Off Grid, Or To What Degree Do You Want to Go?

This book is not about how to move off the grid as much as examples of people that have made choices to become less dependent on the electric and government grid. Some are pretty "normal" and some are on the outlaw side of society. Rosen shows the rainbow of possibilities in off grid living from the Hollywood green of Daryl Hannah to New Mexico style pushing of all limits.

The question really becomes what do you want and how do you want to live? Rosen gives many examples and it is up to us to choose.

Some Interesting Economic Thoughts

The first link led, as many hours on the www. do, to the second link. To me these are some interesting thoughts about how our leaders think and act. And more importantly how we commoners act also.

Being an public school English teacher has given me a certain slant to the world, and certainly having spent years leaning against an educational union and its minions has formed my thoughts some. Big doesn't always mean better to me at this point in my life. What I'd really like to hear are thoughts from others, especially those in the business world, about these Greek and English ideas as we meander into the fourth year of this recession.

http://lloydkahn-ongoing.blogspot.com/2011/06/we-should-stop-chasing-economic.html#more

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article5076270.ece

A Year Without Money

Thought I'd try something new. Just finished a book, The Moneyless Man, A Year of Freeconomic Living by Mark Boyle. I enjoyed the book overall. Many of the thoughts he expressed I have been thinking about for a while, so I was interested to see theory put into practice.

The premise is the author will not earn nor spend any money for one calendar year. He does set himself up with a trailer to live in and a place to live at, as well as a bicycle to transport himself before starting the project. All food is either grown or foraged, and foraged included dumpster diving. He can't show up at friends expecting a meal. He even goes to pains not to accept gifts because he knows he will not be able to return the favor. At times the "rules" seem a bit overbearing, but Boyle thinks through all of his actions and he has to live with the results.

At Christmas he wants to travel from Bristol, England to Ireland to visit his family. They want him to visit also. The problem is the ferry ride across the Irish Sea. No money for the fare, nor will he accept a gift to pay the fare. He does eventually barter a way across and enjoys Christmas with his family.

Festivals seem to be big in his life and in the British Isles I suppose. His dilemma is again no money to enter and enjoy. He finds a way as a speaker at chosen venues. This includes the opening dinner to start the year and the closing Feastival in November.

Boyle does a good job explaining the whys of what he does. He details the hows also. Some may be turned off by such things as dumpster diving, but no one can dispute the waste that modern business creates either on their own or by government regulation.

Not everyone can or will choose to live like this. The waste on many levels can be changed, but not everyone is willing or able to compost, or use a composting toilet. At the end of the book I was hit with the strange idea that everyone is not as good nor nice as Boyle and his friends. How would he deal with evil, or someone only looking out for themselves?

Maybe that is his point, too many of us are in that mode now. Maybe the change we want has to start with us individually. Boyle did change.

A Fitting Continuence

Last night we were privileged to witness the honoring of some local high school coaches. That the husband of the married team was a coach of mine, then coaching mentor and colleague makes it special. Bruce and Alana Montgomery, after 30 plus years of coaching water polo, swimming, diving and volleyball at EUHS, received the honor of naming the swimming pool after them.

I was on the first water polo team Bruce coached and was lucky and unfortunate to play goalie as he did. I learned what intensity really was during my two year playing for Bruce. And it made a difference.

Try this for a Bucket List of goals. Having coached from 1973 to today they have between them and together: 65 League Titles (46 varsity and 19 JV), and 9 section titles. There were at least 10 individual section champions they have coached in that time.

It has been a privilege to learn from them.

This Will Be a Week to Remember

Summer schools start today. For two weeks I teach English in regular summer school. This is for students that need to make up for a failed class so they may graduate. From mid afternoon through the evening I will then work with the Migrant program. The two will overlap for two weeks, then a time for one at a time.

This weekend is the wedding. I believe EVERYONE will be happy when that is complete. Much, but not all, of the shopping is complete. Now the hard part of setting up will have to take place.

We received emails and pictures of Sam's arrival in the Middle East. His flight had a one-day layover in Germany and he reported he ate real German sausages. They passed the taste test.

Wils will be home later this week. I almost hate to tell him it's been rainy here after the rain he gets on a weekly basis.

I've been reading a book about the Moneyless Man. A gentleman spent a year spending no money. I also read a local blog and the author is spending no money for 10 days. The concept of no spending has many advantages and I can see trying something this summer. My family says I already spend little money. I actually bought a new belt yesterday for the wedding. The belt I inherited from my father finally is kaput after almost 10 years. I can't remember when I bought the last belt. It felt strange.

Need Some Shelter?