– I moved to Saint Paul. It won’t be that bad. The people here are pretty much the same: legs, teeth, hair. Seeing the sunset over the river is surprisingly unfamiliar to me since I’ve lived on the other side my whole life.
– During the move I purged unused and lightly used items. I am proud of myself because I discarded things based on legitimate criteria I had established in advance instead of just personal attachment:
- Is the thing damaged, stained or frayed (thermoses, clothes, shoes)
- Is it a duplicate (sleeping bags and pillows)
- Is it old, heavy, cumbersome and easily replaced (textbooks, a lamp, cookery, three bookshelves and a coffee table)
- Is it consumable and can it be used during the move to protect other things (tin foil, baggies, old clothes as padding, etc.)
- Can it be entrusted to the solicitude of willing neighbors (two large spider plants, another coffee table, and a Sansevieria)
Now everything I own can fit in a Toyota Corolla, with ample space and comfort for my select houseplants.
And I look at all the empty space I now have and see opportunity to be deliberate. Not just to scavenge junk from alleys, but to consider light, air and greenery as I furnish the new apartment.
– A security guard asked if I was "in the service." I said "No, but I play a lot of Call of Duty!" Not sure he liked that. It’s the results of my vein-embiggening exercise regimen that attracts attention, mostly from other dudes.
– I am reading "Ultralight Backpackin’ Tips." It’s one of those highly practical books, loaded with information, that is also laced with the philosophy and worldview of the author. I have my new hammock and am ready to go.
But even this statement does not meet the standards set forth in the book which I’ll make a concerted effort to internalize. Paring down to sub-25 lb means thinking in terms of "systems." To sleep safe and warm I should only carry my "sleep system," not specific items I may have deemed essential without examining them. When it’s hot enough I may choose to sleep in a bivy sack on the ground with no hammock at all.
pseudoisaac 