atlantalarry

What does simple living actually mean?

It can scarcely be denied that the supreme goal of all theory is to make the irreducible basic elements as simple and as few as possible without having to surrender the adequate representation of a single datum of experience.  -- Albert Einstein

The quote above is often paraphrased as "everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler".  It's a warning again both over-complicating, and over-simplifying.

Yesterday I spent a bit of time reading through a series of articles by a friend of mine who's been on a campaign to pare down his number of possessions to the minimum necessary.  During the course of the articles, he mentions several excellent resources of which I'm very fond, including David Allen's Getting Things Done system, explained in the book Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, Leo Babauta's website Zen Habits,  and the 100 Things Challenge (a challenge to reduce one's physical belongings to 100 objects) which began on the website  A Guy Named Dave and is described in the book The 100 Thing Challenge: How I Got Rid of Almost Everything, Remade My Life, and Regained My Soul.

I've had a longstanding interest in simplifying my life, and I've made increasingly good progress over the past few years.  One of the more difficult things is trying to balance the tradeoffs.

As an example of this, consider one of the most fundamental human activities: eating.  The tradeoff in that respect is complexity of preparation versus complexity of consumption.  I prepare food a lot.  Preparing food for my wife and I allows me to simplify the ingredients, using basic whole foods, avoiding the alphabet soup of chemical additives, preservatives, and the over-processed, over-packaged, nutrient-poor dreck which constitutes most of the standard American diet.

On the face of it, whole, unprocessed, organic foods may seem simpler.  Actually, in choosing that route, I've added a great deal of time management complexity to my life.  I have to research foods and preparation techniques, plan menus, shop, prepare the food, and clean up.  Aside from the cleanup this is a very satisfying activity to me, is much cheaper than eating out, and is certainly healthier than the alternative.  But from a time budgeting standpoint, eating out wins hands down.  Eating out offloads a lot of the complexity to the mammoth food service industry.  We would just show up, order our food, eat, pay, and let someone else deal with the generated mess.

For those of you who cycle, a similar dilemma presents itself in bicycle touring.  The most basic means of touring is to carry camping gear, an assortment of bicycle repair tools, food, and other gear aimed at self sufficiency.  The other option is "credit card touring" whereby one just takes the bike, a basic patch kit, a cell phone, a few minimal supplies, and stays in motels and eats out using the credit card.  Again, much of the personal complexity of being on the road is offloaded by the credit card method.

So what exactly is simple living?

Is it living with the least amount of clutter?

Is it living with only some bare minimum of technology?

Is it trying to do only the necessary activities to meet some goal, and making those activities as time efficient as possible?

I'm going to spend a few weeks writing about simple living and its related topics (clutter, time management, appropriate technology).  I don't think I really have any definitive answers to the questions I've raised, but hope to focus them, and discuss the tradeoffs.  I'll also write a bit about how I'm currently managing those tradeoffs in my own life.

Cycling in Metro Atlanta Part 1: The Bike Cobb blog

While my focus has usually been intown Atlanta, or Inside the Perimeter (ITP) as it's popularly known here, I find myself cycling more in the counties adjoining Atlanta. 

Probably most of my miles Outside the Perimeter are in the south Metro area (south Fulton, Fayette, and Coweta counties) because of several well designed "centuries" (hundred mile sport/recreational rides) in that area.  Three or four hundred miles can put a pretty good dent in my yearly cycling averages.

But for practical purposes cycling conditions in Cobb County is of particular interest to me, since my fiance lives just over the bridge in south Cobb.  I've recently stumbled on a blog which, although it hasn't been updated in awhile, has insights into the overall cycling environment in Cobb.  It's the Bike Cobb blog  If you're interested in cycling in Cobb you may want to browse through the articles.

Based on my first trip on the CCT, I've decided to try out the bus-mounted bike rack, probably on a trip on the number 30 (the most efficient public transit method of getting to my fiance's house is probably bike-train-bus-bike).  I'll continue posting updates on my cycling and public transit experiences in Cobb as I have things to report.

