Car Free in Raleigh

Sorry to go MIA on you for a while there. I’ve been struggling with postpartum depression since Malachy was born, 16 months ago, and although I had been doing very well for a good while, going car-free has pushed me on a bit of a downward spiral.
See, the thing is, you just forget how frequently […]

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We enjoyed a nice holiday with my parents, who came down from Pittsburgh. It was strange to have access to a car for several days in a row.
We went to a lovely Christmas Eve vigil mass, although we would have preferred Midnight Mass. But, having a toddler and lacking our own car, we made do […]

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(I meant to post this earlier, but didn’t get around to it.)
Last Sunday, the following appeared in our parish’s “social justice” section of the weekly bulletin.
Justice Bulletin Board
“The desert and the parched land will exult; the steppe will rejoice and bloom.” (Isaiah 35: 1)
Faithful Stewards of God’s Creation:
A Catholic Resource for Environmental Justice and Climate […]

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We ventured out this morning to do some final Christmas shopping before the mad weekend rush begins.  Our initial plan was to trek up to Triangle Town Center, then come back home after lunch, just in time for Malachy’s nap.
Instead, we ended up having Malachy’s picture taken… then bought frames at A.C. Moore… then hiked […]

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Confession time.
In addition to not owning a car, we also don’t have a television. We sold it about three years ago and never looked back.  We have more free time and are able to limit our (and our son’s) exposure to advertising.
Side note: By “advertising,” I don’t just mean commercials. I mean the more insidious […]

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Many books on living without a car reach for the “compromise” of a “car-lite” lifestyle; use your car as little as possible, but keep it.
There are a few reasons why I don’t think that’s the ideal situation.

It’s darned near impossible to be disciplined enough to do it. (See anecdotal story below.)
You maintain many of the […]

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New 2000 Ford Focus sedan, extended warranty, all fees, and financing on a 5 yr loan (paid off in 3.5 years)
~ $17,000

Insurance, 8 years
~ $6,489

Registration
~ $264

Taxes
~ $544

Gas
~ $12,760

Oil Changes
~ $814

New engine
$2333

NCSU Parking Pass (2 semesters)
$287

Speeding tickets (3)
~ $450

A/C […]

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Malachy and Seamus have a few suggestions for you.

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Tonight, I had the urge to make my Incredibly Good Brownies™. Unfortunately, I created the recipe long before we had a toddler with food allergies. I’ve yet to create a Malachy-safe version.
So, tonight looked like it would be the night. I melted the “futter” (fake butter - Earth Balance brand). I mixed in the cocoa […]

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As we walked back from a nearby store (1.5 miles away) a few days ago, Mark and I talked about the stranger parts of The Typical American Lifestyle.When we owned a car, I frequently did paradoxical things like driving 2 - 3 miles to walk at a local greenway…. for exercise. Or driving 1 mile […]

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