problems. solutions. and life goes on.

This afternoon, as I hurried to the camera store to purchase a new mini-disk for my new point and shoot digital camera, the Banksy truck went by.

arrrgh.

It was for just this reason that I bought the inexpensive point and shoot camera.

Call me stupid, but I refuse to buy a smart phone. Carriers want a 2 year contract and they want to charge waaaaay to much for whatever it is a smart phone delivers. I get text and voice on my cute little cell phone for $50 per month.

$88.00 for the camera and another $30 for the memory card, brings me to a total of $118.00. An Iphone will run me (conservatively) $100.00 per month and I don't get AT&T in the country which means the phone is nice to look at and not good for much else once I'm out of range. So $2400.00 - $118.00 = a savings of $2,282.00. I can totally live with that.

The good news is this. Now I've got a small camera and a memory card. So the next time something interesting happens. I'm ready. No more missed shots.

now back to Banksy.

First of all. I'm glad the guys successful but I'm not really sure I get it. Maybe as far as graffiti and installations go it's all okay. But he's not pushing the envelope (enough for me). I look at his grafitti and I'm like, "Yeah. And?" Call me old fashioned, call me cranky, or just paint me as an imbecile but I kind of like it when edgy artists have an edge. And as the truck passed me by with the stuffed animals and the electronic sounds of bleating sheep and mooing cows coming out of the speakers, I thought. "Yeah. Okay." Then I thought about the amount of fuel to drive a truck around NYC and the emissions (because we definitely need more air pollution) and I was glad the driver is pulling down maybe minimum wage so he or she will be able to eat at least lunch and dinner for a few days. In the end it seems like a lot of energy that might have been put to better use.

And speaking of putting energy to better use, maybe it's time you stopped reading this post.

not for nothing. But this image is just plain depressing.

Live young. Think young. Die young.

I read this piece this morning. It's kind of blah and it doesn't give me any technical information as to how to go about thinking young, but I like the idea that I should think young. It would be kind of funny if the dude pictured in the blogpost actually let his 3 year old pick stocks. When does "young" begin and end? Young must be "anything that isn't old."

To think young:
should I think more about sex? (I already do that quite a bit.)
should I take more risks? (I believe the answer is yes.)
should I remain focused and open-minded? (Again, yes, although I'm not sure I've mastered this.)
should I look to break rules? (Yes.)
should I sleep more or less?
should I party more or less?
should I think more or less?
should I look to history in order to place myself in perspective and then break all the rules?

I'm fairly certain that if I want to die young I have to stop working behind a desk. I'm fairly certain that to think young, I have to have little regard for consequences. Another way of putting this: be fearless. (Fearlessness + savings will prove to be a killer combo.)


In a couple of years from now when I build my first house, I'm going to be sure that it makes use of passive heating. I know I'm going to end up in New England and I don't want to have to heat with oil, wood, or gas. (I'll probably cook with gas.) I keep wondering about "zero" emission cars. When will they actually reach zero emissions? (30% of all energy is lost on (from) the grid.) Coal is the dirtiest, smelliest fuel source and right now most of our electricity is produced from coal. So your "zero" emission hybrid is a big fat lie. If you've got a wind turbine in your backyard and you're powering your Tesla or Prius from that, I take back what I've said. Otherwise, people wise up.

I'm going to have some land in production; grow food and put by for the winter. (Did I lose you with my back to the land approach?) This isn't going to be about frugality and wearing ratty-ass clothing and back breaking work. Not by a long shot. What I realized when I was in Ag a few years back is that anything, even work, can be fun and then it's no longer work. I never had a greater sense of security then when I looked out on the fields filled with food. Forget zeroes in the bank balance. Being able to eat when the economy was tanking, that was an amazing feeling. They say that a space 10 feet by 10 feet will feed a family of four. I'll be sure to blog about the results when the time comes.

In the meantime I've got go get me some fearlessness. Not the sort that lives in my mentality, but the sort that I put into action. I've got to go find me some rules to break.

I’m smitten with the potential of all possibility.

You're probably wondering, who is this whack job and why am I reading this blog as often as I do?

I’ll tell you why: because I’m gonna make it big and then you’re going to have to pay me for the advice. I’ll be a speaker at colleges and universities and I’m not gonna bullshit you. I’m gonna tell it like it was.

If you’re one of those people who likes to listen to what people who are smarter than you have to say, join the party. I live to listen to what people who are smarter than me have to say.

