Simplifying Life - Mark II

mary43

Just an update on my 'simplifying' of photo albums.

Finished off another four this morning so the pile on my desk is slowly but surely going down. In the process is looks like I won't need as many albums as I had in the first place - chucked out all the piccys that were too blurred to see or to dark.
Giving myself a pat on the back for getting this far:T

Charis

Anyone on this thread actually worried about their carbon footprint, rather than their energy bill? Me neither but reading this article on the carbon cost of googling and twittering (they sound like things I should have given up years ago) you might be staggered to read the suggested environmental cost. Bloggers and web page owners take note.

‘Such internet phenomena are not simply fun and hot air, Newcombe warns: the boom in such services has a carbon cost.’


But, lest ye get too depressed, it could mean a turn around in fortunes for our beloved neighbours (:mad: ) the Icelandic. Or is it Icelandish. Or Icelandians. Maybe I should Google it. Or maybe not.

(note the caption and the renewable energy).

I suspect there is more truth in this unremarkable statement from Google, but there are people out there desperate to sell newspapers. Er, so why put them online ? :rotfl:

guess who found out how to make neat linkies from another thread yesterday?

ceridwen

Errr....well actually...I do hope my carbon footprint isnt too big. I'm not that technically-minded enough to know what the facts are re my googling/blogging/etc - so I cant comment on that. I hope I'm not creating too much extra energy use.

To me - I am concerned about the Icelanders and I hope the "ordinary person in the street" there is okay - as it wasnt their fault, any more than it was the British "ordinary person in the street's" fault that this whole mess happened (bar a few Council officials who really should have known better than to invest in Icelandic banks:mad: ).

I am pleased to see that the Icelanders are looking to use this natural resource of theirs (ie the geothermal energy) even more constructively than they have been. I am a great believer in households/firms/governments/etc taking a good long look at what resources they have to hand and how best to utilise them......I'm told I'm very good at making best use of what resources I have and have been known to just go in and start organising better use of resources in groups I was in if I thought those "resources" werent "earning their keep" (they dont tend to complain once they realise they've made some money they werent aware was available to them - heh!)....so I do like to see others doing the same.

So - I will be glad if I see the Icelanders finding a way out of their financial dilemma - and if this works out for them...then hopefully some money will be available to pay us what we are owed...a purpose I trust it will be put to if that becomes the case (it being one of my pet bugbears in life when people/firms/etc dont repay their dues when they subsequently can - if they see a legal way not to do so).

mary43

Charis - I have to admit that much as I love this planet of ours my main concern this winter is how much its all going to cost.
I hadn't realised what am impact googling(and all the other internet related activities) had on carbon :eek:
Will it stop me 'googling' or doing what I do with my little machine ? I'm afraid I very much doubt it and who knows................a few years on and the 'men in suits' just might be saying 'oooops ! We were wrong !'
You never know.............wouldn't be the first time.

And if the Icelandic people benefit from it, well good can come from bad sometimes can't it ?

Charis

mary43 wrote: »

Charis - I have to admit that much as I love this planet of ours my main concern this winter is how much its all going to cost.
I hadn't realised what am impact googling(and all the other internet related activities) had on carbon :eek:

Don't worry Mary, the last article, where someone had actually tried to get the figures from Google, suggested that it was a gross overestimate anyway. How much electricity does it cost to broadcast all the TV programmes I never watch? They have to cover this area, regardless.

I console myself by remembering that I have never flown (despite having a brother who has been asking me for the last 30 years to visit them in Australia) and if I am on the computer I am not driving

Justamum

mary43 wrote: »

Just an update on my 'simplifying' of photo albums.

Finished off another four this morning so the pile on my desk is slowly but surely going down. In the process is looks like I won't need as many albums as I had in the first place - chucked out all the piccys that were too blurred to see or to dark.
Giving myself a pat on the back for getting this far:T

One of my tasks for the next few weeks/months is sorting out my photos. What I want to do is make one for each of my children, but with photos of grandparents, great grandparents, and I've even got a photo of their great, great, great grandad (who's birthday, I discovered the other day, is the same as my youngest!) I want the albums to be a sort of 'history' album too. I've started sorting the photos into three piles, then it's a case of going through each individual pile to see what goes in and what doesn't. I think for any decent photos which are left I might make a big photo collage.

Justamum

mary43 wrote: »

a few years on and the 'men in suits' just might be saying 'oooops ! We were wrong !'
You never know.............wouldn't be the first time.

I'm more concerned with my bills than any 'carbon footprint' nonsense. I very much doubt anyone will be admitting that they were wrong, because they've changed the wording from 'global warming' to climate change so they can cover all eventualities! I'd love them to explain the mediaeval warm period and the mini ice age.

pagangirl

Well, not much simplifying been going on here - had the dreaded lurgy (flu bug) - hope your OH is feeling better Mary.

Woke up yesterday definitely feeling better - have got few bits for charity shop but not a lot - will start again soon - why is it that when you start simplifying, everywhere seems as tho it's in a worse mess than it was before I know it will sort itself out eventually, just not quickly enough !!!

Glad I joined this thread - seems I am having one of those 'downturns', am happy with what I have, more than happy not to be running around the sales, seems to have had a total reversal of mindset if that makes sense. Have finally realised I do not want to spend my weekends mooching round the shops - think that's it - "Do I want it or do I need it" and have decided that most of the time I don't need things - just been brainwashed by media that you must have this or can't do without that.

YAAAY I have finally seen the light ( and it feels good) Couldn't have done it without everyone on this thread - thanks for your help & insights folks and keep up the good work ! :T

ceridwen

Well - I've never been someone who thought windowshopping was a pastime. Just grinning to myself that these days I'm quite likely to go out walking for a pastime (and certainly even keep my eyes open when walking from A to B for a purpose) because of the amount of things I can come across that are useful - things people have chucked out that I can find a use for in my home/food lying round (I seem to have developed a habit of spotting perfectly usable food - wrapped where applicable - just lying around waiting for someone to pick it up:D ). In the last month I've had a couple of lemons, a leek, summat else I cant recall and I've still got a can of lager in the cupboard I picked up. I just think "waste not, want not". I was wondering why its food that I have a tendency to spot in the street - and not the noticeable amounts of coins some other people tend to spot in the street - and come to the conclusion its a very direct bit of karma in action (as I've often given away food if I've got some spare - hence I'm being "paid back" in food - thats my theory anyway).

My place doesnt look like something from Steptoe and Son - honest!

firework

pagangirl wrote: »

...why is it that when you start simplifying, everywhere seems as tho it's in a worse mess than it was before I know it will sort itself out eventually, just not quickly enough !!!

yeah - i'm hearin that pagangirl - my house is just a tip from top to bottom at the minute. yesterday i sorted my work folder out and i finished it last night - it is now a lovely collection of neat and tidy paperwork, all between a4 dividers... but while i was doing it i had the whole dining table covered - thats 6ft of papery mess and a huge pile of no good papers which i scrunched up and chucked all over the floor as i was going (have to scrunch em or i keep looking at them over and over again - lol!) which covered about 4ft square:eek: .
once the file was done i shredded the scrunchies immediately (well they had been on the floor all day!)

but this morning it felt great to be able to get my file out and KNOW where all my paperwork was - and for it to be in order and not stuck to the kitchen worktop with jam or under someones coffee mug (or both).

sometimes its giant leaps and sometimes its baby steps getting stuff sorted.
todays challenge fo me - return christmas tree and all decorations to the loft, all currently piled up in the passage. and wade through (literally) about 7 loads of washing that i keep putting off .:eek: