Thoughts of Social Change

Somehow, I really don't know how it happened, but somehow my e-mail address got added to the Wake Up Walmart campaign e-mail list. This happened about a year and a half ago. Wake Up Walmart is a lobbyist group that campaigns to reform Walmart's evil business practices. Now I don't really like walmart, but it has nothing to do with their business practices. It has everything to do with the types of clothing they sell.

The e-mails I get from Wake Up Walmart are pretty funny. They claim that Walmart is to blame for the toy recalls from China. They claim that is our patriotic duty to get our legislature to control walmart. Here are some of their subject lines:
"Tell Walmart: Apologize Now!"
"Walmart & Crime - A shocking new report!"
"Walmart and George Bush"
"Big Brother"

Now, I agree if everything that they claim Walmart did was true, something would need to change. But I have a hard time with their change techniques. They ask people to do a lot of things, but I have yet to get an e-mail from them asking me to stop shopping at Walmart.

Apparently asking people to avoid the over lit, crowded, noisy store is too much. Corporations will rapidly change when they see their sales drop. Executives will yell and people will scramble if stuff sits on shelves. I think consumers forget that they have much more power than the power of a vote. They have the power of the dollar.

Here's why I think we aren't asked to boycott walmart. I think because when it all comes down to it, people are selfish. I've seen this in so many other campaigns. People, in general, are willing to stand behind a cause as long as it costs them very little. Yeah, better wages sounds like a great thing for that cashier, but I shouldn't pay for it - some faceless corporation should. Yes, child labor shouldn't be used, but I'm not going to look into that before I purchase something. I agree that we should strive to be a "greener" society, but please don't deprive me of my Ziploc bags.

As Americans our consumerism has the potential to fund many human rights violations around the world. We don't just hold the power of the dollar, but we hold the responsibility that comes with it. I believe that real change won't happen unless people are willing to pay more for things, live with less and make personal changes to social problems. Until then, it's just useless rhetoric.

The radishes are going to take over the world. I swear.

Ben and I are part of an organic Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) program around here. The challenge with the CSA is that I never know what I am going to get in our box each week. It's whatever is in season. I know we will get lettuce, tomatoes, herbs and sprouts. Besides that, I have no idea. Sometimes I get things I don't know what to do with. For example this came in our box today:

The world's largest radish.

What am I supposed to do with this?

The leaves!

Hey! Do you see that new picture up on the top of my blog? Doesn't it look nice, what with my feet all covered and all?

I just want you all to know that taking that picture was not easy. Because this apartment complex has something against leaves. They rake them and run over them with lawn mowers and in general destroy all the pretty leaves. So to take that picture I had to walk around my apartment complex looking for a spot with the most leaves. When I found it I had to scavenge for leaves to get enough for a picture. That's right scavenge. Like go pick leaves up off the parking lot to create a small pile of leaves big enough for that picture. I am sure I looked crazy chasing leaves, arranging them just so in a pile and then taking pictures of my feet.

Getting a good picture of feet is harder than it looks. I took like 20 pictures before I decided I had enough I could use. And then I used the first one I took. Because I enjoy irony so much. That's why.

So my last header I kind of jimmy-rigged in Microsoft Paint. This one my brother the graphic designer whiz did. It took him 2 min to do what took me 4 hours.

Well, I hope you enjoy it. Happy fall!

Urban Grit

Ben and I live in uber yuppy suburbia. There are 3 malls within driving distance. Houses are being built everywhere. We are living where everyone else wants to live. Yet, ee don't really want to live here. It's nice for the convenience and the safety, but the cookie cutter quality of everything drives us both nuts. But we are here for now.

I do have to say that we have one of the most amazing grocery stores near our apartment. This grocery plays classical music, has dim lighting and employs a sushi chef. It has a great selection of (non-local grrr...) organic produce and tons of health food items. This store makes grocery shopping relaxing. I love shopping there. Until I get the bill and pass out. But that's besides the point.

