I had an unexpected extra day off this week because I will be working a show for my store for the next three days. It's been an all around crappy day. One of those days that is cold, wet, and apparently depressingly ripe for introspection. I haven't done anything today. That said, it's only 3 o'clock, but I have gone through today feeling like a failure. Mostly because I've wasted time perusing the internet looking for things I want. Really, I don't need more "things." Given some of the amazing gifts I've had (no college debt for starters) it seems ungrateful to want anything. I guess what I'm after is a purpose, sprinkled with some meaning. My job doesn't really help anyone...it lies firmly in the consumer/consumption side of the economy, and when I see all of the waste (a tremendous amount of garbage is generated by retail with shipping, etc.), the garbage products that are out there (cheap, overpriced plastic toys from China that kids cry over when they don't get them), it begins to eat away at my self worth.
Is it silly that my perceived value is so integrally tied to my livelihood? After all, it's a job, not a career. But I can never seem to separate myself. Perhaps I am a product of the "make every kid feel special" generation, where I'm so pathetically idealistic that I think I can make a difference. Is that part of why we 20 somethings can't seem to find our stride? Because we really bought into the idea that we could make a difference? There's a poster on Despair, Inc. in the style of the posters that used to be on the walls of our high school classrooms. Rich, high quality images, with an catch word, and a pithy quote to back it up. It reads "Potential," underneath a full size image of a sack of french fries, with the sub message of, "Not everyone gets to be an astronaut when they grow up." Some of us have to be corporate pawns so that we appreciate the success stories in all of the magazines.
I have an idea of something that might make me feel better. But, we'll see if I can get motivated enough to actually do it.
3.30.2011
People Power
I have not always been a "thin" person. In fact, I still don't see myself as thin. Average maybe, but thin by most people's standards I guess. I think if you are or have ever been fat, you'll always be fat on the inside. There is a certain self-devaluing mindset that accompanies obesity. But happily, I lost weight in college. I'd lost some in high school mind you, but instead of gaining the freshman 15, I lost it. Twice over. In the intervening 5-7 years, I'd done the gradual, 5lb a year weight gain. It finally came to the point where I was going to have to do something, or buy new clothes. Read that first post again...being impoverished doesn't exactly jive with new wardrobes. Fortunately last year the organization (and I use that term loosely) that I worked for offered Weight Watchers to any employee willing to go through the program for something ridiculous like 16 weeks. It was fantastic. People chided me as, "not needing to lose weight," but at 175 lbs and standing just under 5'9", I was considered to be overweight. I lost 25 lbs last summer doing that, and vowed I would never let that happen again. A year later, I'm within 5 lbs of last year. But that is how it started before, no? Those sneaky 5 lbs.
That is the backstory of course, and you're here (well, if anyone actually read this) because of the present. I'm trying to find ways to increase activity, and save money. So I've decided to merge the two goals, and I'm planning to begin commuting to work by bicycle at least part of the time. I don't live as close as I used to. When I worked downtown, it was just barely over 2 miles to work. Now, it's just under 15. Before you assume I'm crazy, hear me out. At 15 miles, that should take me near an hour to make the trip. Many people drive longer than that. And let's face it, a 15 mile bike ride is nothing. I'm also looking at selling one of my cars and buying something uber fuel efficient. And incidentally, cheaper to insure than a Luxury Sport Coupe. My only concern is traveling a rather busy route to work on a road where there is no shoulder in most cases. That means as a bicyclist, I have to do the "pisses everyone off" thing and take up a whole lane by myself. But hey, if it's the difference between me, and me squished on the sidewalk, I can curse and flip them right back off when they pass.
People powered objects are liberating in my opinion. It connects you more with the task at hand. Ever done laundry by hand? Decidedly more fun than people realize. Ever make something on a treadle sewing machine? Very rewarding. The mechanical connection between man and machine, and the substantive relationship between man and his ability to provide for himself is liberating. Liberating in perhaps a way that laundry has never been. There is corporate slavery involved in using your washing machine. Without a job, you can't afford the machine, or the gas and electric to run them. I think sometimes our own leisure time contributes to our petty dissatisfactions with life.
That is the backstory of course, and you're here (well, if anyone actually read this) because of the present. I'm trying to find ways to increase activity, and save money. So I've decided to merge the two goals, and I'm planning to begin commuting to work by bicycle at least part of the time. I don't live as close as I used to. When I worked downtown, it was just barely over 2 miles to work. Now, it's just under 15. Before you assume I'm crazy, hear me out. At 15 miles, that should take me near an hour to make the trip. Many people drive longer than that. And let's face it, a 15 mile bike ride is nothing. I'm also looking at selling one of my cars and buying something uber fuel efficient. And incidentally, cheaper to insure than a Luxury Sport Coupe. My only concern is traveling a rather busy route to work on a road where there is no shoulder in most cases. That means as a bicyclist, I have to do the "pisses everyone off" thing and take up a whole lane by myself. But hey, if it's the difference between me, and me squished on the sidewalk, I can curse and flip them right back off when they pass.
