USA from a perspective of alternative lifestyles.

For years it seems like just blaming the rich, corporations and the government for our problems hasn't been working; politics of resentment.

The grassroots culture of a consumptive society is a big part of the problems we face as a society. More people need to choose the gentler scenic routes.

Modifications, even just incremental modifications, in our entire culture of consumption are needed. It's something I hope people can still do in our local lives.

Yes, the corporations and institutions have manipulated us into a consumptive society, but the people have followed.

I tend to be less influenced by advertising, movies and fashions than most people. Possibly because I am somewhat of a loner. Traditional social and family connections tend to trap people into the need for mainstream living.

I have a more non traditional life, but I still have lots of friends and connections in my life. My connections are likely not the same type of relationships that most people seek; such as on dating sites and so forth.

My lifestyle seems to work for me. I might be bias, but I tend to think that if more people lived a bit closer to my lifestyle, some of the problems of the world would be less.

The basic structure of American society, with it's openness to innovation, lifestyle diversity and even major architectural achievements could continue, but maybe with a bit less of the pressure of mainstream living.

Seattle from the perspective of a bike path.

Rather than trying to keep up with the rich, we ought to figure out how people can live fulfilling lives even if only with modest incomes.

Ideally, a political party; like the Democratic Party, would not necessarily focus on having everyone try and keep up with the rich. Even if keeping up is only partial, it's still kind of a rat race.

Instead, one ought to be able to have a life of fulfillment, safety and dignity even if their income and wealth is more modest.

The paths to creating that is what we need.

Democratic Party should focus more on alternatives to Republican planning on energy, economics, city planning, transportation and environmental issues.

There is quite a bit of talk that the Democratic Party should place less emphasis on what is called "identity politics," such as men versus women, sexuality, race, class and so forth.

I have a slightly different take, but similar. I think the goals of a more equitable society are still valid, but old strategies to achieve them seem to be at a dead end.

I would like to see more focus on the technical issues of how to make our economy greener and work better for everyone. We need to be talking about city planning, transportation, power grids, water, streets, housing and so forth.

There are lots of good ideas that are often discussed in the local level of politics, that should be more discussed at the national level. Topics such as how do we deal with lack of water in the Colorado River, for instance?

How do we juggle energy needs with, for instance, the effects of hydropower dams on salmon?

How do we integrate solar energy into the power grid? Can we develop more nuclear power and ideally hydrogen fusion? What is the future of the automobile, transit, the Interstate Freeway system and so forth?

How can we change the economy so housing becomes more affordable to more classes of people (speaking of classes "identity politics"). I think that the goals of equity are still valid, for the most part, but I think technical, planning and economic discussions could work better.

As for race and identity politics, lack of affordable housing is one of the big things that divides people. People of color, tend to be less apt, on average, to be homeowners and can be locked out of neighborhoods not necessarily due to overt racism, but simply due to price.

Do people really wish to significantly increase inheritance taxes, for instance, to create more equity? We could tax windfall homeonwer value back to the community; rather than allowing so much wealth to be passed down from generation to generation.

Zoning has a lot to do with this also. Too many popular areas are still zoned in restrictive "single family zoning." We need more mixed use zoning. Steps are being taken, in that direction, by many local levels of government; such as state, county and city governments. That is a positive sign.

Is inflation a problem? Quality of life should be the true bottom line.

Sunrise. Image from my smartphone at the end of the hallway in public housing outside my studio apartment. Hallway lights reflected on window glass to the right.

Republicans have won some elections being propelled by public concern about inflation. Some folks would like to roll back prices to pre pandemic levels, but that would be deflation; something associated with depression. Be careful what you ask for cause you might get it.

Deflation can lead to much less consumer spending as consumers postpone purchases till the price comes down farther; not necessarily always a bad thing, but be careful what you ask for. In the computer field, we have already had deflation, but consumption does continue. For decades, advancing technologies have lower prices while increasing capabilities. This trend is often called "Moore's Law."

Moore's Law has not lead to a total collapse of spending as people still buy things in order to use them. Waiting years, before buying a computer or smartphone, while waiting for a better deal, means going without the use of such devices for years. People buy anyway and then upgrade when the newer models become available.

There is still a brisk enough consumer market, in electronics, so many good phones go to landfills. Phone and internet service providers still push upgrades making their networks less compatible to older devices.

Certain things, like housing and healthcare, continue to get more expensive and deflation, in those areas, could lower the overall cost of living. Do homeowners want their home values to deflate? Deflation is usually seen as bad and leading to unemployment as well. We all need to be careful what we ask for as we might get it.

For renters and first time home buyers, dropping property values can be a good thing; if one is able to stay employeed, however.

Often it does seem like the economy is a meaningless treadmill. For every step we go forward in wages, we fall 2 steps back in prices; especially for things like housing and healthcare.

Taking a deeper look at what we are trying to accomplish, with our economy, is what needs to be done. How gratifying is life? Are we happier? Are we heathier? Is the economy making progress toward climate stability? Is our technology improving in ways that enhance civilization?

This fuels the pendulum of politics as in we have met the enemy and that is us.

It seems like when the government starts to lean a bit left, most of the pushback from the people is from the right. When those in power, in government, are right wingers, pushback from the people tends to swing more to the left. This provides hope for the left after election 2024. It's the pendulum of politics.

Those following Taylor Swift.

My 2012 picture of BC Place Stadium.

A billionaire, Taylor Swift, coming to Vancouver, BC; near Bellingham.

This is expected to have an effect on I-5 traffic to the border. I hear the tickets to see her in concert sell for around $900 (my guess $900 Canadian, maybe not quite $900 US).

