Losing sight of what matters in America - CharlotteObserver.com
Interesting take on the cons of individualism. I talked about this in my thesis - there's so much emphasis on 'me' that 'us' is a foreign concept, or even a traitorous one. It's not just NIMBY-ism, it's the people on the mainland of North Carolina wanting the island-folk to get washed into the sea so they don't have to pay for the Army Corps to protect them.
At the same time, it's the people building houses right behind the dunes because if they can buy the land, it's their right to build. And it's the landowners who reject setbacks from the ocean because it's their right to sell the land to a builder. It's never about the town or the community having enough room to be safe; it's about the individual's right to do whatever the hell he wants, especially if it means profiting. They'd rather their neighbors be destroyed than be prevented from doing what they want.
I'm afraid this attitude is too entrenched in our history and culture to change. Perhaps the dynamics of the population will be sufficiently altered in the next 20-30 years, and the burgeoning families of immigrants from more culture-valuing societies will be the catalyst we need. American individualism was useful in the age of pioneers (from the American government's point of view and not, say, a Native tribe's) but at this point I think it's holding us back. Wars aren't enough anymore. What will it take?
Monday, September 06, 2010
Thursday, September 02, 2010
Hurricane Katrina reading material
So, it's been 5 years. I still remember the way the room changed when we found out a classmate was a Katrina evacuee, who didn't plan on moving back home anytime soon. He hadn't even visited since it had happened. This was June of 2007, so less than 2 years later. It was still something raw and terrible to us, and I wasn't even directly affected. I imagine for those who were, it's still terrible, but less raw and more survivable. For the rest of us, I think it's regret, pity, shame, and still a little bit of incomprehensible horror.
Anyway, here are 2 "what now" articles about Katrina that caught my eye, in particular:
What would happen if another Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans today? - CSMonitor.com
Sewage As Hurricane Protection? New Orleans Could Use It To Regrow Wetlands : TreeHugger
The Banks are in for a wallop with Earl, although hopefully not a direct hit. There could still be some major damage, and I hope people are overly cautious about evacuating. Oh barrier islands, and your idiosyncratic inhabitants. What a consternation you are for emergency managers.
Anyway, here are 2 "what now" articles about Katrina that caught my eye, in particular:
What would happen if another Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans today? - CSMonitor.com
Sewage As Hurricane Protection? New Orleans Could Use It To Regrow Wetlands : TreeHugger
The Banks are in for a wallop with Earl, although hopefully not a direct hit. There could still be some major damage, and I hope people are overly cautious about evacuating. Oh barrier islands, and your idiosyncratic inhabitants. What a consternation you are for emergency managers.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
This is why I'm fat
Urban Planners Make You Fat
Several professors in my department are studying this phenomenon. I always feel as if I'm a walking validation of their research because I'm from the suburban Southeast. Part of me always got the sense that they'd love to ask me questions but were afraid it might End Badly.
I find it terribly amusing that the bottom of that post has a list of other things that make you fat, including proximity to fast food restaurants, cheap gas and the government. It's not the fact that I hate exercise and love carbs, it's because I grew up in an area where walking was dangerous and half of the restaurants nearby had value meals. Oh, and gas used to be less than a dollar per gallon.
I was doomed from the start!
See, the problem with articles like these is that they could be seen as self-justification for fatties. That's not at all what they're intending, but I bet a lot of people are going to misinterpret it that way. For instance, right now I live in a neighborhood with a high walking score, where even the 'fast food' restaurants are fairly healthy and public transit works. I'm not losing weight though, because it's not all about the environment, at least not at the individual level.
The point of these articles is to study obesity as a pandemic. It's like tracking an outbreak. It's not why YOU are fat, it's why so many other people are fat.
I agree that this needs to be studied, because it is a growing trend that we need to figure out. It's tied into food systems, urban planning, transportation, possibly other health issues (e.g. stress). I think mostly it's a symptom of a wealthy society and a culture that values leisure time and paying other people to do things for you as an indicator of success.
Obesity has some similarities to diseases such as alcoholism and addiction - many people believe that the fault lies with the individual. They all may have roots in psychological as well as biological issues. Studying obesity, and coming up with solutions for it, is going to run into some very tricky areas. It's not the same as wiping out polio - you don't blame children for drinking contaminated water. This is something that academics have to consider, and being that the ones I know who are studying the problem tend to have BMIs in the "normal" range, may not be as fully aware of the pitfalls. They have to be careful if they want to be taken seriously.
Anyway, in my case it is an urban planner making me fat. I have the degree to prove it.
