I used to walk up John Dalton Street in Manchester every morning to catch my light rail connection. And almost every morning I had Town Called Malice playing. Though it was written about Woking, England it reminded me of Manchester.
A whole street's belief in Sunday's roast beef
gets dashed against the Co-op
To either cut down on beer or the kids new gear
It's a big decision in a town called malice.
The ghost of a steam train - echoes down my track
It's at the moment bound for nowhere -
just going round and round
I could see those sentiments in the faces of people on the street. Times were beginning to get tough again. Mortgage rates were going up as fixed rates ended, Manchester's Co-op was struggling between being affordable and ethical. Alcoholism in the north was rampant as the factories started closing and the redundancy slips were handed out. The trains were breaking and everyone seemed to feel like the government was chasing its tail with the TIF bid.
Manchester was malice.
And Portland is turning to malice now too.
Portland's been going for 150 years, not even a smidge of the time Manchester rolled in. But its industries; shipping, logging, steel and now technology are failing. The demand for products is going down, people are out of work. Interest rates are slashed but without jobs people can't afford their mortgages. Gang violence is on the rise as well as bank robberies and homelessness. And these things aren't necessarily firsts for Portland, but with the economic doom and gloom, it might be the worst. Portland hasn't been through the kind of blows somewhere like Woking or Manchester has. There's anxiety and fear here for sure, but not the reality of miner's strikes, or the entire steel industry shutting down.
But I'm watching the faces around me start to harden, the people that moved here out of idealism rather than practicality face minimum wage disappointment. The ones that were here before are starting to show the same kind of xenophobia as the little island nation. Oregon for Oregonians. Oregon jobs for Oregonians. And depending on how fast and hard we hit, Portland will too be a town called malice.
3.29.2009
Hands on Greater Portland: Teamworks
As part of project "Meet People And Get Out Of The House" I signed up for a Teamworks event with Hands on Greater Portland. The project is a series of volunteer events surrounding sustainability and consumption. I chose it for a few reasons, the first is the acquisition of stuff. I'm a total shopaholic. I have a closet dedicated to my extensive shoe collection and I have a myriad of outfits left over from my Camarilla days that I can't give away.
I do my best to make my shopaholic-ness as focused around used products as possible. I spend a lot of time at various Goodwills and other charity shops seeking out bargains. And I try to note the days where I'm not wearing anything used, which are pretty rare. Most of our furniture is second hand or even rescued from dumpsters and refinished. So I've got the "re-use" part down. But there's still a lot I don't know about the processes behind where these things originate before they hit the donation pile.
My big question mark? Where do the metals come from? My employers do their best (and I mean this sincerely) to do business in ethical ways. We recycle or FreeGeek everything that can be. Our packing materials look excessive, but reduce the need for styrofoam "peanuts." Our production staff have a 4 day work week to combat energy costs and commutes. But the metal for our products has to come from somewhere. And from talking to various coworkers, finding US factories that would supply us with materials just isn't practical. We wouldn't be able to sell anything and that's what keeps us in business.
And those metals are used in everything. So while Apple is saying their new MacBook is the most sustainable one yet because it keeps batteries out of landfills, they don't answer more relevant questions. When does the hardware go End Of Life? Or where the hell did all that copper come from? I'm hoping portions of this experience will explain, or at least try to explain.
The first thing we did as a team was watch the Story of Stuff as presented by Annie Leonard. Let me say, I hated it. I found it patronizing and ill researched from the get go. I'm wary of statistics that are round. 75%, 80%, 90%, 60%, for one thing. How often do our numbers fall into round categories? And there may be a huge difference between 73% and 77% in numbers and in impact. So that failed to win me over.
I thought her explanations were overly simplistic. And while it's just a 20 minute video, her assertions desperately need some evidence that comes from impartial bodies. Even green groups and NGOs have an agenda. I'm far more likely to believe something that comes from the Christian Science Monitor than Greenpeace.
