I got my 15 seconds of fame tonight on the Washington Abc news affiliate, WJLA. That's the modern standard for limelight time now. Oh well, it was fun!
Check out the video at the WJLA website: How much trash do you create?
Update: Part 2
My memorable quote: "That brown stuff is bean dip." So inspirational, so green.
It's also funny that they aired the shot of "my trash" that I had to steal from my coworker, who sips on slim fast all day long! Haha.
(The story behind that is: I left the real trash bag on the metro because I kinda forgot about it, it being early in the morning (the bag still weighed 0.0 pounds) -- so I had to "recreate" it when I got to work.)
Third weird connection to this story: My very first AOL screename was 'Garbegegrl,' after my favorite femme-fronted band Garbage, so in a way, I guess I've come full circle. Or as my cousin "The Pool Guy" says, I am the true garbage girl.
27.2.08
23.2.08
Change and habit
The benefits of habit and regularity don't usually present themselves to me in a favorable light, but in the past few days, the ideas have snuck in and refused to budge.
Theoretical. In The Relaxation Response, Herbert Benson (M.D.) defines stress, in the context of hypertension, to be any necessary change in one's behaviors. So when subject to stress-inducing changes, a person becomes more likely to become ill: widows 12 times more likely to die than others their age. That's the old romantic (!) story about the remaining spouse dying of a broken heart - but now there's scientific proof?
So if change is a health risk, what's invigorating? Or is "vigor" dependent on the heart's ability to withstand an exciting strain - a little like the breathlessness of living to tell the story, be it from getting by in a new city, succeeding in a new job role, or completing a century on your road bike?
Personal. The women on my Mom's side of the family seem to regard themselves as doomed to repeat mistakes and unhealthy behavior - while admitting guilt (and sometimes even declaring it!). Have they capitulated to some concept of habit? Or does it have real sway? How to understand this without more years under my belt? Sometimes, I wonder about how much predilection for martyrdom the Catholic upbringing might have left behind to make it possible to condemn oneself knowingly, but this idea that a person isn't able to change seems simply ridiculous.
I believe: We are all capable of learning, and at any age. I appreciate more and more the continuing education centers run by colleges nationwide, and hope I'll be able to avail myself of them eventually.
New Year's resolutions are a common form of condoned change - so is habit why we often fail?
Honestly, I find an arbitrary date like Jan 1 to be a stupid one to choose for making a change that you're convinced is appropriate for you. If a person wants to make a change, they'll think about it and then take the plunge then. Waiting seems to increase disingenuousness - and hence failure. At least at ritualized attempts at change is a step toward taking life into your own hands, but I'd like to see people find a way to be successful instead of simply following a January fad and forgetting by Valentine's Day, when exercise plans are easily abandoned for some gourmet chocolates.
Back to habit again - should life be the alignment of one's normal activities with one's ideals until sufficiently satisfied .. and then bring on the calcification?
Life to me seems like an abundant buffet, expanding at [someone else's] will. The moment I choose a habit, do I deny that myriad of fragrant choices? I can't easily imagine turning a blind and forgetful eye to the multitude of interesting ideas, people, hobbies, etc. But neither can I imagine joy without discovery. Even if that discovery lies in appreciating what is already here to stay.
I can't draw a conclusion yet.
I'm suspicious that my self-imposed definitions are muddled - and that habit may not be exclusive of newness. In my own case, it seems a fusion may be called for. Maybe I'll be victim to my own ancestry eventually - so this may all be for naught! But, I'd like to think not.
Theoretical. In The Relaxation Response, Herbert Benson (M.D.) defines stress, in the context of hypertension, to be any necessary change in one's behaviors. So when subject to stress-inducing changes, a person becomes more likely to become ill: widows 12 times more likely to die than others their age. That's the old romantic (!) story about the remaining spouse dying of a broken heart - but now there's scientific proof?
