raised in a household that prized a do-it-yourself attitude, i was forced to adopt a scavenger lifestyle when unable to afford good tools or resources. within a short time, it became readily apparent that most American communities will throw away items that are in working order outside of a small minor issue. with a little know-how and hard work, a repair can be made and often results in saving hundreds of dollars.
early on this involved adopting the "cardboard furniture lifestyle" but evolved more into something like finding a chest freezer on the side of the road and replacing the thermostat. that freezer still runs today. raising a young daughter raises the stakes and strengthens the notion of reduce, reuse, and recycle. The Right-to-Repair Movement helps explain some of the political, constitutional, and "human rights" portion of the argument - but more fundamentally one should consume as little as possible in a world of finite resources. the earth is hurting and we owe it to our future generations to act responsibly.
choosing an online identifier, moniker, "handle" or whatever nomenclature fits your style is a daunting task. how does one use 4 to 16 characters to adequately and accurately convey a personality? given that i spend much of my time learning do-it-yourself projects through recovered or reused refuse, i've become known for this practice within several social circles. my wife and i refer to this as the "trash" or "garbage" lifestyle. additionally, there are tons of youtube videos and websites dedicated to fixing everything under the sun. our projects, server, and family activities are supported directly either by the "trash" we repaired or indirectly by the money saved by upcycling or repairing another item. our last name is quite unique and would not be a fitting moniker for internet-facing services as bad actors could very easily doxx attack any of us.
for the reasons above, among many other factors, i've adopted the "trash" name for this chapter of my journey through my learning process. it might change in the future. it might not. who knows.