Underground Music Episode # 2 is up

In this week’s episode, I interviewed Mike Green at Bloor-Yonge station. For further details or to download a copy of the program, visit the Underground Music page at Whole Wheat Radio

Some Other Projects

So in addition to work and all the crazy changes I’ve been making in my life, I’ve been having some fun too. Lately I’ve been producing more audio content than ever. It’s been good to get out there and meet people (something I don’t normally do) and just chat.

First off, many of you already know about the Talking Stick Podcast. If you don’t, the premise is very simple. One person starts off by talking about a topic for a few min (usually 5-10 or so), and then passes the topic on to someone else who listens to what was said before and continues the conversation. After about four people, the episode is closed and then I edit it down (minimally) and post it.

Lately I’ve been doing a few permutations on that idea starting with a couple of group conversations at Podcamp Montreal. I recorded two episodes there – one as just a general group conversation on a subject while in the second we passed the microphone around and each took our turn doing what we used to do remotely in person.

Another permutation that I’m now getting into is the serial interview. It started off with an episode called Leaving the Beaten Path where I interviewed Sage’s mom and the other women who live on the land with her about how they realized that there was another way to live besides the stereotypical, go to school/work/marriage/kids/retire/die route.

On the trip to visit Sage’s mom, Paul and I sat in the airport and talked a bit about teenage rebellion. I sent that one off to another person I met on twitter and then our combined efforts was sent to a third person. That episode can be found here.

Finally, my current project is about the idea of “adult rebellion”. After all, some folks get back to conformity after a short time of nonconformity as teenagers while others keep on rebelling. In my latest episode I posted a conversation with Shamez Amlani of Streets are for People on the subject.

But I haven’t just been working on the Talking Stick podcast. After years of thinking someone should go into the subways of Toronto and meet/record some of the subway musicians there, I realized that that somebody was going to be me. And so now I am going out once per week and recording a program called Underground Music which can sometimes be heard at Whole wheat Radio.

So anyway, my apologies for not posting much here but if you watch those other spaces you’ll still see what I’m up to. And I may be posting back here soon as well…

Update # 2

Mostly writing these to keep myself honest. Feel free to skip if you’re not completely interested…

So here I am about 2 weeks in to my project. Mostly it’s been pretty successful.

Money:
Doing great with money. Staying well under the $20 weekly limit. I did forget my lunch once this week and spent about $6 for lunch out. Usually it doesn’t seem like a big deal but man, that was almost 1/3 of my allowance! Sage was also having a rough day on Monday so I spent about $7 on treats from the health food store to surprise her with. So now I’ve got about $4 to last me until tomorrow which isn’t too bad all things considered. Sage hasn’t been going out nearly as much and as a result has about $40 saved.

Exercise/cycling:
This one’s going OK…Just OK, I’ve been to spin classes or the gym 2-3 times a week. I did get an unlimited monthly pass for classes earlier this week and will be putting it to good use in the next few days. (fitness classes not included in the $20 weekly deal).

Haven’t been cycling much at all. Weather has been cold and rainy a lot and somehow I seem to be less on about cold weather cycling. Academically I know it is warm but once again I have to overcome my gut instinct which is to say “No way! Too cold for riding a bike!”

Diet/Weight:
This one’s been quite good. Aside from 2 occasions I have been completely vegan these past couple of weeks. Last Thursday I bought a couple small slices of pizza for the TTC United Way benefit (I was hungry and it was a bargain at $1 each), and a couple nights ago Paul and I made a delicious Mexican stew (cooked inside a pumpkin) that had a bit of cheese in it.

Weight-wise things have been going well. Down to 185 lbs from 189 at the start.

Caffeine Consumption:
What caffeine consumption? I went completely caffeine free about the middle of last week. I endured a couple of headachy days and have been sort of fuzzy-brained recently. Started on some herbs for that (suggestions here.)

Things I like about being caffeine free: No rapid blood sugar drops and marked appetite decrease. Feel pretty awake right when I wake up without having to have a couple of cups of coffee to get going.

Things I don’t like: So far I’ve been much less inspired than usual, and feel less “with it”. Herbs are helping a lot with that, though, and I’m told it is a temporary thing. Definitely doing better this time in that respect than in previous times.

In general being without coffee makes me feel completely like a different person – almost in a literal sense. I feel calmer and less physically tense. Last time I gave up coffee over a year ago, I noticed that the range of motion in my neck dramatically increased. Even my facial muscles feel relaxed. At the gym I also notice a difference. Without coffee my aerobic performance is dramatically improved. I feel like I can push harder and work more efficiently. I’m not sure if that’s an illusion or reality but either way I appreciate it.

So overall things are going quite well. Goals for the next few weeks will be to be better about being vegan and to increase my cycling. Oh, and to find my brain that hopefully wasn’t tossed out with the last used coffee filter…

Happy Birthday to me

Yup, thanks America for delivering me the best birthday present I have ever received and one I won’t soon forget. And so I find myself this morning with a weird feeling I’m almost embarrassed (given my usual nature) to admit. I’m actually proud to be an American. For so long I have been really embarrassed on many levels at the social, religious, and political antics they pull down there – and was so disgusted with it all that I actually immigrated to another country. And yet I almost want to out our window across Lake Ontario and say “Them? They’re *my* people. See, they did alright.”

