Dr.Fish and Korea Fighting!

Since first hearing of the "Dr.Fish" phenomenon a few years ago, the idea has been locked in the ever-present, weirdly-grotesque-but-insanely-interesting file in my brain. It just seems to unnatural and wrong, but it IS natural and actually good for you. However, I only heard about it, so getting my feet eaten was never a possibility. 

Until SPAVIS. 

They had three jacuzzi-sized pools of the little guys, a freshwater breed from Turkey that feed on dead human skin cells. They supposedly give one hellofa pedicure, and can cure skin ailments like psoriasis. At the spa, you can submerge yourself in for only 6000Won.. less that $6. One woman was completely under except for mouth nose and eyes, and a fish was going at her chin. I didn't participate that day, but once I got back home I found a place in Osan that offered it. "Dr.Fish," the sign says. 4000Won. Jade and I took the plunge.

Once we took a seat on the ledge, the fish saw us and clustered directly below our toes. They knew what was coming. Freaking. Freaky. The first 5 minutes consisted of dunking my feet, panicking, and pulling them out, often with flopping fish caught in the shallow depression where my toes meet my feet. At about ten minutes, I was able to feed them (gross) for more than a minute at a time, and after ten, it actually started to feel pretty cool. Like a hundred mini vibrations. There were awkward points, like the dude who kept trying to wriggle between my toes. Honestly, I can't wait to do it again.

The World Cup ended last weekend, which is pretty sad. The team spirit here is crazy - different from sports at home, I guess maybe it has something to do with the whole nation rooting for one team - everyone. I was even given off school for a game. The Korean Soccer team's color is red, devil horns are their thing, and for weeks leading up to and all throughout the WC every other Korean I saw was wearing one of the two. Most wore both. I watched the last game at the Pyeongtaek City Hall, through a sea of glowing red horns. 

My Favorite Monsters 

slide.

I finally figured out how to add slideshows to blogger!

This makes me very happy.
(The adver-ons, do not. I must keep searching for the perfect show...)

cell phones and little monsters

I have conquered the beast: I am now contracted with a Korean cell phone company, QOOK. Or Sky. Cell phone companies seem to overlap here. It is quite bizarre. In one intersection, there are three stores, all with different servers. (Think, AT&T, Verizon, Sprint.) Around the corner from THAT, a store with all three on their sign. Ordering dinner here is difficult, imagine signing a year-long contract with numerous variables and a generous dose of fine print. I must admit, I'm still pretty worried about that first bill. But I love the constant access to long distance voices <3 
The phone itself puts crappy American devices to shame. I got the free model, and it is pretty amazing. Standard: (good) camera, video, Korean-English dictionary, Korean subway map, (with programmable routes,) and thats about as far as I've gotten. Although I'm pretty sure, for additional cost, I could get live streaming TV. Seriously. 
ONLY downside?
It's pink. vom.
Internet, that's a different story. Our building is new, as are the majority of buildings around it, so there aren't any cable lines yet. I had to struggle through a few painful korenglish conversations, (including the three cell phone stores that days prior had dealt with my complete lack of their native language) before I finally got a company that reaches us. Interestingly, after a couple coworkers helped us make an appointment, I got a text from QOOK - my cell phone provider - with a confirmation of my appointment. I just don't get it. But, by Friday night, I will be online. And right now, that is all that matters. 
I love my job. My students, for the most part, are awesome. I've just about built up the courage to bring my camera to class. This is due in part to Jake, a 10- or 11-year old of mine, who came up to me with his fist clenched around his thumb, a small character of a boy drawn on the only visible knuckle. It's head is located just below the bottom knuckle of his pointer finger, on that little fleshy spot. The crease between these two areas was filled in red, so that when he releases his thumb, the little guy gets decapitated in a sea of bright red bic blood. It's no secret that I am not the gory type. But it was funny.
This week, my lower level classes are learning the parts of the body. I had them all draw monsters (the text's idea, not mine) and label the body parts. I collected them, half because I wanted to hang them in the hall, and half because I want to keep them for myself. My favorite is "cute monster," "cate monster," (a misspelling of cute, which makes me like it more,) and carrot monster. Wait, and soccer monster. Oh and Terminator Goblin. 
I need to photograph those. 
Also, I got a plant. Now I need more. ASAP.

