Leaving My Dignity in the Back of the Closet

Before I tell this story, I have to explain that I'm telling it because:
a) it is pretty funny; and
b) Husband was involved, so it was bound to come out anyway.

So I might as well tell my side of the story.

I am going to a conference in San Diego this week, so I was taking inventory of some of my nicer clothes. As I pulled things out of the closet I of course had to try them on, because unfortunately, clothes stay the same size and my figure has not.

My second reason for trying everything on was for a little motivation. Husband and I have a "get healthy" challenge starting May 1. Setting my sights on a dress that I haven't fit into for awhile is just the kind of goal I need to keep me going.

I pulled out a particular dress that I knew it would be tight but I wanted to know how tight, so I knew how far I had to go. It's one of those dresses that really doesn't have much of a zipper except a small one on the side...you have to pull it over your head. It went on alright, but I did have a fleeting moment where I thought, "maybe this isn't such a good idea..." Of course I did it anyway. It was pretty tight on top. But if I can get it on, I can get it off, right?

Wrong. I tugged the hell out of that thing. Pulled out all my contortionist moves. Writhed on the floor. It didn't give. I've had a few close calls in dressing rooms before, but this was different. The thing was stuck. There was no way I was going to ask Husband to help me, I'd never hear the end of it. Determined, I resorted to cutting the seam. Of course I couldn't find the seam ripper, so I tried my best with a pair of scissors to cut the seam under my armpit, which was pulled tight as it is...not successful, as you may imagine. I paced. More tugging. No luck.

Defeated, I walked downstairs, armed with the scissors and a paring knife. He was going to have to cut me out.

Long story short...no cutting or ripping necessary. After a few chuckles and some more tugging, he pulled the dreaded thing over my head. Free at last.

"You're funny," he says, "I'm writing this in my blog."

"You don't have a blog," I say.

"How do you know?" Grin.

I'm not taking any chances.

Housing Update

Some of you know that Husband and I have been thinking of buying a house...our lease here at the duplex is up the end of this month. Several weeks ago we asked our landlord if he would consider a 6-month or month-to-month lease, as we thought this fall would be a nice time for us to buy.

Just a few days ago, he let us know he will not do it. So...our two options are to be out by this June 30th, or sign another year lease. Per our lease, if we vacate prior to the end date, we'll be responsible for paying out the remainder of the lease.

We're signing for another year. There's really no other option, other than trying to move in the next 2 months, which is not a lot of time and the money isn't quite there yet. As my wise younger brother said (the middle one), a few more months doesn't make that much of a difference. I suppose he is right, but it is kind of a bummer. We had finally seen the light financially, but I guess waiting a little longer only means we have a larger down payment in this over-inflated housing market here in the Twin Cities. There is lots of housing available right now, and hopefully that stays the case for awhile longer. Hopefully the interest rates stay in check as well.

There are worse places to be, and the rent is very affordable comparatively. The duplex is a great fit for us, and especially now that the weather is nice and we have the deck, it's hard to complain. It may be a little inconvenient on some other levels to move in late winter/early spring, but I know it will go fast, just like this year did. Years from now as we're settled in our own house, we'll fondly remember the duplex with the green carpet as the first place we lived as a married couple.

Quiet

Just a quick post - I'm sitting out on the deck listening to the birds, eating my dinner, and checking blogs. It's a beautiful evening...the goldfinches are making a debut and they are spectacular. Love the bright yellow! We're just getting ready to meet up with some friends before our volleyball game and I'm enjoying a few quiet moments. The day was hectic, but this is quite nice.

It reminded me that tonight as I left work I could hear an instrumental version of a song playing in the lobby that made me smile:

Oh what a beautiful morning
Oh what a beautiful day
I've got a beautiful feeling
Everything's going my way

What musical is that from ? I can't quite place it...Oklahoma?

Needless to say, a nice little pick-me-up. Just like the little chipmunk that just popped up on the deck, with a grape in its mouth. Just to say "hi, look at me!"

CELEBRATE EARTH DAY!

This year is the 37th annual Earth Day. Spend some time outside today! Or if it's raining (like it's supposed to here), the Discovery Channel has the Planet Earth series playing all day. This morning Brandon started his day by riding his bike around the wetland behind our house. He got a little too close to nature...a bird pooped on his hand. Happy Earth Day, Brandon!

Styro-Foe

Since sometime in my teens, I've had an aversion to styrofoam (polystyrene). I don't use it. If there's a family function where styrofoam is being used, I grab my own regular plate and wash it when I'm done. I bring a coffee mug to work and use that instead of the styrofoam cups. My wedding was a styrofoam-free zone; Mom and I even shopped for specific non-styrofoam cups for coffee.

In honor of Earth Day, I thought I'd take the time to describe why I still can't and won't use the stuff. It's been at least 15 years since my personal ban began, and unfortunately things haven't changed much.

