No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal

Where are you and where are you going?
ertyu
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Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal

Post by ertyu »

Would be very interested in reading the 5-year thoughts post when you write it!

sky
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Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal

Post by sky »

It has been about 5 years since I quit my job, so here is an update. My life is somewhat unremarkable and perhaps not that interesting. My budget is not extreme, so sometimes I question whether I fit into the ERE category and whether it is of interest to the readers here. I still visit this forum and occasionally post because I learned quite a bit here and find it a friendly place. I came here very early in the lifetime of this forum under another username, and was active in other retire early forums before this one. I used to have a web presence and a "how to" website on retiring early. So even though I am not an "extremist" now, I started out thinking that way. I also like the aspect of limiting my impact on the natural environment by living a modest lifestyle, which I try to do to a certain extent.

I live on $2,000 per month income (per person), which currently comes from an investment account, but soon will come from pensions. My investments were a bridge between "retirement" and the time when I am eligible to draw a pension. I own a house and have had no problem living on this amount. Health insurance has always been the potential budget killer, but I have been lucky, no health issues and the Affordable Care Act mean that my outlay for health cost has been reasonable. I spend a small amount on hobby type purchases, perhaps $50 to $100 per month. Most of the budgeting and payments for our household are done by my wife, who does a good job, and this means I don't have to worry about financial stuff at all, other than checking the status of my accounts every month or two. We do have a home equity loan which paid for home roofing costs. I could pay it off, but prefer that it is paid out of our monthly budget and keep as much in investments as possible. Other than that, we have no debt.

My lifestyle is not extreme and would probably be boring for most people. I don't drink alcohol, don't like to go out in the evenings and prefer home cooked food to restaurants. I go to bed early, and usually get up when the sun comes up and wakes me up. I don't do any extreme life hacks because my household life is a compromise with my wife, who doesn't care for things like vegetarianism and no car living. I live in a warm, comfortable home, which is energy efficient and currently maintained well. I do most of the maintenance myself, although I have had roofing companies come in for the house and garage roofs. I am embarrassed to admit that I own three vehicles for two people, but they are all old and I expect that one of them will die soon, so I just keep them waiting to see which will go first. I can easily walk to shopping and other city amenities in my neighborhood, and chose to live in this neighborhood for that reason. I do much of the maintenance on the vehicles myself, but anything that requires a lift or major work that I don't know how to do goes to a mechanic. I dislike airports and air travel, and hope to avoid it if at all possible. One of my vehicles is a camper van, and we have traveled through much of the USA since quitting my job. Unfortunately, my wife has developed back pain issues which reduce our ability to travel long distances. I am becoming more and more of a caregiver, doing the lifting and carrying that she can no longer do. Although, I am the one being taken care of most of the time, she tends to work through the pain.

I have reduced my media consumption to improve my mental well being. I don't watch television, and rarely listen to radio. I spend too much time on youtube, mainly looking at hobby and personal interest channels. I look at news headlines but try not to read much news. My lack of media awareness makes me feel like an outsider to human culture. The more I observe what other people do, the less respect I have for human culture, even though I am part of it. Sometimes I consider how I could create my own media world by disconnecting entirely from the internet and choosing to read only certain books which I choose. My criteria for media selection would be to focus on things which will help me improve my life.

I worked in a political environment in my career, and would like to retire from politics. I am not currently active in local politics. However, when one feels that their interests are threatened, it makes sense to be engaged in politics, so I may start to participate again. Where I live, it is investors and the tourist trade that are pushing out local residents, and I may become active to stand up to this. In my career, I had difficulties with a few colleagues (city administrators), one of whom is in jail for embezzlement from the city, and the others have moved on to other communities. Politics is a dirty business, avoid it if possible. Especially now that witch hunts seem to be the norm and truth doesn't matter.

