I was about to post "Actually Did It" but I haven't done it yet. I registered for NaNoWriMo. I've wanted to do so for the past 4 years since the English teacher at my last school district had her 8th graders writing novels in November. She was brilliant with the kids and it was a fabulous project.
Before you wonder how she managed it (50,000 words is a lot for anyone, let alone a 13 year old) I'll tell you she modified it a bit. First she had them write nonstop for 15 minutes. After writing for 15 minutes she had them count the words, double the amount, then calculate the number of words a student could ideally write if they spent 30 minutes writing 6 days a week for a month. In class she spent the month of October developing characters and themes, etc., and then they went to it.
I've read some of these stories and they turned out great! Their novels were around 15,000 to 20,000 words long (quite a feat for an 8th grader, especially considering we worked with a crowd of disadvantaged youth) and they were pretty good. Sometimes they were pretty far out there (robot zombie vampire adventures is one I kind of remember) but unique and interesting. And the kids were so proud.
So this year I don't have a job and nothing really is holding me back. Besides which I have a 10 hour train ride to and from Rochester this upcoming week, which should help. Now all I have to do is decide which one of the stories that's been floating around in my head the past few months I actually want to write.
Story one is set in Germany in the region my husband comes from. There's a canyon called something like Katz something or another where legend has it that a witch protected a pirate castle with her broom. It's called Katz whateveryoucallit because the word has something to do with the amethysts that line the canyon river. This all sounds like a pretty good story to me. The heroine isn't a witch, her name's Katarina and she diverted disaster with diplomacy that somehow shows itself in the form of a broom (I'm thinking aid after a fire or something like that). I've actually started a full synopsis of this one, but I think it needs a bit of work
Story two was a dream I had. A boy along with his friends finds a set of strange mechanical devices that appear to need a key to open it, but he has no key. He pries it open anyway and somehow gets the gears and chambers to start moving. Another boy comes up and tries to help but the discoverer is called back to his house. Even though he can't figure out what it does the boy takes it home to his house where his mother is having a dinner party. Strangers come to the door and ask for help, the mother invites them in and they have a nice time altogether at the party, but the mother doesn't invite them to spend the night. The strangers leave but take offense for a lack of hospitality. We find out that they are from another world/time and their culture has clear hospitality rules. With hospitality broken they vow to take over the "kingdom" and proceed to use an army of trolls to take over the land. They discover that in our world food isn't grown nearby so they disrupt food supply and pretty much take over the US. It looks pretty grim for the humans but then the boy who was mysteriously helping the discoverer boy open the boxes decides he doesn't like the bloodshed and thinks the human race should have a fair shot (after his parents become upset finding this out their sense of honor allows them to agree that his decision was fair). He gives the key to the boy but doesn't tell him what it does or how the box would sold humankinds problems.
Yes, that really was a dream I had, unfortunately I never got to the point where we figure out how the key works or what it does to save the humans. My guess is that it imprisons the other race (elves?) or sends them to another planet.
Anyway, those are a few ideas. Who knows where, or if, this will go.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Never Know
This week a 19 year old singer/songwriter was killed by coyotes while hiking in Canada.
I've survived something like 10 accidents, including one accident in which we flipped off the side of the Rockies and dropped 250 ft. I've also survived an IED attack, mortar fire, and incoming fire while riding in a helicopter. Knock on wood, but so far I've been pretty resilient.
I recently told a coworker about my upcoming appointment for acupuncture and she wanted to know what it was doing for me. Reducing stress, reducing back pain, and regulating my cycles (so far I completely believe it's helping). But our conversation led me to mention my multiple near death experiences, to which she said that I must be meant to live. Surely there must be some reason I keep surviving, there must be something I'm supposed to do, or be.
I don't know. Right now staying sane and healthy seem to be about all I can handle.
When I was a child my mother claimed I was named by God. She said the name was given to her. It always worried me that I was supposed to live up to something, or there'd be some important task that I'd have to accomplish. Instead of being a blessing it was a responsibility for an unknown task.
Now, it could be that it hasn't happened yet, but I am more likely to believe that I should just go on about life as I should live it and be grateful for each day. Either I'll do something great or I'll just keep trucking along. I'm not looking for greatness and have no deep drive to leave a legacy.
