I have to admit, I'm not really one for resolutions, at least not in the traditional sense. Using the new year as an excuse to start exercising, write every day, keep my apartment, and just generally turn over a new leaf doesn't really work for me. It's nice as inspiration and all that, but I just do that whenever I need to. Why wait for January first when there's a whole string of Mondays throughout the year that are just as good symbolic starting points?
But, with that said, I'm thinking that this year I might try to set up some goals to work towards that are more specific than I'd normally go for. They'll probably change over time, but right now, this is what I'm thinking of.
1. Come close to finishing my dissertaton - I feel like this needs to be done so I can really become sustainable - it take a lot of time and effort, but even more than that it leaves me feeling like I'm too much in limbo to do set up the life that I want here and now.
2. Set up a garden on the patio - I have many of the materials that I think I need, I just have to actually do this. Happily, I can start on this now, since it's time to buy seeds, and I finally have some catalogues to work from.
3. Join the local food co-op - it's not too far, and it will serve as a good way to start to get involved in local food issues.
4. Reduce costs - find ways to cut down on spending even more, so I have money for my own projects, as well as more to donate to charities that really need it right now.
5. Further reduce waste I've done almost everything that can be done fairly easily, so I suspect it's time to dig deeper, and start getting into deeper ways of reducing energy (and possibly living expenses too.)
6. Seriously declutter my home - this will serve to make it more functional as it is right now as well as a way to make it more of what I need it to be for TEOTWAWKI and a way to make it easier to move if I have to get myself elsewhere for any reason. I suspect this is going to be the toughest one for me though, as I try to stockpile things I need while trying to not pick up too much.
7. In general, devote time regularly to projects to finish them. Too often I have great ideas that flounder halfway through, and I'd like to be better about getting done things ranging from my dissertation to setting up a garden.
That seems like a good list for now and, in the spirit of motivation and getting started, I'm off to turn on some music and get myself tidying around here.
Showing posts with label preparedness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label preparedness. Show all posts
Thursday, January 1, 2009
New Year Themes
Rather than setting up resolutions for the new year, one thing I've tried to do in the past is set up a theme for the year. While I have set up some specific goals for this year, I also wanted to continue with the theme as well.
This last year has felt somewhat crazy for me. In addition to my dissertation work, I started teaching, and also had a few other important things come into my life (this project is perhaps the biggest one.) These things are all hugely important to me, and I love them, but it's a lot to manage, and I find myself oscillating a lot - between extreme rest and extreme productivity, from one idea to another, and from incredible calm to great turmoil. And so, while things are getting done over here, they're getting done in ways that perhaps aren't as efficient or as healthy for me as they could be.
With all of this is mind, this year's theme is going to be sustainability, which I think is applicable in a few different ways. I'm still musing through this, though, and will likely have more to say (and more to say in a way that's more coherent) as I go.
In terms of work, I'm hoping focusing on sustainability will help me to balance teaching and research so that I don't get burnt out, and become more effective at both. I want to ensure that I schedule time for both so that I'm working regularly but not crazily. This balance will also mean that I can work more efficiently and more regularly on other projects, rather than the fits and starts that I'm prone to now. To this end, I'm going to try to schedule my life just a bit more, and follow a regular enough routine to make it possible to maintain my work in a way that doesn't so drastically affect my life.
I want to balance sustainability at work with sustainability in my personal life. In part, this means taking more regular time for me, rather than lapsing into two days of TV watching as I occasionally do when I'm burned out. Included in this time for me is the desire to make my health and emotional well-being more sustainable. By setting up a stronger work schedule so I have less excessively busy periods, and less times when I have no energy, I'm hoping I will have more time to exercise regularly and to take more time for me in things that ground me, like yoga and meditation. I'd also like to make sure that I work harder on the relationships in my life, which feel more important than ever.
Finally, I'm hoping that these more individual expressions of sustainability allow me more time and energy to work on sustainability within the world at large. I have many projects that I want to work on, and I'd feel better if I felt capable of putting more regular efforts into them. A garden, solar energy, and possibly setting up a tiny house can all require a lot of those who choose to use them, and I'm hoping that by making my own life more sustainable, I can do things that are more sustainable for the planet as well.
This last year has felt somewhat crazy for me. In addition to my dissertation work, I started teaching, and also had a few other important things come into my life (this project is perhaps the biggest one.) These things are all hugely important to me, and I love them, but it's a lot to manage, and I find myself oscillating a lot - between extreme rest and extreme productivity, from one idea to another, and from incredible calm to great turmoil. And so, while things are getting done over here, they're getting done in ways that perhaps aren't as efficient or as healthy for me as they could be.
With all of this is mind, this year's theme is going to be sustainability, which I think is applicable in a few different ways. I'm still musing through this, though, and will likely have more to say (and more to say in a way that's more coherent) as I go.
In terms of work, I'm hoping focusing on sustainability will help me to balance teaching and research so that I don't get burnt out, and become more effective at both. I want to ensure that I schedule time for both so that I'm working regularly but not crazily. This balance will also mean that I can work more efficiently and more regularly on other projects, rather than the fits and starts that I'm prone to now. To this end, I'm going to try to schedule my life just a bit more, and follow a regular enough routine to make it possible to maintain my work in a way that doesn't so drastically affect my life.