My general goal is to simplify my life to reduce maintenance responsibilities. This also serves to reduce expenditures. I do tend to bottom out on simplification, to the point where I have nothing to do and feel the need to "do" something. I think that every human has an itch that makes them unsatisfied, even when in a state of perfect bliss. So I do find various things to do as hobby activities. I like to build things starting from base materials. I am currently building a sailing canoe. In the past year, I have sewn my own design backpacking quilts and clothing that fit better and are more effective than anything I could buy. I designed and built an automated microgreen growth chamber and started a large number of perennial herbs which were sold on a farm stand this spring. I designed and built a bicycle camping trailer and tested my quilts in winter weather in my backyard. I have a beautiful garden with some food plants mixed in. We travel in our camper van one to two months a year. I have taken backpacking and bike touring trips this year. Even doing all this, I have a lot of free time where I do very little.

I like waking up in the morning and deciding what I will do that day. I have tried minor business activities and applied for jobs, but dislike the responsibilities and commitments related to employment. Even volunteering requires you to show up at a certain time, which stresses me out and ruins my whole day. For me, it is far better to learn to live below my means and do the things I like to do without any pressure to earn money. I will say that occasionally I miss the feeling of being productive financially and getting things done that others value. Although, when you have enough money coming in each month, the money part of having a business is not that important to me. In the past, I wanted to share what I had learned (which is not that much) with others with websites and online video. Now, due to a lack of respect for human culture and a fear of being confronted with insane people, I don't put myself out there much pretending to have some special knowledge or insight of interest. My disassociation with modern culture makes communication with normal people difficult. Generally my priority when getting together with other people is to avoid drama, although lately the issue has become avoiding contact with the corona virus. In the past, we used to have friends over and used to get together with others, but this year, we have become hermits.

What would I do to improve my life? I would like to be part of a group of friends who meet regularly. I would like more physical activity in my life. I would like to simplify my vehicle situation. I probably should clean my garage. Thats about it. If I were single, my life would be more extreme, I would probably live on a sailboat and explore Atlantic islands. But I am quite happy in my current comfortable life. I would like to grow and preserve more of my own food, and I am making progress with this, however, I seem to be making every possible mistake in an effort to learn how not to garden. Next year will be better! At the time that I write this, I expect changes to happen after the election and as some type of solution is found for the coronavirus. My life is sort of on hold at the moment, and I am not sure what may come up in the future that I have to respond to. I don't know for sure what we are in for in the next year, so I just focus on keeping a happy home and being ready for whatever comes.

My idea of a perfect day in retirement is to wake up after the sun comes up, walk a mile, eat some breakfast while checking out sailing and van camping youtube channels, do some stretches and exercises, work on my hobby projects, do some clean up and organizing in the house, work on the garden, look for things to maintain on my home and cars, take a nap, go for a bike ride to the beach, eat dinner, do some reading, play on the computer and go to bed. That is pretty much a typical day for me. Some days are punctuated by exciting events such as cutting my hair, trimming my beard, mowing the lawn, getting groceries or taking out the garbage. I do get out of the house and go on adventures now and then. For the most part, time passes quite pleasantly at home.

So that is my somewhat unexciting early retirement. I am happy with it, making the best of what I have and trying to keep everything in good maintenance. I hope that my home remains an island of tranquility despite any stormy weather or social madness.

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Ego
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Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal

Post by Ego »

I enjoyed this update. May I suggest a build thread on the canoe?

You probably already know but tomorrow morning (9:30am PDT) Dr. Jed Fahey the sulforaphane guy is doing a Q&A with Rhonda Patrick, free and open to everyone. I will not be able to participate but I am hoping she uploads it later.
(scroll to the bottom of the page)
https://www.foundmyfitness.com/sprouting

J_
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Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal

Post by J_ »

Thanks for your update sky.

I read/guess (perhaps more than you actually mean) that there is some of lack of adventure/commotion in your life.

Although my wife does not like long boating trips I do sometimes long ones on my own. Last year two months sailing from Anchorage to Victoria (together with the owner of the sailing boat). Some time ago I used my little motorboat on a three months trip through the dutch- and belgian canals.
You like sailing and boating too as I have noticed from your posts.
Our solution is that my wife goes partly with me on some tracks. Or she accompanies me to the starting point or collects me at the finish of the trip. And we stay there ( at the start or the finish) fore some holiday together.