But you have to admit that life if short, and it takes you in so many different directions (often at the same time) that you probably will never know what's meant to be and what just IS.
My grandfather started receiving hospice care this week. The family reckons that he's got about six months or so to live. Everyone is afraid to hope for more because, as time goes along, each day he lives gets harder than the last. Each breath is harder to draw. He has pulmonary fibrosis.
I consider my grandfather a great man. He hasn't changed the world and he's not famous, but he helped make my mother into a wonderful mother and he's an example I hope to live up to someday. I told him I wanted to come visit over Halloween, maybe I'd read him some scary story, and he said "What are you trying to do, scare me to death?".
So I didn't die at 19, or 21, or 33 and who knows if I'll make it to 87. Who knows if I'm supposed to be here or not, but I am. And all I want to do is be someone that does the right thing, always, even when it's difficult, knows God in whatever form I see him, and shows love to everyone, even the Boston drivers. And I'd like to get to the point where being this person isn't a challenge, it just IS who I am.
I've survived something like 10 accidents, including one accident in which we flipped off the side of the Rockies and dropped 250 ft. I've also survived an IED attack, mortar fire, and incoming fire while riding in a helicopter. Knock on wood, but so far I've been pretty resilient.
I recently told a coworker about my upcoming appointment for acupuncture and she wanted to know what it was doing for me. Reducing stress, reducing back pain, and regulating my cycles (so far I completely believe it's helping). But our conversation led me to mention my multiple near death experiences, to which she said that I must be meant to live. Surely there must be some reason I keep surviving, there must be something I'm supposed to do, or be.
I don't know. Right now staying sane and healthy seem to be about all I can handle.
When I was a child my mother claimed I was named by God. She said the name was given to her. It always worried me that I was supposed to live up to something, or there'd be some important task that I'd have to accomplish. Instead of being a blessing it was a responsibility for an unknown task.
Now, it could be that it hasn't happened yet, but I am more likely to believe that I should just go on about life as I should live it and be grateful for each day. Either I'll do something great or I'll just keep trucking along. I'm not looking for greatness and have no deep drive to leave a legacy.
But you have to admit that life if short, and it takes you in so many different directions (often at the same time) that you probably will never know what's meant to be and what just IS.
My grandfather started receiving hospice care this week. The family reckons that he's got about six months or so to live. Everyone is afraid to hope for more because, as time goes along, each day he lives gets harder than the last. Each breath is harder to draw. He has pulmonary fibrosis.
I consider my grandfather a great man. He hasn't changed the world and he's not famous, but he helped make my mother into a wonderful mother and he's an example I hope to live up to someday. I told him I wanted to come visit over Halloween, maybe I'd read him some scary story, and he said "What are you trying to do, scare me to death?".
So I didn't die at 19, or 21, or 33 and who knows if I'll make it to 87. Who knows if I'm supposed to be here or not, but I am. And all I want to do is be someone that does the right thing, always, even when it's difficult, knows God in whatever form I see him, and shows love to everyone, even the Boston drivers. And I'd like to get to the point where being this person isn't a challenge, it just IS who I am.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Not a Foodie
I've recently picked up a few books that revolve around food. Considering I work on a farm and that my life has begun to revolve around food as well, I figured it'd be appropriate. The first book, Cooking for Mr. Latte is written by Amanda Hesser, a food writer for the New York Times. The second novel, Julie and Julia: 365 days...blah blah blah title by Julie Powell, who lives in New York City and I'd like to imagine reads the New York Times. Both authors seemed to share a love of food, cooking, and interest in Julia Child, but their idea of food was distinctly different.
Not far into Cooking for Mr. Latte I could easily see Hesser's vision of food. The author writes:
I should have established a set of guidelines long ago. That all potential boyfriends have to be willing to travel to the far reaches of a city to seek out that dark little bar that makes the best fried oysters: that they must like going to restaurants, expensive restaurants. And when they're at one, they should happily linger over the petit fours and savor a good Cognac. If they itch to leave as soon as the deserts are cleared, they've missed the point.
While I like food, I'm relatively easy to please. I want fresh local food. My ideal restaurant would serve...fresh, local food. Hesser does say she prefers seasonal food, but, as a food writer, she's far more caught up in the details of each dish than I would be. I mean really, I wouldn't even know what flabby fois gras would taste like. I just can't identify with the author. Not only has she met and maintained a friendship with Julia Child, she was a chef in Paris. I'm bound to look a food a different way.