My first trip on the CCT

I've wanted to try out some of the county transit systems for the past few years.  It's ironic that my first trip on the Cobb Community Transit system (CCT) was to pick up my automobile from a garage in Mableton.

The garage was located on Veteran's Memorial (the old Bankhead Highway) about midway between Oakdale Road/Discovery Boulevard, and Floyd Road/Mableton Parkway (Veteran's Memorial seems to be the dividing point for a number of name changes of roads).

My original plan was to cycle to the train station, ride the westbound train to the Holmes station, and cycle to the garage.  But the car was ready a day early, and I'd taken the train to work with no bike.  So I got the brainstorm of trying to make connection with the CCT.  I knew absolutely nothing about the routes, fares, or schedules of the CCT, so I hit the CCT website.
So far so good.  The website indicates that the CCT actually wants people to ride the system.  I don't know what made me think they wouldn't.  I then hit the link to the system map.  Hmmm...
Weird.  One would think that a route straight out Veteran's Memorial would be a natural, since it would run through the center of Mableton and Austell.  But the closest route was the 30, which departs from the Holmes MARTA station and intersects  Veteran's Memorial  where Mableton Parkway  becomes Floyd Road, very near the Mable House.   I checked the map legend, and determined that if I got off there the walk would be two miles at the most.  Good enough.  I then
phoned the CCT to find out how to transfer from MARTA to the CCT.  I found that transferring from
MARTA to the CCT at the train station was no extra cost with my monthly Breeze ticket.

So  I walked the half mile from my workplace to the Georgia State MARTA station at about 3 PM on a Friday.   I took the westbound train to the Holmes Station, and asked one of the MARTA staff the location of the CCT stop.  He pointed it out to me.  When the bus arrived (about fifteen minutes later) I boarded and asked if the Veteran's Memorial stop would be announced.  The driver said yes.  The bus was crowded at around 4:30 PM, the stops were frequent along it's meandering route with people both boarding and exiting along the entire route through South Cobb.

The woman seated next to me, who'd overheard me ask the driver about the stop,  let me know about two stops in advance that my stop was nearing.

I disembarked, crossed Veteran's Memorial, and walked to the garage.  The sidewalks along my path to the garage were smooth and walkable, although needless to say the overall streetscaping along Veteran's Memorial is dismal.

The entire trip, from boarding at the Georgia State station to arriving at the garage took about an hour and twenty minutes.  I could probably have cut the time by calculating the connection schedule better.  But all in all that wasn't too shabby.

I intend to explore the CCT more thoroughly over the next few months.  But overall my first experience was very positive.  I generally  evaluate public transit routes based on  how good they are in getting me from East Atlanta to some useful  or interesting destination.   Looking at the CCT's  system  map there are routes to the Mable House/Barnes Amphitheater,  the Silver Comet  Trail, the Marietta town square,  Kennesaw  Mountain,  and a route within walking distance of Smyrna's well designed town center.  The question is how efficiently the CCT can get me there.
I'll keep you posted.

I do intend to contact the CCT and request that they consider a route running straight out Highway 78 (Veterans Memorial).  One of my longstanding notions is that the towns formed by the railroad to Birmingham would be a logical extension of the westbound MARTA rail line (Mableton, Austell, Powder Springs, Douglasville, Villa Rica).  Since Cobb doesn't have a rapid transit system yet, at least they could fill in that gap with a bus line within their own boundaries.

Utility Cycling forum

An interesting new forum has been added to Bike Forums, a resource I mentioned in one of my previous posts.  It's the Utility Cycling forum, and covers an aspect of cycling which I think has been neglected in recent years, particularly in the U.S.  A lot of the focus on cycling has centered on commuting and recreational cycling.  The third major type of cycling, which in my opinion is a special category, is utility cycling.  Utility cycling consists of using the bicycle for the errands and utility trips most people in the U.S. perform in a car.  It covers a wide range of activities, equipment, and personal ingenuity.  The activities would include grocery shopping, visiting friends, or even using the bike for the purpose of moving.

