I just finished a slightly-outdated book called "The Myth of Male Power" by Dr. Warren Farrel. It's a call of sorts for an answer to the feminist movement. He doesn't think a masculist movement would be the ideal situation. Instead he calls for a gender transition movement (which to me sounds like transgender, rather than gender equality, but it was the early 90s. I don't think transfolk had much visibility then). Most of the book is rejecting feminist 'myths' which he does well, but he doesn't tell the whole story either. I think he's assuming that most of his readers are feminist scholars, rather than his ideal audience of men.
I agree with him on his main premises. I think women, in their search for liberation, have in reality been shirking the responsibility that comes with liberation. He splits history into Stage I, the survival phase and Stage II, the post-industrialization phase. In Stage I, gender roles were more efficient for society, to have one gender who nurtures life while the other gender protects and supports it.
However, with industrialization, the necessity of this system faded. Women realized that they were just as capable of being the supporter of life (during peacetime) as men were, though society still upheld the role of the man as protector during wartime. This gives woman the advantages of being economically independent while still creating progeny for the next generation.
But because we're still socializing men to be killers, and socializing women to choose killers as partners, men have not been able to achieve the same independence as women. Men are stuck in Stage I, while women are in Stage II, and expect Stage II men. And because our public power systems are dominated by men, society still functions with the expectation of a Stage I society. Thus, jails, suicide rates, more dangerous work environments, and homelessness are still mostly male issues, and women are still not allowed to register for the draft, or are not usually allowed to serve on the front lines if they are enlisted.
The author encourages men to become as active as women in demanding equal rights. Right now, government programs and funding strongly favor women, and in some cases, even discriminate against men. That is not equality. By becoming socially and emotionally more independent (not from one's partner, but with), men can learn to function in a Stage II society. By becoming more vocal about perceived inequality, unfairness and injustice, men will be able to balance the gender equality movement.
Men have to move on from being the 'disposable sex' that fit society well back when food, shelter and water were a struggle and become equal partners, or whatever works best for the family unit and society, in a world where there is comfort and time aplenty for some reflection and enjoyment. Men and women no longer have to sacrifice themselves for the future of the species.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Imagine Me and You. (I do.)
I watched a movie today called Imagine Me and You. It's a romance movie. Rachel and Hector are finally getting married after years of dating comfortably. On her wedding day she meets and falls for Luce, the woman who did the flowers for the wedding. Heck loves Rach very very much, and she loves him. It was never love at first sight for them, as it was with Rach and Luce. Rach's attraction for Luce puts a strain on Heck and Rach's relationship. Drama and romance ensue. All in all, a very cute movie. I rate it 4 out of 5 on the Fluff scale. They could have developed the supporting characters more, although they made it very easy to see who the character was in their lives. It was far from life-changing, but it is a sigh-inducing movie. With the exception of one minor character, who wasn't really necessary, all the the characters are endearing and perfect, and even the ones who aren't perfect are excusable. They're all also very attractive.
In other news, it's storming. I should probably turn off my computer, eh?
In other news, it's storming. I should probably turn off my computer, eh?
Thursday, August 6, 2009
The cons to a life of ease
I have been pondering this evening about the downsides to the globalized lifestyle we live.
If we still lived in the olden days, for lack of a better term, we would spend less money on health care. People would die in accidents and childbirth, not from cancer or diabetes.
We would get fewer crazies like the guy who went on a shooting rampage into a yoga class because women didn't want to date him. I'm thinking they didn't want to date him not because he's unattractive physically, but because he's crazy. Or was. He killed himself.
People would exploit themselves and their own labor for their own benefit, instead of relying on the desperation of others. I would make my own shirts, not be responsible for the person in Bangladesh who gets paid a buck a day to make 20 shirts. Granted, it would take a couple days and some cramps and pokes to get the shirt, but I wouldn't be responsible for ruining some other economy and then exploiting the labor when people can no longer live the way they've lived for hundreds of years.
I don't mean, of course, that that's how things should be. There were just some benefits to that life, is all. This life is much better, overall. I mean, people are getting old enough and fat enough to get cancer and diabetes, not dying from a mine collapse or farm accident.
