Crippling FaceBook

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I’ve already Minimized Twitter, now it’s time to cripple FaceBook. Like Twitter, I think that FaceBook has its positive attributes, but I also think that it’s too easy to spend far too much time on there. And I want to spend less time on my computer.

What I like about FaceBook

  • Allows me to keep in touch with family and friends who are geographically spread out
  • Provides an opportunity for business to keep in touch with clients/potential clients

That’s it, two things. I don’t care for the games, for the ads, or for the idea that just because I’ve met someone we should be FaceBook friends.

Steps to Cripple FaceBook

  • Just like with Twitter, I had too many friends on FaceBook. Well over the 150 that Dunbar’s law states we can be friends with. So it was time to cut back. I went from around 300 to just over 50. This wasn’t a one-time event, but whenever I had a few free minutes I would go and scan through the list and delete people that I don’t actually talk to or keep tabs on.
  • Since I’ve got fewer people clogging up my feed stream, it is easier to read through it and get up-to-date. I can now do so in less than 5 minutes, including responding to any messages that I may receive.
  • After reading this post by the Practical Nerd, I went into FaceBook and turned off all of my email notifications (the only kind that I had). Now I won’t know when someone has sent me a message, unless I log into FaceBook and check. But that’s ok. They are never urgent, and checking once a day is more than enough.
  • Finally, since I’m also tired of all the ads on FaceBook, I installed a GreaseMonkey script for the FireFox browser that hides all of the ads and suggested friends and junk on the right side of the screen. Now when I log into FaceBook, there are fewer distractions and less clutter on the screen.

As of right now, FaceBook has been crippled. I can use it to do what I want, without getting sucked in for hours. I’ll try it out like this for now and see if I want to change it any more.

Packing for the “100 Thing Challenge”

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I’ve begun to pack things away for the “100 Thing Challenge”, and it’s interesting to see how it’s coming. Not the packing away part, that’s easy enough. The challenge is feeling like I have enough to cover the “what-if” questions that pop up while being realistic about the answers.

For example, I continually worry that I won’t have enough clothes. What if some event comes up when I need a particular outfit? Realistically, what I’ve set aside is more than I actually wear on a week-to-week basis. On a long-term basis, if I really needed something else, I would go out and either borrow or buy it. I can do the same thing this month, unless I already happen to have it, then I can just pull it out and be good to go (which is just another form of borrowing).

I get to cheat a little

It’s easier to plan what clothing to keep since I’m only covering a month’s time. If I were planning for a whole year, I would have to be prepared for temperatures ranging from 0°F to about 100°F. That makes for additional clothing that I would need (especially for the colder temperatures).

Of course, this advantage didn’t occur to me until I was separating my clothes. I started to stack my shorts on the upper shelf in my closet, right next to my sweaters, when I realized how good I have it. Of course, I then went back and added two sweaters and a hoodie to my list, since I’m trying to be realistic about this. (Good thing that I have those extra spaces left!)

Current progress

  1. All of my socks, underwear, doo rags, and bandannas now fit into a single drawer in the dresser.
  2. I’ve moved the clothes that I’m “keeping” onto one shelf, and the non-100 onto a separate shelf.
  3. My motorcycle gear was already separated, so I didn’t have to do anything different about that.
  4. The shoes that I won’t be wearing are stashed in the back of the closet, out of sight.
  5. I cleared my desk of non-100 items.
  6. My dresser and bedside table are now empty of non-100 items.
  7. Purged my backpack of non-100 thing items.

I think that I’m mostly done and ready to go. The hardest part is separating school stuff from non-school stuff. Do I need to keep out that canvas, or am I just doing so because I might “want to maybe use it sometime?” Hard as it might be, when I run into a question like that, it’s time to pack it away.

I discovered that other than clothes, most of the pruning consisted of decorations and doubles. I stashed away a lot of things that I never use (jewelry box with jewelry that is never worn), some mementos, and a lot of spare items (ie: the 15 pencils and pens that I had in my backpack)

Fortunately this wasn’t hard work. It consisted more of making the time to move things things around than it was a challenge to separate them. If I were actually getting rid of things, that might have been a whole different story!

