One bummer about blogging for years on end is how many great writers come and go - go, it seems, more often than come - and often with nary an explanation. I couldn't begin to name a fraction of bloggers I've loved who have long since seemingly evaporated: Meg The Vintage Flapper, Mrs. Hoppes, Merideth from Like Merchant Ships, and Vegan Ruthie come to mind...
Now Beanie says she's shutting down Brown Girl in the Lane the same week that Jane says goodbye on Hard Work Homestead. Two of my absolute favorites gone, presumably, forever.
Not that I'm replacing either of you (nor that you would even notice), but I found Ghost Town Farm in the absolute nick of time. For some mysterious reason urban homesteading has been on my mind, and the book Farm City is the most authentic representation thereof I've seen so far. Novella doesn't just farm on a city lot in a coiffed little neighborhood like the one I left behind in Austin, but she squats on a cleaned up dump next to her second floor flat in Oakland, California. I've never been to Oakland, but it sounds a lot like a temperate Detroit. Here her turkey poults escape to befriend prostitutes, a man living in an abandoned car guards her watermelon seedlings, and she debates putting up a fence to keep people from shooting up in her chard crop.
That and she's a journalist student who studied under Michael Pollan, she co-owns a biodiesel shop, and, well, she's blogged regularly since 2007. Which means that I can get over the fact that she mentions cooking with duck fat in damn near every single post.
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Lift Home
I slept properly last night for what seems like the first time in weeks. Trying to find a ride back to Austin - with a time limit and on the smallest budget so far - has been incredibly stressful. Finally I found someone who can give us a lift home mid-January for a very low rate, and he has a bike rack!
I was hoping to get home by the second, at which point I could start working at my non-profit job, but getting there two weeks later means not having to worry where I'm going to live for those fourteen days. I have a house-sitting position as of the 22nd, and lots of friends, so I'm pretty much crossing my fingers for a mostly-rent-free start of 2013.
Leaving later in January also gives Darling a chance to interview at a solar installation company nearby. Located smack between the town we lived in for two years and Darling's sister's house (not to mention a half-hour drive from The Cheese Shop, my personal favorite store in the world), there was absolutely no question that he would apply to work there. He got a cal back two days before they went on Christmas vacation, and we were late getting the message, so we won't get to talk to HR until the 7th.
Whether or not we would actually accept the position if offered (yes, Darling and I have the sort of marriage that it's a "we" that accepts offers - what of it?) is still up in the air. As soon as we confirmed the ride to Austin, I asked if I should start researching rides back to Virginia or Detroit, or if we were going to explore other options. It's just been that sort of year, I guess.
I was hoping to get home by the second, at which point I could start working at my non-profit job, but getting there two weeks later means not having to worry where I'm going to live for those fourteen days. I have a house-sitting position as of the 22nd, and lots of friends, so I'm pretty much crossing my fingers for a mostly-rent-free start of 2013.
Leaving later in January also gives Darling a chance to interview at a solar installation company nearby. Located smack between the town we lived in for two years and Darling's sister's house (not to mention a half-hour drive from The Cheese Shop, my personal favorite store in the world), there was absolutely no question that he would apply to work there. He got a cal back two days before they went on Christmas vacation, and we were late getting the message, so we won't get to talk to HR until the 7th.
Whether or not we would actually accept the position if offered (yes, Darling and I have the sort of marriage that it's a "we" that accepts offers - what of it?) is still up in the air. As soon as we confirmed the ride to Austin, I asked if I should start researching rides back to Virginia or Detroit, or if we were going to explore other options. It's just been that sort of year, I guess.
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Merry Christmas
Believe me when I say it very nearly pains me to make such a materialistic post with regards to the holiday...but I absolutely cannot help the situation, because Darling' s family got us the greatest present ever: a Kindle. And not one of the basic, sensible models, but the latest and greatest, the one that lets you Skype and Cloud and all sorts of technology I have so far managed to avoid this century!
I also seem to have a ride most of the way to Texas for this week, which means I will be able to work starting next week. Excepting the fact that I don't have a place to live in Austin, everything is pretty much coming together.
I also seem to have a ride most of the way to Texas for this week, which means I will be able to work starting next week. Excepting the fact that I don't have a place to live in Austin, everything is pretty much coming together.
Friday, December 14, 2012
My Money Or My Life Review
I can't believe that it was a little over two years ago that I first read Your Money Or Your Life. I was inspired to borrow it from the library when Aldra at Consciously Frugal offered free copies on her blog. I read it from cover to cover at least three times before returning it, then proceeded to borrow it every three or four months to read again and again.
I never considered myself a multi-step program kind of gal, but something about YMOYL really appealed to me. Fact is, this is the book I meant my blog to be. The fact that someone wrote it a little bit before I was born notwithstanding. How could I not follow the advice I would hope to have written?
Having read a LOT of financial self-help books, I am pretty much over the "skip your morning latte" advice. YMOYL doesn't waste that sort of time. Step one is surprisingly challenging: Determine how much money you've earned and spent in your life and figure out what you have to show for it. The idea is to do your absolute best to recall every penny you've ever got hold of, from toothfairy to first car. In my opinion, this is ultimately impossible, yet at the same time impossibly revealing. Only then do you go on to account for your net worth.
Step Two invites us to check out where we spend our life energy. This step does so much to expel the myth that sound finances are a matter of earning more and spending less. At this stage we take the time to determine how much time and money we spend making money. This tells us our real hourly wage. Taking into account my commute, work wardrobe, union dues, and investment in tools helped me understand why - despite working overtime and earning $13 an hour - I found myself with significantly less disposable income than when I was working three or four days a week for minimum wage.
Step Three involves tracking all money earned and spent, something I'd already practiced on and off for several years. Step Four poses a series of questions regarding those spending choices that brings them into a daily context. To be honest, however, these questions never affected me the way they should have. Knowing I spent sixty hours a month on rent didn't change the fact that rent took me sixty hours a month to earn. Mostly I just got frustrated with myself and my personal reality, one in which my only indulgence was eating out and drinking with friends and happened to take about eight hours a week to pay for. But maybe a year and a half of frustration led me to where I am today...
I spent an entire year exclusively on step three and four before having enough data to move on to my wall chart. Step Five involves creating a large line graph to chart your income and spending over the course of several years. This was my favorite step of all, but again, the information did NOT have the promised effect. YMOYL suggests that most line charts show a steep decline in spending (because people take a diet-like approach to money that results in a short "starvation" period), then a sharp increase (because of a binge period), and then a steady decrease in spending (as the creator becomes increasingly frugal). The income line, YMOYL assumes, slowly increases over time in the American way.
On my chart, the income line spikes up and down like crazy. One month's income could easily be half or double the previous month. My spending line spikes just as radically, sometimes much more than income, sometimes less. The months I was shown paying less had to do with where I was with rent, not some practiced austerity. At the same time, I was practicing relatively harsh austerity, even when it didn't show on my chart: my spending spikes were the direct result of paying almost every spare penny to debt!
I loved and hated my wall chart for just these reasons. On the one hand, it did nothing to reflect how good I was being - that harsh spending line didn't do much for context. On the other hand, I liked watching my income line when it was high and could imagine just how fantastic the chart would look that precious day I would be debt free.
As with Step Four, I took my sweet time approaching Step Five. This time wasn't a matter of data collection, however. I honestly didn't have any clue how to "minimize spending."
Don't get me wrong. I've spent close to a decade teaching myself frugal skills. That was part of the problem. There didn't seem to be a lot of fat to trim at this stage. The majority of my money went in three directions: debt, rent, and work.
I could choose not to pay as much debt, but why? Eventually we'd get rid of it...
My rent covered food and all of my utilities, which Darling and I shared with seven other people. For a goodly long time I made an honest effort at decreasing our grocery bills - which was already fairly reasonable for an organic diet - and did my best to make repairs and otherwise lower our rent in some way. This was not a successful pursuit, if only because the rent was already so reasonable that any money saved went to other worthy expenses - a hundred year old house will happily absorb any excess cash in the budget.
Working was terribly expensive. One month I worked out that the entirety of my income went to debt, and half of Darling's income went to pay the expenses I incurred working! But how much sense does it make to stop working to save money?
It makes zero sense, but Step Five didn't leave much choice. Heck, hating my job didn't leave much choice. I left in April and started a part-time job at a nonprofit in the hopes of healing my soul. In the meantime, Darling's job was drawing to a close. We still had debt, we still had rent, we still wanted to enjoy a couple of beers on the weekend, but our income line was once again plummeting sharply downward. I won't say we joined the Bicycle Superheroes and launched a five-month trip across the country simply to "minimize spending," but we went from spending an average of $3,400 a month to spending less than $300 a month.
That's a pretty significant drop.
I'm going to give myself a few months to catch up on my tabulations, fill out my wall chart (left behind in Austin), and hopefully pay some debt. To be honest, I'm as apprehensive about Step Six as I was about Step Five. The goal is to maximize income...presumably without maximizing expenses in the process. This time last year I probably would have said that was impossible. I feel more confident now, but can't shake the image of myself dumpster diving in a business suit.
I never considered myself a multi-step program kind of gal, but something about YMOYL really appealed to me. Fact is, this is the book I meant my blog to be. The fact that someone wrote it a little bit before I was born notwithstanding. How could I not follow the advice I would hope to have written?
Having read a LOT of financial self-help books, I am pretty much over the "skip your morning latte" advice. YMOYL doesn't waste that sort of time. Step one is surprisingly challenging: Determine how much money you've earned and spent in your life and figure out what you have to show for it. The idea is to do your absolute best to recall every penny you've ever got hold of, from toothfairy to first car. In my opinion, this is ultimately impossible, yet at the same time impossibly revealing. Only then do you go on to account for your net worth.
Step Two invites us to check out where we spend our life energy. This step does so much to expel the myth that sound finances are a matter of earning more and spending less. At this stage we take the time to determine how much time and money we spend making money. This tells us our real hourly wage. Taking into account my commute, work wardrobe, union dues, and investment in tools helped me understand why - despite working overtime and earning $13 an hour - I found myself with significantly less disposable income than when I was working three or four days a week for minimum wage.
Step Three involves tracking all money earned and spent, something I'd already practiced on and off for several years. Step Four poses a series of questions regarding those spending choices that brings them into a daily context. To be honest, however, these questions never affected me the way they should have. Knowing I spent sixty hours a month on rent didn't change the fact that rent took me sixty hours a month to earn. Mostly I just got frustrated with myself and my personal reality, one in which my only indulgence was eating out and drinking with friends and happened to take about eight hours a week to pay for. But maybe a year and a half of frustration led me to where I am today...
I spent an entire year exclusively on step three and four before having enough data to move on to my wall chart. Step Five involves creating a large line graph to chart your income and spending over the course of several years. This was my favorite step of all, but again, the information did NOT have the promised effect. YMOYL suggests that most line charts show a steep decline in spending (because people take a diet-like approach to money that results in a short "starvation" period), then a sharp increase (because of a binge period), and then a steady decrease in spending (as the creator becomes increasingly frugal). The income line, YMOYL assumes, slowly increases over time in the American way.
On my chart, the income line spikes up and down like crazy. One month's income could easily be half or double the previous month. My spending line spikes just as radically, sometimes much more than income, sometimes less. The months I was shown paying less had to do with where I was with rent, not some practiced austerity. At the same time, I was practicing relatively harsh austerity, even when it didn't show on my chart: my spending spikes were the direct result of paying almost every spare penny to debt!
I loved and hated my wall chart for just these reasons. On the one hand, it did nothing to reflect how good I was being - that harsh spending line didn't do much for context. On the other hand, I liked watching my income line when it was high and could imagine just how fantastic the chart would look that precious day I would be debt free.
As with Step Four, I took my sweet time approaching Step Five. This time wasn't a matter of data collection, however. I honestly didn't have any clue how to "minimize spending."
Don't get me wrong. I've spent close to a decade teaching myself frugal skills. That was part of the problem. There didn't seem to be a lot of fat to trim at this stage. The majority of my money went in three directions: debt, rent, and work.
I could choose not to pay as much debt, but why? Eventually we'd get rid of it...
My rent covered food and all of my utilities, which Darling and I shared with seven other people. For a goodly long time I made an honest effort at decreasing our grocery bills - which was already fairly reasonable for an organic diet - and did my best to make repairs and otherwise lower our rent in some way. This was not a successful pursuit, if only because the rent was already so reasonable that any money saved went to other worthy expenses - a hundred year old house will happily absorb any excess cash in the budget.
Working was terribly expensive. One month I worked out that the entirety of my income went to debt, and half of Darling's income went to pay the expenses I incurred working! But how much sense does it make to stop working to save money?
It makes zero sense, but Step Five didn't leave much choice. Heck, hating my job didn't leave much choice. I left in April and started a part-time job at a nonprofit in the hopes of healing my soul. In the meantime, Darling's job was drawing to a close. We still had debt, we still had rent, we still wanted to enjoy a couple of beers on the weekend, but our income line was once again plummeting sharply downward. I won't say we joined the Bicycle Superheroes and launched a five-month trip across the country simply to "minimize spending," but we went from spending an average of $3,400 a month to spending less than $300 a month.
That's a pretty significant drop.
I'm going to give myself a few months to catch up on my tabulations, fill out my wall chart (left behind in Austin), and hopefully pay some debt. To be honest, I'm as apprehensive about Step Six as I was about Step Five. The goal is to maximize income...presumably without maximizing expenses in the process. This time last year I probably would have said that was impossible. I feel more confident now, but can't shake the image of myself dumpster diving in a business suit.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Thoughts about '13
2012 is ending in such a funny way!
Here at Darling's sister's house we watch quite a bit of television, eat way too much processed food, and stay up half the night reading. About half of the week is spent with friends out of town, where we watch different stuff on television, play board games, and eat a little less processed food. There is no dumpster diving here, it would be too embarrassing for all parties involved if we were to get caught.
