I consider myself a foodie. Not one of those “I only eat organic at the hippest of restaurants” type foodie. But the kind that genuinely loves food in all its glorious forms; organic food, junk food, fried food, sweet food, salty food and of course, canned food.
Continue reading “Swanky Survival Recipes: Three course meal made from non-perishable food”
Have you seen the post-apocalyptic movie A Boy and His Dog[1. you should. at least check out this trailer.]? It was everything a wasteland movie should be and so much more.
Though the message of the movie might be confusing on the surface, the take away wasn’t about the sex, violence, fanatics or even the crazy disparate cultures that came out of the life after the apocalypse. The take away was about the value of the relationship between a boy and his dog. About what one or the other was willing to sacrifice for his companion.
Now, in the case of A Boy and His Dog, the boy has the advantage of (or delusions of — I’m fairly sure the dog actually speaks to him, but I wouldn’t bet my life on it…) a talking dog. His dog isn’t just company, he’s also an confidant and partner.
In the real world (after the apocalypse this should still be true), dogs don’t talk. However, they will still have many of the qualities we look for in friends, without many of the drawbacks.
Continue reading “The Apocalypse Is On, Do You Save The Dog?”
There’s no doubt that friendships and networks will be important in the post-apocalyptic world. After all, people will need to band together for protection and survival. While making friends with other survivors may not be a requirement, it’s probably a good idea. Since there’s safety in numbers, you never know when you’ll need someone to watch your back. And, you know, finding a survivor group to join will probably be easier if people in that group actually like you.
Continue reading “How to make friends and influence zombies”
On this website we say that we are ‘obsessed with the apocalypse, in all it’s trivial detail’ and I think that’s true. But where does such an obsession start? How does it get it’s claws in someone? How does it turn a sweet- if somewhat strange- child into a paranoid, constantly planning freak?
I have never answered this question honestly. My concern over the apocalypse forces me into a state of constant paranoia and readyness. Even typing this update, I am aware of three ways out of my house; where the nearest weapon is; where the nearest armour is and the best place to go for initial shelter. It’s time to be honest.
In child development, the time between infancy and kindergarten is one of the most important. During this time, children learn the basics, like the alphabet and numbers. It’s also when they learn basic (but important) life skills, like how to go to the bathroom in a place other than their pants.
This won’t change after the apocalypse. Those crucial early years will remain just as crucial, though the education system will probably change. I imagine it’d be a little tricky to send little Johnny off to school when he’s living the nomadic survivor lifestyle with the rest of his survivor group (or survivor band, or survivor tribe, or whatever you want to call it—personally, I like tribe).
Continue reading “Apocalypse preschool: Developing a survival-based curriculum”
It’s a tricky prospect. The world’s ended, but you still want to look good. The new existance demands a certain aesthetic, but it also demands practicality. And where on earth are you going to find your new clothes? Well, as in all things, I am here to help. Number One tip: Buy your survival clothes long before it becomes an issue. In this article, I do half the work for you. You just have to click the links and spend the money!
Thinking about falling in love during and after the apocalypse may seem a little trivial, silly, or just plain wrong. But think about it: during times of extreme hardship and strife, human beings will generally either band together or try to kill each other. Since I have no doubt that anyone left alive after the end of world will try to kill anyone else left alive, I’d like to think that some people will team up and cooperate with others. (By “team up” I mean “actively not trying to kill.”)
At some point in time, people will pair up, fall in love, and perhaps even have a kid or two, all in the name of the survival of the human race. (This is, of course, assuming that people still have the ability to have kids.
If not, we’re all doomed anyway.)
Recently I spent a good proportion of a day in a dark, smoky room, confused by loud noise while other people snuck around and tried to shoot me. What on earth was I doing? I was playing Quasar with some friends, and it struck me that this was remarkably good practice for the end times. Hear me out. It sounds weird, but in a country where guns and assault courses are only really available for the military or over-priced stag weekends, what better? And that made me think about other nerdy or weird pursuits and how they may help with your survival choices.
With Tavia being concerned about where to get her hair done, and me being the vainest creature on two legs, this is a genuine concern for me. And people look strangely at you when you admit that, when you tell them that among the normal concerns about post-apocalyptic living you are also worried about how to keep your skin from shrinking in on itself like a moldy apple.
So I’ve put a lot of thought into this- usually while lounging in a hot bath and applying one of a dozen quirkily named expensive products to myself. And I have decided that after initial concerns have passed that the first thing I’m going to do is raid the beauty section of the department store.
But what about when that stuff’s gone? What will I do? I will make my own cosmetics, with readily available ingredients.
