[DantesPeak]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PenultimateManStanding', 'I') have a feeling that the sadness will only increase as the bad news deepens. It's enough to make me wish I was a fundamentalist Christian and could believe The Rapture was approaching. I can't believe in such tales of course, but I can see how it might help to do so. But aside from that, one of the issues that bothers me is the uncertainty that won't go away. We've got data posted at the oildrum saying oil production peaked already in 2005. And we've got ASPO saying peak will occur in 2011. Dammit, I need to know, which is it?

[THEKINGHUBBERT]

Mmasters - I hope you have managed to question it again as I have and come to the conclusion that it does not matter.

It does not matter if it reality or an illusion.

It does not matter if it is simply mankinds growth meeting earth's geological limit or some conspiracy of grand proportions.

If it is reality then it explains alot and the same applies if it is a conspiracy.

It fits the round holes in their heads where the square peg once sat and thus it will work like a tool to accomplish the goals of TPTB.

So, have you managed to step that far away from it yet?

[Iaato]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('mmasters', 'I')aato, any thoughts for beating burnout? I'm relaxing for now, doing what I can to be on a good schedule, exercise some and eat healthy. I'm looking to get back in gear somewhat soon if possible.

[PrairieMule]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('mmasters', 'A')s of now I'm recovering from burn out after dealing with a prolonged bad work situation and some troubles in my personal life. So anyway it made me more aware of where our limits are and that burnout is a real phenomenon when people are pushed too hard (as when emotional stress becomes overwhelming for a prolonged period of time). I really believe that PO or events stemming from it have the power to burn out vast segements of society. Curious how many of you have dealt with breakdowns or depressions resulting from being overloaded. Experiencing it really leads me to believe that a good portion of society will become frail when TSHTF (as I'm more conscious of the possibility for it within myself).

[WildRose]

Sorry to hear you're feeling a little out-of-sorts, mmasters. Try not to stress about being away from it all for a while; rather, enjoy the time that you have to figure out what works for you.

An aunt and uncle of mine described to me a process they went through several years ago, when they were at the height of their working lives and their years raising children. They felt overwhelmed by their schedules and realized their collective level of satisfaction with everything on their plates was at an all-time low. What they did was this: they both took a few weeks off work and spent that time doing absolutely nothing. Then, they gradually added activities and responsibilities, immediately discarding anything that brought back the familiar feelings of stress, anxiety, or the vague sense that the activity was not something they wanted to spend any more time on. Anyway, what they ended up with after all this was more free time, more time together, more meaningful time with their kids, less stress and more energy. I'm happy to report that today they are in their 70's, retired, and I'd be hard-pressed to find another couple enjoying life more than those two are.

I don't know if you can see any similarities in this example to your situation, mmasters. I think we can all use a bit of re-evaluation in our lives at times, though.

[Revi]

We are living in an amazing time period, and lately I am just trying to enjoy the show. I am getting together with others who know what the deal is, but I've decided to quit talking as much about peak oil to most people. It's too late now anyway.

I do get a bit tired of the doom. I know that the doom is coming, but I've decided to be like Roberto Benini in Life is Beautiful. He knew that things were bad, but he told his son that he was building a tank when he was actually melting down metal for the Nazi war machine.

We're building a tank.

I try to tell my students that the future has hope. I may not believe it myself, but they just may make it anyway.

[americandream]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PenultimateManStanding', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pstarr', 'T')hat's the problem isn't it. The uncertainty. Not knowing. That place between heaven and hell.

They want to talk about work, movies, music, crops, economy and all I want to do is scream "peak oil, you f@ckin numbnuts." But that gets you nowhere fast.

[Heineken]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pstarr', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Heineken', 'I') am burned out from enduring the worst drought of my adult life. We have had only half an inch of rain here going back well into August, and it's running 5 to 10 degrees F warmer than "normal" each and every day. We went two whole weeks without even seeing a cloud. The sun is murderous. They're now calling for record highs in the 90s next week, which will be close to 20 degrees above normal. Our streams have dried up, our well is weakening, our forests are under severe stress, and fire looms. I've given up on some of my plantings, which are dying. There seems to be no end to this in sight.

