the animal's journal

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theanimal
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by theanimal »

@MBBboy-Funny enough, I just learned about those snot suckers a couple days ago. We received a miscellaneous baby care basket as a gift from a family member and Mrs. Animal hands me a box and says you're going to be doing this. :( Hopefully the filter works.

@Scott- There are costs associated with possession of material goods, one that is not often considered is the cost to unload it. As you have found, it's not easy to unload goods even with an abundance of time. People have different ideas of the value (seller thinks higher than buyer) and then the time component for the seller (who often doesn't have the same time abundance). Most things are easier to be rid of for no cost for most people, rather than dealing with listing it and maybe making $30. In the case of a free piano, how many people want to go through the hassle of getting a trailer and moving the heavy thing out of someone's house and into another? I bought my piano for $100, similar to the one that was just listed for free. The owners said it had been up for months and they were thinking nobody was going to buy it. In the case of the animals, the cows were from someone's grandmother who died and he needed them gone to finish taking care of the estate and one set of chickens were offered by friends who were moving who didn't have time to kill and process them before they left.

We don't have garbage service here, everyone takes their trash to one of a few waste transfer stations around town. There are a few dozen dumpsters and a big covered area where people can dump furniture, appliances, clothes etc. There are all kinds of people, all the time, hanging around scrounging the waste for things to use. There aren't many homeless people here but the ones that are hang out around these spots. I know some people who have outfitted their entire house with things from these transfer stations.

Last year when we had pigs we had heard that the food bank offers food that is expired or had gone expired to farmers/people with animals for food. The building is one of the largest in town, a massive warehouse. They receive donations from every single grocer/supermarket in town, most restaurants and some from individual households. They have so much excess, that multiple times a week farmers show up with 16 ft trailers that they fill with boxes full of food. We got plenty of food from them as well, and often the food was perfectly fine for humans. I believe I have some of this documented in my journal above. What isn't taken by people for animals ends up in the garbage.

All of that to say, there is a tremendous amount of waste in this country. The above has led me to the belief that "giving things away" is often a way for people to feel virtuous about their waste, when in reality most of it is likely to end up in the same place. The landfill.

RealPerson
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by RealPerson »

@theaninal.
Indeed. On top of that, I have heard that only 15% of items purchased in stores and then returned for a refund are actually put back on the shelves. The remaining 85% goes to the same trash streams. Mostly because the returned items are not packaged exactly as brand new. Repackaging them costs too much so the stores get rid of them. Sad to think about all of that. The waste is really unimaginable.

ffj
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by ffj »

Dumb question:

When you net fish, are you literally just setting a net out and hoping a fish swims into it and gets caught? Why would they do that? Can they not see it? Or does the current force them into the net? I watch the series "Alone" and they set out nets and catch a few fish, but considering how vast these lakes are it's amazing they catch anything with tiny nets. And how do you not catch protected species?

I've always wondered this so thank you for indulging me.

theanimal
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by theanimal »

@ffj- Yes, more or less. The best spots are large eddies which the fish will use to feed or take a rest from the main current. It's a massive river, about 1/2 mi wide where I fish, but most of the food for the fish will be around the edges and the main current runs about 8 mph so almost all fish besides the king salmon tend to stick closer to the edges. I lay the net out on shore parallel to the river, attaching the downstream side to some rocks. Then I take the upstream side and paddle out in my packraft away from shore as fast as I can as the current sweeps me downstream. When I am roughly equal to the other end of the net on shore I drop my end in the water. The Yukon is murky water so there is not much visibility for something beyond a few inches. So in this case they may just be swimming into the net. In others, like a clear lake the mesh is likely large enough that the fish think they can swim through. The idea with the nets is to allow the fish to swim partly through but not completely, so that if they try to back out, the net catches on their gills. Hence the term "gill net." Bigger fish won't fit in the gaps of mesh and smaller fish can swim right through. My mesh size is on the smaller end and is 4 inches, 60 ft length. I can catch almost all fish in this net with the exception of large king salmon. During restrictions in fishing, the mesh size is often limited as well as the length of net. Currently, you are not allowed to fish with a net greater than 4 inches or 60 ft in length due to an emergency order. This ideally prevents the salmon from being caught in any nets that are out on the water. If you do end up catching a salmon this year, you would just put it back in the water. I usually check the net every few hours, so the fish are almost always still alive and unhurt.

