Catching up…
September 7th, 2009Those of you who have not done any blogroll or feed reader cleaning in the past six months will be glad to know I am still alive and well. It’s just that I have been very busy in the real world (and the francophone voluntary simplicity blogging world). Since my previous post here, I have :
- started a local barter network now boasting 55 members
- participated in the organisation of a 3-day music festival in my village this past August, with up to 3000 people on the Saturday evening
- left my job (a one-year parenting leave - that was one week ago)
- been to Martha’s Vineyard for my brother’s wedding in April
- but before that, visited New York City, then stayed with Emily + Bob in PA then with Dorr + Hobs in CT
- written the French subtitles for a fabulous BBC documentary about peak oil and agriculture
- built a composting toilet and a new version of the chicken tractor
- read (audio only) more Mark Twain, more P.G. Wodehouse, more Edith Wharton
- started being pen pals (with ink and stamps) with Emily
- relinquished the computer where I had all my feeds configured - hence my total radio silence
- only just reconfigured said feeds on my old laptop (the one with the broken hinge, temporarily patched with drywall suspension brackets and double-sided scotch tape)
That’s all for today - I have to catch up with my blogroll. Next post hopefully before March 2010…
Wow. Maybe we should all go on a little blogging hiatus; you’ve accomplished so much that really MATTERS! Plus, I love knowing that this is all coming to us via a laptop patched with drywall suspension brackets and scotch tape. Glad to hear all’s well. And that parenting leave sounds fabulous. xoxoxo
That was quick!
For personal reasons I am particularly excited about the chicken tractor and the BBC doc, as well as the Wodehouse and the Wharton. You are an inspiration to us all!
I wish I could read French to know more about that “leaving the job” piece. Congratulations!… Also high-fives on all the other great accomplishments. Welcome back to the blogosphere – even if just for a quick semiannual postie
@Tai: you do not have to read French to learn about the chicken tractor - you can just look at the pictures (or download the google sketchup blueprints).
@Maria: in short, my company put an end to my telecommuting experiment because they did not want to work on the legal framework. My wife needed me to be around more so she could boost her computer help business. I was convinced we are at the brink of a 1990-soviet-style economic collapse and I need to weave local networks while I can. I needed time to make progress on the house renovation (the kids still sleep on the staircase landing). And because we have a second child under 3, French law allows me to take a one or two-year leave (with minimal subsidies) and be hired again at the same wage when I decide I want to come back. Nothing to lose (apart from the 60% income reduction), everything to gain, so jump I did.
Glad to have an update from you and to hear all the cool things you’re doing. (I know, if I’d get around to writing you another letter, I’d hear it all that way, too. I’m writing one this week. Promise.) Like Maria, I wish I could read French, so I could read your other blogs. Unfortunately, if I’m going to learn a new language — and I’m so bad at languages, I need to stick to just one — in America, I think it had better be Spanish (something I’ve been talking about doing for years but never seem to get around to doing), despite the fact that French seems so much more beautiful to me.
Awesome! Yay for minimally subsidized parenting leaves. I’m sure you’ll make the time off count big time.
It’s very nice to hear from you! I’m glad all is well and especially that your barter network is going strong.
@Emily: I’m looking forward to that letter.
@Maria: I hope you’re right.
@Dorr: it’s just the beginning. Only time will tell if it stays strong or frays away like so many such network tend to do.
I just happened upon a compliment you left for my blog as a comment to a blogging challenge and thought I’d come by and thank you for the comment. So…..THANKS.
Ooh, wasn’t that eons ago ? At least from my tiny memory’s lifespan point of view. As you can see, this blog is largely on stand-by, but I am still there. So thank you for this encouragement.