Stuff

We watched The Story of Stuff in my Life Management class today. If you haven't watched it yet, I encourage you to click the link and check it out. It's about 20 minutes long, but very fast paced and really interesting. It discusses how our materialistic world got started and how it's affecting our Earth.

This got me thinking. I have geek lust for the new Kindle 2. It's an electronic device that's about the size of a piece of paper, and the thickness of a pencil. It's a method of reading ebooks, newspapers, newsfeeds, etc. But my question is, which is worse for our environment, paper books, or electronic devices like the Kindle? On one hand, trees have to be chopped down to make the paper for old school, printed books. On the other, how many resources are used to make disposable plastic and silicone-based electronic devices?

Something that really stressed me out about this video is that 99% of the things we buy are thrown away within 6 months, because of planned and perceived obsolescence.

Just something to think about today.

Question of the Day

What question do you hate being asked? Why?

"How's the wedding planning coming?" or "Are you ready for the big day?"

This question can be compared to a high school senior being asked "Are you ready to graduate?" Everyone who sees The Ring or hears about my upcoming nuptuals asks me this question. Seriously people, do you see the exhausted look in mjy eyes? That should answer your question. I have exactly 38 days (Holy freaking crap!) until Jordan and I finally get to tie the knot. The past 11 months have been crazy hectic. I'm always saying "It will get better when..."

...school is out and I have more free time.

...Jordan gets back from Iraq.

...we find an apartment.

...Jordan gets a job.

...we move into our apartment.

...we get unpacked.

...and on and on and on.

I kept blaming it on all of the outside factors. I've been stressed all summer. However, the closer we get, instead of being less stressed, I'm feeling even more pressure. It's not so much that I mind terribly doing weddingy type things, and my mom has helped out so much that there's a lot that I have not had to do. It's the fact that the closer we get, the more conflict there is. People aren't coming who said they were going to help. My mother in law wants to change the time of the wedding so that she can milk her cows. We should have daisies instead of mums. We have to do this, or we can't do that. Some of the things, I just shrug my shoulders at. I'm not a great event planner, and I haven't been involved in many weddings, so there's a lot I don't know. Mom has several friends who either have had their kids get married or want to be event planners, so it's been a big help. They have been able to tell us what things we need to be worried about when (and to give us the push because Mom and I are both procrastinators.) I don't want anyone to think I'm ungrateful for the help. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not good at this kind of thing. But there are some things that I struggle with that are really frustrating.

A big one that anyone whose been a round me lately has undoubtadly heard too much about is my weight. I've gained way too much since Jordan's been home. At first I didn't realize it, I've never really been one to worry about it. Then, when we went to pick out my veil and headpiece, we tried on a sample of my dress (because Lord knows when mine will be in). Now, this dress is amazing, completely opposite of what I had pictured in my head, but amazing nonetheless. However, we ordered it when I was excersizing every day with Tosha, and I had the metabolism of a 5 year old. I looked amazing, and so this dress looked amazing on me. Now, I've gained a lot of weight, and it is all sitting in my belly. Mom says I look 5 months pregnant (trust me, there's no baby in there). I've been trying so hard to diet, it's not working. We bought bikes so we could start exercising, but rarely do I have time, even if I could FIND the energy. I haven't been to the grocery store in 3 weeks because I've been so busy and tired. And I LOVE to grocery shop. The weight is not coming off like I hoped and my self-confidence is taking a hit because of it. I'm going to have to get a body sleeve, because this dress will show every bump imaginable.

Now, don't get me wrong. I can't wait to marry Jordan. To the point where he's getting tired of me asking if we can elope. I just want to be Mrs. Wall. I'm just tired of everyone telling me how to run my own wedding. This is our day. There are two days that people are going to pay this much attention to us:  our wedding, and our funeral. I won't be here to enjoy the second one, so please let me have this one day where I can have things my way.

And stop asking me if I'm ready. I'm ready to be married, I was ready when he proposed 10 months ago. But a bride is never ready for her wedding until those big doors open the back of the church and everyone turns to look at her. Then you won't have to ask me. You'll know.

Question of the Day

What is one guilty pleasure you enjoy to much to give up?

Coffee with sugar in the morning. I know that granulated sugar is not the greatest thing for me to consume. Splenda has lass calories, raw sugar is better for my digestive system, Blue Agave nectar is, well I don't know what the benefit is other than I was told it was better for me (my best friend is a yuppie :-P). However, they all taste so strange to me. So I will continue to get my morning caffeine fix by way of 16 ounces of freshly ground coffee with tap water and granulated sugar.

What is YOUR guilty pleasure?

Question of the Day

What's your comfort food?

I think for me, the better question would be: What isn't your comfort food? I'm being serious here. The closer I get to my wedding, and the closer that slinky little dress gets, the more I realize that I am a stress eater. I am constantly thinking of food, and it's even worse knowing that I can't have that cheeseburger that I want so badly. I am trying so hard to lose weight and I hate dieting so much. I am a complete foodie, to give up so many things that I crave constantly is so difficult. It certainly does not help to watch Jordan eat a Big Mac in front of me. That is one of my comfort foods. Big Macs. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

A couple more:
Kraft Macaroni and Cheese
Peanut Butter and Butter sandwiches (it's a salt thing)
Potato chips of any kind, as long as they are salty and greasy
Basically anything with large amounts of fat in it

I also miss baking, and I just recently figured htis out. I've stopped baking in the past few months, because I know if I do, I will eat the entire batch. But last weekend one of my techs had a cookout and he asked me to bring dessert, so of course I jumped for joy at the task! I made these, which as you can tell just by looking at them, are soooooooooooooooooooo rich. I ended up only having just a bite of one, I didn't even lick the bowl when I made 3 batches! These are going to be a repeat recipe. I WILL make them again when I can eat real food again. I can't wait!