Austerity Update

My apologies for those who this is going to bore to tears – being public about progress (or backslides) gives me further motivation to do well so as to avoid looking bad here.

So anyway, the austerity game has not yet started so this almost represents a baseline of where I’m starting from. And because I’m working on several things (diet, exercise, caffeine, etc) I’ll include them all here:

Money:
Fortunately the game hadn’t started yet as I stopped at a new vegetarian restaurant at Broadview & Gerrard and spent about $8 (including tip) for lunch there before going shopping. The good news, though, is that I did do most of our grocery shopping for the week (I got all I could carry – getting more today). I also spent $8.95 on an Adbusters magazine. Between the two of those things I would’ve spent the bulk of a week’s allowance or possibly ended up cleaning litter boxes.

Exercise/Cycling:
I’m trying to take cycling over transit wherever possible even if I don’t necessarily travel with the rest of the family. It’s not as sad as it sounds, though. Often I get where we’re going quicker than everyone else (so nobody waits for me) and everyone reads their own books on the bus anyway so it isn’t as if we’re losing tons of family time.

So yesterday I took a short ride down to Broadview and Gerrard to go to the Asian market and then to the health food store. By the time I was done my panniers were filled to overflowing (good thing they have this drawstring ‘extension’ that I can use to overfill them. I wasn’t able to get everything on the list but I came close. I’ll pick up the few other things I need today – I might also try to head over to get a wok (sad story – our 18 yo cat found her way into the cupboard and used the last one as a litter box – ick!) though I don’t know if my panniers can handle it.

Tomorrow I’m working in the Concord office, 30 km away. Weather looks a little threatening so I’m not sure if I’ll bike or travel by transit. I’ll watch things this afternoon and make a decision. Haven’t decided if I’ll go out and get a GTA pass or not.

Diet/weight:
Sage, Paul, and I actually cooked dinner together for the first time in my memory. Chili and cornbread – both vegan. Delicious! Leftovers for brunch today. All the food we’ve bought for the week is vegan and if we’re good and don’t dine out we’ll manage to stay vegan. At 189 lbs today.

Caffeine Consumption:
Caffeine consumption is markedly down. Last Wednesday was my peak of consumption – half a pot at home, an extra large at Timmy’s on the way in, and probably another 1/2 pot at work. This is NOT good and is very likely a good part of why my weight is coming back – caffeine makes me ravenously hungry in that quantity and I eat much more. Since then I’ve dropped my consumption considerably. I’m down to just the 1/2 pot (not as bad as it sounds – 2 mugs) in the morning. The past couple of days that’s meant a pretty big headache for much of the day. Good news is no headache today and it feels like I might not have one.

I’ve been drinking a ton of rooibos tea, however. I find I really enjoy it and for some reason I drink more of it than I would the equivalent amount of coffee. Maybe subconsciously I keep drinking it waiting for the nonexistent caffeine to hit.

So overall I am starting this project in a pretty good mood – quite optimistic about where it’ll go.

Worm Composting?

Just putting the question out here and on my various social networks:

Currently we live in a highrise. Recyclables (and to some extent freecyclables) go into the recycling room in the basement while the remainder gets tossed down a gigantic chute and is magically carried away to Michigan. Now sinigle-family residences in Toronto can participate in the ‘green bin’ program. Effectively this works as curbside compost. Toss all your organics in a big green bin and it gets picked up weekly and composted. But highrises aren’t able to participate in this program, and really, when you think of a place with as much as 300-500 households, there are truly some logistical issues to be overcome there.

Meanwhile, we’re tossing a bunch of organic wastes down the magic chute to Michigan. Meanwhile, I’ve heard a bit about Worm Composting and am a little intrigued. I wonder if this isn’t a viable option for us with some of the compost going to Paul’s extensive plant life in his room and the remainder just being dumped over the fence into the nearby ravine.

So the question is: Has anyone done this? Are there any problems to worry about? Pests, smells, or maybe it’s just a bad idea to dispose of the compost that way?

What’s new

So as I said in the last entry it’s been a while since I’ve done an entry here and a fair number of things have happened since then.

First off: I’m finally back from Quebec City. The project there is done and I’m back in Toronto. On the one hand I’m glad to be back, and on the other I’m a bit sad to see it end. If I’m going to have to travel for work, there are few better places than that to be assigned. As for what happens next, it’s hard to say. You never know in my industry where your next project will be until often weeks or even days before you start there. In the meantime I’m working locally. It’s a little difficult, though. I’m really glad to be back but part of me is reluctant to get back into routines (shopping, cooking, library, gym, etc) just because who knows if I’ll have to head back out again. I realize that this is hugely counterproductive and will result in my living in a horrible self-imposed limbo. I’m working on changing it.

