A Hairy Situation

I love, love, looooooove Summer.  I enjoy the long days, and sticky evenings, lazy beach days, flip-flops, I even secretly enjoy sweating in a hot car while sitting in traffic (I think I'm alone on this one).  But there is a catch!  Each year, as I shift my winter clothes to the back of our closet, for the tanktops and sleeveless dresses, I am reminded that it is now time to get in to the heinous ritual of shaving my armpits.  I abhor shaving.  It's expensive, wasteful, and most of all, uncomfortable.

Women (and men) go through extreme lengths to rid of our body hair...contributing to an estimated $1.8 Billion market.  $1.8 Billion of depilatories, laser treatments, wax strips, (and worst of all) disposable razors with it's hollow plastic handles, flimsy blades, pivoting heads, and lubricating strips piling up in our landfills and oceans;  all promising to effectively and efficiently remove hair... but alas - our primitive (ape-like) genes won't quit and hair keeps growing back.  Good news for the shaving industry, otherwise they'll have nothing to sell.

A few years ago, I refused to shave my armpits as sort of a personal protest but mostly because it was irritated.  After about three weeks, I got so many disgusted glances and snide remarks, I caved in and shaved the hair off.  ,But, I was riddled with guilt each time I tossed a razor in the trash.

Since we are socially obliged to be hairless, here is a video on how to make sugar wax.  My friend used to wax mine and my sister's legs and armpits with this same recipe.  And the hair took longer to grow back, looking slightly thinner than the last time.  All you need are ingredients probably already in your cupboard (sugar, lemon juice, and water)... and a few strips off your unwanted/worn out jeans (they make the perfect wax strips).  One thing the video doesn't mention is to keep temp at 250 degrees Fahrenheit.  If it goes over, the mixture will harden in to candy.

I store my homemade wax in the fridge in an empty peanut butter jar.  Whenever I have to use it, I place the jar in hot water until the wax becomes that honey consistency again.  The sugar wax has been an underarm saver since I never developed the callous from constantly running a blade through my skin.  Usually on the 2nd to 4th day of shaving, I find myself inadvertently scratching my armpits in pubic:  I could feel the lady sitting next to me on the bus inching away from me.  My ancestors cannot be denied.  I am the hairless ape, scratching her stubbly armpits.  

Time Management

I should have probably eased up on planning my kid’s birthday party last month when I realized 44 people confirmed attendance - YIKES!    What can I say, I love birthdays... not just mine, but anybody's because it’s a great opportunity to catch up with the people that matter to us.  Once upon a time, it was effortless to be with these people, that you can do it just about everyday. Now that I'm living at least an hour away from friends and family it’s been especially difficult to catch up.  Not only are we spreading away from each other geographically, but work schedules took precedence over many things, leaving only the weekends to maintain these relationships.  Reminds me of the time I volunteered for the Special Olympics.  I was assigned to escort participants to the starting line.  At one point, I was escorting about six 4-6 year olds to the starting line for a 100 meter dash.  When setting out to cross the field to the starting point, we were all holding hands, but as we walked on, about four of the kids on both ends let go and wandered away from the group.  I was frozen, how could I gather those kids without losing the ones that stayed with me?  The longer it took me to act, the farther away they were getting.  Which leaves me to wonder, how can I hold on to important relationships while preserving my livelihood?

I maintained, as much as I can, the attitude that although three years of work was a significant amount of time, it was still temporary.   But I am also susceptible to allowing my job to cross over personal boundaries:  occupying more time out of my days, corrupting my emotional and mental well-being, and even degrading my physical wellness by spending at least 40 hours a week sitting in front of a computer.  Leaving little of myself to other matters of my life.  I understand that the bills have to be paid, but overworking has become such common practice that my self worth was gauged on gross income/assets, blanketed by so many distractions of wants disguised as needs, losing sight of what’s really important in life.  John Trudell, Native American activist, speaks of the "Spirit Eater," as an authoritarian systems that siphon off human energy to fuel a materialistic, technological reality. We are delusional to think that working more and gaining monetary assets will wash over our problems and improve our quality of life.  When in fact, it is the very thing that contributes to the misery. 