She was also completely wrong about how to upgrade computers. She thinks that just because the chip is different, you can't then retain the video card, or the hard disk, or the DVD-Rom. Sure, there are marker points in IT. The change, for example, from IDE to SATA, single to dual core, and AGP to PCI-E makes complete overhaul necessary. But those benchmarks are few and far between. The 'ecological' differences between LCD and CRT monitors are huge. She should be championing LCD over CRT technology. LCDs use less electricity, are easier on the eyes, are less toxic and take up less space in landfills.
She also missed the unusual demand elements behind computers, sort of entertaining, considering her whole platform is based off the Internet. Computers aren't just products, they're information and communication portals. For many, they're the gateway to all kinds of information they wouldn't have otherwise. And without computers and Internet connections, Leonard wouldn't be able to preach her sermon to a privileged few. What really drives the demand behind computers isn't necessarily about conspicuous consumption, in fact the advertising behind PCs is completely different from the advertising for things like cars and clothes. The current Vista/PC campaign by Microsoft features little tykes creating slide shows of their favorite things. They're being creative, inventive and informed. The Mac commercials are showing how "green" they are and previously featured their alleged security over Windows platforms. Contrast that to Mazda's Zoom, or Abercrombie and Fitch's dangerously young appearing models and you can see how different the targets are. Well, if you're anyone except Leonard.
So no, I wasn't at all impressed by the Story of Stuff. What did impress me was how the organizers behind our Teamworks handled it. I'm getting used to brainwashed zombies lumbering through Portland muttering about "Sustainability" while holding a iPhone and drinking from Peet's coffee cups. And I'mvwatching the slow death of that same industry from my front door. People don't have money for things like eco-friendly cotton, or ethically sourced Arabica beans. One by one the shops on 23rd that surround "eco" are closing, but there's a Dollar Tree opening.
We were encouraged to discuss our class privilege when thinking about environmental issues and consumption. And also to tear apart Leonard's ego stroking video. It was a nice change from what I've experienced in the past, which is blind belief and mindless following. Consuming in the name of eco-friendly consumption. And while I still don't know where the copper in my laptop comes from, I'm at least thinking about it a little more.
I do my best to make my shopaholic-ness as focused around used products as possible. I spend a lot of time at various Goodwills and other charity shops seeking out bargains. And I try to note the days where I'm not wearing anything used, which are pretty rare. Most of our furniture is second hand or even rescued from dumpsters and refinished. So I've got the "re-use" part down. But there's still a lot I don't know about the processes behind where these things originate before they hit the donation pile.
My big question mark? Where do the metals come from? My employers do their best (and I mean this sincerely) to do business in ethical ways. We recycle or FreeGeek everything that can be. Our packing materials look excessive, but reduce the need for styrofoam "peanuts." Our production staff have a 4 day work week to combat energy costs and commutes. But the metal for our products has to come from somewhere. And from talking to various coworkers, finding US factories that would supply us with materials just isn't practical. We wouldn't be able to sell anything and that's what keeps us in business.
And those metals are used in everything. So while Apple is saying their new MacBook is the most sustainable one yet because it keeps batteries out of landfills, they don't answer more relevant questions. When does the hardware go End Of Life? Or where the hell did all that copper come from? I'm hoping portions of this experience will explain, or at least try to explain.
The first thing we did as a team was watch the Story of Stuff as presented by Annie Leonard. Let me say, I hated it. I found it patronizing and ill researched from the get go. I'm wary of statistics that are round. 75%, 80%, 90%, 60%, for one thing. How often do our numbers fall into round categories? And there may be a huge difference between 73% and 77% in numbers and in impact. So that failed to win me over.
I thought her explanations were overly simplistic. And while it's just a 20 minute video, her assertions desperately need some evidence that comes from impartial bodies. Even green groups and NGOs have an agenda. I'm far more likely to believe something that comes from the Christian Science Monitor than Greenpeace.
She was also completely wrong about how to upgrade computers. She thinks that just because the chip is different, you can't then retain the video card, or the hard disk, or the DVD-Rom. Sure, there are marker points in IT. The change, for example, from IDE to SATA, single to dual core, and AGP to PCI-E makes complete overhaul necessary. But those benchmarks are few and far between. The 'ecological' differences between LCD and CRT monitors are huge. She should be championing LCD over CRT technology. LCDs use less electricity, are easier on the eyes, are less toxic and take up less space in landfills.
