I don’t want to go anywhere anymore.  Sorry westside, sorry mom and dad, sorry friends in San Fransico and San Diego, sorry cabin.  Gas has nearly crested $5 a gallon, and going anywhere has become expensive.

So I look to carpooling. To go anywhere, I look for people to travel with. Even though they are not paying for the gas (I haven’t asked for gas money since I was seventeen, but now I am thinking about getting one of those stickers for my car). It’s nice to feel like you are doing something!

Living in LA, the thing I keep wondering is when (not if) will gas prices break this city? When will our poor public transport system and super spread out car culture go broke under the financial burden? We rely on trucks for so much of what we take for granted. When will the food and goods stop coming?

Hell, at least it got me to actively carpool.  And, I know I can do more. Here’s what I promise.

• I won’t go anywhere alone if I can help it, even though my house is kind of out of the way, I am sure I can find someone nearby to travel with me.
• I will actively carpool to work when possible. Most of the crews (except wolfie) live on my side of town. There is no reason to not drive with a buddy. Besides, maybe I can get them to drive.
• I’m going to drop my speed. The optimal speed on highways is 55-65 mph. This one will be tough. I will also need to start minding my acceleration. It’s there where the most gas is consumed.
• Alas, I am going to have to remove my roof rack. Air drag. This might give me an extra mpg or two.
• Track my MPG. Number of miles when you fill up, divided by the number of gallons you put in. I’ll keep a little notebook in my car to track it as time goes by, noting variables.
• More places in one trip. No going out for just one thing. Make lists and group journeys.  Stop at Target to get cleaning supplies on the way home from work, do several meetings in a day, etc.

Notes from the Bottle

1:20 am. First free minute to try and get a blog post going. I got a touch of video today, but there is no way I can get it up on our limited bandwidth. I decided to do this tonight, even though I am very tired.

Bugs. Yes. There are bugs. Bring bug repellent. Also, I have heard that if you take B1, mosquitoes don’t like your blood. Please confirm or deny.

The days are mild and sunny, the nights are cool and a bit damp. Word on the street is that it should get colder as the weekend progresses. Bring a good jacket, I didn’t.  Pack the extra blanket.

We are turning the electrical meter backwards with solar power. That is pretty dang cool.

There will be ice vendors.

The Do Lab crew is working 18+ hour days to bring you the best event we can. There is tons of equipment that we are putting all over the place. We have whole crews managing the logistics of this huge event. My request is simple, show the love. By the time most of you get here, we will have been working a long time. Be appreciative and generous. People of note to shower with love: Josh, Jesse, Dede, Aaron G., KJ, Monika, Brian F., Alphi, Travis, Tyler, Ian, Y2 and Brian Shaw, Heather Shaw, Charlie and Carl, Brent H and John G, Shena, Derek and Derek, Jedi and all the others I have forgotten or don’t know well enough to say. Bring presents.

It’s Jesslynn’s birthday and Charlie’s Friday! Sweet!

I forgot about the wild turkeys! Crazy.

Stay away from our power. Power? You brought ‘er!

Ok, Spaceman signing off for now.