I have no idea what to do with myself. Thank God for work, or else Jeremy would probably leave me. Right now my non-work time (or free time, as some might refer to it) basically consists of me asking Jeremy, "whatcha doin'?" or "hey, whatcha doin' now?" while he tries to read and work on his research. I have also found myself tap dancing through the living room, trying to walk as loudly as I can across the hardwood floor while not wearing shoes, and rearranging bedroom furniture. Just for fun I mowed the lawn and got an eye exam.
I've done a few constructive things since retiring from public policy school. The fridge has a lot more room in it since I cleaned out the fuzzy/runny/brown/mustard items. (I just nearly barfed. Even typing that word makes me ill.) The entire ninth season of Frasier just came out on DVD and you can let the DVD people know that every disk in the collection works really well. I checked out every episode to be sure. We've also been pretty good about regular workouts in case we decide to enter the marathon.
Rather than add on a back porch or second level to the rental house, I'm hoping to redirect the rest of my energy somewhere practical and useful. Finally free from the scourge of busy-ness (but not business?), I'm just not sure how to do this. Perhaps I'll immerse myself in "Spanish for Dummies" so I can expand my phrases from "please stay away from the doors" and "104.9" to something helpful like "I do not speak Spanish".
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Friday, May 25, 2007
My Birthday is Coming Up
Everyone and their mother wears those colored bracelets now. ( I don't.) If I were to become trendy, I'd wear this one:
Also, The Onion now has apparel for babies. I think this is hysterical. Consider buying a baby you know one of these hip shirts. :) Because if you don't, I will.
Also, The Onion now has apparel for babies. I think this is hysterical. Consider buying a baby you know one of these hip shirts. :) Because if you don't, I will.
My Apologies for the Rant...
Since I’ve decided to begin cooking again now that I’ve finished school, I went to the grocery store today. I was pretty proud of myself for getting everything we needed rather quickly. I wound up standing at the checkout for 20 minutes, though. Rather than become fixated (the way I normally do) on trashy tabloids featuring Kate Hudson’s bizarre looking “Summer’s WORST bikini bod”, I started looking at what the people in front of me were buying. It was sadder than a celebrity’s botched liposuction.
The pregnant mother at the checkout had two shopping carts worth of garbage. I certainly purchase my fair share of junk food, but I try to mix in a salad or a gallon of organic milk to ease my conscience. Growing up my mom took great care to feed us whole grain, low-fat, unsaturated meals. At that time I’d have preferred a “Lunchable” or a gallon of whole chocolate milk, but I’ve come to appreciate and emulate her food selections since then. Looking at the expectant mom unload Cookie Crisp, Frosted Flakes, Coke, Mountain Dew, Fanta, Chocolate Pop-Tarts, a huge case of Raman Noodles, Kool-Aid, breading for fried pork, Doritos, etc. almost prompted me to say something. I didn’t, of course, but watching her pile that junk in her cart made me realize we truly are what we eat. My point is not to sound judgmental (I do love chocolate cereal), but to prompt contemplation about the consequences of decisions we make, and what public policies we might initiate for society’s benefit.
How can we shift people’s purchasing habits? I don’t know, but I do have some ideas. For starters, I’ll bet documentaries like Supersize Me make an impact. Much of the junk available for purchase is cheap and takes less time to prepare than healthier options. (Obvious, I know.) However, maybe we should mandate everyone participate in an anatomy class in order to see the effects of a poor diet ? That would be popular, eh? Maybe we should tax junk food? Junk food taxes would probably be similar to tobacco and alcohol taxes in that demand for the product is pretty inelastic (thanks, MSG!), and would simply reduce the money available for a family’s other necessities. Perhaps we need tighter FDA regulation on processed foods? I acknowledge that people do have the right to eat garbage all day, everyday, but can’t we make it somehow less appealing?
Personally, I think that removing candy and coke from school cafeterias is an important step towards improving the country’s health. Starting children on healthy diets from the very beginning is even more important, however, and something we can’t necessarily legislate. Aside from paying higher wages so parents can afford better quality food and more time at home, I don’t know how to help people prioritize their own health and well-being. We are creatures of habit, though. (Have I mentioned how much I like chocolate cereal?) Starting a child off on a healthy diet may be one of the most important things we can do to ensure the overall wellbeing of the country.
For the sake of the unborn little one in line with me at the grocery store today, I hope his mom figures this out soon.