My Christmas check from Mom is on it's way in the mail, and I still anxiously await a response to my craigslist advertisement. I think a lot about 2013 and the future beyond. Sometimes all I can think about is getting a haircut and rounding out my wardrobe (a second pair of jeans would be fantastic). Other times I imagine getting a little apartment and rebuilding a normal life. But in reality, Darling and I are only taking the briefest of breaks from traveling. I suspect we'll be back on the road by early April.
Here at Darling's sister's house we watch quite a bit of television, eat way too much processed food, and stay up half the night reading. About half of the week is spent with friends out of town, where we watch different stuff on television, play board games, and eat a little less processed food. There is no dumpster diving here, it would be too embarrassing for all parties involved if we were to get caught.
My Christmas check from Mom is on it's way in the mail, and I still anxiously await a response to my craigslist advertisement. I think a lot about 2013 and the future beyond. Sometimes all I can think about is getting a haircut and rounding out my wardrobe (a second pair of jeans would be fantastic). Other times I imagine getting a little apartment and rebuilding a normal life. But in reality, Darling and I are only taking the briefest of breaks from traveling. I suspect we'll be back on the road by early April.
Monday, December 10, 2012
Upcoming!
I'm getting very excited to get back home to Austin! We've arranged to stay with friends, so rent shouldn't be an issue before Darling and I have a steady income again. These friends are super-adept at crafts: they make and sell soap and musical instruments, so I'm hoping to learn both trades while staying with them.
My most recent employer told me she'd be happy to put me back on the schedule, so I should have my first paycheck since August within a few weeks of being back home. Judging by the jobs posted on Craigslist, Darling shouldn't have too hard a time drawing his own paycheck. Solar is still hopping in Texas.
There is so much I miss about Austin! I'm really looking forward to getting back to my dentist, getting a fresh box of contacts, a haircut, and buying my favorite shampoo. I'm also looking forward to simply having space and a daily routine of my own: knitting in the morning, long bike rides along familiar routes, baking for hours at a time, blogging to my heart's content...
All I need is for someone to answer my rideshare request, and I'll be all set for 2013!
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
December 2012 Net Worth
My net worth as of right now is -$2161.21.
Right now it really feels that way, too. Having no source of income and no really liquid assets really drives that home. But..today is busy and I will have to contemplate that all at a later date. At least I'm back to updating it.
Right now it really feels that way, too. Having no source of income and no really liquid assets really drives that home. But..today is busy and I will have to contemplate that all at a later date. At least I'm back to updating it.
Friday, November 30, 2012
Last MInute Travel Money
I've felt pretty torn on whether or not Darling and I would work in Virginia. Both my Mom and brother have offered to pay our way back to Austin for Baby-O's third birthday, so we have no fear of getting stranded. Our weekend in Columbus basically drained our bank account, however, so not working means facing five pretty tight weeks of vacation and then returning to Texas broke.
An unexpected job offer through a family friend has now changed the nature of the dialogue. It's no longer a matter of whether or not we will work, but whether we can find something more enjoyable and convenient than what we may well have just been offered. So I've contacted an ex-employer and plan to make more face-to-face inquiries over the weekend.
I've felt pretty stressed out about the itinerant lifestyle for the past couple of weeks, but the idea of having some income is such a huge relief that I almost want to add more destinations to my journey before completing our loop! A weekend in New Orleans, maybe?
Monday, November 26, 2012
Heading East
Had a crazy fun weekend with my brother and his family in columbus. The zoo on Friday, an indoor waterpark on Saturday, and a children's science museum on Sunday. In a couple of hours we will be heading towards my beloved blue ridge mountains!
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Thanksgiving 2012
On my way to Columbus in the next fifteen minutes! Following my Thanksgiving tradition, it didn't occur to me to shop for the Tofurkey until the day before. There was no such thing in Ann Arbor so late in the game (except, perhaps, at Whole Foods, which I just couldn't manage to get to by bike after exhausting all other options in town), so I picked up a sort of holiday roast. Since I've spent the last seven years eating tofurkey non-stop from November to January, it's kind of a relief to try something new. This is by far the most laid-back holiday I've looked forward to since my marriage, out-of-state travel aside.
Hope everyone else is getting plenty of rest and celebration in!
Hope everyone else is getting plenty of rest and celebration in!
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Thanksgiving 2012: The Week Before
Happily settled into Ann Arbor for a few days before leaving Michigan. I hopped back onto my back and remembered why I was so grumpy the last time I rode here: Ann Arbor is hilly! I don't think I had to change gears once the entire time I was in Detroit. What a strange way to be spoiled.
I spent today at the library catching up on my writing. I seem to be happiest about 5 pages short of my daily goal. Every once in a while I go a few days without writing at all, fall 20 pages behind, and have to write like crazy to catch up. Then I imagine that I'll keep up that momentum and actually get ahead, which is enough to put me off writing for another three days!
Our first full day in town I looked at our hostess's beautiful collection of cookbooks and then went to the grocery store with a list and a budget. I got everything necessary for at least two good dinners and our standard breakfast (two eggs, butter, and toast). Our standard breakfast should be the significantly cheaper oatmeal, but...well, it isn't.
Hope everyone else is having a mild week-before-Thanksgiving.
I spent today at the library catching up on my writing. I seem to be happiest about 5 pages short of my daily goal. Every once in a while I go a few days without writing at all, fall 20 pages behind, and have to write like crazy to catch up. Then I imagine that I'll keep up that momentum and actually get ahead, which is enough to put me off writing for another three days!
Our first full day in town I looked at our hostess's beautiful collection of cookbooks and then went to the grocery store with a list and a budget. I got everything necessary for at least two good dinners and our standard breakfast (two eggs, butter, and toast). Our standard breakfast should be the significantly cheaper oatmeal, but...well, it isn't.
Hope everyone else is having a mild week-before-Thanksgiving.
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Hopes and Expectations
Darling and I have all our rideshares and crashpads arranged for the next week or so. We'll be heading south to Ann Arbor tomorrow, East to Ohio on Thursday, enjoying Thanksgiving with my brother's family, and then heading on to the coast to our old home in Virginia.
I don't know much what to say about our time in Virginia, except it occupies a hazy spot in my heart close to Texas. Leaving one for the other in 2007 was one of the most heartbreaking things I have ever done. For years our lives rotated on returning for brief visits. We jokingly urged friends to hold their weddings and give birth to their babies within weeks of eachother so we could attend every important event, and they were strangely obliging.
We haven't been back in years, though, and both the pain and obligation have worn thin. So going back and kind of ressurecting that energy is a little scary to me, particularly being pretty much homeless at this point in my life.
A big part of me wants to settle back into our little mountain home, rebuild the life we once had there, crawl into a comfortable chair and spend another three years reflecting on the lessons of the past several months. The rest of me knows, however, that Darling and I have kind of sort of just gotten started on our travels, and settling into Virginia for more than a few months carries unrealistic expectations. So I will be happy to simply see my friends again, maybe drop in on my old haunts, and look forward to Texas in 2013.
I don't know much what to say about our time in Virginia, except it occupies a hazy spot in my heart close to Texas. Leaving one for the other in 2007 was one of the most heartbreaking things I have ever done. For years our lives rotated on returning for brief visits. We jokingly urged friends to hold their weddings and give birth to their babies within weeks of eachother so we could attend every important event, and they were strangely obliging.
We haven't been back in years, though, and both the pain and obligation have worn thin. So going back and kind of ressurecting that energy is a little scary to me, particularly being pretty much homeless at this point in my life.
A big part of me wants to settle back into our little mountain home, rebuild the life we once had there, crawl into a comfortable chair and spend another three years reflecting on the lessons of the past several months. The rest of me knows, however, that Darling and I have kind of sort of just gotten started on our travels, and settling into Virginia for more than a few months carries unrealistic expectations. So I will be happy to simply see my friends again, maybe drop in on my old haunts, and look forward to Texas in 2013.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Poliwalk the Politalk
While I'm super happy that President Obama maintains his post, my eye has been on the smaller side of legislation.
I spent this morning at Detroit city hall making a case for a stricter definitition and enforcement of the "nuisance abatement," law, preferably one that puts responsibility on the banks (many foreign) that evict individuals and leave houses empty, unlivable, prone to fire, and an open invitation into the neighborhood by gangs and other violent individuals.
When someone is evicted in Detroit, a dumpster is dropped in front of the house a day or two before a bailif shows up to trash any posessions still in the house. The dumpster advertises to the world that the house is on the verge of being uninhabited. Trucks circle the house waiting for a safe moment to abscond with the furnace, doors, copper pipes, and anything else that can be sold for scrap. A house is rendered unlivable within half an hour of being abandoned. In helping a woman pack her stuff to leave a house in such a situation, we had a man walk through open doors and straight into the basement to dismantle the furnace while we were still there. When told to leave, he simply said, "okay, but leave the back door open." Obviously, we didn't, but this is an all-too-common occurance in areas where police simply do not respond.
I was there to support a friend who fights this vicious cycle full time, and am excited to work with him more next spring. I'm also grateful he introduced me to the exciting (in a boring way) world of city politics. We were fortunate to witness another case involving the water treatment plant. Apparently while understaffed last year, the plant went through a brief period of non-compliance. The staffing matter was resolved and the plant has been exemplary ever since.
In response to this brief scare, however, a consulting company stepped in to take the problematic water treatment plant off the city's hands. For the handy dandy price of 47 billion dollars, the consultants offered to obtain legal ownership of one of the city's most valuable assets AND fire 80% of employees (privatization is just that efficient, you know)! Because no one else had the sense to request a giant pile of money for this absurd disservice, the city did not put the contract up for bid.
If paying a corporation almost 50 billion dollars to "fix" a service that isn't broken while increasing the already phenomenal rate of unemployment in an over-burdened city isn't tempting enough, the fact that the private coproration is under investigation by the EPA is just icing on the cake.
Amazingly, the city counsel members did NOT respond too all this information with high fives all around and cheerful acceptance that they had a no-brainer for once. There was nothing positive to say about the proposal whatsoever, but they posponed the decision for another day. Half the council tried to push for an immediate decision against the the idiotic proposal, the other half reserved any judgement whatsoever and wanted another few weeks to "think it over."
It was kind of amazing to see happen in action, and makes me fairly certain that politics might be a fun game to play for someone with a dry sense of humor. Maybe next year...
I spent this morning at Detroit city hall making a case for a stricter definitition and enforcement of the "nuisance abatement," law, preferably one that puts responsibility on the banks (many foreign) that evict individuals and leave houses empty, unlivable, prone to fire, and an open invitation into the neighborhood by gangs and other violent individuals.
When someone is evicted in Detroit, a dumpster is dropped in front of the house a day or two before a bailif shows up to trash any posessions still in the house. The dumpster advertises to the world that the house is on the verge of being uninhabited. Trucks circle the house waiting for a safe moment to abscond with the furnace, doors, copper pipes, and anything else that can be sold for scrap. A house is rendered unlivable within half an hour of being abandoned. In helping a woman pack her stuff to leave a house in such a situation, we had a man walk through open doors and straight into the basement to dismantle the furnace while we were still there. When told to leave, he simply said, "okay, but leave the back door open." Obviously, we didn't, but this is an all-too-common occurance in areas where police simply do not respond.
I was there to support a friend who fights this vicious cycle full time, and am excited to work with him more next spring. I'm also grateful he introduced me to the exciting (in a boring way) world of city politics. We were fortunate to witness another case involving the water treatment plant. Apparently while understaffed last year, the plant went through a brief period of non-compliance. The staffing matter was resolved and the plant has been exemplary ever since.
In response to this brief scare, however, a consulting company stepped in to take the problematic water treatment plant off the city's hands. For the handy dandy price of 47 billion dollars, the consultants offered to obtain legal ownership of one of the city's most valuable assets AND fire 80% of employees (privatization is just that efficient, you know)! Because no one else had the sense to request a giant pile of money for this absurd disservice, the city did not put the contract up for bid.
If paying a corporation almost 50 billion dollars to "fix" a service that isn't broken while increasing the already phenomenal rate of unemployment in an over-burdened city isn't tempting enough, the fact that the private coproration is under investigation by the EPA is just icing on the cake.
Amazingly, the city counsel members did NOT respond too all this information with high fives all around and cheerful acceptance that they had a no-brainer for once. There was nothing positive to say about the proposal whatsoever, but they posponed the decision for another day. Half the council tried to push for an immediate decision against the the idiotic proposal, the other half reserved any judgement whatsoever and wanted another few weeks to "think it over."
It was kind of amazing to see happen in action, and makes me fairly certain that politics might be a fun game to play for someone with a dry sense of humor. Maybe next year...
Monday, November 12, 2012
Sunny Weekend Update
I spent the weekend house-sitting in the city. It was nice to have some time alone with Darling, cooking for two, and taking walks along the river. We helped with a neighborhood cleanup project and painted our friend's porch while we were there. One day it was actually warm outside and I was able to walk around in short sleeves and enjoy the feel of the sun on my skin. At the river we saw hundreds of Canadian Geese resting just north of Bell Isle, as though doubting whether or not they should continue on their lengthy trip.
Even though I was within an easy ride of two very reliable dumpsters, I spent $30 on groceries. I made a pasta alfredo, a split pea soup, quesadillas, and spicy carrot tacos with refried beans. Back at heartquarters this morning I made two large cheese pizzas and drank most of a pot of coffee. I measure my most successful days by how much food I produce :)
A dear friend convinced me to attend (and speak at) a city council meeting tomorrow morning, and then I insist that this is it for my activism in Detroit until next spring.
I've written over forty pages of my book. I'd rather it was much more, but being about 25% finished with my rough draft feels good. I want to have something to show my mentor from college by the time I get to VA.