Question of the Day

Are there people you would not tell if their fly was down?

Pretty much, if I know you, I'm gonna tell you. I don't get embarrassed by those things easily. At worst, it will create a awkward moment that we will laugh about later.

If I don't know you, well I'll probably just laugh at you. Maybe not out loud, but you can be sure, I notice everything. So an hour later when you realize you were showing your goods to the world, yep someone noticed. It was me. And inside, I was laughing.

There is ONE person I know that I did not tell that their fly was down. My boss. He stood in the parking lot a few weeks ago and carried on a long conversation about direct mail, all the while his fly was open. That is an awkward moment that does not get turned into a funny story later. It just gets turned into a badly written blog post.

Question of the Day

Where is your favorite place to be alone?

We have a balcony at our new apartment and Jordan surprised me last week with pretty wicker patio furniture :). I love to sit out there after a long day and catch up on my RSS feeds, read a book (currently it's Lolita), and write. We have a pretty good view of the sun going down, and on a cool night, I like to sit out there and unwind before I have to cook dinner and Jordan comes home.

It's a nice way to escape from Keira, who frequently attacks me (She adores Jordan, but for some reason, thinks I am a scratching post. Seriously, check out my arms and legs. It's ridiculous. She just tried to bite my ear off while I'm typing this.) Unfortunately it's too hot and muggy to sit out there tonight, so I sit here with her climbing all over me. I wonder if I smell like catnip or something.

Hm...tangent...

ANYway, it's so nice to have a place outside to go. I'm shielded from the sun, so I won't get pre-marital sunburn. It's also nice to meet some of the neighbors, who walk and play in the lawn below me. The people in the apartment directly below us, while a little rough around the edges, are very friendly, we'll often swap funny stories of the day.

Question of the Day

What's the biggest leap of faith you've ever had to take?

Jordan and I had been dating a grand total of a month when we found out he would be deployed in March. The feelings we had for each other were already really strong, but how do you know after a month whether or not you will last through 2 years of military hell. I'll never forget the night he told me. I was devastated. It was a difficult night, debating between what my heart was telling me and what my head was telling me. In the end our hearts won and we stuck it out. It's not been an easy 2 years--it's been filled with so much heartbreak and pain, definitely something we are hoping we don't have to go through again. But our relationship is so much stronger now and I know that our marriage will be a happy one.

Miles biked: 8.358 in 1 hour

Question of the Day

What is your favorite time of day and why?

Evenings. I come home from work, and have time to wind down and make dinner before Jordan comes home. Now that I have a bike, I can take off and ride for an hour and get a good workout in before I need to start dinner. I just got back from a ride and I feel fantastic, albeit a little tired and sore since it's only my second day out.

No matter how much I love him, Jordan can be a bit overwhelming if I don't have that wind down time. My job is so stressful that I need do to something to calm my mind, whether I sit down to read, copy down a recipe, or listen to the Dawn and Drew Show while riding on the Cardinal Greenway.

The two or three hours before he gets home has also given me a chance to really cook. I can try out new recipes (more fail than succeed though) and Jordan and I can sit down for a real meal at the end of the day. No, 9pm really isn't the ideal time for a big dinner, but we both really enjoy good food and having a few moments of quiet together to share about our day.

Miles biked: 6.68 for 1 hour

Question of the Day

What is your preferred method of transportation for trips over a couple of hours? Why?

I actually really enjoy long car rides. I did not used to, when I was growing up, as I would get severely carsick. However, I've pretty much grown out of it. Now, I find great enjoyment in driving or riding long distances, especially through small towns. I love to turn the music on loud and sing badly to whatever genre Jordan has flipped the radio to (at least for the next 15 seconds, until he gets tired of it and switches the station again).

We recently traveled 9 hours to visit my cousin in North Carolina. We purchased a Garmin right before the trip to help us navigate since my eyesight is not sharp enough to be much help. For whatever reason, it took us through the middle of nowhere Ohio, down some bumpy country road. It was fantastic! Jordan and I had so much fun! The road trip was just as much fun as the actual visit to Winston-Salem, and that is saying a lot because we had a BLAST climbing mountains and floating down rivers!

I'd like to take more roadtrips, but unfortunately we don't get enough time off. With the price of gas these days, vacations are not quite as cost efficient as they used to be.

Queston of the Day

What is your "embarrassing" cooking (or food-related) story?


I almost burned the house down! I had bronchitis and was on some serious medication. I was hungry but was running low on groceries. I couldn't go to the store, because it wasn't safe for me to drive. Somehow though, I felt it safe to operate the stove, and decided to make a grilled cheese sandwich because I always have bread, butter, and cheese. The first side cooked perfectly, I flipped it over....and woke up to all of the smoke detectors buzzing! I completely blacked out! Needless to say, the second side was inediblely black. My roommates took my keys away for the next few days, and wouldn't let me cook anything.

What is your story?