tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50285115449621128522024-03-13T01:03:59.996-07:00Michaela and Daron's Wild RideDaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460150658339384315noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5028511544962112852.post-78769753982157157022016-01-19T16:32:00.003-08:002016-01-19T16:34:50.269-08:00They say homesteading is harder than it looks...People tell me that homesteading is harder than it looks. Well before I had my own dreams of staking out a claim on the land, I surmised as much from the scatological metaphors of my college advisor, an Iowa farm girl-turned-historian. <i>("Every profession will have its own shit to shovel…")</i><br />
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In those days, I judged my success by how far I could get away from home. Now, having lived abroad, gotten lost in someone else's shoes, and tested my limits on four continents, the last frontier is surely the hearth. I have set my sights to homesteading, come what may.<br />
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I harbor no misconceptions that it will be easy. Animal husbandry is a wild, messy roller coaster that I'm not sure I'm up for. Growing our own food would require time, persistence, blood, sweat, and tears. I'm ready for a challenge – I've been planning for this for years. But the challenge I wasn't prepared for is the very first hurdle – the hurdle we have yet to cross – getting the darn land in the first place.<br />
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Having earned an MA as a Fulbright scholar to the UK, it seemed the doors should open up for me. And while I know I took an unusual route coming home to Eastern Washington rather than continuing to pursue a career in international development, I thought that once I found a job things would get easier.<br />
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My first job came in the form of a temporary session aide position at the Washington State Legislature. I could barely afford the clothes I needed to show up at work every day. I stayed with my sister and her husband in Olympia while my own husband, Daron, lived with my parents in Spokane to go to school. (Though his parents also lived in the area, they were well outside of any bus route, and we were both without a car at the time.)<br />
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When my session position ended, I was again without work and moving back in with my parents (and my husband). But not for long. Shortly after I left, a shakeup in the legislature resulted in an opening to become the legislative assistant in the office that I'd worked for during session. It was the first of several lucky breaks that helped me hobble along. But there was a catch – the senator would be leaving office, so the job only lasted through December. If destiny was in my corner, I would have a job again soon –
one of the candidates would be the Senator’s old legislative
assistant, whom I’d worked with during session and who wanted to take me on as his aide if elected. I had a lot to be hopeful for, but I didn't have any security at the time.<br />
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Daron and I rolled the dice, took our chances, and moved into a small apartment on Spokane's lower South Hill. Working a partner through school, every step forward is only a half-step forward. It was another year before we could afford a car--a necessity in my line of work, and a virtual requirement in general in light of the second-rate bus systems we tolerate in America.<br />
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Now, here we are, starting out 2016. We are a long way from
generating the savings needed to buy some land and build a home, or to stake
out a place with some acreage, but we have come a long way. It’s strange to
look back and think that, six years ago, we were living paycheck to paycheck.
Rent cost more than my two jobs were bringing in, and as we neared the end of
the month I was calling through my contact list to see if anyone needed a
babysitter. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Our wonderful scholarship-funded year in England was a break
from the reality of trying to make it in the new economy. And the thought that
keeps me up at night is this: we are the lucky ones. The ones that had family
to fall back on when times were tough, instead of taking out backbreaking loans to make ends meet. The ones that had scholarships and other resources to pay
for school instead of sliding further into the vicious cycle of debt. The ones
that found work that valued our skillset—even if it didn’t pay what earlier
generations would’ve expected (earlier generations of white people, at any rate).<o:p></o:p></div>
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Ultimately, our pursuit of the American Dream has been a
study in privilege, opportunity, and inequality. Our story remains
unwritten, as does the outcome of our <i>shared</i>
story – the story of the transformation of our country as communities struggle to live up to the expectations of the past in a time
of political, economic, and environmental change. I hope that we can end this story with our souls and our dreams intact.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
Michaelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10061466701164977570noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5028511544962112852.post-47915206179741386622011-03-18T15:04:00.000-07:002011-03-18T15:04:52.809-07:00A humble start to the Wild Ride Homestead<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-4iy44LBMJ3M/TYPQQfEJlqI/AAAAAAAAEc0/znZ0hjsz5TE/s1600/garden+design.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-4iy44LBMJ3M/TYPQQfEJlqI/AAAAAAAAEc0/znZ0hjsz5TE/s320/garden+design.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Patio garden design!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I recently started to design a patio garden for Michaela and my flat over here in the UK. I have been reading about Peak Oil for about three years or so and Climate Change for over ten. I think in many ways I have been stuck on the problem and not making the steps towards taking action and solutions. Michaela and I have made some changes in our lives and cut our consumption a lot but it feels different now. Partly because while we had cut our consumption a lot relative to the average American we were still only about equal to the average UK citizen. We had still not truly challenged the structures that our society is built on. Well now I'm hoping to not just bend the rules but start breaking them.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I have been watching videos from the <a href="http://peakmoment.tv/">Peak Moment TV</a> online program. Through this I have seen many examples of real community based solutions and heard people's stories. This has inspired me to move out of my comfort zone. The first step is starting Michaela and my Wild Ride Homestead!</div><a name='more'></a>Our homestead is starting off very humbly as a patio garden. By itself a patio garden is nothing really special. What is taking me out of my comfort zone (and a little radical!) is relying on community to make the garden happen. I could easily run down to the hardware store or local nursery and purchase everything I need in a day. But that would cost money instead of being free, the items would all be new instead of used (but good!) and no connections would be built.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So how do you make a garden through a community? Well first I emailed a local guy that I have been volunteering with and have had lunch with a couple times asking if he and his wife had any spare pots I could use. He did not have any but we got to talking and he mentioned a website called freecycle. Essentially its a community barter site where people barter one item for something else. He offered some frog spawn (eggs) as a trade item for pots to help me get started. Sadly no one had pots for trade at the moment. I guess everyone is busy gardening!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Not wanting to give up I decided to start talking to local nurseries to see if I could get some pots from them. Now I was not giving up on my quest to build a garden through community. I went to a couple nurseries and started talking with people working there if they had pots I could have for free. Free you may ask?! Yes! Nurseries throw (or recycle off-site) lots of pots. After talking to a couple I found one that told me that after Mother's Day (its the 3rd of April in the UK) they would have a bunch I could have. They took my name down and I'm going to head down there on the 4th and hopefully pick up a bunch of pots!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-xNIHuyEujpM/TYPU4pmitEI/AAAAAAAAEc4/zl-ubYUEYtQ/s1600/pots.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-xNIHuyEujpM/TYPU4pmitEI/AAAAAAAAEc4/zl-ubYUEYtQ/s200/pots.JPG" width="197" /></a>But I'm also a little impatient and I really want to start gardening sooner then that. Recently I started volunteering with the Sussex Wildlife Trust as part of their practical conservation team. This week I also started volunteering as a "Youth Ranger." I will talk about that more in another post. Through this volunteering I got to talking with the person that runs the youth ranger project. The conservation shifted to my patio garden and to my glee (I was really happy!) he told me they had a ton of extra pots and I could help myself! The result was that at the end of the day I biked home with 14 pots (medium to large in size) strapped to the back of my bike!</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I now have enough pots to really get started... all I need to do is borrow some tools from my friendly neighbours! Its been fun reaching out to people in my community to make this happen. The result is that I have15 pots for the garden. All of them are used and only one cost me anything (I spent about 32cents on the light grey one in the pic which I got from a local charity that I volunteer at). It took me leaving my comfort zone and some leg work but it was very nice to build a garden through community.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Next steps are to borrow some tools from a friend and get some advice on good places to get seeds. I'm also going to be getting some free wood from some of my volunteer activities to build some trellises for some snap peas and climbing beans. I'm also going to build my own tomato cages (again from free supplies!).</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I will post more as the Wild Ride Homestead starts to take shape!</div>Daronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460150658339384315noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5028511544962112852.post-47779402884512370092011-02-20T11:49:00.000-08:002011-02-20T11:49:01.776-08:00Spring in the UKI wanted to share some pictures I recently took of the UK in spring time!<br />