People powered objects are liberating in my opinion. It connects you more with the task at hand. Ever done laundry by hand? Decidedly more fun than people realize. Ever make something on a treadle sewing machine? Very rewarding. The mechanical connection between man and machine, and the substantive relationship between man and his ability to provide for himself is liberating. Liberating in perhaps a way that laundry has never been. There is corporate slavery involved in using your washing machine. Without a job, you can't afford the machine, or the gas and electric to run them. I think sometimes our own leisure time contributes to our petty dissatisfactions with life.
3.25.2011
Lending
This is awfully early in a blog for a bitch fest, so I'll try to make it short. I wouldn't call my house a dump. Some people might. I call it neglected. Apparently the bank is in the former camp. Historic homes were, if not better built than new homes, built out of better materials. But many of them were complicated, particularly homes from the last third of the 19th century. The industrial revolution changed buildings more rapidly in thirty years than anything for the preceding several hundred years. Maybe since the arch? Houses had central heating, and central plumbing, and in the case of my house, a built-in gutter system. There is nothing better than box gutters at the bottom of your roof to move a lot of water rapidly. Because they are broad, they're easier to clean, and it's easier for leaves to be blown out of them. But they were expensive. REALLY expensive. But they last about a century with little to no maintenance (save for cleaning, and in the case of non-copper gutters, occasional painting). My house has now surpassed that mark. It'll be turning 120 next year. So the gutters need rebuilt. Some of the slate needs patched, the windows need a few rails replaced, and the house needs painted, etc., etc.... I'm trying to get the slate patched first. That will allow me to finish the bathroom upstairs as the roof won't be leaking on it. Then, I could potentially bring in another housemate, which would increase my buying power so that I can ultimately tackle the $40k in gutter work that needs to happen.
Baby steps. I bought the house as a foreclosure and have, based on the appraisal, 4x what I owe on the house in equity. I want to tap into 1/6 of that equity. But no one will do it because of the condition of the house. Just saying...it's not like I'm using the money to take a trip to Hawaii. Frustrating to say the least. Everyone keeps telling me to do one thing at a time, but people seem to forget that everything is related. I can't do a bathroom if the roof leaks on it. I can't do the roof unless the bathroom is fixed and I can generate more income. I can't do the pantry, if I don't do the other bathroom, but I can't do the other bathroom till the one above it is finished. I can't paint the house unless the gutters aren't leaking on it. Maddening. I know it sounds like a dump but it is more than just an awesome house, it's my home. There is nothing better than a warm spring or fall day and having the tower windows open and a breeze blowing across the bed. You can't appraise that.
My complaint is to all of the banks out there...there are those of us who want to do things slowly, so that we don't get in over our heads. Please help us, and we'll help you make a profit, AND not get into the mess that you got yourselves in before by allowing people to get in over their heads. Think about it.
Baby steps. I bought the house as a foreclosure and have, based on the appraisal, 4x what I owe on the house in equity. I want to tap into 1/6 of that equity. But no one will do it because of the condition of the house. Just saying...it's not like I'm using the money to take a trip to Hawaii. Frustrating to say the least. Everyone keeps telling me to do one thing at a time, but people seem to forget that everything is related. I can't do a bathroom if the roof leaks on it. I can't do the roof unless the bathroom is fixed and I can generate more income. I can't do the pantry, if I don't do the other bathroom, but I can't do the other bathroom till the one above it is finished. I can't paint the house unless the gutters aren't leaking on it. Maddening. I know it sounds like a dump but it is more than just an awesome house, it's my home. There is nothing better than a warm spring or fall day and having the tower windows open and a breeze blowing across the bed. You can't appraise that.
My complaint is to all of the banks out there...there are those of us who want to do things slowly, so that we don't get in over our heads. Please help us, and we'll help you make a profit, AND not get into the mess that you got yourselves in before by allowing people to get in over their heads. Think about it.
3.18.2011
Introduction
I guess it's only fair that if I decide to start blogging, I should introduce myself. I'm Wes. I live in Cincinnati, in one of the Hilltop Communities, a group of suburbs that occupy the hills above Cincinnati. I live in the shadow of what was once a healthy, upper middle class suburb. Now, we're a relatively intact group of majestic, decaying homes, like a group of old ladies, ragged from time and neglect, with their heads held high. Like many twenty-somethings, I have a college degree, but it is of little use in a failing economy, though my field should theoretically be some of the most important work occurring right now.
I studied Historic Preservation, and Architectural History. While it may seem to buildings what Anthropology is to Humans, hear me out. Preservation is a "labor-intensive" process. Anyone who has ever worked on an old house knows that. However, they fail to see "labor-intensive" as a foil to "materials-intensive." That simply means more money is spent on people rather than materials in old buildings, as opposed to more money going to materials with new construction. This serves several purposes. One: A building that gets torn down usually goes into a landfill. Well, it doesn't if you don't tear it down. Two: More skilled laborers are required to repair a building. Sure, there may be some shrinkage in the materials supply industry, but that tends to offer lower wages than skilled labor anyway. Three: People like old buildings. So many people say they don't like them, but they visit places like Boston, Salem, Savannah, Charleston, New Orleans, San Francisco, etc. Why? Because the buildings are prettier, the layouts more walkable, and there always seems to be a sense of community lacking in their cookie cutter suburban neighborhoods. So...Heritage Tourism is always a big part of local economies in places like the aforementioned ones.
