Puddle Jumping in DC

God's Climate Plan

One of the many, many, many emails I get over various environmental policy listservs at work caught my attention today.  I opened it with a great deal of prejudice and skepticism and was blown away by it's contents.

The gist of the forwarded blog post from the NewMajority.com (which I'm neither endorsing nor denouncing here) is that burning fossil fuels that drive global warming is a violation of God's plan for the Earth (feel free to comment on how I capitalized both of those nouns).

The intended resting place for a significant amount of that excess carbon is deep underground in the form of oil and coal. . .

. . . Does it not then stand to reason that God, after designing the earth’s processes to sequester excess carbon, would prefer that we respect His creation and find better ways to heat our homes and power our cars than using huge amounts of oil and coal?

-David Jenkins

During the nascence of my environmental awakening (think 1990), I was influenced by a number of thinkers who's names I've lost. One of whom was a Catholic priest who used his pulpit (figuratively) to preach the gospel of environmental stewardship. Somewhere, I have a cassette tape with his allegedly last sermon before a year of Vatican (or Diocese, I can't remember) -imposed silence.  That was the last time the religious argument for environmentalism hit me so powerfully.

I encourage you to read the entire column and then tell me what you think.

In 2009

I will cut myself some slack.

obligatory cute kid shot
Originally uploaded by Studiojmm.

I'm not meeting my own expectations and I suspect that it's the expectations that are the problem.

At home, I expect myself to be as organized and crafty as the most productive of stay-at-home parents.

At work, I expect myself to be as effective as the most dedicated (frequently but not always childless) public interest advocate.

At yoga class, I wonder how I don't manage a daily asana and mediation practice.

When I read the blogs of my favorite (and often professional) writers, I lament the sorry state of this one.

Maybe I should give up sleep . . . Oh right, I already have.  So far, Maya has been sleeping less well in her second year than she did in her first.  I've been told that learning to walk can disrupt a child's sleep (it's a neurological development thing) and so can teething, colds, travel, the stomach flu, more teething, more travel, more colds, more travel . . . It's been a fall of unpredictable nap patterns and night waking.

That is nearly as tough on Mac as me (he, at least, is the less favorite parent at 3 am) because it's during nap times that this mostly-a-stay-at-home-Dad becomes an adjunct dance professor with papers to grade and lessons to plan, a dance company director with performances to arrange, and a choreographer with art to make.  Mac has managed to stop expecting the floors to be quite so regularly cleaned (He still manages all of the laundry, most of the grocery shopping, and a lot of the cooking.)

2nd cute kid shot
Originally uploaded by Studiojmm.

So, in 2009, I will:

1. cut myself some slack;
2. really get to the gym during lunch rather than simply cart my gym clothes too and from the office (requires cutting self slack at work) - say twice a week;
3. really get up and practice yoga in the morning before work - twice a week would be an excellent start;
4. take my vitamins (to offset effects of the sleep thing);
5. drink more water (One of the perks of the old job was the reverse-osmosis water filter sitting right near my office door.  At the new job, my hydration level isn't nearly as good);
6. blog more because I simply miss the outlet (and you miss things like the new job) - maybe once a week;
7. and, if I do all that, I actually think it will help me stress less (provided I actually do #1).

Jen's Monday News, Blog & Book Roundup

Ever been really angry about animal agriculture and antibiotics? No? You haven't read enough about it then. 

The poor critters raised in concentrated animal feeding operations are routinely fed antibiotics to promote growth (yup, read that right) and to ward of disease (yes, in advance of getting ill) caused by living in terrible, crowded, unsanitary conditions.  The microorganisms raised in that stew of antibiotics and filth develop immunity to regular antibiotics (E. coli O157:H7 anyone?). So, when the critters do get sick, they must be treated with the strongest stuff available.

In response to Rick Wiess's article in the Washington Post on Sunday, which contains this choice quote:

"The drug, called cefquinome, belongs to a class of highly potent antibiotics that are among medicine’s last defenses against several serious human infections. No drug from that class has been approved in the United States for use in animals,"

Dairy Queen expresses some justified outrage on Ethicurian.com:

"But today’s news is simply even more breathtaking in the sheer effrontery of [FDA's] disregard for public health and its focus on preserving business as usual at any cost."

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What I'm reading now:

Reversal of Fortune by Bill Mckibbon in Mother Jones

"For most of human history, the two birds More and Better roosted on the same branch. You could toss one stone and hope to hit them both. . .