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<div align="center"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="600" height="400" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fdarongw%2Falbumid%2F5574337197903130001%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26authkey%3DGv1sRgCMjcmvLo46j2Ug%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br />
</div>Daronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460150658339384315noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5028511544962112852.post-116476483572253602011-02-20T11:45:00.000-08:002011-02-20T11:46:20.241-08:00Volunteering in the chalk grasslandsI had some fun today volunteering with the <a href="http://www.sussexwt.org.uk/">East Sussex Wildlife Trust</a> doing what they call "practical conservation." At 10.00am today I headed out with a group of nine other people to work on restoring a small patch of English chalk grasslands. Apparently about 97% of the English chalk grasslands have disappeared over the years. Sheep used to help keep the grasslands from being taken over by tress and bushes but people here are apparently razing a lot less sheep then they used to. I was fascinated by this and I was eager to learn more about it all.<br />
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We got to our work site about 10.30am and started getting ready to work. I got my first surprise when I discovered that the area we were going to be working on was a very steep hillside covered with loose chalk rocks and soil. Towards the top where I ended up spending most of my time it was practically a cliff face. My next surprise was that it turned out that our task was to remove all the trees that were growing on this hillside! What sort of conservation was this I thought!?<br />
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<a name='more'></a>I decided to ask some careful questions about why were getting ready to take down all the trees and bushes on this hillside/cliff. I was confused since in the States we have problems with erosion once a hillside has been deforested.<br />
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So my first question was a general one about the chalk grasslands and why the trees were causing problems. Apparently, chalk grasslands are by their nature very poor in nutrients. The trees change this by adding their leaves to the soil each fall. Overtime this builds up a layer of topsoil that I was told has resulted in other places with a huge problem of invasive species moving in and taking over the grasslands.<br />
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Okay, so that makes some logical sense. Invasive species are an on going problem all over the world and it makes sense that changing the chemistry of the soil would cause a change in the type of plant life it supported. My next question was why are chalk grasslands good. The reason I was asking this question is that chalk grasslands are a human artifact not a naturally accruing landscape. Long ago the whole English countryside was covered by forests. It was only through deforestation that the current chalk grasslands even came to be.<br />
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The answer to my question was that the chalk grasslands have a much higher biodiversity of plant life then the land covered with trees and bushes. Apparently that was why the chalk grasslands were considered worth restoration. I was confused as to why they were not trying to restore the forests but I decided not to push that issue.<br />
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My final question before getting to work was about erosion. I just simple asked if erosion was ever something that they were worried about and the answer surprised me. Apparently my question was also a surprise for the other volunteers. It seems from what they told me that no one at the Wildlife Trust has ever considered erosion to be an issue. I was told (by someone who studied this for her PHD) that the nature of the chalk soils was such that the water just soaked right through instead of causing mudslides or more minor problems like we get in our soils on the west coast.<br />
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In the end I don't think I know enough about this unique landscape (its only found in England and a handful of other places in Europe) to judge their restoration decisions. But I can't shake the feeling that its being partly done to preserve an image of England that people today are used to. I think the idea of a forested England is very foreign to the people here and they would rather support the chalk grasslands instead of trying to restore the old forests.<br />
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Overall, the day was very interesting and I'm looking forward to working with them more. I may have questions about their conservation/restoration practices but one reason Michaela and I are over here is to learn what other people and cultures choose to do. Its not my place to challenge their decisions but I am very curious as to why they decided this was the best path and I'm also very interested in learning as much as I can about British conservation efforts. Learning about theirs should help me in the States too. I have found comparing and contrasting two different countries and the way each deal with a similar situation to be very insightful.Daronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460150658339384315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5028511544962112852.post-32939959695571215172011-02-08T01:24:00.000-08:002011-02-08T01:24:08.508-08:00Beautiful morning in Lewes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XWWyMlfsiJo/TVD-FKmnJOI/AAAAAAAAEIU/YRChIhOY0Qo/s1600/DSCF7493.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XWWyMlfsiJo/TVD-FKmnJOI/AAAAAAAAEIU/YRChIhOY0Qo/s640/DSCF7493.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
We woke up to a very lovely morning today with the sun just shining on the English countryside with a small band of fog hovering amongst the houses and parks.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XWWyMlfsiJo/TVEI3tP7-YI/AAAAAAAAEWo/6nGmZw8VgUk/s1600/DSCF7494.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XWWyMlfsiJo/TVEI3tP7-YI/AAAAAAAAEWo/6nGmZw8VgUk/s200/DSCF7494.JPG" width="200" /></a>The change in the weather is very much welcomed. The past several days have been cloudy and grey with some rain and a near constant wind strong enough at times to almost shake the flat.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XWWyMlfsiJo/TVD9mP30oVI/AAAAAAAAEVY/EeESqcHJDgs/s1600/DSCF7471.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XWWyMlfsiJo/TVD9mP30oVI/AAAAAAAAEVY/EeESqcHJDgs/s200/DSCF7471.JPG" width="200" /></a>Spring is slowly arriving here in Lewes. Spring bulbs are starting to show up and even a few spring flowers. Still getting below freezing at night though from time to time. It will be very nice once the weather warms and sunny days become the warm days.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>We did have a nice day though walking through the English countryside about a week or so ago. It was a nice sunny day and crystal clear. We walked along the River Ouse to a small old church that even to this day is still in service (expect in winter).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XWWyMlfsiJo/TVD9rNJr69I/AAAAAAAAEVw/PEBoZtFrpZk/s1600/DSCF7475.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XWWyMlfsiJo/TVD9rNJr69I/AAAAAAAAEVw/PEBoZtFrpZk/s200/DSCF7475.JPG" width="200" /></a>On our way back though we did have a little adventure with Shelob. Luckily it was only Shelob's webs but we kept our eyes open and moved a little more quickly home.<br />
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Even the rain and wind though still does not ruin the day. We went out to the farmers market and a seed swap a couple days ago. It was very blustery and misty day but still a lot of people showed up to the seed swap. We bought some yummy English Apple Juice and some carrot cake n brownies as a treat.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XWWyMlfsiJo/TVD-ERv3AtI/AAAAAAAAEIQ/p7E7lEXF8O0/s1600/DSCF7492.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XWWyMlfsiJo/TVD-ERv3AtI/AAAAAAAAEIQ/p7E7lEXF8O0/s200/DSCF7492.JPG" width="200" /></a>The seed swap was hosted at a the Lewes Grange. It is a very beautiful place with gardens and a stream flowing through the gardens. There is also a crafter's guild there that has arts and crafts produced by the guild members. Its very nice and we are looking forward to going back once the flowers are all in bloom.<br />
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Lewes is a very lovely magical place. Seems like every day we are discovering some new secret passage way to a new adventure and sights unseen. <i>*more pictures after the break*</i><br />
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<div align="center"><embed flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fdarongw%2Falbumid%2F5571230801305902177%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26authkey%3DGv1sRgCLfbl-LznInyLA%26hl%3Den_US" height="400" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" src="https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="600"></embed></div><br />
<div align="center"><embed flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fdarongw%2Falbumid%2F5571231889372956833%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26authkey%3DGv1sRgCMfl2rHT_pS10wE%26hl%3Den_US" height="400" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" src="https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="600"></embed></div>Daronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460150658339384315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5028511544962112852.post-6581991903453177172010-12-01T08:02:00.000-08:002010-12-01T13:57:23.554-08:00Our first snow of the year!<a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs576.ash2/149856_1710758330089_1272030219_1856326_3619026_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs576.ash2/149856_1710758330089_1272030219_1856326_3619026_n.jpg" width="400" /></a>Well it looks like winter is here! We started getting snow yesterday and so far it seems to be sticking around. England overall is getting hit fairly hard with the Gatwick International Airport shutting down due to the snow.<br />