Even though I was within an easy ride of two very reliable dumpsters, I spent $30 on groceries. I made a pasta alfredo, a split pea soup, quesadillas, and spicy carrot tacos with refried beans. Back at heartquarters this morning I made two large cheese pizzas and drank most of a pot of coffee. I measure my most successful days by how much food I produce :)
A dear friend convinced me to attend (and speak at) a city council meeting tomorrow morning, and then I insist that this is it for my activism in Detroit until next spring.
I've written over forty pages of my book. I'd rather it was much more, but being about 25% finished with my rough draft feels good. I want to have something to show my mentor from college by the time I get to VA.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
My Faith
**Oftentimes I start a post like this, write for 45 minutes, delete everything, try and focus on my real article, and end up not publishing anything at all. Right now I post too rarely for those sort of shenanigans.**
Although I am an Athiest, my mom has a most-annoying habit of referring to me and Darling as "the best Christians she knows." It annoys me because the traits she associates with Christianity are, to my mind, HUMAN traits, which can be shared by any person of any religion. Of course she's my Mom and I love her and refrain from putting undue stress on my Christian family members, because they care about my soul and that's sweet, so I don't argue the point.
I was humbled when the woman co-leading the beautiful Shabbat ceremony I attended two weeks ago, and with whom I have been acquainted for some weeks now, told us the story of her own faith and mentioned that my husband and I fit the bill to be a very good Jewish couple.
I was downright giddy when one of the monks we're staying with referred to what Darling and I are doing as "preaching." In my liberal life, "preach" is a bad word. But the brother told us how St. Francis and his posse would go sit on a hill with the people, and then leave, and the brothers would ask, "why didn't we preach," and Frank said, "we just did."
Some Catholic stories have a lot in common with Buddhist koans, by the way.
One of my new friends said my practice of Atheism is very similar to her practice of Quakerism. Same beat, different drummer. I guess a major difference is that I don't mind what happens after the concert.
I've heard the critique that atheists are very pretentious. I was once asked, "How can you to think that this is it?" The implication is that I think that we humans are born, grow up, get old, and die. The implication is that this is a terrible trial we are put through, fraught with temptations and doomed to Armageddon.
I find it agonizingly pretentious that THIS isn't enough for most people. And this is everything, and it is beautiful. This is only happening once, right now. And when it's over, something else will be happening. Right now there are desert skies full of stars, maple syrup on pancakes, newborn babies, dolphins, fresh-brewed coffee and chocolate chip cookies, massive and steep hills you can ride your bike down and feel like you're flying, a hundred thousand amazing books waiting to be read, deep caves you can enter and hear total silence, turn on a lantern and see beautiful formations a half mile underground, hotels at which you can take a shower and watch cartoon network all night, warm fuzzy hats, deep snowdrifts, warm fires...I don't need to believe in something other, there is to much in this that I can't even begin to take in.
And yeah, there's a lot in the world that is absolutely wretched. There is rape. A lot of rape. There is murder. There is terrible, terrible injustice. There is slavery. There are natural disasters that take millions out of their homes and lives are never the same. There is drought and starvation. There is a desperation that I have witnessed on the road that is very basic and terrible. There are women evicted this August with small children who have nowhere to go, no one to help them, and it will snow any week now. There are young boys killing on the streets - the streets I've taken to walking - for a hundred bucks. There are generations of boys in prison. There are generations of boys in the military. I'm neither blind nor stupid. And I still say, for them and me, that this is enough.
Suffering is something I would like to be eradicated. I do not think that suffering is written into the book of Man by any omnipresent being of any conception, and should not be taken for granted. I think that when we take responsibility for suffering, we become powerful enough to ease it.
I also think that global peace is possible. Writing that last bit makes me cringe a little, but I can't tell you how many people I know who honestly think that immortality is possible, in a literal sense. That is one thing I neither want nor expect to come of humanity's progress. I find the life cycle to be a simple, predictable, and beautiful thing. Let me live long enough to grow old, and I'll do my best to be satisfied when the last breath comes.
Although I am an Athiest, my mom has a most-annoying habit of referring to me and Darling as "the best Christians she knows." It annoys me because the traits she associates with Christianity are, to my mind, HUMAN traits, which can be shared by any person of any religion. Of course she's my Mom and I love her and refrain from putting undue stress on my Christian family members, because they care about my soul and that's sweet, so I don't argue the point.
I was humbled when the woman co-leading the beautiful Shabbat ceremony I attended two weeks ago, and with whom I have been acquainted for some weeks now, told us the story of her own faith and mentioned that my husband and I fit the bill to be a very good Jewish couple.
I was downright giddy when one of the monks we're staying with referred to what Darling and I are doing as "preaching." In my liberal life, "preach" is a bad word. But the brother told us how St. Francis and his posse would go sit on a hill with the people, and then leave, and the brothers would ask, "why didn't we preach," and Frank said, "we just did."
Some Catholic stories have a lot in common with Buddhist koans, by the way.
One of my new friends said my practice of Atheism is very similar to her practice of Quakerism. Same beat, different drummer. I guess a major difference is that I don't mind what happens after the concert.
I've heard the critique that atheists are very pretentious. I was once asked, "How can you to think that this is it?" The implication is that I think that we humans are born, grow up, get old, and die. The implication is that this is a terrible trial we are put through, fraught with temptations and doomed to Armageddon.
I find it agonizingly pretentious that THIS isn't enough for most people. And this is everything, and it is beautiful. This is only happening once, right now. And when it's over, something else will be happening. Right now there are desert skies full of stars, maple syrup on pancakes, newborn babies, dolphins, fresh-brewed coffee and chocolate chip cookies, massive and steep hills you can ride your bike down and feel like you're flying, a hundred thousand amazing books waiting to be read, deep caves you can enter and hear total silence, turn on a lantern and see beautiful formations a half mile underground, hotels at which you can take a shower and watch cartoon network all night, warm fuzzy hats, deep snowdrifts, warm fires...I don't need to believe in something other, there is to much in this that I can't even begin to take in.
And yeah, there's a lot in the world that is absolutely wretched. There is rape. A lot of rape. There is murder. There is terrible, terrible injustice. There is slavery. There are natural disasters that take millions out of their homes and lives are never the same. There is drought and starvation. There is a desperation that I have witnessed on the road that is very basic and terrible. There are women evicted this August with small children who have nowhere to go, no one to help them, and it will snow any week now. There are young boys killing on the streets - the streets I've taken to walking - for a hundred bucks. There are generations of boys in prison. There are generations of boys in the military. I'm neither blind nor stupid. And I still say, for them and me, that this is enough.
Suffering is something I would like to be eradicated. I do not think that suffering is written into the book of Man by any omnipresent being of any conception, and should not be taken for granted. I think that when we take responsibility for suffering, we become powerful enough to ease it.
I also think that global peace is possible. Writing that last bit makes me cringe a little, but I can't tell you how many people I know who honestly think that immortality is possible, in a literal sense. That is one thing I neither want nor expect to come of humanity's progress. I find the life cycle to be a simple, predictable, and beautiful thing. Let me live long enough to grow old, and I'll do my best to be satisfied when the last breath comes.
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Caring For Cast Iron
I've encountered two types of people who use cast iron:
1. Superstitious zealots. These folks own cast iron, stainless steel, and often some teflon pans. That's because the cast iron is for very specific use and must undergo particular care...typically guests aren't allowed anywhere near it. The ignorant handling of anyone besides the superstitious zealot will destroy the precious non-stick seal and can't be repaired until some unleavened pig lard has been obtained under the light of a full moon in February.
2. Anyone who has lived an extended period of time in a co-op. Cooperative houses tend to amass beautiful collections of cast iron because hippies are more likely to purchase a fifteen pound skillet than pack it when moving out. The shorter lifespans of other types of pans are inherent in group houses, also, and it's the stainless steel pieces that get forgotten at potlucks. Ultimately, cast iron is used for anything and everything at every meal. Because no individual will demand responsibility over the daily dishes of ten other adults, everyone (generally) shares the responsibility and the voodoo-style care of cast iron falls to the wayside.
My house has a very simple set of strategies for caring for cast iron which kept pieces beautiful, non-stick, clean, and vegetarian:
* Give your pan time to heat up on the stove before putting food in it. This is a good idea with stainless steel, also, because food is best cooked at a relatively steady heat. Do not crack an egg into a cold pan unless you want it (poorly) scrambled.
* Anything can be cooked in cast iron, including tomato sauce. The acid in the tomato sauce will break the seal. That is not the end of the world.
* Wash your cast iron. Don't use soap if you don't have to, but clean it. Soap is much less damaging than scrubbing.
*Do not soak your cast iron under any circumstances. If something won't come off with soap ad water, fill it with both, bring it to a boil on the stove, and wash it while you still have to hold the handle with an oven mitt. This shouldn't be common.
* When the cast iron is washed, put it back on the stove and put a low heat under it. Add a dribble of high-heat oil (not olive oil), and tilt the pan as it heats to spread the oil over as much of the surface as possible. When the pan is very hot, but the oil is not smoking yet, you can wipe the excess off the pan with a rag. If you save this rag nearby, you can use it several times. Eventually you can even just run the oiled rag over the very hot pan for this insta-seasoning method. But I wouldn't keep the rag for more than a few weeks, and it won't ever be clean again. I would prefer to keep the rag in the refrigerator to keep it from going rancid, but my house did not and we never had a problem.
* It's worth saying again not to soak cast iron, and not to leave it to drip dry. Even if it doesn't need a new oil, it needs to dry through and through. I think it's probably the effect of leaving cast iron wet, above any other infraction, that leads people to think that proper care and maintenance requires divine intervention.
1. Superstitious zealots. These folks own cast iron, stainless steel, and often some teflon pans. That's because the cast iron is for very specific use and must undergo particular care...typically guests aren't allowed anywhere near it. The ignorant handling of anyone besides the superstitious zealot will destroy the precious non-stick seal and can't be repaired until some unleavened pig lard has been obtained under the light of a full moon in February.
2. Anyone who has lived an extended period of time in a co-op. Cooperative houses tend to amass beautiful collections of cast iron because hippies are more likely to purchase a fifteen pound skillet than pack it when moving out. The shorter lifespans of other types of pans are inherent in group houses, also, and it's the stainless steel pieces that get forgotten at potlucks. Ultimately, cast iron is used for anything and everything at every meal. Because no individual will demand responsibility over the daily dishes of ten other adults, everyone (generally) shares the responsibility and the voodoo-style care of cast iron falls to the wayside.
My house has a very simple set of strategies for caring for cast iron which kept pieces beautiful, non-stick, clean, and vegetarian:
* Give your pan time to heat up on the stove before putting food in it. This is a good idea with stainless steel, also, because food is best cooked at a relatively steady heat. Do not crack an egg into a cold pan unless you want it (poorly) scrambled.
* Anything can be cooked in cast iron, including tomato sauce. The acid in the tomato sauce will break the seal. That is not the end of the world.
* Wash your cast iron. Don't use soap if you don't have to, but clean it. Soap is much less damaging than scrubbing.
*Do not soak your cast iron under any circumstances. If something won't come off with soap ad water, fill it with both, bring it to a boil on the stove, and wash it while you still have to hold the handle with an oven mitt. This shouldn't be common.
* When the cast iron is washed, put it back on the stove and put a low heat under it. Add a dribble of high-heat oil (not olive oil), and tilt the pan as it heats to spread the oil over as much of the surface as possible. When the pan is very hot, but the oil is not smoking yet, you can wipe the excess off the pan with a rag. If you save this rag nearby, you can use it several times. Eventually you can even just run the oiled rag over the very hot pan for this insta-seasoning method. But I wouldn't keep the rag for more than a few weeks, and it won't ever be clean again. I would prefer to keep the rag in the refrigerator to keep it from going rancid, but my house did not and we never had a problem.
* It's worth saying again not to soak cast iron, and not to leave it to drip dry. Even if it doesn't need a new oil, it needs to dry through and through. I think it's probably the effect of leaving cast iron wet, above any other infraction, that leads people to think that proper care and maintenance requires divine intervention.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Rideshare Success
Okay, transport panic over. As usual, craigslist rideshare came through for me. Not only do I have a ride from Michigan to Ohio in time for Thanksgiving and then a ride from Ohio to Virginia the following Monday, but the total cost is less than half what I would pay for the bus or train. AND Darling and I get to hold onto our bikes, which is such a relief. We were on the verge of putting one up for sale so we could afford to ship the other back to Texas.
I'm settling a little into our current living space. I've been baking bread every other day or so and cooking dinner almost as often. We have acess to good garden produce, particularly carrots and leeks. I'm doing a lot of writing in notebooks, hoping to have a rough draft of at least 12 short story/chapters chronicling this Summer's adventures by the end of this month. I'm eager to move on, eager to see family and bid our temporary family of three months goodbye. At least temporarily.
I'm settling a little into our current living space. I've been baking bread every other day or so and cooking dinner almost as often. We have acess to good garden produce, particularly carrots and leeks. I'm doing a lot of writing in notebooks, hoping to have a rough draft of at least 12 short story/chapters chronicling this Summer's adventures by the end of this month. I'm eager to move on, eager to see family and bid our temporary family of three months goodbye. At least temporarily.
Friday, November 2, 2012
Transportation Rant
The American Travel Industry should be absolutely ashamed of itself. I'm entirely convinced that the entire system is designed to convince people not to take long trips.
One might imagine that the competition between Amtrak, Greyhound, and megabus would be enough to push one of these companies to be halfway cooperative with consumers. One might even imagine that competing with the airlines and car rental companies would be incentive enough to provide a halfway decent experience. But no. Not.At.All.
