Cool Mountain Air

“When you stand on top of that mountain and you look out,
you will know that you will never again look back.”

-Anthony T. Hincks

 

Listening to: Learning to Fly by Tom Petty

Well I started out down a dirty road
Started out all alone
And the sun went down as I crossed the hill
And the town lit up, the world got still
-Tom Petty

 

“The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences,
and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon,
for each day to have a new and different sun.”
-Chris McCandless

 

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The Roads We Choose

Roll down the window and let the wind blow back your hair
Well, the night’s busting open, these two lanes will take us anywhere
Thunder Road by Bruce Springsteen

Listening to: Highwayman

Are you on the road you want to be on in life? You are the driver. You are the navigator. Take the wheel. Navigate to a life you love!

“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned by a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure.” -Chris McCandless

 

“Just get out and do it. Just get out and do it.”
– Chris McCandless

We gotta get out while were young `cause tramps like us,
Baby we were born to run
Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen

Goin’ places that I’ve never been
Seein’ things that I may never see again
And I can’t wait to get on the road again
-Willie Nelson

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a Sea of Sorrow

“Her absence is like the sky, spread over everything.”
– C.S. Lewis, A Grief Observed

Listening to: Chopin’s Prelude in E-Minor (on repeat)

Since my sweet girl Tiff passed over, I’ve found it incredibly difficult to face writing on this blog. Hence why there hasn’t been a new post on here since the first week of July. Sometimes life is just painful. I miss Tiff more than my heart can bare. If that’s not enough pain, tomorrow is the anniversary of my mother’s passing. There is immense beauty in life, but also great sorrow. Currently, I am surrounded by a sea of sorrow, while my tears, like rain, continue to fall.

“Those who do not weep, do not see.”
– Victor Hugo, Les Misérables

I have many beautiful photos of Tiff I could’ve shared on this post, but I chose this one instead. It was taken last year when we either had just woken up or were going to sleep. Through the no-makeup and bad lighting, you can really feel the essence of our relationship. Our bond was unlike any other.

“When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.”
– Kahlil Gibran

I’m hoping to get back into writing on here more frequently, but please be patient with me as I am missing my mother, my dog, and my grandpa.

“Come away, O human child!
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
For the world’s more full of weeping than you can understand.”
– W.B. Yeats, The Collected Poems of W.B. Yeats

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Why I Don’t Believe in Credit Cards

Credit cards are terrible. Here are 5 reasons why I don’t believe in using them.

1. I like the anonymity of cash. No, I’m not in the mafia or a drug lord haha. I just don’t like being tracked. If you’ve done any research on this, then you know how disturbing and intrusive it is to be spied on by companies wanting to further their own agenda of getting you to part with your money.

2. Avoid the debt drama. I don’t want to deal with paying annual fees, interest, and/or late fees.

3. Studies have shown that you spend more when paying with plastic.

4. Cash is king. You can actually get bigger discounts from using cash than you would get in “cash back” from your credit card. Credit card “rewards” are a sham.

5. Simplicity. I’d rather not have my wallet, time, and finances cluttered up with credit cards. I want to live as freely as possible, unencumbered.

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The Importance of Curiosity

“I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.” 
– Albert Einstein

I was that child who was constantly asking questions. I relentlessly annoyed adults with my curiosity. I am that person that if you ask me to do something, I will want to know why. I’ll want to know how something works. I’ll want to know the history behind something. I find it incredibly sad that many adults squash and silence the curiosity in children to the point that kids stop finding learning to be exciting. Thankfully I kept my curiosity.

The definition of curiosity is: the desire to learn or know about anything; inquisitiveness.
That doesn’t sound like a bad thing to me. 

Walter Isaacson said, “Throughout his life, Albert Einstein would retain the intuition and the awe of a child. He never lost his sense of wonder at the magic of nature’s phenomena-magnetic fields, gravity, inertia, acceleration, light beams-which grown-ups find so commonplace. He retained the ability to hold two thoughts in his mind simultaneously, to be puzzled when they conflicted, and to marvel when he could smell an underlying unity. “People like you and me never grow old,” he wrote a friend later in life. “We never cease to stand like curious children before the great mystery into which we were born.”

Everybody knows the saying “curiosity killed the cat”, but it’s very misleading and doesn’t mean what you think it does. The original proverb (attributed to Ben Jonson) said “Care killed the cat”. In 1598 “care” actually meant “worry” or “sorrow”. (source) “Worry killed the cat” is radically different than “curiosity killed the cat”.