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Here in Lewes we only have about an inch but its still enough to make everything all white. I took a walk today down to the store. I was going to bike but decided that bike + snow = bad. I'm happy that I decided to just walk as I got a ton of great pictures of the Lewes area in the snow.<br />
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It was really magical walking around in the snow. At one point I was up on a small terrace just watching three squirrels having a blast chasing each other around the tree and sending up plumes of snow as they turned and darted of twittering the whole time. The whole time a bunch of song birds kept fluttering around adding their own voices into the mix. It seemed like all of nature was celebrating the fresh snow.<br />
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Human society though seemed a little less happy with the snow. While the kids were screaming with delight at school being canceled the adults were a little bit grumpy with it all. The rail system got heavily delayed and while I was at the store there were signs up on various isles saying that the daily shipment had not made it due to the "adverse weather conditions."<br />
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Especially hard hit seemed to be the bread and dairy isles. Both of those were basically picked clean with people scrounging around for anything that was left. Really made me think about how little back up food supplies we actually have any more.<br />
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Well overall its been fun seeing the snow. Have to see how the winter goes but so far its apparently much snowier then the UK is used to. Scotland received over a foot of snow from this storm!<br />
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*UPDATE: We are getting dumped on tonight! In the last 2 hours we have gotten about 4 inches of snow and could get 10+ inches tonight!<br />
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Pictures of Lewes in the snow after the break:<br />
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<div align="center"><embed flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fdarongw%2Falbumid%2F5545742016869393345%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26authkey%3DGv1sRgCN3TrNytxvKeDA%26hl%3Den_US" height="400" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="600"></embed></div>Daronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460150658339384315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5028511544962112852.post-68476619749336292892010-12-01T06:15:00.000-08:002010-12-01T06:15:21.259-08:00The blog and where it goes from hereHello all,<div><br />
</div><div>One thing that I have learned from this blog is that its really hard to keep a blog updated and on track. Its also hard to figure out exactly what should be written about in each post.</div><div><br />
</div><div>At first this blog was going to be just about our experiences in the United Kingdom and our steps towards living in a more sustainable manner. We changed it soon after to include some political discussions. Now though we are going to be shifting back to just talking about the United Kingdom living in a sustainable manner.</div><div><br />
</div><div>The reason for this is that we want a place where we can just share our experiences with family and friends. For political discussions I'm planning on creating another blog that will just be about politics in general.</div><div><br />
</div><div>That blog will be up down the road. In the mean time I will continue to make political posts on facebook.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Thanks for viewing the blog!</div><div><br />
</div><div>Cheers,</div><div><br />
</div><div>Daron</div>Daronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460150658339384315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5028511544962112852.post-62856241189659110542010-11-11T14:29:00.000-08:002010-11-11T14:33:06.909-08:00Well Peak Oil is officially here<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.planestupid.com/files/images/peak-oil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.planestupid.com/files/images/peak-oil.jpg" width="190" /></a></div>In fact peak oil has been with us since 2006 according to the <a href="http://www.worldenergyoutlook.org/">2010 World Energy Outlook</a> released on November 9th by the <a href="http://www.iea.org/">International Energy Agency</a>.<br />
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To be specific this is a peak in conventional crude oil. Essentially conventional crude oil is the oil that we get from places like Saudi Arabia and that we see gushing out of the ground in movies.<br />
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Other forms of liquid fuels are liquid natural gas and unconventional crude oil (tar sands, shale oil, ect...). These have not peaked yet according to the IEA but it should be noted that conventional crude oil makes up the vast majority of our liquid fuels. So what does this mean for us?<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Essentially this means that oil prices will go up to levels last seen in summer of 2008 and most likely higher (potentially much higher). How soon this happens depends on the rate of world wide oil consumption growth.<br />
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The recession caused a marked drop in world wide oil consumption. We are now consuming oil at a rate less then what we were in 2006. This is why oil prices dropped after the summer of 2008.<br />
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To put it bluntly the Great Recession should be renamed to the First Peak Oil Recession. The sad news is that it will only be the first of many.<br />
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So what about the other liquid fuels that I mentioned above? The IEA predicts that they will continue to a slow growth rate at least through 2035. Now to be clear they are not predicting any quick growth rates for these fuel sources.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://climateprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/peak_oil2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="http://climateprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/peak_oil2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The IEA also predicts that conventional crude oil will some how plateau for the next 25 years. This is not going to happen. No oil field in the world has ever followed that pattern.<br />
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It is very well understood that when an oil field peaks it begins a downward drop that mirrors its previous growth pattern. The result is the classic bell curve.<br />
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This growth and decline pattern has been observed over and over again in individual oil wells, oil fields and whole countries.<br />
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For example here is the oil production graph with oil imports for the United States of America:<br />
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</div>The world wide oil production graph is essentially the aggregate of all these bell curves. The idea that some how this aggregate will form a plateau is just not accurate.<br />
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So while the other liquid fuels will make the rate of decline a little slower they will not make up for the loss of conventional crude oil. In addition the other liquid fuels will themselves peak in the future.<br />
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Peak Oil is here to stay. No public policy will magically make it go away. We are all going to have to start to learn how to do with less oil and start transitioning our society into a post carbon world.Daronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460150658339384315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5028511544962112852.post-80479278843869578942010-11-09T12:12:00.000-08:002010-11-09T12:12:36.610-08:00Remember remember the 5th of November<div align="center"><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/FARGzEo-30o?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/FARGzEo-30o?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></div><br />
I see no reason why the 5th of November should ever be forgot... If you have ever seen V for Vendetta then that line should be familiar to you. In reality though that line is reference to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Fawkes_Night">Guy Fawkes Night</a> also known as Bonfire Night.<br />
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Bonfire Night is a celebration in the United Kingdoms and some of its former colonies that remember the failed attempt by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Fawkes">Guy Fawkes</a> and 12 others to blow up parliament and kill King James. The attempt became known as the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunpowder_Plot">Gunpowder Plot</a>.<br />
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Guy Fawkes is an interesting character in British history and has an interesting roll in its current culture. He is burned in effigy all over Great Britain on the 5th of November but yet a poll done by the BBC showed that he is considered to be one of the 100 greatest Britons. People protesting parliament have also been known to dress up as Guy Fawkes from time to time.<br />
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Michaela and I attended Lewes's Bonfire Night celebrations on the 5th. It was an interesting experience and I'm happy that we attended though I'm not sure if I would do it again. The biggest reason is that people had a really bad habit of throwing loud firework poppers in the middle of the crowds. We had several go off right around our feet. Plus they are loud enough that you feel it through your whole body and after a while both of us had head aches from it.<br />
