This is Memorial Day Weekend, the time for Americans to get out and enjoy the beginning of summer, to take a three-day holiday from work for a quick getaway, to break out the grill and open a cold one. Sometimes the meaning of this holiday becomes obscured by the above activites. Memorial Day also inspires knee-jerk flag-waving and rote expressions of patriotism. But what should we really remember? Here are a few items we should not let slip our minds this weekend, or any time.
4082. That's how many US servicemen and women have died in Bush's pet war in Iraq as of today, 5/25/08. Bush's pointless, imperialistic war for oil. The War to Enrich Shell, Exxon, Halliburton and Blackwater. 4082 dead, for the glory of Bush and Halliburton.
0. Number of connections between Iraq and 9/11. Bush lied, now soldiers keep dying.
30329. That's how many US servicemen and women have been injured as of today, 5/25/08, in the First War for Oil. I think that's how this one should go down in history. It saddens me to write 'First' but until we change our energy-guzzling ways and develop and implement alternative, renewable sources of energy, I fear that this country will repeat its action of bullying smaller and weaker nations out of their natural resources.
0. Number of plans Bush has for getting us out of Iraq.
100. How many years McCain thinks the war in Iraq will go on. At least that's what he said at first. I later heard that he changed this figure to predict we'd be out of Iraq by 2013. Funny, that's just long enough for him to get elected (goddess forbid!), serve one term and leave the White House. Then it's his successor's problem.
239. That's how many more days we've got to put up with Bush. January 20, 2009, baby. We've got to hang in till then, and work for change in the meantime.
$135. That was the price of a barrel of oil on Friday.
$3.79. That's what I paid for a gallon of gas yesterday.
$4.69. That's what the guy on the next pump paid for a gallon of diesel. He was fueling both his huge pickup truck and the boat he was towing. I didn't know whether to feel sorry for him because between the two he was going to pay a fortune, or to hee-haw like Nelson on the Simpsons and ask did he not stop to think about either the crappy mileage of the truck or the sheer wastefulness of power boating.
7459. That's how many foreclosures there were in the seven-county Denver metro area in the first quarter of 2008, according to the Rocky Mountain News. That's a 16% increase over last year's record high.
800,000. That's how many people are homeless in the United States. That number alone is a national disgrace. In a nation as wealthy as ours, how can we let 800,000 of our own citizens go without stable housing? We should be ashamed.
40%. That's the percentage of the homeless population made up of families. If you do the math that's 320,000 families with children who do not have stable housing. Again, a national disgrace.
??? How much longer the international community will let the US get away with bullying other nations, attempting to impose our will and morality on them, disregarding the harm that we are doing to the environment, and consuming a far larger share of the world's resources per capita than any other nation. If our nation doesn't change its ways and become a responsible member of the international community, the rest of the countries of this world are going to bitch-slap us on a national level, and I'm sure that some flag-waving citizens of this land of the formerly free and the home of the perpetually terrified will have the nerve to be surprised!
Karma comes around. Hopefully it's not too late to stop it. We need change, and we need it fast. And we've all got to be ready to roll up our sleeves and get to work to create it. I'm on board with that, are you?
Wait, you say. How do we do that? What do we do? The answer is simple: whatever you think is appropriate, as long as it contributes to positive change. Maybe you want to organize a protest, or volunteer at a homeless shelter. Maybe start biking to work, or install solar collectors to reduce your individual carbon footprint. Whatever you want to do, because there's more than enough work to go around! Just pick something and get started.
The most important thing for us to remember this Memorial Day weekend is that we, individually and collectively, have the power to change the world. We must always remember that we are not powerless rabble; we are the strength of this nation, and together we can make our country a place to be proud of once again, instead of a national disgrace. It's all up to us. We can still choose the path our nation will take. I just hope we choose the right one.
Peace,
AuntieM
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Pain at the pump, and steps we can take now to reduce it
All right, this is really getting old. Each day on my way home from work I make a point to look at gas prices, and I'm tired of wondering where the ceiling is, or if it even exists. Today the local noon news said that oil briefly topped $129/barrel which sent the stock markets into turmoil. Yesterday I saw a couple of gas stations that were charging $3.79/gallon for regular. The talking heads on the news say that gas will hit $4/gallon by summer. At this rate we may see $5/gallon byLabor Day.