I’m going to detail a few things for you right now:

I read voraciously. I stopped watching TV about 6 years ago. If there is a show I like enough, I buy it on DVD and/or watch it online once it becomes available. (= Most recently: BBC Sherlock. That shit is amazing.)  I actually have savings. (I know, crazy.) I end up having to loan money to my friends who earn more than I do b/c they can’t figure out how to manage their money. (I’m not a loan shark, these are 0 interest loans.) I don’t own a home. I rent. I bought a used car a few years back. (I take really good care of my used car and she treats me like royalty.) I eat home cooked food. I drink occasionally. (Used to be a serious alcoholic.) I had major surgery a few years back and as a result I decided to live differently. (Hence the home cooking and cutting back on the booze.) I’m grateful. Even though I’m an atheist, I often say thank you to God. (Remember Janis Ian’s mother: God doesn’t care that I’m an atheist.) I have a firm belief that things are going to work out. (& usually they do.) When things aren’t going well I hang in there and wait until the storm blows over. I’m incredibly loyal. I’m no saint. I know there’s a better world out there and I aim to be one of the people who brings it into being. Right now I have less than 100,000 in savings. A few years back I read an article that working 40 hours per week won’t lead to major success. I kind of overdid it and bumped that up to 70 hours per week. I’ve dialed back a little this year as projects have come to a close. I loved my significant other dearly and we parted ways amicably b/c things were not working out well. (Today I miss her.) I earn less than 6 figures per year.

I’m going to go big. I invite you to do the same.

For the heck of it read this and then read the comment section. I always love reading comment section -- you can tell how negative and small-minded people are by their comments. And while I love frugality I prefer to think that there is plenty of money out there and I’m going to have access to a lot of it. Don’t live cheaply unless that truly appeals to you. Figure out who you are, what you want, and then make that your reality.

And remember, if you plan to “retire comfortably.” You better figure out what “retire” and “comfortable” mean to you. Then you should figure out where you are on that timeline, sketch a plan, and put something into action. First step is to get rid of consumer debt and NEVER incur it again. And the step that precedes the first step, get a grip on your emotions. There is a direct link to being able to control your emotions and manage your money. I’m not suggesting that you become featureless. Please retain your character while building your bank account. Adopt a prosperity mindset.

Mark your calendars. I’m going big.

Is this performance art?

I like the last shot of the video, where she offers up the goods.

watch here

As a food writer Moskin is one of my faves.

The New York Times need to step-up a little.

Is it just me or has the writing on the New York Times become really lame? Or perhaps the media is suffering from an overall deficit of critical thinking skills. This piece about articulated subway cars was awful. 

1. I wonder if the author is a freelance writer?

2. Was the author paid for this?

3. Was the author paid more than $50.00 for this?

Right now you’re reading my blog. You and I both know it’s a blog. We’ve agreed to a certain contract. 1. It’s free. 2. It’s my opinions are expressed one-way. (The reader doesn’t have a chance to respond. Although I kind of wish it were a little more interactive. I’d love to know what you think.) 3. I may or may not write well depending on my mood. 4. You could care less.

But when I’m reading the New York Times I want the writer to be smarter than me, to impart some wisdom, to show me things in a new way. I want to feel inferior. Really. That way I think I’ve received my monies’ worth. I don’t need to pay for drivel.

Because I know you’ve got a full day ahead of you and don’t want to be on my blog for more than 6 minutes -- a few quick thoughts. “Why is Toronto being compared to New York City?”

Toronto:

42 miles of track

a little over 1,000,000 riders per day

            approx. 7,000,000 riders per week

a much newer system and possibly because they’re operating a toy-sized fleet upgrading didn’t cost that much.

 

New York has: 

            642 miles of track

            468 stations

over 11.1 million riders per week

            a system that is over 100 years old

            so poorly managed financially it’s not likely to roll out new stock anytime soon

And beyond that, and what I would love to see, is how would articulated cars affect rider behavior? I would never work in an “open environment.” Call me old fashioned but I like doors and offices. Call me old fashioned by I like subway cars. Have you ever been able to avoid riding in the car that contained the smelly homeless person? I’m not talking about someone who seems a little unwashed. I’m talking about someone who smells like rotting flesh. I like that I can move to another car. And what about when the guy who’s going to yell about Jesus at the top of his lungs, waits until the doors close and then starts ranting? (I have wanted to ask if he has taken voice lessons, where he was told to address the back of the house. If so, the articulated cars will be very much to his liking. He will reach a much wider audience.)

            Not for nothing but I like subway cars because I can use them to separate myself from the people I don’t want to be near for the 40 minutes of my commute.

            And what about the street performers? It’s cute when the Mexican trio boards and they play one song, collect their dues, and move along. Same for the urban youth with boom boxes who dance and contort themselves and, many times, display acrobatic feats worthy of cirque du soleil. Again, 3 minutes is cute. If they plan to work the entire car for my entire commute, that’s going to suck. “What time is it folks? Show time!” “We appreciate any donations. American Express, cash, EBT.” These catcalls are etched into my brain.

And what about late at night? And other security issues? Pickpockets will have a field day on crowded cars. The police will only be a benefit in less sparsely populated cars. And you have to be blind if you can’t tell an undercover cop on the subway from your average commuter.

Obviously much more thought could go into the merits (if any exist) of the MTA “upgrading” to articulated subway cars.

But what I really want to know: who’s relative at the MTA got the contract to install and maintain the wifi system?

 

Here's an interesting piece from 2009.