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The movie at the top is of the parade part of the celebration near our Flat. At the end of this post there is a slide show of pictures of the event and a link to my YouTube page where you can view the other movies I took of the night.<br />
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My YouTube Page: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/darongw">http://www.youtube.com/user/darongw</a><br />
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<div align="center"><embed flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fdarongw%2Falbumid%2F5537629400874095649%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26authkey%3DGv1sRgCMDxgb3n7ZTo7AE%26hl%3Den_US" height="400" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="600"></embed></div>Daronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460150658339384315noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5028511544962112852.post-49001406772349981842010-11-08T15:30:00.000-08:002010-11-08T15:30:04.133-08:00My Awesome Commuters Bike<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XWWyMlfsiJo/TNiAunbcMeI/AAAAAAAAD08/Frh8zX_s5gE/s1600/DSCF6986.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XWWyMlfsiJo/TNiAunbcMeI/AAAAAAAAD08/Frh8zX_s5gE/s320/DSCF6986.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>I have decided that I never want to have my own car. For me its just not worth it and with Peak Oil around the corner (or already here) its not the sort of investment that I really want to make. So where does that leave me for getting around?<br />
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Well of course there is mass transit such as buses, trains, ect... But I still like having my own personal transportation device. So for that I have a bike. But not your traditional bike. My bike is designed to make commuting easy and comfortable.<br />
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What makes my new bike so awesome for commuting is that it has small design tweaks and extras that really help out.<div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XWWyMlfsiJo/TNiAumbwvaI/AAAAAAAAD1A/L2rq8CjmYBs/s1600/DSCF6987.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XWWyMlfsiJo/TNiAumbwvaI/AAAAAAAAD1A/L2rq8CjmYBs/s200/DSCF6987.JPG" width="200" /></a>1) <b>The handlebars:</b> At first having handlebars that turn back towards the rider seemed strange to me. But they are much more comfortable then traditional straight bars. For commuting comfort not speed is what you want so these handlebars are a huge plus.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XWWyMlfsiJo/TNiAvA2u79I/AAAAAAAAD1I/1SKEtDLHJgI/s1600/DSCF6989.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XWWyMlfsiJo/TNiAvA2u79I/AAAAAAAAD1I/1SKEtDLHJgI/s200/DSCF6989.JPG" width="200" /></a>2) <b>Mud-flaps:</b> Now you can put mud-flaps on almost any bike and if your going to be commuting you better get them and get nice ones that actually cover the tire. Trust me you don't want to replace a car with a bike without getting mud-flaps first.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XWWyMlfsiJo/TNiBqlmwgvI/AAAAAAAAD14/M_GjOviGH0A/s1600/DSCF6995.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XWWyMlfsiJo/TNiBqlmwgvI/AAAAAAAAD14/M_GjOviGH0A/s200/DSCF6995.JPG" width="200" /></a>3) <b>Rear Rack:</b> Another great feature on any commuter bike is a rear rack. This allows you to attach side bags so you can carry anything from your lunch to groceries or a package from the post as I just did in the picture here. The thing here is to make sure you get a rack that actually attaches to the frame. This will allow it to hold fairly heavy loads. I have had racks that just attached under the seat and they were no good.<br />
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4) <b>Lights:</b> Make sure you have a front and rear light for commuting. They really help drivers to see you and if you continue to commute by bike in the winter you will be out after dark.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XWWyMlfsiJo/TNiBfA2WRFI/AAAAAAAAD1s/pbq5L9AD1Ho/s1600/DSCF6992.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XWWyMlfsiJo/TNiBfA2WRFI/AAAAAAAAD1s/pbq5L9AD1Ho/s200/DSCF6992.JPG" width="200" /></a>5) <b>Wide Seat: </b>Again if your commuting comfort wins out over speed. If your going to commute by bike make sure to get a wide and soft bike seat. Mine also has built in shocks which help to add to a comfortable ride. I love my the seat on my bike. It's waterproof, looks cool and its the first seat that did not hurt my rear.<br />
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6) <b>A Bell: </b>Yes a bell. There is a good chance that you will be biking on paths shared with walkers, runners and other bikes. Having a bell on your bike is a quick and easy way to notify people ahead of you that your coming up behind them. You can see my bell in the handle bar picture.<br />
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7) <b>Helmet: </b>I don't have a picture of mine but please make sure you wear a helmet while biking. There is no good reason not to.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XWWyMlfsiJo/TNiBmeeLIfI/AAAAAAAAD10/ZgIg8CC76vc/s1600/DSCF6994.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XWWyMlfsiJo/TNiBmeeLIfI/AAAAAAAAD10/ZgIg8CC76vc/s200/DSCF6994.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>8) <b>Chain Guard:</b> These make it a little harder to fix your chain if it pops off during a ride but its worth it. I have torn up a pair of jeans in the past on a bike that did not have one. A good chain guard will keep your jeans safe and clean.<br />
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All these features make commuting by bike easier, more comfortable and much more practical. Most of them are also fairly cheap. I highly suggest that you get these items if your going to be commuting by bike.<br />
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I have been commuting by bike on and off again for years. Over the last year I have put in well over 1,000 miles on the bike just from commuting and I'm just getting started. Its a ton of fun and I suggest that every one try it out.<br />
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</div></div>Daronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460150658339384315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5028511544962112852.post-63000006525303383432010-11-08T14:37:00.000-08:002010-11-08T14:37:37.127-08:00Great Britain's electrical sockets are just awesome!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs061.snc4/34419_1611896018593_1272030219_1661573_1278704_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs061.snc4/34419_1611896018593_1272030219_1661573_1278704_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>One of the awesome things about living in the UK is how easy it is to make simple changes to ones life in order to live in a more sustainable manner.<br />
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This ranges from more walkable communities to the fact that hang drying clothes is the norm here. But one area that I was not expecting was with their electrical sockets.<br />
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One of the big energy drains is the fact that all of our appliances tend to stay on standby mode when we are not using them. Essentially just draining power 24/7 and raising our energy rates. In the States people are encouraged to buy serge protectors so its easy to just hit a switch and stop the energy drain.<br />
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Great Britain has taken it a step further. All and I do mean all of their electrical sockets have switches built into them. This means that when your done with something you just hit the switch and no energy drain! No needing to buy serge protectors or trying to unplug your appliances when they are not in use.<br />
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Its a great simple way to save power and I really wish the States would adopt this system.Daronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460150658339384315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5028511544962112852.post-42908500929523950662010-11-02T22:20:00.000-07:002010-11-03T10:33:22.315-07:00Moving forward on Climate Legislation after the Mid-Terms<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://imgs.sfgate.com/blogs/images/sfgate/nov05election/2010/10/28/BeatTexas336x625.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://imgs.sfgate.com/blogs/images/sfgate/nov05election/2010/10/28/BeatTexas336x625.jpg" width="171" /></a></div>So today is election day. Overall the day is over in terms of the election results. Sure we still have races that are being counted but we know that the House of Representatives will be controlled by the Republican Party. We know that the Senate will "technically" be controlled by the Democrats. We know that the Republicans will control the majority of the governorships and finally the best news of the night is California voted to stop Texas Oil and keep alive AB32, California's landmark climate bill.<br />
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Moving forward we have some tough choices ahead of us. Tuesdays will be a day for me to write about Climate Change and Peak Oil. I did not plan to start this series on election day but it worked out that way.<br />
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Unfortunately this means that my first post on Climate Change will be in a negative atmosphere nationwide and really we have a very tough future ahead of us.<br />
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The American people voted tonight on economic concerns. In the long run I fear this may cause major problems not just for our country but also for the world.<br />
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<b>The House of Representatives:</b><br />
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Republican John Boehner will be the new Speaker of the House. This is a man who once said that "the idea that carbon dioxide is a carcinogen that is harmful to our environment is almost comical."<br />
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The only thing that would be comical (if we did not need strong action on climate change now) is the lack of any scientific understanding from John Boehner or the rest of the Republican Caucus.<br />
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What we have to look forward to from the House is essentially an energy policy written by and for the Oil Industry.<br />