So if change is a health risk, what's invigorating? Or is "vigor" dependent on the heart's ability to withstand an exciting strain - a little like the breathlessness of living to tell the story, be it from getting by in a new city, succeeding in a new job role, or completing a century on your road bike?
Personal. The women on my Mom's side of the family seem to regard themselves as doomed to repeat mistakes and unhealthy behavior - while admitting guilt (and sometimes even declaring it!). Have they capitulated to some concept of habit? Or does it have real sway? How to understand this without more years under my belt? Sometimes, I wonder about how much predilection for martyrdom the Catholic upbringing might have left behind to make it possible to condemn oneself knowingly, but this idea that a person isn't able to change seems simply ridiculous.
I believe: We are all capable of learning, and at any age. I appreciate more and more the continuing education centers run by colleges nationwide, and hope I'll be able to avail myself of them eventually.
New Year's resolutions are a common form of condoned change - so is habit why we often fail?
Honestly, I find an arbitrary date like Jan 1 to be a stupid one to choose for making a change that you're convinced is appropriate for you. If a person wants to make a change, they'll think about it and then take the plunge then. Waiting seems to increase disingenuousness - and hence failure. At least at ritualized attempts at change is a step toward taking life into your own hands, but I'd like to see people find a way to be successful instead of simply following a January fad and forgetting by Valentine's Day, when exercise plans are easily abandoned for some gourmet chocolates.
Back to habit again - should life be the alignment of one's normal activities with one's ideals until sufficiently satisfied .. and then bring on the calcification?
Life to me seems like an abundant buffet, expanding at [someone else's] will. The moment I choose a habit, do I deny that myriad of fragrant choices? I can't easily imagine turning a blind and forgetful eye to the multitude of interesting ideas, people, hobbies, etc. But neither can I imagine joy without discovery. Even if that discovery lies in appreciating what is already here to stay.
I can't draw a conclusion yet.
I'm suspicious that my self-imposed definitions are muddled - and that habit may not be exclusive of newness. In my own case, it seems a fusion may be called for. Maybe I'll be victim to my own ancestry eventually - so this may all be for naught! But, I'd like to think not.
22.2.08
Treasure hunting in the woods
Having just finished The Omnivore's Dilemma and recalling the excitement of the early days of garden-grown baby greens from The United States of Arugula, I have to say I find mushroom foraging pretty intriguing! Mushrooms have mysterious biology, but they're also the culinary version of treasure - highly valued, hidden and sought-after, and seemingly free for the taking.
Here's a website I want to check out more about foraging food for free (when I have the time! My reading to-do list is towering high above me at the moment): Wild Man Wild Food
Here's a website I want to check out more about foraging food for free (when I have the time! My reading to-do list is towering high above me at the moment): Wild Man Wild Food
12.2.08
Where did your Banana come from?
Mine came from Ecuador. From a conglomeration of 3 farms called MarPlantis, that's been certified under United States organic farming laws since 2005. If you get a Banana from Dole, you can see where it came from, too. Just check the UPC sticker on it and head to the web.
Here's an important question:
Is it better to know for certain that your banana comes from a farm thousands of miles away, and to see the faces of those farmers who send it off to feed you, although you will likely never have a chance to meet? Or is it better to "suffer" and give up summer fruits in the winter -- a season when dried fruits traditionally supplied North Americans with enough to satisfy the sweet tooth?
I have yet to move exclusively into farmers markets and local food, but the common sense of the equation just makes sense. The environmental impacts (which I won't go into) are noteworthy in and of themselves, but the support of local economies is a more tangible effect in lots of ways. I know that I support myself by supporting my neighbors!
For the skeptics and rushed soccer moms:
This isn't just something trendy to think about for cooks or career chefs. You and I eat every day, probably 2 or 3 times. If we are conscious about our choices for those meals, we can make one mental move stretch into 1000 individual actions over a year - and get used to the change in routine probably quicker than the travel time of a South American banana. And those choices adds up to something significant.
