Tuesday, November 3, 2015
The nighttime shower or no shower Sunday
I've always been a morning showerer. I've felt that is was the best way to lay out my day.
Wake, eat (and coffee), use bathroom (1&2), shower, brush teeth, get dressed, head out.
When you shower in the morning, you get a fresh slate. You start the day clean. You feel good. It wakes you up!
My brother-in-law is a nighttime showerer and always has been. I've never understood this. How can you start your day without rinsing the sleep off? What about BO? How do you loosen up and clear sinuses in the winter? These are all questions I could have asked, but never did. Maybe I'd have tried the switch earlier.
I sometimes struggle to get out the door in the morning and I really have a hard time with the fact that my daughter spends so much time at daycare and I see so little of her daily. I decided to fix this.
I decided I'd try taking showers before she woke up. I'd set the alarm early, I'd shower, we'd eat, we'd read books, everything would be great... This rarely happens. I sleep in, I linger over breakfast, I enjoy some silence in the morning. I end up not showering and here she is awake and wanting to play. so I recently tried to make the switch to the nighttime shower.
I showered at night on Sunday and never really noticed a difference on Monday. I work an office job, so sweat and BO aren't really issues. To be safe, I put on deodorant (which I rarely do because I have an office job). Nobody commented or seemed to notice at all. I felt a little greasy in the face and head, which I'd later remedy by washing face and hair in the morning, but otherwise I was good.
I had a job interview on Tuesday (I didn't get the job) so decided to do the regular AM shower, so I skipped altogether on Monday. Tuesday went off without a hitch, but I didn't shower at night (no need).
Here's the great thing: Because Monday went so well, I didn't shower on Wednesday morning either!! I did wash hair and face, but again, nobody noticed a thing. I made some minor adjustments that I won't go into and it was great!
So I sat on Thursday with a morning shower, but it seems to have made the morning a little hectic again. I'm also not so sure about the 60 hours between showers - that's a bit excessive.
Now here's the thing, No Shower Sunday (or any other day) is not a new concept to the world, but I was reintroduced to it by my wife when we started dating. Now, I believe the concept, for her, was bred from the combination of bad life decisions on Saturday night and sheer laziness. So, on occasion, we try it out. Skipping a day of showering is great (as long as you brush your teeth). This saves on time, water, and even helps take care of the scalp and skin.
Update: I've been on and off the concept for a few weeks now and I bobble back and forth. I really do like the nighttime shower, but old habits die hard. I don't know what my final decision will be, but I challenge you to skip a shower for a day and see how it goes. Share your experience in the comments.
Friday, October 16, 2015
The morning commute
Mornings at the house are hectic.
From not wanting to get out of bed, to getting showers and food, to getting everyone dressed and out the door in a good mood. It can be trying at time.
Up until recently our morning schedule was supposed to look like this:
6:00am - everyone up
6:15am - dad and baby eat, mom showers
6:15-6:30am - unnecessary slow drinking of hot cup of coffee
6:30am - baby goes up with mom while she gets ready. Dad uses the bathroom and showers. This step varied in amount of time taken.
6:45-7:00am - dad showers
7:00-7:25am - rush rush rush to get dad and baby out the door. Mom commuted separately despite the fact that we work at the same place.
The rule used to be that if we weren't out the door by 7:25am, it didn't pay to leave until 7:35am. The daycare we send the kid to has a girl with Cerebral Palsey who uses a wheelchair and has very limited use of her limbs. A bus come to pick her up right around the time that we would be getting to daycare if we were even a little late. And the bus takes forever to get her loaded up, strapped in, and on the go. This isn't me complaining about a girl who needs help. Not even a little bit. I don't begrudge her or the bus driver, I just hate idling in the car. Added bonus: traffic around here is terrible at that time.