If you're tied to the land in any way, a drought is absolutely the worst thing there is, except for a tornado, which at least is mercifully brief. A drought is slow torture, with ever-building pressure. I can well understand how drought-stricken farmers in Australia and India have been killing themselves rather than deal with it any longer.

I am burned out from taking care of two crazy, controling octogenarians, aka my parents. You talk about stress, mmasters!

Combine this personal stuff with what I know about PO, GW, the real economy, and the rest of it, and I'm feeling unusually gloomy. Wish I could do what roccman advises and just walk away, but it ain't that easy.

[threadbear]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('DantesPeak', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PenultimateManStanding', 'I') have a feeling that the sadness will only increase as the bad news deepens. It's enough to make me wish I was a fundamentalist Christian and could believe The Rapture was approaching. I can't believe in such tales of course, but I can see how it might help to do so. But aside from that, one of the issues that bothers me is the uncertainty that won't go away. We've got data posted at the oildrum saying oil production peaked already in 2005. And we've got ASPO saying peak will occur in 2011. Dammit, I need to know, which is it?

[Heineken]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('threadbear', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Heineken', 'I') am burned out from enduring the worst drought of my adult life. We have had only half an inch of rain here going back well into August, and it's running 5 to 10 degrees F warmer than "normal" each and every day. We went two whole weeks without even seeing a cloud. The sun is murderous. They're now calling for record highs in the 90s next week, which will be close to 20 degrees above normal. Our streams have dried up, our well is weakening, our forests are under severe stress, and fire looms. I've given up on some of my plantings, which are dying. There seems to be no end to this in sight.

If you're tied to the land in any way, a drought is absolutely the worst thing there is, except for a tornado, which at least is mercifully brief. A drought is slow torture, with ever-building pressure. I can well understand how drought-stricken farmers in Australia and India have been killing themselves rather than deal with it any longer.

I am burned out from taking care of two crazy, controling octogenarians, aka my parents. You talk about stress, mmasters!

Combine this personal stuff with what I know about PO, GW, the real economy, and the rest of it, and I'm feeling unusually gloomy. Wish I could do what roccman advises and just walk away, but it ain't that easy.

[vision-master]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'M')y standard response to stress is to increase my exercise, and that has generally worked. You produce all kinds of nasty free-floating catecholamines when stressed, and exercise burns them off. Bodily tressors for cave men (like a mastodon hunt, perhaps) typically responded well to running; but there are not too many mastodons around today, and typing doesn't burn those catecholamines off. Plus running creates endorphins, which are magical happy drugs similar to morphine.

[kadoomsoon]

Plan your finances to live for five years, it won't hurt if there is a little left over.
Heinikn, come to Or. We grow mushrooms here. I just woke up and found a whole flower be FULL of diamond studded pufballs, and I said What is going on here?: And the neighbor goes, oh no, it is mushroom season, enjoy! (eat before they turn dark inside)

lots of berries and mushrooms and rivers and rain and fireplace and wood.
come. the move gives yo something to do, and it is exciting being near the ocean.

I am a little sad you don't belive in other scenes, so many religions have been spore bait sucking the money out of their people.

When you get sad, do this one thing, Go into the woods or outside at night see the stars, endless or feel the wind or hear the creek where it is quiet. Just ask, God, help me believe in who you really are.not the fake evil one who tortures people, the moneymaker, but in the one who made all these beautiful things. Show me who you are. Reveal yourself to me. That is it.

That is it. Then go for a walk.

Next time you have a chance remember what he said.
Those who come to me I will in no way cast out. He doesn't lie.

then read genesis, see how it goes.

The neat thing is we are all the same in his ind, if youmade something, and you are an artist that is exceptional, whatever you make is special.

anyway, don't worry how long, just remeber today only.
Quality..When a house fire comes, the artist always saves his pictures he drew first. If you get what I mean.

Anyway, the walk will always help.

