South Carolina has great fireworks. And most of Nishi’s family. Both were pretty great. I got to see some friends and family on our return trip.
That’s where the last two weeks went, and why there were no posts. Good times were had. Nothing to report. Time to get a job.
I’ve been carrying quite the arsenal around with me this summer, and it’s proved so helpful I don’t think I’ll stop. I suppose it’s a bit of a carryover from last summer’s trip. In my shorts, I currently have a flashlight, lighter, pocket knife, notepad and pencil, and my cell phone. I could go on and on about the knife, since it has been solely responsible for fixing the bus the last few times it has broken down, but this post is about the flashlight.
It’s kind of an odd tool, and I didn’t realize how often I would use it until I started carrying one around with me. I started keeping one in my pocket last summer to check the flow of the oil as we filtered, and found other uses for it since it was on hand. I bought a better light, and kept it with me this summer. Since it’s a little expensive, I’ve looped the lanyard around my belt loop to keep from losing it if it falls out of my pocket. It’s nice to have it that handy and secure, but a pain to get off the belt loop, and as a result I’ve been doing a lot of illuminating from hip level.
At the craft store the other day, I picked up some snaps. I put the male end on my belt loop, and the female end on the end of the lanyard (it turns out all you need to attach snaps is a hammer). And now my light is quickly connected or disconnected from my hip. My attire is slowly becoming perfectly utilitarian, and I’m pleased.
So I’ve been walking around barefoot or in sandals for most, if not all of the summer. And I’ve developed some rather impressive callouses on my feet.
Nishi has been upholstering for much of the summer as well, and much of that work is either prying staples out of old furniture, or stapling new fabric. I’ve been fairly careful so far to avoid staples while walking around her workspace, and haven’t had any nasty surprises yet.
However, this morning as I got out of bed, I noticed my heel was dragging – catching on the bed sheet. I reached down, and felt a staple logged into my heel. It was a staple that had been pried off a chair, so replace that new staple image in your head with a gnarled and twisted one. I had to show it off, but I just yanked it out and went on my way. I’ve never been more proud of my feet.
We’ll be attending the Rally to Restore Sanity on the 30th, and I’m hoping it will not be a problem. Nishi and I will be traveling down with Anne Marie, on our way to the Carolinas. According to the FAQ on the Rally’s website, a permit to get a bus in the city costs $50, while parking it costs another $40. I think I’ll be leaning on the fact that I’m driving an RV, and park it on the street somewhere several days beforehand. I’m sure we won’t attract any attention. Then again, maybe I should just get someone to shuttle us from a Walmart.
I’m pretty excited for the Rally, and I’m certain it will be fun, though I’m curious how they’re going to play it with the March to Keep Fear Alive occurring alongside it. A few weeks ago, Peter invited us to go out on the streets with him baring signs of acceptance and love. Nishi flew a “Free Hugs!” sign while I carried one that read “Have a nice day!” Peter made a sign that is shockingly similar to this one that appeared on the Daily Show a few days later. When he told me about this idea, I thought it would be funny to hold a counter-protest on an opposite street corner, with people holding signs supporting the abstract concept of hate. It would probably be pretty funny, but it would also undermine any legitimacy the initial event promoting love had.
I’m a little worried the March to Keep Fear Alive will do just that, and the entire event will just become a Daily Show / Colbert fan circlejerk. It will still be fun (I mean hey, circlejerk), but it won’t really register with anyone outside those circles. I’m also hoping I’m wrong, because I think the Rally for Americans in favor of a return to sanity, or something like that, has an extremely legitimate message to get across, and is addressing what is at least partially responsible for the lack of any real governance. I guess we’ll wait and see.
On my path to knowing what I’m doing when I’m baking, I’m setting a deadline. I want to have baked at least one of each type of bread detailed in The Bread Baker’s Apprentice by Thanksgiving. I certainly have the time, even though there will be a few weeks of living on a bus between then and now. Why arbitrary deadlines when I am otherwise unemployed and responsibilityless? Because otherwise it won’t happen. Now it will. I’ll post pictures.
I’ve entered the world of bizarro employment, where I do nothing and get paid for it, because once upon a time I made money. I will hopefully only be on unemployment for a month, but I’m hoping to use that time to get a few personal projects started. Mainly: stocks and bread. After that, I would like to get a part time job working with dough, while I entertain stocks on the side.
And maybe I’ll start chipping away at that large pile of books I’ve accumulated. And maybe I’ll make it through those couple tabs that never leave my browser. And maybe we’ll see some significant cultural change at a rally in late October. And maybe we’ll see that change in the people we elect in early November. And maybe the economy will recover enough to give me a job by December. And maybe nothing will really change and we’ll just keep plodding onwards. And maybe I won’t lose my shirt during all of this, because of the free money.
I’ve taken to carrying a notepad with me, after meaning to do so for years. Joe has carried a notepad around with him for as long as I can remember, and I’ve always thought it’s a good idea. So far, I’m just using it as a to-do/shopping list, but it is helping me get things done. My hope is that I’ll be able to remember more of those wonderful fleeting ideas that spring on me when I’m not ready for them. Or maybe I’ll just forget to write things down in it like the last time I tried this.
So I’ve moved into my grandfather’s old house in Niantic. He’s been diagnosed with alzheimer’s, and is in assisted living. He had saved a lot of money, but assisted living eats that quickly, so he may need to sell the house to stay. We’re living in and fixing it up in exchange for rent. It’s nice having an entire house to ourselves, and having a place where people can crash for extended periods of time. Cooking for ourselves has probably been the biggest benefit, and we’ve been exploring different meal options, on a real tight budget. I’m keeping our receipts, and will be posting after some time a write up on how we’re eating cheap and healthy.
Also, I recently bought two bread books and will be starting to bake more difficult breads in the coming weeks. I’ll be posting updates on that as well.
I’ve been considering buying an mp3 player for months now, but I’ve avoided doing so because the only real option I have is a large capacity iPod. I don’t like iPods for one big reason: once you put music on, you can’t take it back off. Sure, tools like Senuti exist, and work well, but it doesn’t work that way by design, and I don’t like that at all. However, there aren’t many >100GB players, and of what is out there, the iPod is the best for my needs. So I caved, and bought a refurbished 160GB recently.
Moving from my main computer with it’s 60GB internal, I’m really really happy with all the new space. Things I’ve had lying around on DVDs can now be readily accessed, and life is good.
On a side note, I have a set of speakers that I bought at the same time I bought my first computer. It was a bottom-of-the-line Dell, and I paid as much for the speakers as I did for the computer. While that computer is now living out its remaining years as a MythTV box, I still have and love those speakers. They’ve traveled with me to college and back – but upon returning home were never unpacked. I just used the speakers that were already set up. I’ve recently set up these speakers, and I’m shocked at the difference I notice when listening to anything. I’m enjoying listening to music again, a hobby I’d taken a leave from for…well…about as long as it’s been since I’ve heard these speakers. While audiophiles might go overboard sometimes, a good set of speakers really makes a world of difference.