A couple of weeks ago Paul and I went down to see Sage’s mom in the Ozarks. This time given gas prices, etc, it actually worked out to be about the same cost for Paul and I to go by plane than by car with the added bonus that I didn’t have to drive 17 hours each way. As usual, the trip was really wonderful. It was so good to see everyone and just relax for a bit. Living basically as we did at the yurt for a week, though, was eyeopening. It made it clear how much unnecessary money we’re spending, how much time we’re spending with technology instead of people. Again, something to work on – and probably this was the seed that grew into our upcoming austerity game. One thing I was glad to have managed to do while I was there was to record a Talking Stick podcast episode: Leaving the Beaten Path while I was there. I realized that it was at the community I was staying at that I learned that there was more than one way to live one’s life and that one could be happy living all sorts of different ways. So I asked everyone there how they made that same realization. The answers and stories were quite interesting.

So mostly now, after a hectic bunch of travel – there was one four week stretch where every weekend I was flying somewhere – I am still trying to land. It is being easier said than done. Part of me is, of course, glad to be home (and frankly would like to stay home for a long time). But getting back in to the routine after not having lived here for 6 months and during those six months having lived out of a hotel room, dined at restaurants and been flying back and forth across Canada isn’t easy. It’s not that I particularly liked it – not having to cook is nice in the short term but I missed it after a while – but it’s as if I don’t really know how to get back in to a routine here. The closest analogy is playing jump rope. The rope is swinging and I’m standing there trying to figure out how/when to jump in and not trip myself up. Oh, except I don’t really know when the folks who are swinging the rope might decide to “pack up and leave” sending me off on another work trip. In fact, part of me feels like saying “the hell with it – I know it is coming – let’s just bring it on already. All in all a stupid way to live but I’m working through it.

Meanwhile, once again, my caffeine consumption is getting out of hand. I realized it the other day when I noticed that by the time I got to work I’d had 4 cups of coffee and was working on my fifth at 9AM. And with the extra coffee (and the reduced physical activity) I am eating more and have gained back about half of what I had lost before leaving for Quebec. And so I’m on my way towards reducing my caffeine intake again. Yesterday I limited myself to half a pot of coffee and sad to say I ended up with a headache even with that much. But I took some Tylenol and pushed through it. I’m also, as much as I can, getting back in to the habit of taking my bike places. My current client and office are way up in the northern (read: you’re insane to ride a bike up there as drivers don’t even know you exist) suburbs. But for the time being in Toronto, anyway, I’m back on the bike. I also am starting back up with the spin classes and back on the vegan eating train.

But for the most part, despite what seems to be a bit of a dismal entry, things are going well. I’m looking upon the various changes (diet, decaffeination, exercise and austerity) as challenges not punishment and looking forward as I always do to seeing what happens in the coming months.

Austerity Game

Yes, I know, it’s been quite some time since I’d posted here. I always seem to have something else to do. It’s been a good few weeks, though, and I’ll try to catch you up over the course of a few entries since if I try to do it all in this one, #1 you won’t read it, and #2 I probably won’t spend the time in one sitting to write it. Anyway:

It’s no secret that my intentions are a bit higher than many of my actions. I talked about one aspect of that in Imperfect Crusaders. I’ve talked about voluntary simplicity, anticorporatism and the like here on numerous occasions. However, one thing that Sage and I have struggled with over the years has been the fact that if we have money we spend it. We don’t have any debt and only operate in cash or charge (not credit) cards, but despite that we notice that we are spending far too much money. Sage spends hers on dining out mostly. I, too, spend mine on that as well though toss in books and music as well. Periodically we (usually I) get the gimmes for some toy or another and spend money on that as well.

All this while railing against consumerism. Ironic, eh? Good thing I’m not a member of the Stop Shopping Clergy.

Anyway, Sage and I are going to try to put an end to this – or at least bring it under a bit more control with a new approach this time. We’re making a game of it. Here are the rules:

Each of us gets $20/week to spend or save as we see fit. Beyond that, we are allowed no frivolous spending. What’s frivolous? We pretty much have it narrowed down to anything that we don’t need for daily survival: groceries, household products, rent, utilities. We did allow a couple of not 100% necessary things as well. Library fines (which Sage has a fair number of from time to time) are OK, and spin classes which I hopefully will resume going to often are also covered.

Now for the penalties. We each needed to choose something, a consequence for failing that we’d want to avoid. In my case, should I stray and spend more than my weekly $20, I have to clean litterboxes for a week. Sage would have to make fresh vegetable juice (and clean ths juicer – usually the one who makes it doesn’t have to clean up in our house) for all of us every day for a week. Keep screwing up and your one week clock starts over. And if the other person screws up in the middle of your penalty? Your penalty ends and theirs begins.

I know, all in all it’s pretty silly but we’ve figured out that at least in our lives, making games out of things like this is the most successful way to get things done. I can’t remember if I mentioned before but we were both *terrible* housekeepers. And then one day we started playing gin rummy with the loser doing a chore and things totally changed. So I’m hopeful that with our new game we can get our actions a bit more in line with our beliefs. Or at least I can get fresh vegetable juice more often…