It would be nice to see people appreciate what they have by taking better care of things, though. Their bodies, their jobs, their clothes, their health, etc. Mr. AngryWhoShotUpYogaClass would have a better chance of finding a woman 2 hundred years ago, since he was fairly intelligent and hardworking and capable of holding a job, if not the most rational feller. Murdering people whose only crime is not wanting to date you is not the way to get dates. Back when love was equivalent with stability and security, not social compatibility.
This is all coming from a combonation of the book I'm reading about masculism (as opposed to feminism) and me sewing my shirt blanket, which isn't very difficult but they're all made in 3rd world countries anyway. Americans could do that work. I would be happy with that summer job.
Oh, by the way, finished another book. Dark Horse, by Ralph Reed. It's a "political thriller." It's about the 2016 campaign, with two really crappy party candidates and one Democrat-turned-independent when he loses the nomination. It's really interesting, obviously written by a man (the women are described in detail, including their clothes and aren't key players or are slightly insane, while the most description men get is their hair color) who is conservative (all the attention is paid to the Republican base, even though the liberal base has just as much sway. The guy obviously hasn't had much experience pandering to liberals). Anyway, the author is a man who is a campaign consultant for Republican candidates. It was a good political drama. Not particularly thrilling, despite all the drama and assassinations. A good read for people who are knowledgeable about political campaigns, or know the vocabulary, anyway. Not good for people with no interest in politics, or who are political elitists who would find the book trashy.
If we still lived in the olden days, for lack of a better term, we would spend less money on health care. People would die in accidents and childbirth, not from cancer or diabetes.
We would get fewer crazies like the guy who went on a shooting rampage into a yoga class because women didn't want to date him. I'm thinking they didn't want to date him not because he's unattractive physically, but because he's crazy. Or was. He killed himself.
People would exploit themselves and their own labor for their own benefit, instead of relying on the desperation of others. I would make my own shirts, not be responsible for the person in Bangladesh who gets paid a buck a day to make 20 shirts. Granted, it would take a couple days and some cramps and pokes to get the shirt, but I wouldn't be responsible for ruining some other economy and then exploiting the labor when people can no longer live the way they've lived for hundreds of years.
I don't mean, of course, that that's how things should be. There were just some benefits to that life, is all. This life is much better, overall. I mean, people are getting old enough and fat enough to get cancer and diabetes, not dying from a mine collapse or farm accident.
It would be nice to see people appreciate what they have by taking better care of things, though. Their bodies, their jobs, their clothes, their health, etc. Mr. AngryWhoShotUpYogaClass would have a better chance of finding a woman 2 hundred years ago, since he was fairly intelligent and hardworking and capable of holding a job, if not the most rational feller. Murdering people whose only crime is not wanting to date you is not the way to get dates. Back when love was equivalent with stability and security, not social compatibility.
This is all coming from a combonation of the book I'm reading about masculism (as opposed to feminism) and me sewing my shirt blanket, which isn't very difficult but they're all made in 3rd world countries anyway. Americans could do that work. I would be happy with that summer job.
Oh, by the way, finished another book. Dark Horse, by Ralph Reed. It's a "political thriller." It's about the 2016 campaign, with two really crappy party candidates and one Democrat-turned-independent when he loses the nomination. It's really interesting, obviously written by a man (the women are described in detail, including their clothes and aren't key players or are slightly insane, while the most description men get is their hair color) who is conservative (all the attention is paid to the Republican base, even though the liberal base has just as much sway. The guy obviously hasn't had much experience pandering to liberals). Anyway, the author is a man who is a campaign consultant for Republican candidates. It was a good political drama. Not particularly thrilling, despite all the drama and assassinations. A good read for people who are knowledgeable about political campaigns, or know the vocabulary, anyway. Not good for people with no interest in politics, or who are political elitists who would find the book trashy.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Debt, Sin and Balto
Book and Movie Reviews:
Payback by Margaret Atwood. I wish the economy really worked like this. I could understand it if it were all in literary analogies. There should be a class on every college campus called Economics for English Majors. Even though I'm not an English major, I understand A Christmas Carol more easily than The Economist. This book doesn't have much weight though. It's just a nonfiction exploration of the concept of debt by one of my favorite novelists. It's a pleasant, easily-understood read, but it didn't provide many great insights into economics for me. It spurred a lot interest in the novels she referenced, though. I just have trouble finding the economy interesting beyond how it affects populations. I don't care about the stock market too much, even though it's really important. I don't understand business other than businesses provide jobs and paychecks. All this talk about buyouts and merges just confuses me. She doesn't go into that, but just explores debt the concept. Personal debt, debt as sin, the relationship between creditor and debtor, etc. Very interesting, but not very applicable to the current financial crisis, which is what I was hoping to get by reading a non-fiction book about debt.