This weekend, 
my mission is the beach.

a wider world

"When we are writing, or painting, or composing, we are, during the time of creativity, freed from normal restrictions, and are opened to a wider world, where colors are brighter, sounds clearer, and people more wondrously complex than we normally realize."

-Madeleine L'Engle, (Walking on Water 1980)

photo opp.

Here's a quick photo recap of the last 4 weeks. 

Dunkin Donuts: all over this city. Overpriced. Bagel? $5. Whatever. Better choice? Kimche Croquette - Kimche is a fermented cabbage that is THE food of Korea. It is pretty strong, but growing on me - especially grilled. The Koreans eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Seriously- that and rice. It is every meal. The coffee on this peninsula is DREADFUL - up until last weekend, I was drinking what most Koreans consider "coffee" - instant crap which includes sugar and powdered creamer. Real, real, REAL bad. Luckily, I was rescued by a French Press. Ground coffee is pretty expensive, but believe me, worth it. 

Bottom left is my apartment building. there are twelve apartments on four floors. I live in the back on the third. Jade is right across the hall. We have one neighbor and one empty room on our floor, although I have never seen the neighbor. I just hear his door (there are no keys, only electronic locks that play a jingle when they lock&unlock.) It is brand new, the whole complex is, which is nice. I live right next to a school-but then again, schools are on every block, it's pretty hard to live FAR from one. Korea<3Schooling.

About 10 minutes from my apartment, in Osan, is a US Air Base. The fact that over 50% of the people there are American is ironically bizarre. But you can get lots of American things, exchange money, and best of all, PEOPLE SPEAK ENGLISH! There are no piracy laws in Korea, so bootlegs are everywhere. I got Avatar (haven't seen it yet), A Simple Man (pretty good), and Gentlemen Broncos (Uhm, hard to put into words - Napoleon Dynamite meets the 90's unicorn fad, on crack) for under $10. Pretty awesome.  There are a bunch of US restaurants, Korean restaurants with English speaking employees/signage is very useful. Boxes of kittens and puppies on the street, however, not awesome. Very, very sad. sigh. But I am beginning to volunteer at a no-kill shelter this weekend, looking forward to animal love <3 <3
(p.s. i miss my cat)

I-Chung, part of Pyeongtaek-Si, is the smallish city where my Hogwon (private English school) is located. There are about 4 square blocks, which have businesses from the first floor to the third, fourth or fifth. It's really nice, clean, and safe, but a bit small - I have to travel to do anything besides eat and work. Which is good in a way, but there are very few English teachers, let alone English SPEAKERS. But people are nice. There are TWO 7-11's .. really?! I travel halfway across the world...gah. No slurpees, though.  The streets are full of vendors on nice days, selling everything from clothes to vegetables to bed rolls. There are 1 or 2 city parks, one of which has a ginormous screen that shows the World Cup (BIG thing here.) In fact, my school closed down tomorrow night in honor of Korea's game against Argentina. 

Korea mega-marts are pretty intense. E-Mart, a Walmart equivalent, is huge, crowded, and anxiety inducing. It is 4 floors and has EVERYTHING - including a full food court complete with a McDonalds. I found a calmer alternative, Home Plus, which seems a little more Targetish. Products are interesting, and alot is lost in translation. Anti-Calculus toothpaste? what? I bought Corn Flight (Corn Flakes,) Men and Women's matching underwear is a big thing, and tampons on foreign - apparently what women want are 42 CENTIMETER!! long diapers i mean maxi pads. Ew. Certain things are ingenious - a fold up spoon with a cup of ice cream?! (Which later, I discovered, was vanilla ice cream with strawberry swirl sitting on a bed of ... apple italian ice? uhm.. ok.) But the best thing - STAIR-LESS ESCALATORS. USA - where have you been? Carts have rubber "feet" which stick to the metal of the escalator, so they stay stationary, as you navigate the many floors of the Korean mega mart. Who says Koreans go to school 6 days a week for nothing?! 

Being foreign, a lot of things come across as just plan ODD. For example, women's clothing on make mannequins. Not drinking from glass bottles. (Things are just BETTER that way, South Korea!) Hat/glove/scarf combinations. Ginormous dogs. Old military bombers turned cafe. (Ok, thats pretty cool.) And the fact that Jade and I are given two forks, one knife, and  zero chopsticks when we go out to eat. 

xo. 