It really hit home the first time I filled up my tank and had to pay over (you're going to hate me) $30. The vehicle on the other side of the pump was a gigantic pickup with mileage somewhere in the single digits, and the driver had just paid a c-note to fill his tank, so I couldn't even whine about my $30 tab. My car is a 4-year old Saturn Ion, not a hybrid or anything. It's a little 4-banger with a manual transmission, and my mileage is in the 30's depending on what kind of driving I'm doing. Nonetheless I think I can do better, and so can the rest of us.
I've been trying all of the conventional gas-saving measures, such as combining all of my errands instead of making multiple short trips, and I've begun to think "Do I really need to go wherever" instead of just hopping in the car. I've also become very conscious of the distances from point A (where I am) to point B (where I'm thinking of going) and asking "Do I really want to spend the gas to get there?" Before long we all may have to start thinking like that. I'm even pondering taking my bike to the store for small trips. It's only a couple of miles away, but Hubby would freak.
Recently I heard about a driving style called 'hypermiling' which is a set of techniques people can use to dramatically increase their gas mileage. Google "hypermiling" and you'll get a laundry list of websites, some better than others. I'm in the process of weeding through the piles of information, but here is some of the info I've gathered so far:
1. Know your gas mileage and track it every time you fill up using your trip odometer. http://www.hypermiling.com/ recommends keeping a written record of your gas mileage for each fillup.
2. Braking is wasted energy. Energy comes from burning gas. Therefore braking is wasted gas, and we should do it as little as possible. No, it doesn't mean plowing over that Boy Scout troop in the crosswalk. It means we need to anticipate situations in which we'll need to slow down and respond earlier by letting off the gas and coasting, effectively getting a few hundred yards for almost free, before gently applying brakes to stop completely. This requires conscious thought but also makes a lot of sense.
3. Study the timing of traffic lights to observe their patterns and see how you may be able to utilize this knowledge to avoid frequent stops. Alternately, try different routes. A route which is a mile or two longer but has fewer stops may actually produce better mileage.
4. Fast acceleration wastes fuel, while gently accelerating to your desired speed is more efficient. No jackrabbit starts, and don't play road games. This is commuting, not a drag race.
5. Speeding is right out. The roads are full of lead-footed drivers, myself included, and this is proving to be one of the hardest habits for me to break. My problem is I simply enjoy driving! I almost missed my exit going to work the other day because I was having so much fun on the drive. (And anyone who thinks that Denver metro traffic is a nightmare should try either I-40 through Research Triangle Park or the Washington DC Beltway at rush hour, and then talk to me.) The websites I've looked at so far all recommend using your cruise control to prevent speed-creep.
6. Drafting - none of the sites I've seen recommend this practice because of the danger involved, which can be considerable. If you've spent any time watching NASCAR you'll know what I mean by drafting - following a vehicle WAY too closely in order to take advantage of the reduced air friction produced by the lead vehicle's wake. It is very dangerous because as you enter or leave the lead vehicle's wake you get tossed around pretty badly by turbulence, which can even be strong enough to cause you to lose control of your vehicle.
I'll post more info as I learn it, but one thing has become clear: for the sake of both the planet and our own wallets, we've got to reduce our consumption of oil and gas. If you're able to buy a hybrid now, more power to you. If not, the hypermiling websites I've seen so far say that you can get up to 30% better mileage by following their techniques.
By the way, I watched a documentary today called "Everything's Cool" which was about global warming. It was worth watching, informative and entertaining. At the beginning they sought to show the lack of public awareness about global warming in 2004, and they got one lady on camera saying "we don't need to worry about that because as long as we accept Jesus Christ as our saviour we'll be in his arms soon." That was priceless - it echoed Marx's thought that religion is the opiate of the masses because promises of salvation in the next life were apparently all that lady needed to overlook the way we're trashing our planet in this life! Sigh. Anyway, it was a good film.