Progressive Dinner – Restaurant Version

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Who says you must eat your entire meal in one restaurant? Only the restaurant, who wants more of your money. Well, it’s time to break that “rule”. Sure, you might get some funny (or annoyed) looks when you order only a dessert. However, if that’s what the restaurant is best at, why not go just for that?

So, what’s a progressive dinner?

A progressive dinner is one where you eat each individual course in a different location. Head to one restaurant for appetizers, off to a second for entrees, and a third for dessert. It’s a traveling meal!

This type of adventure provides the opportunity to go to favorite restaurants and have what they are best at making. While my favorite steak house makes fabulous entrees, I have to go to a local Italian restaurant to get the best desserts in town. It also combats the tendency that we often have to rush through the meal; the travel time in between courses affords extra opportunities to chat with friends.

Some hints

  • If you have a large group, it may be most convenient to divide into a smaller parties and head to different places, rejoining for dessert.
  • You don’t have to head to the next course immediately. My wife and I recently went on a progressive dinner date, and were too full for dessert. So we headed to the movies, and stopped for dessert afterward.
  • Plan your meal so that the restaurants aren’t too far away from each other. You don’t want to deal with traffic any more than you have to, so back and forth across the city in between courses might not be the best idea.
  • I don’t make reservations, so that I don’t have to be concerned about a time-frame.

Progressive dinners don’t have to be planned out before hand. As long as you are somewhere that has a few restaurants close to each other, you can pick one to start at and work your way through the courses as you go. So what are you waiting for? Grab some friends, or your date, and go explore the local cuisine!

“100 Things” List

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Since I’m working on the 100 Thing Challenge, I thought that it would be a good idea to have an easier to find, more permanent list of the 100 things that I’m keeping. So created a permanent list and added a link at the top of the screen. It’s called “My 100 Things”, which I thought was pretty self explanatory. Any time you want to see what I’ve got, or how my list has changed, just head to that link to check it out.

Travel The World From Your Kitchen

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One of my favorite parts of traveling is getting to try out new foods. It doesn’t matter if I take an afternoon spin on the motorcycle to the next town over, or spend a semester studying in another country, I’m going to seek out somewhere new to eat. When I was in Ireland for a semester, I checked out some cookbooks of traditional Irish food. Using these as a starting point, my wife and I were able to sample some “real” Irish food and discover what we liked, and what we didn’t.

Fortunately, you don’t have to go anywhere to get recipes to try out. No flying to another country necessary. The internet provides recipes for just about anything that you can think of, and most ingredients can be found in local grocery stores, though you might have to search a bit harder to find some.

If you’ve been in the mood for something different, or perhaps you just want to try your hand at cooking your own “foreign” meals, look something up and see what you can find. My wife and I just had Jambalaya, from a recipe I found online. It tasted great, and was really easy to make. Next on the list: Chicken Curry. Big jump from Louisiana to India, I know. But it’s entirely possible when you’re a kitchen explorer!

Where will you travel to? To get you started, head on down to Cajun country for some Jambalaya.

Quick and Easy Jambalaya

(originally from here)

20 Mins prep time
30 Mins cook time
Makes about 6 servings

    Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
  • 8 ounces kielbasa, diced
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 green bell pepper, diced
  • 1/2 cup diced celery
  • 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • salt and ground black pepper to taste
  • 2 cups uncooked white rice
  • 4 cups chicken stock
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

    Directions

  • Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Saute chicken and kielbasa until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
  • Stir in onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic. Season with cayenne, onion powder, salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes, or until onion is tender and translucent.
  • Add rice, then stir in chicken stock and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer 20 minutes, or until rice is tender.
  • Stir in the Worcestershire sauce and hot pepper sauce.

    Suggestions
    I made the recipe as stated. These suggestions come from comments on the original page, some that I will most likely try next go-around.