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<b>The Senate:</b><br />
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I stated up above that the Democrats are "technically" in control of the Senate. This is because they will be unable to get anything done with the House in the hands of the Republicans and the filibuster making it so they need an un-democratic 60 votes to even have a vote on a bill.<br />
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Essentially nothing of the scale we need on climate change will be passed from the Senate due to the filibuster.<br />
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<b>Moving on:</b><br />
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So where does that leave us for the next two years? We will be unable to pass any climate legislation on the national level. I hate to say it but we were unable to pass anything even before tonight and now we are in an even worse place on the national level.<br />
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So what does that leave us? California seems to give the answer to this question. This is a state that is doing worse economically then the country as a whole and yet overwhelming voted to keep their landmark climate bill on the books. They also voted to keep Senator Boxer in office. Boxer has been a champion of climate legislation in the pass. Finally, Jerry Brown looks like he will be elected to the governorship in California largely based on his argument for a clean technology economy.<br />
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This shows that we can win on climate change even in a weak economy... at the state level. Moving forward we need to start fighting for strong climate legislation on a state by state basis and on a city by city basis.<br />
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We waited through the Bush years with the idea that once the democrats were in office we would establish a national price on carbon. We put all our eggs in one basket. Well the economic collapse came along and dumped them all out.<br />
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By working on the state level and the city level we can get wins and move the conversation forward. In addition any one loss won't be the end of the game. Our next chance at the national level won't be till 2013 or later. The science states that we can't wait. We need action now and that action must come from the state and city level.Daronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460150658339384315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5028511544962112852.post-9011189513529602422010-11-01T17:03:00.000-07:002010-11-01T17:07:21.250-07:00Welcome to Lewes<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XWWyMlfsiJo/TM9J9lBYpgI/AAAAAAAAD0M/eC_M1OuYz4E/s1600/DSCF6970.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XWWyMlfsiJo/TM9J9lBYpgI/AAAAAAAAD0M/eC_M1OuYz4E/s320/DSCF6970.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Looking down a side road from High Street</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">I discovered while working on this blog post that I need more pictures of Lewes. Lewes is an fantastic town that really feel like a small old European town.</span></span><br />
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</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">As you walk down the main street of town called High Street you see small shop after small shop with restaurants and flats mixed in.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">High Street is the main road for traffic through Lewes and yet for the part through the middle its only has one lane and uses traffic lights to keep everything moving smoothly.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">One day while walking down High Street I noticed something that surprised me a little. There was a little plaque on the wall of one of the buildings called the "Bull House" and it stated that this was the home of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Paine">Thomas Paine</a>.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><a name='more'></a><div>Finding a link to home all the way over here was really awesome. It showed how connected our story in the United States really is to the story of other countries. I feel that we sometimes forget that and this was a nice reminder for me.</div></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/98/Lewes_Castle_keep.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/98/Lewes_Castle_keep.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lewes Castle</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">A little way past Thomas Paine's old house is a castle! There is a hill right off of High Street and up on it is a castle. The hill is the highest point in Lewes so you can easily see it from all over the town. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">I really enjoy seeing the castle as I bike around the town. Its something that really makes the area feel unique to me.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">As you continue down High Street you will pass the town hall, pass a monument and head down a hill towards Cliffe Street.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Cliffe Street is a great area with a lot of small local shops mixed with a few bigger chain stores. But even these chain stores have a small foot print (no parking lots!)</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;">Cliffe Street is cobble stoned and is mostly traffic free. Most days the street is filled with people walking up and down visiting the shops. It is a street that is owned by the people walking not by the cars. The result is that most of the cars stay away.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XWWyMlfsiJo/TM9Uf1C6G7I/AAAAAAAAD0Q/POkgKytVcd0/s1600/DSCF6939.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XWWyMlfsiJo/TM9Uf1C6G7I/AAAAAAAAD0Q/POkgKytVcd0/s320/DSCF6939.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The river Ouse and the cliffs overlooking the town</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Cliffe Street goes over the river Ouse which flows through part of town. Right next to the bridge is a local brewery called Harvey's. It is one of the only local breweries still in business in England. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">On the first Saturday of every month there is a farmer's market on Cliffe Street. When the market is there the street is just packet full of vendors, people shopping and some street performers.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Lewes is a great town. You can walk or bike everywhere. You do not need a car to live, work, shop and play in Lewes. All around the town are farmers fields and natural areas. You should come visit!</span></span></div>Daronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460150658339384315noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5028511544962112852.post-59778640358796829782010-10-31T13:05:00.000-07:002010-10-31T13:06:58.664-07:00What a long and strange trip it has been<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XWWyMlfsiJo/TM3GO-GYafI/AAAAAAAAD0I/iBbqNYjxpqs/s1600/DSCF6985.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XWWyMlfsiJo/TM3GO-GYafI/AAAAAAAAD0I/iBbqNYjxpqs/s320/DSCF6985.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>We have a internet connection at last! For a while there it really did seem like we were never going to get it.<br />
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It took almost a month for the broadband company to get everything setup and turned on.<br />
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But now we can finally start re-engaging with all of you!<br />
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So what have we been doing over the past month and a half since the last blog post?<br />
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I will be talking about all of that and more after the break.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>So first off a quick overview of Michaela and my time in the UK so far. We flew into London on the 13th of September. We stayed in London from the 13th through the 17th.<br />
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London is a really amazing city. It has more people then the state of Washington but feels more like a small town. I took a ton of pictures of London which some of you may have seen on facebook and I will soon be posting them to picasa and then to this blog. So keep watching for that!<br />
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On the 17th we took a train down to "London by the Sea" also known as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brighton_and_Hove">Brighton</a>.<br />
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Brighton is a tourist town about the size of Spokane in terms of population. That being said it has a much greater density and really felt as Michaela said "a lot like New York." Neither of us really cared for Brighton that much. I guess we just are not really into the whole tourist atmosphere.<br />
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But we did have fun in Brighton. The beach is really awesome and I actually got to go swimming several times. The first time was with some really big waves! I can't wait till next summer so I can go swimming again.<br />
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After what seemed like way to long we managed to find a place to let in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewes">Lewes</a>. Lewes is a small town just north east of Brighton. The population of Lewes is around 15,000 but again it has a much greater population density then you would find in the United States.<br />
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A biking map I got says that the distance from city edge to city edge is never greater then 2 and a half miles. Easy to bike and walk which really makes Lewes a great place to live.<br />
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I could go on about Lewes for a while but that will have to wait for later posts. Anyways, about a week after finding our flat we were finally able to move in. We moved in on the 27th of September.<br />
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Since then we have been working on making our flat a home. We have some furniture now which we got from an awesome charity (non-profit) called <a href="http://www.furniturenow.org.uk/">Furniture Now</a>. I'm volunteering with them now and its been a lot of fun. I will go into it more later on but its a great program and I wish we had similar programs in the States.<br />
