I am beginning to find island hopping troublesome. People assume that I am resident on any island they see me on, and this shapes their responses to me. Harbour police expect me to have a passport from whatever island I have just left, and islands I am leaving expect me to return.
Also, I find that I am ignoring the basic laws of the islands I visit. I litter, I eat fruit from market stalls without paying for it... and it isn't until later, out on the sea where I think... what did I just do?
23.3.09
4.3.09
The first horseman
"And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see
And I saw, and behold a black horse: and he that sat on him had a hood; and a doubter was given unto him: and he went forth bringing darkness, and to conquer."
The first of three horsemen is Dark, the concealer and the preventer of action. He hides the mess, and hides the other horsemen's works from you. Where he is present you cannot detect the works of Dirty and Broken, and they will work in silence.
The first step is to set him back.
Turn on the lights. Look at everything. Look under everything. Look ON everything (blech!).
Another typical way to fight back Dark is to pile everything in one place, and dive into it from the outside. This is particularly effective with children's toys as they are usually the kinds of things that survive being thrown into a pile. It is also effective with kitchens if you have a place to put everything you take out of the cupboards.
Another way to do this is to ensure that you can see all four walls of each room, and the back and bottom of every cupboard, including the fridge.
In my own habitation, I have accomplished this in most rooms. Exceptions are: my closet, my workshop... and my garage. God Help My Garage.
Once you have beaten Dark back, and taken care of the effects wrought by the other two Horsemen, you can again embrace Dark, and should! Without Dark it's very hard to sleep, for one thing. (Emergency Centres also use Dark to keep moods calm and work stress reduced.)
With the cupboards and walls clear, you greatly increase your safety and can move safely about your habitation.
And I saw, and behold a black horse: and he that sat on him had a hood; and a doubter was given unto him: and he went forth bringing darkness, and to conquer."
The first of three horsemen is Dark, the concealer and the preventer of action. He hides the mess, and hides the other horsemen's works from you. Where he is present you cannot detect the works of Dirty and Broken, and they will work in silence.
The first step is to set him back.
Turn on the lights. Look at everything. Look under everything. Look ON everything (blech!).
Another typical way to fight back Dark is to pile everything in one place, and dive into it from the outside. This is particularly effective with children's toys as they are usually the kinds of things that survive being thrown into a pile. It is also effective with kitchens if you have a place to put everything you take out of the cupboards.
Another way to do this is to ensure that you can see all four walls of each room, and the back and bottom of every cupboard, including the fridge.
In my own habitation, I have accomplished this in most rooms. Exceptions are: my closet, my workshop... and my garage. God Help My Garage.
Once you have beaten Dark back, and taken care of the effects wrought by the other two Horsemen, you can again embrace Dark, and should! Without Dark it's very hard to sleep, for one thing. (Emergency Centres also use Dark to keep moods calm and work stress reduced.)
With the cupboards and walls clear, you greatly increase your safety and can move safely about your habitation.
26.2.09
Money!
I have slain the line of credit! Slain it dead! This leaves about $1300 of miscellaneous dead that needs fixing, but that should not take long. Hopefully sometime this spring.
Because Room-mate has moved out for the spring, and that my deductions have changed, my income is suddenly lower by about $700 a month, but that is quite temporary, and we'll back to full strength very soon. I've not had the first utilities bill yet after Room-mate moved out, but I anticipate that the power usage will be MUCH lower.
I have a quote for my new railing, which will be about $2,250. That's less than it was a year ago, so that's good too! The attic is almost done (I just have to caulk one last window and put a final lick of paint on the railing), then I will turn to doing a cold air return from the attic and second floor to the basement. I think this will make a substantial difference to my heat on those floors. (it'd better!)
Because Room-mate has moved out for the spring, and that my deductions have changed, my income is suddenly lower by about $700 a month, but that is quite temporary, and we'll back to full strength very soon. I've not had the first utilities bill yet after Room-mate moved out, but I anticipate that the power usage will be MUCH lower.
I have a quote for my new railing, which will be about $2,250. That's less than it was a year ago, so that's good too! The attic is almost done (I just have to caulk one last window and put a final lick of paint on the railing), then I will turn to doing a cold air return from the attic and second floor to the basement. I think this will make a substantial difference to my heat on those floors. (it'd better!)
24.2.09
Archipelago
I have taken up solid anchorage in an archipelago of islands.
One of them is the island where I found some steady employ as a labourer. The weather is predominantly fair, though sudden storms can erupt, and the landscape is as pleasant as any I have surveyed. The people are friendly... perhaps overly so. Indeed, it is their welcoming stance that gives me pause. It is odd that a fugitive would find an overabundance of welcome to be off-putting, but it is true. They give every indication that there is room for residence on their island, and react with ill-concealed dismay when I pole away. They do, to their credit, make an effort to conceal the dismay, but they fail. This has begun to make my stays there uncomfortable.