  • add tomato sauce/diced tomatoes/Ro-tel
  • add more garlic
  • use half green onion / half white onion
  • use cajun/creole seasoning in place of salt & pepper
  • add a can of drained red beans and a can of diced tomatoes w/green chiles

Trying the “100 Thing Challenge”

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I’ve read about the 100 Thing Challenge before, and found the idea intriguing. Recently I’ve been thinking about it again, this time with more interest in giving it a try. Unlike Dave, the originator of the idea, I am not interested in selling all but 100 of my personal possessions. However, I think that I could happily live for an extended period of time while limiting myself to 100 personal items. So, as an extension of the Minimalist Experiment, I’m going to pack away almost everything that I own and give it a try for one month.

The Basic Concept

The Goal: Live for with only 100 personal things for the entire month of October, 2010.

The Rules

  • “Personal Things” means things that are entirely or mostly mine. Shared objects (like the bed) are not personal and thus won’t be counted.
  • A few things are counted in groups. For example: the power cord, mouse and earbuds always go with the computer, so together they are a system: one item. In the original rules, like items could be clumped together: underwear, 1 item; socks, 1 item. I may do that, once I determine how many items I will be using.
  • I won’t be throwing things away, or getting rid of them. I will simply be storing them away for the month’s experiment. After the experiment, I may decide to get rid of some of them, or not.

I’ve got a couple of weeks to prepare for this experiment. I’ve been thinking about what I use on a daily basis and made a tentative list of the 100 things I’ll need to keep out. Over the next few days I’ll pay more attention to what I use day to day so that I can tweak my list before the month starts.

My 100 Things

    Clothes

  1. jeans
  2. jeans
  3. jeans
  4. khakis
  5. gym shorts
  6. swim trunks
  7. shorts
  8. track pants
  9. pj pants, silk
  10. pj pants, cotton
  11. pj pants, fleece
  12. running shoes
  13. sanuks
  14. dress shoes, brown sketchers
  15. dress shoes, brown other
  16. belt, leather
  17. belt, leather, 2-sided
  18. belt, fabric
  19. tie
  20. watch
  21. bandanna
  22. handkerchief, white
  23. handkerchief, blue
  24. suit
  25. underwear, group counted as 1 item
  26. socks, group counted as 1 item
  27. dress shirt
  28. dress shirt
  29. dress shirt
  30. dress shirt
  31. button shirt
  32. button shirt
  33. button shirt
  34. polo shirt
  35. polo shirt
  36. polo shirt
  37. t-shirt
  38. t-shirt
  39. t-shirt
  40. t-shirt
  41. running shirt, black
  42. running shirt, gray
  43. rain jacket
  44. sweater
  45. sweater
  46. hoodie

    47. Daily Use

  47. glasses, prescription
  48. wedding ring
  49. desk chair
  50. pillow
  51. pillow case
  52. wallet
  53. pocket knife
  54. chapstick
  55. keys
  56. sticky-note pad
  57. cell phone (incl: charger)

    58. Hygiene

  58. razor (incl: brush, soap, stand)
  59. washcloth
  60. towel
  61. deodorant
  62. toothbrush
  63. electric clippers

    64. Work

  64. backpack
  65. laptop (incl: mouse, power cord, headphones)
  66. camera (incl: case, charger, mini-tripod)
  67. Moleskine planner
  68. fountain pen (incl: bottle of ink, needle for refill)
  69. 3-ring binder
  70. misc. writing instruments

    71. School

  71. books, 2
  72. sketchbooks, 2
  73. cardboard tube – for transporting work from home to school on motorcycle
  74. art supplies, drawing
  75. art supplies, painting

    76. Transportation

  76. motorcycle
  77. helmet
  78. boots, slip-on
  79. boots, lace-up
  80. doo rag, skulls
  81. doo rag, American flag
  82. jacket, leather flight
  83. jacket, textile motorcycle
  84. gloves, leather

    85. Eat

  85. bowl
  86. plate
  87. mug
  88. glass
  89. fork
  90. spoon
  91. knife
  92. stainless steel water bottle

    93. Other

  93. books in library
  94. tools
  95. camping gear

As you can see, I still have some extra items that I could hold on to. I’m leaving the slots open so that I can easily see where I am at.