Several professors in my department are studying this phenomenon. I always feel as if I'm a walking validation of their research because I'm from the suburban Southeast. Part of me always got the sense that they'd love to ask me questions but were afraid it might End Badly.
I find it terribly amusing that the bottom of that post has a list of other things that make you fat, including proximity to fast food restaurants, cheap gas and the government. It's not the fact that I hate exercise and love carbs, it's because I grew up in an area where walking was dangerous and half of the restaurants nearby had value meals. Oh, and gas used to be less than a dollar per gallon.
I was doomed from the start!
See, the problem with articles like these is that they could be seen as self-justification for fatties. That's not at all what they're intending, but I bet a lot of people are going to misinterpret it that way. For instance, right now I live in a neighborhood with a high walking score, where even the 'fast food' restaurants are fairly healthy and public transit works. I'm not losing weight though, because it's not all about the environment, at least not at the individual level.
The point of these articles is to study obesity as a pandemic. It's like tracking an outbreak. It's not why YOU are fat, it's why so many other people are fat.
I agree that this needs to be studied, because it is a growing trend that we need to figure out. It's tied into food systems, urban planning, transportation, possibly other health issues (e.g. stress). I think mostly it's a symptom of a wealthy society and a culture that values leisure time and paying other people to do things for you as an indicator of success.
Obesity has some similarities to diseases such as alcoholism and addiction - many people believe that the fault lies with the individual. They all may have roots in psychological as well as biological issues. Studying obesity, and coming up with solutions for it, is going to run into some very tricky areas. It's not the same as wiping out polio - you don't blame children for drinking contaminated water. This is something that academics have to consider, and being that the ones I know who are studying the problem tend to have BMIs in the "normal" range, may not be as fully aware of the pitfalls. They have to be careful if they want to be taken seriously.
Anyway, in my case it is an urban planner making me fat. I have the degree to prove it.
Saturday, August 07, 2010
Soul sister
The internet has kindly shared a couple of posts from Hyperbole and a Half with me, and I feel a kinship towards the creator. Mainly because she makes things like this:
The rest of that post could have been written by me, basically.
Sometimes when I write lately I put in completely the wrong word. It's very strange, and I don't recall it happening until recently. I've decided either I'm dying of brain cancer OR I have some sort of severe vitamin deficiency. The latter is more likely but less interesting. Maybe it's both.
At the moment it's a shitty, rainy day in Seattle (shut up) so naturally my neighbors have decided to have a raucous outdoor party. It might be a barbecue? I don't want to look and risk eye contact and seem like I'm being prudish or something (I'm wearing a cardigan, that will be their first thought). I just know they're screaming a lot and have been for hours. I realized that perhaps the reason that their kids are always screaming isn't because all kids do that, but because the parents also think it's normal to yell constantly if you're in a group. Or maybe they've just been blind drunk since noon. Likely.
I'm still pretty sure all kids scream constantly while playing, though. Like engines on motorcycles.
The rest of that post could have been written by me, basically.
Sometimes when I write lately I put in completely the wrong word. It's very strange, and I don't recall it happening until recently. I've decided either I'm dying of brain cancer OR I have some sort of severe vitamin deficiency. The latter is more likely but less interesting. Maybe it's both.
At the moment it's a shitty, rainy day in Seattle (shut up) so naturally my neighbors have decided to have a raucous outdoor party. It might be a barbecue? I don't want to look and risk eye contact and seem like I'm being prudish or something (I'm wearing a cardigan, that will be their first thought). I just know they're screaming a lot and have been for hours. I realized that perhaps the reason that their kids are always screaming isn't because all kids do that, but because the parents also think it's normal to yell constantly if you're in a group. Or maybe they've just been blind drunk since noon. Likely.
I'm still pretty sure all kids scream constantly while playing, though. Like engines on motorcycles.
Monday, August 02, 2010
Epic craft project in my mind
We've got 3 (THREE!) cats and no big climby thing. This seems silly. It also seems silly to pay $80-$200 for what's basically scrap wood with some carpet glued to it.
I'm trying to conceptualize something that would be so awesomely nerdy it would manage to eclipse its own lameness. The kind of thing that, were I male, would set me up for unending teasing about how I would never know the touch of a woman, but if done right might even gather some admirers on the interwebs (IMPORTANT).
Cat Minas Tirith.
Bear with me here. I think it can be done, the question is how well can it be done. I want this to look freaking sweet, yes, but I also want it to make the cats happy in a way that also doesn't make them destroy the part I worked hard on.
So far I'm trying to come up with creative uses of carpet. And also, Cat-Toy-Steward-of-Gondor on a string, dangling off the precipice for theNazgûl cats to play with. Nyyeeah?
