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Hello everyone.

I'm interested in books about life without fossil fuels, specifically modern life after fossil fuels.

I know of Life after Fossil Fuels by Alice Friedemann, and the work of Steve Hallett, but I'm struggling to find more books on the topic.

Maybe I'm just bad at searching, frankly... If you know how to best search for books on particular, somewhat specific topics, please also let me know!

Anyway, if you know of books on the topic, please recommend them! I want to learn more about this.

The concept of social status is so weird.

On one hand, I feel that I understand it; On the other, it seems like the most ridiculous thing imaginable!

I definitely feel the burden of expectations, which drives me to pursue status, to an extent. I want to have a good, stable job, not just because it would be good and stable, but because it would be expected of me. Frankly, as long as I could have a good life, I don't think anyone in my family, or anyone I care about, would care if I have such a job, but I put these expectations upon myself, and I'd feel bad not reaching them. That's a way in which I understand status.

However, I don't ever think about other people's status. I mean, I get that it's impressive if someone works at McKinsey or if they're a neurosurgeon or something like that, those are high-status jobs (in my mind, at least), but that's where it ends. It's impressive... I don't actually care, though. When (hopefully) I get a good, high-paying job, I don't intend to show it off or anything. I mean, I would like people to think it's impressive, like how I think being a neurosurgeon is cool and impressive, but I wouldn't want that to affect the way anyone sees me.

From what I see online, it seems that many people do see status as something to show off and flaunt. Fancy cars, not because they like fancy cars, but because it's befitting their status and their peers... Why?

Moreover, to pursue a job because of status? That's something else. I want a high-paying job, and those jobs usually have status attached to them... But between two jobs, identical in every way except status and salary in an inverse relation, why would anyone pick the one with the status instead of the one with the salary? What is this "status" thing that moves people to make such weird decisions? Because there are people that make those decisions, I've come to realise.

That is, most critically, the way in which I don't at all understand status.

One thing I could be missing is influence. Are status and influence the same thing? There are definitely ways to benefit from having influence that don't necessarily show up in a bank account. Taking the lower pay for the chance to control things you care about, for example, through status, could almost be seen as paying a fee for influence. That's something.

I'm not sure. It's a little confusing, though.

I wore jeans, today.

For a while, now, I've been thinking I should get off XTB.

As a broker, it's just worse than some others out there, I think. The experience is fine, mind you, but the custody fees (only for large accounts, to be fair), the high FX fees, and the other trading fees (that only show up after large trading volumes, admittedly) are weighting on me. Of course, they're not actually affecting me, but I'm left thinking... Why am I on this app, when I could be in some other app that doesn't have this stuff! Like Trading 212!

Trading 212 just seems to have several benefits, as compared to XTB, including the MMFs it has available.

So, yeah, I'm biting the bullet. Hopefully it goes smoothly... Let's see.

I wore my jeans, today.

"The child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth"

Is this not Frankenstein's Monster? It's not that I think him justified in his actions, but I do think that the wickedness could have been foreseen.

I wrote this in my notes:

Can I justify the Monster's actions? No. Yet, I also cannot possibly hope to justify the hatred with which his mere existence was received by mankind. Certainly, he was a monster of humanity's own creation. Not by birth a monster; simply by rejection and hatred borne of nothing more than instinct, made one. Do the Monster and his evil deeds warn against the pursuit of knowledge? or do they simply chastise a reckless disregard for life?

There is danger in the pursuit of knowledge, that isn't up for debate, but what I felt, reading The Modern Prometheus was moreso anger at Victor's actions than at the Monster's. It's not that he was justified, simply that he was made a Monster by his father's (and humanity's) utter rejection and detestation! And monsters are monstrous.

Regardless, it has given me much to consider, so I very much loved reading it! I liked how the characters were so one-dimensional... This might seem like not such a great thing, but it allowed me to focus more on the actual discussion being had on the page. It was like I was asked a very entertaining question, though there was nobody there to listen to my answers.

Mary Shelley... The GOAT? Perchance. Kinda peak, not gonna lie.

Let's go with a 5/5? It was extremely dramatic, as in -- "Oh Lord, I must faint!" -- and also in terms of the actual tension and drama of the plot. I guess that's the romantic movement I read about in the introduction? It was a little annoying, and much of the book felt like a diatribe on self-loathing. It was still enjoyable, somehow, but it felt a bit thick to read.

I also kept reading Progress and Poverty, and the more I read it, the more I like it. It's also kind of a pain to read, occasionally. It feels very repetitive, at times, but it does manage to get its point across rather well -- or it has managed to do so, so far, anyway. I can't call myself a Georgist quite yet, but I'm definitely on the way. This old-ass yank is persuading me! With his words!!

I wore my jeans, today.

Today wasn't a particularly cold day, but I got hit hard.

See, I go on my walk every evening, but recently I haven't been taking a jacket with me. It's been warm and nice! Even today, though it rained and was generally a little unpleasant, was actually not very cold at all... Except, at night. Upon the setting of the sun, it seems that all heat was instantly expunged from the Earth. Pain ensued. I didn't take a jacket, and was rewarded with cold wind and cold air, on a cold Winter's night. Nearly Spring, but still.

Regardless, it seems I survived...

I did start reading Progress and Poverty, and, so far, I've been enjoying it quite a bit. George was a little confusing at the start, I think both on a literary and technical level, in the sense that he didn't quite make his point clear or in a clear manner, but it picked up. He was also quite wrong about human population, but I think that's moreso an issue of science at the time and not of him, particularly. Thankfully, the point he was making didn't, at all, rely on that pillar, and he was proven right anyway. I'm about 1/5th of the way thru the thing.