I found myself getting ANGRY in the car one particularly stressful day. I hit every red light, there were lines at all the stop signs, bad drivers, and the bus. Our daycare is on a single lane county road right next to a main highway. Cars line up behind the bus and once they bus moves they aren't very accommodating to cars wanting to turn left into the parking lot. I checked, that aren't any sensible other ways to get there. I decided while sitting in the care on what turned out to be a 40-45 minute commute (This is important to know because I live a mile from work and daycare if 5 miles from home. This is a 10 mile round trip.) that things needed to change. We we stressed and late daily.
7:25 didn't work and neither did 7:35 or 7:45. It just wasn't happening. I shifted my work day and I now leave at 8:00am every morning with the baby and her mother in the car. This simple change is fantastic. The commute dropped from 35 minutes to 20-25 minutes. Traffic is low, green lights, no lines, no bus. Well, there is another bus that picks up kindergartners on occasions, but it doesn't take near as much time.
We starting sleeping in because the baby sleeps in (this is probably a mistake) but here's the new schedule:
6:00am - alarm goes off and gets turned off (this should stop)
6:10am - alarm b gets snoozed up to 2 times
6:30am - mom and dad get out of bed, mom showers, dad eats (sometimes)
6:30-7:00am - baby gets up whenever she gets up
7:00am - change baby and feed her
7:15am - dad showers sometimes (more on this later)
7:30am - change baby clothes
7:55am - load up
8:00am - leave garage, drop mom at work, swing by daycare, get to work around 8:25 - 8:30.
This simple change in schedule has reduced the amount of daily stress in the house and on the road. The baby spends 50 fewer minutes in daycare daily which means more time at home with us. She's also spending less time in the car with a stressed daddy. We get to spend more time together as a family because of this change and it's great!
I'd love to hear more about how others out there have simplified their lives in the morning, evening, or really any other time.
From not wanting to get out of bed, to getting showers and food, to getting everyone dressed and out the door in a good mood. It can be trying at time.
Up until recently our morning schedule was supposed to look like this:
6:00am - everyone up
6:15am - dad and baby eat, mom showers
6:15-6:30am - unnecessary slow drinking of hot cup of coffee
6:30am - baby goes up with mom while she gets ready. Dad uses the bathroom and showers. This step varied in amount of time taken.
6:45-7:00am - dad showers
7:00-7:25am - rush rush rush to get dad and baby out the door. Mom commuted separately despite the fact that we work at the same place.
The rule used to be that if we weren't out the door by 7:25am, it didn't pay to leave until 7:35am. The daycare we send the kid to has a girl with Cerebral Palsey who uses a wheelchair and has very limited use of her limbs. A bus come to pick her up right around the time that we would be getting to daycare if we were even a little late. And the bus takes forever to get her loaded up, strapped in, and on the go. This isn't me complaining about a girl who needs help. Not even a little bit. I don't begrudge her or the bus driver, I just hate idling in the car. Added bonus: traffic around here is terrible at that time.
I found myself getting ANGRY in the car one particularly stressful day. I hit every red light, there were lines at all the stop signs, bad drivers, and the bus. Our daycare is on a single lane county road right next to a main highway. Cars line up behind the bus and once they bus moves they aren't very accommodating to cars wanting to turn left into the parking lot. I checked, that aren't any sensible other ways to get there. I decided while sitting in the care on what turned out to be a 40-45 minute commute (This is important to know because I live a mile from work and daycare if 5 miles from home. This is a 10 mile round trip.) that things needed to change. We we stressed and late daily.
7:25 didn't work and neither did 7:35 or 7:45. It just wasn't happening. I shifted my work day and I now leave at 8:00am every morning with the baby and her mother in the car. This simple change is fantastic. The commute dropped from 35 minutes to 20-25 minutes. Traffic is low, green lights, no lines, no bus. Well, there is another bus that picks up kindergartners on occasions, but it doesn't take near as much time.
We starting sleeping in because the baby sleeps in (this is probably a mistake) but here's the new schedule:
6:00am - alarm goes off and gets turned off (this should stop)
6:10am - alarm b gets snoozed up to 2 times
6:30am - mom and dad get out of bed, mom showers, dad eats (sometimes)
6:30-7:00am - baby gets up whenever she gets up
7:00am - change baby and feed her
7:15am - dad showers sometimes (more on this later)
7:30am - change baby clothes
7:55am - load up
8:00am - leave garage, drop mom at work, swing by daycare, get to work around 8:25 - 8:30.
