De-Industrializing Myself

Part of the goal is to pull myself away from industries and big box consumerist stores. I haven't shopped at a WalMart or Target in years. However, Amazon was my go-to. I replaced Wal-Mart with Amazon. I didn't go higher, I didn't raise my vibration, I just made a horizontal move. In some ways, Amazon was WORSE. 

But, like a lot of people, I relied on Amazon during the Covid lockdowns, I became addicted to the ease and convenience. :( Amazon became a place of "wants" and not "needs." The allure... and I honestly think it's a scam, of "free shipping," led me to spend more than I wanted and to buy more than I needed. It's easy to complain about billionaires, but, how much could we care if we keep giving them our money. 

Oh, and it's so easy to make excuses... "I can't afford ethical shopping..."

But, yes, yes you can. I do it with so much. Yet, I was still buying garbage from Amazon. 

We live in a consumerist-driven society that tells us that we aren't worthy if we aren't following the latest trends. In a way, it's always been that way, but back in the 80s/90s... even the early 2000's, you needed to be strategic about what you bought and you spent your time building up quality collections, wardrobe, decor. Now, you can buy a personality with the click of a button. You can have a "haul" from Shein, Temu, Amazon, Cider, Fashion Nova, etc and you don't stop to think about the consequences. 

We don't think about the environmental damage, we don't think about the slave wages, horrible working conditions, human rights violations... no, we want to be a part of the newest "-core" and damn the consequences. 

Yet, it leaves so many, including me, feeling empty. You might have the new cheap clothes and rickety plastic toy from a terrible company, but you didn't earn it. You didn't earn the character traits that usually accompany your personality. I'm a high school teacher and, over the years, the kids have just become interchangeable. So many of them are phone addicted and they dress the same, have the same thoughts, same fears, same ideas... it's sort of sad. It's always neat to find a kid who isn't on social media, who rarely uses technology, who is a stand out person. They earn their traits, they are memorable. They are the ones who make a difference. 

In my new path, I'm working to get rid of those things that don't serve my high purpose and that includes Amazon. That behemoth. After seeing Jeff Bezos spend $50 MILLION dollars on his new wedding, all of the private planes and carbon impact... WHY am I giving one penny to that weirdo and his awful company? For my own selfish wants, not needs? It might not seem like much, but, I canceled my Amazon Prime membership. The "free shipping" was always a big draw for me but, really I ended up spending more. In the future, if I need something that I used to buy on Amazon, I will buy directly from the company. For instance, I use compostable doggie poop bags called "Give a Sh!t." I really recommend them, btw. I used to get them on Amazon. In the future, I'll order them from the company directly. 

I know this is a wall of text, that I doubt will find many eyes, but it will find the right eyes, the ones that need to see this. Think about the choices you make. Take a different path, one that honors the earth, the animals, your fellow human beings, and yourself. 

Slow Cooker Pinto Beans recipe

 Saving money is always one of those things that we all should do, but, don't really do. Not with fidelity. One of the ways that I'm trying to do that AND be more mindful of my environmental impact is by cooking more. I absolutely HATE when I'm looking for a recipe and there I have to scroll past walls of text and 40000 ads. So, without further ado:

Slow Cooker Pinto Beans

 

Slow Cooker Pinto Beans

*you can double or triple this recipe if you need to, this is just my recipe for making beans and rice. It gives me a dinner for 2 days.*

Ingredients:

1 cup (8oz) of dry pinto beans (no need to soak)

1 small/medium onion, chopped

1/2 tbsp diced garlic (or 2 cloves of fresh garlic)

1 bay leaf

2 cups water

2 cups vegetable broth

Spices: 

add what you like, but here is what I like and add:

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp chipotle

dash of red pepper/cayenne pepper

*I have a thyroid disease and typically avoid adding salt, but, you can add it for sure*

Method:

Add everything to a Crock Pot (or other slow cooker) and cook on HIGH for about 3 hours, stirring and checking them every hour. Once they're soft, turn the heat to LOW and prepare your rice or whatever you're going to eat them with. Enjoy!