Balto, 1,2 and 3. [SPOILER ALERT: If you haven't seen the movies, and for some reason care about the endings, don't read on. I basically give it all away.] Aw.... Balto. I loved that movie as a kid. It's about the diptheria outbreak in Nome in 1925, and the sled dogs that brought the medicine through a storm, the route that later became the Iditerod. Balto (voiced by Kevin Bacon) is a stray half-wolf who loves Jenna, the purebred husky. His rival is a lead sled dog named Steel, who become quite crazy later on in the movie when Balto begins to encroach upon his place in the town. First Balto takes an interest in Jenna, who is the only girl Steel notices, then Balto beats him in a race to find the fastest sled dogs, and then Balto (who wasn't allowed to be on the team because he's half wolf) comes to find the lost sled dog team to help them home, taking away Steel's leadership and reputation in the town. In fact, Steel isn't even mentioned in the 2nd or 3rd movies. He just quietly goes away.
The second movie focuses on Aleu, Balto (no longer voiced by Kevin Bacon) and Jenna's daughter who looks more like a wolf than a dog, and thus is not adopted by any people. Interestingly enough, Balto doesn't get adopted by Jenna's family. He stays living in his abondoned boat with Boris the goose, while Jenna and the puppies live with her family. I suppose it isn't a Disney movie though. Dogs don't have to be subject to human social standards. Aleu moves in with Balto after she isn't adopted. Then she runs away and joins a wolf pack. David Carradine voices the leader of the wolf pack, but Aleu is chosen by Balto's mother (who isn't a real wolf, she's a spirit wolf) as the leader of the pack, and David Carradine doesn't float away on an iceberg with the rest of the pack. Balto goes back home.
Then in the third movie, Balto and Jenna's son, Kodi (short for Kodiak, voiced by Sean Astin), works as an idealistic sled dog for the USPS, bringing mail between Nome and White Mountain. Then Balto's obsession, the bush plane, comes to town, and the pilot (voiced by Keith Carradine) challenges the sled team to a race to see who can deliver the mail faster. Balto is chosen to lead the team, even though he knows they can't win. What do you know, they hit a storm and the plane crashes. The dog team wins, but Balto wants to go looking for the plane. He ends up going alone, though. Or, nearly alone. Muc and Luc and Boris' sexy jazz/beatnik girlfriend come too. Boris was on the plane, and she's worried. Muc and Luc know where it crashed. The point is, his son and the rest of the USPS sled team doesn't go with him. At which point when find out Kodi's full name when his mother yells at him. Then they all go after them and save Balto and the Pilot from certain death. The movie ends with Balto and the pilot flying around in a plane. There are also a couple of stupid, angry bull moose to provide some scary yet stupid and funny parts. Pretty much the only thing the bull moose says is: Are you talkin' to me? I think you're talkin' to me!
In short: Good kids movies. The second one was pretty bad, though, despite David Carradine (who deserved a much less humiliating death, btw. poor dude). The third was better. I like them a lot, though. They're not The Lion King, or anything, but they're not bad. The sequels were better than Disney's sequels for their cartoons (although apparently someone decided Balto 2 and 3 would be better as psuedo-musicals, even though the first one wasn't and Muc and Luc were voiced by Phil Collins, who could have made it an awesome musical, and they started to incorporate crappy CG). When I was a kid, Balto is what made me really interested in wolves and Alaska (I read Julie of the Wolves probably 50 times).