This simple change in schedule has reduced the amount of daily stress in the house and on the road. The baby spends 50 fewer minutes in daycare daily which means more time at home with us. She's also spending less time in the car with a stressed daddy. We get to spend more time together as a family because of this change and it's great!
I'd love to hear more about how others out there have simplified their lives in the morning, evening, or really any other time.
Monday, October 12, 2015
The quitting coffee quest
Day One: 1 cup coffee, 2 cups green tea.
No noticeable difference. Maybe a little headachey late in the day. Having to make cups of tea was kind of a bummer and they don't satisfy quite as much as coffee does. Tea cups are also a bit more difficult to clean than coffee cups. I made a mistake and went on twitter (for work) and saw that it was national coffee day. I spent some time looking at all the pictures people tweeted. I regret this because now I want a cup of coffee. Luckily it's late in the day and the wife would kill me if I drank any. I have a tendency to kick at night if I'm to hyped up.
Day Two: 1 cup coffee, 1 cup green tea
I feel like I noticed a bit more today. Mostly in that I cut down on warm beverages. You see, drinking a cup of coffee is about more than just drinking a liquid. It's an experience. Your hands wrapped around a warm mug. That first whiff of the delicious smelling stuff before it hits your mouth. That first sip, it warms you on the way down. I think I might be convincing myself to keep drinking coffee.
Day Three:3 cups green tea 1 1 cup coffee, 1 cup herbal tea
I got out of bed and made a cup of coffee. This wasn't by habit or accident. I made a choice. I had a headache, we were out of quality breakfast foods, and I was cold. I woke up and said, "I know I'm not supposed to, but I'm having a cup of coffee." And here's the thing. I. Loved. It. Until I got to the end and realized I did a poor job or putting the filter in because my last mouthful was a swallow of coldish grounds. It's almost as if I was being punished. I had a cup of herbal tea at work to give myself the feeling of a warm beverage. Tomorrow was supposed to be my last cup, but I feel like today should be. I put the tin of coffee in the freezer already, but I'm finding myself trying to talk myself out of this. "What about when I have company?" "What about when my parents stay here on a visit?" "Everyone loves coffee, I can't punish them because I feel like I can't have it!" I don't know if I'm being rational or if my own brain is trying to trick me here.
Day Four:1 cup coffee 2 cups green tea 2 cups decaf
Well, I've certainly mucked things up here. I was supposed to have a regular cup today, but I did that yesterday so today got changed to green tea. I wanted the taste, the smell, the experience of drinking a hot cup of coffee on a cold morning before anyone in the house was up. So I had some decaf. Then I had more when I got to work. I know there is some caffeine in decaf, but I'm not sure how much. My head feels tight. It's not a headache, but it's not comfortable either. It's about 10:00am as I write this. I'll update if things change.
Day Five:1 cup black tea 1 cup herbal tea, 1 cup decaf
Things are looking pretty good here. I never had an issues yesterday, though I may have cheated and had some Dr. Pepper. I had hot herbal tea when I was working on a presentation this morning and a cup of decaf on a walk to my in-laws' house. I didn't know I had this much decaf sitting around the house. I guess raiding hotels when I have to stay has its benefits, finally.
Day Six:1 cup green tea 1 cup decaf
I sold a car today. My father in law wanted to get coffee to celebrate. I went for decaf and it was great! I usually don't have a high opinion of decaf, but it was a chilly day and it was a nice way to celebrate!
Day Seven:1 cup herbal tea NONE!
Monday. The worst of days. no caffeine to speak of. No coffee, no tea, no soda. Not even an herbal tea to make myself feel better. More importantly, no headache... well, not until the end of the day. I have no proof caffeine has anything to do with it.
