Saying goodbye to Facebook (more or less)

I want to share with you a little story.

I've used Facebook for some time, as, I'm guessing, have many of you. I don't know anything about the people who fill up your feed, but mine are largely of hippies, feminists, burners, LBGTQ folks (and those interested in LBGTQ issues), and an occasional Republican (rare but treasured).

Thus, my feed is composed of photos of people's kids, vacations, dinners (why do you keep taking so many pictures of your food?!) and pets. And this is fine, as are the occasional happy thoughts ("I got the job!") and pleas for support ("My boyfriend broke up with me and I need a virtual hug; send photos of kittens.").

But these are few and far between compared with the constant op-eds, news reports, and in-between style pieces (like Jezebel and Slate) on divisive and dismal topics.

About every third post in my feed is a link to an article condemning anti-vaxxers or big pharma, condemning feminism or men's rights activists, condemning racist police or rioting civilians. My hippie friends constantly shout about GMOs and factory farms. My feminist friends scream about rape and the patriarchy. My burner friends shriek about corporate greed and culture appropriation. My queer friends rail over discrimination and civil rights abuse. My Republican friends rant about welfare queens and communists.

And everyone, all of them, post scare pieces about Ferguson, Ebola, the doomed economy, wars in other countries, crimes in other countries. It's tragedy everywhere I look.

And, of course, photos of babies and kittens.

So, several months ago, I quit. I stopped using Facebook to fill my boredom. I stopped using it to share my thoughts. I stopped using it to connect with friends. I now check it almost solely to see my event invitations, since Facebook is still where everyone announces their parties.

And I am so much happier. I'm pretty tuned out, since I don't watch or read news, and now I don't even hear news rumors as they happen. And what joy to be so! Most news is bad, and most of it doesn't affect me. I could not change it if I tried. I now simply don't have all that bad news in my life.

And no more arguments! People talk about connecting with friends, and I know that can happen on Facebook. But more often, we just argue. Shouting arguments at each other, or shouting together at some third party isn't connection, it's abuse. And who do we think we're fooling? Do you really think you're going to change anyone's mind by yelling at them through your computer screen?

My connection is now real and personal. I text, call, or email friends who are close to me. I see many of my friends and loved ones on a regular basis. Some friends I see at events or group outings. And what happiness! We talk about pleasant topics, and give each other support when we need it.

Further, since I can't sit around wasting time looking through a Buzzfeed list of the 10 celebrities who look most like their dogs or whatever, I find I have valuable time to pursue worthwhile interests. I read, lots. I research the tiny house I dream of building. I learn about topics I find interesting, like physics, astronomy, and history. I write. I enjoy time with people I love, without being distracted by a screen.

Life without the endless stream of vitriol and nonsense is so refreshing and rewarding. Do I miss some gems buried in the garbage? You bet. Of course. But do I miss having to get my hands so dirty in order to find them? Not even a little.

Thoughts about living tiny

Work was slow today, so I spent some time researching tiny houses. My mind is so overflowing with ideas, I wanted to put some down so that I can come back to them later.

I've been considering downsizing for a while now. I currently have far more space than I need, renting a two-bedroom apartment. It's hard to come by a one-bedroom with washer/dryer hookups, which is how I came to be in my current space. But I have far more room than I'm using.

And then last Halloween came the Onion Creek flood. A dear friend of mine already was living in a tiny house that was, quite unfortunately, smack in the middle of the flooded area. His home filled more than halfway with muddy water, and many of his possessions were ruined.

I noticed, as we were sifting through the mess, trying to salvage what we could, that all the things he cared most about were gifts and mementos from people he loved. I was struck by the realization that things are just that: things. He only wanted to keep those things that reminded him of those he cared about, or the few that were useful. Everything else went into the garbage.

It really got me to thinking. My life is so full of junk I don't need. My closets overflow with clutter, my cabinets burst with it. I have so many things I've never even used.

Why am I keeping all that stuff? It's not doing me any good, and it's costing me rent money to house it.

So downsizing the unnecessary crap out of my life will be easy and quite rewarding. I will be left with the things that matter: useful things, and things that remind me of those I love. No superfluous junk. No piles of stuff to someday throw away.

For a long time I was thinking only of building a tiny house with a foundation, something in the neighborhood of 400 sq ft. But while browsing tiny house floorplans today I came across some really spacious, versatile floorplans for trailered tiny homes, some of which are 300 sq ft, give or take. I feel, with that much space, I wouldn't have to sacrifice anything really dear to me in terms of amenities.

Four Lights is a great company, and I like their plans so much more than many I have seen. I'd still want a few modifications, but overall I think there's lots of good stuff to work with there.

A quick list of my requirements:

• Washer/dryer. I can't stress enough how much I want to be able to do laundry in my own home. No compromises.
• Full-size fridge. I've had experience with a dorm fridge. Nope.
• Stairs to a loft. No ladders. I'm clumsy and lightly broken.
• Lots of storage. I think this can be easily accomplished by being creative. There are tons of ways to hide small storage.
• A place to put a cat box. My kitties are so dear to me. Anyplace I live, they will live too.

Some amenities I would like but are not necessary:

• Dishwasher. I don't see this much, but I think it might be possible.
• Bathtub. Not required to be huge.
• Wood-burning stove. I like ambiance.

Considerations:

• Cooling. I live in Texas. Heating a tiny home seems easy. Cooling it will take more thought.
• Lighting. I would love to light my home with color-changing LEDs. I want to be able to switch any room to purple, or blue, or red. This should actually be fairly easy.
• Weight. There is no point to building a trailered home if it weighs too much to be towed.
• Sustainability. The balance between longevity and sustainability can be tough to strike. While I'd love to make my home from reused materials, I also want it to last for decades.

I have learned that, currently, Austin zoning does not allow people to live in homes on wheels on residential lots. While I understand why this was originally enacted, it may be outdated. Consideration for trailered tiny homes has already been brought before City Council, who will be considering it, along with CodeNEXT in the upcoming years. I will keep my ear to the ground about how that plays out.

I'll also be investigating local groups and meetups for tiny house enthusiasts, as well as DIYers.

More to come?

Amazon.com is not a nice place

Image courtesy of So You Think You Can Invest

Boycotting Amazon.com seems to be rather in vogue right now (their hotly contested court battle regarding ebooks sparked widespread disdain). But this weekend I discovered a whole new reason to stop using the mega-retailer: add-on purchases.

It seems the company has designated a range of low-cost items as "add-on items" and will not ship them to you until you meet a minimum purchase requirement of other stuff. If, like me, you primarily use Amazon because they offer cheap goods, this is incredibly bad news. Want a cheap DVD for your potluck this weekend? NOPE. Need a trowel to do some gardening before the frost hits? TOO BAD. Want to buy a box of condoms before your date on Thursday? JUST GET HERPES, YOU LOSER.

When Amazon treats their vendors badly, it can cause a moral dilemma for their customers: do I save money or uphold my principles that fair treatment is right and good, even when it costs me more? But now they're treating their own customers badly. They've made my decision quite easy.

I won't be bullied into spending money on crap I don't need just to save a couple bucks on stuff I will actually use. That's about the worst face that capitalism can present.

Goodbye, Amazon. It was fun while it lasted, but you've become obnoxious and controlling, and, frankly, I have plenty of that in my life without you.

Intro

I have some written pieces that don't fit well into my other blogs. This will be a home for the thoughts I come up with that don't comfortably fit elsewhere. Read at your own peril; I make no promises.