Peace,
AuntieM
It really hit home the first time I filled up my tank and had to pay over (you're going to hate me) $30. The vehicle on the other side of the pump was a gigantic pickup with mileage somewhere in the single digits, and the driver had just paid a c-note to fill his tank, so I couldn't even whine about my $30 tab. My car is a 4-year old Saturn Ion, not a hybrid or anything. It's a little 4-banger with a manual transmission, and my mileage is in the 30's depending on what kind of driving I'm doing. Nonetheless I think I can do better, and so can the rest of us.
I've been trying all of the conventional gas-saving measures, such as combining all of my errands instead of making multiple short trips, and I've begun to think "Do I really need to go wherever" instead of just hopping in the car. I've also become very conscious of the distances from point A (where I am) to point B (where I'm thinking of going) and asking "Do I really want to spend the gas to get there?" Before long we all may have to start thinking like that. I'm even pondering taking my bike to the store for small trips. It's only a couple of miles away, but Hubby would freak.
Recently I heard about a driving style called 'hypermiling' which is a set of techniques people can use to dramatically increase their gas mileage. Google "hypermiling" and you'll get a laundry list of websites, some better than others. I'm in the process of weeding through the piles of information, but here is some of the info I've gathered so far:
1. Know your gas mileage and track it every time you fill up using your trip odometer. http://www.hypermiling.com/ recommends keeping a written record of your gas mileage for each fillup.
2. Braking is wasted energy. Energy comes from burning gas. Therefore braking is wasted gas, and we should do it as little as possible. No, it doesn't mean plowing over that Boy Scout troop in the crosswalk. It means we need to anticipate situations in which we'll need to slow down and respond earlier by letting off the gas and coasting, effectively getting a few hundred yards for almost free, before gently applying brakes to stop completely. This requires conscious thought but also makes a lot of sense.
3. Study the timing of traffic lights to observe their patterns and see how you may be able to utilize this knowledge to avoid frequent stops. Alternately, try different routes. A route which is a mile or two longer but has fewer stops may actually produce better mileage.
4. Fast acceleration wastes fuel, while gently accelerating to your desired speed is more efficient. No jackrabbit starts, and don't play road games. This is commuting, not a drag race.
5. Speeding is right out. The roads are full of lead-footed drivers, myself included, and this is proving to be one of the hardest habits for me to break. My problem is I simply enjoy driving! I almost missed my exit going to work the other day because I was having so much fun on the drive. (And anyone who thinks that Denver metro traffic is a nightmare should try either I-40 through Research Triangle Park or the Washington DC Beltway at rush hour, and then talk to me.) The websites I've looked at so far all recommend using your cruise control to prevent speed-creep.
6. Drafting - none of the sites I've seen recommend this practice because of the danger involved, which can be considerable. If you've spent any time watching NASCAR you'll know what I mean by drafting - following a vehicle WAY too closely in order to take advantage of the reduced air friction produced by the lead vehicle's wake. It is very dangerous because as you enter or leave the lead vehicle's wake you get tossed around pretty badly by turbulence, which can even be strong enough to cause you to lose control of your vehicle.
I'll post more info as I learn it, but one thing has become clear: for the sake of both the planet and our own wallets, we've got to reduce our consumption of oil and gas. If you're able to buy a hybrid now, more power to you. If not, the hypermiling websites I've seen so far say that you can get up to 30% better mileage by following their techniques.
By the way, I watched a documentary today called "Everything's Cool" which was about global warming. It was worth watching, informative and entertaining. At the beginning they sought to show the lack of public awareness about global warming in 2004, and they got one lady on camera saying "we don't need to worry about that because as long as we accept Jesus Christ as our saviour we'll be in his arms soon." That was priceless - it echoed Marx's thought that religion is the opiate of the masses because promises of salvation in the next life were apparently all that lady needed to overlook the way we're trashing our planet in this life! Sigh. Anyway, it was a good film.
Peace,
AuntieM
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Blogging for human rights awareness
Blog Catalog has set aside today as a day to raise awareness about human rights, and has asked bloggers to participate by blogging on this topic today. I am happy to be a part of this campaign because this is a topic which is of tremendous importance to me.
