Franciscan Benediction

May God bless us with discomfort at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships—so that we may live deep within our hearts.

May God bless us with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people—so that we may work for justice, freedom, and peace.

May God bless us with tears to shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger, and war—so that we may reach out our hands to comfort them and turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless us with enough foolishness to believe that we can make a difference in the world—so that we can do what others claim cannot be done: to bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.

Amen

window dilemma

okay, so i have a dilemma and have decided to make this an interactive post. it's really not your usual dilemma, but i need some input. so, read my blog, and then vote :)

so, my dad has offered to pay for me to get new energy-efficient windows. this is something that has been in the mix for a little while, as over the summer I had Renewal by Anderson come out and give me a free estimate. And although their windows are really nice and fairly eco-friendly, they were also quite pricey. I looked into a few other companies, some of which claimed to be "green", but found out that they make their windows out of PVC.

Now, most of you are probably wondering what's the big deal with PVC? I didn't really know... but once I heard about it, and the more I looked into it, the more anti-PVC I have become. To the point where I have decided I will try and not buy things with PVC in them (which is quite difficult, PVC is pretty pervasive), particularly huge purchases (such as windows).

So I dropped the window thing.

Well, a few weeks ago my dad brought it up again, and gave me a coupon for BGE Home. So I called them and inquired about what their windows were made out of (hoping against hope). Guess what? PVC.

So, here's the dilemma: Do I put up a fuss with my dad and refuse windows made out of PVC? Or should I not look a gift horse in the mouth? I honestly don't know if it's better to have energy efficient windows made out of PVC, or keep the current ones I have. I suggested to him this local green company that does energy audits, saying I'd rather have that done then blindly replace window that might be OK, but he more or less said no.

So - I either need to call and schedule an estimate, or tell my dad no. There you have it. What should I do?

My smile? Really?!?!

I'm feeling a little bewildered. I seem to attract odd guy attention at times, and tonight was one of the more bizarre experiences I've had in a while. Laura and I were at this bar, hanging out, having a good time listening to one of my most favorite bands, and randomly this older guy approaches me and tells me how beautiful my smile is and how he wants to see it. So I kinda offer a dazed half-smile (although my roommate tells me it was more like a grimace) and he seems very pleased and holds out his hand. I, like an idiot, shake it saying, "Thanks. It was very nice to meet you." And then I watch in horror (it was a strangely out of body experience) as he brings my hand up to his lips and kisses it. And then he walks away, but not before he insults my roommate (at least I thought it was rude) saying (more or less) how she's jealous of me. Riiight. Classy.

I look at Laura, horrified, and then glance up to see the bass player give me this look (I can't even describe it) that says he totally saw what went down. I'm even more mortified, praising God that the lights are low so no one can see how terribly beet red I've turned. But I manage to get over myself, enjoying the rest of the evening, thinking how much better this is than any type of homework than is currently piling up on my desk. As Laura and I walk to the door to take our leave, I'm stopped by some random guy in the back who says, "I just wanted to let you know that I cringed for you when that guy kissed your hand." Awesome. And here I thought that it went generally unnoticed. *sigh*

If only I could harness this mystical power! If I can even call it that... And yet it only seems to hit me when I'm oblivious. I've been offered rides from strangers, I've gotten numbers, half-price burgers at restaurants, gushing compliments from security guards... this random guy from NYC wants to drive down and visit me (ok, so that's a bit of a story) for crying out loud! But when I want to actually get a guy's attention? Nothing. So I'm thinking I should smile less, and save myself a lot of hassle. Perhaps I'll scowl from now on.

There's not really a point to this rant, just that it's late, I'm frustrated, and I needed to write it down before I go to bed. :)

something to keep in mind

Excerpt from a Lancet article I was just reading for class:

A survey in Atlanta, GA, USA, found that each additional hour spent in a car per day is associated with a 6% increase in the likelihood of obesity.

Frank LD, Andresen MA, Schmid TL. Obesity relationships with community design, physical activity, and time spent in cars. Am J Prev Med 2004; 27: 87–96.

my new yoga habit

So... as many of you know, I've picked up yoga. On and off since college I've toyed with yoga, never really sticking with it. However, I'm proud to say that for the past month I've been going 3 times a week! And I love it! Well, sometimes it's more of a love-hate relationship, like tonight at hot yoga at one point I was pretty sure my heart was going to give out. BUT I feel so great afterwards, that I quickly forget how much pain I was in. And I was in such a rotten mood this evening before I went, and it's almost like I'm a different person when I'm finished. It's funny, it's not like running at all... where I never cease to forget how much I hate it.

I wonder what it is about certain activities that makes a person gravitate to one versus the other. But I'm glad to have found mine - I've decided to reward myself with new yoga clothes and a yoga mat :) I also look forward to the day when I will actually be able to do a head stand. Or some of the other ridiculous poses that make me fall flat on my face.

it's a good thing...

... my hamster is not so bright. last night I left her cage door open for at least an hour - oops! I feel like she's a little object lesson though. Obviously she's content with her lot (aka her mini condo cage). Ginny (may she rest in peace) on the other hand, not so much. Cage door open, you're lucky if you could count to 5 before she escaped. Clearly a case of the grass is always greener. Lately I've been feeling more like Ginny, like I have to escape. Get away. But I think I'd be happier as an Anastasia.

How's that for taking hamsters to a deep level? ;-p