I'm also sort of a jack-of-all trades. Master of none, of course. I think that gender roles are kind of stupid. We're good at what we're good at. I always sucked at sports, and I hate yardwork, but I'm a decent cook, a pretty damn good baker, and I know my way around a sewing machine. That said, I still mow the yard (please don't ask me to rake), attempt small car and appliance repairs, wire and re-wire stuff. I build things. I do it all. The theme of singleness will be a thread that gets woven through the fabric of my thoughts, because as many people realize, whether you are single or not, if you're the only person with the can-do mindset, you're still on your own. I own my house, and even though I have a tenant and a housemate, I am still the "head of the household", and the "lady of the household" if you will. I am the singular representative of my domestic sphere. How about that?
I recently read a book entitled, "Radical Homemaking," that deals with people who have generally eschewed the confines of the traditional work environment, instead replacing it with time honored skills that use one's own labors to save money, and create a healthier sphere of living. It is a way of life that builds community and brings people together, instead of dividing, and excluding them, or forcing them to retreat to an impersonal online community. (You know, like the one we're creating here) I find that the more time people spend communicating via non face-to-face means, the more poorly people function in the "real world." I think there can be a balance that both engages the world constructively and still value the retreat to the most comprehensive realm of information and communication known to mankind.
I want to plant a garden, and I want to can stuff. I want a closer relationship to the world around me. I grew up in the country, and my family lives on a farm (though they don't farm), but I finally see the value in a lifestyle that I was always eager to leave behind. I think the reality was not that I didn't see any value in good morals, and a community of tightly knit, helpful people. I just didn't see the value in the close-mindedness that often accompanies such places. I'm still a social liberal. I'm just a fiscal conservative. That means I'll probably drag some politics in at times too. Hey, it can't all be fun and games.
Anyway, up until this point in my life, I've never read more than an occasional blog, let alone created one. But join me as we plan, plant, sow and harvest, ideas, livelihoods, gardens, and grassroots.
I studied Historic Preservation, and Architectural History. While it may seem to buildings what Anthropology is to Humans, hear me out. Preservation is a "labor-intensive" process. Anyone who has ever worked on an old house knows that. However, they fail to see "labor-intensive" as a foil to "materials-intensive." That simply means more money is spent on people rather than materials in old buildings, as opposed to more money going to materials with new construction. This serves several purposes. One: A building that gets torn down usually goes into a landfill. Well, it doesn't if you don't tear it down. Two: More skilled laborers are required to repair a building. Sure, there may be some shrinkage in the materials supply industry, but that tends to offer lower wages than skilled labor anyway. Three: People like old buildings. So many people say they don't like them, but they visit places like Boston, Salem, Savannah, Charleston, New Orleans, San Francisco, etc. Why? Because the buildings are prettier, the layouts more walkable, and there always seems to be a sense of community lacking in their cookie cutter suburban neighborhoods. So...Heritage Tourism is always a big part of local economies in places like the aforementioned ones.
I'm also sort of a jack-of-all trades. Master of none, of course. I think that gender roles are kind of stupid. We're good at what we're good at. I always sucked at sports, and I hate yardwork, but I'm a decent cook, a pretty damn good baker, and I know my way around a sewing machine. That said, I still mow the yard (please don't ask me to rake), attempt small car and appliance repairs, wire and re-wire stuff. I build things. I do it all. The theme of singleness will be a thread that gets woven through the fabric of my thoughts, because as many people realize, whether you are single or not, if you're the only person with the can-do mindset, you're still on your own. I own my house, and even though I have a tenant and a housemate, I am still the "head of the household", and the "lady of the household" if you will. I am the singular representative of my domestic sphere. How about that?
I recently read a book entitled, "Radical Homemaking," that deals with people who have generally eschewed the confines of the traditional work environment, instead replacing it with time honored skills that use one's own labors to save money, and create a healthier sphere of living. It is a way of life that builds community and brings people together, instead of dividing, and excluding them, or forcing them to retreat to an impersonal online community. (You know, like the one we're creating here) I find that the more time people spend communicating via non face-to-face means, the more poorly people function in the "real world." I think there can be a balance that both engages the world constructively and still value the retreat to the most comprehensive realm of information and communication known to mankind.
I want to plant a garden, and I want to can stuff. I want a closer relationship to the world around me. I grew up in the country, and my family lives on a farm (though they don't farm), but I finally see the value in a lifestyle that I was always eager to leave behind. I think the reality was not that I didn't see any value in good morals, and a community of tightly knit, helpful people. I just didn't see the value in the close-mindedness that often accompanies such places. I'm still a social liberal. I'm just a fiscal conservative. That means I'll probably drag some politics in at times too. Hey, it can't all be fun and games.
Anyway, up until this point in my life, I've never read more than an occasional blog, let alone created one. But join me as we plan, plant, sow and harvest, ideas, livelihoods, gardens, and grassroots.
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