I was just going to let myself go off on a rant about the Patriot Act, but then I watched "10 Questions for the Dalai Lama" and since then have been thinking about the struggles of Tibet and the continued efforts of the Dalai Lama to improve the condition of the people of Tibet through peaceful dialogue, even though for decades now China has not been willing to listen. You have to respect a person who lives by his principles and walks his own talk. When asked in this film if the political situation could ever become bad enough to justify a violent response, the Dalai Lama said "Everything is interdependent. Therefore destruciton of your neighbor, destruction of yoru so-called enemy, is actually destruction of yourself." Brilliant and profound, and oh so true.
“Ten thousand fools proclaim themselves into obscurity, while one wise man forgets himself into immortality.” - Martin Luther King Jr.
Prior to watching this film I didn't know much about the situation between Tibet and China. Now I understand what all the uproar over the Olympics is about, and why people want the US to boycott the Olympics. Sorry, I wish it would happen but I know it won't. The US government really doesn't care about human rights anymore, especially since we became a nation that tortures and illegally detains prisoners, since we turned our backs on the Geneva Convention, since we desecrated our own Bill of Rights in the name of false security... I knew I couldn't stay away from dumping all over the Patriot Act. Way too tempting.
“One day we must come to see that peace is not merely a distant goal we seek, but that it is a means by which we arrive at that goal. We must pursue peaceful ends through peaceful means.” - Martin Luther King Jr.
Back to the Dalai Lama: even though he lives in a very isolated, rural area, the best way to contact the Dalai Lama is by e-mail. We truly do live in a global society. And no, I don't have his e-mail address, wish I did, sorry.
The more I learn about the Dalai Lama, the more annoyed I am at myself for passing up a chance to see him speak a couple of years ago. He was in Denver for PeaceJam, and at the time I was still working full-time and there was some really rational reason I couldn't go, but I wish I'd thrown rationality to the wind and gone with my intuition to go see him. Would've been great. You better believe I won't pass that up if the opportunity arises again.
Peace,
AuntieM
I was just going to let myself go off on a rant about the Patriot Act, but then I watched "10 Questions for the Dalai Lama" and since then have been thinking about the struggles of Tibet and the continued efforts of the Dalai Lama to improve the condition of the people of Tibet through peaceful dialogue, even though for decades now China has not been willing to listen. You have to respect a person who lives by his principles and walks his own talk. When asked in this film if the political situation could ever become bad enough to justify a violent response, the Dalai Lama said "Everything is interdependent. Therefore destruciton of your neighbor, destruction of yoru so-called enemy, is actually destruction of yourself." Brilliant and profound, and oh so true.
“Ten thousand fools proclaim themselves into obscurity, while one wise man forgets himself into immortality.” - Martin Luther King Jr.
Prior to watching this film I didn't know much about the situation between Tibet and China. Now I understand what all the uproar over the Olympics is about, and why people want the US to boycott the Olympics. Sorry, I wish it would happen but I know it won't. The US government really doesn't care about human rights anymore, especially since we became a nation that tortures and illegally detains prisoners, since we turned our backs on the Geneva Convention, since we desecrated our own Bill of Rights in the name of false security... I knew I couldn't stay away from dumping all over the Patriot Act. Way too tempting.
“One day we must come to see that peace is not merely a distant goal we seek, but that it is a means by which we arrive at that goal. We must pursue peaceful ends through peaceful means.” - Martin Luther King Jr.
Back to the Dalai Lama: even though he lives in a very isolated, rural area, the best way to contact the Dalai Lama is by e-mail. We truly do live in a global society. And no, I don't have his e-mail address, wish I did, sorry.
The more I learn about the Dalai Lama, the more annoyed I am at myself for passing up a chance to see him speak a couple of years ago. He was in Denver for PeaceJam, and at the time I was still working full-time and there was some really rational reason I couldn't go, but I wish I'd thrown rationality to the wind and gone with my intuition to go see him. Would've been great. You better believe I won't pass that up if the opportunity arises again.
