I'm going to say right now that in a lot of ways collapsing now is a lot easier than I was expecting. While giving up home internet has required, and will continue to require, a lot of changes to my life, not all positive, overall, the inconveniences are minor compared to the benefits I find I'm getting. For example, needing to plan when to ask people if they're free instead of just being able to do it at anytime, but much better sleep.
This will be the first of three posts, describing how I'm currently living. Given that I'm busy with school, and figuring out what I can cook, I'm going to let myself adjust to this level of living, then move forward. In related news, my parents have given me an old 1950s/1960s cookbook with a lot of our family favorite recipes in it. I'm playing with quite a few of them, and have discovered quite a few wonders. Homemade noodles and bread, mayonnaise, a wide range of salad dressings, and even a fudge recipe are all in here. This is probably the best housewarming gift they could have given me.
I have a fairly small apartment, but since it's just me it's great. The only thing I'd change is I'd love to have a larger kitchen. Otherwise, it's more than enough space. I have my bed, an old thing from the '90s, a table, chairs to entertain guests, a good number of kitchen tools including pots, pans, a spatula, forks knives and spoons. Since I'm in walking distance of almost everything I need, I'm happy. The three exceptions are family, a good grocery store, and my volunteering. I've already sorted out all three: I can bus to the grocery store easily enough, pick up what I need, head home. This will only happen once every few weeks, since I don't need much. I've also set up my schedule such I will head home to family, spend some time there, and then head off to volunteer. Since I chose to join this scouts group because it was in walking distance of my home before I moved, this works well.
The rest of the post will focus on the morning routine I seem to have settled into. It's fairly different from what I had before, but I'm happy with it, more so than I was expecting. I like routine, and whenever anything disrupts that I tend to become unhappy. However, I'm enjoying my apartment and my new routine, which works out something like as follows.
I get up around 6 or 7 am. This is not because I have to, but rather because my body clock is set that this is my wake up time. I used to get up much later, at closer to 9 or 10 if left to my own devices, but this wake up time is now when I get up. I feel refreshed, happy, good to go for the day. I have become a morning bird, as opposed to the night owl I used to be. I think it has to do with no longer having screens before I god to bed, I used to be online fairly late, but now I can't be on the internet past 10 pm since the library I go to closes.
When I get up, I stretch, meditate, and make breakfast. My breakfast so far has been pancakes or eggs. Whichever it is, I spend a few minutes making it, since I keep my fridge stocked with pancake batter for the mornings. The recipe I use tastes a little bland, so I've been adding a little sugar (less than teaspoon per pancake) and butter, but now I've started using fruits in it instead. Now that I got it, I also sometimes make a cup of tea as well.
After a leisurely breakfast I grab some clothes for the day, take my towel I hung up to dry, and take a shower. I get dressed in not new, but still clean, clothes, do the dishes, and then I'm ready to go well before I need to be. The earliest I ever need to be anywhere is for 8:30, and the farthest place I need to be for a set time is still only a half hour walk away, so I'm always ready to go before I need to be. I'm using this time to read, and sometimes write a little, which I never used to be able to do in the mornings. Once my classes really start again I hope to use it as productive time to study and finish those assignments I can do without internet.
At about 8, or later when I don't have things I need to do, I head out to meet the day. If I don't have anything I need to do in the mornings, I've taken to exploring the area around me: there's a nice trail near where I live that I've stumbled upon. I don't know where it goes, but it's nice to walk on it and listen and watch the wildlife.
Hi Pam,
ReplyDeleteI hope to both inspire and entertain others. If anyone asks questions I fully intend to answer them, since this will make it easier for them to follow, as well as me since it means I have to make sure I'm clear about things.
I may not need it, but good luck is always something I appreciate! I've been really lucky my entire life, so I think I've got something going somewhere.
And I can't see all the details, but if you walk in something like the right direction long enough, eventually you'll still end up in the right place. And absolutely, intention without action is powerless.