In a description of a foodie outing she writes:
When I go out to a restaurant, I do not like feeling as if I'm at a buffet. I like to construct my meal thoughtfully and then eat it. I don't want to pass plates and I don't want someone plopping a slab of his skate in my lamb jus. It's disrespectful to the chef, who tries to create dishes that entertain your palate from the first bite to the last. And it's greedy. If you must taste other things on the menu, come back another time.
I find myself drawn to the characters in Julie and Julia far more. The author is a secretary who doesn't want to be a secretary. She's not a super chef or a food snob, just someone who wants to do something unique and special, and she likes to cook and is good at it. (And there's one of our differences, I like to cook, but I'm hardly good at it).
Powell writes:
Wealthy Victorians served Strawberries Romanoff in December; now we demonstrate our superiority by serving our dewy organic berries only during the two week period when they can be picked ripe off the vine at the boutique farm down the road from our Hamptons bungalow. People speak of gleaning he green markets for the freshest this, the thinnest that, the greenest or firmest, or softest whatever, as if what they're doing is a selfless act of consummate care and good taste, rather than the privileged activity of someone who doesn't have to work for a living
But Julia Child isn't about that. Julia Child wants you that's right YOU, the one living in the tract house in sprawling suburbia with a dead-end middle-management job and nothing but a Stop and Shop for miles around - to know how to make good pastry, and also how to make those canned green beans taste all right. She wants you to remember that you are human, and as such are entitled to the most basic of human rights, the right to eat well and enjoy life.
And that blows heirloom tomatoes and first-press Umbrian olive oil out of the f***ing water.
And while completely agree, I completely disagree. I do believe our first responsibility is to eat well. What we eat, and how we eat, is one of the simplest things to alter in our lives and leads to a huge, healthy reward.
But I believe in eating in season, or preparing in season foods for storage for out of season cooking. I don't agree that middle class life should allow us to transport food from around the world so we can make fancy dishes all times of the year. But I do agree that learning to cook, really learning to COOK, transcends any food ideology.
And so I'm debating getting a Julia Child cookbook and work my way through some (not all) of the recipes. I'd like to learn how to make a good sauce, how to saute, how to do any number of things I'm sure I've never even heard of before. But when I do it, I'll be sure to use my local foods that are in season.
Not far into Cooking for Mr. Latte I could easily see Hesser's vision of food. The author writes:
I should have established a set of guidelines long ago. That all potential boyfriends have to be willing to travel to the far reaches of a city to seek out that dark little bar that makes the best fried oysters: that they must like going to restaurants, expensive restaurants. And when they're at one, they should happily linger over the petit fours and savor a good Cognac. If they itch to leave as soon as the deserts are cleared, they've missed the point.
While I like food, I'm relatively easy to please. I want fresh local food. My ideal restaurant would serve...fresh, local food. Hesser does say she prefers seasonal food, but, as a food writer, she's far more caught up in the details of each dish than I would be. I mean really, I wouldn't even know what flabby fois gras would taste like. I just can't identify with the author. Not only has she met and maintained a friendship with Julia Child, she was a chef in Paris. I'm bound to look a food a different way.
In a description of a foodie outing she writes:
When I go out to a restaurant, I do not like feeling as if I'm at a buffet. I like to construct my meal thoughtfully and then eat it. I don't want to pass plates and I don't want someone plopping a slab of his skate in my lamb jus. It's disrespectful to the chef, who tries to create dishes that entertain your palate from the first bite to the last. And it's greedy. If you must taste other things on the menu, come back another time.
I find myself drawn to the characters in Julie and Julia far more. The author is a secretary who doesn't want to be a secretary. She's not a super chef or a food snob, just someone who wants to do something unique and special, and she likes to cook and is good at it. (And there's one of our differences, I like to cook, but I'm hardly good at it).