I want to balance sustainability at work with sustainability in my personal life. In part, this means taking more regular time for me, rather than lapsing into two days of TV watching as I occasionally do when I'm burned out. Included in this time for me is the desire to make my health and emotional well-being more sustainable. By setting up a stronger work schedule so I have less excessively busy periods, and less times when I have no energy, I'm hoping I will have more time to exercise regularly and to take more time for me in things that ground me, like yoga and meditation. I'd also like to make sure that I work harder on the relationships in my life, which feel more important than ever.
Finally, I'm hoping that these more individual expressions of sustainability allow me more time and energy to work on sustainability within the world at large. I have many projects that I want to work on, and I'd feel better if I felt capable of putting more regular efforts into them. A garden, solar energy, and possibly setting up a tiny house can all require a lot of those who choose to use them, and I'm hoping that by making my own life more sustainable, I can do things that are more sustainable for the planet as well.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Christmas Independence Days update
Little late on this - I've hurt my back and been somewhat out of commission in addition to dealing with everything else that's going on now. In general, Christmas wasn't so hot in terms of my independence days project. It wasn't a wash, I don't think, but between being with my folks and away from home and this year's gift selections...well...it probably could have been better.
The one thing that I was hoping for that I didn't get was Sharon's book, although I did get a gift card that will be used to purchase said book, so that works well too. But another warm wool blanket has found its way into my life, as have some lovely kitchen things that I'm looking forward to using (I still have a few posts planned on aesthetics and, as much as possible, making your home into a place that you want to be). And, from my sweetie I got a copy of the More with Less Cookbook, which I think is a must-have for easy, cheap, and tasty meals from the pantry. But, more specifically, here's the current breakdown.
1. Plant something: Nope.
2. Harvest something: Nope.
3. Preserve something: Also nope.
4. Store something: Nope.
5. Manage Reserves: Not so much.
6. Cook something new: Picked up a few new recipes from mom, as well as two new cookbooks to try out.
7. Prepped something: Got another wool blanket to add to the reserves, as well as a hand-turned egg beater (I've been looking for one for ages, but all the new ones I found were small and stiff and badly made - this one is lovely, though.)
8. Learned a new skill: Nope, although my brother has promised to teach me the basics of bike repairs and, possibly, home brewing.
9. Worked on community food security: Talked a bit about food issues with my parents and boyfriend by taking advantage of a relocation show on HGTV talking about a family moving to Ireland and buying a small farm to become sustainable.
10. Reduced waste: Had the joy of being in a city with a large green box (high-level composting) program - I have to admit that I pined for the same in my city, but no signs of that coming to fruition, so I guess it's back to the worm box plan.
11. Regenerated: Donated to the church, which has some excellent outreach efforts through their foodbank, both in terms of feeding people and working on generating community.
The one thing that I was hoping for that I didn't get was Sharon's book, although I did get a gift card that will be used to purchase said book, so that works well too. But another warm wool blanket has found its way into my life, as have some lovely kitchen things that I'm looking forward to using (I still have a few posts planned on aesthetics and, as much as possible, making your home into a place that you want to be). And, from my sweetie I got a copy of the More with Less Cookbook, which I think is a must-have for easy, cheap, and tasty meals from the pantry. But, more specifically, here's the current breakdown.
1. Plant something: Nope.
2. Harvest something: Nope.
3. Preserve something: Also nope.
4. Store something: Nope.
5. Manage Reserves: Not so much.
6. Cook something new: Picked up a few new recipes from mom, as well as two new cookbooks to try out.
7. Prepped something: Got another wool blanket to add to the reserves, as well as a hand-turned egg beater (I've been looking for one for ages, but all the new ones I found were small and stiff and badly made - this one is lovely, though.)
8. Learned a new skill: Nope, although my brother has promised to teach me the basics of bike repairs and, possibly, home brewing.
9. Worked on community food security: Talked a bit about food issues with my parents and boyfriend by taking advantage of a relocation show on HGTV talking about a family moving to Ireland and buying a small farm to become sustainable.
10. Reduced waste: Had the joy of being in a city with a large green box (high-level composting) program - I have to admit that I pined for the same in my city, but no signs of that coming to fruition, so I guess it's back to the worm box plan.
11. Regenerated: Donated to the church, which has some excellent outreach efforts through their foodbank, both in terms of feeding people and working on generating community.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Teaching the teachers to teach
One of the things I've been trying to think about recently is resources that I can get from the university. I started out under the impression that most of the resources that I think I need are not available at the university. They're simply not going to teach me how to put in a garden, raise animals, or build my own house. Or, if they do, it won't be in the way that I want them to do so.
But, lately I've been thinking about furthering my own career, as well as trying to broaden my perspective on what the university has to offer, and I've come up with some interesting possibilities.
In terms of my own work, I haven't yet given up on teaching as an ongoing career. I still plan to finish my degree and do what I can with it, and I'm hoping to do it fairly quickly so it won't be too expensive. But I've realised that the university has free programs for its grad students that I can use and that might just help me get a job down the road, which is useful.
So today I signed up for their teaching certificate program. It has a few different components to teach grad students how to be better teachers, including lectures and workshops. It'll take a bit of time to do, but hopefully it will make it a bit easier for me to get a job down the road, and to keep doing what I love.
