Power Kite Forum

what you do so you can kite?

flash - 12-5-2010 at 01:38 AM

so, this has come up a lot in recent conversations. Some have taken note of my pic, others see me all the time at kite events and think I never work, most people believe I don't sleep (generally true). The overall arching issue is what I do to keep me kiting, job-wise. What do you do? What would you do if it meant you could fly more? odd - now I want a Klondike bar.

Anyways, I.... well... here are my current jobs and a lot of them overlap time wise. During any given month I have three or more jobs.

Writer for a magazine and 'hand-publisher' for a small publishing company year round.
Administration for Training Department at local Fire Department
Midnight Cookie Baker (meaning I cook from 9:30 pm - 3 am) 8 months out of the year.
Nude/artistic/paint/pin-up model 7 months out of the year
Social Director for Veterans Affairs at nearby University. 8 months out of the year.
Lighthouse keeper 4 months out of the year.
Ski Instructor 4 months out of the year.

when those four months at the lighthouse roll around (trip starting in a few days) I am so excited to have a chance to sit down and read, have no electronics around me other then my radio and the light, and have a chance to catch up on all of my writing. sigh.... if only it was a good place to kite. Sadly the best I have been able to do there is flying a rev on 20 or 40 foot lines. Really no space for powerkites. :)

So yeah.. I am interested to know what you guys do to pay for the kiting addiction :)

flash

ripsessionkites - 12-5-2010 at 02:29 AM

+1 many hours at work, never sleeping = redbull is my best friend.

ragden - 12-5-2010 at 05:02 AM

Really dont have a good follow-up to that post. (sitting here dumbfounded for the most part)

I work as a network engineer for Lockheed Martin in the Washington DC area providing router/switch/firewall support. Only really kite on my days off and weekends. However, I do put in lots of extra hours so I can take extra days off for more kiting...
:smilegrin:

pigryder - 12-5-2010 at 05:10 AM

I work 40+ hours a week as a BMW parts specialist, I used to turn wrenches on cars but got the #@%$#!s of working on junk all the time. Thats how I ended up in a parts department, where it pays to know both sides of the counter. My passion is on two wheels and I turn wrenches on motorcycles on the side and hope to have my own shop in a few years. Motorcycles take up most of my life and kites are my hobby ;)

B-Roc - 12-5-2010 at 05:12 AM

I work too much and kite too little and often think it would be nice to scale back work responsibilities so I could kite and enjoy life more but then I look across the table at the mouths I need to feed and think of college bills someday and I'm just thankful I have a good job. I'd love to kite more but don't see that in the cards any time soon.

Lighthouse keeper in CO :puzzled: It must be tough navigating those big ships all the way in land, past the mountains and across the plains. :lol:

flyjump - 12-5-2010 at 05:25 AM

I'm a highschool science teacher, and a professional skateboarding instructor which I've done since 2004. I work a couple other random jobs like taste testing for those packaged meals from time to time lol.

newtokiting - 12-5-2010 at 05:47 AM

i panhandle on the streets of nyc to pay for my kiting

powerkiter82 - 12-5-2010 at 06:16 AM

I pay for my kiting by working as an Operations Supervisor for the OKC branch of the USA's largest chemical distributor(3rd largest worldwide). My job usually consists of 45-50 hours a week, and I'm on call 24-7 for after hours customer needs.

PHREERIDER - 12-5-2010 at 06:29 AM

i am a futurist and talent monger for this planet ...and others.

you guys are crafty!

Maven454 - 12-5-2010 at 06:32 AM

Freelance assassin.

Maven454 - 12-5-2010 at 06:32 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Maven454
Freelance assassin.


Kidding, of course. Software/Systems Integration Engineer.

Bladerunner - 12-5-2010 at 06:49 AM

I start work at 6 a.m. so I can poach a session in the late afternoon as often as possible .

dylanj423 - 12-5-2010 at 07:04 AM

i am a waiter... i am going to school to learn how to use financial markets to make money from anywhere... then i can kite all the time :bouncing:

mougl - 12-5-2010 at 07:12 AM

I work for Verizon Wireless...


No I can't hear you now...

indigo_wolf - 12-5-2010 at 08:08 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by flash
Nude/artistic/paint/pin-up model 7 months out of the year


Sigh.... life is short.... death lasts forever...

I read bedtime stories to computers. When they are bad, I remove them from the network and put them in a dark room. When they are good, I make sure they get more memory. When they are scared of new software and hardware, I talk soothingly to them and sleep on the floor (loses it's charm after the first hour or two) keeping them company the first couple of nights.

Somewhere along the way, anything that plugs into the wall or has passing knowledge of a screwdriver has fallen under my dominion (oooohh downsizing, twice the job for half the pay).

Try unsuccessfully not to have evil thoughts about people that forget to bring common sense to the workplace.

The eclectic timestamps on my posts are partially due to my job, but given the general insomnia and lack of sleep, I must have been very wicked in a former life and hopefully enjoyed it greatly. Waking up on the train, and needing a second to suss out whether I am headed for home or work is par for the course.