If you're doubling this recipe, your cooking time will be longer. Definitely monitor the cooking time, slow cookers are diffferent and the cooking time here is based on my Rival Crock Pot from 1973. 

Bye bye smart phone!

 ... Sort of. 

I'm working on getting rid of my cell phone. I find that I spend to much time on it, I reach for it instinctively, mindlessly scrolling without any sort of goal. I know that the smart phone has become convenient, I mean, why have several objects, when you can do multiple things with 1 device? We all ran for the ease and didn't even think about, or have the foresight, to understand the ramifications and consequences. I don't just mean the environmental impact, I mean the way it's just pulled us all away from real connections and being present in the moment and slowing down and forcing ourselves back into being a real human and not just a mangled mess of bits and links and memes. I'm not getting rid of my phone totally, I just want to switch back to an old school flip phone. My very first phone was a pink Sanyo Katana (I loved her <3). 

So, I made a list of things that I would need to replace my smart phone: 

1. A digital camera. I love to take pictures and knew that I'd need something to take photos with. 

2. GPS. Seriously. I get lost easily. I also have dyscalculia and struggle with spatial awareness. GPS is the main reason I'm nervous about going back to an old school flip phone.

3. Music player? I use Spotify. Not every artist has a physical release. I can use Spotify over Wi-Fi, but not in the car (I can take cds though) but when I go for walks, I listen to music... I'd just like to have the option, I guess. It isn't a necessity, so it's in the "would like," category. 

But, guess what, loves? I can check off the first one because I bought a little digital camera. I did use Amazon, which isn't ideal, I know. I had some leftover gift card balance and used it to offset the cost. I bought a little pink digital camera and it was only $50. I won't ever do ads or amazon links for profit (if you wanna support me with a few bucks, check out my Ko-fi link). But, I just bought a digital point and shoot camera. Wanna see some real, unedited pictures from my walk this morning? 

One of my children, Fenix <3

Overgrown sidewalks are inviting and also scary

Mushrooms on a tree stump!

Not bad, huh? I could've taken some time to edit the colors but I wanted these to be taken just because I wanted to remember them, not because I was thinking about their aesethic quality. 

Step one, accomplished. Now, I need to figure out the GPS thing. I definitely recommend buying a little digital camera and leaving your phone at home. Reclaim your life, reclaim your present! Let's manifest a society that has common sense compassion, kindness, magic, and enchantment. <3 

Let's Go Thrifting

 I know that thrifting has gained in popularity and I wish that I could say it was because of a desire to not support big billionaire businesses or a desire to live more simple and humble. But, instead, it appears that thrifting has become a "side hustle," for some people. Resellers. My opinion on resellers used to be more favorable but, now, when I go thrifting and all that is left are broken figurines, polyester fast fashion, water stained books, and dirty toys, my opinion on resellers has soured. Anything that can be deemed a "-core" is easily turned into a commodity and marketed. And what is left over, in the thrifts, stuff that IS nice and is what you're looking for, is priced way too high for a second, third, or even fourth hand item. 

Having said that, I still enjoy going and looking. I'm in the process of trying to replace all of the MDF board in my apartment and replacing it with real wood. This isn't easy for two reasons:

    1. Real wood is a lot more expensive than MDF board. 

    2. Real wood furniture is heavy. I am single, middle aged, disabled, and live on the second floor.

I figure that, when I move... if I ever get to save enough money to move that is, I can hire someone to meet me at the Peddler's Mall and move some real wood furniture for me. In the meantime, I'm looking to replace smaller things like end tables and bookcases. So, after my doctor's appointment yesterday, I took a trip to my favorite Peddler's Mall and I did find a few décor items. 

