the story of stuff

i've been concerned with consumerism for a while now. it is emotionally unhealthy. it's wasteful. it shows you can not think for yourself. and the pace of our consumption just can't be maintained.

let's start with the emotional aspect of consumerism. it can be really fun to buy yourself a new toy; i just took on a short gig with the intent of rewarding myself with a digital piano. but i view this as a good purchase. i'm not getting the piano to impress my friends or neighbors, or because i want to keep up with the joneses. i'm getting it because i have played the piano since i was a small child, and i miss the endless hours of indescribable peace or clarity or fire (depending on the piece) that comes with playing.

but to those who are buying what they're selling: stop it. you have been brainwashed by advertising. an economy based on consumerism doesn't take the finite amount of resources we have into account. it doesn't take into account that when you pay $4.99 for a radio, you have not really paid for the radio, but have been subsidized by less fortunate folks who help fund your purchase indirectly with their misfortune (low wages, no health insurance, exposure to hazardous materials, etc.). it doesn't consider pollution or its side effects such as an increase in sickness or allergies, or their side effect of rising health insurance costs.

grandpa was right: there is no such thing as a free lunch.

i found a video on the internet that explains the lifecycle of stuff at http://www.storyofstuff.com/. it's 20 minutes long, so watch it when you have a little bit of time. if you are guilt-free after you watch it, i applaud you.

i'm bored

when is the last time you spoke those words? the last time i recall saying them was about 25 years ago.

for a long time, i didn't understand why or how people got bored. even when i am not doing anything (which is a rare occasion), i'm not bored. i'm thoroughly enjoying not doing anything. but i think i've realized the paradoxical secret. if you have nothing to do, doing nothing is no fun; even finding something to do is somewhat of a chore.

think about this: what's more fun than playing hooky? you know that you have (non-critical) work to be done, but yet you take the day off to loaf. it stirs up the old familiar feelings of childhood summers. ah, lighthearted freedom.

so.

take heed the next time you are tempted to say, "i'm bored." maybe you're not bored but lazy (are the dished done, the lawn mowed, the house clean, the laundry done?). maybe the life has been sucked out of you by a stressful job that you need to get out of (even a bike ride or a round of golf doesn't sound like fun?).

every week, i deliberate on how i'm going to possibly cram everything in: work on barni the bus, develop my product ideas, do my remodling, play with some friends (biking, climbing, golf or racquetball, anyone?), cook meals, do blog posts, keep the house kinda sorta clean, answer e-mails, watch my soap (on itunes - no commercials!), keep up with the latest news in my industry, attend a class or seminar, and maybe talk to my mother.

and next week, i'll start another gig. somehow, with travel time included, i'll have to find 50 extra hours every week.

i can't wait to play hooky. it's going to feel soooo good.

tele-stalking

the topic of blogs came up the other night, and one friend admitted to being keen on keeping up with what folks are doing without having to be nosy. typical midwesterner.

i liken this to a mild form of e-stalking. bloggers can now experience the same creepy feeling that was formerly reserved for those in stardom - people know all about you, but you don't even know who they are. this is, imho, a good thing, as it builds sympathy for the rich and famous, and sympathy (along with empathy) is a key ingredient to a compassionate and enjoyable world.

so.

back in the day, before this whole internet craze, if someone wanted to stalk you they had to drive by your house, or conveniently show up at places they knew you'd be, or call you. i've had a tele-stalker on my land line for years - 16ish. i answer the phone and there is dead silence on the other end. sometimes i hang up right away, or sometimes they hang up right away (but then it could have just been a wrong number. maybe). sometimes i don't hang up to see if i can get them to hang up first (tip: go to the bathroom, check back, pay bills, check back, and so on).

but maybe it's not really a tele-stalker. it could be dozens of random people calling in hopes of hearing my witty answering machine recordings. "hello. i'm out cavorting. when i'm done, i'll call you back if you leave your name and number." i mean, who wouldn't call just for that? but then again, the average american watches 4+ hours of tv every day, so maybe this is sufficient to be called entertainment.