Now, another thing that is rarely mentioned is that there is a second part to the curiosity phrase:
“Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.

Curiosity has resulted in technological advancements, important discoveries, great works of art, music, and literature. Without curiosity man would have never walked on the moon. Without curiosity we wouldn’t have modern technology.

“Curiosity is one of the permanent and certain characteristics of a vigorous intellect.”
– Samuel Johnson, The Rambler

Be curious. Ask questions. Live in wonder.
Curiosity is essential for growth.

Why you may or may not want to watch baseball with me:
I will wonder what year each team was established. I will wonder why and how the team got its name.

I will wonder what’s the slowest you could possibly pitch the ball and still have it reach the catcher. (The answer is, it depends. Due to many variables like, the height of the pitcher, the altitude, the humidity percentage etc. A pretty accurate estimate though is around 27 mph.)

Now, I am a girl and will also also comment during the game things like, “Oh he’s cute!” or “Ewww, I’d hate to be that guy’s girlfriend. He chonks his gum disgustingly. He would be horrendous to eat at a restaurant with!”

Don’t be afraid to be inquisitive. Remember that there are no stupid questions. 

Here’s some basic questions you could ask:

Who? Says who?
What? What for?
What more can I do?
What will happen?
When? Where?
Why? Why not?
Why should I care? Why does it matter?
How? How does it work?
(you get the idea)

“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.”
– Albert Einstein

Stay curious my friends.
– Kayla Oliver

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25 Tips on How to Survive with Little to No Air Conditioning

 

Today’s high was 112 degrees Fahrenheit! When weather alerts are put out for excessive heat, you know shiz is gettin’ real. Needless to say I’m finding it nearly impossible to live completely without air conditioning haha. If you live in an area with mild summers, then you can obviously get away without having any air conditioning at all. However, living in the American southwest, our summers are scorching.

• Today about 87% of US homes have air conditioning, compared to only 10% in 1965!
• 13% of homes in Mexico have AC.
• The US uses more AC than the entire world combined, and there are far more warmer countries than ours!

AC units consume large amounts of electricity, which isn’t good financially or for the environment. Plus I believe in being in tune with Mother Earth as much as possible, and artificially cooled houses aren’t exactly conducive to that. BUT, being able to keep moderately cool in extreme temperatures can be a huge blessing. Air conditioning has saved lives. Heat stroke is no bueno. At the end of the post I share our two scenarios for cooling down our house.

• Air conditioners pull hot air out of homes and push it outside, which has caused many cities nightly temperatures to actually rise! So people then use their AC even more. It’s a vicious cycle.
• Refrigerants are toxic and deplete the ozone layer.
• In the US our AC emits about 100 million tons of CO2 into the environment.

If you are accustomed to keeping your household temp super low, it may take some time to get used to not living in an ice box haha. Trust me though, you will acclimate. Gradually raise the temperature on your thermostat if you need to instead of going cold turkey. A bonus is the outside summer heat isn’t as big of a deal if your house is already 85°, but going from 68° to 105° is quite a shock!

(PS I will be posting an update soon on my 5 extreme household challenges. )

Okay, one more thing before we jump into the 25 tips. Here is something from Mr. Electricity, which I can attest is true! Science is cool.

“It’s a myth that it takes less energy to run the AC all day, rather than leaving it off and turning it on when you get home.  Running the AC all day when you’re away definitely uses more energy, no question.

The reason is that with the AC constantly running, it’s constantly cooling your home, making it a heat magnet.  Heat goes to where it’s not, so when your house is cooler, more heat will try to enter.  So more heat gets into your house, and the AC has to remove that heat, over and over again.

But if you leave the AC off, then the house will heat up during the day and then stop heating up. It’s already hot so it’s no longer a heat magnet.  When you get home and turn on the AC, the AC has less total heat to remove than if it had been running all day.

Yes, I’ve tested this, of course.  In my test, running the AC all day used 317% as much electricity as waiting until after work to turn it on.” 

 

With all that being said, here are 25 tips to help you live without or with minimal use of air conditioning.

 

1. Wear cool, breathable clothes. (or no clothes haha)

2. Splash cold water on your pulse points – wrists, face, neck, etc. Misters, squirt bottles, or a damp bandana are super nice to have.

3. Take cold showers.

4. Go swimming in a pool, lake, river, pond, or ocean.

5. Use a fan. It won’t cool down your house, but it will help you feel cooler. Bonus points if you splash water on yourself first, then sit in front of a fan!

