochee Falls

Couple days later, I headed north on I-5 and U.S. 12, passing other places he’d talked: Olympia, Aberdeen, Tumwater Falls, Capitol Forest, Olympic National Forest.

But the place that pulled me in was his favorite (I think): Wynoochee Falls. Drove up there, walked the fucked-over campground, and took in the falls. Too bad it was overcast and in the low ‘50s. Would have liked a swim.

Found that pair of shoes by the falls (photo at top). Are those yours, Eric?

Thanks for all you do, Eric Jacobs, aka Nomadic Fanatic. Because of you, I Am Vanholio!, living in a van down by the river – the Wynoochee River.

Hey, Beer Vanholio! He works hard on this blog.

Also See …

Radio Nomad Episode 2 Vance Hollister (Enigmatic Nomadics Vlog)
Top 10 Question About Living in a Van
What If You Only Had Six Months to Live?

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Fuck the 2016 Presidential Debates

Everyone's got an opinion on the first 2016 presidential debate between Hillary and Trump. Here's Vanholio's. Didn't actually see 'em, but I won't let that stop me!

No Way to Judge a Winner

First off, media and the folks around always ask, Who won? How the fuck do you rate that? There's no score-keeping system. There ain't even a standard of performance. Near as I can figure the goal is to see who can make the other one look like a bigger fool.

As far as Hillary and Trump go, Hillary's goal is to make Trump look out of control, thin-skinned, ignorant, and most important, weak. Trump's goal is to make Hillary look like a cold, calculating, DC bitch. Those goals are doable, easy even. The trick is to pull it off while getting kidney punched yourself.

Point Is Getting Voters Out

So what was the result of last night? From what I hear, both got a bit of what they wanted. But will that change anyone's mind? Nope, no fucking chance. Besides a tiny bunch of fence sitters, most folks' minds are already set.

But what it might do is more important: Get your folks motivated to vote for real OR get the other folks to waffle and stay home. Votes win elections, not poll numbers. People get off their asses and vote either 'cause they worship their candidate or 'cause they believe the opponent is scary as shit.

Don't know how that's going to swing this far ahead. Will Hillary supporters fall deeper in love with her and/or froth at mouth to stop Trump? The opposite? Will Trump supporters do likewise? How will the voter turnout nudge November 2nd? Which team'll show up at the booths more?

Won't Make No Difference

Frankly, I don't give a fuck. With Hillary we get the usual DC nuthouse. With Trump, we get some new flavor of crazy. Either way, I don't see a nobody like Vanholio getting his views turned into law and action. The rich fucks will still be in charge.

Way I see it, this here USA is a country ruled by one party, the Billionaire Corporate Party. Democrats and Republicans are just it's two wings. Your choice is between Coke and Pepsi.

Voting is just a ra-ra high school game to make you feel like you're part of "the team." You're not. You're a bench-sittin' rube who buys overpriced tickets and hot dogs. Wearing the winning team's $100 jersey don't make you no kind of winner. It makes you a sucker.

What's the Solution?

You say, Oh wise Vanholio, what then shall we do? How shall we find justice and make a better world? Fuck if I know. I ain't got a workable idea so much as I'm just pissed off. Not proud of it, but that's how it is.

Vanholio could move to another country. But I bet they're run by assholes too.

Hey, Beer Vanholio! He works hard on this blog.

Also See ...

Patriotism, Like Love, Is a Goddamn Mess
Save the World by Doing Less, or Nothing
The Need for U.S. Constitutional Reform (The Globalist)

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