Still don't have a completed CV.

After doing the translation myself, I had one graphic designer I don't know produce a CV but it was a complete mess and my demands for corrections didn't sit well with him. So he didn't get paid either.

Now I'm working with a graphic designer I know. He is equally as incompetent but at least the fact of our friendship keeps me communicating with him in a very light manner. Even though I'm frustrated each day when he returns the document having only rectified 80% of the errors I listed and asks "is there anything else that needs doing?" The list gets shorter everyday, but it is basically the same list... usually with one or two additions of something else he fucked up whilst making those corrections.

I had the same problems when hiring British graphic designers for creating business cards and so on back in the day. There too I found it better to work with one who was a friend, just so I wouldn't lose my shit with them. The only one who ever did a good job of a project I assigned them was my ex.

Meanwhile, precious time is passing by and rare job openings are being filled as the world races towards the date my income stops.

EDIT: An hour after posting this I finally received a perfect version of my CV.
EDIT 2: Had to compress my beautiful CV to 1mb and my photo to 80kb because Spain is backward af.


Peace,

kowalski

I used to have a beautiful graphic cv (English 1 side, french the other) but unless i was giving them a copy i printed or they were looking at it on screen, it looked shit when cropped and printed on a b&w photocopier

I made a sweet text only cv using a gray and black colour scheme (Eng 1 side, fr the other) and that parses well with ats systems, prints well with shitty office printers and is a small file size to send. I left out the photo as I'm not customer facing and people often assume im 5-10yrs older without my face

It breaks my heart to submit "shit", however it plays the system... A shitty system that saves HR time at the cost of awesome applicants

Here, they insist on a photo.

Most people have it as an integral part of their CV. Usually printed in the top right corner, jaunty angle with essential fake serrated edges and fake paperclip design. This was offered to me too.

When I was used as an interviewer on British Gas recruitment days applicants had to provide a photo on the day of the interview, just before you met them. Even then it was only so you could identify them from the group because interviewing was done in a modular rotational fashion, so that each interviewer was with each applicant at some point in the process.


Peace,

kowalski

I was never aware what profession you were in before you packed up, but it appears to have been the one I'm in now, the energy industry. It's both gas and electricity in my case.

What was it that clicked in your head back in 2012/13 that made you say fuck this I'm off?

It was an idea for at least 5 years before I left and then there was a perfect storm.

For the first time in BG I missed a promotion, they employed a guy from outside instead and he became my boss and he is an idiot, so I moved out of my expensive flat and took a sabbatical, when I got back they were looking for 1,000 redundancy volunteers nationwide, I volunteered, they gave me a substantial redundancy pay off and now I'm here.


Peace,

kowalski

So what's your next move?

Going walkabout.
Brian has a passport.


Peace,

kowalski

Getting down to the last few purchases I need for my travels. Most of them are exciting to receive and practice using straight away. Like reteaching myself how to navigate with a compass and topographical map or how to tie tarp line knots or calibrating binoculars and so on.

Today though I received a military grade CAT7 tourniquet, designed to be easily and effectively deployed using only one hand because that might be how many useful hands you have. It was the weirdest thing to receive. Even the thought of learning to use it set my hairs on end. Buying and learning to use things you hope to never need because in the event you do your life will be in the balance is sombre and unnerving. It affected me.

By luck I bumped into Rafa today. I was starting to think I might not see him again before leaving. We had a few drinks and great chat. Like everyone else here he's sure I'll be back.

Maybe one day.


Peace,

kowalski

That work on Brian too?

Where are you planning on heading? just Spain? Europe? South America?

If I'm bleeding, Brian might get harvested...

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catgut_suture


Peace,

kowalski

Tomorrow I'll go out and test some of my skills and equipment.

Plan: Sunset departure, midday siesta, twilight return.
Not plan: Die on a mountain


Peace,

kowalski

Gonna be annoying you all with lots of this type of stuff starting now. The view from my hammock this morning.




Peace,

kowalski

Peace,

kowalski

Fuckin' A!

So far most of my difficulties in the Spanish wilderness have come from out of date maps, marked trails blocked by private property, private property with a fence only on 3 sides and so on. As I'm trying to travel between water sources this can be problematic.

The maps are at least accurate about which streams dry up in the summer and which keep flowing but due to the reasons stated above you often can't get to them without serious bushwhacking + lawbreaking and the thick undergrowth is home to poisonous spiders and snakes minding their own business.

I carry 2 days of water at a time. So that stuff is frustrating but not really dangerous.

I'm still struggling to eat whilst moving though, so am testing different foodstuffs. This has effected my energy on return hikes.

Brian still hasn't stayed out over night. I expect complications. So want to take him where I already know the route well and have already slept, etc.


Peace,

kowalski

My friend Belgian Tom came to visit recently and at the weekend, just now, English Alex (we have an ongoing thing whenever we are in the same place) was in town. It was my birthday and the anniversary of luring Brian with jamón from a hole under a tree near the train station.


Peace,

kowalski

Happy Birthday / Anniversary with Brian. I hope you managed to find a cake or beer out there in the wild

I'm out of this house at the latest on August 10th.

This week I've been slowly, too slowly, going through the last things around and deciding what to do with them. Next I have some cleaning to do.

There's a lot to be scared of.

What I'm really looking forward to though is being happy or grateful or appreciative of seeing or talking to or touching a human. There's so many fucking humans I don't even know how to treat them well. I'd like to miss them well enough to love them. I expect that to happen pretty quickly.