The pregnant mother at the checkout had two shopping carts worth of garbage. I certainly purchase my fair share of junk food, but I try to mix in a salad or a gallon of organic milk to ease my conscience. Growing up my mom took great care to feed us whole grain, low-fat, unsaturated meals. At that time I’d have preferred a “Lunchable” or a gallon of whole chocolate milk, but I’ve come to appreciate and emulate her food selections since then. Looking at the expectant mom unload Cookie Crisp, Frosted Flakes, Coke, Mountain Dew, Fanta, Chocolate Pop-Tarts, a huge case of Raman Noodles, Kool-Aid, breading for fried pork, Doritos, etc. almost prompted me to say something. I didn’t, of course, but watching her pile that junk in her cart made me realize we truly are what we eat. My point is not to sound judgmental (I do love chocolate cereal), but to prompt contemplation about the consequences of decisions we make, and what public policies we might initiate for society’s benefit.
How can we shift people’s purchasing habits? I don’t know, but I do have some ideas. For starters, I’ll bet documentaries like Supersize Me make an impact. Much of the junk available for purchase is cheap and takes less time to prepare than healthier options. (Obvious, I know.) However, maybe we should mandate everyone participate in an anatomy class in order to see the effects of a poor diet ? That would be popular, eh? Maybe we should tax junk food? Junk food taxes would probably be similar to tobacco and alcohol taxes in that demand for the product is pretty inelastic (thanks, MSG!), and would simply reduce the money available for a family’s other necessities. Perhaps we need tighter FDA regulation on processed foods? I acknowledge that people do have the right to eat garbage all day, everyday, but can’t we make it somehow less appealing?
Personally, I think that removing candy and coke from school cafeterias is an important step towards improving the country’s health. Starting children on healthy diets from the very beginning is even more important, however, and something we can’t necessarily legislate. Aside from paying higher wages so parents can afford better quality food and more time at home, I don’t know how to help people prioritize their own health and well-being. We are creatures of habit, though. (Have I mentioned how much I like chocolate cereal?) Starting a child off on a healthy diet may be one of the most important things we can do to ensure the overall wellbeing of the country.
For the sake of the unborn little one in line with me at the grocery store today, I hope his mom figures this out soon.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Maybe we should get cable now?
I came a long way to get to graduation.
After an eventful few weeks, and a full 25+ years, I’m experiencing a weird new thing called “free time”. While sitting on the couch watching Frasier without an ounce of guilt, it occurred to me that this is the first time in my life I’ve not had some enormous event looming on the horizon. After graduating from college I spent my days commuting a few hours to work and doing long-distance wedding planning. The following year was consumed with GRE prep and graduate school applications. Then came the grad program.
So here I idly sit, a little unnerved but quite content. (It is a little like the feeling I get after a migraine has passed.) I’m grateful for the opportunity to attempt Spanish conversation classes, a full marathon, and ballet for old fogeys in the coming year. But for now, I’m happy to sit with my hubby, post some pictures on the blog, and go to bed before 1am. :)
Jeremy may be more relieved than I am that I'm finished:
It was wonderful to share commencement with my mom and dad, little sissy and my future bro-in-law.
Done and done.
After an eventful few weeks, and a full 25+ years, I’m experiencing a weird new thing called “free time”. While sitting on the couch watching Frasier without an ounce of guilt, it occurred to me that this is the first time in my life I’ve not had some enormous event looming on the horizon. After graduating from college I spent my days commuting a few hours to work and doing long-distance wedding planning. The following year was consumed with GRE prep and graduate school applications. Then came the grad program.
So here I idly sit, a little unnerved but quite content. (It is a little like the feeling I get after a migraine has passed.) I’m grateful for the opportunity to attempt Spanish conversation classes, a full marathon, and ballet for old fogeys in the coming year. But for now, I’m happy to sit with my hubby, post some pictures on the blog, and go to bed before 1am. :)
Jeremy may be more relieved than I am that I'm finished:
It was wonderful to share commencement with my mom and dad, little sissy and my future bro-in-law.
Done and done.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
God Bless Texas
While scanning for bill movement in the Texas Legislature, I came across important legislation that's received virtually no attention! For all you public policy buffs, you can check out the bill analysis right here.
Let it be known that Friona is THE cheeseburger capital of Texas.
At last!!
(The small red dot in the panhandle is the object of burger lovers' affection.)
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