Day Eight:NONE! 1 cup coffee
I had a job interview today and my wife thought it'd be best if I had a cup of coffee in the morning. She didn't think it would be wise to tempt the fates with this. I agreed without question and loved my cup of coffee in the morning. Maybe I don't have to give it all up...
Day Nine:NONE! half cup coffee
Still trying to wean myself off the good stuff. Went for a small cup of coffee today and it went fine. I'm making sure to hydrate as much as possible. Here's the thing: I'm not thinking about coffee at all (except to write this of course). I haven't missed it much, though I may tomorrow. Who knows. I'll go for a green tea tomorrow and nothing on Friday. By the weekend we'll be bad to zero!
Day Ten:NONE! 1 cup green tea half cup coffee, 1 cup decaf
I can't seem to help myself. I can literally come up with any excuse to drink coffee. I didn't need the small cup in the morning, I wanted it. The decaf was free and ripe for the taking. Hopefully tomorrow we're done with this.
I'm writing this nearly two weeks after I started the quest. I haven't had caffeine in three days. And you know what? I feel fine. I miss the morning cup every once in a while. Or when I see anyone holding coffee, but that's okay. My mornings have gone more smoothly because I feel like I can start moving right away. I'm sure I'll go back to coffee in time, but right now with the craziness that my days are, it'll be a once in a while thing.
No noticeable difference. Maybe a little headachey late in the day. Having to make cups of tea was kind of a bummer and they don't satisfy quite as much as coffee does. Tea cups are also a bit more difficult to clean than coffee cups. I made a mistake and went on twitter (for work) and saw that it was national coffee day. I spent some time looking at all the pictures people tweeted. I regret this because now I want a cup of coffee. Luckily it's late in the day and the wife would kill me if I drank any. I have a tendency to kick at night if I'm to hyped up.
Day Two: 1 cup coffee, 1 cup green tea
I feel like I noticed a bit more today. Mostly in that I cut down on warm beverages. You see, drinking a cup of coffee is about more than just drinking a liquid. It's an experience. Your hands wrapped around a warm mug. That first whiff of the delicious smelling stuff before it hits your mouth. That first sip, it warms you on the way down. I think I might be convincing myself to keep drinking coffee.
Day Three:
I got out of bed and made a cup of coffee. This wasn't by habit or accident. I made a choice. I had a headache, we were out of quality breakfast foods, and I was cold. I woke up and said, "I know I'm not supposed to, but I'm having a cup of coffee." And here's the thing. I. Loved. It. Until I got to the end and realized I did a poor job or putting the filter in because my last mouthful was a swallow of coldish grounds. It's almost as if I was being punished. I had a cup of herbal tea at work to give myself the feeling of a warm beverage. Tomorrow was supposed to be my last cup, but I feel like today should be. I put the tin of coffee in the freezer already, but I'm finding myself trying to talk myself out of this. "What about when I have company?" "What about when my parents stay here on a visit?" "Everyone loves coffee, I can't punish them because I feel like I can't have it!" I don't know if I'm being rational or if my own brain is trying to trick me here.
Day Four:
Well, I've certainly mucked things up here. I was supposed to have a regular cup today, but I did that yesterday so today got changed to green tea. I wanted the taste, the smell, the experience of drinking a hot cup of coffee on a cold morning before anyone in the house was up. So I had some decaf. Then I had more when I got to work. I know there is some caffeine in decaf, but I'm not sure how much. My head feels tight. It's not a headache, but it's not comfortable either. It's about 10:00am as I write this. I'll update if things change.
Day Five:
Things are looking pretty good here. I never had an issues yesterday, though I may have cheated and had some Dr. Pepper. I had hot herbal tea when I was working on a presentation this morning and a cup of decaf on a walk to my in-laws' house. I didn't know I had this much decaf sitting around the house. I guess raiding hotels when I have to stay has its benefits, finally.
Day Six:
I sold a car today. My father in law wanted to get coffee to celebrate. I went for decaf and it was great! I usually don't have a high opinion of decaf, but it was a chilly day and it was a nice way to celebrate!