Can that be a solution for you, perhaps with your van?.... if I am right with my guess.

1taskaday
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Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal

Post by 1taskaday »

Sounds like an idyllic way to live...apart from your wife's back pain.

Thanks for the update

sky
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Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal

Post by sky »

@J_

At the moment, the prime directive is to survive the second wave of covid, so I choose to self isolate at home.

Zanka
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Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal

Post by Zanka »

I just read the whole journal. It is not often I come across something on the internet that makes me feel the way I am feeling right now. I do not know how to put it, super inspired in a very relaxed way, maybe would be pretty close. Thank you for sharing.

sky
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Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal

Post by sky »

Here is a how-to I recently put together, to make a backpacking quilt.

https://i.redd.it/82qm5xqnunv41.png

This quilt is designed for a high level of comfort at low weight and bulk volume. The goal is to get a good night's sleep and to manage persperation with good breathability.



The cut out plan shows a length of 80 inches. I have tested this and it fits well with my standing body height of 72". With the quilt loosely covering me laying on my back, the top of the insulated quilt comes up to my nose, although I can pull it up higher with some tension at the foot end. I would consider adding 2" to 4" to the length for additional cold weather comfort. I suggest taking your body height and adding 10" to get a cut out length to fit you.



The width is 48 inches; this seems to be a good width for me, I am broad shouldered and 265 lbs, if your dimensions are smaller, you might take 2" to 4" off the width to obtain a lighter quilt. However, do not push this reduction too far, you may find that a quilt with an inadequate width will cause drafts on your back.



The foot end is tapered down to 32" and is then folded to make a footbox with a width of 16". The taper starts at 20" from the foot end. This seems to be a good taper, although I might start the taper at 16" from the foot end next time. It would make it easier to move one's feet in and out of the footbox.



The footbox is a flat folded footbox, where both corners are folded to the center and sewn. The tapered lengths of each side are sewn together. This leads to a footbox depth of about 21" and width of 16". This is adequate and comfortable, although a few extra inches in width would be nice, but there would be a weight penalty for the additional footbox width.



Shoulder pockets are added to each side by folding the outer 6" of each corner along the head end and sewing the fold into a pocket. The shoulder pockets' purpose is to shape the sides of the quilt so that it falls in a way that reduces drafts.



Insulation doublers are an experiment. If you have extra insulation and want a quilt that can handle colder temperatures with a modest weight and volume penalty, you can cut insulation pads and use a loose running stitch to attach them to the main section of insulation. The insulation doublers as shown on the image will cover your core body from the neck to the upper thighs. This may make the quilt too warm in warm weather. If you frequently have cold feet, you could add a 12" x 12" insulation doubler over the foot area.



Draftstoppers are a single layer of ripstop nylon fabric which serve to drape down to the ground and seal warm air in, while preventing cold drafts from coming in through gaps and folds which can open up as you move through the night. The draftstoppers are very effective and useful, especially in the shoulder area. You can use draftstoppers to shape the quilt near your head, pushing the fabric under your neck or shoulder to create a hood with an opening to breath through. Draftstoppers add comfort at very low weight and volume.



My preference is for a lightweight ripstop nylon with no coating to allow for maximum breathability. Climashield Apex insulation is an excellent choice in either 5 oz/sq yd (rated at 30F), or 3.6 oz/sq yd (rated at 40F).



I recommend cutting out the nylon ripstop fabric using a soldering iron and a straight edge. This seals the edges of the fabric and prevents fraying. Make sure you have good ventilation, the fumes are likely toxic.