The bottom line is this: It takes several hundred years for one polystyrene cup to decompose.
And here's the magnitude of the problem:
- 14 million metric tons of polystyrene are produced annually worldwide (EPA)
- 2.3 million tons of polystyrene foam are dumped in US landfills each year
- Considering the foam is very light (95% air), that's a lot of volume!
- Americans throw away 25,000,000,000 styrofoam coffee cups every year.
- The styrofoam cups Americans use each year could form a chain that would circle the Earth 436 times (National Toxics Campaign)

According to the Polystyrene Packaging Council, it is currently not very economical to recycle styrofoam because "the resulting product is a lower grade styrene that is not a reasonable substitute for freshly produced polystyrene." Although more polystyrene products have been recycled over the past 10 years (largely due to reuse efforts such as collecting and re-distributing styrofoam packing peanuts), still less than 1% of polystyrene is recycled to date (EPA).

There are some new developments on the horizon. According to a recent LiveScience article, researchers at University College Dublin have developed a heating process that turns polystyrene foam into styrene oil. After feeding this styrene oil to a certain type of soil bacteria, the oil was converted into a biodegradable plastic known as PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoates). The benefit of this process is that it converts a basically non-recyclable product and makes it into a recyclable, biodegradable product with alternative uses, like biomedical applications.

So there is hope, but the process is still new. And given the sheer volumes of polystyrene used and generated, much more can be done. Paper is a better, though not perfect, alternative. Using and washing your own cup or plate is the best option.

I know styrofoam is cheap, but think about this next time you reach for a coffee cup: You could bury that cup in your backyard today, and 200 years from now, your g-g-g-g-g-grandchildren could dig up the same cup, and it would likely still be largely intact. Imagine this times 25,000,000,000 cups in the U.S. alone, and that one cup makes a difference, doesn't it?

Peace

Thoughts and prayers to students and all at Virginia Tech and the town of Blacksburg. Such a senseless act leaving so much pain in its wake...may you somehow find peace.

Happy Birthday, Amy!

August 2006

Little Brother Makes a Good Point

If all of you out there in blog-reader land are not watching Planet Earth on the Discovery Channel, you are missing something pretty special. Check it out, Sunday nights. And for those of you who are wondering, it's not a bunch of treehugging political grandstanding (though if it was that wouldn't necessarily be wrong). It's beautiful video captured from unique perspectives, of animals and places most of us will never see, and some that has never been shown on film before. Learn to love the earth all over.

No Autographs, Please

So lastnight I had my local television debut. As part of a project I've been working on, I presented some information to a City Council, which was taped and will be on continuous loop at City Hall, and will replay on local access television. Did I mention this also happens to be the city I currently live in? Generally we consultants have the benefit of not living in the area where the local broadcast is televised, so we can live in blissful ignorance of our performance. But I can watch and critique myself. Yee-ha.

I had a bit of a rocky start. Im typically an adequate multi-tasker, but adjusting the mic (because it's always too short for me), remembering the words, moving the slides, not saying "um," deciding whether to look at the big screen or the computer screen in front of me, while still maintaining some semblance of eye contact with the 25 people staring at you (including your boss and client), is a bit daunting. Podiums have always been uncomfortable for me. I always feel weird behind there - don't know what to do with my HANDS, always feel like I'm bending down weird to reach the microphone. I'd feel better stepping out away from it, having my HANDS free and not having a barrier between me and the audience. But I pulled it together and did just fine in the end.

So do you notice a theme here? Ladies and Gentlemen, I am a Hand Talker. In casual conversation, my HANDS are moving like crazy. It's how I express myself I suppose. When I'm behind a podium I feel confined because I don't know what to do with my HANDS. Eureka! Note to self: get a lapel mic.

PS - I say local television debut, because seven years ago while visiting New York City, I had a 30-second interview air on MSNBC. National exposure, woo-hoo, I think a total of one person saw it. I had just gotten off the subway, having ridden the 7 train on my way to my first Mets game at Shea Stadium, and they wanted to ask some questions about John Rocker. I couldn't tell you what I said, but it was cool anyway.

HAPPY EASTER!

Another Memorable Moment in My Life as a Mrs.

Tonight Husband and I were watching TV - or should I say he was appeasing me by watching a few minutes of "The Sound of Music." It was right after the "I am 16 going on 17..." song, which garnered an eyeroll from him and a contented sigh from me. In my musical induced haze, I was gazing at Husband, stretching out there on the couch, yawning, and it made me smile. I felt the need to express my love. No sooner did the words "you're cute" come out of my mouth, than a belch escaped his.

Ain't love grand!

Welcome Back, Mom and Dad!

My parents just got back in the wee hours of the morning today from sunny Mazatlan, Mexico. Got to see them at lunch before the drive back to Iowa, and it sounds like they really enjoyed themselves. Can't wait to see the photos!

It's Another Boy!

My friend Amy A. called this morning, she had her baby! Jace Ivan (not sure on the spelling) was born about 5:30 this morning. 8 pounds even, 21 1/4 inches. I am so excited for you, Amy...can't wait to meet him!