As I got closer to the termination date, reality set in and I had no choice but to ease up on my dependency to the job.  Rewiring my approach to spending really helped to differentiate my needs and my wants.  For instance, when I think I ”need” something, I go to my basement or attic and realize I already have it.  Or I get distracted by an item I forgot I had and for some reason, it satisfies the so-called need.  Either way, it kept me from shelling out some cash, and best of all I've just (very, very slowly) unpacked some of our boxes from our move.  Other times, I wait it out, until by chance, I come upon the item for FREE!!! I recently acquired a metal file cabinet from someone’s sidewalk who put it out for garbage pickup (gotta love the sidewalk boutique).  I’ve been talking myself out of this $300 purchase for almost a year, and finally, the waiting paid off.  All of a sudden, my lifeline to the 9-5 (or more) is not so desperate.  I’m realizing I don’t need that much cash flow to run our household.  I would say, one of our biggest expense is travel.  Not only for work, but also to visit friends/family.  We’ve refrained from so much frivolous/impulse spending (I can’t tell you the last time I bought a new outfit) that we were able to book a trip to visit friends and family in the Philippines for when I’m out of work.  An expense that definitely contribute to our quality of life instead of take away.  

Life’s demands tend to steer us away from each other so if we don’t have much time for anything else, at least we can come together to celebrate life’s milestones (i.e. birthdays).  Bring on your 44 guests!!

4-Drawer Metal File Cabinet = $10 (for black spray paint), Sidewalk Boutique

Globe = $0, Sidewalk Boutique; Fancy cloth under the globe = $0, basement find

Mama Said

As children we think everything is vastly available. Our world is HUGE! Growing up, my mom made sure to remind us otherwise. “Since you do not know how to make water, then you should not waste it,” was a common phrase heard around the house. This statement applied to all sorts of resources. From water, to food, to paper, school supplies, electricity, etc. When I started taking chemistry classes, I learned you can make water by combining two Hydrogen atoms with one Oxygen atom. So when I smartly replied that I do know how to make water, she then asks me if I knew how to make a Hydrogen atom, or an Oxygen one – stuck again. Basically, she broke it down to the fact that we cannot make anything without starting with some kind of natural resource. Even if you find a way to create something out of thin air, you still have to rely on the “thin air” to create it…and do you know how to make “thin air?” So, I’ve been conservative and mindful (almost to a fault) with my resources ever since. Well, give and take some wild and rebellious phases growing up when that kinda stuff didn’t matter….but now it does – again.


Present day: I go in to the bathroom at work. While washing my hands, another lady goes over the next sink and turns on the water FULL BLAST!.... keeps it on while she soaps, rinses, and pumps out approx 12 inches in length of paper towel from the dispenser, crumples the huge paper towel in her hands as a way to dry them (she didn’t even dry the back of her hands) before turning the faucet off.  Then she uses the automatic handicap door opener so she didn't have to touch the handles. My mom would have a conniption if she saw you… and I guess so am I.


I think about the measures this woman is taking to keep her hands clean, but take no consideration to her environment (I know – total nerdy statement – but it’s true). Yes, I get it, proper hand washing encourages good health, but this woman works in a cubicle – what kind of germs does she have in there???? Maybe she’s afraid to get sick, but let's think about the potential health risk of those living near a landfill  (let’s not even get in to the vast real estate a landfill occupies. Land that could have been used for something more than storing garbage); or surely she must be aware that America’s water supply is dwindling down to obsoletion within our generation’s life time. As of a 2010 news article, 36 US States face water shortages in the next three years (well, 2 years now that it’s 2011). I'm sure she’s not aware of all of this, nor does it vaguely cross her mind but I SOOOOO wanted to tell her. But how can I without crossing some undefined boundary between strangers in a bathroom? Maybe I could have taken that risk of offending her, after all, her ignorance is "offending" our environment and future generations, but I punked out and watched her walk out the bathroom.  (sigh) If only she had a mom like mine she wouldn't have been so wasteful.


