simplify

SIMPLIFY


I picked up my truck Wednesday afternoon. The bill was only $130. It was a melted fused wire, probably due to a faulty ground that sucked in too much amps ( or some damn like that ). Considering that even with a more highly skilled mechanical knowledge I could have still missed something like that, it doesn’t seem like an undue cost. So, as much as it pains me to remind you that I’m always right even if it’s for the wrong reason, I must request that those mocking me for my inability to repair my vehicle SUCK IT. For those that offered to help financially as both the dentist and mechanic struck at the same time, thank you. But that is what savings are for. I’m down to an uncomfortable level but I will recharge it in a few months. You do much more than is warranted with your generous donations as it is. And I still have the donation to take the wife out to dinner. She really appreciated that, as she is tired of my bland repetitive meals. We already went to the $7.77 prime rib and will go out again this weekend to Wingers ( kind of a Applebee’s but much better ). Any donations made with a specific purchase requested will be honored. I still have a donation from last year that asked to be used only on a durable post-apocalypse good rather than a book or consumable. I would have bought a belt knife but the local knife store closed. Still not sure what to do with it. Perhaps rimfire.

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Hmmm. A comments question on my top post-apocalypse fiction recommendations. Without looking at the book tote ( one tote holds fiction, under the bed holds non-fiction, as does the cabinets and cardboard boxes. Books are everywhere ) and refreshing my memory I can’t really add more than my top three. Lucifer’s Hammer ( Lucifer's Hammer ). Dies The Fire ( Dies the Fire: A Novel of the Change ). And of course One Second After ( One Second After ). My definition of a good post-apoc novel is great detail, written well enough to be reread repeatedly, and a lot of ideas and ponderables. Patriots is too Yuppie orientated and a bit stiff in its writing style. I’m not claiming I could do better, I’m comparing his to other published books of the genre. Go-Go Girls Of The Apocalypse ( Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse: A Novel ) was a fun read and got me to buy the authors contemporary crime novels he was so good, but it is not a reread. I enjoyed The Unit, but while heads above a lot of drek out there and full of “makes you really think” it wasn’t top ten. World Made By Hand ( World Made by Hand: A Novel ) was well written and worth the money, but a Birkenstock tree hugging east coast blue blood asshat fairy tale all the same. I know I’m forgetting a lot, but I’ll wrap it up anyway. Lucifer’s and Dies The Fire, definitely are buy and reread books.

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We opened up the “simplify” subject yesterday. Basically, simplify to decrease your odds of equipment failure. Today, simplifying your life presently. Voluntarily simplify now and beat the rush as others are forced to simplify. Now, I’m not saying you should only own a blanket and a hat and wander the deserts in search of white boys being evil business owners exploiting workers ( I loved Kung Fu [ Kung Fu: The Complete Series Collection ], but you have to wonder about its anti-capitalism message ). Simplify doesn’t necessarily mean lack of possessions. I used to have a self imposed rule that whatever didn’t fit into two duffle bags when I moved ( and I used to move a lot ) was given away. This was a retarded rule as I kept re-buying the books I gave away. And if I had all the wheat I’ve tossed overboard to move I would at least double my current ton plus. Most likely triple it. Not that I didn’t try to keep it. When I lived back in California me and my dad took turns helping each other move. I got the far worse end of the deal as step mom has a semi load worth of crap. High end crap, but still crap. Heavy oak crap. Five freezers in the garage, etc. Anyway, he told he me wasn’t moving the same two dozen buckets of wheat one more time. They got moved around quite a bit. But, alas, eventually they were given away on an austerity move. I think more important than the number of possessions is how self sustaining they are. And, in intangibles, if the item is from debt or has a monthly cost.

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You have to invest ahead of time to simplify. There is no instant gratification. To get off the grid you must buy the equipment. To do away with rent and mortgage you must buy land and build a shelter. But while those actions temporarily over complicate your life, they quickly simplify it. Hooking up to grid electricity ( The Colony ) is painless. Hooking up to panels and batteries require cleaning and almost daily inspection. But the point is to forego the necessity of earning the money to pay for the regular electricity, which includes car payments and higher rent for a nearby job and work clothes, etc. If you can slowly eliminate monthly bills, you are simplifying. But you also can’t just replicate the middleclass lifestyle. You need to downgrade to the simplest way to remedy problems. Which is why I prefer the bike commute ( Ready to Pedal: Ride More, Drive Less, Here's How! Bicycle DVD ). I have the motor vehicle, enjoy what it does, but don’t rely on it to survive. The bicycle simplifies transportation. I clear the land of scrub brush, not with a tractor or chainsaw, but with a manual saw and pruners ( the small blade, long handle pruner was the wife’s idea- and works much better than a saw. Plus, it was on end of season clearance ). It is simple and a breakage is cheap and easy to remedy. Water hauled in buckets is far easier than financing a well and all the equipment that needs ( what frozen pipes? ). We all need tools and tools must be maintained. But butt simple tools ( manual sweeper and annual rug beating instead of an electric vacuum powered by a generator ) vastly simplify your life.

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I might be repeating myself largely from yesterday. If so, my apologies. I’m eager and willing to write but lack an exciting subject right now. Remember, there will always be dry spells, but they are always followed by flashes of brilliance.  To make it up to you, guest articles next two days.
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