Single Speed Stella

Applewood never ceases to amaze...

Another movie in my never-ending quest to make people give up the idea of debt is called "In Debt We Trust". It's definitely worth seeing, though it doesn't have the heart-wrenching interviews that "Maxed Out " did, which, you know, was okay last night because I didn't feel like being too bummed out!

It's Thursday, which is one day closer to Friday, which usually means one of many things...

Mostly it means that fun will be had, and sleep will happen early...

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There's a whole lotta conspiracy theories, and most are probably right...but the one that blew my mind the other day is a documentary called "Who Killed The Electric Car?".

I know the reason that our mass transit here in California sucks so badly is all the auto industries' fault, but this took it to a whole new level. A big F**k you goes out to GM, how much richer do they have to get?

Well, whatev's, I suppose it doesn't matter if we al elected to NOT drive. Oh wait. We're dependent on the car, never mind...dammit!

OH!! And before I forget...no it's still not fun to answer the phone...this Friday will be the best Friday ever...

Is there anything good with answering random phone calls? Colin Farrell wouldn't agree...

...life on the line, indeed....

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Have you ever noticed how expensive it is to be a good, environmentally-friendly person? I mean, no, not the steps you take to consume less, drive less, live simply, etc. etc. , but I mean, to buy "eco-friendly" products?

I like to eat crappy food, mostly because it's cheap, but I decided I was going to go back to eating well, so:
Whole Foods? Not so good for a trailer park budget. Trader Joes is however, extremely good...but they always seem to run out of the stuff I want when i'm looking for it...

Makeup? Clothing? Bags? Shoes ? Anything with an "eco-friendly" or "sustainable" label=$$$$. So weird. I don't know if it's just because it is now an "it" think to be a quasi-hippie, but if i'm buying shoes made from old tires and milk cartons, please give me a little bit of a deal, here!

Ahh well, whatever...we all gotta eat. I guess it just comes down to where you want to spend your money to support what type of economy.

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Have you ever cancelled a credit card? BOY...they sure as heck don't like that...the credit card companies, that is....they will try every trick in the book to make you feel like you're making a HUGE mistake.

I try to maintain a mellowness that can remain unruffled, but I was pushed to the on-the-phone-yelling point...I caught myself saying the stupidest phrase ever- very loud:- "LOOK, SIR, I'M BEING REALLY POLITE...
Yeaaahhhh....so, moving right along....if you want a cold dose of WTF, here it is my friends, here it is, (which means you should totes watch this film...) - life and debt.

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I like to read the news, because it points out obvious stuff about why our economy right now is on the crapper and then makes it SHOCKING!!!. It also likes to make people feel like they're victims, like, everyone should be able to spend, spend, spend, and throw stuff away, and do whatever they like - damn the consequences! It's our RIGHT! - and then oh no! Debt!? Pollution?! Layoffs?!! NO FAIR!!!

"We learn as children that there is no free lunch, that you don't get something from nothing, that what goes up must come down, and so on."

Right? Right. It will get worse before it gets better, but hopefully we're all more aware of our habits and the long term consequences...(yeah, I know, yadda-yadda-yadda...)

So, anyways, I caught this little article, and I thought it was one of the raddest things ever. Of course, first she has to have a friend that's cool with her bumming in the yard, and second, um, sewage?

News
Mon Jun 16, 6:03 PM ET

"Olympia, Washington: Dee Williams wanted a simpler, greener life -- so she built her dream house, an 84-square-foot cottage on wheels, which is currently parked in a friend's backyard. Not only did she save money using salvaged materials (the front door came from a dumpster, for instance), but the entire house is small enough to fit into a standard parking spot. Says Williams, 'Right now, there's nowhere else I want to be.'

Williams’ trailer cottage is surprisingly roomy inside, largely thanks to its clever use of height. For example, Williams’ bed is in a loft above her kitchen. Williams is proud to have fulfilled her goal of minimizing her ecological footprint. Her monthly heating bill is $6 and, thanks to solar panels, her electricity is free. Her approach goes against the national trend: Americans consume 40 percent of the world’s oil and 23 percent of its coal."

It's always rad when people opt for less, not more...

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I don't like confrontation or anger or anything, really, that could be construed as a bummer...and lately it seems like stuff is getting better as a result of the economy going to shit...

First, my old bike-nemesis, the SUV, is now roundly viewed as an evil, evil thing. Not only that, but today I ventured out and I swear that there was an equal number of people on bikes riding home from work as cars. Kick ass. Granted, Palo Alto/Mountain View have always been bike-friendly, but this was off-the-hook rad.

Second, rampant consumerism seems to be getting curbed, just a scosh...maybe just in the amount of Starbucks that will be around, at least according to this story.

Third, i'm now considered "smart" for living in a trailer park, as opposed to just "poor" or "trashy". Sweeeeeeeeet!!!!!

