Perhaps I should be saying "ironic"? You be the judge.
What's synchronistic is right after viewing Trusting the Universe with Alan Watts at OMSI, one of my credit cards went missing, a business platinum (that's a color code only, only stiff plastic, a magnetic strip, and a chip, are involved in the card itself, no platinum per se).
So now I get to trust the banking system to keep that particular card from getting used, so long as it's not in my possession.
I locked it (through the bank website), and am gradually switching anything it autopayed to some other card, in preparation for declaring it lost. I'm waiting for pending transactions to clear (including a balance payment) before I close it down.
In other trivia, I've been sampling non-alchie beers around town, having given up alcohol at least a year ago by now. Or I should say "most" alcohol because these non-alchie beers still contain trace amounts, claiming < 0.5% on the can usually.
The checkout cashier at John's Marketplace said beer sales overall are down this season, except the non-alchie market is still performant, which is nice for those in the beer trade, which John's is.
Not so trivial: Paul, my "non-indentured Brit gardener" as I jokingly call him -- he's a hobby gardener, retired chef, using my space for a few projects while he lives in a nearby apartment -- tripped on an uneven sidewalk around the corner from here and had to visit the ER. Nothing broken but he has an arm cast. The good news: he'll heal fine.
The custom in Portland is the homeowner is responsible for the chunk of sidewalk fronting their property.
So should we say the land plots stretch right to the curb and includes the far side margin? The city gets an easement through my property, to build a sidewalk for me to maintain? No, that's not quite right. I'm sure a chatbot might enlighten me, regarding whiteman property law.
I should get a framed plot of my land, like Sam has. Maybe City Services has a way for me to order one online. City of Roses: a City that Works. A local slogan. Back to irony again?
These are the kinds of issues a homeowner has to worry about: exactly what do they own? If you're a renter, what are you renting exactly? Whose problem is it if something breaks or, more likely in this part of the world, leaks? The sidewalk section under my jurisdiction is fortunately in an OK state, true for all the neighbors on both sides as well.
In contrast to how the sidewalks get maintained, when it comes to large trees potentially interfering with the power lines, PG&E comes around with its own fleet of tree trimming vehicles. The homeowner is not on the hook for power line maintenance, praise Allah.
Speaking of apartments and space to garden (Portland is great for gardening, and for the plant nursery business), I thought Tim Dillon's critique of the tiny dorm room apartment, as unsuitable for entertaining guests, was spot on.
Mixed use high rises offer some respect, in allowing residents to book various types of meeting room for their hosted events.
The "pattern language" idea, of Christopher Alexander fame comes to mind.
Part of being a responsible adult is the freedom to host events, to entertain guests, live in person. If one's sleeping quarters are the only space a person controls, the that person will encounter many logistical barriers to hosting meetups of various kinds.
In a mixed use high rise, residents have various building apps and access to shared calendars that allow them to distribute the meetups, order catering, summon specific decor.
However ideally the yurt or pod or apartment also comes with enough space for at least two or three guests, in what in my culture we call a "living room".
In some New England cultures, closer to the Atlantic seaboard (I'm in Cascadia, on the Pacific side of North America), one may have an ornamental almost ceremonial "living room" that's used only on special occasions, with a messier "rec room" somewhere else.
In suburban designs, apartments too, an open kitchen will often double as the rec room, with an integrated serving island or counter, and home theater and gaming area. Another word for rec room is family room. But when company is over, there's a more formal space for entertaining outsiders.
Some of the wealthier immigrants to Cascadia import this family vs formal room lifestyle from the Hamptons or Long Island or wherever they're from. There's the premise of having a large freestanding house, perhaps with multiple floors, perhaps built in the Tudor style.
Those coming from an apartment background, houseboat or moored watercraft, RV or mobile home, are more accustomed to economizing on space. Luxury yachts, with rooms to spare, might include an entire temple room with an altar, vs simply a compact shelf with shrine.
Many people I know are somewhat repulsed by the profligate lifestyles featuring conspicuous consumption. Having grown up around the profligate myself, I'm less likely to have that "fish out of water" feeling when immersed in some affluenza zone. I'm also a veteran of the conference hotel circuit, which is influential on my own ideas about living standards.
I'm fortunate to have outdoors spaces, with room for Paul's gardening projects, along with a BBQ station and round table (low to the ground) for gatherings, weather permitting. I have people over rather frequently. I have a guest rooms and a private office upstairs.
I also have a free-standing garage, which I use for storage. My car sits in the driveway, rusting away. It's a 1997 Nissan, a Maxima, and made its way here from Savannah, Georgia, when its former owner joined the Blue House crew. She has since lived in one of those mixed use high rises with small apartments but with bookable meeting spaces, which we've visited.