She also missed the unusual demand elements behind computers, sort of entertaining, considering her whole platform is based off the Internet. Computers aren't just products, they're information and communication portals. For many, they're the gateway to all kinds of information they wouldn't have otherwise. And without computers and Internet connections, Leonard wouldn't be able to preach her sermon to a privileged few. What really drives the demand behind computers isn't necessarily about conspicuous consumption, in fact the advertising behind PCs is completely different from the advertising for things like cars and clothes. The current Vista/PC campaign by Microsoft features little tykes creating slide shows of their favorite things. They're being creative, inventive and informed. The Mac commercials are showing how "green" they are and previously featured their alleged security over Windows platforms. Contrast that to Mazda's Zoom, or Abercrombie and Fitch's dangerously young appearing models and you can see how different the targets are. Well, if you're anyone except Leonard.
So no, I wasn't at all impressed by the Story of Stuff. What did impress me was how the organizers behind our Teamworks handled it. I'm getting used to brainwashed zombies lumbering through Portland muttering about "Sustainability" while holding a iPhone and drinking from Peet's coffee cups. And I'mvwatching the slow death of that same industry from my front door. People don't have money for things like eco-friendly cotton, or ethically sourced Arabica beans. One by one the shops on 23rd that surround "eco" are closing, but there's a Dollar Tree opening.
We were encouraged to discuss our class privilege when thinking about environmental issues and consumption. And also to tear apart Leonard's ego stroking video. It was a nice change from what I've experienced in the past, which is blind belief and mindless following. Consuming in the name of eco-friendly consumption. And while I still don't know where the copper in my laptop comes from, I'm at least thinking about it a little more.
3.22.2009
Politics and the City revisited
I haven't gone back to Politics and the City since it launched to some sighs and looks of annoyance. I was reading some past blog posts and kind of wondered if it got any better.
It actually looks like it gave up.
The ticker is telling me Mariah Carey spent a lot of money on something.
Just under is Barak Obama talking about Iran. That's a start I guess? But surely there are UK political things to discuss? Like the constant infringement on civil liberties? Or deflation? Or the decaying infrastructure?
There's a link to June's "Founder's Blog." Alongside is a "Love Guru" telling us how to "have it all."
Just underneath is an advertisement for something charmingly called "Power Bitches." You know, I don't recall any of the books about men in Sillicon Valley being referred to as something like that.
Then there's another guru, this time of "Happiness" and an article on cocktail parties.
Yes, this is a serious site indeed.
It actually looks like it gave up.
The ticker is telling me Mariah Carey spent a lot of money on something.
Just under is Barak Obama talking about Iran. That's a start I guess? But surely there are UK political things to discuss? Like the constant infringement on civil liberties? Or deflation? Or the decaying infrastructure?
There's a link to June's "Founder's Blog." Alongside is a "Love Guru" telling us how to "have it all."
Just underneath is an advertisement for something charmingly called "Power Bitches." You know, I don't recall any of the books about men in Sillicon Valley being referred to as something like that.
Then there's another guru, this time of "Happiness" and an article on cocktail parties.
Yes, this is a serious site indeed.
Things 2 and 3: Are you from the Internet?
Someone posted on the damnportlanders Livejournal group requesting a lunch meetup over at Montgomery Park. I work about a 5 minute walk away, so I thought it might be interesting. We already have something in common and maybe a smaller group than the Wordpress thing might suit me a little better.
I turned up and looked for them, eventually identifying the poster and wandered over. She'd been laid off and the other worked for a large HMO that was outsourcing their tech support to IBM. We commiserated about the economy. My own company's been through a round of layoffs over the last few months.
These are anxious times and watching teary coworkers pack up their things while being escorted out of the building is unpleasant. Every day I go to work and wonder if I will have a job at the end of it. But it's nice to talk to other people about these things and tell they feel similar. I left happy I'd gone and more than willing to do it again.
And then there was the button talk.
This goes back to my interest in making things. A local crafter, Susan Beal, was giving a talk about making things from buttons. She wrote a book and wanted to walk folks through making little hair clips.