i wonder if there is a way to make an rss feed to announce every time i change my message? then everyone wouldn't have to call and be disappointed because the message was the same as last time.

meantime, keep calling, keep blogging, and ride your bike.

and always remember: just because you're paranoid, it doesn't mean they aren't out to get you.

scenes from around the house, and plant rant

there are signs that poncho is around, which i haven't seen for a while; here is an empty walnut shell. the peace lily is about to bloom. the amaryllis, which mom brought over so i could enjoy it while she travels, has just bloomed. ahh, spring.

may as well rant about plants while i'm here...

i like plants a lot. they're pretty, they give off oxygen and take in carbon dioxide, and i find their presence to be quite soothing. they have good energy, too (wacka wacka alert).

sadly, i'm just kind of self-absorbed and don't want to spend a lot of time taking fawning over something else (ok, other than dogs. which i have zero of at the moment). basically, if you like to get watered every sunday and are happy with the amount of sunlight you get based on where i set you, we're going to get along just fine.

i'm getting better, though. i now spritz them (when i remember) after their sunday watering. they love that! you can just see them beam (wwa). and if you're a dramatic dropper at the first sign of thirst, you may even get watered on wednesday.

there have been a few losses along the way. r.i.p. to college ficus (overwatering), college spider plant (what went wrong?), college bonsai (wwr?), 2-tone ivy (overwatering), poinsettia (if only i'd known you didn't like it outside!), dana spider plant and dana orchid (died after we broke up. eerie.).

peace lily has been with me the longest; almost 18 years, i believe. hibiscus is next in longevity (1992); it was a housewarming present from our realtor; i really need to learn how to properly prune it, as it's looking kinda scraggly. ivy is also long-standing (1999); it was a gift from dr. chu, who did my lasik surgery. angel trumpet (2005) is an amazingly regenerative plant; it drops old leaves and makes new leaves like crazy. ficus (2006) is hanging on for dear life; i overwatered it, then replanted it in a draining pot, which made it drop 2/3 of its leaves, but seems to have stabilized and just might make it!

thanks to all for making my life greener.

another hectic day of retirement

this will be my last entry for now. you all get the idea, and can use your imagination to figure how my day is going in the future.

so here's how today went:
5:28am - tell mom's cat lucky that it's still bedtime.
5:40am - final reminder. he's catching on to this.
8:30am - get up, lazypants! rise and shine.
9am - have a snack, check e-mails, google reader (rss feed)
10am - go to starbucks, bookstore, copy center and fleet farm. go to hejny rental, rent jackhammer.
noon - have a snack. e-mails and rss.
12:30 - don ear plugs and safety glasses. skillfully wield jackhammer.
3:30 - i'm beat. do e-mails, rss. do blog entry. [projecting...] shower. return jackhammer. go to dinn'r and k.t. tunstall concert with my friend tim. night night bedtime.

tomorrow i'm heading to wichita for my cousin's graduation, carpooling with mom and aunt. even retired folks need a vacation!

another day of retirement

whew, retirement can be hectic. i've am ti-red and am about ready to relax for the rest of my waking hours.

so here's how today went:
5:12am - tell my mom's cat (lucky) that it's still bedtime.
5:20am - inform lucky that we do not get up at this hour in this house.
5:40am - remind lucky that he goes home tomorrow, so stop whining.
5:60am - i think he finally got the picture.
8:30am - rise and shine, sleepyhead.
9am - put away 3 loads of laundry that have been sitting there since sunday.
9:15am - check e-mail and google reader (rss feeds)
10am - make and eat breakfast (sturdiwheat waffles - nummy!)
10:45 - house drawing, plot view (hey, that's one thing on my to-do list already!)
12:15 - building permit forms. i'm confused.
1pm - hit the climbing gym for some bouldering, have a snack.
3:30pm - play a lot of racquetball, shower.
7pm - i'm hungry. i'm pooped. i am out of beer. sh*t.
7:05pm - re-stock beer supply, eat.
7:45 - e-mail and rss
8:30 - crack open beer, write post for little life and work hacks (http://www.kimra.com/hacks)
9:00 - write this blog post. [projecting...] have another beer. catch up on some reading. night night bedtime.