When pinning up the layers in preparation for sewing, put the insulation on the bottom, then add two layers of ripstop nylon with the good sides facing each other. Place the draftstoppers between the two layers of ripstop nylon. You might want to pin back a corner of the draftstoppers to avoid inadvertently sewing it in the adjacent seam near the shoulder corners. Pin all layers together and trim back any bits of excess insulation showing around the edges of the nylon. Sew around the edges, except the middle 16" of the foot end. Reach in between the two layers of nylon and pull the quilt inside out.



Fold the foot end so that the corners come to the middle of the foot end. Work the nylon so that it covers the bare insulation and sew the folded foot end closed. Now pin the taper together to create the footbox, and sew it. Add extra stitching in the joint where the two sides of the quilt come together at the footbox, this is a high stress area.



Fold and pin the two shoulder pockets, taking care that they will fold inside out with the footbox, so that they do not show the seam. Sew the shoulder pockets and turn the footbox and pockets inside out.



Sew the edges of the draftstoppers together along the 9" edges. Your quilt is complete!

Western Red Cedar
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Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal

Post by Western Red Cedar »

I read through your journal over the weekend and really enjoyed it. Daily walks are also really important to me and help me lead a balanced life while staying in touch with the natural world. I do some of my best thinking while walking. Backpacking is one of my favorite activities and I tend to prefer solo excursions as a means to reflect and stick to my own pace.
sky wrote:
Thu Jan 28, 2016 5:20 pm

When you stop working and move into a car, van or RV everything about your life changes and you start living like a nomad again, but you still have your civilized mind that wants you to be PRODUCTIVE above all else. But nomads aren't productive, they are free and happy. Your civilized mind hates that!!!!! Every moment of your life you were told it didn't matter if you were happy, only that you were productive. Suddenly you are happy but not productive and your mind rebels at that and demands that you DO SOMETHING!!

Do anything because you are a tool, a machine and all your value comes from production. Happiness is totally irrelevant--production is all important.

You're going through that now. When you retire and move into a car van or RV the civilized mind hates it!!

But, the nomad mind is still in there, that's the reason you feel this strong urge to become a NOMAD, it's literally written into your DNA, it's your normal, natural human way of thinking!

The nomad mind is sane
The civilized mind is insane

Because it's your normal, natural mind, eventually you will regain your sanity and the insanity of civilization will slowly drop away.

For awhile it can be very difficult to make the transition and you have to be willing to go through the chaos that will reign in your heart and mind while the poison of civilization is leaving you. It's very toxic and by disobeying it and not producing but being happy instead, it will punish you and you will be miserable for awhile.

There is nothing to do but go through it and let the toxic poison of the civilized mind out of your heart and mind.
This post, in particular, really resonated. I didn't notice that it was from Bob Wells until I replied, but really appreciate you adding it to your journal. It reflects a mindset I've observed during different nomadic and "civilized" periods in my life. I tend to dream of and plan big adventures while I'm in a civilized period. During some of my longer travels, I've focused heavily on what I'll do when I get back home. This dynamic had baffled me for years. Last year I spent a month in Europe but found myself looking at Permaculture, homesteading, and tiny house/cabin construction videos every morning before heading out for the day.

I'm planning a sabbatical and I've been spending a lot of time thinking about activities or hobbies that provide purpose, or make me feel productive, that I can use during my next long-term adventure. The nomadic/civilized mind framework provides another dimension to think about.

sky
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Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal

Post by sky »

I used to think that working to improve "civilization" was a way to improve the human condition. Now I question that and wonder if the human condition would be improved by returning to a more prehistoric tribal nomadic lifestyle. At least on the individual level, as an option to civilization, which is based on the slavery-feudalism-wageearner system with its inherent heirarchy and brainwashing to keep everyone in line.

sky
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Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal

Post by sky »

Some additional thoughts on the quilt design above. I wrote that up about 6 months ago, and have spent quite a few nights under quilts since then.

Here is a source of insulation. https://ripstopbytheroll.com/collection ... insulation Climashield Apex insulation is a type for backpacking quilts. It is lightweight, highly insulative and resistant to water. I have not experimented with cheaper insulation from a fabric store, which may be fine for quilts at home.

