Rancid-Tea

Good News All Around

The Senate passed a bill to raise the minimum wage to $7.25. This is certainly good news. I still don’t think that it’s a living wage, but it’s a small victory.

It is recommended that a person spend no more than a third of their income (or by all means less) on housing. A full time worker making $7.25 an hour is making less than $15000/year, before taxes. If that person is responsible for rent, they would have to find a residence that cost no more than $400/month to follow that recommendation… Not impossible, but not great. It’s something to keep in mind.

At least they left my bed alone

I had some unpleasant roommates in college. I did have two that were kind of slobby, but at least none of them peed on my bed.

I Just Couldn’t Resist

I stumbled across this blog and I can’t help but comment on this:

Since the media is biased I get all my news from Fox News, Rush Limbaugh and Jay Leno monologues.

I guess I didn’t realize that Fox News wasn’t part of the media. Maybe he means that they don’t always report facts, and sometimes make things up.

Upcoming Cafe Scientifique

This might be worth attending:
Understanding Evolution Tuesday, February 13, 6 p.m. Cafe Scientifique
Varsity Theater, Dinkytown 1308 4th Street SE in Dinkytown, Minneapolis. $5 suggested donation
A panel of University of Minnesota researchers discusses evolutionary biology and the history of America’s cultural response to teaching evolution. Learn about new research from Professor and science blogger PZ Myers, Bell Museum Director Scott Lanyon, and historian and biologist Mark Borrello.

Oh the joys of family

I just discovered this little note when going through some old papers. It’s from my aunt when I asked if Ethan and I could join her family at her cabin for the Fourth of July a few years ago:

I have some questions about Ethan before we agree to the 4th.
1.) Does he like water?
2.) Can he swim?
3.) Does he mind pain e.g. bruises, cuts, head injuries etc.?
4.) Is his family normal? (If so he will never want anything to do with you again after spending a few days with yours! Be warned.
5.) Does he burn easily? (needed for sunscreen supply)
6.) Will he attempt to barefoot ski? (So we can all laugh)
7.) Are his feelings hurt easily if he’s picked on a little?
8.) Can he suppress his shock when he notices Lezlie’s tattoo strategically placed in a spot not fitting for a woman her age? or her body type.
Get back to me with the answers and I’ll let you know.

It still makes me laugh. I’m glad my mom’s side of the family has such a fun sense of humor.

Woot

I had a very promising interview today. I’m keeping my fingers crossed. It would be a very ‘good fit’ as some people might say. I also have another interview on Tuesday, so hopefully something will work out soon.

In other pleasant news, our new Internet connection is up and running. It is about twice as fast as our old connection (though they are both supposed to both be the same speed), and it’s even a little bit cheaper. Unfortunately, I discovered that there is only one phone jack in our apartment. It’s DSL Internet, so we have to plug it in to the phone line, so now there are a bunch of cables on the kitchen counter (the location of said phone jack) which isn’t exactly ideal, and we’ll need to get some wireless cards for my computer and Ethan’s. Right now, I’m just so thrilled to have a stable connection that’s reasonably close to the promised speed that I don’t care that I have to use the laptop more than usual.

Not a good sign…

The FDA announced that the pill is not as trustworthy as it once was. Thankfully I’m neither a smoker, nor obese, so my odds are better than some, but I would be seriously unhappy if my pill failed me.

All New

So… I just finished a major overhaul of the posts on my site. I’m thinking of making some more changes, now that I suddenly have a lot of free time on my hands…

Go Freedom of (from) Religion

Let’s all celebrate the anniversary of Roe v. Wade! This was the case that decided women in the US have the right to terminate a pregnancy for any reason, without religious council, further enforcing our right to be free of religion if we so choose.

Get Fit on a Budget

Hmm… Catching up on violent acres today, I read her entry stating her belief that Americans are fat because they’re poor. I think it’s bullshit. She did follow up with a slight correction, which has a few points I agree with, but I have to say that I don’t spend a great deal on food, and I eat more healthily than, well, most people I know. It’s true that McDonald’s is cheaper and easier than “a piece of grilled salmon with a side of steamed asparagus,” but let’s face it, there is plenty of healthy food available that is inexpensive and flavorful.

