Category: Journal Entries

Anyone who has been following me for over a year knows that I am fanatical about Halloween. In my home it is the biggest holiday of the year. Bigger than Christmas. Every year my wife and I watch horror movies in abundance and attend all the local horror themed events. We love to both to scare, and BE scared.

It was last year, just after the Halloween season, that the Christmas music started to be playing on the radio. Right smack on Nov 1st. ARGH that agitates me. Not just for the fact that it started TOO EARLY, but also for the fact that Christmas is the only holiday that gets so much support. I’ve never heard Thanksgiving music, Easter music, Valentines Day music, or  …….. Halloween music radio play. It was then I decided that there must be Halloween radio play somewhere. Well it turns out there is ….. however ……. my findings were disappointing.

There was an XM radio Halloween station, but we have to pay for XM radio. There were a few free online radio stations but they were very hokey and meant for children. No no. I was looking for something one could play in their car in the middle of the night down a dark country road, that might make them feel a tad uncomfortable. Something with not only horror themed rock and roll, but also Horror movie themes, and spine chilling sound effects being played in between all that.

Since I could not find such a radio station, I made one.

So from Oct 1st to Nov 5th, you can tune into “WHHR Hudson Halloween Radio” from your computer or mobile device through the mobile app “Radionomy”, and other apps Roku, Tizen, Sonos, and Windows. I have also embedded the radio station player in the sidebar of this website; just hit PLAY|>.

OR, you could go directly to WHHR via Radionomy HERE .

WHHR plays:

– Horror themed Rock & Roll.

– Horror movie themes.

– Halloween party tracks.

– Halloween classics.

– Spooky and spine chilling sounds.

(Let me clarify, that while this post is not particularly minimalist related directly, It does illustrate the living a minimalist life permits the time, mental energy, and motivation for creativity.)

Now seems to be the appropriate time to mention that living minimal affords us the ability to live more mobile (what, with the hurricane disasters occurring).

In the event that we have to pick up and leave (whether temporarily or a permanent residential move), it is both easier and safer to do so, the fewer possessions we have to move. Consider the difference of between living small vs. living abundant when it comes to mobility.

 

Living Small –  We can move quick, more often, and we really don’t worry about causing any damage because there are a lot fewer things to keep track of; we are always aware of our hoard.

Living Abundant – We move much slower, not as often, and it is difficult to keep track of everything so it is more likely some of it will be lost/damaged.

 

It is also worth mentioning that as Minimalists, we place an appropriate level of value on our possessions. So in the event we have to pick up and leave (as is the case with these hurricane evacuations), it is not as traumatic for us to do so if we have to leave some of our possessions behind.

Let us not forget, THINGS don’t matter. Only people matter. We need to ensure that we and our loved ones are safe.

With that being said, if people are even just slightly in danger, we must get these people to safety. So if we need to evacuate, we should not hesitate.

It always brings a smile to my fact when I see small examples of how technology improves convenience, improves efficiency. How technological advancements just fall into minimalism. I saw one such example this past week on my vacation to Disney World. Apparently when we booked our resort package for our stay, it entitled us to these groovy wristbands (mine is shown in this posts pic) that we would wear during our entire stay on the resort.

These wristbands serve to function as our access passes, and credit toward our amenities we purchased with our Disney package. No tickets, no vouchers, just these wristbands. We each got one. Furthermore, we have the ability to link the wristbands to our credit card. That way all charges on Disney real estate can be made using the wristband (not just those that are included in our Disney package). So the wristband essentially becomes our ID and currency during our stay on Disney real estate. No need to carry a wallet, none at all. How’s that for efficient?

As if THAT wasn’t minimalist enough, the look of the bands themselves is pure elegance. Sleek, simple, modern, very attractive.

Everyone who is included in the Disney package can receive their band in the mail before the time of their vacation (this is recommended). They can also choose the color of their band from an array of colors.

During my entire stay in Disney World, I acquired only three material possessions for myself to take home with me: A David Bowie T-shirt, a “build your own” astromech droid toy (don’t ask), and this wristband. Out of all of these things, the thing I most  value is the one souvenir I acquired before even going on the vacation.