Peace,
AuntieM
Friday, May 9, 2008
Yes, I'm procrastinating again
Before I buckle down and work on my last assignments of the semester, I wanted to share a couple of things. First, here's a way for each and every one of us to do good without even budging from our computers. Go to http://freerice.com/index.php and play the word game that comes up. For each correct answer the sponsors will donate 20 grains of rice to fight world hunger. The donations are paid for by ads on the site, they don't ask for monetary donations. So far something like 50,000 tons of rice have been donated as a result of people taking a few minutes and getting involved. Plus it's pretty fun too, especially if you're a word wonk like me.
Laugh for the day (something I read recently): I tripped on an escalator and fell down the stairs for an hour and a half.
Now I REALLY have to get on to writing that paper for school!
One last thought: some time back I recommended visiting a blog located at www.marmitetoasty.blogspot.com. Well, the wonderfully funny lady who writes this blog recently underwent knee replacement surgery, and she has documented it all in her inimitable fashion. If you have time and want a few laughs, pop on over to her site, read her blog and wish her a speedy recovery.
Peace,
AuntieM
Laugh for the day (something I read recently): I tripped on an escalator and fell down the stairs for an hour and a half.
Now I REALLY have to get on to writing that paper for school!
One last thought: some time back I recommended visiting a blog located at www.marmitetoasty.blogspot.com. Well, the wonderfully funny lady who writes this blog recently underwent knee replacement surgery, and she has documented it all in her inimitable fashion. If you have time and want a few laughs, pop on over to her site, read her blog and wish her a speedy recovery.
Peace,
AuntieM
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Home stretch
I'm in the home stretch of my semester, two courses completed, two to go. So far so good. My weekend will be dedicated to writing a Philosophy paper and taking my Urban Sociology final exam. Must be disciplined and use my time wisely. Guess that means I'll have to let TIVO catch Battlestar Galactica and Dr. Who for me. Sigh... By Sunday night I should be done and ready for a three-week break before summer session begins.
Looks like Obama is also in the home stretch. Once he wins I hope former Hillary supporters will be able to get behind his campaign, instead of voting for McCain out of spite. MoveOn.org has a bumper sticker available that reads "McCain: Bush's 3rd term", and there's far too much truth in that statement for comfort.
Something really ticked me off this evening. I went to Wal-Mart (yes I know, but I needed interfacing for a sewing project and no other store has a fabric section) and as I left I noticed this wild-eyed freakazoid in front of the store trying to get people to sign a petition for some sort of right to life initiative. He was really pestering a woman who had already signed his petition, asking her to take a copy of his petition to her church. She looked like she was trying to get away but he wouldn't leave her alone. I know that people are allowed to solicit signatures on petitions as customers leave stores, but this guy seemed borderline-dangerous, like he needed to change his meds or something. Freedom of speech is a wonderful thing, but some people take it way too far, and he was one of them. If I had been in that woman's place I would have felt a little threatened; that's why I stopped and distracted him by acting like I wanted to sign his detestable petition so the other woman could get away from him. Of course I didn't sign, I said something about the importance of reproductive rights and a woman's right to choose, and walked away while he was trying to figure out what happened.
Sad to say, I've been so busy that the above description is the closest I've come to any rabblerousing lately. I'll have three weeks between spring semester and summer session in which to catch up, and then it will be 'all hands on deck' because I'm taking one hell of a course load this summer. I really want to graduate in May 2009, and this is the best way I can figure out to accomplish that goal. Keep your fingers crossed for me, it's going to be a wild ride!
Later,
AuntieM
Looks like Obama is also in the home stretch. Once he wins I hope former Hillary supporters will be able to get behind his campaign, instead of voting for McCain out of spite. MoveOn.org has a bumper sticker available that reads "McCain: Bush's 3rd term", and there's far too much truth in that statement for comfort.
Something really ticked me off this evening. I went to Wal-Mart (yes I know, but I needed interfacing for a sewing project and no other store has a fabric section) and as I left I noticed this wild-eyed freakazoid in front of the store trying to get people to sign a petition for some sort of right to life initiative. He was really pestering a woman who had already signed his petition, asking her to take a copy of his petition to her church. She looked like she was trying to get away but he wouldn't leave her alone. I know that people are allowed to solicit signatures on petitions as customers leave stores, but this guy seemed borderline-dangerous, like he needed to change his meds or something. Freedom of speech is a wonderful thing, but some people take it way too far, and he was one of them. If I had been in that woman's place I would have felt a little threatened; that's why I stopped and distracted him by acting like I wanted to sign his detestable petition so the other woman could get away from him. Of course I didn't sign, I said something about the importance of reproductive rights and a woman's right to choose, and walked away while he was trying to figure out what happened.
