ever since getting back into the defense industry (private sector), it's back to the usual lifestyle. it's not really like how hollywood portrays it, but it's more like the wolf of wall street than war dogs. you have to stay on-top of metal futures pricing, constantly know everything about ammunition (grains, calibers, powder types, bullet shapes, etc.), and please investors of all sorts. sure, it might sound action-packed and glamorous - guns, constant business travel, business lunches with investors, parties with powerful people - but it's the most stressful thing i've ever done for a living. it's crazy, fast-paced, and - above all else - unpredictable. the entire business is based on panic. you leave your morals, ethics, and personal beliefs at the door and adapt for the current market. while you mustn't be evil, reputation is everything. in my case, an autistic lack of empathy works well here - just as it did in cybersecurity.
until this business is completely "automated", i'm at ground-level - making sales, deliveries, business deals, accounting, arrangements, etc. entirely by myself - plus the aid of a couple contractors acting as drivers. i'm moving constantly. aside from the terrible housing market (average house here goes for $340k now, with even worse rent rates), long-term housing makes zero sense for me - it's like suggesting to a 24/7 OTR trucker to get a $2,900/mo apartment. i have a legal address of residency, but being functionally homeless is the most logical thing for me to do. my day-to-day life involves business for 14 hours of the day, then sleeping the rest (any meals i eat are business-related, so it's not really a "break" of any kind). it boils down to constantly being on-the-move, then needing to find a place to sleep for the night, then going back at it the following morning.
understandably, this makes my housing situation a bit unorthodox. getting kicked out was a harsh - but necessary start. first it was staying with friends, then moved into a red roof inn by the airport. after i sold to who i needed to around the area of the inn (about a 50-mile radius), i went to a luxury hostel in south carolina. there, i had a few shocks. i've heard things about hostels - mostly how they're glorified homeless shelters with a slightly lesser chance of getting your personal belongings stolen. this place was pretty awesome - save for the constant left-wing propaganda everywhere, plus the constant surveillance (there were cameras everywhere except the actual bunk rooms).
this south carolina hostel was pretty nice. modern, "zen" interior design, really nice rainfall showers, organic toiletries, and within walking distance of downtown greenville - perfect for business. things were different than a hotel there, most notably the rules. some of the more prominent ones involved basically not fucking in the rooms, except for private "couples" rooms. this place was a combined café/hostel, so they had free morning coffee - and it was really good! the internet was fast, and the beds were private & comfortable. laundry wasn't free, but it was cheaper than a laundromat. all of this was awesome, but the thing that really blew me away was the price - $40/night.
see, hostels are basically what people think of when they hear what a bed & breakfast is - minus the pricetag of a semi-luxury hotel. it's someone's house (or commercialized living space), where the rooms aren't necessarily separate, and where rates go per-bed rather than per-room. as a result, you end up getting a lot of interesting people coming through there. i met a lot of cool residents, and even did business with a few of them. after i did what i had to in the city, i camped out in the appalachian woods in a hammock and planned out the next day.
in that specific circumstance for that night, the ideal move was to camp. doing so in a hammock is my usual route anyhow, but it really does help that hammocks are lightweight & quick to set up / take down. camping for a night is nice not just because of the aspects of camping itself, but because it's a quick entry/exit transitionary place for the time being. as i exited the place i set up at, i headed to a hostel in eastern TN - right on the AT. once set up at a hostel, i could load my living supplies at a centralized location, spend the day doing business, then come back to a calm place at night to network and sleep.
this place was definitely better than the place in south carolina. aside from having more than five chess boards, it had free laundry, had supply control on a karma-based system (you do chores & donate supplies in exchange for other supplies), and - arguably the best part - it was a pub/hostel combination. not only a pub, but the largest craft brewpub in the state! 400+ beers, cheap hiker-centric meals, and board games aplenty. the location was perfect, too - constant flow of hikers, tons of ex-military and hunters (basically my target audience), and dirt-cheap day-to-day costs (cheap gas, $2 hot dog stands, etc.). i did serious business there, and continue to do so despite being back on-the-move. all this for a cheaper rate than the place in south carolina; $30/night.
i suppose my point is to stand back and realize the miracle of hostels. community living, at a fair price. i could stay at a relatively nice hostel in the mountains for a significantly lower price than the monthly cost of an apartment of worse quality, both in a rural area & high-end urban area. amenities are included, you meet cool people (networking), and the areas are typically worth exploring (the hostel location is there for a reason). i don't necessarily hold such beliefs, but if there was ever a fantastic proof-of-concept for communism, hostels would be it.