Megabus looks like the most affordable option, but suffers the severe drawback of being absolutely useless. One can not travel from Columbus, OH to Cleveland, OH, even though both places have Megabus stops. They have apparently summoned the ghost of Henry Ford to lead their company, "You can go anywhere you want, as long as it's Chicago." I can only imagine that it's pure sadism that inspired the builders of megabus.com to include an application that tells you where you can go, but no way to work out how to actually get anywhere.
When I finally found a workable route with megabus, even a direct trip (from Detroit to East Lansing), the Greyhound tickets were actually cheaper. Which is just wrong, wrong, wrong.
If Megabus accepted bicycles they would win me over, demented routes and price weirdness notwithstanding. NO ONE will let you bring on a bike unless it's entirely dismantled, and both megabus and greyhound count that as your checked luggage. So bike tourists are largely out of luck.
I've heard claims, even from other cyclists, that Amtrak accepts bikes. In my experience it can be challenging to bring any checked baggage at all. I don't understand how this is variable from station to station. A train either has space for suitcases or it doesn't. I don't know what happens when a layover takes you off a train that accepts checked luggage and puts you on one that doesn't. Are you expected to just throw your suitcase into the bin and go on with life? And then there's the fact that trains are twice as expensive and as often as not take twice as long to get anywhere. All for the privelage of having access at a dining cart where one can spend $20 for a plate of pasta.
If it weren't for Darling's hurt back, we could probably bike to Columbus from Detroit faster than we could get their by train, AND we'd get to take all of our luggage! That does not make a great deal of sense, friends. I'm crossing my fingers for a rideshare response, now, and hoping for the best...
One might imagine that the competition between Amtrak, Greyhound, and megabus would be enough to push one of these companies to be halfway cooperative with consumers. One might even imagine that competing with the airlines and car rental companies would be incentive enough to provide a halfway decent experience. But no. Not.At.All.
Megabus looks like the most affordable option, but suffers the severe drawback of being absolutely useless. One can not travel from Columbus, OH to Cleveland, OH, even though both places have Megabus stops. They have apparently summoned the ghost of Henry Ford to lead their company, "You can go anywhere you want, as long as it's Chicago." I can only imagine that it's pure sadism that inspired the builders of megabus.com to include an application that tells you where you can go, but no way to work out how to actually get anywhere.
When I finally found a workable route with megabus, even a direct trip (from Detroit to East Lansing), the Greyhound tickets were actually cheaper. Which is just wrong, wrong, wrong.
If Megabus accepted bicycles they would win me over, demented routes and price weirdness notwithstanding. NO ONE will let you bring on a bike unless it's entirely dismantled, and both megabus and greyhound count that as your checked luggage. So bike tourists are largely out of luck.
I've heard claims, even from other cyclists, that Amtrak accepts bikes. In my experience it can be challenging to bring any checked baggage at all. I don't understand how this is variable from station to station. A train either has space for suitcases or it doesn't. I don't know what happens when a layover takes you off a train that accepts checked luggage and puts you on one that doesn't. Are you expected to just throw your suitcase into the bin and go on with life? And then there's the fact that trains are twice as expensive and as often as not take twice as long to get anywhere. All for the privelage of having access at a dining cart where one can spend $20 for a plate of pasta.
If it weren't for Darling's hurt back, we could probably bike to Columbus from Detroit faster than we could get their by train, AND we'd get to take all of our luggage! That does not make a great deal of sense, friends. I'm crossing my fingers for a rideshare response, now, and hoping for the best...
Thursday, November 1, 2012
November 2012 Net Worth
Since the last time I posted my net worth, I have travelled over a thousand miles away from home, dipped my toes in the hot springs of Arkasnas, taken a dip in Lake Michigan, camped in one of the scarier hoods of Detroit, been one of the scariest things in one of the scariest hoods of Detroit, earned a permaculture design certificate, slept outside six out of ten weeks, destroyed two air mattresses, ate well over five pounds of chocolate rescued from dumpsters, gained and lost as much weight myself, helped plaster two strawbale houses in two different states, learned to captivate small children with stories, made more friends than I could possibly keep up with, learned a lot of ways that the Catholic church is really super awesome, and survived a high speed collision.
Maybe you've had as many intense experiences since the last time you posted your net worth, but within a three-month period? You'll have to forgive me for my lapse, the first since May of 2007.
August I had - and spent - an absurd amount of money. September I spent the last of my availalbe cash on groceries and the second air mattress. October I went the entire month without spending a penny until the car accident spun me into a panic and I called in my emergency fund. I then purchased a new shirt, paid for gas back to Detroit, bought some beer, purchased groceries (the nearest grocery store has a compactor), and otherwise frittered away some cash. I have a total of $408.92 to my name.
I owe $2,244.75 to the student loan company. That brings my net worth to -$1,835.83.
My goal for November is to get safely to Virginia and maybe - MAYBE - find a way to make some more money over the holidays. If I'm going to track my net worth after all, it would be nice to watch it actually grow. Oh, and I'm writing a novel for National Novel Month.
Maybe you've had as many intense experiences since the last time you posted your net worth, but within a three-month period? You'll have to forgive me for my lapse, the first since May of 2007.
August I had - and spent - an absurd amount of money. September I spent the last of my availalbe cash on groceries and the second air mattress. October I went the entire month without spending a penny until the car accident spun me into a panic and I called in my emergency fund. I then purchased a new shirt, paid for gas back to Detroit, bought some beer, purchased groceries (the nearest grocery store has a compactor), and otherwise frittered away some cash. I have a total of $408.92 to my name.
I owe $2,244.75 to the student loan company. That brings my net worth to -$1,835.83.
My goal for November is to get safely to Virginia and maybe - MAYBE - find a way to make some more money over the holidays. If I'm going to track my net worth after all, it would be nice to watch it actually grow. Oh, and I'm writing a novel for National Novel Month.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Halloween
Darling and I are back in Michigan just outside Detroit and staying with our friends at the peace institute again. I learned many a lesson this past weekend, during which we celebrated the Holy Week of St. Francis of Assisi. My intention was to volunteer and assist the community, but I was more a participant than anything else. In fact, I fear I was largely seen as being in the way by more established volunteers.
When I was with the Bicycle Superheroes, our near-constant mobility was often cause for disatisfaction. A day or two in a new town gives one barely the time to weed a yard, paint a float, or straighten up after a soup kitchen. You come, show some love, and hit the road before the dust settles. Day after day, the sense of loss begins to wear on you. Blooming friendships are nipped in the bud, paint jobs left to dry, garden's half-harvested, and you never see the finished project, if ever there is. It begins to feel almost counter-productive, you know?
That's why the primary goal of the bicycle superhero is to celebrate the real-life, full-time superhero. The woman who shows up at the old folks home every Sunday, the food bank managers, the guy who turns the compost after we build and leave the bin. Doing that work full time is consuming, often exhausting, and often heartbreaking. The bicycle heroes ride into town in the hopes of alleviating that struggle, to bring joy and celebration. If only for one day.
I don't know why I'm thinking about that right now exactly, besides the fact that it's October 28th and we're still in Michigan. My air mattress is busted. Our gear isn't suited for plummeting temperatures. Hell, I don't even own a jacket (though I purchased a second long-sleeve shirt for $1.5). Darling isn't even fit to ride on his bike with his ribs still hurting like they are. A powerful wind is blowing outside. Every other bicycle superhero went home months ago. Darling and I ought to have continued on our way. But Detroit holds us in sway, practically hypnotized. One more week, a few more days, one more event...
We'll be camping on the west side of Detroit for Halloween Even and Halloween itself for an event I can't believe actually exists: apparently crime levels on these days is so high that police as for communities to keep their own peace. The heroes I roll with do not support any degree of vigilantism, but we have friends who live in neighborhoods that the cops don't access. So we'll host a small festival event, enjoy some bonfires, and generally maintain a presence. Nothing to write home about, but one last hurrah, perhaps, before we finally ship the bikes back to Texas and buy some megabus tickets east.
When I was with the Bicycle Superheroes, our near-constant mobility was often cause for disatisfaction. A day or two in a new town gives one barely the time to weed a yard, paint a float, or straighten up after a soup kitchen. You come, show some love, and hit the road before the dust settles. Day after day, the sense of loss begins to wear on you. Blooming friendships are nipped in the bud, paint jobs left to dry, garden's half-harvested, and you never see the finished project, if ever there is. It begins to feel almost counter-productive, you know?
That's why the primary goal of the bicycle superhero is to celebrate the real-life, full-time superhero. The woman who shows up at the old folks home every Sunday, the food bank managers, the guy who turns the compost after we build and leave the bin. Doing that work full time is consuming, often exhausting, and often heartbreaking. The bicycle heroes ride into town in the hopes of alleviating that struggle, to bring joy and celebration. If only for one day.
I don't know why I'm thinking about that right now exactly, besides the fact that it's October 28th and we're still in Michigan. My air mattress is busted. Our gear isn't suited for plummeting temperatures. Hell, I don't even own a jacket (though I purchased a second long-sleeve shirt for $1.5). Darling isn't even fit to ride on his bike with his ribs still hurting like they are. A powerful wind is blowing outside. Every other bicycle superhero went home months ago. Darling and I ought to have continued on our way. But Detroit holds us in sway, practically hypnotized. One more week, a few more days, one more event...
We'll be camping on the west side of Detroit for Halloween Even and Halloween itself for an event I can't believe actually exists: apparently crime levels on these days is so high that police as for communities to keep their own peace. The heroes I roll with do not support any degree of vigilantism, but we have friends who live in neighborhoods that the cops don't access. So we'll host a small festival event, enjoy some bonfires, and generally maintain a presence. Nothing to write home about, but one last hurrah, perhaps, before we finally ship the bikes back to Texas and buy some megabus tickets east.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Effed in Effingham
After two weeks roughing it in Northwest Missouri and another week providing twenty hours of free babysitting in St. Louis, MO, our small crew of was happy to head "home" to Michigan last Wednesday afternoon. We were about two hours on our way, in the ironically named "Effingham" Illionois, when a semi ran us and the car in front of us off the road at roughly 70 miles per hour.
The big truck simply decided, with no warning, to change lanes. The drivers of both the smaller cars slammed on the breaks and swerved left, leaving the trucker to go on abou his merry way as our car rammed into the one in front of us, totalling both. Thankfully everyone was wearing seatbelts, as our criss-crossed bruises attest, and no one was terribly hurt. Moon, the driver, owner of the car, and only one of our troupe that had access to any money or insurance at the time, went to the hospital for x-rays, accompanied by T. Darling and I were dropped off by the tow truck driver to the bus station.
The bus station closed about two minutes before we arrived. Fortunately it was located in a 24-hour truckstop and McDonalds, so Darling and I purchased a couple of large cups of coffee. Including one free re-fill each, $2.13 basically purchased 64 ounces of caffeine. Having not spent any money whatseove in about four weeks, it was an interesting way to break our spending fast.
Things would only get mor interesting. We were stranded with more luggage than our group could reasonably carry in the middle of absolute no where. Not only did we miss a chance to purchase bus tickets, but we were told there were no buses running the next day, AND the aforementioned luggage would be a fortune to ship along with us. When Moon and T returned from the hospital, T and I made the half mile hike in the rain to a nearby campus with computer access. From there our luck improved a little. There was a car rental company in town, which would be significantly cheaper than a bus, and a man who gave us a ride back to the truckstop suggested we call on the catholic church for help.
The catholic church totally came through and provided us with a voucher for a room at the econolodge that night. It was one of the most comfortable nights we'd enjoyed in weeks! I woke up at 7:30 the next morning to drink more coffee, eat breakfast, and discover that the car rental place absolutely would not do business with us.
It was my third time trying to rent a car without a credit card, and as wildly unsuccessful as the first two. When we finally convinced Enterprise to maybe think about renting us a car, they would only allow a two-way trip. So even if we could drive all the way to Detroit, someone would have to come back to bloody Effingham. We called cab companies and even a variety of other local companies that might be willing to drive us to Chicago, where we could rent a car with the help of friends. No one would make the trip for less than $500! Someone offered to purchase us train tickets, but Amtrak wouldn't accept about a third of our luggage, most of which was the basis of Moon's non-profit camp.
Finally a superhero friend of ours in St. Louis borrowed a car and made the eight hour trip to get us most of the way to Chicago, another friend picked us up from there to get us the rest of the way to Chicago, and we were able to rent a car from there. I drove from midnigh to six a.m. to get us to Moon's parets' house in time for breakfast. All told, it took us from noon on Wednesday to 6:00 a.m. Friday to make the trip from St. Louis to Detroit. Moon's car is completely totalled and his insurance apparently useless.
Feeling guilty and incredibly anxious about the entire situation, I called in our dodge fund. I was able to give some money to Moon to help cover the cost gas and the rental, but obviously can't begin to compensate his total loss. Especially since this money is basically it. We promised to use the fund to get home, and we're only about a third of a way through our trip!
Still, can't really complain. I'm much too distracted by relief at being alive!
The big truck simply decided, with no warning, to change lanes. The drivers of both the smaller cars slammed on the breaks and swerved left, leaving the trucker to go on abou his merry way as our car rammed into the one in front of us, totalling both. Thankfully everyone was wearing seatbelts, as our criss-crossed bruises attest, and no one was terribly hurt. Moon, the driver, owner of the car, and only one of our troupe that had access to any money or insurance at the time, went to the hospital for x-rays, accompanied by T. Darling and I were dropped off by the tow truck driver to the bus station.
The bus station closed about two minutes before we arrived. Fortunately it was located in a 24-hour truckstop and McDonalds, so Darling and I purchased a couple of large cups of coffee. Including one free re-fill each, $2.13 basically purchased 64 ounces of caffeine. Having not spent any money whatseove in about four weeks, it was an interesting way to break our spending fast.