I've been going through the kids movies on Netflix this summer. I've seen many movies I haven't seen before and would probably never see if it weren't for Netflix. I watched Land Before Time XI, for example. Why are they still making those? That train left the station 15 years ago.
Payback by Margaret Atwood. I wish the economy really worked like this. I could understand it if it were all in literary analogies. There should be a class on every college campus called Economics for English Majors. Even though I'm not an English major, I understand A Christmas Carol more easily than The Economist. This book doesn't have much weight though. It's just a nonfiction exploration of the concept of debt by one of my favorite novelists. It's a pleasant, easily-understood read, but it didn't provide many great insights into economics for me. It spurred a lot interest in the novels she referenced, though. I just have trouble finding the economy interesting beyond how it affects populations. I don't care about the stock market too much, even though it's really important. I don't understand business other than businesses provide jobs and paychecks. All this talk about buyouts and merges just confuses me. She doesn't go into that, but just explores debt the concept. Personal debt, debt as sin, the relationship between creditor and debtor, etc. Very interesting, but not very applicable to the current financial crisis, which is what I was hoping to get by reading a non-fiction book about debt.
Balto, 1,2 and 3. [SPOILER ALERT: If you haven't seen the movies, and for some reason care about the endings, don't read on. I basically give it all away.] Aw.... Balto. I loved that movie as a kid. It's about the diptheria outbreak in Nome in 1925, and the sled dogs that brought the medicine through a storm, the route that later became the Iditerod. Balto (voiced by Kevin Bacon) is a stray half-wolf who loves Jenna, the purebred husky. His rival is a lead sled dog named Steel, who become quite crazy later on in the movie when Balto begins to encroach upon his place in the town. First Balto takes an interest in Jenna, who is the only girl Steel notices, then Balto beats him in a race to find the fastest sled dogs, and then Balto (who wasn't allowed to be on the team because he's half wolf) comes to find the lost sled dog team to help them home, taking away Steel's leadership and reputation in the town. In fact, Steel isn't even mentioned in the 2nd or 3rd movies. He just quietly goes away.
The second movie focuses on Aleu, Balto (no longer voiced by Kevin Bacon) and Jenna's daughter who looks more like a wolf than a dog, and thus is not adopted by any people. Interestingly enough, Balto doesn't get adopted by Jenna's family. He stays living in his abondoned boat with Boris the goose, while Jenna and the puppies live with her family. I suppose it isn't a Disney movie though. Dogs don't have to be subject to human social standards. Aleu moves in with Balto after she isn't adopted. Then she runs away and joins a wolf pack. David Carradine voices the leader of the wolf pack, but Aleu is chosen by Balto's mother (who isn't a real wolf, she's a spirit wolf) as the leader of the pack, and David Carradine doesn't float away on an iceberg with the rest of the pack. Balto goes back home.
Then in the third movie, Balto and Jenna's son, Kodi (short for Kodiak, voiced by Sean Astin), works as an idealistic sled dog for the USPS, bringing mail between Nome and White Mountain. Then Balto's obsession, the bush plane, comes to town, and the pilot (voiced by Keith Carradine) challenges the sled team to a race to see who can deliver the mail faster. Balto is chosen to lead the team, even though he knows they can't win. What do you know, they hit a storm and the plane crashes. The dog team wins, but Balto wants to go looking for the plane. He ends up going alone, though. Or, nearly alone. Muc and Luc and Boris' sexy jazz/beatnik girlfriend come too. Boris was on the plane, and she's worried. Muc and Luc know where it crashed. The point is, his son and the rest of the USPS sled team doesn't go with him. At which point when find out Kodi's full name when his mother yells at him. Then they all go after them and save Balto and the Pilot from certain death. The movie ends with Balto and the pilot flying around in a plane. There are also a couple of stupid, angry bull moose to provide some scary yet stupid and funny parts. Pretty much the only thing the bull moose says is: Are you talkin' to me? I think you're talkin' to me!