6. Block out heat and light with curtains, blinds, window tint, insulators or anything else you have.

7. Shade your house with trees, bushes, plants, or an awning.

8. Avoid using things during the day that produce heat (dryer, oven, hair dryer, lights, electronics etc).

9. Hang out elsewhere during the hottest part of the day. Do your grocery shopping, go to the library, museum, or a friends house. Fun Fact: Movie theaters in the 1920’s were some of the first places to use air conditioning. Hence, huge amounts of people started going to the movies! Summer blockbusters were born.

10. Eat cool foods and drink cold drinks. Make sure to stay well hydrated!

11. When/if the outside temperature gets lower than inside your house, open up all the windows to cool your house naturally! You can use fans to help suck in cool air and create a wind tunnel.

12. If you are going to run your AC a little bit, make sure to open all vents and interior doors for good air circulation. Contrary to popular belief, closing off rooms and vents is actually very hard on your air conditioner!

13. Shade your AC unit, or only run it at night. An air conditioner in direct sunlight will have to work even harder.

14. Sleep on the ground, low to the ground, or in your basement (hot air rises). A more chill option would be to sleep on a hammock for better air circulation.

15. Sleep outside, set up a tent in your backyard, or sleep on your porch like Southerners used to do. One of the highlights of my childhood was sleeping out on the trampoline. Nothing beats falling asleep while gazing at the stars!

16. Make sure your house is insulated and weatherproofed properly. (caulk around windows, weatherstrip doors etc.)

17. Use frozen water bottles or ice bags. Put them in bed with you, or to ice yourself during the day.

18. Spritz your screens with water when you open your windows. In ancient Egypt they hung reeds or wet cloths in their windows and door ways. Early version of the swamp cooler.

19. Wear your hair up off your neck, or cut your hair short. Long hair is synonymous with wearing a heavy scarf!

20. Make sure air ducts are sealed so cool air isn’t leaking into your attic.

21. Rest in the heat of the day. We don’t want to raise our body temps unnecessarily. Save your strenuous activities for when it’s a cooler part of the day.

22. Avoid snuggling too much, save that for the winter.

23. If you are getting a new roof, install a white one.

24. Paint the interior and exterior of your house white or a light color. It won’t hold the heat like darker colors do.

25. The easiest option is to avoid the heat all together. Escape the heat and go camping in the mountains. (Take your pets with you though! Don’t leave them behind to suffer.)

 

Here’s our two summer scenarios for how we cool off our house.

#1 If the high is 112° F, it’s 95° at midnight, and the low is 76° around 6 a.m. we do the following:

• Keep the AC turned off all day long until about 10 p.m.

• At 10 p.m. or later we turn the AC on to about 78 or 80 degrees, just so it’s comfortable enough to sleep.
(note: if it’s extremely hot and it’s higher than 87° in our house, we will turn the AC on to 82° even if it’s 6 p.m. instead of our usual 10 p.m., then turn it off. That’s been a rare occurrence though, even on the hottest days, our house usually only heats up to about 85 or 86 degrees.)
• We turn the air conditioning off when we go to bed.
• In the early morning when the outside temp is at its low, we open all the windows to cool the house naturally from about 78°, down to whatever the low happens to be.
• IF we weren’t able to cool our house down enough, we will turn the AC on to 72°-ish, then turn it off for the entire day and then proceed with our routine that night.

So in total with this scenario we only have our AC on for about 4-6 hours compared to our neighbors whose units are running 24/7.

#2 If the high is 100°, and the low is 65° AKA my favorite of the two:

• As soon as the outside temp is cooler than our house, we open up all of the windows.
• We close windows at bedtime though because I find it difficult to sleep with them open all night. 
• We open the windows again in the early morning to cool the house down even more.
• Then we close everything up and are able to completely avoid using the air conditioner!

I do want to point out that everyone’s body is a unique constitution. You will want to be mindful of your health. In Ayurveda my dosha is Vata. My constitutional elements are predominantly ether and air. Basically my body is naturally cold so the sun energizes me and the warmth balances me out etc. However, Donovan’s dosha is Pitta, which is the fire and water element. His body already has a lot of heat, so too much heat is not good for him and can cause rashes. For him it’s extremely important to find balance to the fire by implementing cooling things using these 25 tips. I work from home and Donovan works at an office so it works out just fine since I’m fine living mostly without AC. I just wanted to mention that so you don’t make yourself completely miserable if your dosha is Pitta.