Powell writes:
Wealthy Victorians served Strawberries Romanoff in December; now we demonstrate our superiority by serving our dewy organic berries only during the two week period when they can be picked ripe off the vine at the boutique farm down the road from our Hamptons bungalow. People speak of gleaning he green markets for the freshest this, the thinnest that, the greenest or firmest, or softest whatever, as if what they're doing is a selfless act of consummate care and good taste, rather than the privileged activity of someone who doesn't have to work for a living
But Julia Child isn't about that. Julia Child wants you that's right YOU, the one living in the tract house in sprawling suburbia with a dead-end middle-management job and nothing but a Stop and Shop for miles around - to know how to make good pastry, and also how to make those canned green beans taste all right. She wants you to remember that you are human, and as such are entitled to the most basic of human rights, the right to eat well and enjoy life.
And that blows heirloom tomatoes and first-press Umbrian olive oil out of the f***ing water.
And while completely agree, I completely disagree. I do believe our first responsibility is to eat well. What we eat, and how we eat, is one of the simplest things to alter in our lives and leads to a huge, healthy reward.
But I believe in eating in season, or preparing in season foods for storage for out of season cooking. I don't agree that middle class life should allow us to transport food from around the world so we can make fancy dishes all times of the year. But I do agree that learning to cook, really learning to COOK, transcends any food ideology.
And so I'm debating getting a Julia Child cookbook and work my way through some (not all) of the recipes. I'd like to learn how to make a good sauce, how to saute, how to do any number of things I'm sure I've never even heard of before. But when I do it, I'll be sure to use my local foods that are in season.
Friday, October 23, 2009
First Email
I got my first ski trip email! WOOHOO!!!
The season is upon us. Every year a group of us get together and rent a huge house in Maine for the weekend AFTER MLK weekend (it's cheaper and blackout dates don't apply at ski resorts) and go crazy in the snow for a long weekend. Sunapee is right around the corner, one of my favorite ski resorts, and there are tons of other mountains nearby as well.
Although I'd consider people in the group friends, I don't really see many of them other than during ski season. Yeay for upcoming groups headed off for a day on the mountain. Yeay for evenings spent relaxing in the hottub.
But MLK day is far, far away you say. Yes it is. Enough time for me to buy new snowboard boots and hit the slopes, enough time to remember what I'm doing before then. Oh, and get my board waxed. Something tells me that my snowboard rusticating in the spare bedroom closet needs to be looked at again before I see snow.
Definately enough time for Gerd to get new gear. Perhaps if I buy the boots for Gerd for Christmas (returnable of course so he can get which one he likes) he'll follow through and replace his 10 feet long skis like he's been saying he wants to for the last two years. But first my boots. I could hardly do anything last winter because my heels would slip almost three inches in the heals if I didn't cut off the circulation to my toes, and if I did I'd still slip a good inch or two. So I'm afraid I got a bit whiny last year. Not going to happen this year.
I love snowboarding. I almost wish it was snowing.
The season is upon us. Every year a group of us get together and rent a huge house in Maine for the weekend AFTER MLK weekend (it's cheaper and blackout dates don't apply at ski resorts) and go crazy in the snow for a long weekend. Sunapee is right around the corner, one of my favorite ski resorts, and there are tons of other mountains nearby as well.
Although I'd consider people in the group friends, I don't really see many of them other than during ski season. Yeay for upcoming groups headed off for a day on the mountain. Yeay for evenings spent relaxing in the hottub.
But MLK day is far, far away you say. Yes it is. Enough time for me to buy new snowboard boots and hit the slopes, enough time to remember what I'm doing before then. Oh, and get my board waxed. Something tells me that my snowboard rusticating in the spare bedroom closet needs to be looked at again before I see snow.
Definately enough time for Gerd to get new gear. Perhaps if I buy the boots for Gerd for Christmas (returnable of course so he can get which one he likes) he'll follow through and replace his 10 feet long skis like he's been saying he wants to for the last two years. But first my boots. I could hardly do anything last winter because my heels would slip almost three inches in the heals if I didn't cut off the circulation to my toes, and if I did I'd still slip a good inch or two. So I'm afraid I got a bit whiny last year. Not going to happen this year.
I love snowboarding. I almost wish it was snowing.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
My e-Library
I have discovered my library. True, I've been to my library before, it's really almost around the corner. BUT, I've discovered the online bells and whistles my library offers.
For instance...
I can create a list of books that I want to read and select books I want them to hold for me. When I select a book it tells me what place I am in order of requesters so I know if I'll be getting my book sooner or later. When my book is ready to be picked up I'll get an e-mail telling me to come down to my local library. I'm number 1 for Cooking for Mr. Latte but number 54 for Julie and Julia.