There are many overlaps between commuting, recreational cycling, and utility cycling but on a worldwide basis utility cycling is the main use to which the bicycle is put, and I think this is going to be a very useful and lively forum.

The Phelton Rides a Train

For several years I participated in an internet forum started by Wendell Cox, who has staked out a position as a defender of post-WWII development patterns and road-building policies.  As a person with strong urban proclivities I often served as target practice and a punching bag for that particular forum, although I do have to say I learned a great deal about transportation planning that I would not have learned by restricting my travels to my own New Urbanist circles.  And I also learned to respect the knowledge and opinions of a number of people on that list, although ideologically we were as different as night and day.

At some point along the line I wrote this poetic narrative drawing inspiration from both Dr. Suess and Lewis Carroll, based largely on my interaction with that particular subculture. 

The Phelton Rides a Train

by the Phelton himself (shameless self-promoter that he is)

It was on a fine morning in Transportaland
The transcars were lined in a row
The crowd on the hill dressed in full battle gear
smiled down on the strip malls below.

But as they were milling around and about
With banners and bagpipes and swords
A slow sulky silence fell over them all
as they all became restless and bored

For months they had gathered relating their tales
of defeating the car-bashing crew
But lately their enemy list had been sparse
And now there was little to do.

But a rumbling and grumbling arose from the ground
the clatter was stinging their ears.
the warriors looked down as the earth split in two
and a small subway tunnel appeared

A strange wiry creature with top hat and tails
disembarked from an odd little train
It glanced side to side with a skeptical eye
Then smiled as as it glanced once again.

"I'm the Phelton" it said with a doff of it's hat
and I bring you all greetings and cheer
I come from the City, away and afar
tell me .. is there a coffee house near?"

"For I have been riding for hours on end
on this wonderful magic machine
I crave conversation I crave a good stroll
but mostly I'm craving caffeine"

The warriors were shocked and the warriors were stunned
the warriors were simply aghast
they froze in their tracks and they froze on their feet
Til one of them spoke up at last.

"It's blasphemy, creature, and criminal, too
to suggest such a terrible sight,
as a densely packed city with sidewalk cafes
With people out strolling at night"

They rattled their pikes and they clattered their swords
they chanted and ranted and roared
"Desist and dismount you deplorable beast,
decamp we demand and implore"

"It's statistically proven with table and chart
Your City is no longer there.
You're defeated, discredited, quite out of touch,
and your prattling is too much to bear".

"We've graphed and we've analyzed, summed and regressed
til we've come to the only conclusion
That the City is evil the City is dead
... So stop spreading noise and confusion".

They glared at the Phelton they glared at the train
... held their breath til their faces turned blue
"Begone evil creature, begone we demand
and take this conveyance with you!!!"

The Phelton replied with a smile so benign
That the birds formed a choir overhead
"I assure you my friends that despite what you've heard
my City is quite far from dead"

"It's teeming with people it's singing with song
It's buzzing along like a hive
I assure and affirm and will even allow
my City is very alive"

"But as I am never inclined to offend,
or to wear out my welcome or stay
I'll get back on my train, and leave you again
and quietly rumble away"

So the Phelton with flourish, the Phelton with flair ...
hopped into the door of the train
And with chugging with clatter and whistling and whirrr...
The Phelton was moving again...

There was much celebration in Transportaland
as the story was widely repeated
Of how thanks to the vigilant warrior crew
The Phelton was soundly defeated.

But the piper was sad as he stood empty handed
Looking dejected and grim
For the Phelton departing had made an inquiry
and purchased the bagpipes from him.

Now whenever an artist depicted the saga
The image contained without fail
A sinister Phelton a'perched on a train
With top hat and bagpipes and tails.