It was a pretty small audience in comparison to what I've known at Powell's. I think the last time I went was for Terry Pratchett and it was massive. There were about 10 of us, most of them seemed to know her, who listened to her talk about buttons. It was delightful. Susan Beal is exuberant and excited about what she does. Her enthusiasm for all things buttony is contagious. I didn't really meet anyone, but I learned some things and have some very cute little hairclips I can wear out.
All in all, a success.
Edit: Omg someone evil with a camera got me scrounging :) Lots of fun.
I turned up and looked for them, eventually identifying the poster and wandered over. She'd been laid off and the other worked for a large HMO that was outsourcing their tech support to IBM. We commiserated about the economy. My own company's been through a round of layoffs over the last few months.
These are anxious times and watching teary coworkers pack up their things while being escorted out of the building is unpleasant. Every day I go to work and wonder if I will have a job at the end of it. But it's nice to talk to other people about these things and tell they feel similar. I left happy I'd gone and more than willing to do it again.
And then there was the button talk.
This goes back to my interest in making things. A local crafter, Susan Beal, was giving a talk about making things from buttons. She wrote a book and wanted to walk folks through making little hair clips.
It was a pretty small audience in comparison to what I've known at Powell's. I think the last time I went was for Terry Pratchett and it was massive. There were about 10 of us, most of them seemed to know her, who listened to her talk about buttons. It was delightful. Susan Beal is exuberant and excited about what she does. Her enthusiasm for all things buttony is contagious. I didn't really meet anyone, but I learned some things and have some very cute little hairclips I can wear out.
All in all, a success.
Edit: Omg someone evil with a camera got me scrounging :) Lots of fun.
The day I got a free parachute
The Oregon Democratic Party needed to clear out their warehouse. They opened it up to the public. This wasn't necessarily a social event but it was something different and I was hoping for old campaign stuff for Dukakis.
They opened the doors at 10:00, I arrived about 9:47 to see a large queue had formed. I'm not sure when the others got there, but the prime spots were taken. The line was mostly families, some Hispanic, mainly white. And people seemed very focused. There was some talk in the line, but not much. The smell of bread was overwhelming from the nearby bakeries. And there were some attempts at cutting in line that were met with passive aggressive blocks. It resonated with me and I realized I wasn't going to be taking anything useful.
Getting in to the building was insanity. Everywhere people were grabbing things and running outside. One Hispanic woman had a pad of sticky notes and was claiming things. "Have you seen that one?" a woman pointed to the Hispanic one. "She's crazy! I'm not sure you can do that." I smiled and moved on.
I managed to pick up a nice crochet blanket, some pins shaped like bicycles that someone on the damnportlanders group requested and a talking George W Bush doll. One of the Democratic Party volunteers came up smiling. "I knew someone would want him! He's been on my desk for ages!" I laughed and told her he was for my Mom. And then I saw the parachute.
No one else seemed particularly interested in it which is good, I likely would have fought them for it. I rushed the recycling bin it was in outside and tried to pack it up.
I folded it up as best I could and lugged it with me to wait for the 20. A nice old woman pulled over in her car to ask me where MLK was, I pointed a few blocks down. A lot of people stared, but no one asked why I was carrying my parachute. Got it home in one piece and it's now stretched down the stairs. I don't know what I'm going to do with it, but when are you ever going to get a free parachute ever again?
They opened the doors at 10:00, I arrived about 9:47 to see a large queue had formed. I'm not sure when the others got there, but the prime spots were taken. The line was mostly families, some Hispanic, mainly white. And people seemed very focused. There was some talk in the line, but not much. The smell of bread was overwhelming from the nearby bakeries. And there were some attempts at cutting in line that were met with passive aggressive blocks. It resonated with me and I realized I wasn't going to be taking anything useful.
Getting in to the building was insanity. Everywhere people were grabbing things and running outside. One Hispanic woman had a pad of sticky notes and was claiming things. "Have you seen that one?" a woman pointed to the Hispanic one. "She's crazy! I'm not sure you can do that." I smiled and moved on.
I managed to pick up a nice crochet blanket, some pins shaped like bicycles that someone on the damnportlanders group requested and a talking George W Bush doll. One of the Democratic Party volunteers came up smiling. "I knew someone would want him! He's been on my desk for ages!" I laughed and told her he was for my Mom. And then I saw the parachute.
