What do I do with my free time?

For those who don't know, we moved in November. I heart our new house! One of the many reasons I like it so much is the backyard. At our old house, the only way to get to the backyard was through the garage. It was also very shady - my attempts at growing veggies all failed. Partly because of the shade, and partly because I never went back there to water the plants.

Our new backyard gets plenty of sunshine and I have been reaping the benefits. We've been able to pick lettuce whenever we want salad. No more wasting wilted lettuce! The picture above is my first harvest of snow peas... yes, all 6 of them. I plan on plucking more off the vines later this week, hopefully eventually to have enough for some yummy stir fry.

Here are more pictures of my garden!

Over the weekend, we went to a composting class. I plan on starting my own worm bin this week and throwing all our peelings and dealings in for the worms to eat. Free fertilizer!

Still here...

I feel the need to explain my hiatus. Around the end of March, I broke out in some unexplained rash that was both painful and itchy. It was mostly on my hands and then on my arms. And then it spread all up and down my legs.

After some internet research I determined it was contact dermatitis aka poison oak. However I don't know if it was actually poison oak that I rolled around in since I haven't ever seen the culprit.

I was miserable... couldn't sleep, couldn't concentrate, the discomfort was great. Topical steroids didn't help. Tried every OTC medicine possible. Tried acupuncture and herbal topicals. Tried homeopathic remedies. Nothing worked and it just kept spreading. This lasted for about 3 weeks before I saw the dr. again and she put me on oral steroids.

The steroids helped but for about a week after I stopped them I encountered various side effects... blurred vision, headache, restlessness, feelings of weirdness i think i'm in the twilight zone...

Anyway, I'm almost back to normal. When the busy slows down, I'll put up a meaningful post.

By the way, the picture above was not me. Through my internet research I found a fascinating gallery of poison oak/ivy victims. I wasn't as bad as the worst pictures, but my rashes looked similar to the ones here. Here's the link, but warning... it's not for the faint of heart!

And the survey says...

When arguing a certain idea or point, people like to use the communication device that cites research as evidence. Some examples include:

Research among top dentists show that 4 out of 5 prefer Crest over Colgate

Research shows that more than half of all Americans don't know the name of their vice president

Research indicates that 1/3 of the world's university students suffer anxiety attacks at least once while taking chemistry

Who the hell is Research and what makes him so credible? It seems anyone can bring Research into the conversation and win some points, until one converses with those who are irritating enough to ask where one received such information. What a pain in the butt to have to go look it up on wikipedia or provide the original research article!

I took a class last year called "Research Methods." Mesmerized, aren't you? I learned that Research is not as authentic as he often claims to be. If you look at any industry with a bit of money, they can get Research to say whatever they want. Yes, margarine is a healthy alternative to butter! Global warming doesn't exist! Global warming does exist! For every shred of evidence to back up a claim, you can probably find 5 more sources that state the opposite.

Before bringing Research into any conversation, best understand how he got the information in the first place. As dry and boring as the class was, it highlighted the importance of sample size, repeatability of experiment, controls, and placebo. Oh placebo, we love/hate you.

On a side note, I recently heard on NPR (I heart NPR!) about an experiment that evinced the irrationality of the human race. The results showed that people taking various pain medications felt better if they were told that the drug they took cost more. If you took a placebo sugar pill and was told that each pill cost $10, you were more likely to experience an improvement in symptoms than if you took the actual drug but was told each pill was $1. That's why people like to buy name brands even though the generic contains the exact same active ingredient. Paying more money made you feel better and not necessarily the drug.

Matters of the Heart

I really like using the phrase "I heart (blank)." I like saying it better than "I love" even though I'm essentially saying the same thing. I guess I prefer to reserve love for people I know. There's something whimsical about using "I heart," especially over IM and other written media. Here are some things that I heart:

I heart meat. Bacon, sausage links, sausage patties, italian sausages, linguica, chorizo, steak, ribs...

I heart sushi. I especially love hamachi and o toro when I can afford it. Bryan once told me that I need sushi like I need air...

I heart pink ladies. Really, they're the only apples I'll eat. And I'll only eat the ones from Davis' Farmer's Market...

I heart citrus. Oranges, clementines, pomelos, grapefruit, lemons, limes, blood oranges...