Online Resources for cyclists Part I: Bike Forums

You may have noticed that lately the main focus of my blog has been cycling.  I came to the conclusion long ago that if I'm going to write consistently I have to write on topics on which I'm enthused, and lately I've been spending a great deal of my time cycling, tinkering with my bikes, and devising routes.  Probably within a few weeks I'll be moving on to some other topic which interests me, and cycling will once again become the subject of an occasional article.

One very good resource is the discussion site Bike Forums.  Like many internet discussion forums the noise-to-signal ratio can be high at times, with banter and repetitive argument out-weighing the useful discussions, but all-in-all on any given day there are practical discussions going on, and even the banter can be fun.

The forums I check in on regularly include Regional Discussions (Southeast) where there is an active Atlanta thread, Bicycle Mechanics, Commuting,  Classic and Vintage,  Fifty Plus, Folding Bikes, and Road Cycling.  There are quite a few other specialized topics.

All in all Bike Forums is a very good resource, and a place to browse for interesting information and also a place to ask questions on a number of cycling related issues.

Most direct route to Inman Park/Reynoldstown Station

Efficient Route to Inman Park Reynoldstown MARTA station from East Atlanta Share your bike routes @ Bikely.com

I mentioned in the previous post that the route to the Inman Park/Reynoldstown MARTA station I outlined which crossed over I-20 at  Bill Kennedy drive was not the most efficient route.  In fact the route I usually take is the one seen above.  I turn right onto Moreland Avenue off McPherson and immediately start merging to the left.  I turn left on Memorial Drive and take an immediate right onto Flat Shoals. Walthall Street provides a straight shot into the MARTA station.

The route isn't very daunting if you are accustomed to changing lanes in traffic, but it does require familiarity and comfort with cycling in reasonably heavy traffic, at least until the turn onto Flat Shoals off Memorial.  From that point on the route is on residential streets with low traffic volumes.
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A route to the Inman Park/Reynoldstown MARTA station

East Atlanta to Inman Park Reynoldstown MARTA station Share your bike routes @ Bikely.com

Here's one more route I've devised, this time to the Inman Park/Reynoldstown Station from East Atlanta.  It isn't the most efficient route.  It's much faster to take Moreland across the I-20 bridge, left on Memorial Drive, and right on Flat Shoals.  But that entails a series of rapid lane changes on the bridge.  The crossing at Bill Kennedy Drive probably doesn't require any less interaction with motorists, but it's a more generally pleasant ride.

Remember that these maps are interactive, so you can drag the view around, zoom in and out with the plus and minus bar, and switch to a satellite or hybrid view to get more detailed information.  You can also go to bikely.com and search for these maps to get a larger view.  For instance searching on Inman Park Reynoldstown MARTA brings my map to the top, and you can then click on my name to get to other maps I've devised.

Bike Year -- Utility Cycling

A few days ago I stumbled onto the Bike Year: a Utility Cycling Experiment site (click here to visit).  Utility cycling is basically using a bicycle to do the sort of errands which most Americans do in a car, such as quick trips to the grocery store.

The blog includes a link to a Wikipedia article defining and describing utility cycling.  Utility cycling is an interesting subcategory of the cycling world, and has different requirements than recreational, exercise, or commuting cycling.  Utility trips are usually shorter, so the emphasis is on the ability to carry things rather efficiency and speed. 

The blogger on the site above made a committment to use a bicycle for utility trips for a year, and write about the experience.

Rally for Rail ... Tuesday September 5th

This coming Tuesday, September 5th at noon, there is going to be a rally in support of rail on the Beltline at the MARTA headquarters across the street from the Lindbergh MARTA station, prior to the MARTA board meeting at 1:15.  I intend to be there.  The MARTA board is not expected to take up the issue of the beltline at this meeting, but it's important that the board hear the voice of the neighbors of the Beltline, who have consistently supported the rail option for the public transit component of the project.

More information is available on the website of Citizens for Progressive Transit (click here to go to their article on the rally).  More material on this issue is also available on the Sierra Club's web page on the Beltline.