No one else seemed particularly interested in it which is good, I likely would have fought them for it. I rushed the recycling bin it was in outside and tried to pack it up.
I folded it up as best I could and lugged it with me to wait for the 20. A nice old woman pulled over in her car to ask me where MLK was, I pointed a few blocks down. A lot of people stared, but no one asked why I was carrying my parachute. Got it home in one piece and it's now stretched down the stairs. I don't know what I'm going to do with it, but when are you ever going to get a free parachute ever again?
Thing 1: Portland Wordpress User Group
One of my coworkers introduced me to the invaluable Calagator. It's Portland's answer to a tech calendar and most of the events are free. The Portland Wordpress User Group put on a little talk about CSS.
"Great!" I thought. No matter how much I read documentation on these Internets, I cannot get the hang of CSS. I was hoping for a little hand holding, maybe some friendly people, maybe some socializing. It also might help me figure out what the hell to do with this thing. I don't write it in a whole lot, though I go through spurts. I'm working on changing the hosting to Blogger but the CNAME instructions aren't complete for blogs previously hosted elsewhere. I've been a little disappointed by Wordpress.com. You don't have nearly as much control as you do with Blogger and it feels clunky. But there's a user group and I don't know much about .org, so what the hell right?
I practically ran there after work, I got caught as I was leaving thanks to some printer problems. That meant I arrived at 5:58, or 2 minutes before the presentation was supposed to start. That didn't leave much room for mingling, even though it started around 15 minutes late. There was some talk about the old website, about a two day event that happens to take place over my birthday in September regarding Wordpress.
Someone tried to be friendly with me at first, but I think I had my bitch face on. After introducing herself she quickly turned to the pixie-cute women who'd just started a marketing company. No one else spoke to me. I was surrounded by people locked in to their laptops, browsing Twitter and their blogs, reading Wordpress news, doing whatever that didn't include having much conversation with new people. I didn't have time to grab my laptop or even a damned notebook, so I was even more out of place and forced to take notes on my phone.
The presentation itself was fantastic. It was given by someone who made CSS look so damned easy and he provided a lot of tools that I'd never heard of. When I eventually want to start customizing again, his advice will be invaluable. All well then right? And then a marketing person spoke up.
Marketing people are everywhere in the United States. In England they seem to be afterthoughts, charged with getting balloons printed with company logos. But here they're everywhere, permeating and controlling every aspect of corporate culture. This particular marketing person took a job she knows nothing about. She was tasked with creating a blog for a client, one that posted videos. She didn't know which host to use, or how to host them and wanted to know the difference between Blogger and Wordpress.
She wanted free consultancy.
Thankfully for her there were some Wordpress evangalists in the group more than willing to bring her over. They launched a rant about Blogger ownership, terms of use and how there's no such thing as a Blogger community all the while admitting they knew little about Blogger itself. And I have to admit that kind of one sided love really turns me off. Wordpress, like Blogger, Moveable Type, Typepad, Xanga and Livejournal is just a blogging platform. That it has a community to support it should be more worrisome than anything else.
I was a little deflated. I mean sure, I should have expected to hear Wordpress propoganda from a um, Wordpress User Group but it stuck in my craw. The group leader spoke up, wanting us to socialize. I tried again with my neighbor and had a good bit of small talk. But my last cup of work coffee went through me and I had to find a bathroom. When I came back the marketing pixies and marketing out of her league had gone and the rest of the group was crowded around a laptop. I picked up my things and left.
So I failed at creating small talk with more than one person. But I succeeded at creating small talk with one person. I guess those are baby steps. And really, the presentation clarified some things about CSS I'd previously found really confusing, so that was awesome. Though I'm finding I want to TDD everything, so that's a little distracting. I'm not sure I'll be a regular attendee, I didn't like feeling like such a third wheel. But if @nantronics is speaking on something again, I'll definitely go.
Nathan Bergey's blog post from his CSS tutorial.