In short: Good kids movies. The second one was pretty bad, though, despite David Carradine (who deserved a much less humiliating death, btw. poor dude). The third was better. I like them a lot, though. They're not The Lion King, or anything, but they're not bad. The sequels were better than Disney's sequels for their cartoons (although apparently someone decided Balto 2 and 3 would be better as psuedo-musicals, even though the first one wasn't and Muc and Luc were voiced by Phil Collins, who could have made it an awesome musical, and they started to incorporate crappy CG). When I was a kid, Balto is what made me really interested in wolves and Alaska (I read Julie of the Wolves probably 50 times).
I've been going through the kids movies on Netflix this summer. I've seen many movies I haven't seen before and would probably never see if it weren't for Netflix. I watched Land Before Time XI, for example. Why are they still making those? That train left the station 15 years ago.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Family Matters
Today, I went to a family reunion for my mom's dad's side of the family. I think there were about 50 people total (not the highest count for one of our reunions, but not bad). Most of it was my grandpa's legacy, as there were 26 from his branch alone, out of several siblings, and not all of us were even there.
There were burgers (veggie burgers for mom and I), brats, macaroni salad, pickles, green beans, baked beans, wild rice hotdish, goulash (pretty much the only thing my grandpa makes), and desserts and chips galore. My aunt works for Frito Lay, so she always has chips. Always. Which means, unfortunately, that we always have chips. We had 4 bags of chips left over from our 3rd of July Party. God, Doritos are addicting. Literally. The MSG that they put in chips and other salty snacks and foods tricks your body into thinking it needs MSG, which causes you to crave more chips and thus buy more chips. I had kicked the chip addiction until last month. Now every time I smell doritos, I really really really want to eat them. There are still 2 bags of potato chips left in the closet, which are really really really tempting... But I can say no, and should say no. I will bring them to my birthday party so I don't eat them all.
There was volleyball and water balloons, a scavanger hunt and a playground. Lots of games and of course lots of talking. I didn't interact too much with anyone outside my branch of the family. Funny how that works, huh? At a family reunion, you don't talk with the people you haven't seen in years or ever, you talk with the people you're going to see again on Wednesday.
My grandma, who lives just a short distance from the park where the reunion was held, scooted down here on her electric scooter. She almost hit my uncle and me on accident. She is in poor health, though, and was out of breath by the time she got to the park. One wouldn't think that scootering takes any effort, but if you have COPD I guess it does. Grandpa walked with her to make sure she got there safely, then walked home, and drove back with the goulash. The drove home again to clean the kitchen. Then drove back, hung out with his nephew by the cars, then drove home again, leaving the goulash and grandma there. My aunt and cousin, who live down the street from them, walked her home with the crock pot. Her scooter left them running after her. She didn't slow down though. She's not very compassionate.
When she left, though, she left a birthday card with another aunt. Inside was a card, and 2 envelopes. One for my cousin, her son, and one for me, each with $50 inside. She asked my cousin and aunt to come clean the house once a month for her. But after the first time, they were unable to, and so the job went to me, but when my brother and I were going to go over there, she said she had no idea what we were talking about and no, we shouldn't come over to clean. Apparently, she felt bad or something because I just got paid $50 for doing absolutely nothing. My cousin got paid a second time, in cash, because he never cashed the first check because he thought $50 was too high, and it annoyed her so she paid him cash. Wow, do I feel guilty. I don't deserve this money, even though I need it. It's like finding a bag of money on the sidewalk when your house is being foreclosed on. Do you keep it? Do you turn it in? I'm struggling between honor and pride vs. need, as well as struggling between my grandma's pride (not to be confused with generosity. As I said, she has no compassion) vs. my pride. I'm kind of thinking that since my pride is against two formidable foes at once, my pride's going to lose. But my guilt is telling me that Grandma will get a really nice Christmas present, which mollifies my pride somewhat.
Hm...
