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[prison break fan]

I know exactly what you mean. I feel the same. I know people sympathise with my daughter because her mother is a bit odd! But who cares! pbf.

[Flo]

All children need slightly weird parents in order to develop normally don't they? Gives them something to rebel against, saves them doing the odd as being normal is the rebellion. So mine tell me anyway.

[Gem]

I'm sure I am leaving some out here but an amusing selection of 'nicknames' I have accumulated over the years..

Crazy green lady
Fishy Gem (thats down to the wading around playing with fish during my working day)
Bug lady
Marrow man (I deserved that one after forcing a courgette on everyone I knew after a glut)

Not hugely imaginative but indicative of the 'weirdness' I apparently exhude in order to achieve such distinctions.

Coming home to a shared property has not gone down well either, particularly when smelling like animal poo (well where else do they think manuor comes from??) and/or fish..

It doesnt bother me though. When I visualise the standard 'normal' person and imagine myself there I get cold shudders. Keeping up with the jones', buying bigger and better things, working in a 9 - 5 office job, feeding the 2.4 kids pre-packed fish fingers and chips then vegging in front of the telly every night whilst they rot their brains along with me... Hang on, here comes that shudder again...

[MuddyWitch]

If that is a discription of 'normal' I'm even more pleased to be abnormal!

MW

[Milims]

I always took it as a compliment when my work mates called me Eco Freak - at least I was trying to make a difference!

[prison break fan]

Gem, normal sounds ghastly, really scary!!! pbf.

[Urban Ayisha]

can i just add, know its a bit late but was just having a bit of a think... i have approximately 300 and something 'friends' on facebook, varying from true dear friends to acquaintances, they are all pretty much my age (23), from my extended local area, and at some point in our lives we found enough in common to be friends. i can honestly say there is not a SINGLE one of them i could talk to about ISHness or ask for advice from regarding ISHosity. not a clue!!! and many of these folk are lefty dreadlocked hippies who go on all the marches and say all the right things about climate change and the rest of it, but when it comes down to it... what are they actually doing? what is the small part they play? its mildly depressing that there are so few in my generation who actually give a damn. i dont know anyone my age who is interested in all the things i am. i dont begrudge them this, but it is very easy to feel like a small fish in a big pond, or something. i have found a lot of solace in this forum, i look at it almost every day even though i dont always post, and if not just to get information, then just to check my own sanity!

(On the upside of a group of my 10 mum friends, only 2 of us use washable nappies and breastfed past a couple of months - which i reckon is probably statistically quite high for nowadays!!)

[homegrown]

I wouldn't worry Greenbeast, we all spring from broken moulds, my former corperate life friends won't even talk to me now, but I am very happy with being an ish type person.

A little story to hep

President Rooservelt was giving a speach to farmers back in his day and throughout the speach he kept using the word manure, arather posh to the manor born type was sitting next to his wife, offended she lean over to mrs rooservelt and said,"can you not get him to stop using the word manure?" to which the presidents wife replied "Darling, I've only just got to stop saying shit!"

If a president can be odd we have no worries

[Big Al]

can i just add, know its a bit late but was just having a bit of a think... i have approximately 300 and something 'friends' on facebook, varying from true dear friends to acquaintances, they are all pretty much my age (23), from my extended local area, and at some point in our lives we found enough in common to be friends. i can honestly say there is not a SINGLE one of them i could talk to about ISHness or ask for advice from regarding ISHosity. not a clue!!! and many of these folk are lefty dreadlocked hippies who go on all the marches and say all the right things about climate change and the rest of it, but when it comes down to it... what are they actually doing? what is the small part they play? its mildly depressing that there are so few in my generation who actually give a damn. i dont know anyone my age who is interested in all the things i am. i dont begrudge them this, but it is very easy to feel like a small fish in a big pond, or something. i have found a lot of solace in this forum, i look at it almost every day even though i dont always post, and if not just to get information, then just to check my own sanity!

(On the upside of a group of my 10 mum friends, only 2 of us use washable nappies and breastfed past a couple of months - which i reckon is probably statistically quite high for nowadays!!)

Divin worry Urban Ayisha, I was getting paranoid about the swine flu epidemic a while back ( I'm preparded now, thank you) and my 20 yr old son told me I WAS being paranoid. I asked him what he would do if TSHTF in a serious way such as unrest on the streets, food shortages etc and he said have a good party and top himself......

The "Environmental" agenda is seen to be cool these days and so a lot of people jump on the band wagon because it's a cool thing to do. A lot of so called celebs arrange protest groups and public stunts like the 10:10 type thing ( not saying it's a bad thing in case I get sued) but when it all comes down to it we need to dump the gas guzzling cars, air transport, consumerism and start living life a bit ethically and socially......simples....

I was on facebook, the other one and twitter and I had a few "friends" but my saving grace is msn... I have one friend on their... called my son.....lol.

[John Headstrong]

..... I asked him what he would do if TSHTF in a serious way such as unrest on the streets, food shortages etc and he said have a good party and top himself......

OK, I don't agree with the top himself bit, BUT do not under rate a good party, the unity they can bring is awesome.

for example, a few weeks ago a very good friend of mine (we used to squat big buildings and turn them into community centres / homeless shelters / party venues / environmental centres /whatever we needed at the time together) is now living on a boat in in London and down the road is a small squat, started by a younger (18-25) posse.

They want to do the right things but didn't quite know how, so my friend suggested that the flyers for the party they where planing should have a bit about the "sunday morning community garden making session"

after the party when people had a few hours sleep, porridge and coffee was made, people where woken up, a quick 'meeting' over coffee and breakfast and the tools handed out, the place was tidyed (recycling where possible), things in and around the building where repaired and bodged together, the garden was cleared back (and a small "brickhenge" appeared)


Many people I know are "green" and are quite Ish'like, many still don't see the huge changes we need to make, and unfortunately many of the ones who do know are not in a position to do any thing much about it. yes, when the TSHTF it will be crazy, but in many places the TSHTF years ago and stuff just carries on.


EDITED TO ADD
brickhenge !!

[Urban Ayisha]

i hope the squatters were some of the same friends of mine, one of which was the boyfriend that got me into the whole eco thing and then just became a bit of a druggy squatter. him and our friends had dreams at one point and then made the unfortunate discovery of ketamine. i on the otherhand got an allotment and had a baby!! its cool that your friend acted as a wholesome role model and motivated them to do something positive.

[foodinistar]

Greenbeast, try this, from the Transition Towns website.

An embryonic group in Medway, just feeling our way. Please get in touch at transitionmedway[at]yahoo[dot]co[dot]uk if you are interested.