But after searching my account online I also found out that I can rent eBooks. This would not have interested me before, but with the iPhone I began using Kindle and found out that I like it I like it a lot. On the subway I don't have to bring anything along to read, I can just pull out my phone and read.
I'm not quite how this library function works for me yet, but I'm pretty sure there's a way to make this happen. The library site even has the downloadable audio book section divided into ipod, epub, and MP3. Some copies even have permission to burn to CD.
It's like a whole new world!
_________________________________________________________
Update***
Holy Cow, have you heard of Stanza before? I have just opened my iPhone to a whole bunch of new books....
Project Gutenberg (very serious stuff)
http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page
Baen Free Library (Primarily Sci-Fi)
http://www.baen.com/library/
Free e-Books (This requires a bunch of browsing)
http://www.free-ebooks.net/
Romance Books (these you have to pay for, but costs are very low)
http://www.allromanceebooks.com/index.html
Fiction Wise (these also cost some money, but they appear to be relatively inexpensive)
http://www.fictionwise.com/
For instance...
I can create a list of books that I want to read and select books I want them to hold for me. When I select a book it tells me what place I am in order of requesters so I know if I'll be getting my book sooner or later. When my book is ready to be picked up I'll get an e-mail telling me to come down to my local library. I'm number 1 for Cooking for Mr. Latte but number 54 for Julie and Julia.
But after searching my account online I also found out that I can rent eBooks. This would not have interested me before, but with the iPhone I began using Kindle and found out that I like it I like it a lot. On the subway I don't have to bring anything along to read, I can just pull out my phone and read.
I'm not quite how this library function works for me yet, but I'm pretty sure there's a way to make this happen. The library site even has the downloadable audio book section divided into ipod, epub, and MP3. Some copies even have permission to burn to CD.
It's like a whole new world!
_________________________________________________________
Update***
Holy Cow, have you heard of Stanza before? I have just opened my iPhone to a whole bunch of new books....
Project Gutenberg (very serious stuff)
http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page
Baen Free Library (Primarily Sci-Fi)
http://www.baen.com/library/
Free e-Books (This requires a bunch of browsing)
http://www.free-ebooks.net/
Romance Books (these you have to pay for, but costs are very low)
http://www.allromanceebooks.com/index.html
Fiction Wise (these also cost some money, but they appear to be relatively inexpensive)
http://www.fictionwise.com/
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Okay, Married
Last summer was the pits.
Spring had some perks, like I got a long term sub job at a fabulous school (so THAT's how a school is supposed to work...) and we made a whole bunch of decisions about where to live for the time being (near my family for at least a few years), and we survived falling off of a mountain cliff.
But it was a roller coaster. One minute we're planning on buying a house, I'm planning a wedding, I see the future of me with this school district I love, and we're picking out baby furniture, and the next moment I'm jobless, weddingless, houseless, and very very sad.
I wanted to be married, but I didn't want to celebrate.
So I called the city clerk's office to see what their hours were in case we wanted to get a marriage license. I figured we could just get legally married and have the wedding next summer. The clerk's office in MA was busy so I called NY, figuring we could always have Wally, my step-father, sign the paperwork. The Glens Fall's office answered and said that they're only open 8-4 M-F, which would mean a day off of work for Gerd. I was about to hang up when the clerk offered to come in on the weekend and open the office for us. We were planning on visiting my mom anyway, so it seemed to work out.
I really wanted a signed certificate that weekend, but Gerd didn't want to act that quickly. We had 60 days, and it would have been nice if his mother could have come out, but he never pushed the issue with her. So in the end I finally said that Wally would marry us in the back yard on a visit and Mom would be a witness. I'd hoped to have the rest of my family there, but Gerd nixed the idea since his family wasn't there. He said we should have our wedding with everywhere there...
Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled to be married. I love, love, love my husband and I look forward to a life together. The thing is, we really should have waited.
I got frustrated because we didn't have anyone there. We really could have picked any backyard, my grandparents included, and Grandpa isn't doing too well and probably can't go to any weddings. We haven't quite figured out how to tell everyone (the original idea was to send out save the date cards for a wedding next summer that mention, hey, by the way we already got married) so everyone is surprised when we tell them.