There were burgers (veggie burgers for mom and I), brats, macaroni salad, pickles, green beans, baked beans, wild rice hotdish, goulash (pretty much the only thing my grandpa makes), and desserts and chips galore. My aunt works for Frito Lay, so she always has chips. Always. Which means, unfortunately, that we always have chips. We had 4 bags of chips left over from our 3rd of July Party. God, Doritos are addicting. Literally. The MSG that they put in chips and other salty snacks and foods tricks your body into thinking it needs MSG, which causes you to crave more chips and thus buy more chips. I had kicked the chip addiction until last month. Now every time I smell doritos, I really really really want to eat them. There are still 2 bags of potato chips left in the closet, which are really really really tempting... But I can say no, and should say no. I will bring them to my birthday party so I don't eat them all.
There was volleyball and water balloons, a scavanger hunt and a playground. Lots of games and of course lots of talking. I didn't interact too much with anyone outside my branch of the family. Funny how that works, huh? At a family reunion, you don't talk with the people you haven't seen in years or ever, you talk with the people you're going to see again on Wednesday.
My grandma, who lives just a short distance from the park where the reunion was held, scooted down here on her electric scooter. She almost hit my uncle and me on accident. She is in poor health, though, and was out of breath by the time she got to the park. One wouldn't think that scootering takes any effort, but if you have COPD I guess it does. Grandpa walked with her to make sure she got there safely, then walked home, and drove back with the goulash. The drove home again to clean the kitchen. Then drove back, hung out with his nephew by the cars, then drove home again, leaving the goulash and grandma there. My aunt and cousin, who live down the street from them, walked her home with the crock pot. Her scooter left them running after her. She didn't slow down though. She's not very compassionate.
When she left, though, she left a birthday card with another aunt. Inside was a card, and 2 envelopes. One for my cousin, her son, and one for me, each with $50 inside. She asked my cousin and aunt to come clean the house once a month for her. But after the first time, they were unable to, and so the job went to me, but when my brother and I were going to go over there, she said she had no idea what we were talking about and no, we shouldn't come over to clean. Apparently, she felt bad or something because I just got paid $50 for doing absolutely nothing. My cousin got paid a second time, in cash, because he never cashed the first check because he thought $50 was too high, and it annoyed her so she paid him cash. Wow, do I feel guilty. I don't deserve this money, even though I need it. It's like finding a bag of money on the sidewalk when your house is being foreclosed on. Do you keep it? Do you turn it in? I'm struggling between honor and pride vs. need, as well as struggling between my grandma's pride (not to be confused with generosity. As I said, she has no compassion) vs. my pride. I'm kind of thinking that since my pride is against two formidable foes at once, my pride's going to lose. But my guilt is telling me that Grandma will get a really nice Christmas present, which mollifies my pride somewhat.
Hm...
How would you like your steak? Alive, please.
I, like my mom and brother, am a food snob. (FYI, this entry is kind of long and about food choices, particularly mine.)
I don't really know how it happened. I'm just glad I go to a college where the catering company is run by food snobs, too.
Mother isn't really that much of a food snob. She's just a vegetarian. She is vegetarian because she is grossed out by the idea of eating muscle. If it doesn't have meat in it, she's generally okay with it. She also doesn't like canned peas. Frozen is okay sometimes, fresh pea pods are amazing, but not canned. She generally eats a lot of beans and fake meat.
Brother is a fitness geek. His diet revolves around his workout schedule. He eats several small meals throughout the day. High protein, high fiber meals. He eats carbs in the morning and early afternoon. He can have sugar after weight training. He drinks a lot of protein shakes and caffeinated beverages. Indulging, for him, is eating a meal that someone else made. He has to 'save up for it.'
I am a food snob in the sense that I am picky about ingredients and slightly picky about preparation. I only eat free range poultry and fish. Preferably organic or sustainable fishing methods. I will eat beef sometimes, but only grass-fed. It's healthier for me, and for the environment (grass-fed cows produce less methane than corn-fed. Cows are fed corn [sometimes with steroids] so they reach a butcherable weight at a younger age, but it also leads to higher disease rates, such as e coli, at which point they add medicine to the corn and steroids. Not pleasant, imo).