UPDATE 2/28: Umbra dishes on funny looking organic Bananas at Grist.
Here's an important question:
Is it better to know for certain that your banana comes from a farm thousands of miles away, and to see the faces of those farmers who send it off to feed you, although you will likely never have a chance to meet? Or is it better to "suffer" and give up summer fruits in the winter -- a season when dried fruits traditionally supplied North Americans with enough to satisfy the sweet tooth?
I have yet to move exclusively into farmers markets and local food, but the common sense of the equation just makes sense. The environmental impacts (which I won't go into) are noteworthy in and of themselves, but the support of local economies is a more tangible effect in lots of ways. I know that I support myself by supporting my neighbors!
For the skeptics and rushed soccer moms:
This isn't just something trendy to think about for cooks or career chefs. You and I eat every day, probably 2 or 3 times. If we are conscious about our choices for those meals, we can make one mental move stretch into 1000 individual actions over a year - and get used to the change in routine probably quicker than the travel time of a South American banana. And those choices adds up to something significant.
UPDATE 2/28: Umbra dishes on funny looking organic Bananas at Grist.
10.2.08
We are one, and our actions matter.
I want to share some quotables that I came upon recently while reading The Omnivore's Dilemma. They link what we like to think of as separate things: how we eat, what industry does, the war machine, and the impact of our way of life on our ancestors. I think a linked view - though less simple, and less easy to manipulate - is a lot truer to our lives as inherently biological organisms, despite our attempts to automate and electrify every last detail.
(These kind of quotes usually have a habit of being lost amid a blitz of little pieces of paper I keep around to "remember" ideas and suggestions and provocations and work schedules &c. But I trust that the internet, record of imaginary signals, will guard these a little more safely. And might better send them out into the world than moi in lecture mode!)
"Organic's rejection of agricultural chemicals was also a rejection of the war machine, since the same corporations -- Dow, Monsanto -- that manufactured pesticides also made napalm and Agent Orange, the herbicide with which the U.S. military was waging war against nature in South East Asia. Eating organic thus married the personal to the political."
Michael Pollan
"In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations."
From the Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy
(These kind of quotes usually have a habit of being lost amid a blitz of little pieces of paper I keep around to "remember" ideas and suggestions and provocations and work schedules &c. But I trust that the internet, record of imaginary signals, will guard these a little more safely. And might better send them out into the world than moi in lecture mode!)
"Organic's rejection of agricultural chemicals was also a rejection of the war machine, since the same corporations -- Dow, Monsanto -- that manufactured pesticides also made napalm and Agent Orange, the herbicide with which the U.S. military was waging war against nature in South East Asia. Eating organic thus married the personal to the political."
Michael Pollan
"In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations."
From the Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy
7.2.08
Kitchenology and the composition of the cloud
Here's a fun fact I learned while trying to figure out what's with all the pastry flour called for in vegan baked goods: there are different types of flour with different characteristics based on exactly what's in them!
A list of basic types of flour used in baking:
All-purpose flour, bread flour, cake flour, pastry flour
And here's how they vary, mostly in terms of gluten protein content:
Flour type: ([protein composition range]; characteristics)*
All-purpose: ([0.09, 0.12]; rises well, mixable, moderately elastic)
Bread: ([0.12, 0.13]; well-risen, chewy, elastic)
Pastry: ([0.08, 0.09]; some body, moderately tender)
Cake: ([0.05, 0.08]; inelastic, very tender)
A few uncommon flours:
Buckwheat (0.09; heavy, flavorful)
Whole wheat (0.14; heavy, dense, high in trace minterals)
Rye: (0.09; inelastic, low gluten)
Also exciting: some eggless cake recipes and an NPR feature on valentine's vegan treats !