Sad to say, I've been so busy that the above description is the closest I've come to any rabblerousing lately. I'll have three weeks between spring semester and summer session in which to catch up, and then it will be 'all hands on deck' because I'm taking one hell of a course load this summer. I really want to graduate in May 2009, and this is the best way I can figure out to accomplish that goal. Keep your fingers crossed for me, it's going to be a wild ride!
Later,
AuntieM
Friday, May 2, 2008
Following up on previous posts
Using free money from the government to do good: Yesterday I was doing some online research at work and was stunned to discover a mainstream site that serves nonprofits is encouraging readers to put 10% of your economic stimulus check to work doing good. This was the idea I proposed a couple of months ago. I was floored when I read this and thought, hey, maybe this idea will spread even further!
Walking my own talk: So AuntieM, how are you going to use a portion of your stimulus check to do good? Well, so far I have made a contribution to my preferred political candidate, I have purchased reusable bags to use for grocery shopping to reduce the number of plastic bags used and thrown away, and I will use the remainder to pay for the new dishwasher and high-efficiency washer necessitated by my appliance woes of a couple of months ago. Hey AuntieM, isn't that sort of a cop-out, using the money to pay for appliances you already bought and claiming it's a way of walking your own talk? On the surface it may look like a cop-out, but part of what I wanted to do with the economic stimulus money is find ways to make my home greener and more eco-friendly. If we hadn't already switched to compact fluorescent bulbs I would have done that, it's a great way to spend $30-$60. A programmable thermostat can be had for $45-$75 and would also be a great thing to do, but we did that a couple of years ago. By the way, don't be afraid of those, they're surprisingly easy to install. The new washer will have long-lasting environmental benefits such as using only 10 gallons of water to wash a whole load, so while using stimulus money to pay for this washer may seem like a cop-out, the long-term environmental benefits justify it in my mind. After all, I could have spent half the money and bought a standard top-loader that uses triple the water, and banked the difference, but I chose to spend extra to get a more environmentally friendly machine, so no, I don't feel that it is a cop-out to claim using the stimulus money to pay for it as a way to use free money from the government to do good.
More on the washer: I also had to switch detergents because you have to use high-efficiency detergent that is very low-sudsing, or it's like putting dishwashing liquid in a dishwasher - explosion of suds! In the process I discovered that most national brands of detergent are made from petroleum products - that's right, oil - but I found a couple of different natural brands of high-efficiency detergent that are plant based and have switched to one of those. My clothes are just as clean and I'm happier knowing that my detergent is made from renewable materials. The brand I switched to is called Seventh Generation, and uses plant-based surfactants and enzymes instead of petroleum-based chemicals. It costs about the same as the national brand detergents, but I feel a lot better about using it. I have a lot of detergent allergies and this stuff comes in a no dyes, no perfumes formula that has worked well for me. Out here in Colorado the air is so dry that during the winter everyone suffers from dry skin. Since getting the new washer and switching to this detergent I've had significantly less dry skin and my clothes feel much softer too.
Speaking of Colorado, Wednesday (April 30) was gorgeous and warm. We cracked the 80 degree mark. I wore capris and Crocs to work (I love my job!). After I got home Hubby and I went to the big-box home improvement store and browsed the garden area, enjoying the sunshine while pricing out materials for landscaping projects. Yesterday (Thursday) was May Day, and it was more of a "m'aidez!" with temps barely above freezing and heavy snow all morning and into the afternoon. My commute to work was a slow one becaues of near-whiteout conditions on I-70. I think the highs went to the upper 30's, so we had about a 45-degree swing in temperatures from one day to the next. This morning there's still a little snow on the ground, but the weather folks say we'll be back into the 70's by Monday. Life in Colorado.