I hope that you’ve found this information to be helpful! Thanks for taking the time to read this 🙂 .
– Kayla Oliver

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Classical Music: 3 Magnificent Songs

“To send light into the darkness of men’s hearts
– such is the duty of the artist.”

Robert Schumann

One of my very first posts I wrote on here was 5 Breathtaking Classical Songs. I adore classical music. There have been numerous studies on the benefits of classical music, which I may write about in its own post. I briefly talked about in the last classical music post about how my mother introduced me to classical music at a young age, so I completely agree with Luciano Pavarotti’s quote, “It is so important for people at a young age to be invited to embrace classical music and opera.”

Without further ado, here are 3 Classical songs that are exquisitely magnificent:

Morning Mood, Edvard Grieg
I’ve had this one on repeat for a couple months, I can’t seem to get enough of this uplifting melody! It’s incredibly moving. This was composed by a 5 foot tall Norwegian named Edvard Grieg for the play Peer Gynt.


La Cathédrale Engloutie, Claude Debussy
Simply elegant and breathtaking. Debussy amazes my soul. The title translates as The Sunken Cathedral and is based off a fascinating legend.

“This piece is based on an ancient Breton myth in which a cathedral, submerged underwater off the coast of the Island of Ys, rises up from the sea on clear mornings when the water is transparent. Sounds can be heard of priests chanting, bells chiming, and the organ playing, from across the sea.[2] Accordingly, Debussy uses certain harmonies to allude to the plot of the legend, in the style of musical symbolism.

To begin the piece, Debussy uses parallel fifths. The first chord of the piece is made up of sonorous Gs and Ds (open fifths). The use of stark, open fifths here allude to the idea of church bells that sound from the distance, across the ocean.[3] The opening measures, marked pianissimo, introduce us to the first series of rising parallel fifth chords, outlining a pentatonic scale. These chords bring to mind two things: 1) the Eastern pentatonic scale, which Debussy heard during a performance of Javanese gamelan music at the 1889 Universal Exhibition in Paris,[4] and 2) medieval chant music, similar to the organa in parallel fifths from the Musica enchiriadis, a 9th-century treatise on music.[5] The shape of the ascending phrase is perhaps a representation of the cathedral’s slow emergence from the water.

After the beginning section, Debussy gently brings the cathedral out of the water by modulating to B major, shaping the melody in a wave-like fashion, and including important narrative instructions in measure 16: Peu à peu sortant de la brume (Emerging from the fog little by little). This shows Debussy at his closest manifestation of musical impressionism.[6] Then, after a section marked Augmentez progressivement (Slowly growing), the cathedral has emerged and the grand organ is heard at a dynamic level of fortissimo (measures 28-41). This is the loudest and most profound part of the piece, and is described in the score as Sonore sans dureté. Following the grand entrance and exit of the organ, the cathedral sinks back down into the ocean (measures 62-66) and the organ is heard once more, but from underwater. To attain these effects that reflect images of the castle, most performers use specific techniques with regards to pedaling and articulation to affect tone color. For example some performers use their full body weight to depress keys to create a rich sound. Also performers create a ringing bell sound by instantly releasing pedaled notes. Finally, the cathedral is gone from sight, and only the bells are heard, at a distant pianissimo.” (source here)


Swan Theme, Pyotr Tchaikovsky

Absolutely beautiful. Composed by Tchaikovsky for the ballet Swan Lake.



 

 

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5 Ways to Lower an Expense

Whether it’s a reoccurring expense or a one time purchase, these tips can be applied to both. You can usually pay less for just about anything. 

1. Ask.
You’ll never know if you don’t ask. The worst that can happen is they’ll say no. You can ask if there’s a coupon or a special promotion. You can also ask for a discount. Tons of businesses provide discounts!
Some common discounts are:
– Enrolling in auto-pay and paperless billing.
– Bundling/package deals.
– Pay upfront in full. Insurance companies offer this type of discount. Back in my apartment dwelling days I saved a significant amount off my rent by paying 6 months upfront. (make sure to keep proof of payment records if you do this)
– Pay with cash.
– Students, senior citizens, and those in public service like the military, firefighters, and police officers can often get discounts.

2. Price Match.
Get it cheaper from elsewhere, ask the company to price match, OR ask them to even beat their competitors price.

3. Negotiate.
I believe that the best way to negotiate a lower price is to express genuine gratitude. Explain how you are a loyal customer and what you appreciate about their product or service etc. Sometimes they’ll offer you a loyalty discount without you needing to ask. When you put good energy out there, good energy usually comes back to you. It’s nice to be nice. If you do have a criticism or a complaint, discuss it with them without hulking out. Pointing out a defect can usually get you a better price. 

