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Just Stuff
Nov. 23rd, 2019 08:27 amFirst, a few links.
Buy less, be happier, and build a healthy planet." A European study of people participating in emissions-reducing programs found that those who bought fewer things reported higher levels of happiness and life satisfaction. This included such "low level" behaviors like setting one's thermostat temp lower in winter and higher in summer, buying secondhand clothes, and biking to work or for errands. They also found that these things actually had a demonstrable impact on emissions, but that is of course no reason to let large corporate polluters off the hook. Individuals can only do so much, but what we can do really does make a difference.
We Need to Opt Out of Black Friday (soft paywall) Sometimes Fox & I go out on Black Friday but it's mainly to watch other people being stupid. Honestly, the deals are not actually that great - the stores have been slowly marking UP their prices over the summer so that they can say something is 'NOW 30% OFF!!!' and people fall for it. The fact that this is even a holiday in itself now is a greasy black stain on our souls.
Is Savoring the New Mindfulness? Interesting take on the topic, but I would like to suggest that mindfulness and savoring involve the same skill set. Try the raisin meditation to see what I mean - being able to be fully aware of and engage with a pleasant experience uses many of the same abilities cultivated by mindfulness exercises. Specifically the ability to enjoy the pleasant experience going on right now instead of jumping to "gotta get more" or "oh no this is going to end soon."
This weekend is mostly about running and working outside. Fox is cutting down some dead trees, and any that aren't already termite-eaten are going to be cut up for firewood. We've almost got enough space cleared to start putting in solar panels. (We can't put them on the roof because it's not rated for that kind of weight.) I'm doing an eight mile run today and an eighteen-miler tomorrow as I build up to Dopey distances. I am a little worried about it, but I keep reminding myself that last year, I got back from Japan and had to do a shortened Dopey training cycle, and I completed the races just fine. Music today, Natsume's Book of Friends tomorrow.
All the above links being "said," I guess I need to contact my family and see what they want for Christmas. Usually we all just get each other Amazon gift cards, which seems to work out pretty well. Despite having an Amazon wish list that runs 15+ pages, including lists by category, I don't have anything I want for Christmas.
I'm going to suit up and go run. With such a long run tomorrow I'll need to get started early anyway.
Buy less, be happier, and build a healthy planet." A European study of people participating in emissions-reducing programs found that those who bought fewer things reported higher levels of happiness and life satisfaction. This included such "low level" behaviors like setting one's thermostat temp lower in winter and higher in summer, buying secondhand clothes, and biking to work or for errands. They also found that these things actually had a demonstrable impact on emissions, but that is of course no reason to let large corporate polluters off the hook. Individuals can only do so much, but what we can do really does make a difference.
We Need to Opt Out of Black Friday (soft paywall) Sometimes Fox & I go out on Black Friday but it's mainly to watch other people being stupid. Honestly, the deals are not actually that great - the stores have been slowly marking UP their prices over the summer so that they can say something is 'NOW 30% OFF!!!' and people fall for it. The fact that this is even a holiday in itself now is a greasy black stain on our souls.
Is Savoring the New Mindfulness? Interesting take on the topic, but I would like to suggest that mindfulness and savoring involve the same skill set. Try the raisin meditation to see what I mean - being able to be fully aware of and engage with a pleasant experience uses many of the same abilities cultivated by mindfulness exercises. Specifically the ability to enjoy the pleasant experience going on right now instead of jumping to "gotta get more" or "oh no this is going to end soon."
This weekend is mostly about running and working outside. Fox is cutting down some dead trees, and any that aren't already termite-eaten are going to be cut up for firewood. We've almost got enough space cleared to start putting in solar panels. (We can't put them on the roof because it's not rated for that kind of weight.) I'm doing an eight mile run today and an eighteen-miler tomorrow as I build up to Dopey distances. I am a little worried about it, but I keep reminding myself that last year, I got back from Japan and had to do a shortened Dopey training cycle, and I completed the races just fine. Music today, Natsume's Book of Friends tomorrow.
All the above links being "said," I guess I need to contact my family and see what they want for Christmas. Usually we all just get each other Amazon gift cards, which seems to work out pretty well. Despite having an Amazon wish list that runs 15+ pages, including lists by category, I don't have anything I want for Christmas.
I'm going to suit up and go run. With such a long run tomorrow I'll need to get started early anyway.