I went ahead and included the dishes that I use on a regular basis. Since I’m thinking about limiting myself to only a single set, I will have to wash them after eating every meal. I may quickly tire of having to do dishes after every meal, but I think it will also add an interesting twist to the experiment. They may not make it to the final list, replaced as I pack away the rest of my items and discover that I have overlooked a few things that I will need.

We’ll see how it goes. It is, after all, only the preliminary stages of an experiment.

My Blog Philosophy in 10 Words

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Recently, Kathleen of Project M laid out her blog philosophy in exactly 10 words. One of the questions she closed her post with was: “How would you sum up your blog’s philosophy?” Which got me to wondering what my philosophy for Adventure-Some is.

My Philosophy

Find the adventure in your life, no matter how small.

Unlike Kathleen, I’m pretty happy with the end result of this project. Sure, I want to explore the world and write about it. I want to run away from my job, make gobs of money over the internet, and otherwise have the freedom to do what I want.

However, I’m also content to live my life where I am now and spend time doing things that I enjoy. I don’t have money or time for big adventures, but I do get to delve more deeply into things that interest me. I get to prepare for the future as I get rid of stuff that I don’t use. I’m able to explore my neighborhood, search out hidden gems of restaurants, and have lots of fun here in my city.

Best of all, I get to share it with you! Together, we can pursue the adventure in our lives.

I Don’t Need An iPhone

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While reading this post on mnmlist.com, I realized that this is exactly what I need to do. I need to subtract the desire from my life, not the need for the object.

I don’t need an iPhone, but I like the idea of having one and often want one. I think that one would be quite useful, for a variety of reasons:

  • Use it as a phone, to make and receive calls and check my voicemail.
  • Use it as an alarm clock.
  • Built-in camera.
  • Utilize the calendar function to track my schedule.
  • Keep track of my contacts.
  • Start lots of lists/notes to myself to capture data.
  • Play games.

The thing is…

I can already do those things with what I already have. Sure, my system’s not as flashy, it has more parts, but it’s entirely functional. Here’s what I’ve already got:

  • A cell phone that does far more than I want.
  • Including have 5 alarms that cover my alarm needs.
  • And a camera, even if it’s not quite as good as the iPhone’s.
  • I carry a Moleskine planner around. It’s small enough that it fits into my pocket, but large enough that I can track my schedule and other stuff.
  • Such as carry a contacts book in the back with more space than I have entries to fill it with.
  • And enough space for me to scribble in, as well as a handy surface to attach sticky-notes with that day’s todo list.
  • My current cell phone has some games on it, they just aren’t as fancy. Plus, I have more than enough to occupy me without killing time with games.
  • I always have a writing instrument or two with me, so I don’t have to worry about scrounging for a pen.

Why Would I Change?

Since my current system works just fine, and has for over a year now, there are only two reasons that I might change it.

  1. Because of my minimalist desires I can see where it would be a good thing for me to carry a single device instead of the 3 (cell phone, Moleskine planner, fountain pen) that I am currently using.
  2. It’s new and shiny and I want it. Basic desire. I don’t need an iPhone, but I want one because I see so many other people around me who have one.

Why I Won’t Change

Despite the two reasons above, I won’t be getting an iPhone any time soon. Here’s why:

  1. It’s a single device, yes, but is it wise to become dependent upon a more fragile system? My current phone can be replaced very cheaply. Sure, my Moleskine shouldn’t get wet, but it will dry out and keep working, which I’m not sure can be said about the iPhone. Likewise, I can drop my Moleskine and not have a heart-attack. I don’t ever have to be concerned that the batteries in my Moleskine might run out. Part of my minimalist goals are to minimize the stress and worry in my life; I feel that a gadget like the iPhone would be counter-productive in light of this goal.
  2. I don’t need it. Why spend money on something that I don’t need? This is the Modern Luddite coming out in me. The technology would be nice to have, but it’s not needed and isn’t necessarily “better” than my current system.
  3. I can’t get it without a data package. If I could, I might consider getting an iPhone. However, I just can’t justify increasing my monthly cell phone bill just to have a shiny new toy. If you look at my list of things I would use an iPhone for, you’ll notice that none of them require the internet. If I did want to check my email, I could easily use the WiFi access that I am around the majority of the time. A data plan is a waste of my money and would only provide an added distraction.