4. Downgrade.
Choose a cheaper plan, buy generic, change the frequency of the service etc.

5. Cancel.
Just cancel it. Simply don’t buy the product or service. You probably don’t need whatever it is anyways.

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Past and Present: Loss and Love

“Life is a full circle, widening until it joins the circle motions of the infinite.”
– Anaïs Nin

(This is the part 2 to Past and Present: Springtime and Ruins)

There are many different kinds of love. None of which are inferior to the other. Every kind of love is paramount. I wrote the poem Love at First Sight about the day my sweet nephew was born. I wrote it in a way that it could be applicable to many different love at first sight scenarios. The beauty of poetry and literature in general is that you have the freedom to interpret however you wish. I also wrote a poem titled Grandpa Smith, about my beloved grandpa whom I recently lost.

I’m learning that life is full of loss and love. New love that comes into your life, love that’s been there a lifetime, and love that crushes you with a painful goodbye.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Love at First Sight

A miracle happened that momentous Spring day,
The day my soul was destined to find you.
Overcome with a great love,
Time froze the moment we met.

As I gazed upon you in that crowded room,
My heart nearly burst as I saw only you.
Marvelous, innocent, and charming.
Elated, my soul soared beyond its existence.

Weeping while I held you in my arms,
Tears of joy and gratitude.
Oh tender love of mine,
You are perfect my beloved darling.

I cherish that precious day,
The day you captivated my heart.
My dearest, It was truly love at first sight.
An enchanting moment, a beautiful love.

Forever, throughout the eternities,
I will adore you,
I will protect you,
I will love you with all of my heart.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grandpa Smith

Our Grandpa Smith, the best grandpa ever.
He loved his family,
We knew we could count on him whenever.

He often told us stories of his childhood,
He loved Pepsi perhaps more than one should.

He taught us grandkids all a lot.
He loved basketball,
Remember his famous hook shot?

Dance or sports, he was always there to cheer.
He’d call us on our birthdays every year.

He loved his garden, we’ll miss it blooming.
He sang silly songs,
His deep voice always loud and booming

We’ll miss his jokes, like “Guess what I herd?… Sheep!”
These memories we will forever keep.

He really lived, leaving us all in awe,
We’ll miss you Penn Harris, our dear Grandpa.

-Kayla Marie Oliver

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Past and Present: Springtime and Ruins

“It was such a spring day as breathes into a man an ineffable yearning, a painful sweetness, a longing that makes him stand motionless, looking at the leaves or grass, and fling out his arms to embrace he knows not what.”
-John Galsworthy, The Forsyte Saga

Spring is a contemplative time. New life springing forth all around us, a rebirth, a new beginning. This spring I have rejoiced the birth of my darling little nephew, and have been saddened by the loss of my dear Grandpa Smith. It’s been quite strange thinking about life in a grander perspective. The happiness of new life, the beauty of blossoms in spring, and seeing ruins of a past time, the sadness of saying goodbye. Time never stops and to be alive is to love.

Life is beautiful. Life is painful. Life is precious. 

“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”
-Søren Kierkegaard

“Spring drew on…and a greenness grew over those brown beds, which, freshening daily, suggested the thought that Hope traversed them at night, and left each morning brighter traces of her steps.”
-Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“The beautiful spring came; and when Nature resumes her loveliness, the human soul is apt to revive also.”
-Harriet Ann Jacobs

“sweet spring is your
time is my time is our
time for springtime is lovetime
and viva sweet love”
-E.E. Cummings

“It is spring again. The earth is like a child that knows poems by heart.”
-Rainer Maria Rilke

“It is so small a thing to have enjoyed the sun,
to have lived light in the spring,
to have loved, to have thought, to have done.”
-Matthew Arnold

 

“Death takes us by surprise,
And stays our hurrying feet;
The great design unfinished lies,
Our lives are incomplete
But in the dark unknown,
Perfect their circles seem,
Even as a bridge’s arch of stone
Is rounded in the stream.
Alike are life and death,
When life in death survives,
And the uninterrupted breath
Inspires a thousand lives.
Were a star quenched on high,
For ages would its light,
Still traveling downward from the sky,
Shine on our mortal sight.
So when a great man dies,
For years beyond our ken,
The light he leaves behind him lies
Upon the paths of men.”
-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

(For part two click here to read Past and Present: Loss and Love)

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