Ta-da! And that's my daily ration of random factoids. Now, time to get to the store to find some pastry flour.. if they don't have that, I guess I can substitute with a weighted mixture of cake flour and all-purpose.. but now, I know why!
*This is the typical engineering way of expressing things, which implies that flour type is a function of both protein composition and characteristics. In actuality, it would be more correct to say that characteristics are a function of flour type and protein composition, but what variables am I going to use for characteristics? Let's not get too mathematical, here.
A list of basic types of flour used in baking:
All-purpose flour, bread flour, cake flour, pastry flour
And here's how they vary, mostly in terms of gluten protein content:
Flour type: ([protein composition range]; characteristics)*
All-purpose: ([0.09, 0.12]; rises well, mixable, moderately elastic)
Bread: ([0.12, 0.13]; well-risen, chewy, elastic)
Pastry: ([0.08, 0.09]; some body, moderately tender)
Cake: ([0.05, 0.08]; inelastic, very tender)
A few uncommon flours:
Buckwheat (0.09; heavy, flavorful)
Whole wheat (0.14; heavy, dense, high in trace minterals)
Rye: (0.09; inelastic, low gluten)
Also exciting: some eggless cake recipes and an NPR feature on valentine's vegan treats !
Ta-da! And that's my daily ration of random factoids. Now, time to get to the store to find some pastry flour.. if they don't have that, I guess I can substitute with a weighted mixture of cake flour and all-purpose.. but now, I know why!
*This is the typical engineering way of expressing things, which implies that flour type is a function of both protein composition and characteristics. In actuality, it would be more correct to say that characteristics are a function of flour type and protein composition, but what variables am I going to use for characteristics? Let's not get too mathematical, here.
5.2.08
When do isolated outliers become a disturbing trend?
Regardless of whether or not you buy into the American high school ideal, it's a sad day when a bright, promising boy picks up a gun and kills his entire family. What stays with me the most is the message of the gun-control advocates: a gun is 22 times more likely to be used against a family member than to be used to protect the family against intruders.
Second is this idea that the system obviously isn't working for many young people. Those who are coming into power now, after the baby boomers take leave. When a school becomes less a fertile socioacademic playground and more a dry, confining standardized testing station -- or when the home becomes more of a repository for techno must-haves, in which there's 0.5 daily hours on average to spend together, since mom and dad work longer hours and dutiful daughters and sons shuttle from activity to activity, essential for the college application, you begin to detect you've developed a major problem. I'm not sure how to synthesize any kind of comprehensive review of what American cultural practices might be contributing to a growing detachment and disaffectation (see Affluenza for that), but this is how it appears in my fish-eye lens: we are judging quantity over quality. And paying qualitative consequences.
Or it could be a lingering consequence of World War II values. That's pretty plausible, observing how that value set has irrevocably altered almost every kind of consumption and industry there is in the US (not to mention the continuing dominance of economics over other values -- sustainability, for example). That reminds me a little of something I heard about that's been going on in Japan: the hikikomori.
Second is this idea that the system obviously isn't working for many young people. Those who are coming into power now, after the baby boomers take leave. When a school becomes less a fertile socioacademic playground and more a dry, confining standardized testing station -- or when the home becomes more of a repository for techno must-haves, in which there's 0.5 daily hours on average to spend together, since mom and dad work longer hours and dutiful daughters and sons shuttle from activity to activity, essential for the college application, you begin to detect you've developed a major problem. I'm not sure how to synthesize any kind of comprehensive review of what American cultural practices might be contributing to a growing detachment and disaffectation (see Affluenza for that), but this is how it appears in my fish-eye lens: we are judging quantity over quality. And paying qualitative consequences.
Or it could be a lingering consequence of World War II values. That's pretty plausible, observing how that value set has irrevocably altered almost every kind of consumption and industry there is in the US (not to mention the continuing dominance of economics over other values -- sustainability, for example). That reminds me a little of something I heard about that's been going on in Japan: the hikikomori.
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