Week One: Introducing My Laundry List

This week kicked off nicely. Then I realized I needed to do my taxes, and Mythmedia’s taxes. I also begun editing the video interview I did with Derrick Jensen last fall (which totally rocks btw!). I’ve also done some work at REWILD.info, though not as much work as Wilderix! I also began to go to my sit spot and journal for Kamana 3. So many projects, so little time! I’ve decided to keep track of what I have decided to call Scout’s Weekly Laundry List.

The list consists of the things I have found most relevant to physical subsistence. I’ll add communal subsistence to it later, or perhaps integrate it as one. Please feel free to ask for me to include other topics as this progresses. I will try to cover each item, even briefly, every week. For example, how many nights I slept outside vs. Sasha’s bed, how many times I take a shower vs. heating water with hot rocks, how many greens I gathered vs. how many I bought, etc. I hope the list will show a steady progress away from advanced technologies and modern comforts to more simple living; I can’t do it all at once. I need to take it slow, so I thought the list would work as a good measure of how far this thing takes me. Plus I can evaluate elements and see what areas need more attention. The categories so far go as follows; Shelter, Water, Fire, Food, Transportation, Hygiene, Entertainment.

Let’s take a look at the first Scouts Weekly Laundry List.

Shelter
This week I had an interesting experience with the tipi. I slept in it a few nights, then Sasha returned from her trip. I spent a few nights with her in her bed, and then she gave the tipi a try but had to go in half way through the night because she felt too uncomfortable. I stayed, and she went inside. I don’t mind it, but the shape of it only allows room for one person around the edge of the fire pit. I want to sleep next to Sasha… but can’t do that in the tipi because the fire pit. I could fill in the fire pit… but that makes the tipi completely pointless. I think I may give up on the tipi and switch to a simple tarp lean-to for wind/water protection and use a fire with a reflector. That way Sasha can sleep outside with me. I mean, I sleep in that tipi for a reason… to have a minimal shelter with a fire. Really I just want to sleep outside more. I can do that more comfortably with a sleeping bag and a tarp.

Water
All my water has come from the tap. I don’t have rain barrels set up at any of the locations yet. I collected a lot of rocks though to boil water with. My next step will involve making a big burn bowl. Then I’ll boil water to drink, for cooking, for showers, and washing my clothes.

Fire
I fucked around with my bow-drill set the other day and showed my friend Jason how to make one. He got a coal on his first try. I haven’t started a fire in the tipi since the last time. I will not work with that size, and frankly, why bother? Again, it makes more sense to simply use the tarp lean-to.

Food
On Monday I trekked across town and gathered a ton of greens; dandelion greens, chickweed, spearmint, young oregon grape leaves, and I even found a large patch of Miners Lettuce… of course it came from downtown Portland, so I imagine it contained a lot of metals, but I ate it anyway. Other than that I haven’t gathered much. I begun researching stone grinding tools like the mortar and pestal and the matate y mano.

Transportation
Biked around. Walked.

Hygiene
I’ve taken two showers, both at Sashas. I hope to take a hot rock bath soon.

Entertainment
I went to a John Zerzan talk at Reed College and Willem and I ended up taking John out for a drink afterward. I haven’t drank in almost 5 months, but I thought, “How often do I get the chance to drink with one of the Anti-Civ fathers?” What a cool guy!

Goals for Week Two

* Try to kill an animal

* Bathe with water heated by hot rocks

* Finish making spear

* Continue to feel out the tipi situation

* Gather more greens

* Find cheap/free rain barrels

* Take more digital pics

* Shoot a short video blog

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