But it also struck me, as I was reading about the program and what it offers, that many of the things it teaches are more widely useful. A lot of the focus is on how to teach or, more broadly, how to effective communicate information in an engaging way so people can learn from it. While this is useful in teaching, I suspect it's also going to be crucial in the kind of world that we're moving into. We're going to need to pass information to each other to survive, and show other people how to do things that they're just not familiar with. Need to know how to shear a sheep? Someone will probably have to show you. The same goes for any manner of jobs that are no longer common knowledge, from spinning to making a barrel and from growing a garden to building a cabin.
So, while it's maybe not exactly the kind of resources that I want in terms of practical peak oil skills, I'm trying to open my eyes to see what I can draw on that's free and easily available that might help me and others down the road. I also suspect that there might be other people who have access to similar programs that might be worth considering. Does your job offer special professional development courses on leadership or communication skills? Is your university willing to teach you study skills or how to more effectively research topics? These kind of courses might not be immediately applicable to peak oil, but they offer skills that we're going to need more than ever, especially as we try to revive and transmit other skills that will be necessary to our survival. We're going to need to know how to learn and research and teach in effective way that allow us to know and share the information that will help to keep us alive. And this, I suspect, makes them absolutely worth looking into.
But, lately I've been thinking about furthering my own career, as well as trying to broaden my perspective on what the university has to offer, and I've come up with some interesting possibilities.
In terms of my own work, I haven't yet given up on teaching as an ongoing career. I still plan to finish my degree and do what I can with it, and I'm hoping to do it fairly quickly so it won't be too expensive. But I've realised that the university has free programs for its grad students that I can use and that might just help me get a job down the road, which is useful.
So today I signed up for their teaching certificate program. It has a few different components to teach grad students how to be better teachers, including lectures and workshops. It'll take a bit of time to do, but hopefully it will make it a bit easier for me to get a job down the road, and to keep doing what I love.
But it also struck me, as I was reading about the program and what it offers, that many of the things it teaches are more widely useful. A lot of the focus is on how to teach or, more broadly, how to effective communicate information in an engaging way so people can learn from it. While this is useful in teaching, I suspect it's also going to be crucial in the kind of world that we're moving into. We're going to need to pass information to each other to survive, and show other people how to do things that they're just not familiar with. Need to know how to shear a sheep? Someone will probably have to show you. The same goes for any manner of jobs that are no longer common knowledge, from spinning to making a barrel and from growing a garden to building a cabin.
So, while it's maybe not exactly the kind of resources that I want in terms of practical peak oil skills, I'm trying to open my eyes to see what I can draw on that's free and easily available that might help me and others down the road. I also suspect that there might be other people who have access to similar programs that might be worth considering. Does your job offer special professional development courses on leadership or communication skills? Is your university willing to teach you study skills or how to more effectively research topics? These kind of courses might not be immediately applicable to peak oil, but they offer skills that we're going to need more than ever, especially as we try to revive and transmit other skills that will be necessary to our survival. We're going to need to know how to learn and research and teach in effective way that allow us to know and share the information that will help to keep us alive. And this, I suspect, makes them absolutely worth looking into.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Independence Days update
So much grading and other work to do this week, and as a result, I didn't get as much done here as I wanted to. But, at the same time, there were things accomplished, bit by bit, and I'm enjoying keep of track of where I've been, where I am, and where I want to be.
1. Plant something: not so much here again, although i have ordered seed catalogues for the coming year.
2. Harvest something: again, not so much here, but giving some thought about what I would like to harvest in the future.
3. Preserve something: again, not so much here - busy week, and nothing growing over here - but I'm thinking about what I can do for the coming week here.
4. Store something: mung beans, curry paste, and dried shitakes from the Asian grocery store; sugar, flour, and spices from a friend.
5. Manage Reserves: worked on inventory (slow process, but it's coming); sorting the remains of what my temporary houseguest left with me when she left; further decluttering my apartment to make more room; sorting food into appropriate containers.
6. Cook something new: tried a new pad thai recipe; made red curry soup with veggies and rice noodles; made ginger crinkle cookies from scratch for a party (yum!)
7. Prep something: picked up a not-so-great grain grinder from Goodwill, and I'm working to see if it's very coarse grinding can be improved on at all; also picked up some additional wool from Goodwill (for hand warmers, produce bags, and a patchwork blanket, probably); attached shopping basket to the rack of my favourite bike.
8. Learn a new skill: practicing the guitar and trying to get back my previous abilities; started sewing a bonnet (out of fashion, perhaps, but keeps the sun off and reduces risk of sun stroke).
9. Work on community food security: I kind of sucked here again this week, although I did have a chance to talk to a friend about some of the issues that I'm most concerned with; talked to a colleague about food issues, and asked for a copy of the syllabus for his class that deals with some of these issues; trying to plan how I could introduce these ideas into a class of my own, since this is really important information to be aware of and thinking about.
10. Reduce waste: put in a power bar to turn off appliances and reduce phantom load, especially at night; started collecting extra water in the shower to water plants; picked up paper from recycling bins on campus to use as scrap paper
11. Regenerate: food bank donation; looking into volunteering at the food bank.
1. Plant something: not so much here again, although i have ordered seed catalogues for the coming year.
2. Harvest something: again, not so much here, but giving some thought about what I would like to harvest in the future.
3. Preserve something: again, not so much here - busy week, and nothing growing over here - but I'm thinking about what I can do for the coming week here.