Unpaid: Midnight scratcher for the wee furry felines. Climbing apparatus and sleeping platform for same. Juggler of a myriad collection of objects thrown from high shelves as the demon spawn makes it known he is bored or I am too slow to eat my dinner. Teething ring for restless felines. Protector of the canine troll princess from ninja assassin squirrels (yes, this position comes with interesting armor and a cape with a lining that goes swish swish). Retriever of sofa obscured pet toys (bought and conscripted). Fixer of squeaky toys.

In exchange for the above unpaid duties, there is an open offer (highly recommended and hinted at) to taste all my food for me to make sure it is safe.

ATB,
Sam

P.S. You have some cool gigs.

f0rgiv3n - 12-5-2010 at 08:56 AM

lol sam... you always have a hilarious way to say things. I always enjoy reading your posts :thumbup: .

I'm a network engineer to provide living $$.... I'm full time college and my wife is full time grad school. How do you provide dough to kite? I sell stuff... no, not salesman kinda things... I walk around the house or sit there thinking of all my things and what I could get for them if i sold them on craigslist.

One thing i did do for my current kite was bought a broken TV on craigslist, fixed it, and sold it for more :D. Doesn't really pay off always but it's what i try to do :).

oldtdevil - 12-5-2010 at 09:05 AM

Full time tech support for a major online retailer. I quit my membership at a climbing gym to justify buying more kites, figuring that the annual cost would balance out. It has... mostly.

ICTKITEFLYER - 12-5-2010 at 09:14 AM

Air traffic controller....

flash - 12-5-2010 at 09:17 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by indigo_wolf

I read bedtime stories to computers........


:) From the sounds of it, you could read a bedtime story to me! wow... ok.. that somehow sounded dirty.

Quote:
Originally posted by B-Roc

Lighthouse keeper in CO :puzzled: It must be tough navigating those big ships all the way in land, past the mountains and across the plains. :lol:


I get that all the time. :) I am a lighthouse keeper in Washington State just south of Vancouver BC. If you know the San Juan Islands.. .well.. Patos and Stuart Island. My family homesteaded Orcas and some of them still live there.

and ps.... being a ninja-assassin... not cool, because pirates are better. j/k

bigkid - 12-5-2010 at 09:23 AM

I buy kites and have them shipped to the house with my wife's name on them, along with the roses, jewelry, tickets for Caribbean cruises, and what ever else she wants. I also bought her a trailer to carry all the bugs, boards, kites and accessories.
We, uh I mean I, am taking the trailer to the beach next weekend to play with her, uh, I mean my kites. She lets me play with her stuff.
My wife is the best!!!!!

teelzy - 12-5-2010 at 09:52 AM

Gotta love reading some of those posts. Very entertaining, alas, my life is drab. I go to school full time and work full time at a lovely dead end job with a conglomeration of failures. However, UPS has shown interest, and I would love to have a set Monday through Friday schedule which would allow for kiting and such on the weekends! As it stands currently I save all my pennies and hope that I can get another kite, which I am in the process of doing currently (woo hoo).

Although I cannot make my words purr like Sam, I too am constantly haunted by the shadows of a kitty walking into the room. They are always watching, judging, waiting. Waiting until I am asleep to call on me for affectionate embrace and face nuzzles.

I am going to school to get my business degree so that I can open my own outdoor-based business. The number of kite shops in the area is dismal and may be a niche that I someday fill. The addiction is growing as I approach my third kite. I don't know what would stop me from pursuing this, dare I say, POWERFUL diversion from looking horizontally to the fabric in the sky.

pokitetrash - 12-5-2010 at 10:12 AM

I write training materials and procedures for Kimberly-Clark Corp full time and part time, I write Radio and TV commercials and do voice-overs for the same though not as much as I used to so the quiver is a bit stagnant...

Oh, and I'm a nude model for blind sculpters... I describe my body to them while they rummage around for the clay. :lol:
To help them out, I roll the clay into a snake for them....;)

flash - 12-5-2010 at 10:15 AM

hahahahahha one thing is for sure, everyone has a good sense of humor. :)

newtokiting - 12-5-2010 at 10:16 AM

Quote:
Oh, and I'm a nude model for blind sculpters... I describe my body to them while they rummage around for the clay. :lol:
To help them out, I roll the clay into a snake for them....;)
hahaha i got kicked out of art school for tracing......

arkay - 12-5-2010 at 10:48 AM

Engineers up in here? [urlhttp://www.powerkiteforum.com/viewthread.php?tid=12890[/url]

I'm a computer engineer by trade but at the end of the day I'm a cog in a large company that makes other cogs :karate:

Really pirates? I go back and fourth all the time but tend towards ninjas for their stealth over brute force, arr. Of course, the ninja must be sea-worthy. And have a kite. :ninja:


Drewculous - 12-5-2010 at 11:40 AM

Warehouse manager for a concrete construction supply business by day... may get into making custom concrete counter-tops too... good money in that stuff!

.... by the rest of the time

pirates > ninjas




:lol:

Hardrock - 12-5-2010 at 02:22 PM

Where's the damn zoom key!!!!!

