On Getting Out of Survival Mode: Musings, Plans, and Questions on 21st-Century North American Life

[Dekafox]

Major tip I actually hadn't thought of, though it's more for the case when we -don't- survive:

https://hachyderm.io/@shortridge/111772428791531454

Your loved ones or whomever cleans up after you is going to have to go through and cancel subscriptions, and deal with stuff in your digital accounts. Even more important if you have a cryptowallet.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

I am still trying to figure out all my dad's stuff so it can be turned over to the probate court.

Please write things down.

 

[Tuxedo Prime]

I've got the vast majority of them transcribed securely (save for a couple of accounts/drives that I'm planning to have a deadman-switch delete protocol for). My systems (including my employment) are a little too password-happy to have any other protocol in place.

Alas, long years away seem to have done away with any recollection of my ICQ password. Not sure if anyone was expecting me to use that protocol but it was a bit embarrassing to learn this as I go through the Web 1.0 detritus....

No cryptocoinage, thankfully, but I cleaned out a telecom loyalty rewards program and got a fair number of assorted gift cards out of it.

 

[Tuxedo Prime]

Okay, so, we had ourselves a moving of abodes -- so that was a bit of a time. But everything is now more or less in order, and the new place looks something like a home.

Work/life balance, alas, is slipping somewhat.

There's been some disposal and divestment. More from my family than from myself, but I have helped with it, and feel lighter rather than sadder for it.

Today in particular was rather accomplished -- did some yard care for the first time in about 13 years, and didn't mind it.

I will admit that I've been reluctant to share much information about the new place -- I've been feeling the need to hide from a lot of things. And I get the sense that some conflicts are brewing in the distance that may be unavoidable.... but I still want to try. At least for now.

I'll likely be going over and reviewing the first few sections of the Hierarchy of Needs for a bit. It's been hard to get out of those layers, if only because every time I start a new project, someone close gets sick, or work demands increase, or something flares up. I suppose that, after all these years, I'm coming to terms with the fact that life will never be nailed down. That said, I do want to do away with the feeling of being buffeted by fate or going from crisis to crisis. So too have many in recent times, I would imagine. I've just been having those feelings for a lot longer.

 

[Tuxedo Prime]

Some board members may recognize Mairi "Miley" Watanabe from Mayhem's Bakery thread.
However, this earthquake preparedness video struck me as more appropriate for here.

 

[Tuxedo Prime]

So....

I have a feeling that at least some of us will be falling back into survival mode in the months to come, for reasons.

I'll just reassure everyone that I still have my basics in order: Housing (though somewhat off-the-books), employment, food, are all so far in good order. There are saved funds. I don't think I'll be needing go-bags, but I had some for earthquakes (as above) and will be checking them over. It's slightly more likely that people may come here though.

I will also be seeing about offline contact lists.

If any readers have any medical needs to take care of, I suggest using the next 70-odd days to see to them.

Beyond that, well, this board is here.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

My crazy Grandma is in one of the areas that got devastated by Hurricane Helene. She's fine, but it was a reminder of how crazy things can get.

TEST YOUR SUPPLIES! If you have a can opener but it doesn't work, you do not actually have a can opener.

 

[Tuxedo Prime]

Checking in, checking up.

I did some fasting and cleansing, then got a clean bill of health re: one of my major systems.

Cash flow is a bit tight week-to-week, but I have been able to grow a few no-touch savings piles a little bit each month.

The weather has not been good this spring, but it's clearing up enough that I am looking into getting some seeds -- as there may be some planting land available soon.

Given the latest round(s) of food supply disruptions and price hikes, I thought I would recommend similar to my readers here.
Community gardens started flourishing in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, and while they never really went away up here, I expect that they may become even more prevalent.

Everyone's circumstances will be different, of course, but looking at what the local area can support -- and if there are any interested and trustworthy neighbours -- could be one project for keeping ahead of these times.

 

[Tuxedo Prime]

An odd choice, perhaps, but this advice would have been really useful a lifetime ago, and for those who come later, I offer this discovery.

 

[Dekafox]

An interesting article I was pointed to today, and I -think- this may be the most appropriate thread for it: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/...s/202506/the-3-emotions-that-hijack-the-brain
The three it discusses are Fear, Anger, and Lust, and it discusses them and ways to handle them.

 

[Tuxedo Prime]

An interesting article I was pointed to today, and I -think- this may be the most appropriate thread for it: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/...s/202506/the-3-emotions-that-hijack-the-brain
The three it discusses are Fear, Anger, and Lust, and it discusses them and ways to handle them.

Being a Star Wars Sad Bastard, I have some experience grappling with the first two, of course. The third, well...

(And being a fannish male in a very demographically lopsided fandom likely didn't help matters much. One reason why I sometimes want to smack the volcels whinging that having girls in their fandom of choice ruins things for them.... but, there's that anger to deal with.)

I will be rereading that a lot, if only because I can see a few people sliding into hedonism in an attempt to stave off the fear/anger responses to all that's been going on of late.

My position has been relatively privileged, being Not In the USA and all. But there have been some bureaucratic setbacks -- I discovered that my 1978-2003 records were destroyed by the clinic holding them, and they only informed me of this this summer. I am deciding whether or not to file a complaint about that. I did get to hear from my old doctor (1994-2003), though. I think she will be safe, in California, but I do sometimes worry about her and some friends of mine residing there.

I have laid in for a Proton Mail account for a handful of Most Trusted Contacts. I think that my other email accounts will be sufficient for most things, but I wanted to have something with encryption and non-US servers, Just In Case.

I think about no-win scenarios, sometimes.

A trickle of weregild still comes in.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

This past week we got a reminder that a tropical storm can become a cat 5 in 24 hours. Don't get complacent.

But also don't fall into a mentality that disaster preparedness means preparing for roughing it, at least food wise. If there's a disaster and you're without power for a few days, food is going to be the biggest joy you have in life. Trust me on that. So make it count. Plan on absolutely spoiling yourself with deliciousness. You will thank yourself later.

The good news is your food options are better than you might think. Don't forget about cheese. Wonderful, delicious cheese. Don't fall into a mentality that cheese needs to be refrigerated just because it's in a cold part of the grocery store. It doesn't. That's kinda the point of it. If it's already finely shredded, okay maybe, though most shredded stuff is so loaded with preservatives that even that will probably be okay. But if it's a solid block, it'll be absolutely fine if you have no power for a few days. The harder the better. And that's great, because the harder stuff is also some of the most flavorful. I recommend parmesan. The protein content is excellent. It's also low in lactose, so if you think cheese isn't an option for you, set aside a day (just in case) and try some parmesan because you might find out that you can handle it.