[crapattack]

What's so wrong with being 'nuts' anyway. If this world is sane than who wants to be. Really. Don't worry what other people think so much and do what you know is right.

If your wife thinks so little of you for stocking up on a few canned goods and emergency supplies then she's a bag. As a last resort tell her it's for avian flu. WHO recommends having 4 months of food and water on hand.

[aldente]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pstarr', 'P')ersonal insanity is the subjective judgement by consensus opinion of a physiological condition.

[Wednesday]

Nothing wrong with guns, either. They don't devalue as an investment and you can always get your own supper. I plan to add another rifle to our collection this year.

When people make noise about my relationship with our society and my seemingly inappropriate response to it, I simply mock the subversive nature of my tomatoes. Seriously, who can complain about my garden?

I grow tomatoes and other pretty veggies in my yard, I'm such a conspiracy nut! Whoo! Whoo! Where's my tinfoil garden growing hat?

The things I have been doing, surprisingly enough, are many of the things that I have always wanted to do and didn't for lack of time. Now that I have got a better handle on how my garden works, it is time for something new. I think Im going to make a patchwork quilt for the very first time.

What a crazy political rabblerouser I am, making a quilt for my bed! Tsk.

My point is this, you don't have to explain to anyone why you are doing it, just do it. Your wife knows what you're up to now, give her time to digest and think. At some point, someone will put the words PEAK OIL in the headlines of a newspaper. She has eyes and a brain, it's up to her.

Last summer, my husband grumbled about the cost of setting up my garden bed. I honestly think he only did it to indulge me. This summer, he presented me with a list of what he wants in his salad, no grumbles!

[Wednesday]

Nothing wrong with guns, either. They don't devalue as an investment and you can always get your own supper. I plan to add another rifle to our collection this year.

When people make noise about my relationship with our society and my seemingly inappropriate response to it, I simply mock the subversive nature of my tomatoes. Seriously, who can complain about my garden?

I grow tomatoes and other pretty veggies in my yard, I'm such a conspiracy nut! Whoo! Whoo! Where's my tinfoil garden growing hat?

The things I have been doing, surprisingly enough, are many of the things that I have always wanted to do and didn't for lack of time. Now that I have got a better handle on how my garden works, it is time for something new. I think Im going to make a patchwork quilt for the very first time.

What a crazy political rabblerouser I am, making a quilt for my bed! Tsk.

My point is this, you don't have to explain to anyone why you are doing it, just do it. Your wife knows what you're up to now, give her time to digest and think. At some point, someone will put the words PEAK OIL in the headlines of a newspaper. She has eyes and a brain, it's up to her.

Last summer, my husband grumbled about the cost of setting up my garden bed. I honestly think he only did it to indulge me. This summer, he presented me with a list of what he wants in his salad, no grumbles!

[Revi]

I agree with you Wednesday. Maybe we don't need to convince everyone about all the reality of peak oil anymore. It's so obvious now that high energy prices are here to stay. Anything we do now saves money (and energy). We don't have to tell them about depletion curves and the the way everything works. All we have to do is tell them that local oil dealers are saying $3 a gallon for next winter. Time to make a quilt! Food is going up. Time to plant tomatoes. What's so complicated about that?

[AGuest]

I recently purchased my first gun, .22 handgun, with the intention of practicing with it until I was comfortable and then possibly trading up to something more substantial. I happen to live in the San Francisco Bay Area without plans to leave for at least one year and although I've never been "a gun person", I thought owning a self-defense tool was prudent. Initially, my wife hesitantly agreed, but now that I have actually purchased one (still in the waiting period), she has become upset with the idea. She was upset by the owner's manual images of the gun. Now she cannot tolerate the thought of having a gun in the house. She wants me to sell it back to the store immediately. That kicked off an argument where she said I was making her depressed with all my talk about peak oil "adjustments". The act of preparing for peak oil forces the acknowledgement that there may be "tough times", and that makes her upset because she doesn't think it will be so bad. She is angry at me for "making her scared all the time". She is fairly optimistic about the peak oil transition and feels that in some ways it will make life better. I have altered our finances from a "traditional" portfolio towards a "peak oil proof" version, although she has insisted on not "going all the way". I feel frustrated by her resistance to preparations that I have put so much thought into. We may move in a year and when I suggested that peak oil considerations should play a part in our selection of a new place to live, she went ballistic. I want to ensure we'll do as well as possible during peak oil, she feels like I'm paranoid and doesn't want me to overdo it.