I wore my jeans, today.

I've been meaning to read Henry George for the longest time now, and I've finally downloaded Progress and Poverty (the Gutenberg version).

Speaking of project Gutenberg... What a goldmine, holy crap! Incredible.

I'm excited to read. I mean, I'm reading other stuff right now (namely, Frankenstein, which I could've also gotten from Project Gutenberg...), but I think I'll jump right in anyway. I want to learn about different ways to manage society, if that makes sense.

Anyway, I wore my dark corduroy pants again, today.

It's been glorious weather. Really great.

Today, I'm having dinner.

Hunger hit me just a little too hard... I think, partly, because I'm having some puny apples for breakfast, instead of the glorious bananas I had last week. The bananas are over, unfortunately... The rack was basically empty at the store. Such a tragedy has befallen me, and yet no angels shed even a tear.

Lunch was bonkers, by the way. Vegetarian chilli. So. Freaking. Good. Actually, delicious. Is it weird that I enjoy canteen food so much? I'm a canteen enjoyer, for sure.

The weird rice they use is just beyond incredible. Wild rice, maybe? Brown rice? It's not regular white rice, for sure. It's a little... Rougher, somehow? It's so freaking good, actually. It rocks my world every time!

Plus, the price never ceases to please.

Still, I feel a little overweight... I think I may be overcalorising myself on the weekend. During the week, for sure I'm not eating too much. I know that one. But I may be overeating way too much on the weekends. I guess I'll check on Saturday how my weight is holding up, but I'm a little concerned.

I wore my dark corduroy pants, today.

I'm super looking forward to food, tomorrow. I wonder how common of a feeling this is... I really do just enjoy eating very much, especially cheap and good food. Can't get enough of it!

I genuinely think of eating tomorrow and I'm just straight up excited! I'm hype for lunch tomorrow!

In other news, I'm looking for a weekend job. I really should make some more money. We'll see how it goes.

I'm a little tired, ever so slightly hungry (even tho I actually ate quite a bit, today), and waiting for emails.

I'm really sleepy... Yesterday, I actually didn't get enough sleep. I've been trying to change my poor sleeping habits and succeeding, but yesterday was a bit of a fail...

I wore my dark corduroy pants, today.

I'm faced with a difficult choice.

To read or not to read... That is not the question! I will read -- there is no debate to be had or doubt in my mind! Yet, what shall I read... What world to delve into, what story to envision, what reality to imagine? The possibilities are endless, but thanks to the power of feeling like it, I have narrowed the fractally divergent options to two, equally valid works of world-class creative expression: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein or Rin Ono's Class de 2-banme ni Kawaii Onnanoko to Tomodachi ni Natta.

Peak, or peak. That is the question!

To answer it, I must undoubtedly face my darkest fears in a battle to the death, or so many stories have told me happens whenever big decisions come up. Perhaps, in my particular case, it will be only metaphorically... I can only hope, for my darkest fear, after all, might be that I don't have what it takes to defeat my darkest fears! This paradoxical Ouroboros of literary indecision leaves me no choice but to slay it nevertheless, or else I will be faced with a readless night, and that simply can't be!

I'll probably just keep reading Frankenstein, I'm halfway done anyway. It's been good, by the way, enjoying it quite a bit.

I wore jeans, today.

; or I Hate The Train App.

I do hate the train app. To the point that I'm strongly, strongly considering just writing a new one.

I wonder if I can replicate all the functionality... I hope so. I will actually look into this and try to do it. It's dreadful; Beyond dreadful, even! I HATE IT!

I don't have much more to report, today. Didn't do much.

Did keep reading Frankenstein. I'm enjoying the story very much. It's much more complex than I thought it would be. However, the prose is a little... Purple. It's really almost comical at times, how romantic it is.

I wore sweats and jeans, today.

I'm chilling, today.

It really wasn't that chill of a day, but I feel somewhat relaxed. I guess there's many things that could go wrong, many things that will go wrong surely, but the fact nothing went too wrong too fast gives me some space to chill out.

Unrelated, but lately I've been eating at the university canteen! So nice!!!!!

I had forgotten how convenient it is. So cheap, so delicious... Gosh, it's actually crazy. It's a privilege to have access to this, no doubt about that. I'm saving moneyyyys!!!

I wore jeans, today! That's right, no corduroy. I made a tactical decision and wore jeans to work.

I think about this sometimes... Living off-grid.

I think it'd be cool.

Of course, there's a lot of things I depend on the grid -- or many different grids -- for, like water and food and electricity and communication, for example, but there's a lot that could be replaced.

There's natural springs, I can grow my own food, and I can just... Go out and talk to people! Being off-grid shouldn't mean being isolated from society, I don't think; It should mean not relying on systems controlled by others. Being self-reliant and self-sufficient. That's what I think of as off-grid.

Even electricity, with solar cells and such, could be replaced. That one is a little iffy, I'm really not sure. The worst part, of course, is that I would still be dependent on the rest of the world and its supply chains and grids. If the solar cell breaks, for example, how do I fix it? And what if I can't, and need to get it replaced? How do I make more?!

The simple answer: I can't. I'm stuck.

Being off-grid, truly and forever-term (beyond long), requires a certain rejection of modern conveniences that I might not be able (or rather, willing) to give up.

Is that bad? Maybe.

On the other hand, humanity has been able to provide some great comforts to itself. That might be good.

Then again, what do those comforts costs? I suspect we're living on borrowed energy, borrowed fields, borrowed air. Earth will come ask for its dues, and all the money in the world won't make a dent in the debt.

Maybe modern conveniences are a poisoned cake.

Well, anyway, I wore my wool trousers, today. Long time no wool.