Yesterday Revisited

Well, I have to say that yesterdays post was one of the most depressed I've ever written, and while I see things as being pretty dire maybe it isn't that bad. I mean, there are things that can be done, but there is an urgency about it that I'm not sure most people recognize. John and I were talking about it and he said that while there is a point of no return of course we need to do things before we reach that point. I've said again and again it's better if we change because we want to rather than because we have to or we are made to. Rationing is on it's way, and so are things like bans on certain products as well as things being a lot less available and a lot more expensive, especially food. I don't think people really connect the energy problems and global warming with what could very likely be massive food shortages. And to think at this point that the markets will fix the problems is just insane. We are on the verge of a worldwide economic collapse that is going to make the Great Depression look like a picnic. And it will take a long time and a huge rethinking before we can climb out of it, if we ever do. Life will be very different in the future and while I don't think that I will feel the absolute rock bottom in my lifetime, it will begin really changing within 5 years. I would have to say that for the next couple years the only real difference we'll see will be the continued rising fuel prices which we're already seeing, as far as the oil shortage goes; but it can get a lot more dire in the case of global warming. I guess the most important thing is to keep telling people, and letting then know what things they can do about it.

On another subject entirely, I have sewn a bit for Etsy and the craft shows, although I have to confess I really haven't been into it a lot. Anyway, I did make a couple of bags and here are pics of one of them.

In a Funk

I've sort of been in a funk lately. I made a couple of bags, and I have this craft show this coming Saturday, but I just am uninterested in the whole thing lately. ASPO had their meeting in Houston, and the news coming out of it is not good. There's actually a great article over at the Guardian that I read this morning: http://www.guardian.co.uk/oil/story/0,,2196435,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront. The Oil Drum is covering the ASPO conference: http://www.theoildrum.com/ The thing is we seem to be so wrapped up in the political cycle here in the US that nobody seems to notice that with the dire predictions that are increasingly becoming true that are coming out of the energy sector, it doesn't matter who sits in the White House, unless that person is willing to make themselves very unpopular by instituting severe rationing of gas. The way of life that we know is quickly going to become extinct. And most people don't realize how bad it's going to get. I had a lady on Saturday who was making fleece blankets and she wanted a separate plastic bag for each blanket so she wouldn't forget what went with what. She was making 3 blankets and she was willing to cause more harm to the environment because she couldn't remember what went where. She's a fucking idiot, just like 80% of the people who I run across everyday at work. People don't seem to get the fact that we may very well be at the end of human existence and that we have no one to blame but ourselves. We have fucked up the only place we have to live to the point where it's on the verge of no longer being able to support us. We have driven ourselves to the point of extinction, and taken something like 2/3rd's of the other life forms that were here with us. What kind of crazy species does that? I am past the point of hope, I used to believe that the human race was resourceful and we could come up with the solutions for all our problems. I used to believe in God, too, but I don't anymore. At least not today. Maybe not ever again. If there ever was a God he deserted us long ago.

Robert Hirsch Interview

This is an excellent interview with Robert Hirsch where he talks about Peak Oil and how that relates to a peak economy. He also talks about possible solutions to the problem. http://www.davidstrahan.com/blog/?p=63
I have to say that I haven't been thinking a lot about the problem lately anyway. It's just so huge that I have to step back and just leave it alone for awhile. John is pretty wrapped up in politics, and I admit that I get that way too, especially in the current climate of less and less respect for the Constitution by the current administration, but when it comes right down to it, in the long run it doesn't matter. Whoever is in office, as oil declines, along with our economy and all the resultant ways we live because of it, control of the general populace will be ramped up, at least at first, as long as the resources exist for the federal gov't to keep that control. Eventually that will end, too, and it will come down to a much smaller level. Hopefully we can make the transition to a much simpler lifestyle on a much more local level with a minimum of violence; however I don't see that as being possible. When global warming is thrown in and the fact that we are using the resources we have left to drive fucking SUV's to Wal-Mart to buy stupid stuff we don't need that was shipped here from China using more of those resources instead of trying to ration what we have left to help come up with solutions to both problems, we are well and trully fucked. I believe we may be at the end of the human race; we're driving ourselves with our SUV's right to the exit sign: Extinction 2 miles. I would like to believe that there are enough sane people to get us on the right track, but I don't know. I guess I'm just in a real funk. I know it's awful but it's just easier to pretend the whole thing doesn't exist. I can take my reusable shopping bags to the grocery store, and tell John to walk to the store to get smokes and pretend like that's enough. I just don't have enough in me right now to do anything else.

Sewing Expo and Coldplay

I spent the last two days at the Sewing and Quilt expo at Pheasant Run in St Charles. Hancock has a booth and I've been working it with Joan. It's been fun but very tiring. I haven't had a lot of time to walk around but I'm taking an hour tomorrow. It's not a bad thing because I haven't spent any money either. I ran the register for awhile yesterday and then played with the yo yo maker which is very neat and I will be buying one. I can see making a yo yo quilt over the winter while it's so cold. I also really want to take the time to look at the different patterns out there, too. There are a lot of different patterns at the show that I never see because they are just small companies. I saw a few but tomorrow I really want to look around. Holly is coming too, she is giving me a ride. It's really cool and I'm glad I was asked to work it, although John and I have not had much time together the last couple of days. He worked til 6 last night and still got home before me.
I've been listening to a lot of Coldplay lately. I kind of resisted them for years, but Clocks is such a good song! I have to say that they sound a LOT like U2, especially in that particular song. The first thing I ever remember hearing by them was Yellow and I just did not like it at all. Speed of Sound is good, Beautiful World is good, Talk is good; there are just a lot of good songs. They are a bit mellower than what I've been listening to the last few weeks; I've been on a steady diet of Flyleaf, Soundgarden, Foofighters,etc. and this is a nice change, much more conducive to meditation. I have been really thinking about the whole life in tension and how it's such a balancing act between what's ethically and morally right and what I just have to do to keep things going. I really believe that I won't have a job much longer or else I might quit soon. The one thing that keeps me at Hancock is the people that I work with, I really do like them a lot and so I just hang on. I'm thinking they may wait to close our store til after Christmas, but maybe not. We'll see.
Jimmy wrote an excellent post on rock and roll saving the soul on Oct 9th, I just read it today:
http://jimmydumpssunnyjimmy.blogspot.com/ I have to agree with him, music, not just rock, but music in general has inspired me to reach for some of my higher ideals, as well as being an inspiration to a lot of the stuff I create. I can't imagine a world without music, one of the things that I think would be the worse if we really do enter an era of way less energy will be the loss of electric music, most specifically rock music. I don't believe that humans will stop making music; I think that one of the first things the first cave man did was beat a stick on a hollow log to make the first rhythm, and some other cave man or woman found themselves naturally swaying to that rhythm. But we would loose so much, a whole type of music if we didn't have the power to use the electric instruments we use today.

Christmas for the Troops

Kathy from Bernina brought in a pattern from http://www.osotil.org/ They are collecting things to send to the troops in Iraq for Christmas, and they also need stockings to put the stuff in. I made these 5 in just over an hour this morning, and I'm going to make some more. Irene wants to help so I am going to let her cut some more out for me. I also printed up the list of items they need and am going to see if John and Chris will take it to work and maybe collect stuff. I'm going to give it to Sio too, maybe Chris' mom would like to collect some stuff. It's not much, but maybe it will give one of those young men or women a bit happier Christmas.