Slow Start
Saturday is supposed to be a day off, right? Yeah, not so much when you’re working for yourself. I did take some time this morning to play more Minecraft. All I did was enchant some books though. I really want to get a good set of gear, especially a trident. Really though, I don’t even have a full set of enchanted diamond armor.
I think I’m going to try to set aside some time everyday to play, maybe. I’d like to find more time for games, but it’s hard to do with the current living arrangements. Here, let me give you an idea of my typical day. . .
A Day in My Life
I get up around 6a everyday and sit down at the kitchen table for some web surfing and coffee. The roommate is usually up around the same time, so we spend the morning talking about the day, things we need to get done, and ideas for the business. After coffee I have a shower and we have breakfast (not necessarily in that order).
Afterwards the average day could include a bunch of running around for all kinds of things. We might need to go shopping for groceries, supplies for a villa, or even appliances. Some days we’ll spend a couple hours with owners meet new arrivals and show them around their villas. Other days we’ll go to villas to check on the housekeepers, make sure the villa is ready for an arrival, or check on the conditions after a guest leaves.
And of course there’s those immediate emergencies we can’t plan for. Guests might need matches or they can’t figure out the light switches. There may be issues with water or power at a villa. Any number of things could go wrong at any time of day or night.
All of those things can happen any day of the week, any time of day. We have guests arrive morning, afternoon, and evening. Some don’t even arrive until well after dark. It’s a crapshoot everyday as to what we need to do, what we can do, and what we actually get done.
We’re normally home for some kind of lunch around noon, sometimes we’ll eat out. Usually around 5-6p we’ll have something for dinner and I’ll end up heading to my room for TV not long after. Sometimes we’ll go out to eat, or get some food to bring home, usually we cook for ourselves.
Getting Around
Right now we only have one car so we usually head out together for any trips. We do have a second car, but it’s going to be sold because it’s a piece of shit. Soon (hopefully this weekend) we’ll be getting a truck that I’ll be driving.
Sometimes we’ll split up if we can, like while I was training on pools, I’d be off learning and she’d get other shit done. Occasionally, I’ll head out on my own to pay some bills or the roommate will head off island for banking.
Shared Space
When we’re not out and about, we’re in the kitchen. Usually doing some kind of work. She’s got her news or true crime videos playing. I’ll do accounting, work on the website, or pour over insights/analytics. We’ll talk more about things for the business. I try to be respectful of the shared space. My laptop is always muted, I keep my shit to myself, take up as little space as I can.
Downtime
There is a lot of downtime though. All throughout the day I’ll stop for a bit. I just take some time to step outside and look at the ocean, take pictures of the clouds, or mess with the local wildlife. And of course I use downtime to update this site, read books, or surf the web. But because we share space I feel a bit self conscious when trying to play video games.
Of course we do get days off sometimes. We’ll have people over or take a boat day. Sometimes we have days where there isn’t a lot to do. Sometimes we make plans for a day off but something comes up that stops it from happening.
Solo Lifestyle
With all that said, I miss my solitude. I miss having more agency in what I do. Things will change a bit once we finally get another vehicle. We’ll be able to split up more, get more done apart. Hopefully that will also allow me more time to myself if I get done before the roommate.
At the same time, I’m hoping that I can get a desk or table or something I can call my own workspace. Right now, the setup at the kitchen table has cords everywhere that I trip over from time to time. I have two laptops I work from (one is just for accounting). There just isn’t a lot of space on the kitchen table.
Housing
Another complication to all of this is where we live. We’re currently “squatting” in one of our managed villas. I put that in quotes because we’re allowed to be here, but we’re not really paying rent and there’s no telling when we have to find a new place.
Because of the inconsistent nature of our housing, there are things I want to do but can’t. Can’t have a garden if you’re going to have to move before anything grows. Don’t want to buy furniture if you don’t know what kind of space you’ll have available at the next place.
Everything Considered
Life in Virgin Gorda is completely different than anything I’ve experienced before. The work is not remotely similar to any job I’ve had before. The living arrangements aren’t ideal. Some people might think what I’ve described is complete Hell, and I’ll admit it isn’t easy. But I am still glad I’ve done this and I know that as time goes on things will change and improve.
A lot of the issues I have are being addressed, there are plans in the works. Other issues I have boil down to me. It’s just the way I am and I have to get over it. I know the roommate won’t care if I take some time during the day to play games. I’ve done it before and I’m sure I’ll do it again.
I just need to get past my own reservations. When I first moved here I didn’t even feel comfortable taking photos. I felt uneasy just having my camera out. I’ve gotten past that and now I take time nearly every day to snap photos. The same will happen with video games and anything else I want to do.
Featured Image
Today’s featured image is a lonely little cloud over the ocean. Nothing too special about it. Maybe it looks like a dinosaur skull? What do you think?