I try to eat fresh/frozen organic produce, and use canned vegies rarely. I try to eat whole grain (it's really hard here at home, though). I prefer to make things from scratch so I don't have to worry about chemicals that I have no idea how to pronounce or how they effect me. As natural as possible, please. I don't want to be 70 years old and dying from a pesticide related illness. While organic doesn't have any obvious short term health benefits, no long term studies have been done. I don't want to take chances. This way, I get to know my food and the people who grow it, and be able to eat what I decide to eat, not just what's convenient.
I also try to eat balanced meals. When I was a kid, I would eat just chicken breast for dinner. No longer. I eat chicken breast with corn and strawberries for dessert. And chocolate chip cookies. I try to cut down on carbs in the evening, but I make really good chocolate chip cookies. I, as a sedentary female, eat 6 servings of carbs, 6 ounces of protein, 3 servings of veggies, 2 servings of fruit and (I try) 2 servings of dairy a day. I fail at eating dairy, though. Unless milk or cheese is an ingredient, pretty much my only dairy is ice cream, if we have a good flavor, which is rarely.
I should also work out 30 minutes a day. It doesn't really happen. I think me and my brother need to adopt parts of each others diets. He should eat more fruits and veggies, and I should work out.
Chuck Norris eats very similarly to my brother and I. He "eats to live, not lives to eat." I found this out from his book. He eats organic, balanced diets that reflect his exercise regimen. But he drinks bottled water. He doesn't trust tap water, and I don't trust bottled.
I don't really know how it happened. I'm just glad I go to a college where the catering company is run by food snobs, too.
Mother isn't really that much of a food snob. She's just a vegetarian. She is vegetarian because she is grossed out by the idea of eating muscle. If it doesn't have meat in it, she's generally okay with it. She also doesn't like canned peas. Frozen is okay sometimes, fresh pea pods are amazing, but not canned. She generally eats a lot of beans and fake meat.
Brother is a fitness geek. His diet revolves around his workout schedule. He eats several small meals throughout the day. High protein, high fiber meals. He eats carbs in the morning and early afternoon. He can have sugar after weight training. He drinks a lot of protein shakes and caffeinated beverages. Indulging, for him, is eating a meal that someone else made. He has to 'save up for it.'
I am a food snob in the sense that I am picky about ingredients and slightly picky about preparation. I only eat free range poultry and fish. Preferably organic or sustainable fishing methods. I will eat beef sometimes, but only grass-fed. It's healthier for me, and for the environment (grass-fed cows produce less methane than corn-fed. Cows are fed corn [sometimes with steroids] so they reach a butcherable weight at a younger age, but it also leads to higher disease rates, such as e coli, at which point they add medicine to the corn and steroids. Not pleasant, imo).
I try to eat fresh/frozen organic produce, and use canned vegies rarely. I try to eat whole grain (it's really hard here at home, though). I prefer to make things from scratch so I don't have to worry about chemicals that I have no idea how to pronounce or how they effect me. As natural as possible, please. I don't want to be 70 years old and dying from a pesticide related illness. While organic doesn't have any obvious short term health benefits, no long term studies have been done. I don't want to take chances. This way, I get to know my food and the people who grow it, and be able to eat what I decide to eat, not just what's convenient.
I also try to eat balanced meals. When I was a kid, I would eat just chicken breast for dinner. No longer. I eat chicken breast with corn and strawberries for dessert. And chocolate chip cookies. I try to cut down on carbs in the evening, but I make really good chocolate chip cookies. I, as a sedentary female, eat 6 servings of carbs, 6 ounces of protein, 3 servings of veggies, 2 servings of fruit and (I try) 2 servings of dairy a day. I fail at eating dairy, though. Unless milk or cheese is an ingredient, pretty much my only dairy is ice cream, if we have a good flavor, which is rarely.
I should also work out 30 minutes a day. It doesn't really happen. I think me and my brother need to adopt parts of each others diets. He should eat more fruits and veggies, and I should work out.
