John Steinbeck wrote the phrase “indiscipline of overwork.” Pushing yourself past your limits, using brute force, he said, was “the falsest of economies.”
I felt that.
How To Live Like A King By Thor Harris
1. Don’t smoke cigarettes.
2. Drive old Japanese cars. Easy and cheap to fix and they run for fucking ever.
3. Buy most of your groceries from the produce section. Most of that other shit is not actually food. You don’t need it.
4. Ride your bike instead of driving as much as you can. You need the exercise and gas is expensive.
5. Don’t have kids. They’re not miracles, they’re people. Seven billion is too fucking many. Find some other way to give your dull existence some meaning. BTW they’re expensive.
6. Get your clothes from thrift stores. With the physique you’ll have from riding your bike, you’ll look hot wearing anything.
7. Learn to fix things. Tons of great books and Youtube vids on fixing anything. Or ask an old dude. People used to fix things. No shit.
8. Learn a trade – Carpentry, plumbing, electrical, auto mechanics, tailoring, computer/electronics repair, something they can’t fucking outsource. No one gives a shit about your Masters in Dostoyevsky…. fix something, dumbass, fix something!
9. If you like booze, drink at home with your neighbours. Drunk driving is for assholes, rich ones with lawyers.
10. Do people favours. It’s called co-operation. It’s how the world worked before money. They will return the favour, or someone will. No shit. This really works.
11. Make things – look around you. What do you see? Yah, shitty stuff made by impoverished enslaved people far away. Pick anything. Make a better one. People want good shit. You won’t get rich, but you’ll get by.
12. If you live in America – don’t get sick and avoid injury. Wear your fucking helmet and put lights on your bike.
13. Find work you love. If you can’t do that, then find a job where you love the people.
14. Junkies and addicts are like toddlers. They just want to shit all over you and everything. The messes they make can get expensive. Avoid them if you can.
15. Don’t buy shit on credit, remember what happened to America? Cash only, fuckers. Can’t afford it? Don’t fucking buy it!
16. Preventable expenses - STD’s, abortions, DWI’s, lung cancer, head injuries, speeding tickets, cirrhosis of the liver.
17. Don’t go on fancy dates if you’re not fancy. Most people kind of despise the rich anyway.
18. When you go see shows, bring a flask in. That way you can afford to buy a record.
19. If you had told me 15 years ago that Coca Cola would put tap water in plastic bottles and motherfuckers would BUY IT... No fuckin way.
20. Don’t get cable. Asshole. There is nothing on. I promise. $100 a month ? Fuck no!
Another year has passed, and now I understand the aphorism "the days are long but the years are short." It seems that last Christmas, with all its zoom calls and covid restrictions, was not that long ago.
The Christmas Kahlua turned out pretty good. I suppose that was one of the few bright spots about this holiday. Mid-December brought heavy rain, and a roof leak which led to water damage in the garage. Turns out that roof leak created a large section of dry rot on the roof sheathing. Insurance will pay for most of the repairs, and the adjuster's estimate clocked in at $4,900 (less the $1,000 deductible).
The roof was repaired yesterday, just in time for the next rounds of rain. Apparently, Northern California is in the middle of "atmospheric river" and could see significant rain over the next 10 days. The meteorologists from the 90s used to call it the Pineapple Express, given flow of moisture from out in the Pacific Ocean.
I'm babbling, and feeling ungrateful for all the complaining about the holiday season. I am not one to make New Year's resolutions, but beginning January 1, 2023, I will attempt to post once per day here on this site. Even if it is simply an image, or a quote, I hope to reflect daily on the positive things in my life. Maybe that will get me out of this funk of feeling the weight of everything that is happening in my life.
I said goodby to a dear friend today. While I am full of sadness, I take comfort in the fact that this little dog brought so much joy to not only my life but to my son's life. Ruby was his first dog, and she lived a great life for 14 years.
She was stubborn and bull-headed, but that’s what made her adorable. She always ate first and asked questions later. But, cancer reared it’s ugly head. She tried to battle it, and was brave to the end. It’s only fitting that we say goodbye on a Tuesday. Goodbye, sweet girl.
Ruby bonded with C from the moment we brought her home. And, she taught us to see the simple joys of life in your 14+ years with us. Oh, she were stubborn but that’s just one of the things we adored about her. She was always up for adventure and she wagged that tail until the very end. She was pure of heart and she was absolutely the bestest of doggos.
Run wild, and sniff all the things. Eat first and ask questions later. Be free, Ruby girl.