Things would only get mor interesting. We were stranded with more luggage than our group could reasonably carry in the middle of absolute no where. Not only did we miss a chance to purchase bus tickets, but we were told there were no buses running the next day, AND the aforementioned luggage would be a fortune to ship along with us. When Moon and T returned from the hospital, T and I made the half mile hike in the rain to a nearby campus with computer access. From there our luck improved a little. There was a car rental company in town, which would be significantly cheaper than a bus, and a man who gave us a ride back to the truckstop suggested we call on the catholic church for help.
The catholic church totally came through and provided us with a voucher for a room at the econolodge that night. It was one of the most comfortable nights we'd enjoyed in weeks! I woke up at 7:30 the next morning to drink more coffee, eat breakfast, and discover that the car rental place absolutely would not do business with us.
It was my third time trying to rent a car without a credit card, and as wildly unsuccessful as the first two. When we finally convinced Enterprise to maybe think about renting us a car, they would only allow a two-way trip. So even if we could drive all the way to Detroit, someone would have to come back to bloody Effingham. We called cab companies and even a variety of other local companies that might be willing to drive us to Chicago, where we could rent a car with the help of friends. No one would make the trip for less than $500! Someone offered to purchase us train tickets, but Amtrak wouldn't accept about a third of our luggage, most of which was the basis of Moon's non-profit camp.
Finally a superhero friend of ours in St. Louis borrowed a car and made the eight hour trip to get us most of the way to Chicago, another friend picked us up from there to get us the rest of the way to Chicago, and we were able to rent a car from there. I drove from midnigh to six a.m. to get us to Moon's parets' house in time for breakfast. All told, it took us from noon on Wednesday to 6:00 a.m. Friday to make the trip from St. Louis to Detroit. Moon's car is completely totalled and his insurance apparently useless.
Feeling guilty and incredibly anxious about the entire situation, I called in our dodge fund. I was able to give some money to Moon to help cover the cost gas and the rental, but obviously can't begin to compensate his total loss. Especially since this money is basically it. We promised to use the fund to get home, and we're only about a third of a way through our trip!
Still, can't really complain. I'm much too distracted by relief at being alive!
Friday, October 12, 2012
Since Last I Wrote...
...Darling and I went back to the monastic home of our friend, LM, where we spent several days relaxing and taking hot showers before heading south to Missouri.
Since so recently traveling by bike and pitching a tent somewhere new three nights out of every week, it was downright luxurious to pitch a tent and leave it be. It was also fantastic to have three meals a day prepared by a volunteer cook manning a rocket stove and trio of solar ovens. Even having a bucket shower and outhouse reliably nearby was rather fantastic. All Darling and I had to do for fourteen days was learn. And there was a LOT to absorb. Permaculture is big. Very, very big. There is nothing simple about dirt, or trees, or water, or contour. Add the fact that Darling and I were studying at the Peace and Permaculture Institute, and so spent quite a bit of time on non-violent communication and other such lectures, and I was basically fried by day seven.
There is much more to say, infinitely more, but suffice to say that Darling and I now have our permaculture design certificates and are now in St. Louis, MO. Here we are staying at The Collective Arts and Movement Project, a collective living and community center where we are providing a workshop for the Superhero Training Academy. After two weeks living true to the midwest bioregion, we are back to dumpster diving for food. And the dumpster hath provided mightily. The first night, my friend and traveling companion, T, couldn't begin to bring home the bounty. TWO trash bags full of bananas, countless loaves of bread, boxes of cereal, blocks and bags of cheese, tomatoes, and 6 1/2 dozen eggs. Most of it was organic.
Someday...Someday soon, perhaps, I will have regular access to the computer and will give a much more detailed update of our journey. In the meantime, I hope everyone is doing well. Don't for a moment think I've forgotten you!
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Volunteering For Food
Besides that first successful dumpster run, Darling and I have yet to successfully reap the urban harvest. To be honest, though, we haven't really made a recent effort. Shame on us.
Last Thursday, however, we swung by Spirit Farm, a church-run community farm that supports a weekly soup kitchen and supplements the food pantry. The superheroes volunteered there, and my husband was very interested in re-connecting.
We did some watering and mulching and were rewarded with our pick from boxes and boxes of available produce. I'm hesitant to take food from soup kitchens and food pantries. While Darling and I technically fit the bill, we're perfectly capable ofhopping into dumpsters getting jobs. But the manager insisted there was more fresh produce than they'd be able to pass on to the needy before it spoiled. So we took home a big bag of mustard greens, several eggplants, some tomatoes, beautiful red and green bell peppers, corn on the cob, and okra.
So, today's frugal gypsy tip: Every town we went to had a soup kitchen, pantry, or community garden that needed volunteers and was more than happy to feed us. The soup kitchens usually only lasted about two hours, so if you went to set up, serve, and clean up afterwards, less than three hours earns you a hot meal. Garden work tends to be more intensive, but the yield is, in my opinion, more worthwhile: fresh produce on the road is the best thing ever. Food pantries always surprised us: staff mostly want to chat, do basic cleaning and organization, and then sent us away with ludicrous amounts of junk food.
Last Thursday, however, we swung by Spirit Farm, a church-run community farm that supports a weekly soup kitchen and supplements the food pantry. The superheroes volunteered there, and my husband was very interested in re-connecting.
We did some watering and mulching and were rewarded with our pick from boxes and boxes of available produce. I'm hesitant to take food from soup kitchens and food pantries. While Darling and I technically fit the bill, we're perfectly capable of
So, today's frugal gypsy tip: Every town we went to had a soup kitchen, pantry, or community garden that needed volunteers and was more than happy to feed us. The soup kitchens usually only lasted about two hours, so if you went to set up, serve, and clean up afterwards, less than three hours earns you a hot meal. Garden work tends to be more intensive, but the yield is, in my opinion, more worthwhile: fresh produce on the road is the best thing ever. Food pantries always surprised us: staff mostly want to chat, do basic cleaning and organization, and then sent us away with ludicrous amounts of junk food.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
The Dodge Fund
Throughout our marriage, Darling and I have often quietly set aside what we called a Dodge Fund. Usually only about $100 or so, this precious amount represented our ability to get out of an uncomfortable situation quickly. As in, "Get out of Dodge." Thanks to Megabus, escaping Dodge to nearly anywhere in the United States really is a matter of a hundred bucks or so.
I'm not great with savings, and our Dodge funds have often evaporated very quickly. This time around we left the fund, in cash, with my best and most trustworthy friend. We agreed that the money is absolutely untouchable until the day we use it to buy a ticket home.
Truth be told, I expected to be heading back south with my tail between my legs within two weeks of starting the bicycle superhero ride! I also expected to have an extra $400 in my pocket, though that's a story for another day. Instead, I'm in love with Detroit and have travel plans for the rest of the year, including St. Louis in October and Chicago in November before heading to Columbus for Thanksgiving and Virginia for Christmas...and we're almost entirely broke!
The thing with the bakery didn't work out, so we're back at square one financially. I'm not terribly concerned, because of the Dodge fund, but I'd still like to see through our commitments and plans. Today Darling and I discussed selling one of the bikes for bus fare.
On the one hand, this idea feels like suicide. I still ride an average of 15 miles a day! On the other hand, megabus won't let us take bikes on as luggage (I think we could get away with one, in a box, but certainly not both if we want to take any of our other stuff). So selling one of the bikes makes travel more affordable in more ways than one. Even if we had the cash on hand to get to the East Coast, there's a good chance we'd leave the bikes in storage and pay to have them shipped to us later.
Although I'm dependent on the bikes now, I don't expect to do much riding in the Blue Ridge Mountains in the dead of winter. I'll also have a number of earning opportunities with which to fund the next leg of our trip and, perhaps, purchase a replacement.
I'm not great with savings, and our Dodge funds have often evaporated very quickly. This time around we left the fund, in cash, with my best and most trustworthy friend. We agreed that the money is absolutely untouchable until the day we use it to buy a ticket home.
Truth be told, I expected to be heading back south with my tail between my legs within two weeks of starting the bicycle superhero ride! I also expected to have an extra $400 in my pocket, though that's a story for another day. Instead, I'm in love with Detroit and have travel plans for the rest of the year, including St. Louis in October and Chicago in November before heading to Columbus for Thanksgiving and Virginia for Christmas...and we're almost entirely broke!
The thing with the bakery didn't work out, so we're back at square one financially. I'm not terribly concerned, because of the Dodge fund, but I'd still like to see through our commitments and plans. Today Darling and I discussed selling one of the bikes for bus fare.
On the one hand, this idea feels like suicide. I still ride an average of 15 miles a day! On the other hand, megabus won't let us take bikes on as luggage (I think we could get away with one, in a box, but certainly not both if we want to take any of our other stuff). So selling one of the bikes makes travel more affordable in more ways than one. Even if we had the cash on hand to get to the East Coast, there's a good chance we'd leave the bikes in storage and pay to have them shipped to us later.
Although I'm dependent on the bikes now, I don't expect to do much riding in the Blue Ridge Mountains in the dead of winter. I'll also have a number of earning opportunities with which to fund the next leg of our trip and, perhaps, purchase a replacement.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Workfall
Today I visited a bakery that features an entirely organic menu and many vegan options. Although I'd had lots of bread from this establishment - and it is some of the best bread EVER - I was still surprised by the bustling storefront. Probably because so many of the businesses I worked for in Austin were barely getting by, I was expecting the same from D-town.
Although the wafting scent of coffee just about brought me to my knees, I wasn't there for a cup. I was there to make a request that never would have occurred to me if I weren't down to my last $3.
I've joked that I can get a job anytime, anywhere. But with only a week before the permaculture course, in one of the most economically-depressed cities in the nation, I wasn't planning on pressing my luck. My hostess called my bluff, however, and suggested the bakery.
I told the owner my situation: I'm an ex-superhero, broke, about 1300 miles from home, and about to travel down to Missouri for a permaculture course. The opportunity to earn even $50 would make my life significantly more comfortable. To my total surprise, the owner did not laugh in my face and send me on my way!
Nothing is for sure just yet, but it sounds promising. I was asked to come back in a few hours to talk to one of the front managers. With any luck, I'll have some money for gas and a little food cash for St. Louis!
P.S. to Gingerale and everyone else: I freaking LOVE Detroit. I think it is one of the most vital and alive cities I have had the pleasure of visiting. That is why I came back here, rather than on to Ohio to visit my brother. I plan on writing more about this awesome place, but in the meantime, when I talk of the poverty, that's not me saying the city is bad by any means.
Although the wafting scent of coffee just about brought me to my knees, I wasn't there for a cup. I was there to make a request that never would have occurred to me if I weren't down to my last $3.
I've joked that I can get a job anytime, anywhere. But with only a week before the permaculture course, in one of the most economically-depressed cities in the nation, I wasn't planning on pressing my luck. My hostess called my bluff, however, and suggested the bakery.
I told the owner my situation: I'm an ex-superhero, broke, about 1300 miles from home, and about to travel down to Missouri for a permaculture course. The opportunity to earn even $50 would make my life significantly more comfortable. To my total surprise, the owner did not laugh in my face and send me on my way!
Nothing is for sure just yet, but it sounds promising. I was asked to come back in a few hours to talk to one of the front managers. With any luck, I'll have some money for gas and a little food cash for St. Louis!
P.S. to Gingerale and everyone else: I freaking LOVE Detroit. I think it is one of the most vital and alive cities I have had the pleasure of visiting. That is why I came back here, rather than on to Ohio to visit my brother. I plan on writing more about this awesome place, but in the meantime, when I talk of the poverty, that's not me saying the city is bad by any means.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
The Urban Harvest
I learned so much during the superhero ride, but two newly developed skills come to mind as my favorite. First: I'm really glad to know I can ride thirty miles pretty easily in a day. Any more than that and I will get grumpy very, very quickly. But twenty-nine miles is the point that I think, "this is great, I can last all day!"
The other favorite skill is dumpster diving. There is so much good food behind the average grocery store! During the ride we found pounds of cheese, gallons of juice, and a daily bounty of fresh veggies. Yesterday I found about a dozen individual-sized yogurts and nine eggs. That might not sound like much, but when your net worth totals about $12, free dairy is pretty fantastic.
Obviously a big part of me is concerned about hygiene. But dumpster-diving was a huge part of the superhero ride. Despite living in close quarters, daily physical exertion, camping every night, riding through the rain on occasion, and frequenting low-income areas and housing developments, there was basically no sickness on the ride at all. We washed everything with soap and water - hot water when we could get it - cooked food well, abstained from meat, and didn't have a problem.
In the meantime, we volunteered at countless soup kitchens and food pantries. Very few offered food that even compared to the quality of our dumpster diets. Obviously feeding 200 people is much more challenging than feeding 20, but the fact remains that every single grocery store in a given town seems to be tossing out perfectly good produce, and the church down the street can't scrape together a green salad???
I'd like to develop a daily routine of regular diving, particularly to help earn our keep with our gracious hostess. I'm also going to volunteer with a community garden tomorrow in the hopes of earning some organic produce. I'll keep you posted on my success.
The other favorite skill is dumpster diving. There is so much good food behind the average grocery store! During the ride we found pounds of cheese, gallons of juice, and a daily bounty of fresh veggies. Yesterday I found about a dozen individual-sized yogurts and nine eggs. That might not sound like much, but when your net worth totals about $12, free dairy is pretty fantastic.
Obviously a big part of me is concerned about hygiene. But dumpster-diving was a huge part of the superhero ride. Despite living in close quarters, daily physical exertion, camping every night, riding through the rain on occasion, and frequenting low-income areas and housing developments, there was basically no sickness on the ride at all. We washed everything with soap and water - hot water when we could get it - cooked food well, abstained from meat, and didn't have a problem.