[crapattack]

AGuest, welcome. Lots of folks around here have experienced similar things with their spouses and it's hard. I think women might find it harder to adjust to PO reality but I'm just guessing. Maybe Doly and others can refute me but it seems that way to me. To help your wife adjust I'd not leave the manuals around and put the gun out of sight. Put it in the attic or behind a bookcase, or leave it at a friends place.

[BastardSquad]

Let me start by asking you to please diregard my last response.It was for a different thread and yet strangly it ended up in this one

Well,my first peice of advice is that there are two types of people,those that "get it" and those that don't.The former seem to be an extreme minority in our world.Accept the fact that no amount of ranting and raving and facts and figures from you is going to do much good.For most people,a problem that does not affect them here and now,isn't a problem at all,they have to learn the hard way.

Try not to be so obsessed that it ruins your marraige,just chillout and prepare quietly.She'll apologise and thank you lator.

As far as her belief in a technofix is concerned,it can't be completely ruled out.I personaly put the chances of a TF right next to zero,but hey,stranger things have happend(though I can't think of any right now),nanotechnology might save the day.Do your best to reason with her(and yourself) on this issue,but try not to fight about it.

As for your preperations right now,can you afford them?No sense in making yourself homeless and starving in an attempt to avoid homelessness and starvation.

As for your concern for your little one,trust me when I say "I get it!"
We have a 2 year old little girl and I can't help but be fearful of her future.

I don't think my sweetheart and I have have ever had a fight over the whole PO prep thing,but we've had our disagreements.What got her off my case was when I explained that " the worst thing I could ever experience would be to watch our little girl suffer and die when I knew I could do something to prevent it,and did nothing!"

The hardest part about preparing for PO lies in the fact that no one really knows with any great certainty how it's going to play out.

I really have no idea about how much "stuff" you have at this point,but I would just suggest that you prepare wisely.Start simple and go from there.

If you're really worried about an all out doomsday scenario(extreme famine,cannablistic zombies trying to eat you and yours) then your best chance for survival IMHO,as someone else already said,is to head deep into the wilderness and live the life of a hunter/gatherer.In this case it's better to have a minimum amount of gear and a maximum amount of knowlege than the other way around.(PM me for my short list)

However we may not see the doomsday scenario for quite sometime,if ever,just a slow decline.In this case it's best to be as self reliant as possible.Can you produce your own electricity if you can no longer afford the bill?What would you do if you lost your job and were faced with homelessness?


Sooooo many more things I wanted to say,but it's well past my bedtime.

Bottom line,take a deep breath,relax,and try to study the situation as rationally as possble.

[Quigley]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('AGuest', 'I') recently purchased my first gun, .22 handgun, with the intention of practicing with it until I was comfortable and then possibly trading up to something more substantial. ... I feel frustrated by her resistance to preparations that I have put so much thought into.

[catbox]

My wife has always been someone who does not like to hear bad news...as we fall further into PO, she has started taking an interest in the situation. Even going to go hear Kuntsler speak here in Eugene on the 10th. She has also been really supportive of our move to get our home environment ready. We both agree that if anything, hard times are ahead but we'll also be living a cheaper reality by ditching a car and growing the majority of our food.

I happy to have her!

cb

[Wednesday]

In case I seem like an over-enlightened female who "gets it", let me assure you that I am not a saint. Let me be perfectly honest and maybe you'll find some patience with your wives.

In amongst my stockpile of canned goods, salvaged wood, ammo and silver coins there are also a few designer cosmetics!

I will be happy to wear homespun and brush my teeth with salt and water but dammit, I want an expensive rosy glow on my cheeks!

Seems silly, but it's not. My husband is enthusiastic about anything I do that makes me feel pretty and sexy. He knows ultimately it will benefit him!
When Im hungry and stressed out, I want a few nice things to soothe me. I am careful to choose items with a long shelf life. (Ladies, I mean powders instead of creams, much longer shelf life...) I am able to rationalize the expense because I also make a lot of my own serums and treatments. You'd be amazed at some of the results I get using ingredients that are already in my kitchen or bathroom. Dry skin? Just get out your honey bear and put it straight on your face. Honey is a natural humectant. Add a teaspoon of plain white sugar and you've got a scrub. Try it! It works! I'm full of DIY recipes, that's a whole 'nother thread.

