Money didn’t spread as far this month

So, on top of this week, not actually properly doing any of the exercise I was suppose to do… so next week I’ll treat this as a rest week — and next week is an exercise week. I’m also going to start doing “place holder” exercises during the rest weeks. Those “place holder exercises” are mostly just things to tell my body to expect to do exercise at this point in time.

Now, just so you know, I only have 215$CAD to spend on amenities during the month. Luckily I insist on living near soup kitchens to actually be able to eat. Now of that for month “costs” I try to force myself to do the following:

• Web hosting 25$USD/mon (mostly to have a surplus for a bill, cover the way too many domain registrations, cloud computer shell, and the hosting itself)
• Storage locker 51.50$CAD/mon
• Tax Free Savings Account 50$CAD/mon
• Savings account 30$CAD/mon
• Meal Treat 30$CAD/mon
• Bank Fees 5$CAD/mon
• Total: ~200$CAD/mon

Yeah… the reason I put shit into those savings accounts is so that every few months I can go and grab some useful shit that honestly, I could not easily afford. Especially with the following two costs I’ll need to eventually incorporate into this shiznit:

• Mailbox 45$CAD/3mon
• Cellphone ~50$CAD/mon (depending on what plans are available)

Essentially, I do black magic with money… somehow… this month I spent extra on thread for repairs to my axe shield, and spent less on the meal treat… but yeah, sometimes I want something more meal treat than other times. Like my enjoyment for what I call “Burger Cake” — as I generally view fast food restaurants as form of savoury cake shops. Not certain if that has lead me to eating disorder based food choices… or okayish but needs improvement.

I also bought some tweezers — which is meant to be an investment to not require certain up keeps of purchases.

I’m also working on making certain my first home is doing very well, before moving onto my second home. Most of my second home purchases are basic maintenance related.

Second Home? First Home? What You Say?

My tent is my “First Home”… my affordable housing sponsored hotel room is my “Second Home”. When you don’t have much money you start using fancy ass sounding terms for stuff that really isn’t that impressive. Hell, some people have discussions on how to properly dine with the correct upper class etiquette in soup lines. I mean, stuff like “gather spoon away from you in the middle of the tray”, “Cross your legs at the ankles”, “no lifting food contains above your chest as you eat from them” and “When drinking the coffee premixed with whitener and sugar, hold your pinkie up.”

Essentially, for setting up based on the notion I am going to get kicked out over fictional nonsense, I’m making certain to have my bags and tent mostly packed for sleeping outside. Most of my stuff for even my Second Home (My Winter Cabin… if you will), is done with the goal of “being able to quickly put up and quickly take down.” — and also compartmental.

I mean, I’m doing stuff there is all kinds of marketing terms for — but in a way that should generally horrify you.

For my main manor and vista I’m working on repairing The Axe Shield (my guitar case) which I’m looking into where I can find PVC Piping to the Axe Shield as ways to give stretch to the gig bag. Which just so you know, is about a year old now (I should have bought a cupcake and a candle or something — next year I cannot forget to celebrate the Axe Shield’s birthday). The Axe Shield is the name of the Guitar Gig Bag that I’ve opted to work on adding repairs onto, rather than just purchasing a new one (which, at the rate of going through two of them a month while homeless… I could not afford).

The Axe Shield, when I moved into my Winter Cabin and Second Home did its best impression of the Blues Mobile at the end of the first Blues Brothers movie.

The current plans for repairs include a pocket to hold my tent, a pocket for my electronics (mostly a lot of laptops, and power cord based stuff… and… I’ll get into it later), the yoga mat I use a a foamy for sleeping upon… and the required blankets and tarps.

Right now my tent is a “Sun Shelter” that I’ve been using as lean-to. I do plan to spring for a Two-Person tent… as at least having a zipper door between me and outside is going to have me FAR less paranoid about sleeping outside.

Before having the Sun Shelter Lean-To I had an umbrella. With my only defense being looking like a homeless man for the spots under the umbrella — but should I end up being disturbed to look like a teenage hooker (female — should go without saying) underneath the umbrella. You know, when people go to beat the fuck out of a homeless person — as we aren’t real people, that would be ridiculous — they get morally conflicted as it is mostly just a slut. Then unable to decide how the assault is going to go, they walk away — and I can take that opportunity to set up shop for sleeping elsewhere. I mean, I think I am people — and that is funny.