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I also started volunteering with the <a href="http://www.lewes.gov.uk/">Lewes District Council</a> on their Low Carbon Households project. Just started but I will post more about it after a few weeks. <br />
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Also, during this time Michaela has started her classes and is doing a really awesome job. Its not easy getting a masters but she is really doing awesome! The <a href="http://www.sussex.ac.uk/">University of Sussex</a> is a great school and <a href="http://www.ids.ac.uk/">IDS</a> is an amazing organization.<br />
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Well that's about it for a quick update. I will be posting a lot more about the UK, Lewes and other things from here on out. Check out the "About" tab to see what I will be posting about.<br />
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Finally, November 2nd is election day so make sure to get out and vote! Its vitally important that everyone votes. By the way Democrats are awesome and Republicans suck. Just wanted to get that out there.Daronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460150658339384315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5028511544962112852.post-43898941483166064542010-09-04T18:30:00.000-07:002010-09-04T18:44:22.047-07:00Six items or less - Moving forwardSo as I mentioned in my last post I have just finished a month of the six items or less challenge. Now what? Well first off the great thing about doing challenges like this is that it proves to yourself that you can do it and that its really not that bad.<br />
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When trying to live a more sustainable way of life it is incredibly easy to get to overwhelmed and give up before even starting. Secondly, a lot of the arguments against living more sustainable is that somehow our quality of life will be lessened by doing it.<br />
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What tends to happen when people take challenges like the six items or less is that they realize that its really not that hard and in many cases people report feeling like their quality of life had improved.<br />
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For myself I did not notice much of a change one way or another. Really this was due to the fact that the challenge was only one month and that I had already committed myself to consuming less in general. But by choosing to do the challenge and completing it I was able to prove to myself that six items or less was something I could do long term.<br />
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Plus one big quality of life improvement that came out of all this is that my closet has a lot less items in it. To me this is just awesome! More after the break.<br />
<a name='more'></a>Moving forward I am going to keep in the spirit of six items or less. Does this mean I am only going to have six items or less in my closet? Nope, but I won't be needing a walk in closet just to have room for my clothes.<br />
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After the challenge was over I bought a couple new clothes: A new T-Shirt, long sleeve button up shirt and a sweater. Big shopping trip I know ;)<br />
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These items are going to be combined with a nice long sleeve button up fair trade shirt from a local shop, a organic t-shirt that I got as a birthday present from my parents, a old (but still good!) cotton t-shirt a blue/white long sleeve button up shirt and a old but again good sweater.<br />
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So thats 3 button up shirts, 3 t-shirts and 2 sweaters. Add two pairs of jeans and a pair of nice work pants and you end up with 11 clothing items not counting socks and such. Not bad for a years worth of clothes.<br />
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The reason I choose these items is that they are versatile. First, I made sure that their colors while different were similar enough that I could mix and match easily to create different outfits. Second, I can roll up the sleeves on the button up shirts to make them short sleeve and either have them buttoned or not depending on the weather. This allows me to essentially change my style without having to own additional items. It also lets me adjust my outfit for the weather again without additional items.<br />
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So there you have it. Moving forward my main lesson from the challenge was to have a smaller number of more versatile clothes instead of many single use items.Daronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460150658339384315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5028511544962112852.post-44225846665123005912010-08-31T21:39:00.000-07:002010-09-01T01:10:09.141-07:00Six items or less... Its over!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XWWyMlfsiJo/TH3YXQxfXWI/AAAAAAAADzk/UZ-CdEetFss/s1600/06-29-10-6ItemsOrLess.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XWWyMlfsiJo/TH3YXQxfXWI/AAAAAAAADzk/UZ-CdEetFss/s320/06-29-10-6ItemsOrLess.jpg" /></a></div>So its now August 31st and that means the end of the six items or less challenge for me! Its been a fun and wild ride but really not as hard as I expected.<br />
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I had written out a whole long break down on how this went for me but then my internet connection messed up and I lost all of it. I will be writing a more extensive post later on but for now enjoy the following video about six items or less:<br />
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<div align="center"><object height="306" width="500"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/DNZFBMuNFio?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/DNZFBMuNFio?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="500" height="306"></embed></object></div>Daronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460150658339384315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5028511544962112852.post-7665076079421413132010-08-03T18:07:00.000-07:002010-08-03T18:08:19.773-07:00There and back again... on a bike!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4a/TheHobbit_FirstEdition.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4a/TheHobbit_FirstEdition.jpg" width="159" /></a></div>I just had to make a reference to <i>The Hobbit</i> aka <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hobbit">There and Back Again</a></i> by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._R._R._Tolkien">J.R.R Tolkien</a>. I still have not read The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings trilogy but I did just add them all to my <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_Kindle">Kindle</a> and my goal is to read all four books while Michaela and I are in the UK. Should be awesome reading these books in the country where they were written!<br />
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But anyways, onto the point of this post. I just hit a couple days ago the one month mark at my job as Volunteer Coordinator for the<a href="http://www.votebonniemager.com/"> Campaign to Re-Elect Bonnie Mager</a>! During this time I have managed to put a little over 400 miles on my bike.<br />
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Not sure if there is enough time left but I really want to try to hit the big 1k mark on my bike before Michaela and I head off to the UK.<br />
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With gas prices averaging around $3 a gallon and the average US car getting 20ish miles per gallon I have saved $60! Of course that is not taking into account the cost of car insurance. Plus this is only for one month.<br />
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Basically biking is awesome and I encourage you all to bike at least some of the time!Daronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460150658339384315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5028511544962112852.post-84816730441652160802010-08-02T01:07:00.000-07:002010-08-02T01:08:14.738-07:00Six clothes for one monthSo today was the first of August and that means I get to start my <a href="http://sixitemsorless.com/">Six Items or Less</a> challenge. I am actually looking forward to this challenge. Not only is it a great way to help break my own addiction to consumerism but it is also means less laundry! I really hate folding clothes so this will be great for me. But back to seriousness after the break.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Really though I am doing this as a part my greater project that I mentioned in <a href="http://michaeladaronwildride.blogspot.com/2010/06/for-love-of-stuff.html">"For the Love of Stuff" part 1</a>, <a href="http://michaeladaronwildride.blogspot.com/2010/07/for-love-of-stuff-part-2.html">part 2</a> and <a href="http://michaeladaronwildride.blogspot.com/2010/07/for-love-of-stuff-part-3.html">part 3</a>. If we are ever going to truly reduce our environmental impact we have to start consuming less. Consumption is not bad but over consumption is. Where is the limit? I don't know and I don't think anyone knows for sure. As a society we are very creative and innovative... but the environment may also be more fragile then we think or it could be more resilient then we think. For myself I would rather error on the side of caution.<br />
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Which brings us back to <a href="http://sixitemsorless.com/">six items or less</a>. For those of you who missed the first post on this subject or just forgot (happens to the best of us) here are the rules for the challenge:<br />
<blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2d2c2c; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">each participant gets to choose six (and only six) items of clothing and pledge to wear </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2d2c2c; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">only </span></em></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2d2c2c; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">these six items of clothing for a month. They’ll share their experiences </span><s><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">here</span></s><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> at sixitemsorless.com"</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2d2c2c; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"There are exceptions that don’t count towards the six: undergarments, swim wear, work-out clothes, work uniforms, outer jackets (rain slicker, outdoor jacket), shoes and accessories. You can get multiples of the same item for laundry purposes, but different colors count as separate items."</span></span></span></blockquote>So thats it. Fairly basic set of rules nothing too complicated but it really is a huge change of pace for most of us.<br />