I didn't tell my father right away because I knew he'd think that there's no reason to come to a wedding next summer. Sure enough when I finally fessed up Dad's so mad I didn't tell him right away and that I'm already married that he's refusing to come to my wedding. If he really won't come I'm not sure if I'll have a "wedding" (I really wanted my dad to walk me down the isle) but perhaps a big party instead.
By now I should have some sort of plan together for our wedding, but I don't. If we could just set a date we could send out something to everyone, but to set a date we need to have a location, which is tricky because of the type of wedding I want (weekend getaway with cabins and bonfires and lots of outdoor games). Plus the location of the wedding is still a problem (I want the Adirondacks but then we have to schedule around black flies and tourists).
I thought the quick marriage ceremony would take the pressure off of the wedding plans, but that didn't quite work out the way I thought it would. As soon as I figure out what we're going to do next I'll let you know.
Spring had some perks, like I got a long term sub job at a fabulous school (so THAT's how a school is supposed to work...) and we made a whole bunch of decisions about where to live for the time being (near my family for at least a few years), and we survived falling off of a mountain cliff.
But it was a roller coaster. One minute we're planning on buying a house, I'm planning a wedding, I see the future of me with this school district I love, and we're picking out baby furniture, and the next moment I'm jobless, weddingless, houseless, and very very sad.
I wanted to be married, but I didn't want to celebrate.
So I called the city clerk's office to see what their hours were in case we wanted to get a marriage license. I figured we could just get legally married and have the wedding next summer. The clerk's office in MA was busy so I called NY, figuring we could always have Wally, my step-father, sign the paperwork. The Glens Fall's office answered and said that they're only open 8-4 M-F, which would mean a day off of work for Gerd. I was about to hang up when the clerk offered to come in on the weekend and open the office for us. We were planning on visiting my mom anyway, so it seemed to work out.
I really wanted a signed certificate that weekend, but Gerd didn't want to act that quickly. We had 60 days, and it would have been nice if his mother could have come out, but he never pushed the issue with her. So in the end I finally said that Wally would marry us in the back yard on a visit and Mom would be a witness. I'd hoped to have the rest of my family there, but Gerd nixed the idea since his family wasn't there. He said we should have our wedding with everywhere there...
Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled to be married. I love, love, love my husband and I look forward to a life together. The thing is, we really should have waited.
I got frustrated because we didn't have anyone there. We really could have picked any backyard, my grandparents included, and Grandpa isn't doing too well and probably can't go to any weddings. We haven't quite figured out how to tell everyone (the original idea was to send out save the date cards for a wedding next summer that mention, hey, by the way we already got married) so everyone is surprised when we tell them.
I didn't tell my father right away because I knew he'd think that there's no reason to come to a wedding next summer. Sure enough when I finally fessed up Dad's so mad I didn't tell him right away and that I'm already married that he's refusing to come to my wedding. If he really won't come I'm not sure if I'll have a "wedding" (I really wanted my dad to walk me down the isle) but perhaps a big party instead.
By now I should have some sort of plan together for our wedding, but I don't. If we could just set a date we could send out something to everyone, but to set a date we need to have a location, which is tricky because of the type of wedding I want (weekend getaway with cabins and bonfires and lots of outdoor games). Plus the location of the wedding is still a problem (I want the Adirondacks but then we have to schedule around black flies and tourists).
I thought the quick marriage ceremony would take the pressure off of the wedding plans, but that didn't quite work out the way I thought it would. As soon as I figure out what we're going to do next I'll let you know.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Exhausted
Who knew part-time employment could add up to a whole bunch of tired. I only worked one day at the farm this week so I expected an easy, laid back week. Unfortunately I ended up spending most of my time at Cambridge Friends School. One of the teachers has a mother who is very, very sick. Phrases like ventilator and transplant recipient have come up when I've asked what exactly is wrong, but a clear picture of what's going on remains private.
I was called on Wednesday to sub for Thursday and Friday, but could only do Friday. On Sunday I was asked for Tuesday, on Tuesday I was asked for the week, but I go to the farm on Thursday so I did an incomplete week. Thursday they couldn't find anyone so the kids had two different subs for the day. While the kids did get used to me and we got along just fine, today was rough.
I'd love to blog about something more interesting but I'm completely exhausted. Interesting topics like marriage will have to wait for a different day. And an interesting blog it will be.