I'm trying to conceptualize something that would be so awesomely nerdy it would manage to eclipse its own lameness. The kind of thing that, were I male, would set me up for unending teasing about how I would never know the touch of a woman, but if done right might even gather some admirers on the interwebs (IMPORTANT).
Cat Minas Tirith.
Bear with me here. I think it can be done, the question is how well can it be done. I want this to look freaking sweet, yes, but I also want it to make the cats happy in a way that also doesn't make them destroy the part I worked hard on.
So far I'm trying to come up with creative uses of carpet. And also, Cat-Toy-Steward-of-Gondor on a string, dangling off the precipice for the
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Good Tuesday night
Watching The Lost Boys and eating takeout Thai is a good time.
"My own brother, a goddamn, shit-sucking vampire!"
The hair, the clothes, the headbanging to saxophones, the terrible music and awkward sex scene. Amazing. And I'm so glad I survived the 80s and don't have to go through it again.
In other news, my next couple of crafty projects will come courtesy of Lifehacker, of course.
1. Turning pallets into backyard furniture. I fit 7 in my car yesterday and only dropped 2 on my toe! Win and fail.
2. Sprouting herb clippings in all the empty Mexican Coke bottles around the house.
Beyond that I'll be organizing the spice rack, fixing my PC and hacking my Wii. Why all these projects?
Well, I finished my contract, almost, and am soon to be unemployed. So I renew my job search, website design, business card design, cover letter writing and networking. My FAVORITE.
Maybe I should just steal one of these things and drive it around America confusing the hell out of transportation planners:
Thursday, July 15, 2010
I grew stuff!
ETA: Cooked up veggie etouffee, watching True Blood. YEAH.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Brussels Sprouts with Dijon and Balsamic Vinegar
I've been trying to nail down different ways to do Brussels Sprouts. The vaguely Chinese-style is pretty easy (minced garlic, ginger powder, soy sauce, sesame seeds, maybe some rice vinegar or cooking sherry), but I really like Balsamic with them, too. I was aiming for vaguely French-inspired, although I don't do much French food since it doesn't play well with veganism as far as I can tell.
Trader Joe's Brussels Sprouts in the microwaveable bag (1 lb.)
2 large shallots, thinly sliced
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Sea salt
Dijon mustard
Cooking sherry
Black pepper
Fresh thyme
1. Microwave sprouts for 4 minutes, with a piece of bread to absorb a little of the ass-smell. Cut in half, lengthwise.
2. Heat 2 tsp olive oil in large pan on medium-high heat. Add shallots and sautee until they begin to brown.
3. Add sprouts and sautee until they begin to steam. Add a healthy splash of balsamic - 2tsp, maybe 1 TBSP. Sprinkle with 3 or 4 pinches of sea salt.
4. Cook about 5 minutes, then add about 1 tsp of mustard and a couple of healthy splashes of cooking sherry.
5. Stir well and cook for 2 more minutes. The vinegar, sherry and mustard should make a sort of paste that clings to the shallots and coats at least part of the sprouts. If it's too thin, keep cooking it down; if it's too thick, add more sherry.
6. Remove from heat, grind some pepper on top and tear the leaves off of a few sprigs of thyme. You don't need too much. Stir together and serve immediately.
Trader Joe's Brussels Sprouts in the microwaveable bag (1 lb.)
2 large shallots, thinly sliced
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Sea salt
Dijon mustard
Cooking sherry
Black pepper
Fresh thyme
1. Microwave sprouts for 4 minutes, with a piece of bread to absorb a little of the ass-smell. Cut in half, lengthwise.
2. Heat 2 tsp olive oil in large pan on medium-high heat. Add shallots and sautee until they begin to brown.
3. Add sprouts and sautee until they begin to steam. Add a healthy splash of balsamic - 2tsp, maybe 1 TBSP. Sprinkle with 3 or 4 pinches of sea salt.
4. Cook about 5 minutes, then add about 1 tsp of mustard and a couple of healthy splashes of cooking sherry.
5. Stir well and cook for 2 more minutes. The vinegar, sherry and mustard should make a sort of paste that clings to the shallots and coats at least part of the sprouts. If it's too thin, keep cooking it down; if it's too thick, add more sherry.
6. Remove from heat, grind some pepper on top and tear the leaves off of a few sprigs of thyme. You don't need too much. Stir together and serve immediately.
Procrastination Triggers, Tips & Tricks
The last several weeks have been rough. Chaos at home, insanity in the family, nearing the end of the contract, boss traveling and the ever-dreaded job hunting.