"Great!" I thought. No matter how much I read documentation on these Internets, I cannot get the hang of CSS. I was hoping for a little hand holding, maybe some friendly people, maybe some socializing. It also might help me figure out what the hell to do with this thing. I don't write it in a whole lot, though I go through spurts. I'm working on changing the hosting to Blogger but the CNAME instructions aren't complete for blogs previously hosted elsewhere. I've been a little disappointed by Wordpress.com. You don't have nearly as much control as you do with Blogger and it feels clunky. But there's a user group and I don't know much about .org, so what the hell right?
I practically ran there after work, I got caught as I was leaving thanks to some printer problems. That meant I arrived at 5:58, or 2 minutes before the presentation was supposed to start. That didn't leave much room for mingling, even though it started around 15 minutes late. There was some talk about the old website, about a two day event that happens to take place over my birthday in September regarding Wordpress.
Someone tried to be friendly with me at first, but I think I had my bitch face on. After introducing herself she quickly turned to the pixie-cute women who'd just started a marketing company. No one else spoke to me. I was surrounded by people locked in to their laptops, browsing Twitter and their blogs, reading Wordpress news, doing whatever that didn't include having much conversation with new people. I didn't have time to grab my laptop or even a damned notebook, so I was even more out of place and forced to take notes on my phone.
The presentation itself was fantastic. It was given by someone who made CSS look so damned easy and he provided a lot of tools that I'd never heard of. When I eventually want to start customizing again, his advice will be invaluable. All well then right? And then a marketing person spoke up.
Marketing people are everywhere in the United States. In England they seem to be afterthoughts, charged with getting balloons printed with company logos. But here they're everywhere, permeating and controlling every aspect of corporate culture. This particular marketing person took a job she knows nothing about. She was tasked with creating a blog for a client, one that posted videos. She didn't know which host to use, or how to host them and wanted to know the difference between Blogger and Wordpress.
She wanted free consultancy.
Thankfully for her there were some Wordpress evangalists in the group more than willing to bring her over. They launched a rant about Blogger ownership, terms of use and how there's no such thing as a Blogger community all the while admitting they knew little about Blogger itself. And I have to admit that kind of one sided love really turns me off. Wordpress, like Blogger, Moveable Type, Typepad, Xanga and Livejournal is just a blogging platform. That it has a community to support it should be more worrisome than anything else.
I was a little deflated. I mean sure, I should have expected to hear Wordpress propoganda from a um, Wordpress User Group but it stuck in my craw. The group leader spoke up, wanting us to socialize. I tried again with my neighbor and had a good bit of small talk. But my last cup of work coffee went through me and I had to find a bathroom. When I came back the marketing pixies and marketing out of her league had gone and the rest of the group was crowded around a laptop. I picked up my things and left.
So I failed at creating small talk with more than one person. But I succeeded at creating small talk with one person. I guess those are baby steps. And really, the presentation clarified some things about CSS I'd previously found really confusing, so that was awesome. Though I'm finding I want to TDD everything, so that's a little distracting. I'm not sure I'll be a regular attendee, I didn't like feeling like such a third wheel. But if @nantronics is speaking on something again, I'll definitely go.
Nathan Bergey's blog post from his CSS tutorial.
Looking for friends in all the wrong places
It's been a while since I updated this site. We moved to Northwest Portland, a fairly expensive zip code, but so worth it. We're close to everything and getting around without a car is a breeze. My Mr. found a job after struggling with the Oregon Health Licensing Authority for almost 6 months. He passed his exams with flying colors.
He took a step down and works for a cheap chain. But he likes it and thinks that in these Difficult Economic Times that the higher end salons are going to suffer. He's likely correct.
We've left our LARP organization for good now. I can't abide by the things White Wolf does in the Camarilla. And it isn't the organization I joined in 1995. It's something else now and that something else isn't as good as it was.
And that leaves me with an issue. I have some friends here. But most of my old ones don't call and the ones that do, they have lives outside of us. I don't really feel comfortable forcing myself on them, so I don't. But without the Camarilla we don't have an easy way just to make a new social group. The one thing the Cam still did throughout it's recent difficulties was provide a very easy way of meeting people. I think it made me lazy.