The issue with quilts and comfort is sometimes cold, but more often too hot! I have made quilts with 3.5 ounces per square yard (osy) insulation, 5 osy and 7.5 osy insulation. The 7.5 osy quilt is for extreme arctic conditions, from about 10F to 40F-50F when it gets too hot. This was the first quilt I made and I was missing a quilt for cold temperatures, so I went for the thickest insulation. But to be honest, this quilt is just too warm. It is also bulky, if you squeeze it down it compresses to the size of a basketball. I don't recomment this insulation weight. I have slept in it in temperatures with lows about 20F, and was comfortably warm. I believe it would still be comfortable at 10F. I keep this quilt in my van, in case I am ever stuck in a blizzard, I know I can be warm and comfortable under this quilt.

The 5 osy insulation is better for the type of cold weather camping I do. I might see frost on some mornings, but I will avoid camping in snow or long term below freezing temps. 5 osy is probably good from 60F to 30F. I have not tested this quilt at low temperatures. I have used it in a house and it is a little too warm for 65F room temperature.

The 3.5 osy insulation works at room temperatures. I have camped with this quilt with a low around 60F and it was comfortable. It would probably be good down to 45F or so. I have not tested it at this temperature.

A few modifications I will make in the future:

The length of the footbox will be about 4", not longer. I get warm feet and have to slide them out of the footbox and out from under the quilt.

I will use the insulation doublers across the shoulders and over the torso.

The head draft stopper piece will be a light fleece or a light bedsheet type fabric. Nylon is very loud, it produces a scraping sound when it rubs against my ears. I only need the portion that touches my face to be a fabric other than nylon.

I will make one 2.5 osy quilt and one 3.5 osy quilt. They will be made of the same pattern so I can fit them together so they layer up to an equivalent 6 osy quilt. That will give a wide range of comfort, both on the warm and cold ends of the spectrum.

Why am I interested in quilts?

One of the basic human needs is shelter, and keeping warm at night is important for health. Sleeping comfort adds to a good night's sleep.

If you think about living out of a suitcase, https://earlyretirementextreme.com/how- ... itcas.html , a good quilt is one of the most important pieces of equipment in your set of gear. Having a lightweight quilt that is also super comfortable is key. If you add an insulating sleeping pad, you can sleep just about anywhere.

I have come around to a goal of not using fire to keep warm while camping. I don't want to chop wood, breathe smoke, smell like smoke or leave a scar on the land. That means that all my heat comes from my own body, and the insulation holds a small bubble of heat around me. If you have ever winter camped, you will know that there is a stark difference between the warm bubble under your quilt and the cold outside air. You become aware that it is the difference between life and death (in some cases).

I use a quilt on my bed at home. I know that if the power went out and the house went cold, I could just grab a warm quilt and I can outlast the storm, even at severe cold temperatures. A key piece of survival gear. With a good quilt and good clothes, you could probably live in an unheated shelter.

So I get the enjoyment of sewing my own gear, plus I can modify the designs to improve comfort and reduce weight. Making your own backpacking quilt is far less expensive than buying a commercial quilt. It is fairly easy to sew. I have made one quilt sewing by hand with a needle, it takes time but works well. I could sew about 3 feet an hour. It took three days of work to finish with a needle. A sewing machine might take an hour to do the sewing, but you still have to cut the fabric, lay it out and pin it up. With a sewing machine and everything ready to get started, a quilt is a less than one day project.

I think that I have one of the best designs for backpacking quilts. So thats why I enjoy the subject of quilts, and why I shared the design with you.

plantingtheseed
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Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal

Post by plantingtheseed »

sky wrote:
Tue Dec 29, 2020 9:39 am
I used to think that working to improve "civilization" was a way to improve the human condition. Now I question that . . .
:D

sky
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Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal

Post by sky »

Ideology and Pragmatism

Ideology is an image of reality constructed by humans which intends to explain the physical reality, often in moral terms. It often provides a framework for humans to decide whether an action is considered positive or negative.

