If there is one thing I really like, it is problem solving. Not all kinds of problem solving, mind you. But solving problems that I deem to think are problems. For instance, if you were playing with matches and burned off your poof bangs- that’s not a problem. You won’t have my help. In fact, I would probably applaud those matches probably for doing you a favor. Or, if you stand in middle of a circle of caffeinated seventh graders who are throwing exacto-knives at each other and you get sliced (which acutally sounds a lot like my first year teaching), that’s not a problem. That’s just natural selection.

Maybe problem solving isn’t the right word- maybe it’s puzzles that I like. Not really word puzzles- every one I have ever done has included a clue about a cast member from M*A*S*H. Who even watches M*A*S*H? The kind of puzzles I like are spacial puzzles. Like can you fit all of the copy into the text box without messing up the layout- or how to best crop an image for the maximum visual effectiveness. Or what configuration of kitchen cabinetry will be most efficient for chopping and washing vegetables. Yes, I am a spacial puzzler.

If there is another thing I really like, it’s traveling. Although my family tree doesn’t indicate it, I think  I have gypsy blood in my veins. I always want to be on the road, seeing a new place, meeting a new person, or just feeling how the sun feels on my face shining from a different part of the sky.

So what does a spacial puzzling gypsy woman dream about at night? Airstreams. Vintage Airstreams. Vintage Airstreams with good bones and bad carpet. I want, more than most anything else, to renovate a decrepid old Airstream and travel the United States in it. It could be my very own interior design lab on wheels. My gypsy camp with fabulous furniture and fixtures. The three dimensional manifestation of my creative energy. My very own spaceship for this stranger in a stranger land to beam up to, for a week, a weekend, or a really fun slumber party. You can live, work, and play from anywhere on God’s green earth, without ever leaving home.

Apparently, there are others like me- other people who love the idea of trying to figure out how to create a living room, dining room, kitchen, bathroom, and sleeping arrangements for four in a 23 foot long by 8 feet wide silver tube. And once you figure it out, you get to pack your family into the tube and go wherever you want. It’s magic. It’s science. It makes my spacial puzzle gypsy blood boil with delight. You can check out my favorite book on the topic, Airstream Living here.

Here are some sites that feature airstream renovations:

Vintage-Airstream.com (my favorite- this guy does a lot of renos himself)
vintageairstream.com these folks have a wealth of information, but desperately need a web redesign
Vintage Airstream Club where all the gypsies congregate and elect ruling officials

Or fork over a pretty penny for a new one:

Airstream Inc.

One of these days, I will either sell a kidney or someone rich will leave me a wad of cash, and I will make my dreams come true. Until then, I can dream…..