In the meantime, we volunteered at countless soup kitchens and food pantries. Very few offered food that even compared to the quality of our dumpster diets. Obviously feeding 200 people is much more challenging than feeding 20, but the fact remains that every single grocery store in a given town seems to be tossing out perfectly good produce, and the church down the street can't scrape together a green salad???
I'd like to develop a daily routine of regular diving, particularly to help earn our keep with our gracious hostess. I'm also going to volunteer with a community garden tomorrow in the hopes of earning some organic produce. I'll keep you posted on my success.
Monday, September 10, 2012
The Superhero Bike Ride
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| Making Sopapillas at Ann Arbor Ronald McDonald House |
During that time we lived communally with roughly 20 other people, up until the last week when there were only 7 of us. Our nomadic group was almost entirely self-sustaining: we carried our own food and tents, washed our clothes and dishes and even "showered" using buckets, and only needed a nightly source of water and toilet facilities. More than once we created and utilized composting toilets, most notably in an inner-city Detroit neighborhood that had no plumbing available to permanent residents.
We rode into towns and cities typically having no idea where we would sleep at night nor who would need our services. Our services varied from pulling weeds, turning compost, cooking and serving and cleaning up after soup kitchens, building gates, boarding up houses, buying groceries for Ronald McDonald Houses, playing with children and impromptu bike repair classes at the Boys and Girls Club, singing with senior citizens, mowing lawns, moving furniture, and cleaning offices. We helped churches and hung-over college students. We did it all in costume.
We acquired our food by donation, by dumpster diving, and sometimes from the grocery store. Our diet was vegetarian and very heavy on nuts, grains, and countless dumpster bagels. I was amazed by the quality of produce found in the trash: entire trash bags of perfectly good kale. I was amazed by my immediately lowered standards of food quality. One day we found about five pounds of cheese in the dumpster. Five days past and expiration date, we carried it despite our lack of refrigeration and happily munched on the free fatty protein at every meal. We were fortunate to have many wild edible experts on our team, our evening salads were supplemented by the very weeds we'd pulled from gardens. We lived very well on our $35/person/week budget.
Detroit has blown my mind. The poverty I've seen here is indescribable. Something I never could have wrapped my mind around in safe little Austin. We are currently staying with a single mother and it seems that dumpster diving will continue to be a major theme in our life for the time being. We have also been invited to stay at a friary, which is another strange story. In two weeks Darling and I will go down to Missouri, where we will spend two weeks in an intensive permaculture design course and then another week in St. Louis volunteering with the Superhero Training Academy (a kids camp of sorts). We are effectively broke. My very brief time with the Fransiscan Friars has me considering dropping the last penny into someone's hat, tying a plain rope around my waist and embracing the inevitable: monetarily, we have nothing to offer, nothing to our names.
Like I said, we "hung up our capes" a few days ago. But everyone here knows us as Knight Shift and Valour, and introduces us as such In fact, everywhere my husband and I go, our superhero identities are called on, expected, maybe even needed. There is almost a rejection of Maya, which I was not expecting. In some ways it is very gratifying to be asked to continue in this way, at least through the St. Louis Super Hero Training Academy. In other ways, part of me is thinking, "crap, I was only a few miles from Toledo, I could be with my brother in Ohio right now, and instead I'm one of the new superheroes of East Side Detroit."
Thankfully the MO crowd is made up of farmers and part-time heroes. Soon my life will revolve around beekeeping, food preservation, gift economy, crop rotation, "zones," mulch, and manure. That should provide the perspective needed to clear my head and move forward...whichever direction that takes me.
Friday, August 10, 2012
First Week On The Road
Darling and I were picked up Monday afternoon by Tom.Tom knows how to travel. He had a cooler full of quinoa salad, hummus, pita bread, broccoli salad, feta, and more. He packed plenty of his home brew beer to relax after a long day of driving, and he wanted to stop and see the sights along the way.
Because of Tom, Darling and I went hiking in Hot Springs, Arkansas, splashed around small pools of the hot mineral water, and enjoyed a free tour of one of the hold spas. We were well fed and well rested. I got to drive a Prius for the first time. Gas was...not as cheap as I was hoping. We spent one night in a hotel, the next night in a campground along Michigan lake. That morning we woke up and went swimming just after sunrise. The water was cold, the sand was clean, and I couldn't believe the beauty.
After taking us to pick blueberries, Tom dropped Darling and me off in East Lansing. We still had way too much luggage and too little of a working plan. Our first act of business was to steal wifi from a Starbucks (our intention was to buy a cup of coffee, but...well, we didn't). Rather than starting our ride from Lansing to Flint in the middle of the day, we decided to spend the night at a campsite and head out first thing in the morning.
First thing in the morning the rain began. I waited for any evidence it would be like Texas rain: Fast and Furious. No, this was the long, steady drizzle of rain that plans on sticking around for a few weeks. Fortunately, our tent proved very waterproof and our inflatable mattress and quilt kept us warm. But still, it was raining. Shelter takes on new dimensions when it is more temporary than adverse weather.
We took the computer (I am so freaking happy we splurged on getting the laptop fixed!) to use the wifi in the office and debate our options. We could spend another night at the campground, testing the tenacity of the tent and our patience, not to mention drain our rapidly diminishing bank account. We could bicycle 50 miles in the rain, which might test the tenacity of our physical and mental health. Or we could put out a couple of calls for help. We rang Laughing Moon, one of the leaders of this ride. Then I looked up Lansing in the Communities Directory.
I called MSU practically on accident, having no idea what to expect. It's basically an umbrella organization for the area student co-ops. Less than half an hour later, Darling and I were offered a bedroom, shower, and hot meal for the night! In fact, the house we were invited to stay at happened to be having a potluck that night, so there was a massive amount of food, a little bit of cheap beer, and amazing company.
Have I mentioned that cooperative housing is the best thing that has happened to anyone, ever? The people of Bower House totally rock my world. I can't believe how willing they were to open their home to a couple of drenched bicyclists!
In the meantime, Laughing Moon called us back to let us know that a few heroes are renting a van to drive up to Flint, and are willing to pick us up on their way. Such a relief to avoid the rainstorms predicted throughout the weekend! We're now at a library, attempting to download skype and simply staying dry.
I can't believe we've been traveling for less than a week! Tonight we dine at Three Roods Farm, our headquarters for the next two weeks. Then, we leap into the unknown with fifteen or so other mad heroes.
Monday, August 6, 2012
The Past Few Days...
* delicious dinner with housemates
* dinner, game, and dip in the pool with R and S
* long game at Mordi and Ambi's house, Nat 20's and Nat 1's bringing down the house
* One small emotional breakdown, followed by a brief nap
* Tea with sister followed by tea with brother
* Many trips to Goodwill
* Not enough trips to Goodwill
* 10,000 trips across town
* 2 waffle breakfasts for housemates
* 3 melons harvested from the garden
* 600 cups of coffee
* about 6 hours of sleep, total, in 4-5 days
* about 6 missed meals in same time period
* about 60 sad goodbyes, hesitant hugs, shifty Goodbyes.
* The realization that I am much like Hank Hill in my expression of affection. To someone I love dearly, someone I've known over ten years: "Well, we'll be seeing you...we're...awfully fond of you."
* Yet another bittersweet dawn, my rooster crowing, a desire to savor and sit and soak in my final few hours...but the bathroom needs scrubbing, trash needs to be tucked somewhere, tools tucked into the garage. My life has been dismantled, largely discarded, and packed into pannier saddle bags.
I head to Michigan in a few hours. It might be a few weeks before I have Internet access again. But, just so you know, Darling and I, we sure care a lot about you guys.
* dinner, game, and dip in the pool with R and S
* long game at Mordi and Ambi's house, Nat 20's and Nat 1's bringing down the house
* One small emotional breakdown, followed by a brief nap
* Tea with sister followed by tea with brother
* Many trips to Goodwill
* Not enough trips to Goodwill
* 10,000 trips across town
* 2 waffle breakfasts for housemates
* 3 melons harvested from the garden
* 600 cups of coffee
* about 6 hours of sleep, total, in 4-5 days
* about 6 missed meals in same time period
* about 60 sad goodbyes, hesitant hugs, shifty Goodbyes.
* The realization that I am much like Hank Hill in my expression of affection. To someone I love dearly, someone I've known over ten years: "Well, we'll be seeing you...we're...awfully fond of you."
* Yet another bittersweet dawn, my rooster crowing, a desire to savor and sit and soak in my final few hours...but the bathroom needs scrubbing, trash needs to be tucked somewhere, tools tucked into the garage. My life has been dismantled, largely discarded, and packed into pannier saddle bags.
I head to Michigan in a few hours. It might be a few weeks before I have Internet access again. But, just so you know, Darling and I, we sure care a lot about you guys.
Friday, August 3, 2012
Last Few Days In Austin
The last few days have both been endless and flying by. In one sense, I can't believe we basically decided to hit the road just a couple of weeks ago. It feels like we've been packing for months, and we've gotten so much done! On the other hand, I'm busy from dawn until, well, dawn again, and the to-do list doesn't seem to shrink.
* My laptop is in the repair shop and should be ready for pick-up tomorrow. That's pretty much the last "major" expense we can allow ourselves in Austin, as the bank account is beginning to dwindle.
* Darling and I purchased two new-to-us mountain bikes from Craigslist. Neither have been ridden more than a few times, both seem like pretty solid steeds, and one was definitely a steal.
* We purchased two racks, one pannier, one set of lights, a lock, two patch kits, two spare tubes, and...I think that's it. Darling installed the racks and they seem really low to me - maybe because I'm used to seeing them on street bikes? Darling still needs to purchase a helmet, and I will be buying one from a house mate.
* We'll also be buying a tent from said housemate, who is inheriting our rocking chair.
* Hopefully another housemate will take our bed, and we'll have the Sally Army come by for our dresser after we're gone. The table Darling built will be a gift to the house.
* The U-Haul truck was a major waste of funds.
* Our ride to Michigan seems like a really nice guy. He was interested in camping, eating health food, and sharing his home brew in the evenings.
* We sold our books to Half Price Books and got way too much money for what I thought we had. Which means we actually gave them something fairly valuable. Which I'm trying not to think about, because whatever it was must have been Darling's...
* We leave Monday. Tonight is my last shift at work. Then tomorrow family and friends and Goodwill deliveries and food and sleep and swimming and then...
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Bike And Truck
Darling and I took our bikes to the shop for what I coyly described to the cute girl mechanic as "a basic tune up." She tried really, really hard to be nice and polite, but basically told us that our steeds were ready to be put to pasture. Actually, she said that about Darling's, a $40 affair that was never quite right but was still an excellent investment in terms of getting him to classes, across town, and one 25 mile trip. My little racing bike, a gift from Agni, is perfectly serviceable but entirely inappropriate for touring.
We bought some expensive bike gloves and lamented our fate on the way home. We were torn between spending all of our money on new decent bikes or almost no money on bikes that we would struggle with until the next awkward conversation with a mechanic. Then we got on craigslist. Three hours later, Darling had a decent bike at a reasonable price.
Yesterday I gave the bike a test ride. It wasn't until I pulled myself onto the slightly-too-tall seat that I realized I haven't been on a bike in over a year! My racing bike developed a wonky pedal problem when I was working at the pub, then I quit the pub, joined the union, drove a giant truck for eight months...and now I'm here, out of shape and planning to bike about a thousand miles!
I rode the bike to pick up my UHaul down the road, which just happened to be up a very steadily-sloped hill. I was sore and stressed by the time I got to the facility, but my frustration was soon transferred to the hour-and-a-half wait for my vehicle.
Darling and I decided to get the truck yesterday so we'd have our room entirely cleaned out before my work week started so our last few days would be smooth and relaxing. We have very little stuff, we can take only a fraction of it, a couple of boxes of vitally important keepsakes would be given to friends for safekeeping, and the rest goes to Goodwill...Easy peasy, right?
Sorting through the vitally important keepsakes took HOURS. My journal collection officially takes up more than a trunk's worth of space, though it doesn't help that I've been tasked with keeping some of my Dads' albums. Darling also had to box up and prepare his computer and hardware for storage - remember the really pricey dream machine he built earlier this year? In the end, we only got a couple of suitcases to friends and a couple of boxes to Goodwill. Fortunately, one of my housemates is renting a truck today, so maybe we'll get a chance to finish the job tonight.
Last night we had dinner with friends, came home late at night, and I woke up early in the morning to return the UHaul. I tossed the bike in the back for the return trip, which turned out infinitely more pleasurable. I work tonight, which means the sleep deprivation begins. Today we meet the man we're travelling up north with, continue packing, and get my laptop into a repair shop.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Tech Win
My Mom and elder brother were in town for the weekend. Brother for research for his next book, Mom for her birthday. Darling and I bought her cake (after a brief baking mishap) and cider and had two home-cooked dinners with family. I made lunch on Sunday and spent the evening with friends.
I've been hanging out, off and on, with a certain group of people for over ten years now. We've been "on again" quite successfully recently, and the chemistry is so great that I admit that leaving them is the most difficult aspect of this trip. That and, you know, packing. Anyway, yesterday two of those friends were out of town and actually used Skype to participate with us. It took a while to get used to, but I was amazed by the end result: we'd had almost as much fun as if all of us were in the same room.
I don't think that skype will be possible for us while on the bike ride, and I know it won't be possible on the following two weeks of intensive off-grid living program, but otherwise it looks like technology could really keep us together and that makes me really happy :)
Now all I have to do is get the laptop repaired before leaving town.
Also on the list of repair/buy before hitting the road:
* Contacts (for emergencies, I'll be wearing my glasses, but if something were to happen to them I'd be helplessly blind)
* My Bike (somethings wrong with the pedal deelie, and since it's very definitely a street bike I'd like to see if I can get thicker tires for the gravel-country roads we'll be riding down)
*Darling's bike, a general tune up
*Patch kits and spare tubes, allen keys
* Helmets and new bike lights, set up for panniers, bike gloves
* Small tent and sleeping pad
* Get a cell phone that holds a charge for more than six minutes
I've rented a truck tomorrow to get donations moving out of the room, help me run errands, and also help another friend move. Everything is going smoothly.
