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Happy Fauschnaut Day!

Where I come from Fat Tuesday is known as Fauschnaut Day. Traditionally my family celebrates this day by getting the best doughnuts they can find and having a little party before Lent begins. While we were never strict observers of Lent, we were always sure to celebrate Fauschnaught Day. My wonderful parents are responsible for passing on some pretty special traditions, and this one is one of the greatest. I hope you’re all indulging a bit today

Geta

I forget how I ended up at this article, but it is fascinating none-the-less. It is an interesting introduction to geta, a style of traditional japanese footwear, at Pingmag. All that is left is to figure out where to buy a pair.

Vacation and the RV Culture

There is a sub-culture in the States that until a few years ago, I had been oblivious to - RV-ers. The most obvious indicator that you are near a member of this religion is a 10 to 40 foot-long behemoth towering nearby. From the vintage models to the ultra-luxury land yachts with built-in garages, there seems to be a general affliction suffered by their owners - Stuff.

Taking an RV on vacation is truly a self-defeating endeavor. After scheduling time off work and planning your trip the final preparation is to fill your RV up with all your earthly belongings - and food. For the rest of your vacation you are making sure things are either locked up while you’re sightseeing or not left behind when you relocate. You’re also cooking all the food you brought along - not that a good BQ isn’t the perfect picnic activity - but by the time you clean everything up and dispose of trash you realize you may as well have stayed home because you do all the same things there (only you have more space). If you were home you would miss out on the inevitable RV vacation activities that revolve around finding gas, dumping sewage, and docking at RV park that provides the necessary umbilical for water and power (that generator you’re toting around can only blend so many margaritas before it runs out of juice!).

Call me high maintenance, but why take a vacation at a glorified parking lot, cooking and cleaning like you’re at home? Why not escape into the wilderness with only what you can carry in your pack - or book a hotel where people are waiting on you hand and foot? Why make smalltalk with strangers parked two meters away? Why drag around all that stuff - the stuff you bought with all the money you made from the job you are taking a vacation from in the first place?