(this post is part of an aborted 1 year experiment in material abstinence I called The Necessary Year)
Good grief – how the worm has turned.
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The Necessary Year – Day 42: On Hold
July 12th, 2008 by Corey A. Edwards
The Necessary Year – Day 37: To Own!
July 7th, 2008 by Corey A. Edwards
(this post is part of an aborted 1 year experiment in material abstinence I called The Necessary Year)
Here’s a poem I wrote a number of years ago that fairly successfully (if also hyperbolically) outlines knee-jerk consumerism and some of its effects. All it needs is a little frantically paced music and it could be The Necessary Year anthem …
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The Necessary Year – Day 33 – Progress
July 3rd, 2008 by Corey A. Edwards
(this post is part of an aborted 1 year experiment in material abstinence I called The Necessary Year)
The other day I was listening to some random music with my daughter when a track by a certain group came on (Tin Hat – used to be Tin Hat Trio) which led to a discussion about the vocalist (and violin player – Carla Kihlstedt), which led to a discussion about another band said artist is in (Sleepytime Gorilla Museum), which was followed by a serendipitous email from a Seattle venue that is hosting a concert by the latter (tonight at Neumos – no, I’m not going: TNY), which led, in turn, to me doing something I hadn’t done in seeming bloody forever: seeing what, if anything, said groups/artists have put out in the last few months or so, not to mention others.
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The Necessary Year – Day 31: First Month Down
July 1st, 2008 by Corey A. Edwards
(this post is part of an aborted 1 year experiment in material abstinence I called The Necessary Year)
Wow – that first month went fast, eh? Well, for me it did.
What have I learned so far?
A lot, actually.
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The Necessary Year – Day 25: And There’s the Rub
June 25th, 2008 by Corey A. Edwards
(this post is part of an aborted 1 year experiment in material abstinence I called The Necessary Year)
Do you ever rub your eyes?
You know, balling up your hands and working those knuckles gently but firmly into the muscles of your eye sockets until the skin is red and tender? I also use the sides and pads of my thumbs, even the heel of my hand to work away a fatigue I often don’t even know exists until I begin massaging it away.
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The Necessary Year – Day 23: How Not To Eat.
June 23rd, 2008 by Corey A. Edwards
(this post is part of an aborted 1 year experiment in material abstinence I called The Necessary Year)
Have you ever been physically addicted to anything?
If not, pat yourself on the back for having avoided one of the more annoying pitfalls of corporeal existence and continue to endeavor to stay addiction free because breaking the chains of a physical addiction is a pain in the butt.
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The Necessary Year – Day 20: Defining the Parameters (part 3): Home Sweet Home
June 20th, 2008 by Corey A. Edwards
(this post is part of an aborted 1 year experiment in material abstinence I called The Necessary Year)
Ah. The residence. Shelter: one of my base three requirements. Talk about a necessity – especially up here in “dang, is it raining again?!?” country.
For the past ten years, I have been living near and working in a community that has a lot of folks living what the rest of the US would consider alternative (if not just outright whacked) lifestyles. I don’t mean same-sex partnerships or tinfoil hats (although there is plenty of that around here, as well) but living with a concerted emphasis on being “green”, with “green” meaning everything from how they try to live in harmony with the environment to the color of their teeth.
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The Necessary Year – Day 15: A Father’s Day Epiphany and First Blood
June 15th, 2008 by Corey A. Edwards
(this post is part of an aborted 1 year experiment in material abstinence I called The Necessary Year)
I had a pretty good weekend – I hope you did, too.
Sunday was Father’s Day and, while my dad was out of town, I was still able to call him and chat for a few minutes. It was great to hear his voice even if it was over a lousy cell-phone connection.
I wasn’t too close to my dad while growing up – much the opposite to be honest – but now, with both of us adults and decades of experience between the was and is of our lives, we’ve grown to not only respect but like each other.
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The Necessary Year – Day 13: Knee-Jerk Consumer
June 13th, 2008 by Corey A. Edwards
(this post is part of an aborted 1 year experiment in material abstinence I called The Necessary Year)
And I thought cutting back on fluids was hard.
Zappa.com just announced a new CD and I’m sitting over here having a hard time with the reality that I’m going to have to wait a year to order it.
I’ve never done that before. Waited, I mean. Not for a new Zappa album.