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After thinking about it for a while here are what I decided to pick out for my six items: <i>(list for now I may post pics later)</i><br />
<ol><li>Blue organic T-Shirt - birthday present from my parents (Thanks Mom and Dad!)</li>
<li>Blue fair trade button up shirt</li>
<li>Light Blue button up shirt (Not fair trade)</li>
<li>Blue/white patterned button up shirt (I like blue if you have not noticed)</li>
<li>A pair of jeans</li>
<li>and finally one pair of cargo shorts</li>
</ol><div>What I am not counting are the items listed in the rules above and my sleep clothes. Otherwise though for my day to day activities thats all I have to choose from. I will post a picture of my closet before and after in a later post.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Should be a fun challenge now onto day 2!</div>Daronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460150658339384315noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5028511544962112852.post-30754598002128263562010-07-25T23:24:00.000-07:002010-08-02T01:08:44.644-07:00Six items or less<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XWWyMlfsiJo/TE0qExyyqcI/AAAAAAAADvw/f6gzY1rtBrY/s1600/sixitemsorlesssmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XWWyMlfsiJo/TE0qExyyqcI/AAAAAAAADvw/f6gzY1rtBrY/s320/sixitemsorlesssmall.jpg" /></a>Michaela recently showed me this awesome site <a href="http://www.sixitemsorless.com/">www.sixitemsorless.com</a>. Starting on June 21st according to the site:</div><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2d2c2c; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">... "a group of people from California to Dubai are going to take part in a little experiment: each participant gets to choose six (and only six) items of clothing and pledge to wear </span><em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">only </span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">these six items of clothing for a month."</span></span></blockquote><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">What is really awesome about this is that everyone who is taking part is encouraged to share their experiences over the course of the month on the Six Items or Less blog.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is really awesome imo. By letting a community grow around their simple idea and by allowing that community to make the idea into whatever they want to it allows for a much more dynamic and imo stronger movement.</div><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2d2c2c; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"People have asked what the philosophy is behind the experiment and most assume it’s a statement about consumerism. In reality, we haven’t dictated a driving thought. Rather it’s about putting a challenge out there and seeing what people bring to it, do with it and talk about."</span></span></blockquote><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is one of the great aspects of the web today. That a decentralized community based movement can form from nothing more then a simple idea. </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I am choosing to take part in this as a personal statement about consumerism. Will you join me in this awesome experiment?</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Rules of the game:</b></div><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2d2c2c; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"There are exceptions that don’t count towards the six: undergarments, swim wear, work-out clothes, work uniforms, outer jackets (rain slicker, outdoor jacket), shoes and accessories. You can get multiples of the same item for laundry purposes, but different colors count as separate items."</span></span></blockquote>Even though I am starting this late... or early depending on how you look at it (the first event started on June 21st, and the next is starting in mid-August). I am going to keep with the spirit of the experiment and post at least once a week on this subject for a month starting on August 1st (that will be my first day taking part in this).<br />
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Should be a blast! Hope you all join me either by partaking in the experiment or just following along... it should be a wild ride ;)Daronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460150658339384315noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5028511544962112852.post-45654072279434108772010-07-19T01:21:00.000-07:002010-07-19T01:21:53.069-07:00For the love of stuff (part 3)<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Well its been a while since my last post. It seems like the hardest part of blogging is not coming up with ideas but simply the posting of those ideas. But oh well I'm posting now.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">For the love of stuff I decided to buy some more stuff. I wonder if one day that may be a commonly used curse... anyways I know I am supposed to be getting rid of stuff but there was a good reason.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XWWyMlfsiJo/TEQKJSzL_CI/AAAAAAAADvU/u1s8qL6rqsM/s1600/lunchpail+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XWWyMlfsiJo/TEQKJSzL_CI/AAAAAAAADvU/u1s8qL6rqsM/s320/lunchpail+1.JPG" width="320" /></a>My two recent purchases are a lovely new metal lunch-pail and a Amazon Kindle. Though the Kindle was actually a gift from my lovely and beautiful wife Michaela. Thank you my love!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The lunch-pail shown in the picture here will actually help me decrease the amount of stuff I have and purchase. In the past I would use plastic bags or paper bags for my lunch. Now that I have this metal lunch-pail I can stop buying and throwing away all those bags. In addition this lunch-pail is a lot more durable and will last longer then the re-usable plastic containers I used in the past.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></div><a name='more'></a><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
The Kindle follows a similar path but in this case its a little less clear cut. Books take a decent amount of resources to produce. Trees for paper, chemicals for the ink and glue for the bindings. Of course there is also the transportation costs. The Kindle also takes resources more so then anyone book and has transportation costs. The thing is that the majority of the resources for the Kindle are a one time sink. How many books it would take to come out a head is another question though and I don't know the answer.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XWWyMlfsiJo/TEQKXOCdV9I/AAAAAAAADvc/uzUWz6fg6dM/s1600/lunchpail+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XWWyMlfsiJo/TEQKXOCdV9I/AAAAAAAADvc/uzUWz6fg6dM/s320/lunchpail+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Though there is another bonus to the Kindle... no more moving books! Michaela and I will be traveling to the UK in September and after that we may be moving fairly often. Moving the Kindle will be much easier then moving boxes of books.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Currently I have 25 ebooks on the Kindle. Trust me its a lot easier to carry 25 ebooks then 25 physical books. Now this is not to say I won't ever purchase physical books again but for now ebooks make a lot more sense.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">So all in all both these items represent a overall decrease in future stuff. So while I may have two new items overall my ownership and purchases of stuff will be decreased now and in the future.</div>Daronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460150658339384315noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5028511544962112852.post-49726216765566449652010-07-03T10:30:00.000-07:002010-07-03T10:30:36.924-07:00Happy Fourth of July!<b>Happy Fourth of July to all!</b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flagline.com/images/us-flag-flying.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.flagline.com/images/us-flag-flying.jpg" /></a></div>I know its a day early but Michaela and I are heading out to go camping today. Should be a lot of fun and I will have more posts up when we get back. Enjoy the weekend and again happy Fourth of July!Daronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460150658339384315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5028511544962112852.post-79505186262103398502010-07-01T10:24:00.000-07:002010-07-01T10:24:34.558-07:00For the love of stuff (part 2)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XWWyMlfsiJo/TCzPFHPL3wI/AAAAAAAADvM/0ODV_eCamAQ/s1600/DSCF6401.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XWWyMlfsiJo/TCzPFHPL3wI/AAAAAAAADvM/0ODV_eCamAQ/s320/DSCF6401.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I had meant to write this blog post a couple days ago but three flat tires and work took priority. Life has a way for throwing twists and turns into your path in even while doing the simplest things.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">In my last “<a href="http://michaeladaronwildride.blogspot.com/2010/06/for-love-of-stuff.html">for the love of stuff</a>” post I talked about how I was going to get rid of my extra stuff. I even made a pledge to get rid of 66% or two thirds of my stuff. I realized that I did not really go into why I wanted to do this. I am not crazy really I'm not!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">A while back I learned a little bit about the ideas of <a href="http://www.simpleliving.net/">voluntary simplicity</a><b> </b><span style="font-weight: normal;">and the </span><a href="http://www.transitionus.org/why-transition">transition movement</a><span style="font-weight: normal;">. Both ideas have their differences but essentially they gravitate around the idea that we can live a life style that may have a lower traditional standard of living (in terms of gdp per capita) but will be higher in quality of life. This goes against our traditional ways of looking at the world but here goes.