what retirement is like

when i don't work (which is as often as possible), many people ask me some version of the same question: "what do you do all day?" just to discredit the false belief that retirement is all reruns and bonbons, i will document what i do for the next few days.

on a side note, i think my future is that of a retirement consultant. it's a shame that so many people die shortly after they retire - they're missing out on the best part. my higher calling just might be to save these people from the despair of a purposeless post-employee existence.

i have two major goals to accomplish during this bout with retirement: remodel the upstairs, and get barnithebus.com up and running.

so here's how today went:
5:30am - tell my mom's cat (i'm cat-sitting) that it's still bedtime.
5:40am - inform lucky (mom's cat) that we do not get up at this hour in this house.
5:50am - remind lucky that it's bedtime.
5:60am - i think he finally got the picture.
7:45am - wake up. relish the feeling that there is no urgent need to get up. bask in morning lazy goodness.
8am - rise and shine.
8:30am - check e-mail and google reader (rss feeds)
9am - chiropractor appointment
10am - have a snack. more e-mail, rss.
11am - relocate items from upstairs to basement.
noon - take stuff to goodwill. mtb at battle creek (saw two deer, or maybe one twice). shower. eat. e-mail and rss.
4pm - web site consulting at womenventure (volunteer work)
6:30pm - eat, e-mail, rss
7:30pm - consult todays to-do list. 3 items. have done zero. sh*t.
8pm - house drawing (plan view). check one thing off of the list.
9pm - crack open beer. kimra company miscellaneous business (e-mails, paperwork, etc.).
10pm - do blog entry. [projecting...] watch friday's episode of days of our lives. waste some time on youtube. night night bedtime.

have cowbell, will cheer

my mountain bike cheering kit is now complete.

:)

i hope it makes you go faster!

finding direction

gandhi is credited with saying, speed is irrelevant if you're traveling in the wrong direction.

he is so right.

i frequently marvel at mainstream america - for many reasons. one of them is the trend toward excess: larger houses, a car for every family member, a tv in every room, $700 handbags...and all the stereotypical possessions that scream stereotypical success.

let's back up. i must first confess that i'm so not mainstream. my grandmother raised me; my pedigree is dubious; i learned to drive when i was 10; i like girls; i don't have cable. i've been accused of being a luddite; i am an engineer.

ergo, i have trouble relating with the masses, and it precludes my membership into the target market. i just ain't buyin' what they're sellin'. my thought patterns don't match up; the quest for "more" has little appeal. more takes money to buy. more takes money to insure. more takes time and money to maintain. more takes up space. more takes time to clean. more takes time to put away.

more is a drain on my resources.

let's talk resources. money is a resource - a renewable resource. if you want more money, you can simply work more hours (or hours at another job). but then you are too busy working to have time to play with your stuff, so what sense does that make?

the real trouble is - and this is where most people fail to make the critical connection - time is also a resource. and it's not renewable. i repeat: not renewable. it's not a large cognitive leap to recognize that time is invaluable.

so while mainstream america will wake to their alarms, scurrying off to their jobs to pay for more, i'll be enjoying my latest bout with "retirement" - the time i take off between gigs as a reward for living below my means. i'll get enough sleep, take some hikes, sip on lemonade (hmm...it's cinco de mayo - maybe i'll have a celebratory margarita at lunch), go for rides on my bicycles and motorcycle, volunteer, learn how to cook a new dish, and many other things that i find meaningful and bring me pleasure.

this may not be the way of the masses, but it works for me. and in my determination, that's the best we can do: spend our unknown allotment of life in a thoughtful and deliberate way.