Photography in Korea

(So, thanks to my wonderful parents and amazing twin, I have finalllly received my camera cord. <3 )


On the plane, one of the bright lights in an otherwise hellish 14+ hours were the AWESOME trip progression animations that popped up on my mini screen every once in a while. There weren't any geological markers, and knowing that I was somewhere over the earth but not knowing WHERE would have really pissed me off. Thank goodness for little blessings. =) 

(stay tuned.)

Week two.

So, here's a thought .. the majority of people reading this blog are on the other side of the world. I'm not completely sure how interweb works. I believe it involves wires, or waves, or possibly something I have no clue even exists. But these words, (and photos, once my cord arrives. yes, my third eye is still disconnected,) don't just disappear and reappear - right? They travel. Really, really far. 
Just a thought.
I've been here two weeks already. It feels longer, but it also feels like I just got here. I've started to master a few simple things. Kamsamnida, thank you, is more or less instinctual. I've also started dropping prepositions, which have become pretty useless. "Subway three o'clock?", accompanied by a few taps to the watch wearing area of the wrist, works a hundred times better than "Does the subway come at three o'clock?" Yesterday I told Jade, "head hurt." Wow. 
Miming is key. 
In the classroom, especially. The more classes I teach the more obvious it becomes that even if they have NO idea what you're saying, Korean students will nod "yes teacher!" So non-verbal communication is a huge part of my day. Occasionally I encounter words that are completely mental and therefore nearly impossible to act out, like chemical, which I accomplished with white board illustrations of Nyquil and Dayquil and a pretty good drunk/manic imitation. 
Last weekend was the first weekend I had free, so Jade and I made our way to Asan City, about an hour north. We went to Spavis, our first Asian spa. It was a waterpark (a pretty weak one) / indoor mega sauna. It was - interesting. 
I saw hundreds of naked Korean women, although I'm sure they had a lot more to say about the stark white American in the neon purple bathing suit. We spent about 15 minutes in the Yellow Sea, searching for the exit, before we finally discovered the "waterpark." Koreans want their skin LIGHT - even makeup has lighteners in it- so most of the park was shaded. Great. A large pool, which we were able to enter only after  finding life jackets and bathing caps, seemed to be the only sunny area. Not long after we got in, a loud (everything is loud here) Korean announcer screeched something over the PA system. People started shifting, some got out, but others acted casual - like nothing was going on. Then, the waves started. Wtf. Gigantic wave pool. Korea does not want me to get a tan. 
Despite the hassles, I left feeling great - pores purged and semi-tan. We had a bit of trouble getting back to the train station, and ended up walking 2 or 3 miles in a semi-rural area. Things look so different on foot, compared to the perspective you get at 40mph. Roses are pretty wild here, and they're everywhere - I love it. Gingko, too. They're the Korean Oak - lining every street and popping up as seedlings throughout the grass.
The food situation is getting better, 7-11's here sell 3inch long triangular rice pattys topped with various meat substances and wrapped in seaweed. They're about 75cents and I crave them. Onion rings are a million times better than the ones at home. Korean bbq, which takes getting used to since you are expected to cook and assemble it on your own, is less exhausting. Korean sushi - kimbop- is not as good as Japanese, but ridiculously cheap (less than 2$) and I like it. 
Hopefully I will have internet and phone this week, I got my ARC card today. Which means lots of Skyping with you staters - so send me your id.


xo.

ichung-dong, pyeongtaek-si, gyeonggi-do, the beginning.

I've been getting settled for almost 2 weeks now, and figured maybe it was time to bloggaboutit. I left my camera cord in the US, god damnit! and I hate to blog without photos, so I'll steal Jades.