4. Store something: mung beans, curry paste, and dried shitakes from the Asian grocery store; sugar, flour, and spices from a friend.
5. Manage Reserves: worked on inventory (slow process, but it's coming); sorting the remains of what my temporary houseguest left with me when she left; further decluttering my apartment to make more room; sorting food into appropriate containers.
6. Cook something new: tried a new pad thai recipe; made red curry soup with veggies and rice noodles; made ginger crinkle cookies from scratch for a party (yum!)
7. Prep something: picked up a not-so-great grain grinder from Goodwill, and I'm working to see if it's very coarse grinding can be improved on at all; also picked up some additional wool from Goodwill (for hand warmers, produce bags, and a patchwork blanket, probably); attached shopping basket to the rack of my favourite bike.
8. Learn a new skill: practicing the guitar and trying to get back my previous abilities; started sewing a bonnet (out of fashion, perhaps, but keeps the sun off and reduces risk of sun stroke).
9. Work on community food security: I kind of sucked here again this week, although I did have a chance to talk to a friend about some of the issues that I'm most concerned with; talked to a colleague about food issues, and asked for a copy of the syllabus for his class that deals with some of these issues; trying to plan how I could introduce these ideas into a class of my own, since this is really important information to be aware of and thinking about.
10. Reduce waste: put in a power bar to turn off appliances and reduce phantom load, especially at night; started collecting extra water in the shower to water plants; picked up paper from recycling bins on campus to use as scrap paper
11. Regenerate: food bank donation; looking into volunteering at the food bank.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Unexpected gifts
Recently, I've had a bunch of things come into my life from other people. Mostly these things have come from my mom, but some have also come from a temporary houseguest who was moving away.
When I got all this stuff I'll asmit that I was a bit frustrated, if not a teensy bit annoyed. I've been trying really hard to get rid of clutter and unnecessary stuff, and all of a sudden I had almost half of the stuff I'd gotten rid of on my last big Goodwill run. Now, admittedly there's a lot of stuff in there that I can't or won't use, ranging from old magazines to gravy mix to chemical cleaners. But, once I relaxed a bit, I took a look and found a few things that I'm actually grateful to have now, and that I think can be put to good use.
- a water jug - more cold water stored, plus an increased chance that I'll drink more water
- a wire shopping basket - excellent for the back of my bike, and means that I can take the basket in and pick up just what I can carry
- a tea set - I find drinking tea rather calming and, while this isn't technically necessary, having a tea set is a nice luxury, especially when sharing with other people
- loads of plant pots - not all will be useful, I don't think, but there are some nice big ones that I hope to use for a bigger and better container garden on the patio this summer
- cutting boards - I broke mine recently, and multiples are nice to have for chopping
- board games - mom gave me whatever they had left, and while I orginally wasn't all that excited for them to come and live with me, it now strikes me that some more free, low-energy entertainment is a good thing to have around
- decorative towels - I dislike decorative towels and have enough towels for regular use, but I had a few sewing projects in mind that I needed terrycloth for, and now I have the materials to complete them, which is rather nice
- reusable bags - I might just have enough of these already, but I could gift them to friends or otherwise make use of them
- basic foods - I need to look over things to see whether they're still useful, but spices, flour, sugar, tea, and other bits and pieces have now come my way, and if I can put them to use, I will
I guess it's all in how you look at things. I was ready to pitch everything in one fell swoop just to get it out of here, but giving it a few days to think about and ponder was really useful. Some of it may make its way out the door yet, depending on whether I can fit it in or not, but I appreciate having (and not having to buy) a few more things that will be useful for me and for the life that I'm gradually setting up for myself here. Now, if only someone would send a nice grain mill my way...
When I got all this stuff I'll asmit that I was a bit frustrated, if not a teensy bit annoyed. I've been trying really hard to get rid of clutter and unnecessary stuff, and all of a sudden I had almost half of the stuff I'd gotten rid of on my last big Goodwill run. Now, admittedly there's a lot of stuff in there that I can't or won't use, ranging from old magazines to gravy mix to chemical cleaners. But, once I relaxed a bit, I took a look and found a few things that I'm actually grateful to have now, and that I think can be put to good use.
- a water jug - more cold water stored, plus an increased chance that I'll drink more water
- a wire shopping basket - excellent for the back of my bike, and means that I can take the basket in and pick up just what I can carry
- a tea set - I find drinking tea rather calming and, while this isn't technically necessary, having a tea set is a nice luxury, especially when sharing with other people
- loads of plant pots - not all will be useful, I don't think, but there are some nice big ones that I hope to use for a bigger and better container garden on the patio this summer
- cutting boards - I broke mine recently, and multiples are nice to have for chopping
- board games - mom gave me whatever they had left, and while I orginally wasn't all that excited for them to come and live with me, it now strikes me that some more free, low-energy entertainment is a good thing to have around
- decorative towels - I dislike decorative towels and have enough towels for regular use, but I had a few sewing projects in mind that I needed terrycloth for, and now I have the materials to complete them, which is rather nice
- reusable bags - I might just have enough of these already, but I could gift them to friends or otherwise make use of them
- basic foods - I need to look over things to see whether they're still useful, but spices, flour, sugar, tea, and other bits and pieces have now come my way, and if I can put them to use, I will
I guess it's all in how you look at things. I was ready to pitch everything in one fell swoop just to get it out of here, but giving it a few days to think about and ponder was really useful. Some of it may make its way out the door yet, depending on whether I can fit it in or not, but I appreciate having (and not having to buy) a few more things that will be useful for me and for the life that I'm gradually setting up for myself here. Now, if only someone would send a nice grain mill my way...