I don't want to get into all that but suffice to say the end result = lots of procrastination, little accomplished. There have been a few relevant posts on Lifehacker recently that have got me thinking about ways to fix this. The basic problem for me is anxiety & depression make me want to hide and not think about real-world things, which make the real-world things worse. Blah blah blah. Here's what I've been working out about my causes, stages and possible solutions:
Procrastination Triggers
Depression: This is tied into anxiety (see below), but if things aren't going well it can make you depressed and take away your energy and positive outlook on working. For me, I sometimes deal with this via self-punishment. I procrastinate so that I have another reason to feel bad, and berate myself for my bad choices. This is where cognitive-behavioral therapy comes in. Other solutions in general are giving yourself a pass for socialization, fun-time, 'me-time', exercise and sunlight. Don't push it off as a reward for getting things done, and don't feel guilty while doing it. It's part of getting work done and it'll help you push through the problem. Talking it out can help as well.
Anxiety: External life events or project-specific, either way this is the biggest problem for me. As my overall anxiety level increases, so does my urge to hide and hope everything goes away. Project-specific anxiety is somewhat easier to deal with, but it has to be examined first to determine the cause. This can be difficult given the run/hide habit, but it's a good first, distancing and depersonalizing step.
Solutions
Being Overwhelmed: The next step in the project is big, murky, full of things I'm not sure how to approach, information I don't know how to get, or seems impossible to complete in the amount of time left. The first step is to identify any low-hanging fruit that doesn't fit the above descriptions and do that first. It needs to be done anyway, and once you're working you can look at the rest of it and ferret out even more low-hanging fruit that you didn't realize was there.
The next step is further breaking down the big project into little projects. As you do this you'll find more easy stuff and the hard stuff will make itself known; leave that until a bit later. As you complete the easy things, further diagram the big things. You can break almost everything down into smaller pieces. If for some reason you can't break things down into completable blocks, or it doesn't make sense, break them down time-wise. Work 30 minutes on an easy thing, then spend 5 minutes looking at or working on the hard thing. Also, think about that hard project when you're winding down into relax time; dabble in it when you're watching a movie you've seen before or a low-intelligence TV show. You're not committing to working on it, there's no need to complete it today, but it'll help you start to digest it, plan an approach and won't be the big scary thing you haven't looked at in weeks.
Bad Habits: I've found that sitting in one place means I can often, but not always get work done. Going to a cafe or sitting outside (where I can't get internet access) is effective 90% of the time but can be quickly draining. Sitting on the couch almost never works. Scheduling a meet-up at a cafe can work, enjoying a lovely day outside is a reward for getting things done, and moving your workspace to the right place before bed can help you get on track the next morning. Make sure things are charged overnight so the next day you have no excuse to stay in the non-working space because your phone/computer battery is almost dead.
Procrastination by Accomplishment: When I finally move out of the miasma of Not-Work back into Work, it's often through a transition period wherein I accomplish things on my general to-do list before I actually sit down and get started. Yardwork, cooking, cleaning, laundry, errands - while these can take up significant amounts of time and further delay getting work done, crossing them off your mental list can also reduce your general anxiety level and boost self-esteem. Just knowing that you can complete tasks, shorten your to-do list, see your progress, all of those start good, positive feelings moving through your system, clearing out the negative, "Can't Won't Never" thoughts that have been clogging everything up. Just be careful not to stay in this state too long - when you're making a decision between running an errand that could take a while and sitting down to get work done, decide what your true motives are. On the other hand, if you're still not ready to get work done and will just waste time instead, run the errand and just make sure to get a few minutes of work done when you get back.
Minimum Standards: This was brought up in the Lifehacker article recently. Joni uses it to get herself outside for a run on even crappy days when she really doesn't feel like it. Start with just 5 minutes. Just open the document and read the first paragraph. Just start drafting the e-mail. Once you start, another few minutes won't seem so hard, and you've already accomplished your goal so it's all bonus work from there.
Letting Go: A major problem with me is that I get so backed up, or I waste so much time, that I feel that I somehow have to catch up on all of it before I can proceed. Starting with a few minutes, or even a couple of hours, each day just won't cut it - I need to work for 8, 10, 12 hours straight to get caught up! I need to read all 10 chapters before I read this week's assignment! Sometimes just deciding to start at the most immediate need and work your way backwards is what it takes to unblock the dam. Often you'll find that you can just skim those chapters because you've covered most of it in class already, or the time you thought you needed to spend on a project is better spent elsewhere anyway. This isn't to say that there aren't consequences to procrastinating, but if that's what's keeping you from moving forward, just deal with them later. You're good at that, right?