This is gonna be a long one, I'll keep it as short as possible:
My plane ride here was my first plane ride, ever (!), and it peaked about 10 minutes in. I've never seen the tri state aerially, loved it!I just wish I could be back there to seep in my newly acquired perspective. I also wish I could post the photo I took .. .
Hopefully my flight back will be clear and I'll get a recap. Somewhere over Connecticut I lost the ground and began 14+ hours of intense discomfort. I was fed pretty terrible food, and my inability to sleep in cars apparently carries over to airplanes. 
When we landed, it was 6am and the airport was empty, I got through customs, got money converted, and found a man holding a sign with my name in under 15. During the hourlong ride to my apartment, the sun was coming up and I got to see Korea for the first time in first light, =)! Also, GPS here has TV on it. 
When I finally arrived in Ichung, a part of Pyeongtaek, about an hour south of Seoul, I woke Jade with my racket and we explored our little city. 
The apartments we live in are a 2 minute walk from the business district, which is only about 4 square blocks. The businesses are piled on top of each other, so each building has 3 or 4 or 5 floors of stores. Mostly restaurants, pool halls, and PC Bangs (huge rooms filled with rows of computers you can use for about 75 cents an hour, generally filled with teenage boys playing video games.) My school, Avalon, is on the second floor of one building, right above coffee cherry, a coffee house which is where I am now.
Yea, no internet, tv, or cell phone yet - withdrawal has been less painful then expected.
My job is pretty awesome. The kids are interesting - well behaved, most of the time, - and the staff is nice. My boss speaks no English but has a warm smile. On Friday, she had one of the secretaries take me and Jade to the supermarket and buy us fruit - not sure why, but I've learned not to question things. Like why there are 3 sliding glass panes on every window or why toilet paper is kept outside the stalls in public bathrooms. Yea that's a great thing to forget. Like, every. time. 
We've made a few friends here - some English teachers, military peoples, and even a local - Bong Song - who gets very excited about CSI, Obama, Hip Hop, and American Gangster. As far as I know those are the only English words he speaks. 
There have been a bunch of interesting adventures, but I'll summarize later. The year has only begun! 

JADEaway

Yade Blogs.

& it's pretty awesome. check it out.

Adios and Vaya Con Dios

Steady as a preacher,
Free as a weed 

Couldn't wait to get goin' 

But wasn't quite ready to leave

I'm leaving on Saturday! maybe Sunday, which in K-land is Sunday, maybe Monday. I can't wait. Know what I'm gonna miss? Country music. I just love it. I'm pretty sure I was a farmhand in a previous life. I mean, who can beat this?!: 

I got my toes in the water, 
ass in the sand 
Not a worry in the world, 
a cold beer in my hand 
Life is good today. 
Life is good today. 

-zac brown band

Tree

she is a tree, 

without a bird or nest,

a forest to hide in,

insects or vine in climb,

moss, or parasite,

she needs only the earth

and the sun

to be

Analogies Help. So does June 17, 2010.

I need to learn that one bump in the road is not a deadly cliff, my wheels will not be spinning soundlessly in the air as I careen into a Grand Canyon-y crevice in the earth if one thing goes wrong - like, the recent change of address on my drivers license delaying my passport a week or two. NO BIGGIE. Yea, I'm probably going to be spending my first plane ride alone, all 12+ hours of it.  My Seoul sister will be alone in a big country, while I, making a not so great impression on my new employer, wait impatiently to start life. 
These are not good things. But, in the long run, it's like a flat tire. Shitty, not on schedule, not planned, not helpful, but,  a part of life. People understand. Things get worked out. It's all in your attitude. 
I know this, but sometimes it's hard to LIVE this. 


SO!  Let us focus on when life will be all about LIVING.


Here it goes: 
I will still make the Korean Mud Festival.  

AWESOME. 

"Boryeong Mud Festival has been held at Daecheon swimming beach, there is a unique shell-powered sandy beach only found in Eastern countries. So, you may swim and massage with a mudpack at the same time. Furthermore, there are Mud massage programs (Self massage at the Beach, Ultramodern mud massage) and Mud Experiential Land program using mud powder made through the processing procedure, that is, we gather mud from pure plain and remove all impurities. "

Soo.. maybe I should focus on June 17, 2010.
I will be 3-4 weeks into my stay. I will be meeting new people and doing new things, and i will be one month from a really freaking cool weekend. I think I will be really happy, and there will be 11 months left to my stay, and the best part?!
MY PASSPORT WILL NOT EVEN ENTER MY BRAIN.

Time moves so quickly, what is 7-10 days, anyway?! like, 1.5% of a year?! 
( In the words of my favorite llama . .. booyah.)

Happpppy Earth Day!

