Anthony, Author at • Page 66 of 93

October 30, 2016

Halloween is upon us!

Ahhhh yes my favorite holiday. The only holiday that deserves it’s own post. In my opinion, the only holiday that is truly for all people. Unlike the other holidays which are segregated for only specific groups of people (divided by faith usually), this one we can ALL celebrate the things that go bump in the night. A holiday dedicated to the darker side of reality (and non-reality). Where we can celebrate our fascination with fright, fear, and the grotesque.

The reason why I even make a post about Halloween is because for my life experience, Halloween is a the best value added experience one can have in their life. Halloween joins friends/family together to engage in crafty costume making, creative thinking, joy, and merriment. It’s a way for neighbors to get to know each other. No holiday that I am aware of has strangers talking to each other than this one (ok St Patrick’s Day maybe).

So have fun all ye ghosts, vampires, werewolves, zombies, skeletons, witches, monsters, ghouls, pirates, serial killers, Jason Vorhees’s, Mike Meyers’s, Freddy Kruger’s, aliens, predators, etc. Have a happy Halloween.

A few precautions first:

Check the back seat before entering your vehicle.
No skinny dipping. In fact don’t do anything alone naked.
Never say “I’ll be right back.”
Carry if you have the means (no one in these horror movies is ever carrying).

Enjoy

October 23, 2016May 16, 2017

Life’s pleasures are simple

What are life’s pleasures, life’s joys ……. really? They are the things that make our hearts flutter, our adrenaline flow, our blood boil, and/or give us a natural (or un-natural) high. These pleasures usually only come in small doses, but can be in abundance. They are an adrenaline rush from physical exertion, a cigarette drag, our child’s laugh, a lovers touch, a massage, an orgasm, an alcohol buzz, a taste, a cool breeze on a hot summer day (I can go on but my point is clear). What do all these things have in common?

They’re simple

They’re cheap

I have noticed that too often people confuse the pleasure, with the very thing that gave them that pleasure. It is important to make that distinction if we ever want to create a situation such that we can enjoy that pleasure again.

Examples:

It was not the Ferrari that pleased him, it was the sensation of going fast.
It was not the bottle of Crystal that made him happy, it was the alcohol buzz.
It was not the masseuse that felt good, it was the massage.
It was not the Dairy Queen blizzard that tasted good, it was the correct combination of dairy, Oreos, peanut butter, and more sugar that tasted good.

Much of the reason why people are fixated on an object being the pleasure in the first place is because of the illusion that image, that the cosmetics will bring pleasure, joy.

The Ferrari, for example, is just a car. A tool for transportation. It is engineered to be exceptionally powerful and beautiful. So that makes it ideal for adrenaline speed junkies (like myself). Unfortunately we all have to follow the same speed limitations when we are on the open road. Sooooo much of that horsepower is never used. So by that rationale a lesser vehicle (less expensive) would satisfy that urge just as well (a mustang would do). So what else is there? There is the status that a car of Ferrari’s caliber gives someone, the image. But status, image is an illusion. An illusion that allows the insecure to fill a void. That is not exactly satisfying a pleasure, it’s just satisfying an insecurity. It would save a lot of time, money, and pain, to just lose the insecurity. I have discussed “function over fashion” in previous essays.

Let me give a more detailed example in a little true story.

I once went on vacation with a friend of mine (lets call him Bob). Bob and I stayed in a hotel that just so happened to have a Jacuzzi. He had never been in one before so we decided to give it a whirl. Bob loved it instantly and was completely euphoric at the sensation. He loved it so much that he was determined to get one for his home. It took a couple of years during which he had to save up, but he got his awesome Jacuzzi. He could have settled or a regular hot tub, but no, he wanted to go all out. It was a tedious grueling installation process, but it was in, and it was glorious looking. With eager joy and anticipation he calls me up so I can join in the first soak. I rush over with some amount of pride that he acquired this thing he had been wanting for so long. We get in and melt. We sit in the tub and chat for a bit. Bob talks about the entire process of what it took to get the tub; the expenses, time, and effort. After only ten minutes in the tub I begin to see a look of disappointment come over his face. he wasn’t in there for more than 20 min before he’d had enough. He got up and out.

Bob kept the Jacuzzi for only a year after that, during which he only used it when he had company.