Scott 2
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by Scott 2 »

My life is blind to the waste you describe. I can see consuming it would feel worthwhile.

I am annoyed by guys who camp the classifieds, with the sole purpose of flipping good deals. I get the argument about adding liquidity. But, I tend to view them as leeches. There's a reasonable minimum duration for the average transaction. Beyond that, they aren't helping.

While not working, I'm in a position to do the same. I thought about it. Given my insurance related income constraints, it'd be very convenient. But, I concluded that's not the role I want to play in society.

jacob
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by jacob »

Scott 2 wrote:
Sun Sep 04, 2022 2:50 pm
I am annoyed by guys who camp the classifieds, with the sole purpose of flipping good deals. I get the argument about adding liquidity. But, I tend to view them as leeches. There's a reasonable minimum duration for the average transaction. Beyond that, they aren't helping.
Similar arguments exists in financial markets. Are traders only flipping good deals? What about algorithms? Are they just making things faster (helping people get rid of positions instantly) or do they actually add information or rather an "knowledged" interpretation of information? Is there really a reasonable duration or is faster always better? The capitalist answer is that as long as they're making a profit, they're helping. What would happen to financial markets if people were only allowing to trade once a day ... or disincentivized to trade no more than once a year---the diff between LT and ST capital gains rates influence this. Does this increase efficiency or decrease? What is "efficiency" really? Like does it have a time-component such as making choices more deliberate if there's a cost to undo them. Fun stuff!

Personally, I appreciate the decomposers trawling our back alley for the detritus we put out.

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Jean
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by Jean »

having to empty an old woman appartment really made me aware of how much trash we produce.
most thing we threw to the burning station still had value, but for all purposes, it's too much effort to find an aquirer for those things.
that's why today most of the value lies in sales and delivery, and why bezos is a billionaire.

ffj
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by ffj »

Aha, thanks for the explanation. It makes much more sense now. Thanks

Here is a guy I watch every Sunday and he's currently in Alaska. You might like it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9s8AValWiY

theanimal
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by theanimal »

Baby animal arrived last month! She is healthy, doing well and we are very pleased, she beat our expectations. Mrs. Animal had a rough go of it and ended up having to get a c-section but is recovering quickly and getting better each day. We had some family in town around the birth but all left by last week and we have been getting into a groove as a family. It helps a ton not having to be anywhere each day so we have figured out a setup that lets us function well without any issues with sleep/fatigue.

It was interesting staying in the hospital for a few days. They are very consumeristic and from my view willing to take advantage of injured or sick people to make a profit, though I believe with the best of intentions. They would bring by people for different services/consultations and other things like meals. At first I thought that was nice to be all included, but I then realized that each person/product coming through the door would end up on our bill later. Some of it was necessary, others we rejected and told them not to bring but they continued to bring it anyways. Oh well. They were also more than happy to push all kinds of drugs, including narcotics to help with “pain management“ and “breakthrough pain.“ Thank you, big pharma! Both of us rarely visit/use health care services so we don’t usually get to see this stuff first hand, just read about it.

Mrs. Animal sold her car last month as well so we are finally down to a 1 car household. She finished her job and is not planning on working for a while (year plus?). I figured that I will cover essentially all household expenses and she will help out on some of the food costs. We are unsure what the right breakdown will be for now, she has about 10 years’ worth of savings so is in a good position. I figure we will reevaluate after a few months and see if we are both happy with the arrangement.

One thing that has continued to annoy me is sick, er I mean health, care. Mrs. Animal and I are both very healthy and very rarely need medical services but of course this still comprises the #1 spending category in our budget, all due to premiums. We are mainly screwed because of my job, I am offered coverage through work so it eliminates ability for us to get health care premium credits on the marketplace. Even with a high deductible plan, health care premiums will be ~50% of my total expenses this year. Whenever I quit or take a lower paying job this will change, but I am still annoyed to feel like I’m throwing away money on something I am very unlikely going to use.

I just surpassed my yearly expense goal this past month of $3,800. I am on track and looking to beat $5000/year which I will be very happy with and is a big improvement over even last year. Perhaps next year or the following I will be better suited to actually achieve what I set out to do this year. The foundation is now better set.