So, it is Earth Day. I love this holiday. 
Just a great excuse to appreciate the big ol' globe we exist upon. Its pretty awesome, isn't it!? I mean - just think about trees. These large hardy - growths? - that sprout from dirt and water and sun and grow and grow until we cut them down to make houses or boats or art. So peaceful & giving. Love.
THE BEST THING ABOUT EARTH DAY 2010!?
I lived my first sun shower of the year, sort of like a white christmas. 
The best. 

Some things:

• Major metro areas, without the bulbs. 

• View "the most detailed true-color image of the entire Earth to date." No idea Africa was so huge.  

• E(art)H DAY 

independence. codependence.

this made my morning.

Perspective.

 

"Life does not consist mainly, or even largely, of facts and happenings.  It consists mainly of the storm of thoughts that are forever blowing through one's mind."

-Mark Twain

Last night, probably around 2 or 3 or 4, I woke up on top of my right arm and left leg. To say they were asleep is beyond an understatement. It was reverse phantom limb. Millions of nerves stampeding for blood supply, trampling each other into a neon buzz. In half-sleep-lucidity, I peacefully churned through possible reasons for this bizarre lack of muscle control: stroke, brain tumor, heart attack. I think I even processed the thought, "Oh Well." 
Obviously, this all was a result of some seriously deep sleep on an unfortunate angle, but that didn't even occur to me until the morning. I fell back asleep quickly, and woke up with four functioning limbs.
It got me thinking: IT'S ALL ABOUT PERSPECTIVE.

I've been meaning to write this post for some time now. In a way, I think perspective is the one singular thing that defines and separates us, as well as what allows us to connect with each other. Without perspective, we are all the same. 
You can argue that brain chemistry and upbringing make us into the people we are, or that we are born good or bad, smart or dumb. I am not contesting that - but that is all part of perspective. Where we've been, what we've done,  and the way in which we are wired shape the way we look at the world - our perspective.
When two perspectives clash, there is anger and frustration. Our reality is challenged, and no one - no_one- likes that.
 But when we meet another person whose perspective, when matched with our own, makes complete and total sense, we experience a human connection, an amazing thing. 
I think that there are aspects of ourselves that are steadfast - deeply ingrained elements, like sympathy and responsibility. Ones perspective can change constantly, or rarely, but these characteristics hold strong.
I am leaving my home, friends, car, cat, culture and country behind in just over one month. In 6 weeks, I will be in a different country. It's going to be sad, and amazing, hard and exciting, fun, and really freaking interesting. In the end, it will be a decision I can call a good one. 
Still, a part of me is going to die away, and thats kind of sad. The perspective I own right now is in its final days. (Which is a good thing, I'm sort of jaded and view most things through a sea of melancholy. Direct result of 9-5 capitalism. I'm sure of it.) I will never again see things as I do today,  sitting in my childhood bedroom, on my sisters laptop, thinking about what I believe and how I live and whether or not I will agree with myself in 365 days. 
oH, and I found my first grey hair today. White, actually. It's funny how the only choice we really have is to throw our hands up and go for the ride, and although it is tempting to resist, life is constantly reminding you of that fact.

Wisdom News, April 7, 2010

"From every scrap you make a blanket."

-Rose Chernin, in Kim Chernin, "In My Mother's House" (1983)

Cash Cab - now you know.

Cash Cab is easily one of the most addicting tv game shows on, and although that claim is based on the opinion of someone who watches no other game shows. . .  it is, isn't it!? So, today, I am going to research the secret behind the elusive cab.
I cannot handle surprises, or magic tricks, or not knowing in general. I like to have the answers to all the questions my brain pokes itself with. Hence, my severe affection for Google.


link1: ABOUT.COM: is cash cab real?
Here, I learned that Ben Bailey, a comedian by trade, is actually a cab driver, having passed all the necessary tests. The cab is a real cab. Oh, and this:

"If you've watched the end credits of the show closely, you've seen the line, "Some contestants have been pre-screened prior to their appearance on the show." This opens up a whole can of worms that leads to all kinds of rumors and assumptions."