Drewculous - 12-5-2010 at 02:33 PM

:lol:

..right click, view image...

indigo_wolf - 12-5-2010 at 03:28 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by HardRock
Where's the damn zoom key!!!!!


I just spit coffee..... luckily I wasn't fully facing the monitor.

ATB,
Sam

nocando - 12-5-2010 at 03:57 PM

Hey drew where are your buccaneers hopefully under your buccan hat

nocando - 12-5-2010 at 04:01 PM

Work for local council, am a licenced poisoner of communities, in other words am the operator in charge water filtration plant for our community, which will soon have fluoride treatment.

Great job have every 2nd weekend off to follow my kiting pursuits.

Hardrock - 12-5-2010 at 04:02 PM

LOL wolf, but I didn't answer the question.

I have my honey pay the power and cable bill with her unemployment check. Then I use the money I would have spent on that to buy kite stuff. So I guess the Taxpayers pay for my kites.

But that wasn't enough, so I became a man#@%$#!. Took me six months to buy a Hydra. You know with the economy and things.

Well guess what? Most all my man#@%$#! fee's are paid for with social security checks!!! Again, the taxpayers buy my kites.

Txshooter38 - 12-5-2010 at 05:34 PM

On call 365 24/7. Public Service. Pretty standard work week. Ready to sell my motorcycle to buy more kites.

The trick to getting more kites is more Coach purses and shoes for the wife. Purse....Kite I want.....Shoes....Kite she wants.....Repeat.

mougl - 12-5-2010 at 05:42 PM

After hitting the beach on JI I may consider a career change to professional beach bum :)

rocfighter - 12-5-2010 at 05:53 PM

We eat what we grow and work lots of hours and hard. So I can have a little money to blow on kiting stuff. We also generaly live a very layed back life. I think our biggest expence is the Taxes on the homestead. Other than that no tv, cable or that stuff, Yes computer can't claim that one!! Lots of vacations that cost little to no money. Hiking in the mountains for a week. Wow we are cool people :wow: :smilegrin:

rocfighter - 12-5-2010 at 05:53 PM

Oh meaning we are all as a group cool people.

PHREERIDER - 12-5-2010 at 06:27 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by mougl
After hitting the beach on JI I may consider a career change to professional beach bum :)


after over 20years it ain't so bad . the view is always good,, gets even better in the spring and summer. grateful everyday!

arkay - 12-5-2010 at 08:20 PM

I find that selling all my non-kiting related possessions works pretty well. Except the kids. I'm glad I played magic 15 years ago and saved all my cards, that's balanced my purchases out this year.

shaggs2riches - 12-5-2010 at 09:22 PM

It's great to see how much humor some of you guys can bring to a thread sometimes. For pretty much all money brought into our household I am an Electrician with 5 years residntial experience and three years industrial experience at a heavy oil upgrader. After that I am mostly a devoted father and husband only allowed out when the wife lets me lol. I have two very energetic boys and by the way things look a daughter on the way, so any kiting time is a blessing. I've been lucky enough to pick up odd side electrical jobs and sell some things to afford kiting. I recently bought a 1.5m ozone imp so that my oldest can join in the fun; which, hopefully will give me more tickets to go out and fly since I hope he loves it as much as I do. If I'm not doing any of that I can usually be found at my parents helping them with their was petting zoo now officially zoo consisting of but not limited to lions, bear, wolves, snakes, alligator and crocodile, and many farm animals. That's me in a nutshell anyway.

shaggs

stetson05 - 12-5-2010 at 09:27 PM

I work as a RN in the local Emergency Department. I found out recently when people describe me they say he is the one that flies kites. Has he told you about it? He will.

I used to be in the Army National Guard as a Cavalry Scout. My call sign was Stetson05.

flash - 13-5-2010 at 02:04 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by stetson05
I used to be in the Army National Guard as a Cavalry Scout. My call sign was Stetson05.



Sweet. I prolly should of mentioned that I collect a nice government paycheck for the rest of my life for injuries suffered in the service while a Translator in the middle east for 8 years. :)

PHREERIDER - 13-5-2010 at 05:37 AM

Quote:
Sweet. I prolly should of mentioned that I collect a nice government paycheck for the rest of my life for injuries suffered in the service while a Translator in the middle east for 8 years. :)


i hope the remuneration abates your suffrage. grateful for your and all that sacrifice. life is short. although our warlike nature rules us now, the homo-empathic beings we are will save us from our greed and utilitarianism, promise.

snowspider - 13-5-2010 at 03:38 PM

I am an RN in a local hospital , I assign patients the beds that they will be going to in the hospital. I had untill last year worked my ars off 15 years in "long term care" . On a quite day this job allows me to relax and think ... about sleds...buggies... kites....thank for asking.

flash - 14-5-2010 at 06:14 PM

Sorry this doesn't hold a candle to my other photos.. and I look goofy in it anyways (in my defense it was raining outside and when I came in I only un-bloused one boot and not the other) Here I am baking cookies so I can fly kites... and doing so in a kiters t-shirt. :)