The two person tent will be helpful if I am sleeping outside in Vancouver when it decides to snow here. As lately the snow has been coming to Vancouver — which I came here to avoid that. Also to avoid the concept of camping outside during the minus forty weather in Edmonton. Clearly the snow has followed me. The only answer is to kill Winter itself in its strong hold. Making me the hero of Game of Thrones fans everywhere.

To sleep outside when it is snowing, the idea is to have a tarp under the tent, and another over the tent (as per usual) but also put some blankets between the top tarp and the tent.

Eventually I’ll be able to be good enough at guitar I can busk places for a bit extra money to… I dunno… make my Summer Vista look much more classy and shit… or something.

For my electronic stuff.. It mostly just involves me carrying around some laptops in a disassembled state, and maybe a few Nintendo game devices. Put them together for when I’m somewhere with power and — dare I dream — decent wireless Internet access. I travel with them powered off, battery removed as well as the hard drive removed. Debating also removing the RAM from them as well. Then when setting up shop, pulling out my screw driver set to put them together (only to take them apart upon moving).

This is mostly just to give a huge middle finger when people steal my electronics. As they are more likely going to go for the laptop itself… and without a hard drive, battery or charger brick… they are not going to be able to sell it for much money. Meaning they are going to have to settle for Dillies, rather than their drug of choice (Yeah! Fuck you! Getting only Dillies as oppose to something you’d actually want!). With me removing the RAM they might not be able to get even Dillies for it.

I WOULD be worried about them stealing the smaller components — but typically the people selling stolen computer hardware very rarely have any clue what they have… they just are not able to get their drug fix by working for McDonalds, and thus steal shit instead (No, seriously, more entry level jobs need to be okay with hiring illegal drug addicts… you know on top of the prescription drug addicts. It would drive down crime).

Essentially, the Axe Shield is my whole answer to places bag policies. As places are generally okay with a bag up to a certain size… with it being able to go past that should there be a musical instrument inside.

The other work around bag policies various places have and will kick people out living in their bag is to have LOTS of pockets in my jackets. Which is mostly going to involve me purchasing two Lab Coats from the UBC Book Store. And modifying them into a single one.

Turns out that Campus Book Stores will just let ANYBODY purchase a Lab Coat without any kind of background check to ensure it is okay for you to own a Lab Coat. I mean… gun stores require background checks and licenses… but anybody can purchase a Lab Coat and a clipboard — and cause the REAL damage.

The goal with my first of two labcoat projects, is to cannibalise one Lab Coat into the other. To make super long sleeves and sew in a large amount of shoulder pads onto the shoulders. Pockets inside the sleeves will also be sewn in, to allow for easy access to certain items. I will then purchase some Denim to line the Lab Coat. The pockets inside the Lab Coat will possible be done in Denim (haven’t committed yet).

Anytime somebody asks, I’ll just tell them I do some High Impact Science. The kind of High Impact Science that warrants a lab coat with ridiculous amounts of Shoulder Pads and a denim lining. With a pocket for my Combat Frying Pan.

The Combat Frying Pan is mostly for cooking “brains on drugs” which when asked if I mean literal brains or eggs, I just get very evasive. So you know, my self defense item is not taken. The self defense item that I managed to hold off a group of people armed with machetes in one case. Yeah… I just assumed the blood I was covered in was mine that time — as that would have been the logical answer. Nope, turns out logic was over turned by me actually holding my own against a bunch of kids with machetes with a frying pan (I’m going to avoid confirming that, if you’ll understand for a bit).

After I’ve gotten the first Labcoat done up — which is Part 1 of the Personal Tank Mk II, I’ll purchase another two Labcoats — and then work on Part 2 of the Personal Tank Mk II. This part will have a large amount of pockets on the outside.

As it turns out, if you carry everything in a ridiculous amount of pockets, as oppose to something logical like a properly sized set of luggage — people give you a free pass to chill at places. Even though, I’d personally argue the people carrying stuff around in a logical set of bags and cases are probably the better people to okay with stuff.

Oh the pockets will all have button flaps or zippers. Found that works better for having the Personal Tank more functional.

The name Personal Tank comes from the second attempt at this (yeah, not even my first attempt) after I started telling people that “I use weighted training clothing” — and handing my jacket system to them would have them falling to the ground trying to pick them up.

Yes… I’ve done the “you are too over-encumbered to move” thing from Elder Scrolls, Fallout and various other western RPGs IRL. My Summer Vista First Home is based upon this matter.

My stuff is getting more compartmental designed, and handled for just shoving into various pockets by being in their own sleeves. With me just thinking to add laptop sleeves to the current set up.

Also my storage locker could use some book cases, and small bins to organise stuff.