</span></div><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Essentially the argument goes like this: Say you work hard get a big bonus and buy a really big and awesome flat screen tv. You take it home set it all up and get ready to watch your favorite movie in ways you never imagined... But then you see an advertisement for a brand new 3D TV! Now your brand new TV seems outdated and not that great and you just got it! So you work hard (again) and get another bonus, buy a new TV and presto the cycle repeats... over and over again. Essentially its the carrot on a stick problem. Just so you know there will always be a bigger, better TV around the corner.</div><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">So what if you stopped the cycle? Well for one that bonus could be used for something that won't degrade with time. Say that cooking class you have always been wanting to take. Or you could do the really radical thing and simply take some extra time off work and forgo the bonus!</div><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">The idea here is not to never buy anything but to break the never ending consumer cycle of buying the newest greatest product over and over and over... and over again.</div><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">This cycle of never ending consumerism is part of what has lead us to our consumer debt crisis and I feel has lead us to feeling disconnected with the rest of the world. Not to count all the environmental impacts it has also created and will create in the future (See </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepwater_Horizon_oil_spill">BP Oil Spill</a><span style="font-weight: normal;">).</span></div><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">For myself I am doing this to save money, to lower my carbon/ecological footprint and to make moving easier! I really hate having to pack and move a lot of stuff so that is a big motivator for me.</div><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Another reason is that just like being a vegetarian breaking the consumerism cycle is a way for me to reduce my carbon/ecological footprint no mater if I am living in a house or an apartment. Renting an apartment really limits what options you can take to reduce your footprint. Its hard to live off the grid when your renting.</div><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Take a look at the websites linked up top and make sure to follow Michaela and I as we go through this transition. I will be posting pictures of the room over time as I get rid of all my stuff to track the changes. Lets see how it goes!</div>Daronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460150658339384315noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5028511544962112852.post-53900001232802854482010-06-28T20:23:00.000-07:002010-06-28T20:26:45.029-07:00One, two, three flat tires<a href="http://www.ucs.louisiana.edu/~tsh9390/home%20page%20pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image Copyrighted by UL-Lafayette Computing Support Services" border="0" height="240" src="http://www.ucs.louisiana.edu/~tsh9390/home%20page%20pic.jpg" width="320" /></a>Well today I thought I was going to be writing a follow up to my post about the blob. But life decided to take a different path today so that post will have to wait.<br />
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As you might as guessed from the title and the image my bike got a flat tire today. What is really upsetting about this is that this was the third time my back tire got a flat in the last couple weeks.<br />
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The first was my own fault I had let the air pressure in the back tire get low which allowed the tire to go flat when I tried to jump over a curb.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>The next two flats are the annoying ones. I took the bike in to get repaired and checked up after the first one. Everything seemed fine and I started on my way home only to get a second flat after about 4 miles (I had over 9 miles left to go). So I called the bike shop and they actually sent someone out to fix the bike for me. Once again I was on my way with a fixed bike.<br />
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Over the next few days I went another 40 miles and figured everything was great. Then today on my way to work the tire went flat once again! Arg!<br />
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The crazy thing is that both flats happened on the inside of the tire. Essentially that meant that I was not running over anything but something like the spokes were instead poking holes in it.<br />
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I called Michaela and she picked me up with the help of her Mom. Thank you Michaela and Genn! We decided to take the bike back to the shop to get fixed. This time the people at the shop gave it a full look over and put in a better inner tub. They also put some new tape stuff in the tire to protect the inner tub from the spokes.<br />
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So hopefully now its all fixed. But who knows maybe in a few days I will be writing about the fourth flat tire! But lessoned learned... this time I made sure to buy a patch kit and a small bike pump.Daronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460150658339384315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5028511544962112852.post-83283383642099699142010-06-27T18:41:00.000-07:002010-06-27T18:42:19.020-07:00For the love of stuff<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XWWyMlfsiJo/TCf9l2FGpMI/AAAAAAAADvE/ACMbhMsfvpI/s1600/DSCF6390.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XWWyMlfsiJo/TCf9l2FGpMI/AAAAAAAADvE/ACMbhMsfvpI/s320/DSCF6390.JPG" /></a>Today I gave away my blob. Now for those wondering what the heck a blob is... well essentially its a bean bag chair that also opens up into a bed. I bought it a couple years ago to serve as both a bed and a couch while I was living in the KA House.<br />
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I will really miss that blob. Its strange how attached you can get to objects like the blob. Its big and heavy, hard to move and I would have no use for it for at least a couple years and most likely not even then.<br />
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Giving away the blob was just one of many things or stuff that I am either recycling, donating/giving away or throwing away. Part of this has to do with Michaela and I going to the UK but another part is that we are both trying to break our addiction to a consumer way of life.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>I have all this stuff sitting around that I never use or even think about but then when it comes to get rid of it I get all attached and just can't bring myself to toss it.<br />
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It is really amazing how hard it is to stop having so much stuff and then to also stop buying/getting so much more stuff.<br />
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I am setting a goal for myself before Michaela and I leave for the UK. I want to have given away, tossed or recycled 66% of the stuff that I currently own.<br />
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Over the next 2 and a half months I will be posting my progress. Lets see if I can move away from my love of stuff.Daronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460150658339384315noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5028511544962112852.post-82738801474882346472010-06-26T19:56:00.000-07:002010-06-26T22:06:15.088-07:00Biking to work<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>(Pics at the bottom)</i> Friday was my first day biking to work and my first day on the new job. I started working as the Campaign Volunteer Coordinator for the <a href="http://www.votebonniemager.com/">campaign to reelect Bonnie Mager</a>. Since Michaela needs the car for her job and I have been wanting to break away from the use of cars I decided that I would bike to work each day instead of driving or taking the bus... that is if its not raining too hard.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The ride to work is really enjoyable. A new north south freeway is being built and it is actually being built correctly. That is they are building a bike/pedestrian path that follows the freeway. Its not completed but it still allows me to get into Spokane from Mead.<br />
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<a name='more'></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">After the trail ends I take a short route to Crestline. Crestline starts off with a bike lane that goes all the way to Francis. After that the lane ends but the road is still wide enough that its not a problem. A little ways further down it changes to one lane each way <i>(instead of two each way)</i> but it stays the same width! I love this part there is so much room even with the random parked car. Though I don't understand why they don't just put a bike lane in that part (or the whole length of the road). But meh.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Once Crestline ends its just a short but beautiful ride to the Centennial Trail. The trail is such a nice ride and it takes me all the way to the Monroe street bridge and from there its just about a mile to my work.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">All in all I really enjoy the ride. The total distance is about 13 and a half miles and it takes me a little over an hour.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I am looking forward to biking to work over the summer. This will be a great experience that will help me get ready for a life without a car.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Update:</b> Ended up just going about 15 and a half miles total instead of the total 26ish. Michaela picked me up so we could go out to dinner. Monday will be my first day biking to work and then back home.</div><br />
<div align="center"><embed flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fdarongw%2Falbumid%2F5487280350069343361%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" height="334" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="500"></embed></div>Daronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460150658339384315noreply@blogger.com0