Chuck Norris eats very similarly to my brother and I. He "eats to live, not lives to eat." I found this out from his book. He eats organic, balanced diets that reflect his exercise regimen. But he drinks bottled water. He doesn't trust tap water, and I don't trust bottled.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Tshirt Blanket
I've started a new project today which I better stick with.
I'm turning 22 of my t-shirts that I never wear but can't get rid of because they have personal meaning into a blanket. I have all my theater shirts, Girl Scout shirts, extracurricular acivities, work shirts, non-profit shirts, etc. It probably won't be very warm, but that's ok. I'm not going to even try to quilt it. It would be a disaster. I'll just use it in the summer or over my comforter.
My sewing skills are extremely limited. I can't use machines, and I'm really bad at hemming. I can make button holes like no other, though. Not sure why. I almost never make button holes, but I can do it really well. I can't really sew in a straight line, nor do I have patience to make a good strong seam. Maybe I just need a really simple, easy sewing machine that doesn't confound me. : )
Thus, because of my impoverished sewing skills, I am doing the 2nd laziest way of making t-shirt blankets. I am cutting off the sleeves, sewing a square around the image while it's inside out, then turning it right side out and finish closing it up. Then I will take these squares and cross stitch them together with yarn. For the edge of the blanket, I will line it with the sleeves and my girl scout t-shirts. So the leftover fabric becomes stuffing that doesn't shift around, and I use the whole t shirt. And I don't mess up cutting. I can just take out the stitches and start over.
The laziest way would be to cut out the squares and fringe them without sewing anything and then just tying it all together. Works better with fleece than with cotton t shirts, but it'd work. It would be very thin and not blanket-like though.
Fleece tie blankets are really nice though. Takes about an hour to make, easily personable and relatively cheap, so it's a good gift for kids and teens. : )
Actually, I take that back. The Absolute Laziest Way would be to make a pile of t shirts and sleep under it. Like a hobo. : )
When I'm done, I'll take pictures and show you. Don't hold your breath though, it will take a few weeks, I think. I spent 3 hours working on it today, and got the shirts marked and 1 square done.
Tomorrow, I fill water balloons. A lot of them. Family reunion on Sunday!
I'm turning 22 of my t-shirts that I never wear but can't get rid of because they have personal meaning into a blanket. I have all my theater shirts, Girl Scout shirts, extracurricular acivities, work shirts, non-profit shirts, etc. It probably won't be very warm, but that's ok. I'm not going to even try to quilt it. It would be a disaster. I'll just use it in the summer or over my comforter.
My sewing skills are extremely limited. I can't use machines, and I'm really bad at hemming. I can make button holes like no other, though. Not sure why. I almost never make button holes, but I can do it really well. I can't really sew in a straight line, nor do I have patience to make a good strong seam. Maybe I just need a really simple, easy sewing machine that doesn't confound me. : )
Thus, because of my impoverished sewing skills, I am doing the 2nd laziest way of making t-shirt blankets. I am cutting off the sleeves, sewing a square around the image while it's inside out, then turning it right side out and finish closing it up. Then I will take these squares and cross stitch them together with yarn. For the edge of the blanket, I will line it with the sleeves and my girl scout t-shirts. So the leftover fabric becomes stuffing that doesn't shift around, and I use the whole t shirt. And I don't mess up cutting. I can just take out the stitches and start over.
The laziest way would be to cut out the squares and fringe them without sewing anything and then just tying it all together. Works better with fleece than with cotton t shirts, but it'd work. It would be very thin and not blanket-like though.
Fleece tie blankets are really nice though. Takes about an hour to make, easily personable and relatively cheap, so it's a good gift for kids and teens. : )
Actually, I take that back. The Absolute Laziest Way would be to make a pile of t shirts and sleep under it. Like a hobo. : )
When I'm done, I'll take pictures and show you. Don't hold your breath though, it will take a few weeks, I think. I spent 3 hours working on it today, and got the shirts marked and 1 square done.
Tomorrow, I fill water balloons. A lot of them. Family reunion on Sunday!
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