Examples of ideology are religion, political platforms and scientific hypotheses which have not been adequately tested for truth.

Reality is extremely complex. Ideology provides a simplified model of reality for easy understanding by humans. Because ideology is constructed by humans, it is a crude model and does not approach the complexity of reality, and therefore, ideology frequently fails to apply to real world situations. In fact, due to its simplicity, ideology almost always fails eventually and is overturned and replaced by a new ideology attempting to better resolve humanity's understanding of the real physical world.

Pragmatism is a process of decisionmaking which is based on observation of nature, the physical reality, human nature (social and psychological behavior), past experience and the scientific method. Pragmatism seeks out potential positive outcomes which might be possible, and compares the level of positive impact on members of the group to select a goal to achieve. The pragmatist then studies nature, human nature, past experience and any known scientific rules of nature and suggests specific targeted actions to accomplish the selected goal.

There may be some imbedded ideals in the pragmatist, but a true pragmatist is always ready to try something new outside of an established orthodoxy in order to find a useful solution.

In times when old ideologies are failing, focusing on pragmatism and supporting pragmatic leaders is the most effective way to transition to new challenges brought upon humans by the physical reality.

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Ego
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Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal

Post by Ego »

sky wrote:
Thu Feb 18, 2021 12:43 pm
In times when old ideologies are failing, focusing on pragmatism and supporting pragmatic leaders is the most effective way to transition to new challenges brought upon humans by the physical reality.
There is a temptation on the part of the pragmatist to adopt the new for expedience sake. Often the new solution works better right now. Part of the nature of reality that pragmatists must factor is the Lindyness of any particular framework before completely abandoning it for the newer shinier version.

Dream of Freedom
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Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal

Post by Dream of Freedom »

sky wrote:
Thu Feb 18, 2021 12:43 pm

Ideology is an image of reality constructed by humans which intends to explain the physical reality, often in moral terms. It often provides a framework for humans to decide whether an action is considered positive or negative.
There is a competing theory that ideologies are simply social constructs to expand the limits of how big a tribe of people can get. You can only keep track of about 150 people so tribes couldn't get much bigger than that. Along came ideologies and now I can talk to a complete stranger with confidence that she believes in the bill of rights, god, ect. I could even join a political group and expect to have similar values to other members as long as I stuck to the ideology. Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari explains it better than I can. If forming groups is its main function then reflecting reality may not even be important.

sky
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Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal

Post by sky »

That is all well and good until reality bites the group in the ass.

daylen
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Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal

Post by daylen »

I do not really see these views of ideology as competing. One such synthesis is a crude analogy between ideas=memes and genes made in the following manner. Like genes, memes tend to couple together to form "ideologies" that have their own immune and reproductive systems of sorts. A memetic immune system might consist of protector memes that help [synergistic collections of.. ] pragmatic memes survive across cultural generations. A memetic reproductive system could consist of propagation memes that increase the transmission vector between agents for these pragmatic memes. These pragmatic memes could be thought to reflect reality just enough to be useful (i.e. accurate but not precise). Protector memes might utilize disgust and other such emotions to keep memes in or out. Propagation memes might be thought of as attractive wrapping paper for meme packages delivered though communication. Altogether, such memetic systems or ideologies are some hybrid of social constructs and discoveries. Discovery occurring in the sense that pragmatic memes are selected for based upon some underlying reality that determines their efficacy at completing a task required for genetic survival. Keep in mind that this example is just one of an effectively infinite number of such constructions(*).

Perhaps the most unique aspect of homo sapiens is how genetic evolution has off-loaded a significant amount of somatic/body determination to memetic systems (i.e. brain wiring). Hence the absurdly long [social] incubation period before humans become adolescent/adult.

(*) As a bonus, consider that there may be thought to exist morphisms between such constructions leading to the emergence of distinct categories. Only a few of these categories are compatible with our genetic constraints.

sky
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Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal

Post by sky »

February is a dark month, but it is a month when the sun is rapidly gaining altitude.