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Fear is okay
With the current economic news, and the Canadian political system in limbo, and the general raft of terrible things happening the world over, I know a lot of people who are getting, if not scared, then at least more nervous about what's going on and, worse yet, what could happen.
But fear (and nervousness, I suppose) aren't necessarily bad things, especially if they lead people to action. But that's the issue with fear - it tends to be paralysing, and prevents rather than drives action.
I can't presume to know what people need or want to do. Heck, I'm just figuring most of this out for myself. When I'm not feeling like I'm fumbling my way along, I tend to feel like I'm navel gaving as I focus on my own life more than I have in awhile. But I know that other people are starting to feel like this and are getting overwhelmed and scared by everything that they feel needs to be done.
The issue with being overwhelmed is that it makes things difficult to start. We try to figure out where to start, what to do and, even more debilitating, how to do it all right now. But none of these things tends to work all that well, and certainly not the last one. So, what do we do to get past this when things are falling apart right now?
Just start.
There's certainly something to be said for planning. I have a binder that I use for planning - thoughts, lists, ideas, and whatever else I think of. But rather than spending time planning and figuring and prioritising, just start something. Even if it's small. Even if you think it won't make a big difference. Just start. Starting breaks the cycle of not doing anything. Starting is empowering. Starting allows you to feel as though you're moving forward, and that's a huge thing when everything seems uncertain. Buy some extra food on your next shopping trip - rice and beans are excellent, as are a lot of canned foods. If you're out and about, pick up a few extra basics - mending supplies, rechargeable batteries, a flashlight, blankets, anything that might be useful. Check out your local thrift store. Head to the library and do some research on raising chickens, learning to knit, or how to preserve food. Go to a local peak oil or post carbon meeting, or make a visit to your local CSA farm or food co-op and meet like-minded people.
If even this is too much for you, start a list. Or, start a few lists. While I think it's better to just do something, planning things out is still a step in the right direction. What do you want for your life? What do you already have going for you? What do you need to feel more secure? How can you get those things?
This seems to be a time when it's easy to be fearful. Fear is scary, but it can also be useful if its used as a motivator. So rather than just sitting there, start something. What's the worst that could happen?
But fear (and nervousness, I suppose) aren't necessarily bad things, especially if they lead people to action. But that's the issue with fear - it tends to be paralysing, and prevents rather than drives action.
I can't presume to know what people need or want to do. Heck, I'm just figuring most of this out for myself. When I'm not feeling like I'm fumbling my way along, I tend to feel like I'm navel gaving as I focus on my own life more than I have in awhile. But I know that other people are starting to feel like this and are getting overwhelmed and scared by everything that they feel needs to be done.
The issue with being overwhelmed is that it makes things difficult to start. We try to figure out where to start, what to do and, even more debilitating, how to do it all right now. But none of these things tends to work all that well, and certainly not the last one. So, what do we do to get past this when things are falling apart right now?
Just start.
There's certainly something to be said for planning. I have a binder that I use for planning - thoughts, lists, ideas, and whatever else I think of. But rather than spending time planning and figuring and prioritising, just start something. Even if it's small. Even if you think it won't make a big difference. Just start. Starting breaks the cycle of not doing anything. Starting is empowering. Starting allows you to feel as though you're moving forward, and that's a huge thing when everything seems uncertain. Buy some extra food on your next shopping trip - rice and beans are excellent, as are a lot of canned foods. If you're out and about, pick up a few extra basics - mending supplies, rechargeable batteries, a flashlight, blankets, anything that might be useful. Check out your local thrift store. Head to the library and do some research on raising chickens, learning to knit, or how to preserve food. Go to a local peak oil or post carbon meeting, or make a visit to your local CSA farm or food co-op and meet like-minded people.
If even this is too much for you, start a list. Or, start a few lists. While I think it's better to just do something, planning things out is still a step in the right direction. What do you want for your life? What do you already have going for you? What do you need to feel more secure? How can you get those things?
This seems to be a time when it's easy to be fearful. Fear is scary, but it can also be useful if its used as a motivator. So rather than just sitting there, start something. What's the worst that could happen?
Friday, December 5, 2008
A story of my stuff
I often feel like I have too much stuff. I think I've written about this before, but sometimes I feel overwhelmed by all that's in my apartment. Certainly it's been commented on - often by me, very frequently by my parents, and even sometimes by my boyfriend and friends (most of whom are grad students and so move around a lot and try not to keep too many things.)
I've always had a fair amount of stuff. I have a lot of interests, and stuff seems to come along with that. But lately I've been finding that I'm acquiring more stuff not for interests or hobbies, but because it allows me to feel safe. Some of this is very practical - a grinder means I can make bread, and extra food means I can eat. Some of this might be less so - extra jeans means I'm less likely to run out, but I still suspect that I have too many pairs to truly be necessary.