I've been hanging out, off and on, with a certain group of people for over ten years now. We've been "on again" quite successfully recently, and the chemistry is so great that I admit that leaving them is the most difficult aspect of this trip. That and, you know, packing. Anyway, yesterday two of those friends were out of town and actually used Skype to participate with us. It took a while to get used to, but I was amazed by the end result: we'd had almost as much fun as if all of us were in the same room.
I don't think that skype will be possible for us while on the bike ride, and I know it won't be possible on the following two weeks of intensive off-grid living program, but otherwise it looks like technology could really keep us together and that makes me really happy :)
Now all I have to do is get the laptop repaired before leaving town.
Also on the list of repair/buy before hitting the road:
* Contacts (for emergencies, I'll be wearing my glasses, but if something were to happen to them I'd be helplessly blind)
* My Bike (somethings wrong with the pedal deelie, and since it's very definitely a street bike I'd like to see if I can get thicker tires for the gravel-country roads we'll be riding down)
*Darling's bike, a general tune up
*Patch kits and spare tubes, allen keys
* Helmets and new bike lights, set up for panniers, bike gloves
* Small tent and sleeping pad
* Get a cell phone that holds a charge for more than six minutes
I've rented a truck tomorrow to get donations moving out of the room, help me run errands, and also help another friend move. Everything is going smoothly.
Saturday, July 28, 2012
The Good And The Bad
The chicken I was convinced had a broken neck yesterday morning is now fit as a fiddle (assuming that fiddles are healthy and pooping all over my living room) and ready to join her sisters and mate back in the pen. Today I slept well, had breakfast, gave a tour of the co-op, and spent two hours on the bus to spend one hour with my mom and brother. Besides my Dad, everyone of consequence now knows about my trip to Michigan.
This morning started out great with an e-mail response to my Craigslist rideshare ad. Not only is someone else driving to Michigan in early August, but he just happens to have an available bike rack, and his car is a prius! So our tranpsortation cost is going to be half of what we were expecting, with all the benefits we could have hoped for!
A while later I interviewed a very promising candidate for the co-op, which is good news because the house has agreed that if Darling and I can find someone to take our room by September, we won't be obligated to pay that last month of rent. And THEN I found my wallet, which I'd pretty much given up on. Yay for not having to replace my license and debit card ten days before crossing the country!
Things went downhill once I was with my wonderful family. My mom wants me to pay for the truck repair before I go. Having a vehicle was a glorious boon, a fabulous gift from my loving mother who only ever wants to help and promote the pursuit of my dreams. It was also a trap. I'll never forgive myself for getting into a fender bender that sleepy Monday morning, but it happened and it still needs paying for.
It's just bodywork, but automobiles are the most vampire of inventions and this will pretty much bleed me dry. I don't mean to suggest that this is unfair in the slightest, it's just overwhelming. Especially since I've gotten used to thinking in terms of my upcominghomelessness travels. I set myself up to have enough cash to get north, hang with the heroes for at least four weeks, travel south and east at my leisure, and maybe eek out a limited living back in Texas in early 2013 before heading west next spring.
Paying for bodywork, however, could easily cost as much as I planned to spend for the entire trip. Read: the rest of the goddamn YEAR. I know my Mom didn't mean to, but she basically said, "you want to leave town? Great! But first, why don't you write me a check for all the money you'll have in the foreseeable future?"
Oh well, at least I can cross one more debt off the list, which will leave me, yet again, with student loans alone.
This morning started out great with an e-mail response to my Craigslist rideshare ad. Not only is someone else driving to Michigan in early August, but he just happens to have an available bike rack, and his car is a prius! So our tranpsortation cost is going to be half of what we were expecting, with all the benefits we could have hoped for!
A while later I interviewed a very promising candidate for the co-op, which is good news because the house has agreed that if Darling and I can find someone to take our room by September, we won't be obligated to pay that last month of rent. And THEN I found my wallet, which I'd pretty much given up on. Yay for not having to replace my license and debit card ten days before crossing the country!
Things went downhill once I was with my wonderful family. My mom wants me to pay for the truck repair before I go. Having a vehicle was a glorious boon, a fabulous gift from my loving mother who only ever wants to help and promote the pursuit of my dreams. It was also a trap. I'll never forgive myself for getting into a fender bender that sleepy Monday morning, but it happened and it still needs paying for.
It's just bodywork, but automobiles are the most vampire of inventions and this will pretty much bleed me dry. I don't mean to suggest that this is unfair in the slightest, it's just overwhelming. Especially since I've gotten used to thinking in terms of my upcoming
Paying for bodywork, however, could easily cost as much as I planned to spend for the entire trip. Read: the rest of the goddamn YEAR. I know my Mom didn't mean to, but she basically said, "you want to leave town? Great! But first, why don't you write me a check for all the money you'll have in the foreseeable future?"
Oh well, at least I can cross one more debt off the list, which will leave me, yet again, with student loans alone.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Hen Happenings
Came home in a daze this morning from my overnight shift at work, during which I turned in my two week-ish notice (I could only give thirteen days notice, but picked up a couple of shifts in the meantime to make up for it). I poured myself a mug of coffee and resolved to at least think through the next couple of days...and woke up an hour later to the sound of J calling my name.
I knew something was very wrong very quickly, and was sure enough led to a heartbreaking sight: our little americana hen, flopped over in the dirt, head twisted at an awkward angle, breathing heavily. My first thought was that of a farm girl rather than a vegetarian woman, "God, I have to put it down. I have to put it down so it doesn't suffer, and I have to do it quickly and quietly so my housemates don't suffer."
But she exhibited no sign of physical violence, no cuts or abrasions. Just an entirely limp neck, listless body, barely twitching feathers. Her eyes were shut tight. She didn't seem to be in any pain, necessarily, so we packed her in a soft box and brought her into the living room to let nature take its course. I sat in the living room for a couple of hours, surprised to see her twitch and stir and flop on occasion, still entirely silent. We wet her beak in water and she surprised us by opening her eyes briefly. I finally went to catch a couple of hours of sleep, then went to lunch with my brother.
I was absolutely amazed to come home from lunch to find her standing. Holding up her head, supported on an apparently un-wrung neck. She lay back down after a couple of minutes, after I dribbled more water into her beak, and then she went back to sleep. It was as though she'd come back from the dead. I approached her later to stroke her feathers and she made a soft, guttural noise, the first I'd heard her make during the entire ordeal, and incredibly comforting.
Checked on the five other birds. She is the rooster's favorite, and it is hard to tell if he is sitting gloomily or possibly sick himself. These two have been together since week one, and tend to flip out when separated at all. The others scratch and peck. Feathers are glossy, eyes clear, beaks and feet brightly colored. Hard to say what could have struck down the little americana...but she is getting better.
...
I have obtained a free pannier, a very large, very pretty set up that I can't wait to pack and install on my future steed. It will provide the dimensions of my new life, define my capacity as an owner of stuff.
I have also lost my wallet. I remember very distinctly the shape and feel of it in my hand, and then the memory blurs and my next recollection is sitting in the dirt, cradling a limp bird three hours later. Hope it turns up.
Dinner with siblings tonight, this time we will actually get a picture together (at lunch Eb said, "we got a picture together last time...you just weren't there.") Tomorrow my Mom comes into town to make things interesting, Sunday I drive her back home and bring back the truck, at which point the purging begins for serious. Three days to downsize into a set of saddlebags.
I have also lost my wallet. I remember very distinctly the shape and feel of it in my hand, and then the memory blurs and my next recollection is sitting in the dirt, cradling a limp bird three hours later. Hope it turns up.
Dinner with siblings tonight, this time we will actually get a picture together (at lunch Eb said, "we got a picture together last time...you just weren't there.") Tomorrow my Mom comes into town to make things interesting, Sunday I drive her back home and bring back the truck, at which point the purging begins for serious. Three days to downsize into a set of saddlebags.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Travel Plans
After a handful of hurried phone calls and excited conversations, Darling and I decided to join up with the bicycle superheroes for their ride across Michigan in August.
We have just enough time and cash to spare to wrap up our current projects, turn in my two week notice, and find some way to get up north in time for the orientation. The Bicycle Superheroes are a service-oriented group of people who like to dress up in amazingly silly costumes and do good deeds, and somehow have been getting away with this for over ten years.
From Michigan we plan on spending a couple of weeks off grid in Missouri to recuperate - I mean, take an intensive homestead/yoga/restorative justice course through the possibility alliance - and from there we will most likely beg/borrow/steal/bicycle our way to Virginia for the holidays. Then we will have a couple of months to cool our heels, work (I have quite a few employment opportunities in VA), hopefully play in the snow, and prepare for the next step, which I'm hoping to be the green building apprenticeship in Moab, Utah.
For anyone interested in the price of cross-country travel, I've discovered that an individual can travel from Austin, TX to Flint, Michigan for about $100. That's taking the Megabus to Ann Arbor and then a greyhound the rest of the way. The trip takes close to three days, you will have a few hours in both Memphis and Chicago, and you'll need a place to sleep one night in Michigan. You will also transfer about four times.
Taking a Greyhound costs about $150 and involves three transfers, but is the fastest route I found.
For a little more than $200 you can take Amtrak. It also takes about three days, involves a transfer, and one of the trains does not check luggage. This can actually be a good thing, as I've found in the past, because you can have heavier luggage than technically allowed since no one but you handles it. This is also a bad thing because it sucks handling your own luggage, especially if you have a LOT of it and aren't expecting to haul it all across the Chicago train station, leading to a near breakdown of epic proportions. So, ah, be prepared.
I also put a post on Cragslist in hopes of a rideshare. I'll keep you posted on my luck :)
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Garden Gumbo and Procrastinating
Yesterday I picked up an afternoon/evening shift and was so tired afterwards that I could barely get Darling to work before crashing out. I dried more tomatoes, some red chilies, and a sliced banana overnight. I investigated the garden first thing this morning and was amazed to find even more ripe cherry tomatoes and at least a half-pound of okra. Normally our garden is completely wiped out by now, so it's kind of amazing, and exhausting, to still have so much to do. Not that I can complain about the rain and beautiful weather and abundance of veggies (and promise of melons, yum!).
I made a vegetarian gumbo to use up some of that okra and the larger tomatoes and it turned out amazingly well. A lot of people probably would resent my use of the word gumbo to describe something that does not include sausage or seafood, but it was a spicy dish with rice, okra, and tomatoes and that's good enough for me.
I got a call back from the community Darling and I are most excited about, and tonight one of the green builders we're interested in apprenticing with is giving a free-talk and we're going to go and introduce ourselves. Darling has applied for two positions, one of which I am also applying for, so I need to catch up with him. Which means, um, procrastinating less.
I made a vegetarian gumbo to use up some of that okra and the larger tomatoes and it turned out amazingly well. A lot of people probably would resent my use of the word gumbo to describe something that does not include sausage or seafood, but it was a spicy dish with rice, okra, and tomatoes and that's good enough for me.
I got a call back from the community Darling and I are most excited about, and tonight one of the green builders we're interested in apprenticing with is giving a free-talk and we're going to go and introduce ourselves. Darling has applied for two positions, one of which I am also applying for, so I need to catch up with him. Which means, um, procrastinating less.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Night Shift
Since Darling is due at work at three in the morning these days, I've given into my night-shift schedule entirely. Fortunately, putting in my notice with the house has relieved us of some our obligations, at least psychologically. I still attended the board meeting on Sunday, said my piece, and acted as secretary, but I slept through today's regular house meeting on accident.
My house business is on the back-burner because my social calendar is seriously over-burdened. Yet again I wonder how anyone is actually able to squeeze life around a full-time job. Friday I spent time down south working on Darling's not-so-secret-but-kind-of-a-surprise birthday present. Saturday I cancelled my normal weekend plans to attend a family party, and Sunday was the board meeting.
Today I was looking forward to some time for myself. This morning I was enjoying a cup of coffee and watching the chickens eradicate stink bugs from what's left of our squash plants when Bo asked if I had "a minute." Before I knew what was happening the two of us were building the chicken run. I'd long since passed this chore to other housemates, having completely exhausted my patience on building the coop itself. Bu two hours later the girls (and the rogue rooster, and the girl I'm pretty sure is actually a boy but is still keeping mum) were happily pecking about their new and improved coop-enclosed yard.
I put some goals up on my left sidebar to correlate with my 3-hours a day of productivity. I need to make another list of things I have completed, but, besides the run, can't say I've done much that's measurable. Maybe I'll star recording jars of dried tomatoes, or numbers of trips to Goodwill to make deliveries.
Solidarity, Not Charity
I went to Treasure City Thrift's 25 cent sale on Saturday, and it was CROWDED. I don't know why I imagined a quiet, dusty little sale populated by a handful of hippies and punks commenting on each other's cute finds and pleasant dispositions, but obviously I am delusional. There were definitely hippies, punks, pleasant comments, and dust, but there were also countless other people jam-packed, hunching over boxes, strewing clothing all over the floor, and slipping in and out of a line that wrapped around the racks and right back out the door.
I picked up a decent shoulder bag and stuffed it with everything that caught my eye. No time to try anything on, no space to think. I picked up one shirt for $3, which seemed incalculably expensive compared to the rest of my swag. For a little over $6 I brought home that shirt, the shoulder bag for Darling, an incredibly cute black hat, three shirts that I plan to keep, and three shirts and a pair of pants that didn't quite fit and will be donated back to the shop. I would have paid six dollars for the hat alone, so I'm calling this a success. I still need new jeans.