But the distinguishing feature of our moment is this: Better has flown a few trees over to make her nest. And that changes everything. Now, with the stone of your life or your society gripped in your hand, you have to choose. It's More or Better."

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Did you know that ketchup was originally a British condiment made from salted anchovies?  Tomato ketchup wasn't invented until the late 1700's by an American in New Jersey who decided to try love apples instead of fish.

You'd know this if you were reading Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky.

You can get some of the same information and some conflicting information on Wikipedia (but can't you always?).

Confusing Comfort with Happiness

My post on Sister Madonna Buder was triggered by Pamela's comment on Dean Karnazes quest to run 50 marathons in 50 days.  As a regular reader of Runner's World, I was familiar with Dean and the small, but growing, population of ultra-endurance athletes.  Still, one of the quotes Pamela noted was striking:

"Somewhere along the line, we seem to have confused comfort with happiness."

for what it says to me beyond running and pushing physical limits.  Substitute the word "stuff" or "food" for "comfort" (maybe in a little auto rotate .gif image) and you pretty much got it covered. 

I frequently read a search for purpose and clarity in the stories of these ultra-endurance athletes -- a hunger Americans generally try to satisfy with food and stuff, resulting in near crisis proportions of obesity and consumer debt.   

While it's possible to undertake marathoning and have it actually add to the stuff and complications of your life, ultramarathoning takes so much commitment that simplifying and prioritizing life must be essential.  There are also few activities as good at reducing mental clutter than a good long run.  Hopefully, I can find my sense of balance* clarity without going to quite the extreme or using superglue on blisters.

*Ed. note 11/12/07: This post was no way meant to imply that running 50 marathons in 50 days was any kind of indicator of balance. 

Heros: Sister Madonna Buder

One Saturday afternoon in October 2001, I turned on the TV and stumbled upon coverage of the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii. Competitors swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and, then, run 26.2 miles.   

Many competitors had dramatic personal stories as but I was captivated by the story of  Sister Madonna Buder, who was attempting to become the frist 70 year old female finisher in Ironman history.  The task was particularly impressive since the previous year, Sister Madonna had been blown off her bike by Kona's infamous winds. She finished in 2001 and kept coming back.  Now known as the Ironman Nun, Sister Madonna set yet another age group record this past October - at 76.

Sister Madonna started running at 48 when a priest she met at a retreat recommended running to harmonize the mind, body and soul. She has since completed hundreds of triathlons.

Puts things in perspective, no? When 3 miles seems daunting on a winter morning?

Seeking Balance in 2007

 

 

 

    . . . and maybe a little tranquility

First, a recap of my 2006 goals:
Find a new physical event goal.
Nope, I never did.  I kept considering all sorts of races and then deciding against them.  Each threatened to skew my workouts entirely toward one activity.  I've been running, biking, swimming, and doing yoga.  It took me all year to come a good balance of those activities.  It took a full eleven months to come to terms with running only twice a week.  I'd been running three days a week for years, which is a recommended minimum for building to longer distances.  However, if my longest run is 6 miles, twice is sufficient.  Twice, doesn't support running 10 milers and half marathons.  I think that's ok for now.

Do more yoga.
Yep. I spent 4 months early in '06 attending Bikram classes before changing jobs/graduating/going to China.  Since returning I've been much more regular at yoga than I have in years. 

Loose 12.5 more pounds.
Lost 2.5 pounds and 1 more pant size.

Bake more.
When I mentioned in my last resolution post about wanting to really enjoy my allotted 3 starches per day, I was reacting against both the quality of mass produced baked goods and our detachment from their creation.  In the last year, I have found cooking and baking from scratch to be incredibly satisfying.  I'm confident about the quality, can control the nutritional content, and am connected to the creation. I even made the foray into yeast breads.

We have recently acquired a soy milk maker which rapidly makes a quart and a half of hot soy milk from soaked beans but also results in a couple of cups of nutritious, high fiber soy pulp.  Luckily, the pulp, called okara, can be baked into almost anything for a nice nutritional punch and a little extra leavening action.  I predict more bread in 2007 . . . and many okara veggie burgers.

On Balance, a heck of a lot happened to us in 2006. Doubtless, 2007 will bring more changes, challenges, triumphs, defeats, joys . . . .

My 2007 goal is (to strive for) Balance.

• Physical balance.
• Nutritional balance.
• Work-Personal balance.
• Creative balance.
• Spiritual and emotional balance.

Here's wishing you a balanced, tranquil, and joyous new year.