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The Necessary Year – Day 12: Some Great Questions and the End of the Tea
June 12th, 2008 by Corey A. Edwards
(this post is part of an aborted 1 year experiment in material abstinence I called The Necessary Year)
Here are some interesting questions from one “Ms Sunshine”:
Since you took it a step further and seriously rationed your coffee and food, have you also curtailed your driving (i.e., only going to grocery store on way home from work, no joyrides, etc.)?
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The Necessary Year – Day 11: Defining the Parameters (part 2): Employment’s Necessities and To/From
June 11th, 2008 by Corey A. Edwards
(this post is part of an aborted 1 year experiment in material abstinence I called The Necessary Year)
Employment’s Necesities
I am presently employed as a graphic designer at a magazine, though it was not long ago that I was manager of a bookstore and, given the nature of our economy and the general stability of periodicals, there is no telling what job I’ll have when next I post to this blog – or if I‘ll be lucky enough to be employed at all.
But the question is, what does my job – or my career – require me to have?
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The Necessary Year – Day 10: Why?
June 10th, 2008 by Corey A. Edwards
(this post is part of an aborted 1 year experiment in material abstinence I called The Necessary Year)
I thought I was pretty clear in my opening post and in the “About Me” portion of this blog, but obviously I wasn’t; too many people keep asking me the same question.
“Why are you doing this?”
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The Necessary Year – Day 7: Disturbing Revelations or Am I All Wet?
June 7th, 2008 by Corey A. Edwards
(this post is part of an aborted 1 year experiment in material abstinence I called The Necessary Year)
Just one full week into The Necessary Year and I have already begun to miss something in an “uh-oh, am I gonna be able to do this” kind of way:
Fluids.
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The Necessary Year – Day 6: Defining the Parameters (part 1)
June 6th, 2008 by Corey A. Edwards
(this post is part of an aborted 1 year experiment in material abstinence I called The Necessary Year)
Necessary.
MerriamWebster’s online dictionary (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary”) defines it thusly:
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The Necessary Year – Day 4: It’s the Little Things
June 4th, 2008 by Corey A. Edwards
(this post is part of an aborted 1 year experiment in material abstinence I called The Necessary Year)
How many cups of coffee do you need a day?
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The Necessary Year – Day 3: “Ouch” and Points To Ponder
June 3rd, 2008 by Corey A. Edwards
(this post is part of an aborted 1 year experiment in material abstinence I called The Necessary Year)
Well, my first day out of the house during The Necessary Year (yesterday) saw me spend a total of $147.28. As I drove home I eyed the groceries and gas gauge thinking: “Is all this really necessary?”
A good friend of mine just sent an excellent email regarding The Necessary Year and I’d like to share parts of it with you:
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The Necessary Year – Day 1: Butterflies and Vcolor
June 1st, 2008 by Corey A. Edwards
(this post is part of an aborted 1 year experiment in material abstinence I called The Necessary Year)
I’m feeling optimistic but also a bit nervous. Thinking about doing something is one thing, committing to it publicly is another. This reminds me of when I told my daughter I would quit smoking, right then: well, you’re committed now! Here’s to hoping this goes off as smoothly as that did.
As a kind of “last supper” I walked down the hill last night and picked up a bottle of Sheaf stout and some Toll House ice cream sandwiches. I drank the beer with supper (so good and creamy!) but became so embroiled in getting this blog up that I forgot about dessert! I guess I can save them for later – unless my daughter beats me to them.
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The Necessary Year: June 1st, 2008 to May 31st, 2009
May 31st, 2008 by Corey A. Edwards
(this post is part of an aborted 1 year experiment in material abstinence I called The Necessary Year)
Prologue: Necessity is the Mother of Invention
It is crass to have this concept in a world where so many need so much but I am about to embark on an attempt to have a year devoid of pointless consumerism: The Necessary Year.
What do I mean by that?
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The Necessary Year
May 31st, 2008 by Corey A. Edwards
In the spring of 2008 I saw the handwriting on the wall for my decaying marriage; it was not long for this world and I knew, after a decade of living quite comfortably, of buying music, books, and toys – oh, yes: lovely, expensive, new and vintage Japanese toys – and not worrying abou the debt I was wracking up doing so, that the impending divorce meant a major lifestyle change for myself.
From thence was born the concept of my blog (and maybe a book): The Necessary Year – 365 Days of Fiscal Restraint ~June 1st, 2008 to May 31st, 2009 ~
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