There is a grocery store near the urban church we attend that is completely different. Ben and I went there once. We walked in and noticed two very odd things about the store. 1. The shelves are mostly EMPTY and 2. There are no checkout lanes. You had to pay at the counter where you get the cigarettes. There was Spanish pop music blaring over the speakers and it looked like the sort of place where drugs would be sold right out in the open. I mean the porn was, why not the drugs? I thought for sure someone would walk in with a gun. I had decided right then and there that if anyone looked at me funny I was going to throw my pop in the air, scream and run out. That's my new defense, create chaos and run. I think it might work... anyway, this grocery store makes you relax when you make it out alive.

The neighborhoods from where we live and where we worship are obviously very different. We met a guy last night who claims he went to jail because the police made him kill a man. I'm not sure how much, if any of that story is true, but you don't really hear that conversation next to the soy milk at the grocery store near here.

It's hard and it's easy to live here. It's easy to get comfortable and fit in here. And it's hard because I'm not ever comfortable. I keep thinking we have too much stuff, all while wanting more. I keep trying to remind myself to save electricity, we have friends who can't pay for it. I want to stay here because it's safe, but I can't wait to move to the city because I love it. I love the people and the culture and the rawness of the city. I have no idea how to relate to the people, and no idea how to help them, but I feel called and I can't wait until Ben and I really get to serve there.

How we didn't die

Last night Ben and I went for a moonlight bike ride on one of the local bike paths. We had never done one of these before but my mom kept telling me how neat they were. Since it was the end of the month and we had already spent our entertainment budget, we figured a bike ride was free and a good idea! However, we had to get lights for the front and back of our bikes. Our original plan was to buy cheap flashlights and tape them on. But once we got to the store the shiny bike lights were calling to us and we were weak and bought them. Don't look at me like that. I'd like to see you turn down a shiny, flashing bike light. You can't do it. Also, we needed a water bottle. So our free dated ended up costing us some money. But can you really put a price on memories? Or exercise? Apparently you can and it's $35.48.

We pulled into the park parking lot with another group of people with bikes. I was kind of excited that there would be other people on the trail that didn't look like serial killers. Not that Ben looks like a serial killer, I just figured that my odds of surviving a serial killer attack increased with the number of people I had to out run to live. But they weren't going on a full moon ride. They were picking up their car from their bike ride earlier in the day. They were surprised we were starting our bike ride in the dark, but that's just how we roll. We are dangeresque.

Once we got started, we realized that we really should have taken the other trail that wasn't wooded. The moon doesn't help you on the wooded trail. The wooded trail is just dark and provides lots of places for things to hide and jump out at you. I wasn't afraid so much of people, although I kept thinking that us riding along singing Bicycle Race by Queen would be a great opening to a horror movie. One were we died a horrible bloody death. But that didn't worry me too much, because I know the type of people who live out where we were riding and they aren't so much the chainsaw murderers as they are the jack up their pickups and go squirrel hunting type of people. I was, however, afraid of dogs. I have an irrational fear of dogs and coyotes. I kept picturing a pack of dogs running beside us, us peddling for our lives and then getting eaten. I have a vivid imagination. My fear of dogs was not helped by my trip to India where packs of dogs really do attack people and where we almost got attacked by a very mean looking dog.

BUT! Back to the bike ride. After awhile of not getting attacked by dogs, I relaxed a little and began to enjoy the trip. It was pretty neat. The moon was brilliant. The night sounds were relaxing. The weather was great. Did you know that spider's eyes look like green diamonds when you shine lights in them in the dark? Did you also know that there are about a million spiders out at night? The trail just glittered as our lights caught their eyes. It was cool in a I-hope-I-don't-fall-in-the-grass sort of way. The trip was going well until I almost ran over an animal with my bike. Yes an animal! An animal ran out in front of us and I almost hit it! I think it was a possum, which are mean if you corner them. Have you ever seen a mad possum? It will give you nightmares. So after our almost encounter with an animal we decided to turn around. Also, my hands were cold and numb.

Soon after we turned around we realized that our shiny new lights came with cheap, cheap batteries and our headlights were dying. Crap. So we peddled faster and hoped we didn't run into anything. And we almost did. A man walking on the trail at night. By himself. Creepy. Peddle faster.