As much as possible, I've been trying to pick up things that I need. This is a pretty significant change in my shopping habits and, to a degree, to my spending. I'm spending more, and more often than I have in awhile now (although, admittedly, most of this spending is still fairly minimal, since it's mostly been at the thrift store.) Over the past few months I've bought cast iron pots and pans, books, wool, blankets, sweaters, extra knitting needles, a mattress, canning supplies, a grinder, a washboard, sewing supplies, a flashlight, a hand-crank radio, and food. Still on my list are rechargeable batteries (preferably with a solar charger), a hand-crank blender, a grain mill, and a whole slew of other things.
The thing I'm having trouble with is this. I just keep buying stuff. And, really, it does help me feel more secure, and certainly more secure than the things I was buying before I was Peak Oil aware. Even with my apartment more full than it was before, I don't feel as overwhelmed in terms of space. But I don't like buying things, and I don't like buying things for feelings of security. While I wasn't completely blasé about the things I had before, I wasn't all that attached to them, and it wasn't a huge deal if something broke. But now, I feel like these things are important to me, and that increases theirvalue - they keep me warm, fed, and healthy, and for that I value them quite highly. Which also makes the threat of their loss more dire and more overwhelming in a totally different way than volume did.
So, I'm trying to think more about skills and relationships that I can develop. Skills and relationships that will both protect me and allow me to be useful to people without just relying on my stuff. It's difficult - sometimes I feel like I just want to hole up in here with the locks on the doors and the hatches battened down. But that's not the best approach, and I need to move beyond it. This is one of my biggest challenges - to forge community and find ways to get beyong this stuff.
I've always had a fair amount of stuff. I have a lot of interests, and stuff seems to come along with that. But lately I've been finding that I'm acquiring more stuff not for interests or hobbies, but because it allows me to feel safe. Some of this is very practical - a grinder means I can make bread, and extra food means I can eat. Some of this might be less so - extra jeans means I'm less likely to run out, but I still suspect that I have too many pairs to truly be necessary.
As much as possible, I've been trying to pick up things that I need. This is a pretty significant change in my shopping habits and, to a degree, to my spending. I'm spending more, and more often than I have in awhile now (although, admittedly, most of this spending is still fairly minimal, since it's mostly been at the thrift store.) Over the past few months I've bought cast iron pots and pans, books, wool, blankets, sweaters, extra knitting needles, a mattress, canning supplies, a grinder, a washboard, sewing supplies, a flashlight, a hand-crank radio, and food. Still on my list are rechargeable batteries (preferably with a solar charger), a hand-crank blender, a grain mill, and a whole slew of other things.
The thing I'm having trouble with is this. I just keep buying stuff. And, really, it does help me feel more secure, and certainly more secure than the things I was buying before I was Peak Oil aware. Even with my apartment more full than it was before, I don't feel as overwhelmed in terms of space. But I don't like buying things, and I don't like buying things for feelings of security. While I wasn't completely blasé about the things I had before, I wasn't all that attached to them, and it wasn't a huge deal if something broke. But now, I feel like these things are important to me, and that increases theirvalue - they keep me warm, fed, and healthy, and for that I value them quite highly. Which also makes the threat of their loss more dire and more overwhelming in a totally different way than volume did.
So, I'm trying to think more about skills and relationships that I can develop. Skills and relationships that will both protect me and allow me to be useful to people without just relying on my stuff. It's difficult - sometimes I feel like I just want to hole up in here with the locks on the doors and the hatches battened down. But that's not the best approach, and I need to move beyond it. This is one of my biggest challenges - to forge community and find ways to get beyong this stuff.
Friday preparedness
Henceforth to be known as Independence Days Update.
Rather than inventing (and forgetting) my own categories this week, I'm going to rely on the rubric for the Independence Days challenge as I do my weekly review. Unfortunately, the first few categories will be somewhat lacking since it's high winter here, but I still think it's a useful way of thinking about what I'm doing.
1. Planted something: not so much here - there's snow, and the ground is frozen; but, I have started some sprouts for salads and, although it's expensive and does require power, I'm looking into one of those little aero garden things for my counter, so I can grow inside through the winter; I'm also looking into low-light things that can be grown inside, but not finding much.
2. Harvested something: harvested the dried leaves from my dead basil plant (not enough sun in here for it to survive the winter, which is a shame); gathered squash and apple seeds from some grocery-store produce - I don't know if these will germinate (it's questionable, at best), but they were there and I thought it might be worth a shot.
3. Preserved something: dried celery, spinach, and kale in the dehydrator.
4. Stored something: extra oats and brown sugar; bottle of iron pills; 250 multi-vitamins; bottle of hydrogen peroxide; bottled 12 litres of water in recycled bottles; bought a second-hand washboard and manual grinder.
5. Prepped something: Reorganized the kitchen to accomodate extra food; worked on knit fingerless gloves; decluttered to make more room for the necessities; replaced remaining regular lights with CFLs; prepped egg cartons for sprouting plants in the spring.
6. Cooked something new: barbequed potatoes and carrots (from the More with Less Cookbook - yum!); looking into more recipes to try - I mostly have favourites that I turn to again and again.
7. Worked on community food systems: not so much here either, other than talking to a friend about food issues; still hoping to join the local food co-op after break, though.
