Fleshing Out the First Phase

I just looked at my budget, and took the numbers from last month into my graph. Costs have been going up, but income hasn't. The plan must start now. The first goal is to buy or build a storage shed large enough to hold all of our stuff. We gotta get ready to leave. 

The Coming Storm

Maybe we've been saying it with every generation, that the end is near and all that stuff. I personally don't believe the end is... ever. But i do believe that our society, as it exists on Earth, has the technology to expose the ugliness that is humanity. We can see it now, instantly, from the other side of the globe. We can see racism and sexism and torture and failed military operations and all of the ugly consequences of all that. We can see our political leaders bumble around justifying their corporate-friendly lawmaking. We see it all. We are all disgusted.

That's the first step.

The second step is the action that follows the disgust. Our Black neighbors have been on this for years now. Simply arguing that Black lives... matter, they are on the front. Power has been bringing the disgust to their front door since any of us can remember. They have every right to be mad. We should all be just as mad. And we are getting there. The disgust is coming.

Then...

... what happens once it's decided in our heads that we've had enough disgust? Are you going to fight back? Are you going to talk? Are you going to run? Hide? Or are you just going to tune it out? I challenge you to ponder what this country means to you, and what you think it needs to be. Then look around you, and see what is keeping that from happening. 

How Soon Is Now?

I'm, in fact, the son and the heir of a shyness that is criminally vulgar.

That being said, i struggle with empty promises. Now. Soon. Coming. With any luck. Hopefully. All empty phrases. We, the workforce, are hurting. We are hemorrhaging. 

How

How does a family bringing in almost $100k annually wind up still living paycheck to paycheck?

The Real Question

How does one transform themselves from Joe Dirt into Rick Steves while successfully raising a family and maintaining financial solvency?

The Grind is Grinding

I'm taking a break, having a smoke in the alley behind the restaurant where i make pizza for tourists. The prices of everything around me are going up, and the offers for starting wages are everywhere, too. But not enough to provide a living, and not enough to sink an employer. The dichotomy is palpable.

Inspiration From Modern Westerns

I've been getting into an old western drama about a family moving to Oregon from Texas in 1883. It's horrific and beautiful, wild and graceful, brilliant and simple.

I've often revised a fantasy of mine to emulate that lifestyle. While I'm not looking to get a ten gallon hat and work as a ranch hand, i do admire the idea of a relationship with nature, with local people, and with survival in relative comfort while still acknowledging difficulty.

Maybe someday I'll build my own cabin. Maybe someday I'll have animals or a farm. These are noble pursuits, and i will seek them out.