We made it back to the parking lot safe and sound. Ben and I were strapping the bikes on to the car when we heard some cats fighting and turned to see the creepy man from the trail walking towards us. Ahh! Ben handed me the keys and told me to wait in the car. As the man approached Ben I was trying to figure out if I could back the car over the creepy guy without hitting Ben if I needed to. I know! My mind! It overreacts!

Ben started talking to the guy and it turns out he wasn't creepy! Well maybe a little. But we freaked him out just as much as he did us. He saw our lights side-by-side on the trail and was convinced a car was driving on the bike trail and was going to run him over! He was relieved that it was just us riding our bikes at night.

Our bike ride was a lot of fun, and a little adventurous. I think the next time I would rather ride on a non-wooded trail and get better batteries. But it was a good time and was way better than just renting a movie. Although, that would have been cheaper....

Watch out for the tomatoes too...

Have I ever mentioned how much I love our new dishes? I just love them. The dishes are White by Denby. I love white dishes. They just make food stand out and look so pretty. White makes dinner all HELLLLLOOOOOO FOOOOOOODDDDDD!!!! Tonight I made a salad and I thought it was so pretty that I took a picture of it. Here, I'll share it with you:


See what I mean? Didn't that salad just just jump out at you and scream EAT ME! in your face? It's surprising how radishes do that to a salad. There really are one of the more brazen of the salad toppings....

I picked these dishes because I want to have people over and make them food and have them eat off of these plates. And this weekend I get to do just that! My First! Ever! Dinner! Party! Since I've been married anyway. Ben's siblings and their special someones are coming over for dinner on Saturday. I get to show off my mad cooking skillz for everyone. Which probably means ordering pizza. But! We will eat it on pretty white dishes!

We are also going to a corn maze which I am more excited about than I probably should be.

A dinner party and a corn maze! Life doesn't get any better than this!

How about the cost of the bread?

Things have been busy. Some things have been funny but personal. Others have been sad and personal and others have just been personal. But mostly everything has been tiring. It's been a tired week.

Which probably explains the following story:

Last night I had gotten back from an evening of errands and grocery shopping (which I HATE with a burning passion of a thousand hateful things). I informed Ben that I had gone over our grocery budget by $16 this month and that we are just going to have to eat what we have. That butternut squash we've been avoiding? Have to eat it! Soup that we don't like? Have to eat it! I also commented that I wasn't sure how to grocery shop on a budget.

And then cried, "And I BOUGHT THE WRONG SIZE BOX OF CHEERIOS!!!" While banging it against the cupboard over and over, trying to make it fit. My logic at that moment was dizzying.

Ben took the box from me and asked, "well were the Cheerios on sale?"

"Umm... I forgot to check. I was kind of speed-shopping."

"Well that's one way to NOT shop on a budget."

And then my head burst into flames and my eyes popped out. I think there was some yelling and some slamming of things and some threatening to "ONLY BUY KROGER-BRAND CEREAL BECAUSE IT'S ALWAYS ON SALE!" And then I think I began to pull things out of the grocery bags and comment on if they were on sale or not. "THE KIWIS WEREN'T ON SALE. CAN WE EAT THOSE? HOW ABOUT THESE BEANS? I THINK I PAID 2 CENTS TOO MUCH FOR THEM." I was winning Ben's heart all over again!

Ben just kind of stared at me in amazement and quietly said, "It was a joke. It's not a big deal. That's why I said it. I don't care if you spent an extra dollar on the cheerios." All while backing away from me slowly.

And then I realized he didn't mean it and I was overreacting and ha! wasn't this funny now? Let's laugh at ourselves! Except Ben still doesn't find it funny. He thinks I am still mad and refuses to joke about it. Maybe that's wise.

But I did buy Kroger-brand granola bars. I did do SOME price comparisons. I had one in my lunch today and it was not good. It tasted like an apple cinnamon explosion in my mouth. Kind of like an apple cinnamon starburst. With a hint of granoloa. Only I didn't want an apple cinnamon starburst granola bar. I wanted a granola bar with a slight hint of apple and cinnamon. Needless to say the cheap granola bars are a big let down.

So, the lesson from this is that I will only buy Ben Kroger-brand cereal if he makes me really, really mad.