Day Seven:
Monday. The worst of days. no caffeine to speak of. No coffee, no tea, no soda. Not even an herbal tea to make myself feel better. More importantly, no headache... well, not until the end of the day. I have no proof caffeine has anything to do with it.
Day Eight:
I had a job interview today and my wife thought it'd be best if I had a cup of coffee in the morning. She didn't think it would be wise to tempt the fates with this. I agreed without question and loved my cup of coffee in the morning. Maybe I don't have to give it all up...
Day Nine:
Still trying to wean myself off the good stuff. Went for a small cup of coffee today and it went fine. I'm making sure to hydrate as much as possible. Here's the thing: I'm not thinking about coffee at all (except to write this of course). I haven't missed it much, though I may tomorrow. Who knows. I'll go for a green tea tomorrow and nothing on Friday. By the weekend we'll be bad to zero!
Day Ten:
I can't seem to help myself. I can literally come up with any excuse to drink coffee. I didn't need the small cup in the morning, I wanted it. The decaf was free and ripe for the taking. Hopefully tomorrow we're done with this.
I'm writing this nearly two weeks after I started the quest. I haven't had caffeine in three days. And you know what? I feel fine. I miss the morning cup every once in a while. Or when I see anyone holding coffee, but that's okay. My mornings have gone more smoothly because I feel like I can start moving right away. I'm sure I'll go back to coffee in time, but right now with the craziness that my days are, it'll be a once in a while thing.
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Giving up coffee (for now)
I have an on again off again relationship with coffee. I love to love it and I love to hate it. I have a bad habit of letting my coffee habit get the best of me. This all started in college with those sugared up coffee drinks that you buy from a major franchise in a bottle. Then I met a guy from Seattle at a summer job who taught me how to make some delicious concoctions on my own. This saved on money which was great until I realized that I could save even more if I cut the cream, sugar, and flavors. I spent some time at a wilderness camp in my early 20s and that's when I really got hooked. I was drinking up to 50 oz. a day!
Sidenote: the best time to drink coffee is early in the morning when there is a bit of a chill in the air. Take it outside and enjoy!
I've cut caffeine from my life a number of times for a number of reasons.I feel like I can't start my day until I've had one, or two, or three cups of coffee. On rough nights when the kid wakes up a lot or when I just decide to sleep in, this makes getting to work on time a struggle. I also use it as an excuse to not work out, shower, or basically do anything else until that first cup kicks in.
I know there are a lot of benefits and drawbacks to drinking coffee, but the best thing for me right now is to cut it. This should make my mornings easier, it should make going to sleep earlier easier, it should make hanging out with my one year old easier, it should make staying hydrated easier. This also helps the budget because I won't be buying coffee or filters. I also won't have to spend time cleaning the coffee pot or the spills on the counter or composting the coffee grounds.
Today, unbeknownst to me, is National Coffee Day and I quit. Well, I had a cup. And two cups of tea. But, tomorrow, I quit. Or... I'll have one cup. And one cup of tea. I'll do a slow progression of caffeine out of my life because I've had the headaches and they're no good.
I'll let you know how things went when I'm finally off. Wish me luck.
Sidenote: the best time to drink coffee is early in the morning when there is a bit of a chill in the air. Take it outside and enjoy!
I've cut caffeine from my life a number of times for a number of reasons.I feel like I can't start my day until I've had one, or two, or three cups of coffee. On rough nights when the kid wakes up a lot or when I just decide to sleep in, this makes getting to work on time a struggle. I also use it as an excuse to not work out, shower, or basically do anything else until that first cup kicks in.
I know there are a lot of benefits and drawbacks to drinking coffee, but the best thing for me right now is to cut it. This should make my mornings easier, it should make going to sleep earlier easier, it should make hanging out with my one year old easier, it should make staying hydrated easier. This also helps the budget because I won't be buying coffee or filters. I also won't have to spend time cleaning the coffee pot or the spills on the counter or composting the coffee grounds.