We also have a few bottles of nice wine, some good scotch and other luxuries stashed away. It is my intent to make these for very special occasions. I know they might not be affordable later.

It's interesting to note that during the Blitz on London during WW2, that sales of bright red lipstick and nail laquer went thru the roof. I guess when every day might be your last, you want to feel alive and beautiful...and sexy.

I don't really know how I would cope if my spouse was in denial, fortunately he's really only got one materialistic vice, and that is electronics. I asked him about a 200.00 dollar check he wrote for computer parts and he replied "Hey that came out of my allowance! It's allowed! Think of it as makeup!"

He's cute. We both have our vices. We are getting better, though. At least he didn't use the credit card. (We both have a small allowance that we dont have to answer to the other one for. Fact is, I almost ALWAYS spend mine, he may or may not, depending...He tends to save his up for big ticket items, and I spend mine on little sundries, not necessarily all for me.)

You have to make your wife understand that it's NOT the end of the world, but rather the dawn of a new awareness! We are living on the cusp of a new era! These are exciting times.

[threadbear]

I think you should put on something a little sexy, blow dry your hair, put some honeybear on your lips, and whisper in her sweet little ear that we're all truly f'd.

[Wednesday]

^^I think you should stop being such an ass and stop spreading your fucked up brand of feminine misogyny all over the forums.

I understand that you are a victim of your own bad choices, and that you do not realize that there is another way to live.

I'll agree that youre fucked.

[threadbear]

What feminine mysogeny is that then, Wednesday? Perhaps you should be little more specific. Are you easily angered?

[Wednesday]

I don't have the inclination to discover whether or not you're so full of self-loathing that you just despise all women, or if you really just think you're so much better than all the rest of us.

Perhaps you're a man masquerading as a woman.

In any case, I don't like you. You've said enough ridiculous, bitter, hateful things on this forum to convince me that you're a person I want to avoid.

You keep seeking my attention anyway, for some reason. Perhaps it's that self-loathing at work, I'm not really all that curious to find out.

[threadbear]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Wednesday', 'I') don't have the inclination to discover whether or not you're so full of self-loathing that you just despise all women, or if you really just think you're so much better than all the rest of us.

Perhaps you're a man masquerading as a woman.

In any case, I don't like you. You've said enough ridiculous, bitter, hateful things on this forum to convince me that you're a person I want to avoid.

You keep seeking my attention anyway, for some reason. Perhaps it's that self-loathing at work, I'm not really all that curious to find out.

[threadbear]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('willjones4', 'M')y wife believes in Peak Oil based on some of the things Ive shared with her. Problem is, she thinks that "they" are working to come up with alternatives and all will be OK. We even got into a shouting match this morning. She thinks I am wasting our money on the candles, lanterns, canned food, books, guns, etc and told me that Im not living in "reality". What to do??? We have a 16 month old son that this will affect and I feel Im being asked to "stand down" on the coming situation---which is something I cannot do...

{moved by Shannymara}

[MattSavinar]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Wednesday', 'I')n case I seem like an over-enlightened female who "gets it", let me assure you that I am not a saint. Let me be perfectly honest and maybe you'll find some patience with your wives.

In amongst my stockpile of canned goods, salvaged wood, ammo and silver coins there are also a few designer cosmetics!

I will be happy to wear homespun and brush my teeth with salt and water but dammit, I want an expensive rosy glow on my cheeks!

Seems silly, but it's not. My husband is enthusiastic about anything I do that makes me feel pretty and sexy. He knows ultimately it will benefit him!

It's interesting to note that during the Blitz on London during WW2, that sales of bright red lipstick and nail laquer went thru the roof. I guess when every day might be your last, you want to feel alive and beautiful...and sexy.

H.

[MattSavinar]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Wednesday', '^')^I think you should stop being such an ass and stop spreading your fucked up brand of feminine misogyny all over the forums.

I understand that you are a victim of your own bad choices, and that you do not realize that there is another way to live.

I'll agree that youre fucked.

[Wednesday]

Yeah, I might be a little unusual. My sister isn't.

Her response to PO is "I have three boys to raise, I don't have time for this."

Sorry about the f-bomb.

Thanks for the compliment.