8. Managed my reserves - started a record of what's on hand, since I keep losing track as more food stores come in; currently sorting through food brought over by my temporary houseguest, to see what's still good to keep and what's not.
9. Learned a new skill - haven't actually started yet (mostly because there were cats on my counters for much of the last week), but I've been reading "Putting Food By" in preparation for preserving; learning how to effectively use a washboard for laundry; experimenting with grinding grain to add to bread; got a new rank in aikido - still not so good for self-defense, but better.
Rather than inventing (and forgetting) my own categories this week, I'm going to rely on the rubric for the Independence Days challenge as I do my weekly review. Unfortunately, the first few categories will be somewhat lacking since it's high winter here, but I still think it's a useful way of thinking about what I'm doing.
1. Planted something: not so much here - there's snow, and the ground is frozen; but, I have started some sprouts for salads and, although it's expensive and does require power, I'm looking into one of those little aero garden things for my counter, so I can grow inside through the winter; I'm also looking into low-light things that can be grown inside, but not finding much.
2. Harvested something: harvested the dried leaves from my dead basil plant (not enough sun in here for it to survive the winter, which is a shame); gathered squash and apple seeds from some grocery-store produce - I don't know if these will germinate (it's questionable, at best), but they were there and I thought it might be worth a shot.
3. Preserved something: dried celery, spinach, and kale in the dehydrator.
4. Stored something: extra oats and brown sugar; bottle of iron pills; 250 multi-vitamins; bottle of hydrogen peroxide; bottled 12 litres of water in recycled bottles; bought a second-hand washboard and manual grinder.
5. Prepped something: Reorganized the kitchen to accomodate extra food; worked on knit fingerless gloves; decluttered to make more room for the necessities; replaced remaining regular lights with CFLs; prepped egg cartons for sprouting plants in the spring.
6. Cooked something new: barbequed potatoes and carrots (from the More with Less Cookbook - yum!); looking into more recipes to try - I mostly have favourites that I turn to again and again.
7. Worked on community food systems: not so much here either, other than talking to a friend about food issues; still hoping to join the local food co-op after break, though.
8. Managed my reserves - started a record of what's on hand, since I keep losing track as more food stores come in; currently sorting through food brought over by my temporary houseguest, to see what's still good to keep and what's not.
9. Learned a new skill - haven't actually started yet (mostly because there were cats on my counters for much of the last week), but I've been reading "Putting Food By" in preparation for preserving; learning how to effectively use a washboard for laundry; experimenting with grinding grain to add to bread; got a new rank in aikido - still not so good for self-defense, but better.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Karmic thrifting?
For the last few days I've had a friend and her menagerie of pets (four) living with me in my apartment. It was an interesting exercise in seeing how living with someone (and maybe a few someone) could be if people had to move in with me. It wasn't always easy, but I think I learned a few things about what I need to survive with more people than just me and my sweetie around.
Since she was moving across the country, she brough over some things that just wound up staying here, rather than moving with her. Some of it is useful to me - I'll be keeping a water jug, a shopping basket for the back of my bike, and a few other bits and pieces. Other stuff will be on it's way out, especially the cleaners that made their way over here, since I don't use chemical cleaners. Still other things will probably be on their way to Goodwill, since I just don't have room for it all.
So, in an effort to tidy up a bit, this morning I wandered over to the Goodwill so I could drop off some of the left-behind stuff. I managed to find some more dishes for mom's Christmas present. But, even better, I found two things that have been on my list for awhile now.
It's no substitute for a good grain mill, but I got a small manual grinder. It grinds very (very!) coarsly, but I'm going to experiment with it and see what it can do. I also got a small washboard. It was decorated to be hung on a wall, but I stripped off the flowers, will wash it up and maybe wax it, since it will be in water. And, I now have myself a very low energy way of doing the laundry. Someday I'd like a larger one, but for a whole $2.29, this is a good start, I think.
I like to think that, after doing a somewhat big favour for a friend, the thrift gods smiled down on me. These were two of the things that I really wanted to add to my Peak Oil preparations, and I really appreciate having them.
Since she was moving across the country, she brough over some things that just wound up staying here, rather than moving with her. Some of it is useful to me - I'll be keeping a water jug, a shopping basket for the back of my bike, and a few other bits and pieces. Other stuff will be on it's way out, especially the cleaners that made their way over here, since I don't use chemical cleaners. Still other things will probably be on their way to Goodwill, since I just don't have room for it all.
So, in an effort to tidy up a bit, this morning I wandered over to the Goodwill so I could drop off some of the left-behind stuff. I managed to find some more dishes for mom's Christmas present. But, even better, I found two things that have been on my list for awhile now.
It's no substitute for a good grain mill, but I got a small manual grinder. It grinds very (very!) coarsly, but I'm going to experiment with it and see what it can do. I also got a small washboard. It was decorated to be hung on a wall, but I stripped off the flowers, will wash it up and maybe wax it, since it will be in water. And, I now have myself a very low energy way of doing the laundry. Someday I'd like a larger one, but for a whole $2.29, this is a good start, I think.
I like to think that, after doing a somewhat big favour for a friend, the thrift gods smiled down on me. These were two of the things that I really wanted to add to my Peak Oil preparations, and I really appreciate having them.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Confessions
I have to make a confession. Maybe even a few confessions.
