Back from unscheduled Hiatus

Well then, it has been almost a year and many things have changed, yet it is still more of the same. What to report that Facebook followers won't already have known? Besides, I wanted to keep this blog page less about *me* and more about what it takes to move towards a simpler, greener, and most importantly *freer* lifestyle especially when some technological marvel comes to my attention that furthers this goal.

So a few high points:

• Still living in a friend's basement, excellent opportunity to *not* continue in the rampant consumerism society seems to endorse
• I have put back together my camp gear, and made improvements there; it is also my permanent "Bug Out" kit as well as what I pack when I hit a SCA event, it has been field tested, everything can be transported in Blur, and when in camp I miss little of "civilization"
• I have acquired cheaper daily transportation, Blur gets almost 32mpg, a vast improvement over ZAST's 13.5mpg
• Two shelving units of stuff that is no longer needed in my leaner lifestyle have been liquidated, 21 cubic feet there alone, plus both my my largest storage totes (122qt), two 40qt, and two 36qt totes and two 2.1cf fliptop storage boxes for a total of about 38.5 cubic feet or enough stuff to fill to the brim a regular pickup truck bed. Note, that this was all fairly worthwhile stuff I actually wanted to keep and didn't yardsale
• Cell phone upgrade to a smartphone which almost completely replaces the laptop, replaces the digital camera and can replace the aircard
• After a year with the mini-fridge I am not missing the "normal" full size refrigerators
• After a year with the little convection oven I am not missing having a toaster nor do I desire a full size oven, though being wheat free helps in the not baking anymore department, I can still do full size meatloaves and why does one person need to bake a 20# turkey for Thanksgiving?
• A $20 Altec system with subwoofer has replaced my massive Aiwa boombox, the entire system packs down into the space of one speaker of the old Aiwa and runs off a 9v wall wart which can be replaced by a 12v converter

So I hope that provides some clues as to what I have been up to, and a glimmer of some reviews coming up. Further, I will be starting another blog where I will allow my thoughts free reign, again less of the personal fluff which will stay on Facebook, but expect long ramblings about my thoughts on society's ills, the occasional epiphany and my attempts to crack the codes locking away future technological marvels.