We will leave for our aforementioned trip to the desert at the beginning of next month. We are more or less set, just have to finish up some of the electrical connections in the Scamp and make an adjustment to the trailer lights. This is a rough map of our route, we would be happy to meet any forumites along the way. We will be on the road for just under 2 months, then spending time with my family for the holidays for Christmas then over to Port Townsend at the beginning of the year for my woodworking class.

Image
Not pictured: Travel through AK, Yukon and northern BC

PFD Year-Month 9
Monthly Total-517.59
64% above monthly goal
YTD $3,911.09

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Ego
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by Ego »

theanimal wrote:
Mon Oct 03, 2022 5:00 pm
Baby animal arrived last month! She is healthy, doing well and we are very pleased, she beat our expectations.
Wonderful news! Congratulations to you both.

classical_Liberal
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by classical_Liberal »

I've been on here so rarely and this!! Holy crap a baby!!!

That's so awesome man! Congrats

I totally agree with you on the commercial health care experience. Would it surprise you to know that birth centers are the highest profit ward for most hospitals? That, plus, all the new human needs usually stay within the system over the next 12-24 months. Cha-ching

Trip looks cool. If you like Native stuff make sure you hit mesa verde as it's on your route. One of the coolest places in the continental US is Chaco Canyon. It's remote and would be a day out of your way, but you should consider it. Can't really say you've been in the real SW desert until you've been there. The other, more popular, national parks are beautiful, but are more tourist trap window dressing compared to Chaco, it's pretty hard just to make it into that place. So, if you do go, look at recent condition guides so you don't get stuck.

Shoot me a text when/if you know the time frame you'll be in the Omaha area. It's only a days drive for me, so maybe i can make it to meet you and the fam in person.

Super happy for you! Take care

theanimal
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by theanimal »

Thank you both!

@c_L- Thanks for the suggestion re Chaco canyon! I was kind of struggling to find a good option for southern CO as I figure there will be snow in the mountains by the time we get there. Chaco Canyon is perfect, we will head there if conditions allow. I will definitely let you know when we are passing close by. I may be driving through on the way back west as well so one way or the other hopefully we can meet up.

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Seppia
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by Seppia »

Fantastic news! Congrats to you three!

Western Red Cedar
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by Western Red Cedar »

Congratulations! You've documented some amazing journeys here but the biggest one is just underway. Enjoy the ride!

Dave
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by Dave »

Great news, congrats! A new exciting phase begins.

RoamingFrancis
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by RoamingFrancis »

I would love to arrange a meetup with you when you're in Chicago. Congrats on the baby animal!

candide
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by candide »

I want to join the chorus of congratulations.

Let's hope the world doesn't get as bad as I think it might, for our daughters' sakes.

Frugalchicos
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by Frugalchicos »

Congrats! happy to hear baby and mom are healthy.

to your point about health care in America...it is just fucked up. We had to pay last month $300 for mini Chica's visit to the hospital for a very minor ear infection. $150 for doctor check up, $150 for using the facilities...it just blows my mind.

7Wannabe5
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by 7Wannabe5 »

Congratulations! You are going to be a great parent!

theanimal
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by theanimal »

Thank you all very much, you all. You all are very kind
RoamingFrancis wrote:
Tue Oct 04, 2022 12:39 pm
I would love to arrange a meetup with you when you're in Chicago.
Lets do it.
candide wrote:
Tue Oct 04, 2022 6:53 pm
Let's hope the world doesn't get as bad as I think it might, for our daughters' sakes.
Thankfully we are fortunate to live at times of perhaps peak prosperity in a country that has experienced the bulk of the benefits that go along with it. I don't think it can last either but I do not despair in having offspring. The future may be more difficult than it is now for the average westerner, but I am also not of the belief that peak prosperity has brought about peak well being or contentment. Finding an equilibrium is sure to bring about some disgruntlement for those who are accustomed to and desire "higher" things. Yet, humans are very adaptable and the bulk of people from origins to today have lived with less. All this to say I see parenting the same I see ERE. Prepare for a multitude of scenarios so that one may at least survive, if not prosper, regardless of the circumstance.

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