So, most contestants - most, not all, according to About - know that they are going to be on a game show. They take a quiz and pass it, then are told they will be getting picked up to go to the show. TA-DA, Cash Cab arrives. Must account for the surprised faches. I also learned that he has an earpiece in, so he knows the questions and answers and all sorts of other info without  taking his eyes off the road.

link2: MEDIABISTRO.COM: how to get on cash cab
One of my favorite sites. They offer a first hand account. There is no way to really test the validity, but I trust mediabistro. Here's a snippet:

"Without giving away too much, I was a contestant on the Cash Cab in late May, 2006. There was a screener that approached my group talking about a "Reality show" and how we were just what they were looking for. We were inside a bar at South Street Seaport and kind of in the bag at the time. After the front company arranges a spot for us to get a ride to the destination of the reality show, Ben's cab convienently shows up. There is quite a bit that is cut out during the taping, I guess to keep the show at a "G" rating. I was told that it is 50/50 random/staged pick-up (I am thinking nighttime is random)"

Also, learned that the money he hands the contestants is fake. They get mailed a check.

FINALLY, an interview with Ben Bailey from the Daily News: 7 questions for cash cab host
Eeenteresting:

What rules wouldn't the average rider know about?
There's a law that if I make eye contact with a customer, and it's understood between us that I'm going to pick them up, I can't pick anyone else up.

Rosendale, Spring

 

I have seen/learned/done MANY good and interesting things in the last few days, but I'll write about them later. so now,

 photos!

click here, too. good things.

Happiness, and pointless amusement.

I like my emails to be short and concise. GET TO THE POINT, then go away. So I rarely subscribe to any type of daily mailing, newsletter, etc. A few weeks ago, I took the Dosha Quiz at whatsyourdosha.com, and inadvertently got enrolled in a "daily wisdom message." I love it! They are only a few lines always inspiring. Here is today's:

"If you are unhappy, you are too high up in your mind."

-Carl Jung

And, just for fun, Flower discovering the complexities of a drinking straw.

leaving and other new things

So, I'm moving to Asia for a year.

The plan has been in motion since New Years, but it is only now starting to hit me. I'm nervous. I know I can be in contact with important people, (Skype is definitely on the way to verbdom), and I know I will enjoy myself and appreciate the experience - how could I not? 

New has always proved to be a good thing. But still - the anticipation is like digesting a ball of tinfoil.

New is also something I haven't done in a while. And I think that's the problem. Luckily, it's also something the earth hasn't done in a while.
It makes it feel ok.
I went on the muddiest, snowiest sweaty hike yesterday. Wintery snow and dead plant life still loom, but blooms and buds and other new things are popping up and the sun is getting warmer. 
It was probably the worst possible day to do such a thing, the second 50+ degree day only weeks after 2 snowpocolypses (snowpocolypsai?) covered the tri-state area. I went to be in nature, whatever that means, and by the end of the 2.6 miles I was exhausted from steadying myself on sheets of shaded ice and my toes were swimming in sopping wet socks inside fully saturated boots. It was gross. But I felt renewed and stronger.
It reminded me that most people can do a lot more than they think they can, that you should follow your heart and that pushing yourself promotes growth. It's all in the getting up and doing.
It's all about perseverance now - I think better days are ahead. Winter can't last forever!

There is a camera hanging around my heart.

(Joni is a conduit)

Just a little green
Like the color when the spring is born
There'll be crocuses to bring to school tomorrow
Just a little green
Like the nights when the Northern lights perform
There'll be icicles and birthday clothes
And sometimes there'll be sorrow

the earth is defrosting.

"The mind can store an estimated 100 trillion bits of information - compared with which a computer's mere billions are virtually amnesiac."

empathy, part deux.

How funny life is .. 

Just 24 hours ago, I was complaining about the weight of empathy, of feeling the depth of the  emotions of the people you love. 

Man I feel like an asshole.

One of my best friends, and one of the best people I know, gave birth to the most beautiful little girl today. When I saw them, my soul nearly burst at the seams, joy was literally being pumped through my aorta. 

That being said,

I'm not completely taking back my previous post. When you are constantly being brought down by a person or people who you care about, who you you cannot help because they are not at the point where they want, or are willing to accept, help, empathy can seem like the worst fucking thing in the world. It makes you want to hop on a plane and never look back.

But I was totally wrong to banish the gift of empathy. Like most blessings, like ALL things, it isn't perfect. But in the end, a life without empathy is a life without love and joy. It is a life without the ability to share a moment with the people you couldn't be without. 

What was I thinking!?

empathy

The word is so noble, practically oozing virtuosity. 