A shout out for Hubby: Wednesday before we went to the big-box home improvement store, I started some beef stew in the crock pot for Hubby's dinners this week. After being in the gaming industry for a while, casino food is simply disgusting. It's nearly impossible to get a healthy meal as a casino employee, especially if one's casino prohibits employees from visiting the buffet where salads and fish may be had quickly. So long before I left the gaming industry, Hubby and I established a routine: on the last day of our weekend I would cook a large batch of something tasty and reasonably healthy for us to take for lunches in the coming week. Even though I'm no longer in that industry, the routine hasn't changed: on Wednesdays I cook something for lunches for the coming week. This week it was a crock pot full of beef stew, which turned out amazingly well if I do say so myself. I did hit a snag but Hubby took care of it like a champion: I shoved the carrot peels and celery ends into the disposal, ran the thing and it clogged up. Hubby saw what the problem was - a clogged drain line - took the pipes apart and presto, there was the clog. Apparently I tried to dispose of too much at one time, and the peels formed a solid mass. He cleared the clog, put the pipes back together, and the problem was solved! I was ready to call a plumber which would have cost us a chunk of change, but he fixed it in about 15 minutes. The really stunning part was, he hasn't done much plumbing at all and he's not exactly familiar with plumbing issues, he just looked at it and figured it out. My hero!
My absences from this blog seem to be growing longer and longer. I assure you that I'm not losing interest or losing focus on discussions to create positive social change. I'm just way busy right now, as in I should be writing a paper this very minute instead of blogging, but sometimes you just gotta. I'm still totally loving my job, sometimes I wish I could spend more time there. I have started a new project, a manuscript inspired by a conversation with my friends M and S. This one is nonfiction and has to do with communication between siblings in nontraditional families. I'll say more about it later, right now it's still in the very beginning stages but it's starting to develop into something.
My semester will end in a couple of weeks, and then I'll have about two weeks to catch my breath before diving into summer session. You think I've been scarce the last few weeks? Wait till summer session, I'm taking a crazy-heavy load, 12 credit hours. No I haven't gone mental, I had a brilliant idea. Taking a massive course load this summer will enable me to graduate with my BA in May 2009. And I can do anything for eight weeks (my new mantra). This timing means I should be able to start grad school in Fall 2009, and hopefully graduate with my Master's in May 2011, which has been my goal for a while. The reason behind this is in May 2011, Hubby will have a milestone birthday. We tend to go all-out for milestone birthdays, and combining a milestone birthday with a graduation would be gigantic combined woo-hoo to which we will invite friends and family from all over the country. Plus it would simply be cool.
"Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so." - Douglas Adams
Peace,
AuntieM
Walking my own talk: So AuntieM, how are you going to use a portion of your stimulus check to do good? Well, so far I have made a contribution to my preferred political candidate, I have purchased reusable bags to use for grocery shopping to reduce the number of plastic bags used and thrown away, and I will use the remainder to pay for the new dishwasher and high-efficiency washer necessitated by my appliance woes of a couple of months ago. Hey AuntieM, isn't that sort of a cop-out, using the money to pay for appliances you already bought and claiming it's a way of walking your own talk? On the surface it may look like a cop-out, but part of what I wanted to do with the economic stimulus money is find ways to make my home greener and more eco-friendly. If we hadn't already switched to compact fluorescent bulbs I would have done that, it's a great way to spend $30-$60. A programmable thermostat can be had for $45-$75 and would also be a great thing to do, but we did that a couple of years ago. By the way, don't be afraid of those, they're surprisingly easy to install. The new washer will have long-lasting environmental benefits such as using only 10 gallons of water to wash a whole load, so while using stimulus money to pay for this washer may seem like a cop-out, the long-term environmental benefits justify it in my mind. After all, I could have spent half the money and bought a standard top-loader that uses triple the water, and banked the difference, but I chose to spend extra to get a more environmentally friendly machine, so no, I don't feel that it is a cop-out to claim using the stimulus money to pay for it as a way to use free money from the government to do good.