Perhaps conserving resources was a way for my mom to keep us from running up the bills, or from having to replace any item she’s already bought for us, but it sure left an impression. The other day, I heard my 6 year old niece say to her sister, "Can you make water? then you shouldn't waste it." I'd say it is one of the best nuggets of knowledge ever to pass down the generations. Thanks Ma!

Stone Walk

I am perfectly aware how seemingly ridiculous it is to handpick stones for your landscaping, but that is what I am doing. I have an 8’X2’ space that divides the grilling area from the garden, so I don’t need that much. Garden centers or Landscaping stores sell river rocks in bulk at a handsome cost and for the quantity of rocks I want, I doubt they’ll deliver. I can see why it would cost so much. The process of bringing these rocks in bulk to the stores requires resources: You have to hire people to operate heavy machinery (that use up all sorts of oil byproduct to make it run and releasing pollutants in to the earth) to mine these rocks, and then truck it to some processing center or to the garden center directly which probably drives up the cost as we are nearing the $4/gallon mark on gas prices (and again, more pollution). Just so we can have something pretty to look at in our yard. Ok, so I don’t really know how those rocks get to these stores, but I bet the folks who work at the garden center aren’t bringing them in themselves, and I’m pretty sure I’m right about using the diggers and dump trucks to ship said landscaping commodity. But in all honesty, my main deterrent was the dollar cost. I just don’t have the kind of money to spend on rocks. So, I decided to do it the long and cheap way by heading down a nearby river with son and bucket in tow.


It takes 5minutes to walk toward the river, cross a couple of train tracks, through a short bridge over a man made canal and in to a paved trail. The canal empties into the river creating a refreshing, semi-natural water fall near the entrance of the trail, where you can find the prettiest stones and pebbles. Along the path are side trails towards the river bank. At first glance, it’s all mud and sand and some sharp rocks, but once you find the first stone the others start to appear and before you know it, your bucket is filled. I don’t know what it is, but there is something so satisfying in finding rocks. I guess it would be similar to looking for shells at the beach. Sometimes I get carried away, and realize I’ve selected more rocks that I can manage, so I dump some out and head home. This time, it takes me 20-30 minutes to get home now that I am approx half a mile away from the entrance, and I am now carrying a bucket full of stones.  Did I mention that the way home is all uphill (and at some parts have a steep incline)? While this part is probably not as fun or relaxing, I find it rewarding: I somehow squeezed in a workout. On my last trip, I had a scene from the movie Spaceballs where the characters were carrying suitcases full of rocks across the desert, flashed in my head. I felt a little silly lugging around these stones back home, but I’ve already committed to this project.


I’ve made two trips so far and this is what I have to show for:

As you can see I have a few more trips to make. I honestly didn’t account for the weight these stones amount to, and the challenge of walking back home with it, but this time I’m going to bring my son’s radio flyer wagon instead of his Lightning McQueen Easter bucket (which cracked from the weight of all the stones); and I’m going to pick up the rocks at the farthest point of my walk first, instead of point of entry – the waterfalls. Maybe if I had gone by myself, I would have topped off my bucket at the waterfalls and headed home. But I failed to realize that my son had his own agenda of walking through the woods a little further than the entry point. I ended up walking another half mile with a bucket full of stones before heading back home. Lessons Learned!


So, what does the long and cheap way add up to? A lovely stroll around the woods with my son, about 300 calories burned, money still in my pocket and no harm to the environment…oh yeah, and some landscaping rocks. WINNER!






Just passed the waterfall at the entrance

 

One of the river banks



Heading back home

Mommy moment I had to share

The other day, my son was telling my husband and me who he wanted to invite to his upcoming birthday party.  After naming the usual suspects, he adds, "you can invite your friend too, Dad."  Not sure who he was talking about, my husband asks him to describe which friend he meant.  He says, "he has a head like a letter O, eyes, nose, and a mouth, and a body, and he has blood in his body and bones...you know, your friend!"  How  absolutely refreshing it is to describe someone without first resorting to their gender and race.

When I grow up...

Recently I had a sit-down with my boss.  She tells me she's not sure about my contract status since budget has been scrutinized in the past year, so we have to just wait and hope that they'll renew/hire me before my contract is up in June....in the meantime, I have to show this guy all that I do because he will be moving over to our team.  Hmmm.... what do you think she's tryna tell me?