I guess people on the right of the political spectrum can worship Donald Trump and Elon Musk while folks more toward the left have their billionaire idols as well. We might need the billionaires on our, more left side of the political spectrum, as in fighting fire with fire, so to speak.

The priorities I spend my money on are quite a bit different than going to live concerts like that. I don't go to football games either.

I have gone to Vancouver, BC to be among 500,000 folks in Vancouver's Gay Pride Parade, however. I bicycled to a motel in Surrey and took the Skytrain from there. No luck finding an affordable room in Vancouver, itself during that big event. The gay parade, itself, was free.

56 people killed in Guinea soccer stadium disaster following controversial referee decision.

Competitive sports can be hazardous. Here in USA, we recently had some controversy over a logo, or something, displayed in the opponents side of the field. Stirred up news headlines that I didn't fallow, but now I can't find that news.

Things have been even worse overseas as this headline was also in the news, around the same time.

56 people killed in Guinea soccer stadium disaster following controversial referee decision.

Monday's events are the latest in a long line of soccer stadium disasters over the last three decades.

I remember, in the 1980s, when a riot broke out in a stadium in Great Britain and part of the old stadium structure collapsed killing many fans. They talked about suspending the games for a while in UK back then.

The quiet time I spent while others were doing Black Friday.

Not feeling obligated to buy gifts for kids and relatives, I wasn't at the malls for "Black Friday."

I guess I did go shopping, so it wasn't "Buy Nothing Day" for me either. I biked through the quiet campus of WWU on my way to Sehome Village for some regular shopping; such as groceries. Sehome Village, near WWU, was fairly mellow. WWW wasn't in session due to the holiday weekend. Most students were out of town.

Instead of Buy Nothing Day, it was No Rat Race Day for me. Even the walk zone in Red Square, on campus, wasn't necessary as there wasn't likely to be any conflict between pedestrians and bicycles.

It's been many years since I've traveled for Christmas, or Thanksgiving.

My two sisters still live in Pullman, WA where I grew up. In more recent years, I've visited during summer months and I've traveled by bicycle. Most recent bike trip to Pullman was summer of 2022.

The old neighborhood looks similar, but some changes as well.

I have a brother in Kentucky and another in southern Oregon. I would be welcome to visit any of my brothers and sisters. If we were to sit around a Thanksgiving, or Christmas table, our politics would be similar enough that we would get along fine on that score.

Still, when I plan to visit my sisters, they often say they would love to see me, but this would not be a good time to visit. There are often problems and other needs going on that make a visit somewhat uncomfortable and inconvenient.

During my last two trips to Pullman, rather than staying with my sisters, I did enjoy a new perspective of staying at a motel in Pullman, rather than my childhood home.

Visited my sisters during the day and also did much sighseeing on my own around town.

A new perspective looking over downtown with WSU campus in background from the Cougarland Motel.

The old high school across the street.

Memories from my freshman to Junior years in high school. My senior year in a new building in another part of town.

This old high school is now "Gladish Community and Cultural Center" named for a former principal of the school, Oscar Gladish, who was a neighbor across the back fence as I was growing up.

My most recent visits to Pullman were by bicycle in 2022 even at age 67 and then in 2023. In 2023 it was by car.

2023 was for the 50th high school reunion. I rode, by car, with a classmate who lives in the Bellingham area. We had a good visit going across the state. I didn't bike in 2023 as the reunion was in August when temperatures, in the middle of Washington State, can climb into the 100s. My 2022 trip was in June, a relatively cool and lush time in the Columbia Basin.

I still do some bike / and now transit combo tours to other areas. Pullman is still a possibility, but mid summers might not be a good idea.

I still have memories, from Christmas visits back to Pullman, during my college years in Bellingham. I grew up in Pullman where WSU is, but still did go away for college.

Taking the Greyhound Bus with transfers in Everett and then Spokane was the way to go for Christmas visits. Trying to do it in one day with snow on the mountain passes and in eastern Washington would cause delays. We usually made it, but sometimes got in real late; like next day after midnight. By bicycle, it usually takes around a week to get to Pullman, but it's a scenic trip; warmer months that is.

I live car free so maybe the most pragmatic way to get to Pullman is by air. Pullman has recently completed an airport upgrade that can accomodate jet service.

One memory, from my college Greyhound Bus days, was the lunch stop at "Martha's Inn Truck Stop." That stop was in the town of George, Washington.

Martha's Inn is only a faded memory, but the old sign is still there, faded by the years of hot sun and cold winter winds.

Image taken during my 2022 bike trip.

I did take the bus back to Bellingham, from Pullman, in 2022 as I planned. Bus and train has returned me from many a bicycle tour.

In 2022, I shipped my bike back to Bellingham using a service called Bike FLights.

It would be better if Greyhound style buses didn't require bikes to be boxed for shipment. County transit buses have bike racks, but service is very limited in Eastern Washington. From what I hear, Flix Bus might work to Spokane without the complexity of finding a bike box.

I had a good local Thanksgiving.

It started with ecstatic dance, a Thanksgiving morning tradition at Presence Studio in Bellingham. Then a potluck turkey dinner downstairs in the dining room of the building I live in. Then another potluck turkey dinner at the Unitarian Church.

Then a nap. Then I dropped by Betty Desire's place. I got there by evening so the place was all lit in Christmas lights. They plan to have 25,000 lights; like in the movie National Lampoon Christmas. They are almost to the 125,000 mark. These days, LED lights.

Over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house we go, but we are not out of the woods yet.

This seems to happen every year. Of course, the holidays happen during a season of harsh weather. Glad I have no plans to travel a long ways to family. A community potluck at Unitarian Church in my neighborhood is more my speed. Photo from Yahoo News.