No one ever talks about how, 

sometimes, it

SUCKS.

just a thought.

also,

Two of my very best friends have both told me that my blog depresses them. This came as a surprise, I usually write to drag myself OUT of depression. So, starting with this photo, things are going to be a bit brighter.

snowday.

wake-to-window in under 5

accu-weather coffee pot

craft storm; paper strips

stuck to my socks; glue residue

(frozen tree, frozen lungs, frozen clock)

wind whipping thoughts and ground

mother nature laughing

chin held high

snow day mini art. 

Be skeptical. Veerrrrrry skeptical.

The country is fat, that is not a secret. Studies wallpaper the last decade, linking obesity and poverty, obesity and depression, obesity and genetics; OH - and get this  - more people are dying every year from heart disease then CANCER. Obesity is bad. It's a terrible thing. I'm sick of hearing it, reading it, and seeing it. But what irks me the most - I don't see it as a problem of willpower or choice as much as trickery, a genius marketing scheme concocted to create a salt/sugar/preservative addicted society who have lost the ability to comprehend the components of actual nutrition. 
Yes, there are people who know that what they are eating on a daily basis is not good. There will always be. I'm angry for the innocent consumer trying their best and still unknowingly consuming crap.
So, why aren't there riots? If we learned that Doritos cause Cancer- what would happen?
Even "healthy" foods - you know, the newly redesigned packages that look like they were recycled, usually green and brown and "organically designed" ? Less shine, more matte? They are coated in vernacular chosen to make you believe what you are eating is healthy. Wordplay, designed to sneak around the truth and tip your conscience towards "good for me." 
I come across this constantly. It makes my blood boil.
Gah, I guess knowledge is power.


Here is an article from the dailygreen.com - pretty interesting.

9 Food Label Lies 

1. Made with whole grains

"What you don't realize is that unbleached wheat flour is the main ingredient; whole wheat flour is the third on the list, "indicating that the product contains relatively little," according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest. "

2. Ingredients (!)

Bill Cosby's got it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4K5YBNQq-Qo

3. Serving Size
Okay, this is not anything new - CHECK SERVING SIZES! Manufacturers use it to cut EVERYTHING in their product - sugar, fat, caffeine, sodium - in half. Bastards.

4. Omega 3

So, Omega-3 fatty acids, fertilizers for cell growth and regeneration, are healthy, "but that doesn't mean every product emblazoned with the word is a healthy source of it. The FDA allows certain foods that are rich in two of the Omega-3 fatty acids to advertise that they can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, but only if they're also low in saturated fats or other risk factors." However, an item with even the tiniest amount of Omega-3's, like nuts and some eggs, can have "CONTAINS OMEGA-3'S" all over it's packaging. But without the words "reduce coronary heart disease," they are probably useless. 

5. 0 Trans Fat
Trans Fats were all over the media a few years ago, they are BAD - raise bad cholesterol and lower good cholesterol. Marketers took advantage - they replaced Trans Fats with the Saturated kind. Less bad, but still bad.

6. Free Range Eggs
I was a vegetarian for close to five years, not because I don't agree with the food chain, but because animal farming is disgusting, unhealthy, inhumane, and a million other karma killing verbs. Your chicken strips, most likely, lived in a tiny dirty cage-box their whole life. GET THIS - EVEN IF THEY ARE ALLOWED 3 MINUTES OF EXERCISE A DAY, A CHICKEN'S EGGS CAN BE LABELED FREE RANGE. wtf. 
(free range label decoder)

7. Fiber
Fiber is in everything these days - but natural fiber, the kind found in apple skin and whole grains and other whole foods- is not the same as the powdered kind advertised in every step on the food pyramid- & it is not always as great. Big surprise - you're being lied to. So don't depend on fiber-infused yogurt to reap the benefits. Eat a banana.

8. Tastes Like Medicine 
Bottom line: If a food is being advertised as a cure, it probably isn't. Be skeptical. Veerrrrrry skeptical.

9. Made With Real Fruit
If it looks like candy, it probably is. Real fruit usually means it contains fruit concentrate - which the government's dietary guidelines consider sugar. 

Story People = Check 'em out!

The first time her laughter
unfurled it's wings in the wind
we knew that the world would never be the same.

he's your silence, she said
what?
he's your silence in the noise
...?
in a world full of noise, you two are quiet

winter is dry.

& cold.