Muesli recipe:
2/3 cup rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon ground chia
2 tsp dried flaked coconut
2 tsp dried cranberries
4 tsp chopped dates
1 giant gob of peanut butter
enough water or milk to fill just under top of oats
1 broken up banana

This is my favorite breakfast now, and I have about 30 pounds of ingredients stored up. I bought 25 pounds of oats, 5 pounds of dates and a pound or two of the rest.

I am thinking that my short term staples (3 months) should be muesli, sardines and cans of beans. None of which require cooking or refrigeration, and all of which will last for a year or more. Maybe 4 dozen tins of sardines and 4 dozen cans of beans, refried, chili beans or regular pinto beans. That and a 10 pound bag of broccoli seed for microgreens.

I went through my pack again and it is ready to go, just waiting on warmer weather in March and April.

Cold Weather Packlist
02/01/21

PACK
blue foam pad
compactor bag liner
quilt
inflatable mattress
bivy bag
+DRY CLOTHES BAG
+DITTY BAG
+COOK KIT
+FOOD BAG
+PILLOW STUFF SACK
+BELT PACK
polycro groundsheet
poncho tarp
bandana on pack

BELT PACK
toothbrush, paste
bandana
dropper bottle with soap
comb
nail clipper
bidet
earphones
TP
trowel
rechargeable small flashlight
wallet in ziploc
small knife
sunglasses
glasses cleaner
lighter
pen
compass
map
phone
license, credit card, cash
keys

PILLOW STUFF SACK
inflatable pillow
windpants
windjacket
mittens
overmittens
facemask
headnet
puffie
booties
flipflops

FOOD BAG
Stainless spoon
rockbag
odorproof bag
cold soak bottle
plastic spoon
Sawyer squeeze in bag
food
snacks

COOK KIT
msr titan pot with lid
packing scrubbie
canister
stove
lighter

DITTY BAG
needle, thread
dental floss
ibuprofen, claritin
athletic tape
big band aids
cable, charger
shutter button
plastic shopping bag
hand sanitizer
can opener
scissors
mirror
earplugs
spare bottle cap
bottle coupler
battery

DRY CLOTHES BAG
longjohn top
longjohn bottom
hoodie
spare socks
spare underwear
shorts (worn)
T-shirt (worn)
socks (worn)
underwear (worn)
shoes (worn)

NET POCKET
10 stakes
guylines
doormat
1 l Smartwater bottle, flip cap
Plastic flexible bottle
umbrella
tripod

Things to add to pack
shoes
food
snacks
map
phone
quilt
tripod
license, credit card, cash, key

Things to make
foot insulation slippers
puffy anorak
quilt

Other than the "Things to make", I have all this stuff packed and ready to go.

My greatest fear at the moment is that the earth's magnetosphere will weaken, and that earth will be bombarded with solar radiation and plasma lightning. This is a good thing because it is less likely than human mass psychosis, which is what I have been worrying about for the past few years.

My canoe sits peacefully in the garage, while I obsess with how to rig it up. Initially I will make it an oar cruiser. Waiting on epoxy mixing weather. Can't wait to camp out in my canoe at anchor. It is big enough and has a cabin designed to sleep in!

February is a month where I don't do much physical exercise, just shovel snow now and then. I am looking forward to snow melt and open trails.

My computer strategy outlined elsewhere in this forum is working well.

I am growing microgreens, doing an experiment on reusing microgreen soil. I should have some good recommendations in a month or two.

Otherwise, its just life in the arctic, sitting around and occasionally going through my gear to prep for spring.

J_
Posts: 883
Joined: Tue Nov 01, 2011 4:12 pm
Location: Netherlands/Austria

Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal

Post by J_ »

facemask= mouth/nose masks?

sky
Posts: 1726
Joined: Tue Jan 04, 2011 2:20 am

Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal

Post by sky »

It is actually called a balaclava. A hat which covers the head with an opening for the eyes and nose.

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