One of my favorite things about Peddler's Malls is that they have individual booths and some of my favorite booths are the ones with fabric scraps and yarn. I always buy fabric because I love to crochet, knit, sew, quilt, and make things. I love vintage objects that have been previously loved. Like me. 

I love this booth! It's so charming.

I also have a collection of VHS tapes that I actually watch. If I go to buy VHS tapes on eBay or Mercari, the prices are outrageous. Who charges anything more than $5 for a VHS tape? If the tape is moldy or has seen too many temperature fluctuations, it might have degraded faster so the movie remains unwatchable and I really just paid $20 for the box. No thanks. Always inspect a tape before buying it. 

I WAS OBSESSED!!

There was a set of Tiffany style stained glass, double bulb lamps. My jaw dropped... and I picked my jaw off of the floor when I saw the price: $270... each. I'm not saying they're not worth it, maybe they are? I am still trying to find the little stained glass lamp with the fairy and the flower. I love fairies and whimsical trinkets. 

Speaking of fairies, I found a fairy statue for $5 so I picked it up. I hate those, "what I bought and how I styled it," videos because it's just the person literally sitting something on a shelf. Like... what else are you supposed to do with a candle holder? Anyway... here is how I "styled" the large $5 fairy statue...

On the kitchen counter, next to the toaster

Oh! I am also on the look out for vintage cookbooks. There was a shelf full of them but, alas, none that really stood out to me

Vintage cookbooks!

As a vegan, I just find a recipe and replace any thing to make the recipe vegan. But, I suppose the pièce de résistance was the real wood bathroom toilet paper cabinet that I found for only $10. I was on my way up to the register when I saw it, double checked that it was only $10 and loaded it into my cart. Now, I'm going to show you a picture, but, the baseboards in my bathroom are indeed dirty. Listen, I'm disabled and mopping the floors is an event. I'll talk more about living (and working full time) while dealing with disabilities and chronic illnesses later, but, for now, check out my bathroom toilet paper cabinet:

y'all.... Y'ALL! Omg

I love it so much!! You know what I really, really want? Some of those old fashioned oval braided rugs. 

 

I've Never Been Good at This

 Blogging has always been something that I loved. But it's something I've never been good at doing. Maybe it's the consistency aspect, because it isn't the sharing aspect. Perhaps it's a sense of inferiority, or a pressure to perform... to be the best, the funniest, the most "engaging." People today look to create "content," which, personally, comes across so cold, calculated... manufactured. 

When sharing on social media became something that people did, say the mid-2000s or so, things weren't so curated. They were real, sometimes embarrassing, sometimes exaggerated, but always authentic. Turning on social media today is like watching a never ending stream of commercials, trying to get you to buy a version of the person that only exists on the screen. 

Of course, this plastic reality leaves us all feeling hollow and empty because it is hollow and empty. So many people, especially teens, long for a time they never experienced: the 1990s. The time BEFORE social media's dominance. A time when people were more genuine... more human and nuanced. 

That's why I wanted to try blogging again. It's almost a journal, not romanticizing my life, but, existing authentically in a world that is become less and less so. In a way, I suppose this is an experiment. A way to test my dedication to documenting my life and journey after this point. 

I'm staring out of my window this morning, watching the grey clouds bring rain and I felt it was the right time to type out something, anything. Use my voice, yell into the void and not wait for an echo. Not demand a like, a follow, a little heart emoji. This will find who it finds. It will resonate with those drawn to a simpler way of life. 

I have no music playing, no tv. Just the sound of the rain and the birds and the cars driving through the puddles. I've been attempting to distance myself from relying on external supports like music or the random scrolling. Oddly, it has been easier to not play music than it has been to resist scrolling. Even now, I find that my hands almost instinctively want to reach for my phone to "just see what's going on," even though I know the answer is, "nothing." Nothing is new, nothing is so demanding of my time that I need to mindlessly scroll for an hour. 

It's stopped raining. Guess I can finally go for a walk this morning. :)