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With reagrd to social networks, I've heard a lot about "creating a tribe" when reading about The Crash. You should have someone around who might be good at amateur dentistry or good at repairing a bicycle, for example, or someone who knows about permaculture; a little self-contained group of similar people who will get along.

When I think of the urban/preparing-for-the-post-apocalyptic "tribe" concept - I know this is bad - I get a picture of a bunch of people who look somewhat similar (very "granola"), of the same age and social background, going about the same "alternative" things to try to live outside the system. I imagine a house of 7 people with no heat in Portland or something. I say, forget about amassing a tight group of friends for this end. What will help you in the here and now, and in times of need, is to amass a vast network of people of all different walks of life, cultures and socio-economic backgrounds from which you can learn, observe, interact with and rely upon when needed.

Outise the Crash scenario, I'm not so sure that hanging around with people who are extremely similar to you is going to help you solve problems more efficiently or come up with creative ways to do things anyway. I don't know if this is necessarily a wise way to live under any conditions.

I see two important elements with regard to building social networks to help us in times of need:

First, know your neighbors. If there is an emergency or a sudden "Crash" you are probably going to rely on people who are close to you, meaning the neighbors who live around you. That strange old lady with the cats, the loud maintenance man, the ex-frat boy gone office and the quiet artist girl you see in passing will most likely all be around you in an emergency situation. Know your neighbors, interact with them, listen to them, even though you don't agree with their politics or they are from a culture or time period alien to yours. These are your people in an emergency.

Second, expand your comfort zone with regard to socialization. This is a more long-term strategy. Owning a store has afforded me the opportunity to interact with all different types of people. Anyone I have talked to at length at my store I have learned from and has enriched my life to some degree. I have made many friends from all walks of life that I would not have "selected" if I just stuck to my own group. Out of a hat I can pull many different people with many different skills sets. Don't be afraid to meet new people and interact in different social settings. This will help you now and you never know how your skills could be needed in certain situations of others or how you may tap into the skills/experiences of others in certain situations. People have fascinating stories from which you can learn a great deal. Try not to judge a book by its cover, either (please don't throw my Portland scene back in my face here!) because you will never know a person's life experiences or what they bring to the table unless you engage with them. Take the stuffy old English lady who shops in my store. She lives on the side of a mountain in a multi-million-dollar home in a tony suburb of Phoenix. The way she carries herself and how careful she is with her speech indicates wealth and privilege, nobility even. Talking to her at length you will find out that during the Nazi bombings of London, her whole block was demolished, she watched family and friends die before her eyes and she lived in a neighbor's basement with 8 other people for 3 years. What could we learn from this woman to help us get through "The Crash"? Or your Guatemalan gardener who walked from his country to your neighborhood to find work? Expand your social comfort zone and embrace everyone. It will help you now and will help you later.

I don't know what else? I'm pretty tired now and it's past my bedtime. Let go of your ego? Love one another???

Sorry, no specific online texts to point you to. I'm like a free range chicken when it comes to acquiring knowledge: I take a little from here, a little from there and I cover a lot of ground. Ironically, one of the biggest sources of information for me to become more physically powerful has come from the 145-pound kid who works at the local health food store. In addition to him I have used books from the library, some web sites, other people, and current pop magazines on diet and weight lifting. I guess what I am doing is following somewhat of a paleo diet but a little jacked up for the weight lifting. The most important thing to do is to use the knowledge that is out there and apply it to your body, your goals, your likes and dislikes and your motivation structure. People think that it is pretty difficult to do what I am doing. It isn't. It's easy.

For me, weight lifting is a lot of fun, and I realize that for some people it isn't, but there are other ways to be fit and strong. It's a challenge for me to see if I can best myself each time I go to the gym. People ask me about my supplementation regimen all the time and I even had someone accuse me of using steroids recently. I say, simply, it's a clean diet, REST and hard-core exercise. Eat nothing processed, have a good balance of proteins, carbohydrates, trace fats and fiber and sleep well, in addition to working HARD.

I also like having hard tasks now seem easy. Does anyone in Phoenix need help moving?