Peace,

kowalski

I just watched many episodes of I Shouldn't Be Alive and made notes of the decisions that lead to their near death in the wild. There's definitely memes there, the same type of mistake made repeatedly... like in horror movies where after you've seen a few you know what bad decisions the characters are about to make before they even make them. They never tell anyone where they are going, it gets crazy hot in the day and cold as fuck at night, they don't have or know how to get water, a search plane comes and they don't have any method of signalling it, etc.

Even knowing the common mistakes, I may still make them. Here is the information I distilled from those hours of watching people recount their mistakes, with recreations performed by flatteringly good looking actors:

Basic rules:
- Tell someone where you are going and when you'll be back.
- Carry double the required water and food.
- Rest a minimum of 3 in every 30 minutes.
- Mark your trail.
- Don't go down what you can't get back up.
- Don't leave kit behind.

Attach to your body:
- Sinaling devices (whistle, mirror, fire steel)
- Space blanket
- Knife
- Compass
- Large plastic bag
- Water filter
- phone / gps
- Basic first aid kit
- Map
- Light

When you acknowledge you are in a survival situation:
- Start collecting your piss before you dehydrate #beargryls
- Never pass up anything edible or potable.

Contingencies:
- If a search is in progress, stay put and be visible.

Not by chance it runs closely alongside the various versions of "The 10 essentials" - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Essentials


Peace,

kowalski

But how does one know what one can't get back up out of unless one goes down it in the first place and realises one is stuck?

Seriously though, although all this caveman shit is quite interesting, it was a 600% u-turn in regards to what the original plan was - a new job.

Also, add a journal to your arsenal, so you can document your trials and tribulations and write the sequel to 127 hours when an under-malnourished Kowalski is found in 3 years.

What original plan? I think you imagined that.


Peace,

kowalski

No you were applying for jobs and shit.

I applied for 1 job.


Peace,

kowalski

Oh yeah that must be what I meant

But now it sounds like you're heading down the path of going off the grid to build a home in the woods

https://www.theepochtimes.com/uplift...d_2454090.html

Going off the grid... with modern technology and a tonne of regular visits to civilisation. So, not really. I'm just gonna be walking between places, sleeping mostly in the wild, but all my kit is made from ultra lightweight fabrics with USB charging ports delivered by Amazon prime and nearly all my food will come from supermarkets paid for using a contactless debit card and so on. I'm not even pretending to be a survivalist.

The kid in the article cheated a lot. Look at all the modern kit he's using to construct his weird place.

Here is a guy who could genuinely survive with nothing... except a nice pair of cotton shorts from the army surplus store and a decent video camera. Total badass. His videos are really well put together too. He's got millions of subscribers and has never spoken a single word on camera.




Peace,

kowalski

5 days to go and I feel approximately 21% prepared.

On the negatip:
Brian hasn't spend a whole night out.
I've not yet shit in the woods.
Still haven't practiced setting up my tarp.
Tarp also needs seem sealing.
I continue to procrastinate over routes.

On the positip:
I have nearly all the kit I planned on having.
I've mostly dealt with the leaving Cordoba stuff.
The annual heatwave has just passed.

On the wildtip:
Should I get a Zoom or Tascam style audio recorder?


Peace,

kowalski

SO have you actually done any approaches yet?

Enough for now.


Peace,

kowalski

48 hours to go.
It's squeaky-bum time.


Peace,

kowalski

What the fuck... why the fuck am I doing this?
There's no future down this road.
I'm am idiot.


Peace,

kowalski

I never should have cut my hair.


Peace,

kowalski

Mid-life crisis

Hairstyles aside, what is making you regret moving towards a nomadic lifestyle?

Not regret. Fear and loathing.

It's difficult to do. So there's that. Plus, I've no idea where to go. And, most of all, I've no follow up plan. If I do this for 3 moths, then what?

Then there's the why of it all. I'm not doing it for any positive reasons. My motivations to wander about for a bit are to not be in Cordoba, to not be around people, to not have WiFi, to not be around drugs, to not go back to a normal job just yet.


Peace,

kowalski

What is the fear of?

I don’t know what your end game is, although I’m interested in what lessons your adventure brings with you. I’m now thinking of putting myself in a place where I’m forced to learn a third language in a sink or swim style...

The things listed above:

It's difficult.
I don't have any idea where to go.
I've no follow up plan.


Peace,

kowalski

I remember a few years ago you went AWOL and didn't post on here for a number of months.

What happened during that time?

I remember there was a period when I didn't post but not when it was or anything. And, currently, there's no way to check back. Probably I was working crazy long hours, running the improv and doing little else.


Peace,

kowalski

Sprained my ankle in 2 places clearing deadwood from a tree after dark. Had to crawl up a rocky embankment this morning to get back to the village. Hospital advised 5 days of rest. I'll take that advice.

Gonna go sit by the river, carve myself a walking staff and nothing.


Peace,

kowalski

Sleeping in a hammock is the best. I sleep so well. Unless there is an unusual noise or change in temperature I sleep a full 7 to 8 hours without interruption. There's no pressure points between your body and the material as there is with a mattress. On a bed I wake 3 or 4 times a night to adjust position or go the bathroom and sleep an average 5 to 6 hours a night.

Currently I think that in the future I'd prefer to sleep in a hammock rather than a bed even at home.


Still crawling up the embankment every day to visit the village. It is getting easier. I've decided to use it as a measure: When I can walk up the embankment, I'm ready to move on.


Peace,

kowalski