And yes, there will be a man with a top hat, and he will indeed be me. I happened to stumble across it on a trip to London, and I decided to get it. I've used it a fair bit since, and I'm quite happy I got it, especially since it makes it very easy to make sure people can find me!
Hi, W. B.!
ReplyDeleteSo, how far away from you is your family now? And it is really nice that you keep in touch with them; speaking as a mother, even texting is great!
The only problem that I can see with grocery trips of less than every 1 1/2 - 2 weeks would be a fresh fruit and vegetable issue? Of course, canned and frozen could take their places quite a bit.
Scouts are great!
Not having the internet at home would be a tough one for me (and impossible as there are two businesses, one entirely using the internet, being run out of our house). I can't remember if you have a smartphone, or even a cellphone? It would take me 25 minutes and a fair amount of gas to get to our library. I kind of think of the internet the way I used to think of payphones (the public ones) - it was awfully hard to run into town (I live in the country, remember) to use a payphone if the landline was not operating. Actually, one would borrow the neighbor's phone, but generally all neighboring lines would be out at the same time. I love cellphones! We still have a landline, though, as our internet comes through it.
It sounds like you have an ideal morning schedule and it sounds like your biological clock has become attuned to the rising of the sun. That's how mine works - the sun starts to rise and some alarm goes off in my head. We have TV on in the evening, but I always read before I go to sleep, and then meditate on what I hope to dream about.
It will be interesting to see if you will end up saving money with your lifestyle changes.
Pam
Ok, I'm a little concerned, there's a comment that exists according to gmail but not blogger...
ReplyDeleteI'll see if it comes through, if not, ChaosAdventurer my apologies, technology hates me sometimes. Thank you for noticing, I meant to say "not always new, but still clean clothes". I rearranged some of it to try to make it more clear, and then it seems didn't edit it all. I think this was a leftover from contrasting from my earlier life, but I'm not sure.
Hi Pam,
I'm about a half hour away by car, or hour by bus. It's not too bad, I'm actually going to visit fairly often. My family likes to have one meal together a week, and as long as I'm in the area I'm going to join.
I'm thinking about fruits and vegetables myself. I've found at least two fruit trees growing nearby though... And canned and frozen, and pickled now I have a recipe to play with, should all work rather well. Have I mentioned how much I like that old cookbook? ;)
Ah, I'm using my university library. I picked the apartment in large part because it's close to the university. It takes me around twenty minutes to walk there, or there's a bus that takes thirty minutes. And yes, this is not an option for everyone, and I'm not sure how well it'll work after I graduate, but for now, I think no home internet is a good idea. I do have a cellphone, but I have mixed feelings about it. It's useful, but I don't like people being able to text me at anytime and expect an immediate response.
I think my routine is pretty good. If it's tied to the sun, winter is going to be painful though. The sun rises pretty late in winter here.
I'm curious about saving money too. With any luck, yes. However, my personal income is fairly low. My family has lots of money, and I have access to a lot of it, but my personal income puts me well below the poverty line. I can say already my expenses are lower than most of my friends', which to me is a good sign.
Hi W.B.
ReplyDeleteTechnology isn't out to get us, it is just very picky on its care and feeding (i.e. Just Cat Picture Please ;)
When it is us humans talking directly, we have a built in error 'correction' that we usually can figure out what the other meant even if the exact words where just correct. Tech on other hand tends to need very precise input(communication), with the littlest hiccup leading to a very unexpected result. So no need to apologize. One thing comments sections can provide is a bit of free editing service.
"not always new" is much more what I expected. While I don't have much clothes that were used previously to them coming my way, I often wear them until they are just not wearable anymore. Clothes can be clean even after a couple wears, so much of mine get in two or three wears before they land in the hamper. When someone notices that I wore a given top a few days previously and comments negatively on it, I'll sometimes just compare to Steven Jobs and his "high variety" of outfits.