An iPhone (or any other “smart” phone, for that matter) isn’t something that I see in my near future. Even though they might offer some decent advantages to my current system, over-all they are not a step in the right direction. Too dependent on modern technology, too expensive, too distracting, and too stress inducing. I’ll keep my dumb phone for now.

The Luddite Writer

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Lamy Safari Fountain Pen
Perhaps this is an example of my modern Luddite tendencies coming through, but I enjoy writing with a fountain pen. For that matter, I just enjoy writing (that would be part of why I run a blog). I write notes, scribble out todo lists, doodle in my margins, compose blog posts, jot down interesting quotes, and otherwise record things in a written format.

Because of this tendency for the written word, I always have a writing instrument on me. Since I enjoyed my Pilot Plumix so much, my fabulous wife presented me with a Lamy Safari for Christmas last year. I’ve been carrying it ever since.

This pen never fails to receive a comment from those around me, especially once it’s borrowed. Some love it as much as I do. Others try it for a few moments and decide that it’s not for them (writing with a fountain pen requires a different style than writing with a ballpoint.) Love it or hate it, a simple writing instrument manages to incite interest and provoke comments. That’s a pretty good day’s work for a pen.

If you happen to see me around and need something to write with, I’ll have this guy with me. Who knows, you might begin to share my passion after trying it.

What the crap is Twitter?

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It occurred to me that I’ve been writing about Twitter, but not all you would be familiar with it. If you know what Twitter is, feel free to skip this post. If it’s new to you, then keep on reading.

What is Twitter?

Twitter is a micro-blogging site. Users can sign up for free and then send text-based messages, called Tweets. Tweets can be no longer than 140 characters (hence the micro part of micro-blogging.)

Following / Followers

Twitter allows you to “follow” others. When you follow another twitter user, you see their tweets in your twitter stream (the main page of your twitter account). Likewise, you have followers, which are the people following you and they see what you tweet.

@replies

People can talk to and interact with one another on Twitter by using @replies. By typing an @ symbol followed immediately by the user’s name (ie: @AdventureSome ) the tweet will show up in the mentioned user’s @reply stream. This allows conversations to take place as people talk back and forth, as well as allowing one to know when they’re being talked about.

Direct Messages

A direct message is Twitter’s version of an email. The private (still 140 character) message is visible only by the person you send it to. Unfortunately, unlike email, it is not currently possible to forward the message, and if you reply the person must remember the original message so they know what you are replying to.

Lists

Because it is possible to follow thousands of people, there has to be some way to manage that amount of information. You can add users to lists and narrow them down this way. You can create as many lists as you like to organize the people you follow as you prefer (though you might want to be aware that users can see what lists they are on) and then view only the lists that you want to really keep up with.

What’s it good for?

This is one of the great debates that take place concerning all social media venues. The greatest potential it holds is to build relationships. Isn’t this just another form of networking? Yes, it is, but you really have to build a relationship, not just know someone. Twitter allows people to connect who would never meet otherwise (think A-list graphic designer talking to a graphic design student).

This is why I’m interested in keeping my Twitter account. I want to reach out and connect with others who share my interests and passions. The majority of the people I will talk to won’t be anywhere near me, geographically, but Twitter will allow me to connect with them anyway. Hopefully I will network, but the real goal is to make new friends.

It’s easy to spend a lot of time on Twitter, but with a little forethought, one can easily be productive in only a few minutes a day.