Friday, July 13, 2012
Why?
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| This is my ideal location <3 |
Here is a list of AWESOME that Darling and I are hoping to tap in to:
The Possibility Alliance, a Missouri-based petroleum-free homestead that offers a gift-economy permaculture course to visitors and a restring ground for...
The Bicycle Superheroes! Who are exactly as amazing as you could possibly imagine them to be, which I know from calling them up and hearing their voice mail ("leave a message at the goat.")
The Possibility Alliance has also inspired the Be The Change Project, a similar undertaking in Reno, Nevada, which is related to Cobitat For Humanity, the website for which has recently vanished :(
All of these groups are interrelated in one way or another, it seems, with Missouri communities such as Red Earth Farms and Dancing Rabbit. Both of which remind me of my original dream communities in Virginia: the Classic Twin Oaks and the smaller Acorn. Most of these are members of the Federation of Egalitarian Communities.
While I'd like to visit all these groups (actually, I have a dozen communities in Missouri alone that I'd like to check out), Darling and I are hampered by the fact that we don't actually want to join a community. We're in it for the learning opportunities more than the nesting potential. Which brings us to green building apprenticeships and internships...
I'd LOVE to apprentice with Clay Sand Straw, their homes are beautiful and you can tell they work for love. Another top pick would be Community Rebuilds. It would be SO amazing to build straw bale homes from start to finish in beautiful Moab, Utah. This is pretty much exactly what Darling and I discussed doing with our lives the first few months of our marriage. I also approve of the suggestion that participants also volunteer with organic gardeners and at thrift stores, and require interns to bring an automobile or bike. That means this gorgeous desert town has organic gardens and thrift stores, two of my favorite things, and bike transportation is a possibility, which is pretty rare in many rural environments. And they pay a little. I mean, just an itty bit, but so many places want you to pay to volunteer...
Speaking of pay, Darling will be applying for the single nonprofit solar job we've been able to hunt down. I'm not leaving the link because I'm greedy and I don't want anyone else to have it...Okay, no, I'll do it. How cool does Grid Alternatives look? Affordable solar power for the people who really need it? I'm there.
We'd rather stick with solar and green building work - even if it's for room and board alone - but I've wanted to live and work at Innisfree almost before I even knew about it. I guess if we find ourselves on the East Coast...
There are lots of opportunities out there, but I'm almost tempted to visit a place just for the sake of it. Davies, California, which I've been in love with since reading Beanie's description. Which I now am too lazy to find (why is your search function limited, Bean?). Just read her entire blog from start to finish, like I did, and you will see that and many other wonderful posts. And the state of Colorado is basically the solar employment capitol of the world. That's about as north as I'll get Darling for the time being...
Most of these links are to groups I have a personal connection with one way or another, but I'll also do a quick shout out to the brand new Food Not Bombs Free Skool. Arroyo Seco is pretty close to Taos, New Mexico, home of the Earthship architecture. Darling and I will stop by to drop off some seeds and tools, at the very least.
Fortunately, Darling's bosses are paying him to be rambling man. Our leave-by date was set to conform to their schedule, not ours. Depending on our savings come October, we might head to North Carolina instead of west, swinging north to spend holidays with family, and moving on from there. Depending on the responses received from the 10,000 letters of inquiry we'll be sending out, we may or may not stick with Darling's job (don't worry, commercial solar isn't going anywhere, the jobs will be waiting for us the moment we want back into mainstream).
What do you think? Are there any great collectives, communities, or companies we should check out in your town?
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Where?
Eleven weeks and counting before Darling and I commence on what I have begun to think of our "new life." We have yet to come up with a plan more definite than the embracing the concept of "new," and perhaps spending the next 77 days bickering constantly. Yeah. The Softly Household is not reaching new heights on the Summer Fun Chart.
I spendevery waking moment a little time every day completely freaking out contemplating the future.
Darling wishes to go westward, a dream he's nurtured since he was an adorable little kid in short pants wading across the muddy Island of his lineage. We are therefore investigating New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada. Because we recently met a long lost second-cousin of mine who has been living with her partner on a petroleum-free eco-village dedicated to gift-economy ideals, Missouri has now been added to our list of "maybe places." Because Colorado has the highest per capita number of solar jobs of any state in the country, it has earned a place on the list. And, of course, there's California. Because...yeah, it's California. How could it not be on any hippie's wish list?
The internet has been a tool of questionable value in my research. On the one hand, instant info is pretty awesome. Whenever I consider a new location, I can check out the craigslist page and learn a lot about the surrounding area. On the other hand, up-to-date information on legitimate community endeavors is hard to come by. It doesn't help that Google Search has become ridiculously slated. I search the same term on my house computer and work computer and get completely different results. So if I search for, say, "Reno Nevada Cooperative," I don't know if there is honestly nothing to find, or if Google thinks there are 700 things I'd rather see. I do use quotations, '+' and '-' signs, and the whole nine yards in that respect, with little appreciable benefit.
In the meantime, I know from my own experience in a settled co-op that many communities aren't falling over themselves to drum up interest online. We'll throw up basic websites and forget about them. Many of us also check our phone messages once a month, or only when we're looking for new members. Many established communities spend more time working on group dynamics of the established membership than on expansion. It's not because we're mean or cold or necessarily inclusive. It's just that many communities, and all great communities, operate and live as a family. Bringing in new residents is family planning. Few parents want that to be as simple as opening the front door and letting just anyone walk in.
That's my round about way of saying that contacting the sort of groups Darling and I want to visit is more challenging than dropping a line or simply calling from the bus station in their town. Fortunately, we've been involved in the scene long enough to have some leads.
That's what we know in terms of "where?" "How?" is another matter entirely, and don't get started on "why?.."
I spend
Darling wishes to go westward, a dream he's nurtured since he was an adorable little kid in short pants wading across the muddy Island of his lineage. We are therefore investigating New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada. Because we recently met a long lost second-cousin of mine who has been living with her partner on a petroleum-free eco-village dedicated to gift-economy ideals, Missouri has now been added to our list of "maybe places." Because Colorado has the highest per capita number of solar jobs of any state in the country, it has earned a place on the list. And, of course, there's California. Because...yeah, it's California. How could it not be on any hippie's wish list?
The internet has been a tool of questionable value in my research. On the one hand, instant info is pretty awesome. Whenever I consider a new location, I can check out the craigslist page and learn a lot about the surrounding area. On the other hand, up-to-date information on legitimate community endeavors is hard to come by. It doesn't help that Google Search has become ridiculously slated. I search the same term on my house computer and work computer and get completely different results. So if I search for, say, "Reno Nevada Cooperative," I don't know if there is honestly nothing to find, or if Google thinks there are 700 things I'd rather see. I do use quotations, '+' and '-' signs, and the whole nine yards in that respect, with little appreciable benefit.
In the meantime, I know from my own experience in a settled co-op that many communities aren't falling over themselves to drum up interest online. We'll throw up basic websites and forget about them. Many of us also check our phone messages once a month, or only when we're looking for new members. Many established communities spend more time working on group dynamics of the established membership than on expansion. It's not because we're mean or cold or necessarily inclusive. It's just that many communities, and all great communities, operate and live as a family. Bringing in new residents is family planning. Few parents want that to be as simple as opening the front door and letting just anyone walk in.
That's my round about way of saying that contacting the sort of groups Darling and I want to visit is more challenging than dropping a line or simply calling from the bus station in their town. Fortunately, we've been involved in the scene long enough to have some leads.
That's what we know in terms of "where?" "How?" is another matter entirely, and don't get started on "why?.."
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Wardrobe Change
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| The jeans I'm wearing in this picture pretty much sum up the situation. |
Considering the fact that the jeans I like only cost about $5 a pair, AND I am the only person I know whose waistline is smaller than it was in high school, you'd think shopping would be, I don't know, enjoyable? Something I would look forward to and indulge in more often than once every 28 months? But no. Paying $2,000 a month in debt is significantly easier for me than spending $20 on my wardrobe.
For the first time in a while, though, it looks like are finances are only going to get tighter in the coming months. So I grit my teeth and headed down to St. Vincents to restock.
I've been to malls in the past few years, and they are strange and funny things. I can't imagine seriously shopping for clothing in the harshly lit rows of near-identical "styles." I'm amazed anyone can stand it. The last time I was at a store, I found that "florescent" is an acceptable shade. Which is fine, but for an entire store? Or pink, there is a store in the mall that only sells pink!
At a thrift store, one's options are not defined by a single designer's ill-advised "mood," or even a particular season. You have more choice than color variation. One can find different cuts, styles, and fabrics. I remember having a problem with this freedom at one point, when I was nineteen and had some illusion of fitting in at school, but that seems as silly to me today as my childish dislike of vegetables and my desire to own a car.
That said, I could not find a pair of jeans that made me happy. Frustrated, I decided to have a little fun in the dressing room. I chose some of the flounciest, shortest, brightest skirts off the rack. I then picked out the most ruffled, see-through, floral blouses. One great thing about St. Vincent's is that, as long as you don't make a mess, you can take as many things into the dressing rooms as you want. So I hauled about 20 items into the booth and spent about two hours playing dress up!
In the end, I purchased nothing besides a $4 sleeping bag (not sure that was a good choice). I wanted some time to reflect on how the shopping trip made me feel. I'd never felt so good in a dressing room. So does that mean I should reconsider my somewhat conservative style of jeans and brown, gray, and black t-shirts? I know it sounds dour, but my nature is ultimately utilitarian. My jobs often take place outside, or involve cleaning with bleach, and lately require a certain authoritarian stance. None of this bodes well for ruffles or silk.
Not only that, but I'm a couple of months away from a cross country trip that may very well be bicycle-powered. In the winter. Hopefully to building sites. This is clear enough evidence that I am not smart, but am I really going to push that by experimenting with cutesy clothing now?!
I don't buy anything on impulse (I've been looking for a sleeping bag), which is why I walked away empty-handed to reflect on the experience. But my need to restock my wardrobe is almost as pressing as the tightness of my budget. I need to either buy jeans whether or not they make me happy or feel good, or I need to risk catering to what might be a passing whim.
The solution, as usual, was obvious and somewhat serendipitous. It turns out that a Treasure City Thrift is having a 25 cent sale this Saturday! I could re-stock my entire wardrobe with my standard attire (jeans, t-shirts) AND fulfill my craving for girly goods for FIVE DOLLARS. Even if my needs can't be met within the confines of the sale, regularly priced items are only $2-4, so I can fill the gaps without breaking my limited bank.
Tell me again why anyone would ever go to the mall?
p.s. In order to assuage my "can I look cute on a bike" fears, I googled "cute bike outfits" and found this blog. I am now fearless!
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Why I Pay
I've never gotten to spend an appreciable amount of time with my elder brother's wife, but I know we would be great friends given half a chance. We're both obsessed with books and I suspect her of having a deep sympathy for social justice, feminism, and economic equality. The fact that I develop this suspicion having had, at most, six minutes of one-on-one conversation with her only bolsters my belief.
Over a pizza dinner at a family-favorite restaurant, we discuss student loan debt. I divulge the devastating amount of debt I accrued within four semesters. Her eyebrows rise and she says, indignantly, "Well, I hope you walked away from it."
Stifle your snorts, friends, because get this: both she and my brother are college professors. And she's one of about six college professors who have had that exact same reaction. In fact, I kind of feel dumb for my devoted abolition of my debt.
(I hesitated using the word "abolition," btw, but googled the definition and decided that it's actually quite a fitting use. Much more appropriate than the terms "btw" or "googled." Also, is "college professor" redundant?)
It took me about seven years to pay $20,000 in debt. With only 10% of that left, it's way too late to rethink my fantasy of freedom, it would be ridiculous to step back now. However, I can't help but consider the implications of that $20,000. That's a down payment. It's a car. It's a year of not working. It's several years of rent. It's a community college degree or a trade certification. I had, over the course of my adult life, an accumulated excess of $20,000. It could have purchased me total dental health, regardlesss of my insurance status. And I have very little to show for it.
Don't get me wrong, that was an awesome couple of years in college. I'm glad I didn't finish, I'm glad I met Darling, and I'm glad that need drove me to experiment with cooperative living, car freedom, and exploratory employment. I'm glad that accruing so much debt so quickly scared me away from the common indulgences of our age. But still...knowing then what I know now, would I have walked away from my debt? Knowing that I would never fit into the mainstream, knowing that I don't want anything to do with the status quo, knowing that the faster I pay my student loans, the worse my credit score looks...
Yeah. I would have paid back my debt. I would have paid it more quickly, would have postponed my a trip to England and avoided that Hellish Summer at my Mom's. Maybe. I wouldn't have walked away from my debt. If tomorrow the government announced that all student loans are forgiven, and scientists announced the invention of a time machine, I would not go back in time and do things differently.
Not because paying back the debt is the right thing to do. Anyone who believes that has a very stunted view of morality: the institutions that have made student debt what it is today are so completely twisted and screwy that I refuse to accept that ANYONE owes them ANYTHING - and I have many friends and family who depend on the college industry for work, so don't think I'm talking trash about the administrators and professors, here. I'm talking about the money movers. The people who "sell" my loans to each other every couple of years, which shows up as a negative mark (or five) on my credit report every single time. The "servicers" who do nothing but take over a week to process payments, deny my deferment applications, and collect interest. Yeah...there's nothing moral about feeding that particular machine.
I paid my student debt - and will continue to do so - for insurance purposes. Because tomorrow, the government is not going to say all student loans are forgiven, no matter how much it would help the overburdened Y Generation. I would much more likely have my paychecks garnished, my credit destroyed, and my friends and family hounded relentlessly by credit agencies. I could spend my life fighting the system, and in some ways I will. But I'd much rather exit the system first, so much as possible, and then face it on my own terms.
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