I don't want to get into all that but suffice to say the end result = lots of procrastination, little accomplished. There have been a few relevant posts on Lifehacker recently that have got me thinking about ways to fix this. The basic problem for me is anxiety & depression make me want to hide and not think about real-world things, which make the real-world things worse. Blah blah blah. Here's what I've been working out about my causes, stages and possible solutions:
Procrastination Triggers
Depression: This is tied into anxiety (see below), but if things aren't going well it can make you depressed and take away your energy and positive outlook on working. For me, I sometimes deal with this via self-punishment. I procrastinate so that I have another reason to feel bad, and berate myself for my bad choices. This is where cognitive-behavioral therapy comes in. Other solutions in general are giving yourself a pass for socialization, fun-time, 'me-time', exercise and sunlight. Don't push it off as a reward for getting things done, and don't feel guilty while doing it. It's part of getting work done and it'll help you push through the problem. Talking it out can help as well.
Anxiety: External life events or project-specific, either way this is the biggest problem for me. As my overall anxiety level increases, so does my urge to hide and hope everything goes away. Project-specific anxiety is somewhat easier to deal with, but it has to be examined first to determine the cause. This can be difficult given the run/hide habit, but it's a good first, distancing and depersonalizing step.
Solutions
Being Overwhelmed: The next step in the project is big, murky, full of things I'm not sure how to approach, information I don't know how to get, or seems impossible to complete in the amount of time left. The first step is to identify any low-hanging fruit that doesn't fit the above descriptions and do that first. It needs to be done anyway, and once you're working you can look at the rest of it and ferret out even more low-hanging fruit that you didn't realize was there.
The next step is further breaking down the big project into little projects. As you do this you'll find more easy stuff and the hard stuff will make itself known; leave that until a bit later. As you complete the easy things, further diagram the big things. You can break almost everything down into smaller pieces. If for some reason you can't break things down into completable blocks, or it doesn't make sense, break them down time-wise. Work 30 minutes on an easy thing, then spend 5 minutes looking at or working on the hard thing. Also, think about that hard project when you're winding down into relax time; dabble in it when you're watching a movie you've seen before or a low-intelligence TV show. You're not committing to working on it, there's no need to complete it today, but it'll help you start to digest it, plan an approach and won't be the big scary thing you haven't looked at in weeks.
Bad Habits: I've found that sitting in one place means I can often, but not always get work done. Going to a cafe or sitting outside (where I can't get internet access) is effective 90% of the time but can be quickly draining. Sitting on the couch almost never works. Scheduling a meet-up at a cafe can work, enjoying a lovely day outside is a reward for getting things done, and moving your workspace to the right place before bed can help you get on track the next morning. Make sure things are charged overnight so the next day you have no excuse to stay in the non-working space because your phone/computer battery is almost dead.
Procrastination by Accomplishment: When I finally move out of the miasma of Not-Work back into Work, it's often through a transition period wherein I accomplish things on my general to-do list before I actually sit down and get started. Yardwork, cooking, cleaning, laundry, errands - while these can take up significant amounts of time and further delay getting work done, crossing them off your mental list can also reduce your general anxiety level and boost self-esteem. Just knowing that you can complete tasks, shorten your to-do list, see your progress, all of those start good, positive feelings moving through your system, clearing out the negative, "Can't Won't Never" thoughts that have been clogging everything up. Just be careful not to stay in this state too long - when you're making a decision between running an errand that could take a while and sitting down to get work done, decide what your true motives are. On the other hand, if you're still not ready to get work done and will just waste time instead, run the errand and just make sure to get a few minutes of work done when you get back.
Minimum Standards: This was brought up in the Lifehacker article recently. Joni uses it to get herself outside for a run on even crappy days when she really doesn't feel like it. Start with just 5 minutes. Just open the document and read the first paragraph. Just start drafting the e-mail. Once you start, another few minutes won't seem so hard, and you've already accomplished your goal so it's all bonus work from there.
Letting Go: A major problem with me is that I get so backed up, or I waste so much time, that I feel that I somehow have to catch up on all of it before I can proceed. Starting with a few minutes, or even a couple of hours, each day just won't cut it - I need to work for 8, 10, 12 hours straight to get caught up! I need to read all 10 chapters before I read this week's assignment! Sometimes just deciding to start at the most immediate need and work your way backwards is what it takes to unblock the dam. Often you'll find that you can just skim those chapters because you've covered most of it in class already, or the time you thought you needed to spend on a project is better spent elsewhere anyway. This isn't to say that there aren't consequences to procrastinating, but if that's what's keeping you from moving forward, just deal with them later. You're good at that, right?
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