Actual Thoughts I've Had, Verbatim...

[user428]

Dev is really handy. That is impressive. People that don't understand cars annoy me, lol.

[user428]

They don't annoy me that bad. A lot of people don't understand cars well, so I get it. And most people do have a general understanding.

[Mister Obvious]

The first and only time I've ever picked up a nail was on a dirt road off Dead Horse Scenic Byway 313 in Moab.

[user428]

Interesting, I wonder where the nail came from in a rural setting. I bet Utah is pretty fun to travel around. Same with Colorado.

[Mister Obvious]

It was pretty random, I just took it as a sign to GTFO.

[user428]

Yeah, good call.

[user328]

Insights for aspiring zen masters.

[user328]

Insights for aspiring zen masters.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8DGjUv-Vjc

Josh is like a cuter version of Steve Buscemi.

[user328]

15:40

I have to disagree with this guy when he says space in your home that you seldom or never use is wasted space.

You have to have room to move around. People may not congregate in those wide, unimpeded walkways between rooms or between furniture, but they serve their purpose of helping you feel less cramped, cluttered, and clumsy. I mean sure, having too much empty space, like in a McMansion, is probably overkill, but you need some empty space. It's analogous to whitespace on a printed page or web page.

A page needs whitespace in order to be read comfortably. That's why the pages in a book are 50% margins.

There's such a thing as sonic whitespace too. When a YouTuber eliminates every millisecond of silence from a video with jump cuts, it becomes an unlistenable wall of babble. Music has empty notes called rests. So must speech.

16:19

"We're living our lives depending on the space we've got, rather than creating our space to fit our lives."

Exactly. That's why this time around I designed my space well in advance of having an actual physical space to put it in. If you move around a lot, plan for the smallest space you're likely to live in. For a single adult living alone, that could be anywhere from 500 square feet to 1000 square feet -- usually between 700 and 800 square feet. If you need more than that, you're probably storing a lot of crap you'll never use.

[user328]

Being a minimalist is actually what creates that whitespace. The less shit you have, the more elbow room.

[user328]

Technically, what I'm talking about is feng shui rather than zen, but the former fosters the latter.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feng_shui

[user328]

That's why this time around I designed my space well in advance of having an actual physical space to put it in.

I'm not gonna lie to you and say it was all down to foresight and planning. Fortuitous circumstances played a major role. I started over with literally nothing, and having a decent budget due to receiving a lump sum back payment on my disability income enabled me to proceed as I did. I was basically given a blank canvas and a 5 gallon bucket of paint.

Most people will already be settled in their homes and have stuff they've accumulated for however many years it's been since they left the nest. Then it becomes a case of thinking about what you do in your space, and getting rid of anything that doesn't support those activities. (Not to mention things that actually impede those activities.)

It all boils down to experience. No mystical insight required. Think about what you've done in life, what you're doing now, and what you expect to be doing later. That should tell you exactly what you do and do not need.

[user328]

Think about what you've done in life, what you're doing now, and what you expect to be doing later. That should tell you exactly what you do and do not need.

Somewhat later, not much later.

If you're 20 years away from retirement, it's pointless to speculate about what you'll be wanting to use your space for after you retire. You may have completely different values and interests by then. There's no sense in holding onto junk you think you might need 20 years from now.

[user328]

Most people will already be settled in their homes and have stuff they've accumulated for however many years it's been since they left the nest.

Others may have minimalism imposed upon them. Consider a young person just starting out who has practically nothing, and who lacks the funds to optimally tailor their space in one go.

Plan and save.

Plan and save.

Plan and save.

Don't buy every fucking little thing you see because you imagine it'll make you happy. Think in terms of the overall model, not bits and pieces. Accumulate sparingly, with a goal and a purpose, not haphazardously.

[user328]

No mystical insight required.

I mean you could study various Eastern philosophies if you find them helpful, or just interesting, but you don't have to.

You can simply follow the lead of us zen masters and get similar results.

[user328]

... us zen masters...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cx1J2CzNnS8

[user328]

Think in terms of the overall model, not bits and pieces. Accumulate sparingly, with a goal and a purpose, not haphazardously.

Re-evaluate your needs and revise the plan every so often. Postpone anything that won't be immediately or short-term useful.

My original plan called for a Casio keyboard, keyboard stand, sustain pedal, and piano bench. I have plenty of room for it, but I've put off buying it indefinitely. Why? Because it'll become a distraction from my shorter-term plans (website rebuild and launch, electronic projects, etc.) if I buy it now.

[user328]

Re-evaluate your needs and revise the plan every so often.

Again, you need to draw on past experience. I had a large collection of vintage Casio keyboards before, and I rarely used most of them, if ever. I barely even entered the room where they were stored.

If you have your collection in a nice display case or whatever, it's easy to pretend to yourself that it's not hoarding. But that's exactly what it is.

[user328]

If you have your collection in a nice display case or whatever, it's easy to pretend to yourself that it's not hoarding.

Okay, this is cool.

[user328]

Salads are really just an excuse to scarf every vegetable in sight, amirite?

Today's creation: half-and-half mix, broccoli, purple onion, yellow squash, zucchini, celery, baby carrots, pressed rotisserie-flavored chicken breast, and cheddar.