Bob’s failure was in the fact that he did not mentally separate the “pleasure” from the object that gave the “pleasure” in the first place. Had he done that from the get go, he would have realized that the sensation of pleasure that the Jacuzzi provided was not nearly great enough, or long enough, to be worth purchasing it. He also would have realized that there were many other means to get the same pleasure sensation much easier and cheaper. I believe I enjoyed the tub much more than he did that day at his house; the pleasure is so much better when it’s at someone else’s expense.

October 17, 2016May 17, 2017

The Homestead

home Without doubt, the most clear area in a person’s life that one can benefit from minimalism is in their place of residence; their home. By reducing our living space we can save vast amounts of time and money.

For starters, the bigger the space we live in, the longer it takes to maintain that space; it’s as simple as that. In all likelihood there are spaces in our homes where we vacuum, that we seldom ever set foot otherwise. Imagine how much less time it would take to clean our home if we just cleaned the areas that we use regularly.

Next, It’s costly having so much space. Obviously it is far more expensive to purchase a larger home than a smaller one, but let us not forget that this is not the only expense we have that depends on the size of our dwelling. Land and school tax, and utilities (electricity, heating, cooling) are all drastically reduced when we downsize our home.

But lets take a closer look at our living space shall we. Let’s explore our typical dwelling one space at a time:

Storage Spaces (closets, attics and basements) – Some of this space is used for our wardrobe, linens, toiletries, tools, and other necessary valuable items. But we must also be honest with ourselves as far as how much of this stuff is clutter. If we need a “cut and dry” rule about storage spaces then use this: Short term storage is good (linen closet, medicine cabinet, wardrobe), long-term storage is bad (attic, basement, “walk in” closet).
Kitchen – absolutely necessary for survival.
Bathroom – Also necessary.
Bedroom – Privacy and sleep, absolutely necessary.
Dining Room – Unless we frequently have dinner guests over, I do not see the necessity here. This is usually just another mostly unnecessary, and frequently unused room in a home. Meals can be had in the kitchen or living room.
Living Room – The meeting and gathering place. Absolutely necessary. Not in the “hunter and gatherer” sense of the word, but certainly a valuable room for social interaction.
Family Room – Didn’t I just mention the living room? …….wait. Aren’t these the same thing? These two rooms certainly serve the same purpose. The only difference is one has a TV and the other doesn’t. I suggest we move the TV to the living room, take down the family room, and save ourselves cleaning time and tax payments (not literally).
Office – With little exception (running a business out of our home), this room is completely unnecessary. In this digital age, we can set up our laptop computer in any room of the home. The idea of having a separate room just so we can pay bills, study, read, and/or do life/financial planning is just ridiculous and mildly egotistical.
Garage – If we have a passion for vehicle repair/creation/maintenance then this may be a necessary room. Or, if we are sportsmen and keep our kayak, camping, and climbing gear in the garage. If not, then this is a waste. Sheltering our vehicle is not going to extend the life of it long enough for it to be worth the extra time and money spent to have this room. Having a cute little home for our BMW is just egotistical.
Laundry Room – Valuable …… but doesn’t really need to be a separate room now does it? Instead lets throw the washer and dryer in the garage to finally give the garage some value.
Guest Room – Do we have guests over frequently? Lots of them at once? Maybe this is valuable if so. But if this occurs 1-6 times a year and only one (or one couple) at a time, a sofa-bed in the family room should suffice.
Duplicates of the rooms already mentioned – Depends mostly on how many people reside in the home. But let’s be honest with ourselves, a married couple with no children doesn’t need 2.5 baths.
The Yard – Do we have lots of barbecues, volleyball games, or yard parties? If so, then having a yard is an invaluable asset that is crucial to our lifestyle. But if we don’t, and the amount of time spent maintaining it (mow, rake, and grounds keeping) outweighs the time spent enjoying it, it is a drain on our life.

Note: Often times many of these rooms can be combined. Example: A single person can have everything they need in a studio apartment if their futon turns their living room into a bed room, and then back again.

A report by the UCLA-affiliated social scientists reveals in their study after following and recording the behaviors of 32 LA families in their homes, that on average people use only 40% of their home space on a regular basis. This report is called Life at Home in the Twenty-First Century: 32 Families Open Their Doors.