Today, unbeknownst to me, is National Coffee Day and I quit. Well, I had a cup. And two cups of tea. But, tomorrow, I quit. Or... I'll have one cup. And one cup of tea. I'll do a slow progression of caffeine out of my life because I've had the headaches and they're no good.
I'll let you know how things went when I'm finally off. Wish me luck.
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
A bit of a rant on social media
I love to love/hate social media.
I really only pay attention to two social media sites and one of them is more of a brain melter site. Buzzfeed and Facebook.
Borrowing a term I read on Mr. Money Mustache both sites have marginal utility.
(Side note: this is a fantastic blog that I've been following for a couple of months. He's inspired me to invest, put more down on my mortgage, and write this blog.)
I'll start with Buzzfeed because it's the one I use the least. Other than finding entertainment news, I feel like Buzzfeed exists to keep me distracted from doing things that matter, like writing this blog, getting my job done, cleaning my house... I feel that if I could just break up with Buzzfeed I would free up brainpower, but beyond that I would become a more positive person. Let me explain.
Buzzfeed has entertainment value. I will give it that. It has quizzes, videos, articles, top ten lists, you name it. Despite all the nice looking things there, it's just as bad as the nightly news. There is no avoiding the fact that violence sells. It puts negative, depressing news stories right in your face. For the same reasons I avoid other clearinghouses of news that make me feel bad, I should avoid Buzzfeed. I have, unfortunatly, read some of the most disturbing news stories I've ever read on this site and the mind has an uncanny ability to remember the worst.
If you subscribe the Low-Information Diet a la Tim Ferris, which I first read about in his book The 4-Hour Work Week, Buzzfeed is a no brainer.
Before I launch into my tirade on Facebook, let me point out that I've cut Buzzfeed and Facebook for Lent before and never missed either one the entire time. They both crept back in and before I knew it, I was fully hooked.
When Facebook started at my college, I was a senior and had no interest in the site. One of the few good ideas younger me had. The same holds true today. I've been on and off Facebook at least 4 times citing different reasons each time I quit and rejoined:
It's gotta be cool (joined).
I don't want to see my ex-girlfriends posts, pictures, mentions, etc. (quit).
I'm over her (joined).
I spend too much time here (quit).
I want to stay in touch with family (joined).
Wow, younger me sounds like an idiot. Did I really write that? (quit).
I have to manage social media for work (joined).
This leads me to where I am today. To manage a Facebook business page, a person has to have an account. So I do. I also hid every person who has friended me from my timeline (other than my wife) and I only use it for work purposes.
That doesn't stop me from thinking that social media unnecessarily complicate things. Beyond the obvious time and soul sucking scrolling people seem to do for hour at a time (think of all the other things we could accomplish!), social media sets up unrealistic connections and friendships. I don't care what people from high school are up to. If I did, we'd still be friends. It used to be that when you parted ways with someone, you did just that. If you ever saw the person again, you met up for drinks and caught up. But now you know all the minutiae about their lives already so you literally have nothing to talk about.
Other than my own personal biases, there have been studies done on how chronic Facebook users (and nobody ever admits to 2-3 hours a day of scrolling) tend to be less happy that everyone else because they end up comparing their lives to the best lives everyone else portrays on social media. Or they get angry about political posts or whatever else.
So, I will continue to avoid Facebook, work to remove it from my job, cut Buzzfeed, and refrain from signing up for other social media sites.
I really only pay attention to two social media sites and one of them is more of a brain melter site. Buzzfeed and Facebook.
Borrowing a term I read on Mr. Money Mustache both sites have marginal utility.
(Side note: this is a fantastic blog that I've been following for a couple of months. He's inspired me to invest, put more down on my mortgage, and write this blog.)
I'll start with Buzzfeed because it's the one I use the least. Other than finding entertainment news, I feel like Buzzfeed exists to keep me distracted from doing things that matter, like writing this blog, getting my job done, cleaning my house... I feel that if I could just break up with Buzzfeed I would free up brainpower, but beyond that I would become a more positive person. Let me explain.