More on the washer: I also had to switch detergents because you have to use high-efficiency detergent that is very low-sudsing, or it's like putting dishwashing liquid in a dishwasher - explosion of suds! In the process I discovered that most national brands of detergent are made from petroleum products - that's right, oil - but I found a couple of different natural brands of high-efficiency detergent that are plant based and have switched to one of those. My clothes are just as clean and I'm happier knowing that my detergent is made from renewable materials. The brand I switched to is called Seventh Generation, and uses plant-based surfactants and enzymes instead of petroleum-based chemicals. It costs about the same as the national brand detergents, but I feel a lot better about using it. I have a lot of detergent allergies and this stuff comes in a no dyes, no perfumes formula that has worked well for me. Out here in Colorado the air is so dry that during the winter everyone suffers from dry skin. Since getting the new washer and switching to this detergent I've had significantly less dry skin and my clothes feel much softer too.
Speaking of Colorado, Wednesday (April 30) was gorgeous and warm. We cracked the 80 degree mark. I wore capris and Crocs to work (I love my job!). After I got home Hubby and I went to the big-box home improvement store and browsed the garden area, enjoying the sunshine while pricing out materials for landscaping projects. Yesterday (Thursday) was May Day, and it was more of a "m'aidez!" with temps barely above freezing and heavy snow all morning and into the afternoon. My commute to work was a slow one becaues of near-whiteout conditions on I-70. I think the highs went to the upper 30's, so we had about a 45-degree swing in temperatures from one day to the next. This morning there's still a little snow on the ground, but the weather folks say we'll be back into the 70's by Monday. Life in Colorado.
A shout out for Hubby: Wednesday before we went to the big-box home improvement store, I started some beef stew in the crock pot for Hubby's dinners this week. After being in the gaming industry for a while, casino food is simply disgusting. It's nearly impossible to get a healthy meal as a casino employee, especially if one's casino prohibits employees from visiting the buffet where salads and fish may be had quickly. So long before I left the gaming industry, Hubby and I established a routine: on the last day of our weekend I would cook a large batch of something tasty and reasonably healthy for us to take for lunches in the coming week. Even though I'm no longer in that industry, the routine hasn't changed: on Wednesdays I cook something for lunches for the coming week. This week it was a crock pot full of beef stew, which turned out amazingly well if I do say so myself. I did hit a snag but Hubby took care of it like a champion: I shoved the carrot peels and celery ends into the disposal, ran the thing and it clogged up. Hubby saw what the problem was - a clogged drain line - took the pipes apart and presto, there was the clog. Apparently I tried to dispose of too much at one time, and the peels formed a solid mass. He cleared the clog, put the pipes back together, and the problem was solved! I was ready to call a plumber which would have cost us a chunk of change, but he fixed it in about 15 minutes. The really stunning part was, he hasn't done much plumbing at all and he's not exactly familiar with plumbing issues, he just looked at it and figured it out. My hero!
My absences from this blog seem to be growing longer and longer. I assure you that I'm not losing interest or losing focus on discussions to create positive social change. I'm just way busy right now, as in I should be writing a paper this very minute instead of blogging, but sometimes you just gotta. I'm still totally loving my job, sometimes I wish I could spend more time there. I have started a new project, a manuscript inspired by a conversation with my friends M and S. This one is nonfiction and has to do with communication between siblings in nontraditional families. I'll say more about it later, right now it's still in the very beginning stages but it's starting to develop into something.
My semester will end in a couple of weeks, and then I'll have about two weeks to catch my breath before diving into summer session. You think I've been scarce the last few weeks? Wait till summer session, I'm taking a crazy-heavy load, 12 credit hours. No I haven't gone mental, I had a brilliant idea. Taking a massive course load this summer will enable me to graduate with my BA in May 2009. And I can do anything for eight weeks (my new mantra). This timing means I should be able to start grad school in Fall 2009, and hopefully graduate with my Master's in May 2011, which has been my goal for a while. The reason behind this is in May 2011, Hubby will have a milestone birthday. We tend to go all-out for milestone birthdays, and combining a milestone birthday with a graduation would be gigantic combined woo-hoo to which we will invite friends and family from all over the country. Plus it would simply be cool.
"Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so." - Douglas Adams
Peace,
AuntieM
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