Another is an island I had been unaware of for some time. Its townspeople are proud, and distant, but the island itself is lusher and greener than any I know. When I am able to engage a local in conversation, they speak with considerable intelligence and culture, and I note the grace with which local affairs are conducted.
Yet a third is an island where I have spent much time, where I have friends and business contacts that go back many years. My comfort with them and their families would mean that if a small place, a cottage or apartment in town, became available, I would think myself a fool for turning it down.
And there are others, to be sure. Each picturesque in its own way.
One of them is the island where I found some steady employ as a labourer. The weather is predominantly fair, though sudden storms can erupt, and the landscape is as pleasant as any I have surveyed. The people are friendly... perhaps overly so. Indeed, it is their welcoming stance that gives me pause. It is odd that a fugitive would find an overabundance of welcome to be off-putting, but it is true. They give every indication that there is room for residence on their island, and react with ill-concealed dismay when I pole away. They do, to their credit, make an effort to conceal the dismay, but they fail. This has begun to make my stays there uncomfortable.
Another is an island I had been unaware of for some time. Its townspeople are proud, and distant, but the island itself is lusher and greener than any I know. When I am able to engage a local in conversation, they speak with considerable intelligence and culture, and I note the grace with which local affairs are conducted.
Yet a third is an island where I have spent much time, where I have friends and business contacts that go back many years. My comfort with them and their families would mean that if a small place, a cottage or apartment in town, became available, I would think myself a fool for turning it down.
And there are others, to be sure. Each picturesque in its own way.
13.2.09
Rambling on...
Five ideas that are obsolete: (so if you enjoy them, it's for quaintness. Nothing wrong with that, for the record)
1) Newspapers
2) Mail
3) Antibiotics
4) Suburbs
5) Patriotism
Their replacements
1) Teh Intar-toobs.
2) E-mail
3) Stem-cells and genetic battles
4) Urban condos
5) Globalization
There. There's your analysis of the world.
On a personal level, I think I've gone insane. Many moons ago I blogged about the sensation of feeling like I'm wearing someone else's skin, and it's been like that all week. BLECH I say. I don't know what to do about it except see what happens. As part of living experientially, I'm not doing a lot of work to find out why this is occurring, but I'd like it to stop.
Work is frustrating, but I've only got 6 weeks left on my secondment and then I can go back to my job that I really like. So I will persevere.
Well that's about it for now. More insightful stuff to come in the future, I think.
1) Newspapers
2) Mail
3) Antibiotics
4) Suburbs
5) Patriotism
Their replacements
1) Teh Intar-toobs.
2) E-mail
3) Stem-cells and genetic battles
4) Urban condos
5) Globalization
There. There's your analysis of the world.
On a personal level, I think I've gone insane. Many moons ago I blogged about the sensation of feeling like I'm wearing someone else's skin, and it's been like that all week. BLECH I say. I don't know what to do about it except see what happens. As part of living experientially, I'm not doing a lot of work to find out why this is occurring, but I'd like it to stop.
Work is frustrating, but I've only got 6 weeks left on my secondment and then I can go back to my job that I really like. So I will persevere.
Well that's about it for now. More insightful stuff to come in the future, I think.
4.2.09
Raft and raft
Everything has been so stable of late. The stormy season is over, and it's possible to send days adrift in the open blue sea without danger.
I find my time is split three ways.
I spend a notable amount of time exploring, sweeping my way into hidden harbours or over unknown reefs to see what I can see.
I spend equal time tending to the Glade... making sure it's growing strong and healthy. And goodness me it seems so. The transplanting seems to have had no ill-effect on it...
I spend another third of my time exploring a new island. I intentionally keep my time there limited, as I'm still too cautious and care-free.
I find my time is split three ways.
I spend a notable amount of time exploring, sweeping my way into hidden harbours or over unknown reefs to see what I can see.
I spend equal time tending to the Glade... making sure it's growing strong and healthy. And goodness me it seems so. The transplanting seems to have had no ill-effect on it...
I spend another third of my time exploring a new island. I intentionally keep my time there limited, as I'm still too cautious and care-free.
29.1.09
Poor neglected blog
All un-changed for a week.
Quick upate:
What's HOT: Work is pretty good... The house is coming along very slowly, but a sick day will help. The cats weird chin skin infection is gone. I have antique bricks (fulfilling an old dream)
What's NOT: My budget for Feb did not compensate for the fact that I am again paying CPP and EI, so I'm a little lower on funds than I thought. That stressed me out more than I thought it would.
And that's that!
Quick upate:
What's HOT: Work is pretty good... The house is coming along very slowly, but a sick day will help. The cats weird chin skin infection is gone. I have antique bricks (fulfilling an old dream)
What's NOT: My budget for Feb did not compensate for the fact that I am again paying CPP and EI, so I'm a little lower on funds than I thought. That stressed me out more than I thought it would.
And that's that!
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