A brief history of Mr. Bastish and Ms. Write Again Soon

Hello, dear readers, I am Ms. Write Again Soon. For the next 59 days, I'll be in control here, and I don't want to hear any complaining about how the photos aren't as good, the commentary isn't as thought-provoking, or the spelling isn't as entertaining.

How did this all come about, you ask?

As Mr. Bastish explained last week, he'll be in the wilderness for the next two months--cut off from civilization as he tries to prove that he can, indeed, survive by his wits alone and the occasional mouthful of tree bark. He toyed with the idea of allowing a guest blogger to keep his vast reading audience entertained during his absence. I, of course, jumped at the opportunity.

For those of you who don't know the background, Mr. Bastish and I have an interesting relationship. We met in Sweden in the fall of 2004, two very different people who wanted to learn about sustainability. And I mean DIFFERENT.

-- I am extroverted, he is introverted.

-- I challenge authority, he thinks about issues long and hard before committing himself to one position (I point you to the ongoing struggle Mr. Bastish faces with food here, here, and here).

-- I like deadlines, Mr. Bastish like to miss them, believing that he can always come up with something better with just a little more time.

-- I like structure and cleanliness, he lets cauliflower become a lethal biohazard.

He drives me crazy, but I love him.

-- After all, he does a mean karoke and who doesn't love a man who can belt out "Keep Your Hands to Yourself" and then conclude "I'm all about peace and love and what-not, but for some reason I'm just never in a position where it is called for."

-- And he caught my addiction to a certain television show (I don't think he ever publicly admitted, it but he watched a full three seasons on DVD in the space of a mere few days) and the conclude:

So, here I am, sucking on salty, sugar-free pastilles, watching Alias, wondering how realistic it is. Can a CIA agent really get a graduate degree, learn karate and all the rest of the spy crap she knows in just two years and still have time for a more active private life than I do? Why am I such a looser? I can't even seem to find time to clean my apartment.

-- Plus, he openly mocks me with no regard for the very severe consequences of incurring my wrath. The man has courage, I'll give him that.

-- Perhaps the most endearing is his ability to be bullied into writing little updates just to please me.

In short, I love him. And secretly, I think he likes me a little bit too, even if apparently I talk too loud. In short, I trust him to keep me alive during a kayaking weekend, always have an extra pair of gloves, and consistently lose at poker.

But I digress. Last week when he suggested the possibility of a guest blogging post, we toyed with the idea. Could I write whatever I wanted? Nope--that only leads to trouble and Kevin doesn't want me to shock his reading public with my sinful behavior when they've simply come to read about sustainability and Japan and birds who eat the wallpaper. Should I allow everyone to guest post and just make sure it didn't get out of hand? Nope, too much responsibility. And then, we hit on a solution:

Me: Get thyself on Skype immediately! I have a GREAT idea about guest blogging. Beginning July 1, I will be embarking on a 6 month trial of a vegan diet, one of my 50 Things to Do Before I Die. Anyway, it got me thinking…are you familiar with the TV show 30 Days? Basically, the guy who did Super Size Me (the 30-day all McDonald's diet) tries different things for 30 days…this season he'll be doing 30 days in a maximum security prison, 30 days with illegal immigrants, etc. I was thinking, what if I did a "30 Days of Bastish" where I tried to step into your shoes? I could be vegan, do yoga, take photographs, draw pictures of "how to kill a boar" and "how to make a time-release bird feeder" and then write lengthy explanations about each one. I could opine on important topics of the day, like bird poop and bicycle trips (I promise to do at least one day-ride in the area). I won't buy ANYTHING that isn't a dire necessity, and then when I do I will explain why I'm not killing the earth (and then have public moments of self-doubt about my overt consumerism). And I promise to have at least one eco-friendly item (perhaps even related to my bike) stolen. What do you think?

Him: Holy shit! THat is the best Idea i have ever heard!

Apparently, I need to add "creative spelling, capitalization, and grammar" to the agenda. Let the games begin.