I haven't bought anything on Buy Nothing Day for a decade now. Now, I live in Canada, where we don't have Black Friday per se, so it's perhaps not a big deal as it is in the US. But, on principle, I've gone along with it because I do have issues with consumption. These issues range from the extremely personal to the more widely social, but I've always taken some pride in my lower-consumption life, both in general and on Buy Nothing Day.
But I bought stuff today. And not only that, but I bought something from WalMart today.
(The horror...the horror.)
The things that I bought were all on my list of preparations that I want to make just in case. But I still don't feel so good about them, and I don't know if it's shopping in general that's getting to me, or shopping new instead of used, or shopping specifically on BND.
All told I spent about $75 today. I bought an air mattress, because I have a friend coming to stay with me for a few weeks, and need a place for her to sleep. I've also wanted one for awhile now, just in case people need to come stay with me if things go south. It's not an ideal solution, but I have room for this, and it's easily portable. I also bought a hand-crank radio and a flashlight to keep around for emergencies (happily, both on clearance and fairly cheap). And, finally, in an effort to start in on one of my competence projects, I picked up canning jars, a magnetic wand, extra lids, and a jar lifter so I can start learning how to preserve food.
I don't think there's much here that I should feel that badly about. I bought what I needed, and only things that I'd been planning to buy for awhile now (admittedly, I wasn't planning to get he radio today, but it was on my list, and newly on sale). But overall this is something that I feel fairly pleased about.
Happily, I do this very infrequently. My so-called shopping sprees are always of things that I need and usually happen annually, and that I can live with. Ideally, I'd like it to stop altogether. I'd prefer to have smaller local stores where I can get what I need from people that I know at least a bit. I'd rather buy from people I know, and businesses that I can feel comfortable with.
I wonder now if maybe it's not that I feel guilty, but that I find the whole shopping experience to be wretched. In general, I still find myself hating shopping, and especially hating shopping for things that are new and buried in the back of a huge overstocked store with underpaid employees. Part of my hatred comes from walking into a store and seeing so much stuff - on the shelves, being bought - and regretting the huge focus on consumption in our society. Part of it is hating being around crowds of people, and and another part is the helplessness of not being able to find what I want. And, part of it is probably a result of the horrible news of a WalMart employee killed this morning by stampeding customers. I understand that people are feeling the crunch this year, but this form of consumption - extreme, driven, and more concerned with stuff than with people - horifies me, and leaves me wanting even less involvement in the system han I had before, minimal as it was. I didn't hear this story until after I got home today, but it reaffirms my desire to find even more ways to buy locally and from smaller companies, and to not buy into any of the highly problematic elements of consumption.
I haven't bought anything on Buy Nothing Day for a decade now. Now, I live in Canada, where we don't have Black Friday per se, so it's perhaps not a big deal as it is in the US. But, on principle, I've gone along with it because I do have issues with consumption. These issues range from the extremely personal to the more widely social, but I've always taken some pride in my lower-consumption life, both in general and on Buy Nothing Day.
But I bought stuff today. And not only that, but I bought something from WalMart today.
(The horror...the horror.)
The things that I bought were all on my list of preparations that I want to make just in case. But I still don't feel so good about them, and I don't know if it's shopping in general that's getting to me, or shopping new instead of used, or shopping specifically on BND.
All told I spent about $75 today. I bought an air mattress, because I have a friend coming to stay with me for a few weeks, and need a place for her to sleep. I've also wanted one for awhile now, just in case people need to come stay with me if things go south. It's not an ideal solution, but I have room for this, and it's easily portable. I also bought a hand-crank radio and a flashlight to keep around for emergencies (happily, both on clearance and fairly cheap). And, finally, in an effort to start in on one of my competence projects, I picked up canning jars, a magnetic wand, extra lids, and a jar lifter so I can start learning how to preserve food.
I don't think there's much here that I should feel that badly about. I bought what I needed, and only things that I'd been planning to buy for awhile now (admittedly, I wasn't planning to get he radio today, but it was on my list, and newly on sale). But overall this is something that I feel fairly pleased about.
Happily, I do this very infrequently. My so-called shopping sprees are always of things that I need and usually happen annually, and that I can live with. Ideally, I'd like it to stop altogether. I'd prefer to have smaller local stores where I can get what I need from people that I know at least a bit. I'd rather buy from people I know, and businesses that I can feel comfortable with.
I wonder now if maybe it's not that I feel guilty, but that I find the whole shopping experience to be wretched. In general, I still find myself hating shopping, and especially hating shopping for things that are new and buried in the back of a huge overstocked store with underpaid employees. Part of my hatred comes from walking into a store and seeing so much stuff - on the shelves, being bought - and regretting the huge focus on consumption in our society. Part of it is hating being around crowds of people, and and another part is the helplessness of not being able to find what I want. And, part of it is probably a result of the horrible news of a WalMart employee killed this morning by stampeding customers. I understand that people are feeling the crunch this year, but this form of consumption - extreme, driven, and more concerned with stuff than with people - horifies me, and leaves me wanting even less involvement in the system han I had before, minimal as it was. I didn't hear this story until after I got home today, but it reaffirms my desire to find even more ways to buy locally and from smaller companies, and to not buy into any of the highly problematic elements of consumption.
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