I was called on Wednesday to sub for Thursday and Friday, but could only do Friday. On Sunday I was asked for Tuesday, on Tuesday I was asked for the week, but I go to the farm on Thursday so I did an incomplete week. Thursday they couldn't find anyone so the kids had two different subs for the day. While the kids did get used to me and we got along just fine, today was rough.
I'd love to blog about something more interesting but I'm completely exhausted. Interesting topics like marriage will have to wait for a different day. And an interesting blog it will be.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
No Impact
I recently surfed up to an article on No Impact Man. This guy in NYC decided to live without lights, toilet paper, pre-packaged foods, and any form of transportation (including elevators). He composted inside (with worms, I've seen the presentation and it's not as gross as you'd think) and didn't put out any trash...for a whole year.
Now I salute anyone who makes an attempt to live lightly on the earth, but I think "No Impact" is a bit of a stretch. We all have impact. Did he cook on a stove, yes, plug in a cell-phone, yes, use water, yes.
I'd really like to see this type of experiment be run by people living outside of an urban area. Even in Boston we couldn't forgo transportation because my husband's job is well past the city limits. He'd have to cycle 17 miles to and from work. Physically he's capable of it, but just think about the dangers of traffic, the upcoming weather and the limited hours of daylight. Not going to happen.
I recently read Farewell, My Subaru by Doug Fine. I became interested in the book because the author decided to go off grid...in New Mexico. Reading into the book Fine settled in an area I'm familiar with and started raising chickens and goats and tending his own vegetables. Again, while I applaud the effort, it's not a path I could entirely live with. Frankly I have trouble with my community garden. Working on a farm is helping, but mostly it makes me aware of the incredible amount of work necessary to create food.
I also recently read in The Sun Magazine, The Decline and Fall of the Suburban Empire by Leslee Goodman. James Howard Kunstler discusses the inherent problem with our suburban setup in terms of economics. While the focus is on economics, I'm drawn to the environmental impact created by our suburban design. This was quite possibly the best issue I've read of The Sun yet and I've already re-read the article through again.
I guess the point is that there are many ways of working towards living local and living green. And actually tons of questions that make it difficult. Which is more important organic or local? What am I comfortable living without and what am I unwilling to compromise on (marry a foreigner and you're going to take some flights overseas, it's not just pleasure, it's family). Should I eat local meat or forgo all meat (local meat is expensive but I'm supporting an industry that treats animals humanly prior to slaughter and I think it's an important industry).
So for the mean time we're doing out usual thing. I continue to add more efforts to my go green mentality. I hung up all the clothes instead of using the dryer yesterday (but did dry the sheets today because we've got a guest coming). But my efforts are imperfect. And I have the benefit of an urban city.
It's not difficult for me to find local foods, Lionettes is down the street, I work on a local organic farm and Harvest Coop is only a few stops away on the T. I have a community garden in which I can grow veggies and a deck I can hang my clothes out to dry on (and an indoor rack for when it's raining). I can walk, bike, or take the T pretty much anywhere. What *is* difficult is giving up more. I already gave up my car and I'm not ready to forgo my toilet paper or internet (although frequently I think I should, it's way too much of a lure). But someday maybe I will be.
Now I salute anyone who makes an attempt to live lightly on the earth, but I think "No Impact" is a bit of a stretch. We all have impact. Did he cook on a stove, yes, plug in a cell-phone, yes, use water, yes.
I'd really like to see this type of experiment be run by people living outside of an urban area. Even in Boston we couldn't forgo transportation because my husband's job is well past the city limits. He'd have to cycle 17 miles to and from work. Physically he's capable of it, but just think about the dangers of traffic, the upcoming weather and the limited hours of daylight. Not going to happen.
I recently read Farewell, My Subaru by Doug Fine. I became interested in the book because the author decided to go off grid...in New Mexico. Reading into the book Fine settled in an area I'm familiar with and started raising chickens and goats and tending his own vegetables. Again, while I applaud the effort, it's not a path I could entirely live with. Frankly I have trouble with my community garden. Working on a farm is helping, but mostly it makes me aware of the incredible amount of work necessary to create food.