Buzzfeed has entertainment value. I will give it that. It has quizzes, videos, articles, top ten lists, you name it. Despite all the nice looking things there, it's just as bad as the nightly news. There is no avoiding the fact that violence sells. It puts negative, depressing news stories right in your face. For the same reasons I avoid other clearinghouses of news that make me feel bad, I should avoid Buzzfeed. I have, unfortunatly, read some of the most disturbing news stories I've ever read on this site and the mind has an uncanny ability to remember the worst.
If you subscribe the Low-Information Diet a la Tim Ferris, which I first read about in his book The 4-Hour Work Week, Buzzfeed is a no brainer.
Before I launch into my tirade on Facebook, let me point out that I've cut Buzzfeed and Facebook for Lent before and never missed either one the entire time. They both crept back in and before I knew it, I was fully hooked.
When Facebook started at my college, I was a senior and had no interest in the site. One of the few good ideas younger me had. The same holds true today. I've been on and off Facebook at least 4 times citing different reasons each time I quit and rejoined:
It's gotta be cool (joined).
I don't want to see my ex-girlfriends posts, pictures, mentions, etc. (quit).
I'm over her (joined).
I spend too much time here (quit).
I want to stay in touch with family (joined).
Wow, younger me sounds like an idiot. Did I really write that? (quit).
I have to manage social media for work (joined).
This leads me to where I am today. To manage a Facebook business page, a person has to have an account. So I do. I also hid every person who has friended me from my timeline (other than my wife) and I only use it for work purposes.
That doesn't stop me from thinking that social media unnecessarily complicate things. Beyond the obvious time and soul sucking scrolling people seem to do for hour at a time (think of all the other things we could accomplish!), social media sets up unrealistic connections and friendships. I don't care what people from high school are up to. If I did, we'd still be friends. It used to be that when you parted ways with someone, you did just that. If you ever saw the person again, you met up for drinks and caught up. But now you know all the minutiae about their lives already so you literally have nothing to talk about.
Other than my own personal biases, there have been studies done on how chronic Facebook users (and nobody ever admits to 2-3 hours a day of scrolling) tend to be less happy that everyone else because they end up comparing their lives to the best lives everyone else portrays on social media. Or they get angry about political posts or whatever else.
So, I will continue to avoid Facebook, work to remove it from my job, cut Buzzfeed, and refrain from signing up for other social media sites.
Thursday, September 17, 2015
Why do you have to go and make things so complicated...
Thinking about the immortal words of Avril Lavigne, I've really started thinking about all the things in life that have become complicated. Whatever happened to simple? There once was a time when people didn't carry smartphones around with them everywhere they went. Cars used to be used sparingly. We cooked our own healthy meals. We could buy peanut butter at the store without having to label read, price match, or decide between 15 different brands.
People look at me like I'm weird when I tell them that we don't have cable TV or that I enjoy biking to work when I can. Sometimes I feel judged when I don't indulge in the same creature comforts as others because I don't find value in them. It's amazing the pity people take on me when they hear about the TV thing. Netflix passwords get handed to me, cable usernames and password get forked over... it's amazing! People can't stand to think that I might be deprived of something.
I'm going to try to start living more simply in the areas that I can. I'll take suggestions, advice, and hints from anyplace I can find them: Other bloggers, friends, family, readers... anyone! When I feel like I've come upon a nugget of truth I'll try to implement it and write about it.
Wish me luck!
People look at me like I'm weird when I tell them that we don't have cable TV or that I enjoy biking to work when I can. Sometimes I feel judged when I don't indulge in the same creature comforts as others because I don't find value in them. It's amazing the pity people take on me when they hear about the TV thing. Netflix passwords get handed to me, cable usernames and password get forked over... it's amazing! People can't stand to think that I might be deprived of something.
I'm going to try to start living more simply in the areas that I can. I'll take suggestions, advice, and hints from anyplace I can find them: Other bloggers, friends, family, readers... anyone! When I feel like I've come upon a nugget of truth I'll try to implement it and write about it.
Wish me luck!
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