Buy Nothing Month: Getting Social

Soundtrack: https://soundcloud.com/realfaustus/sets/choral-music

One week done and life has been really wonderful. Challenges so far:

• Using the TriMet ticket app doesnt work if your phone is out of power. My phone died literally seconds after I shoved my valid day-pass ticket.
• My life is similar to my college life in the following way: I walk around with a thin wallet with an ID but no money or debit card. I did this in college to avoid the temptation of buying food that was off-mealplan. The challenge presented itself this past Tuesday when I had to take my debit card with me to Science On Tap at the Clinton Street Theater. I was feeling sad and was feeling the temptation to buy an unhealthy snackfood. The temptation was present because I had the plastic in my pocket. I had the power. 

Discoveries

• Volunteering is often accompanied by free food. I have eaten more pizza this week than all of 2016 prior. I guess there are two ways my life is like college. 
• Having meals with friends is another way to be social and share and eat and not spend money. A picnic-in-the-park was a $0 way to do lunch with my friend and far mor pleasent than a trip to the carts. I have a few more social meals on my schedule as way.
• Solve the problem with the things you have in the room. This is a strategy I have been experimenting with for months. An unlearning to counter engineer-brained perfectionism. I have been using this strategy much more it seems this month. 
• Baking - How little I have done these past few years. This morning I made polenta with breakfast and had a lot left over. Polenta doesn't keep well... so I threw together a poor version of cornbread.    

Buy Nothing Month: Day 0 & Day 1

     I have challenged myself to Buy NoThing in April. 

   I took a few days this week to stock up my pantry. Rice, Quinoa, Beans, Sweet potatoes, Tofu etc... I probably spent about $150... which is at least $100 less than I would spend on food in a typical month. Because the dry goods pantry is communal with my roommate, he is rightly worried that by the end of the month the pantry will be emptied out. 

    I also filled up my gas tank. 

   Oh, and the one in my car too!

  On day 0, before the challenge month even began I was already begining to experience some 'think different'. I have a typical 1'x3' mirror in my room. I was thinking to buy those screws with plastic nubs on them to hold it onto my closet door. I saw that I already had 3M Extreme Mounting Tape. If you haven't used this double-sided foam tape yet, you might want to check it out for your next project. It is ridiculously strong. In short I saw that my life was rich with stuff... and I needen't go buy something else to solve my problem. 

  Another insight from day 0. I've been puzzling over ways to get to my therapist combining Bus and Bike. However the office is where Lake Oswego, Tigard and SW Portland meet. Right along the 5. Easy to drive to... no bus lines run there. I discovered that there is a rush-hours-only bus which goes right there... so by shifting my appointment times from mid-day to 4-5pm I can get there without driving. 

Day 1 was mostly uneventful. Cooked lunch with the roommates, they contributed Tofu and veggies, I contributed Soba noodles. Scored 2 awesome vegan burritos from the free food porch and dealt with a lot of pain and sadness in my heart.      

I'm just a Thinker, who already blew his shot

I get along with old timers

'cause I don't wear blinders in a world thats goin to pot

I can't find a girl, no

'Cause I don't lay game too much

I treat 'em like friends but it always really ends

feeling lonely without touch