After a week or two of getting over what felt a lot like rejection, I decided to move on to something else.  I dove in to the world of job searching:  updating and customizing resumes, composing cover letters, sending them all off to the abyss of job leads, job search sites, then making follow up calls, etc. when it finally dawned on me that I don't want to go back to another 9-5 gig without first deciding what I really want to do.  A job was always this thing I had to have without giving it some real thought.  Well, I thought about the salary carefully, but as far as career path, not so much.  Well, here I am in my 30s and I think it's time I give it some time and serious thinking.

I'm not really sure what's in store.  A few years ago, I took a yoga certification course.  It was a real accomplishment for me because it was a solid decision.  In fact, I started making those connections of some random event from the past that made me think, "this is meant to be!"  It felt right.  Shortly afterwards, I found myself in the unemployment line.  All of a sudden, the uncertainty of a yoga career path fell by the wayside as I scrambled for another job to maintain the bills.  I dabbled in teaching yoga on lunch breaks for a while, but an overwhelming work load and demands of motherhood kept the schedule inconsistent.  I complained a lot about not having enough time to do what I want to do.  And now that I potentially (there's a teeny weeny chance I stay at the job) have that time, I am scared!!!  I am well aware of my propensity to procrastinate and make excuses...no more I say to myself, but reality has it's way of hiding behind ideals.  And I gotta keep a sharp eye out for that as I once again embark on the yoga path.

I have a wonder-woman friend (Nicole that's you).  She gardens (more like landscape), renovate bathrooms, constructs (not bake) yummy cakes, crochets/knits purses/blankets/dresses, you name it, she's done it with a professional finish.  I am so impressed (and mildly intimidated), and she humbly says it's due to the available time she's had since she's been unemployed.  I don't know about that, I've seen some people do nothing with their free time (including me). So, if the yoga thing doesn't work out, my fall back plan is to be like her when I grow up (wouldn't hurt to get a few inches on my height either).  

Shamed

Sunday I received an email invite to a Spring Potluck and Seed Exchange event hosted by Raices Cultural Center in New Bruns for Tuesday. I'm currently germinating 3 types of veggies and I'm determined to expand my garden this year. What better way to acquire more seeds and connect with a community of gardeners than to attend this event. Monday night, I made a beet salad (recipe below) for the potluck. Come Tuesday morning however, I realized that we (hubby, kid, and I commute in 50miles from home using 1 car) would be getting home really late if I decided to attend since it started at 7pm. Plus, I would be coming to this event after running 4miles. So I nixed the thought, and started on my day.
On our way home, we stopped by Home Depot to pick up this thing to fix the base of our toilet. Upon entering, the marketing geniuses bombarded the entrance with gardening merchandise. Of course with a gardening mindset, I decided to "look around" and check out some magazines for ideas on how to map my garden. Well, I looked around and every section in Home Depot, there are seeds. So I decided to "look around" some more to get an idea of the types of veggies I should grow. Well, a half an hour of "looking around," I started pulling seed packets off their shelves... and after another half an hour of putting it back, and taking another packet, putting it back and talking myself out of it again, I purchased beets, string beans and carrot seed packets for $1 each. Okay, so I skipped a community event of gardeners who probably saved their seeds from last year's harvest. Seeds with a personal touch, to a Home Depot seed packet from who knows where??? Oh the SHAME!!! I wouldn't even feel this bad if I at least waited a day or two. But no, I was marked for target, and I totally went for it.


Beet Salad:


6-8 beets
1 can sweet peas
2-3 large celery chopped
1 small red onion (minced)
3 TBS mayo (or use olive oil for vegan substitute)
1 TBS dijon mustard
garlic powder
salt
pepper


peel and boil beets. Once beets are cooled, chop in to cubes. Rinse red onions in cold water. drain can sweet peas. Combine ingredients in a bowl. Add mayo/olive oil and dijon mustard. Add garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste.

Note: Add canned asparagus and canned mushrooms for a hearty meal