I also recently read in The Sun Magazine, The Decline and Fall of the Suburban Empire by Leslee Goodman. James Howard Kunstler discusses the inherent problem with our suburban setup in terms of economics. While the focus is on economics, I'm drawn to the environmental impact created by our suburban design. This was quite possibly the best issue I've read of The Sun yet and I've already re-read the article through again.
I guess the point is that there are many ways of working towards living local and living green. And actually tons of questions that make it difficult. Which is more important organic or local? What am I comfortable living without and what am I unwilling to compromise on (marry a foreigner and you're going to take some flights overseas, it's not just pleasure, it's family). Should I eat local meat or forgo all meat (local meat is expensive but I'm supporting an industry that treats animals humanly prior to slaughter and I think it's an important industry).
So for the mean time we're doing out usual thing. I continue to add more efforts to my go green mentality. I hung up all the clothes instead of using the dryer yesterday (but did dry the sheets today because we've got a guest coming). But my efforts are imperfect. And I have the benefit of an urban city.
It's not difficult for me to find local foods, Lionettes is down the street, I work on a local organic farm and Harvest Coop is only a few stops away on the T. I have a community garden in which I can grow veggies and a deck I can hang my clothes out to dry on (and an indoor rack for when it's raining). I can walk, bike, or take the T pretty much anywhere. What *is* difficult is giving up more. I already gave up my car and I'm not ready to forgo my toilet paper or internet (although frequently I think I should, it's way too much of a lure). But someday maybe I will be.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Monday Morning
I only have three things on my list of things to do today:
Laundry
Cleaning
Garden
And I did start. Really I did. But blah, I don't want to.
I've learned that even when I have the time, I still don't do the things I say I never have time to do. For instance, if I just had time I'd sweep and mop the floors each day (yeah right) and I'd weed my garden too (nope, not really).
Mom says the trick is enjoying your chores.
I do enjoy chores on the farm. I don't know why it's different there, but somehow it is. Maybe it's because someone says...could you please weed the celery field? And I do. But if I had a farm of my own, I wonder if I'd be so productive? Probably not.
Ah well, maybe music will help. That or a housekeeper. Hard to justify when you're only working part time. Oh well, Pandora here I come.
Laundry
Cleaning
Garden
And I did start. Really I did. But blah, I don't want to.
I've learned that even when I have the time, I still don't do the things I say I never have time to do. For instance, if I just had time I'd sweep and mop the floors each day (yeah right) and I'd weed my garden too (nope, not really).
Mom says the trick is enjoying your chores.
I do enjoy chores on the farm. I don't know why it's different there, but somehow it is. Maybe it's because someone says...could you please weed the celery field? And I do. But if I had a farm of my own, I wonder if I'd be so productive? Probably not.
Ah well, maybe music will help. That or a housekeeper. Hard to justify when you're only working part time. Oh well, Pandora here I come.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Letter to John Boehner
There must be something done to ensure that Americans who are already insured or not insured are able to survive not just their injuries, but also the medical bills they receive after an unfortunate diagnosis is made. Not only is this the right thing to do, considering we believe in LIFE, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, but it also has an affect on our ECONOMY as more people go bankrupt due to medical bills.
A public option prevents BIG corporations who are obviously mismanaged from using individual's health as a money making scheme. Large corporations have too much power and I support legislation that limits for profit organizations controlling our health.
If we do not ensure that EVERYONE IS AND CAN REMAIN covered regardless of diagnosis, and that all necessary treatments are covered, we will lag behind other nations as we already have in other sectors of our economy.
When we rose to greatness we measured our strength in our expanding infrastructure, our bridges, roads, and buildings. We believed that we were done building our nation and stopped making progress. We have deserted the drive for improvement and ignored all that made us the powerful nation we are today. We must recognize this and begin to build our nation anew.
A public option prevents BIG corporations who are obviously mismanaged from using individual's health as a money making scheme. Large corporations have too much power and I support legislation that limits for profit organizations controlling our health.
If we do not ensure that EVERYONE IS AND CAN REMAIN covered regardless of diagnosis, and that all necessary treatments are covered, we will lag behind other nations as we already have in other sectors of our economy.
When we rose to greatness we measured our strength in our expanding infrastructure, our bridges, roads, and buildings. We believed that we were done building our nation and stopped making progress. We have deserted the drive for improvement and ignored all that made us the powerful nation we are today. We must recognize this and begin to build our nation anew.
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