Reduce, reuse, and recycle

I am an HUGE fan of this saying and have been working hard to keep it active in my life.  I have also been working to reduce my stuff as well as my carbon footprint and anything else in my life that I can effectively reduce.  So, when I read a post from my bloggy friend, Rachel, over at her Minimalist Mom blog about closing here Facebook account, I had to stop and reflect on that idea.

Ride a Bike to Work Week

Bike Month for 2011 is in May and the Official Ride a Bike to Work day is Friday, May 20th, 2011.  Unfortunately, this is extremely unpractical for most employees who commute what I would consider an extreme distance that is unrealistic for riding a bike, to work.  An unofficial ratio of office staff to production staff is about 3/7.  That means that 30% of your employees, the ones that actually greet and meet the customer, would be a little on the rank or smelly side after riding an average of 18 miles to work, one way.

The storm is late...

True to form, the weather forecast has been less that accurate.  I've always wondered if there were another profession wherein you can be wrong 70% of the time and not only still get paid but are invited to come back tomorrow?

OK, enough bashing of meteorologists.  I know that some jobs are harder than others and I don't pretend to know the weather.  Well, actually, I do pretend to know the weather but the people to whom I am speaking don't see me when I stick my arm out the window just before I declare "rain."

Waiting for the storm

I have been stuck in a rut waiting for the weather to break to continue stripping the wood pallets that I intend to use for building materials.  However, we are currently waiting for the next wintery weather system to blow through here so I may be holding my breath in vain.

What I mean is that this weather pattern, like a normal 7 day cycle, may not get out of here for a few months.  That won't work well with my plans for breaking ground in the spring so I guess I am gonna have to just get out in the cold and get things done anyway.  Now, now, now; don't feel too bad for me.  I know that there are those of you who would love to simply jump in the car and run over here to help out.  Rest assured that I will take proper care to stay warm and take breaks as needed.  I might not work through the snow storms though...

I am on the look out for more materials because my supplier has all but dried up on the bigger pallets that I had been collecting.  There have been quite a few of the smaller (normal) sized pallets but I'm holding out for the biggin's.  They will work better for wall studs and rafters.  Of course there will be some places where the smaller pallet pieces will work, but those will be few and I do have quite a few stringers from the larger pallets that will suffice in those locations, so...I wait.  But hey, it's all good.

Well, thanks for stopping by.  Let's get out there and make it a great day!

Mini of Louisville

I am compelled to make a rare Saturday post about a fantastic experience that I had at the Mini of Louisville dealership.  Laura and I dropped "Alice", our Mini Cooper off for an annual service checkup and wandered into the showroom to check out the new stuff just because we were there.  Within minutes a salesman swooped on us like you might expect.

What I didn't expect was the grace and expertise with which we were escorted around the showroom to see different cars with different options and all the fun car toys that were available.  Mike Robinson is the BEST sales person I've have ever had the pleasure of meeting.  Everything about Mike's demeanor is professional with an abundance of personal experience as well as courtesy mixed in just the proportions to create a wonderful experience.  Mike is the type of salesman that everyone deserves when you shop for vehicle.  Even Mike's title as Motoring Advisor sets him apart as a professional.

Can you tell we liked our shopping experience?  I highly recommend a Mini Cooper to anyone interested in purchasing a new vehicle and can enthusiastically recommend Mike as the man from whom I will purchase my next car.

I quit television

Not really.  I don't have the guts to actually unplug like that, but I want too.  I have been wrestling, or Wraslin' if'n your from our house, with the idea of prioritizing the things in my life to get a better grasp on what I spend my time doing.  It has been one of those things that haunts my thoughts and pesters me until I just sit down and work it out; i.e. careful reflection.  I have been procrastinating a personal review of my use of time because I have a sneaking suspicion that I don't really want confirmed.  Read on...

Design phase re-designed

I've been searching the Internet for interesting things relating to Tiny House design and I've not seen anything significant and new to include here.  I know that the Internet is vast in scope and resource so the problem must be with me.  However, Laura and I have begun talking about re-designing our design.  What I mean to say is that since we are not restricted by the 120 square foot rule, the sky's the limit.  Of course, we wouldn't want to just go crazy because then all we would be doing is trading one monstrosity for another.  Remembering why we started this project...

Laundry Pod for use in a Tiny House

Here's a new idea that you might like.  The Laundry Pod.  I found this on Facebook because the Tiny House Blog posted it on their Facebook page.  It's a hand powered/man powered washing machine for washing tiny loads of laundry.  It's pretty cool for light use.

Resolutions

I'm not much into New Year's resolutions because, as most people will agree, most people fail miserably at keeping any resolution.  The general idea is to change a habit or behavior but that is a real problem for most people including me.  I'll admit to having as much trouble as most people keeping any resolution or goal.  It is generally agreed that most resolutions have faded into a dim recollection by about March, IF they make it that long.  Here are the top ten suggestions for how to stick to your resolution or you might check out Yahoo's suggestions for success.

Takin' things easier

Ryan Mitchell of The Tiny Life has posted a very relevant article about lessons learned from life.  The story is recounted from a nurse on another blog titled Inspiration and Chai where she tells of the regrets that many people have as they attempt to make peace in the last days of life.  It is a very interesting perspective on living, which is interesting because my first thought, based on the contents of the article, would be that it would be about dying.