I heart the British. Their accents, their wit, their humor, their sarcasm, their honesty, their snobbery...

I really heart Disneyland. I can never fall asleep the night before going to Disneyland because I get too excited.

Other things I heart: spring in Davis, new hobbies, tv show "How it's Made"

PS: Readers in Davis, Saturday is National Pig Day! The Farmer's Market will be featuring piggies you can pet and piggies you can eat. I'll be there!

Looks matter!

Lately my jaunts along the information superhighway have led me towards the aesthetically pleasing. I have been looking at famous designers and their various wares: fabrics, clothing, wall paper, paper crafts, etc. It's like going to the MOMA, but at home! Here are some links for you:

Lotta Jansdotter

Amy Butler

Ferm Living

I'm also teaching myself to sew. I found a sewing machine on craigslist for half the cost, and the box was never opened! I heart craigslist! Yes, I know it's a Hello Kitty sewing machine but the reviews said it was a great beginner machine and it's pretty much a standard Janome machine with HK exterior. Don't judge my sewing machine by its cover.

Choice is overrated (Part II)

People choose out of their own fallibility. Sometimes choice is a curse. I see many people making one of two choices. They are too picky… and they’re often falling for men who aren’t right for them anyway. Or they are not picky enough and settle on men who aren’t right for them anyway. In either case, their right to choose isn’t working out.

Since I'm a fan of arranged marriages, the practical application in this day and age is to let your community into your decision of who you will date and marry. If the majority of your friends express some sort of concern about the person you’re dating, it’s a red flag.

Parents may not always be a good idea since as young adults our values may be taking a rapid departure from that of the parents. Some parents also evaluate future mates based on what looks good on paper and not on the character of the person.

In college, my roommates and I sometimes discussed whether or not we would be in the wedding or even attend the wedding of a friend if we didn’t agree with their chosen spouse. The bottom line of those conversations were, should you be a friend by protesting or should you be a friend by supporting? Which one would make you the better friend? I still haven’t landed on an answer…

I had a falling out with a really close friend because of said situation. There were definitely other things going on in our friendship, but telling her I disagreed with her choice was the straw that broke the camel's back. I wasn't invited to the wedding... well, to be fair I was invited last minute. It was fairly awkward. I had another wedding to go to that weekend, so I didn't go anyway.

What does your community think about your significant other? When's the last time you asked?

Choice is overrated (Part I)

I used to tell people I was a fan of arranged marriages, but Bryan told me I needed to stop since I was misleading them into thinking I was trapped in the Dark Ages.

Our culture values and even champions the idea of marrying for love, finding Mr./Mrs. Right, and not being forced into unions with strangers. Arranged marriages are oppressive because it pushes people into loveless, cruel marriages. Where has the priority of choice gotten us?

Statistics reveal that we are very bad at choosing. More than half of all marriages in the US end in divorce. Men and women still choose into marriages with physically, emotionally, and sexually abusive people regardless of warning signs. They are in denial over the person they want to marry because they love each other. It’s obvious to everyone that they’re wrong for each other… except the two lovebirds.

Great romances end in tragedy. Romeo and Juliet. Anthony and Cleopatra. Happily ever after is truly a fairytale. I love you doesn’t get you very far. I’m committed to you does. Add love to it and one is truly blessed.

Initial attraction/connection often begins with something like, wow, you’re also from Nebraska… you also like dark chocolate… this is amazing! What’s especially unfortunate is people who get into relationships because the other person likes them. It says a lot about how much they like themselves. It’s not much on which to build a relationship. By then emotional ties have already been forged, and for one reason or another they move forward despite all red flags. Worse yet, they stay in stalemate until marriage becomes the default.

Arranged marriages take away from the idea of a soul mate, and it removes the pressure of needing to find the connection. They also reinforce the idea of commitment being the factor that keeps people married, and not loving feelings.

Feelings change. Imagine feeling loving towards someone who does not share your passion for (insert obsessive hobby). What about loving feelings towards someone who doesn’t mind getting into bed with you without showering after a workout. Maybe this person has a hard time with showing love in your love language, with anger, with being critical, with selfishness. Maybe this person is insecure!?

As the love feelings fade, I hope commitment will keep it going.