This past summer, Ethan and I took part in a produce share. The whole thing cost $350 for the whole Summer, and it provided us with fresh, organically grown veggies all summer. We got one box a week, and we were usually able to plan meals around what we received and consume most everything. What we didn’t eat sometimes got frozen, and sadly we did throw a few things away after they were in the fridge for too long. At any rate, becoming/staying thin has very little to do with money.

Why then, do I think Americans are so overweight (more so than people in other countries, rich or poor)? Maybe because they are never expected to learn anything about their health. Maybe it’s that they have grown too spoiled by eating out and low prices for crappy foods. Maybe it’s because it’s easier/more fun/relaxing to watch TV instead of go for a walk or do some yard work. I don’t think it’s because we can’t afford personal trainers. Anyone can buy or rent a copy of buns of steel. My mom does that twice a week. She has a better body than I do and she just turned 50.

So what is the secret to eating healthily without busting your budget?

1. Find recipes that are healthy and taste good. The easier to prepare, the better. It doesn’t matter if you buy a cook book, find them online, or get them from friends. Hell, make them up! That’s fun and can be healthy. The important part is that they are healthy and you enjoy eating them.
2. Plan meals ahead of time. This helps in two ways:
   1. When you know what you’ll be eating, you can go shopping once for several meals. This saves time and money because you’re less likely to end up making impulse decisions at the store
   2. Having a plan makes it easier to stick to making food that’s good for you. After working all day, it is very easy to come home and feel too tired to make food. Without a plan, you’re more likely to make or buy something that isn’t healthy
3. Turn the TV/Computer OFF. Either get rid of it or set a time limit for yourself. Do not break your own rules. I always hear people say they don’t have enough time in their week to exercise. Well, if that’s true, then you don’t have any time to watch TV and play video games. Period. Any time you spend doing that could be spent preparing healthy meals, walking, doing household chores… Anything more active than sitting is an improvement.
4. You don’t have to join a club. Take up a hobby that is moderately physically active. Walk your dog (s/he’ll thank you). If you can, snowshoe, it burns 1000 calories an hour. Get a pedometer (they’re cheap) and set a goal for steps every day. If you don’t meet your goal, force yourself to finish it on the stairs. Find a guide that tells you how many calories a given activity tends to burn. Calculate how many you are burning when you exercise and pride yourself on your accomplishments — tell people!
5. Find a partner. Just make sure that your partner is going to help you succeed, not help you fail. It can be very easy to justify your own laziness — “I won’t go out running today because it’s raining” — but if you have someone who will be waiting for you, it might be enough to get you out the door. Just don’t find someone who will agree that it’s too cold to go out and instead hunker on the sofa with you and some ice cream.
6. Don’t ignore the little things. While tiny changes in your habits won’t cause a dramatic weight loss, they do help. There is never a good reason to park close to a building that has a huge parking lot. You will burn some calories. (Also, I saw so many obese people at Wal Mart have their equally fat spouse drop them off in the fire zone, so they could waddle in to the electronic carts and then roll around the store while moving as little as possible. I don’t think that walking around would have been bad for those folks)

I do agree with V’s suggestion to brainwash yourself. It can really work. When you’re being lazy, convince yourself that you don’t want to do that. Tell other people the same thing. Sometimes the worst thing for you is your own acceptance of your situation. Don’t accept it. When I was 12, I stopped eating meat, and I kept telling people I thought that meat was really gross. After months of explaining to people just how disgusting eating animal flesh is, I am now nauseated at the sight and smell of raw meat. I’m pretty sure that was not the case 10 years ago. My point is, if you tell yourself something enough, you can convince yourself of it. Your mantra could be: I can be thin if I don’t watch TV and eat healthily.

So… don’t let someone tell you that you need to spend lots of money to get thin.