My coworkers and my older friends will find this kind of odd, but I'm very shy. I also have a black and pretty offensive sense of humor. (I think my love of Brass Eye probably sums it up.) I keep it reigned in at work or other places where it isn't appropriate but I'd rather not when I'm out for a few beers. And I generally just have a hard time connecting with people. I come across as aloof, for pretty good reason, I like sizing people up before I start conversations. It saves me a lot of pain when I start laughing about Cat Girls and Furries.
And the friendliness I show at work or in other situations that call for it isn't natural. At clubs it takes me a good few drinks before I feel comfortable enough talking to someone I don't know. I'm a firm believer in fake it 'til you make it and fake it I do. And that takes a lot of energy.
So I have some obstacles to overcome. How do I make friends? How do I entertain myself now that my schedule isn't full? What do I enjoy doing besides gaming?
This is my list of things I enjoy:
- Making stuff. I love making things. Especially if it's from other things. Like pillows out of shirts. Or little flowers out of wire. Or fish from AOL DVDs.
- Blogging. I have a Wordpress blog, a Livejournal and a few Blogger blogs.
- Sustainability. Kind of goes back to enjoying Making Stuff.
- Rooting around Goodwill bins/random things for stuff.
- Cooking
- Drinking coffee
- Drinking alcohol
- Walking
- Photoblogging. A photographer I am not but I like documenting things.
- Microblogging. I'm not a Twitter fanatic, but it's an easy way of documenting things. Because I like documenting things, see?
- Yoga
- Dancing
- Art
- Music of all kinds
- Reading, pretty electic
It's a good list and I think enough to get me started back in the world. No more time to be lazy! My hope is the more things I do, the easier it will be to meet people. I figure if I get out of my comfort zone regularly, then eventually it won't be an issue. Right? We'll see how it goes!
He took a step down and works for a cheap chain. But he likes it and thinks that in these Difficult Economic Times that the higher end salons are going to suffer. He's likely correct.
We've left our LARP organization for good now. I can't abide by the things White Wolf does in the Camarilla. And it isn't the organization I joined in 1995. It's something else now and that something else isn't as good as it was.
And that leaves me with an issue. I have some friends here. But most of my old ones don't call and the ones that do, they have lives outside of us. I don't really feel comfortable forcing myself on them, so I don't. But without the Camarilla we don't have an easy way just to make a new social group. The one thing the Cam still did throughout it's recent difficulties was provide a very easy way of meeting people. I think it made me lazy.
My coworkers and my older friends will find this kind of odd, but I'm very shy. I also have a black and pretty offensive sense of humor. (I think my love of Brass Eye probably sums it up.) I keep it reigned in at work or other places where it isn't appropriate but I'd rather not when I'm out for a few beers. And I generally just have a hard time connecting with people. I come across as aloof, for pretty good reason, I like sizing people up before I start conversations. It saves me a lot of pain when I start laughing about Cat Girls and Furries.
And the friendliness I show at work or in other situations that call for it isn't natural. At clubs it takes me a good few drinks before I feel comfortable enough talking to someone I don't know. I'm a firm believer in fake it 'til you make it and fake it I do. And that takes a lot of energy.
So I have some obstacles to overcome. How do I make friends? How do I entertain myself now that my schedule isn't full? What do I enjoy doing besides gaming?
This is my list of things I enjoy:
- Making stuff. I love making things. Especially if it's from other things. Like pillows out of shirts. Or little flowers out of wire. Or fish from AOL DVDs.
- Blogging. I have a Wordpress blog, a Livejournal and a few Blogger blogs.
- Sustainability. Kind of goes back to enjoying Making Stuff.
- Rooting around Goodwill bins/random things for stuff.
- Cooking
- Drinking coffee
- Drinking alcohol
- Walking
- Photoblogging. A photographer I am not but I like documenting things.
- Microblogging. I'm not a Twitter fanatic, but it's an easy way of documenting things. Because I like documenting things, see?
- Yoga
- Dancing
- Art
- Music of all kinds
- Reading, pretty electic
It's a good list and I think enough to get me started back in the world. No more time to be lazy! My hope is the more things I do, the easier it will be to meet people. I figure if I get out of my comfort zone regularly, then eventually it won't be an issue. Right? We'll see how it goes!
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