[SILENTTODD]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('roccman', 'T')ake a hike...ride a bike...

[mkwin]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('threadbear', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('mkwin', 'W')ell I am under a lot of pressure at the moment. I do a pretty fast paced high pressure job in the city and knowing it has no future means I have lost all motivation and it shows in my performance.

I will be telling my boss that I am quitting over the next couple of days and I will be moving back home some 150 miles away to start retraining for a job that might still be needed post-peak in a moderate scenario. Man peak oil is hard. So many uncertainties.

[MD]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('vision-master', '.')..I like walking in the woods with my black lab the best now. Did a 1 1/2 hour hike today. Somedays I'll go for 3 hours...

[Heineken]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('kadoomsoon', 'P')lan your finances to live for five years, it won't hurt if there is a little left over.
Heinikn, come to Or. We grow mushrooms here. I just woke up and found a whole flower be FULL of diamond studded pufballs, and I said What is going on here?: And the neighbor goes, oh no, it is mushroom season, enjoy! (eat before they turn dark inside)

lots of berries and mushrooms and rivers and rain and fireplace and wood.
come. the move gives yo something to do, and it is exciting being near the ocean.

I am a little sad you don't belive in other scenes, so many religions have been spore bait sucking the money out of their people.

When you get sad, do this one thing, Go into the woods or outside at night see the stars, endless or feel the wind or hear the creek where it is quiet. Just ask, God, help me believe in who you really are.not the fake evil one who tortures people, the moneymaker, but in the one who made all these beautiful things. Show me who you are. Reveal yourself to me. That is it.

That is it. Then go for a walk.

Next time you have a chance remember what he said.
Those who come to me I will in no way cast out. He doesn't lie.

then read genesis, see how it goes.

The neat thing is we are all the same in his ind, if youmade something, and you are an artist that is exceptional, whatever you make is special.

anyway, don't worry how long, just remeber today only.
Quality..When a house fire comes, the artist always saves his pictures he drew first. If you get what I mean.

Anyway, the walk will always help.

[TT]

Heineken,

I have been where you are now. 7 years of terrible drought, devastating fires, crippling water restrictions, everywhere dust underfoot, garden plants dead and dried out.

Yet I have found that the rains do come again. Just recently we had rain. So much, in fact, that houses were inundated or even washed away. The pump houses at the catchment dam were washed away and bridges over the local creeks destroyed. That was in July and we have had no rain since. So we are back to drought and already bush fires are threatening.

I was depressed because I felt that I was powerless to deal with drought, fire and flood. But then I took some positive action. We drilled a bore, we installed another 26,000 gallon water storage tanks in addition to the 25,000 gals we already had. We installed a drip water system for the gardens which is very economical on water. We installed a mist sprinkler system on the roof for fire protection. We dug two huge dams on the property.

At first these extra tanks and dams were sitting empty, but when the rains came they filled and they supply us with enough water for a full year of house use and irrigation. We also have enough to share with the neighbours so they can grow a good vegetable garden.

What we did wasn't cheap, but didn't cost as much as you might think because we did most of the work ourselves and we now feel more empowered to deal with our changing weather patterns.

Look around and take positive action where ever possible. Even a little with help you feel more empowered.

[Last_Laff]

If the prices barred me from the travel from one place to back home, I'd pull out my bug out baggage and ride down the long journey across 3 provinces. If I have to.

[Heineken]

TT: Thank you for your thoughts.

We're not used to severe drought around here, so it's more of a shock than a drought in Australia, I suppose. We're just not set up to handle it at all, but I hear what you are saying about taking proactive steps.

I may have to consider having my land (which is nearly all heavily forested) clear-cut. Then at least the house would probably survive a fire . . . although I've heard that burning cinders can blow long distances and land on rooftops. Since the woods may well burn off anyway, I could get some economic return for the lumber and not feel guilty. We may just have to shift to a regime of more open land around the house, which we'd mow to keep open.

It would be expensive to get rid of all those stumps, though, and grade and seed.

I guess in the future Virginia will look a lot more like Australia . . .