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As a sad state of reality. i've said it numerous times to lots of people, but credit cards are 'ze deevil'. The other night Nate and I watched this documentary called "Maxed Out" and there was some underhanded shit that I had no idea went on, I think everyone should get this on their Netflix queues and get rid of credit cards, people!

Here's lecture time....If you live here in the Bay Area, yes, everything is totes expensive, BUT you can do so much to stay out of debt. It's discipline and denial, but in the long run, you'll be way less stressed. I have people tell me "But I need my credit card..." and then they just use it to buy more crap that clutters up their living space...that's want, not need...okay...here goes;

1. Live beneath your means. Easy, right? If you make X amount each year, write down what your bills are, give yourself a small budget for entertainment and incidentals, and then put the rest into savings and don't think about it. If you can't afford it, don't buy it. Genius!


2. Really think about what you need vs. what you want. Nate and I work alot, and so we don't want t o come home and watch TV. We don't have TV, or a landline, or a cable/nternet bill, hence - we don't spend a lot of money every month on things we don't use...
3. Don't but Tchotkes, home decorations, or extra shoes. Just don't

So, what shall we do...you may ask. Well, spend time with your significant other - talking is good. Read a book. Ride your bike. Paint a picture. (start a blog...)

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The best workout really is cleaning the house..seriously....

I came home from work and mopped the kitchen, did the laundry, vacuumed the stairs, vacuumed the living room, scrubbed (and I mean scrubbed) the upstairs shower, and did the dishes...

My arms hurt and I am truly, really, greatly exhausted...BUT, first, I will sleep well tonight, second, the house smells really good, and third i'm getting closer to the goal i've had for the past five years of being a minimalist...it's hard to do when you have so much extraneous shit...

i'm working towards clean and simple....

This is a dream..a cozy, comfortable dream....(btw, my living room looks NOTHING like that...sigh....)

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Yesterday, not so good...I'm not a fan of the dental work, and I had three...THREE fillings in one sitting. I'm no good with the nocvocaine, I know it's just to numb up the mouth and blah blah blah, but the resultant numbness always makes me feel so nauseous....

I was so irritated and completely thrown off kilter that I just went back to work, with my face feeling like a basketball...and I swear, my dentist is a good dentist, I know this deep down, but I swear dentists naturally have a sadistic bent...

And after all that, they take many, many dollars and schedule a cleaning. Thanks ever so...

The nauseousness waited until about 8:30 pm, and so I do what I do when i'm flustered...I started organizing. I decided to unleash the wrath on the linen closet, refolding and stacking items by type, use, and color, and it occurred to me...we have waaaay too many sheets.

We moved in two years ago,and between housewarming parties and the wedding, we've somehow ended up with a veritable stack of sheets we'll probably never use. Anyways, the point of it really is that clutter adds to a feeling of general frustration and malaise, even if it's just something as benign as sheet sets. Be careful what you put on a wedding registry.

But to end on a happy note...I may be a conspiracy theorist, but I was proven RIGHT yesterday! I've posited for years that TV is the devil, yadda yadda yadda, here as a huge marketing ploy to keep people in debt - I noticed this in a commercial for KFC while visiting family, (where the TV is always on),

The 'snacker' sammich has a digital DOLLAR BILL mixed in with the lettuce, WTF?!??!! I think that it's because people don't truly want a delicious sammich, they want dollars, and so, logically, dollar in sammich = instant want = an overwhelming urge to go to KFC! I call shenanigans and tomfoolery on them!!! Big time!!

Not that i'm going to say that a snackers sammich doesn't have any redeeming qualities, i'm sure it's delicious when you're really hungry, but i'm boycotting it anyway because I think that's dirty pool by KFC, bad, naughty marketers!! I mean, advertise all you'd like, but don't try to pull your subliminal voodoo on me!

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One of the reasons Stella is a single-speed, for me, is all about the simplicity of it. There's no gears to fuss with, if you go up a hill you just have to pedal harder...I don't have to worry about maintenance except for brakes and tires, and derailleurs just look too...complicated.

Which segueways into another quirk that my husband and I both have...we hate stuff. I hate shopping, I don't like the mounds and piles of stuff that serves no purpose that people keep getting told they need. NOW!! Need. it. right. now!!!!

For example, we went to a shindig and our hosts for the evening had a video game thingy...so we played, and it was fun, but not $300 fun. And definitely not something that we need. And, truth be told, not really fun after an hour of it. Definitely something destined for a landfill...but to each their own, right? Here's the rub...I know people who are so deep in debt that even if they paid three times the minimum every month, they would still be there for ten years or longer. But they keep buying this stuff. And they justify it, they need it to have something to do since they can't afford to go out, or whatever...

riding is free...that's all. Yes, the bike costs money...Stella cost some dollars, but she's paid for herself many times over, and riding never gets old.

rather than a bunch of things and a TV screen, i'd rather look at this;

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