A Secret

I sometimes listen to Top 40 music when my husband isn't home. Like now.

Granola Girl

I'm on a bit of a natural, organic, homemade kick these days. I'm really hoping it's more of a change of lifestyle than a kick, but I'll have to see how I do.

I've grown increasingly grossed out by the stuff we put in our bodies and our homes in western society. The chemicals in our foods. The sprays and powders that we clean our kitchens with. The food that comes ready-made in a can. It's just gross. Now, I am not saying that it's all bad. The "wonders" of the modern age have done a lot of good things, especially in the advancement of medicine. But, I never really questioned it all, until recently. And I think that's the part that bothers me the most, the fact that the vast majority of people never think about what they're eating or breathing in.

I'm auditing a course this semester called "Consumer Culture and Voluntary Simplicity". It's made me think a lot about how capitalistic industry creates a product to meet a need that we never knew existed. Wrinkly elbows? There's a cream for that. Taps not shiny enough? Just rub this on. Nobody really needs those things, but when the option is available, I start to think, "Hey...I have wrinkly elbows! Oh no!" ...Ridiculous.

Further still, I've been reading a book called "In Defense of Food", by Michael Pollan. I'm only half-way through, but I can tell this book is really going to impact my lifestyle. He talks about the bizarre relationship that North Americans have to their diets. He argues that a large portion of what we eat is not real food. The bread we pick up at the supermarket would be unrecognizable to our great-grandmothers. We've stripped flour of it's nutritional value. We eat more dairy and meat products than any other period in history. As a result, our food is making us sick, or at the very least not doing much for our well-being. To make a long story short, he advocates for the eating of whole foods that are free of chemicals. Carrots. Potatoes. Organic, grain fed meat. Bread that is made of flour, yeast and water. Basically, if you don't know what's in the food or it has any ingredients you can't pronounce: don't eat it.

I realize that such a radical change of diet is nearly impossible. Especially since I live in climate that is bitterly cold and kills of all plant life for about six months. However, I am trying to make some small changes to my lifestyle and diet. Today I cleaned our bathroom with vinegar spray; a safe, natural disinfectant. We going to start baking our own whole wheat bread. I pureed a pumpkin to bake with instead of buying canned. We're trying to eat less processed food. They're small things, I know, and they probably won't change the world.

But it does make me feel just a little bit better.

*sigh* Student Loans.

This is the first autumn in 16 years (note: I'm merely 22 years of age) that I have not gone "back to school." No new pens. No first day. No glossy new textbooks. I'll admit, the thought chokes me up a bit. Although, I'm sure I'll feel better once my full-time-student-husband pulls his first all-nighter of the semester. I'm pretty vindictive sometimes.

One new thing I have garnered is the knowledge that all that money that the government lent me these past four years, they now want back. I know. Sick.

So, I phoned my loan officer, Ms. Cash, (not even joking) to explain that I'm rather low income and my husband is still in school, so can I please, please join the low-income payment plan. The conversation went something like this.

Me: Can I apply for the low-income program?

Her: Absolutely. I can fax you an application right away.

Me: Great, thanks.

Her: So, just so I can give you a heads up on whether or not you qualify, can you tell me what your gross monthly income is?

Me: Yup. It's about 1600 a month.

Her: *long pause* Um...you know, I won't even send you the application. You'll qualify.

I'm very grateful...and a bit insulted.

Jesus Christ by Brand New

Jesus Christ, that's a pretty face

The kind you'd find on someone I could save

If they don't put me away

Well, it'll be a miracle

Do you believe you're missing out

That everything good is happening somewhere else?

But with nobody in your bed

The night's hard to get through

And I will die all alone

And when I arrive I won't know anyone

Well Jesus Christ, I'm alone again

So what did you do those three days you were dead?

Cause this problem's gonna last more than the weekend.

Well Jesus Christ, I'm not scared to die,

I'm a little bit scared of what comes after

Do I get the gold chariot?

Do I float through the ceiling?

Do I divide and fall apart?

Cause my pride is too sly to hold back all my dark

And the ship went down in sight of land

And at the gates does Thomas ask to see my hands

I know you'll come in the night like a thief

But I've had some time alone to hold my lies inside me

I know you think that I'm someone you can trust

But I'm scared I'll get scared and I swear I'll try to nail you back up

So do you think that we could work out a sign

So I'll know it's you and that it's over so I won't even try

I know you'll come for the people like me

But we all got wood and nails

Tongue tied to a hating factory

But we all got wood and nails

You're tortured (and hanging) factory

Yeah, we all got wood and nails

You're tortured (and hanging) factory

Yeah, we all got wood and nails

And we sleep inside of this machine

"Just think of the tragedy of teaching children not to doubt." -Clarence Darrwow

The Trials and Tribulations of Adulthood

It's my birthday in a week. I'll be 22.

This week, I have managed to fry a keyboard, douse a rug, and soak our futon by spilling a tall glass of water I had just poured.

Last night as I was hanging my blanket over a chair to dry...

Emily: "Taylor, maybe I should get a cup with a lid."
Taylor: "...You mean a sippy cup?"
Emily: "...I prefer 'cup with lid'. "

We proceeded to laugh about it as Taylor continued to mock me, "Why don't they make cups like that for meee? In mature patterns! Excuse me sir, do you have this gunmetal gray?"

Woe is me.

Welcome to Flatsville, Manitoba.

Population: One.

Photo Credit: Taylor J. Summach

Latest Shenanigans

I've abandoned my blog for a while I've realized. But no more! Lauren has been blogging like crazy, so I am inspired to be more intentional with this little project. Heaven knows my life isn't THAT busy living in rural Manitoba. So, an update on my latest adventures...

1. I fried our keyboard. Yesterday morning, in my sleepy state before heading out the door to the office, I knocked an entire glass of water on the keyboard. I frantically dried it off, and it seemed to be alright, but by day's end it was dead. *sigh* Taylor bought a new one today. It's the strangest keyboard ever. It's rubber and rolls out like a mat. And ironically, or intentionally, the keyboard is waterproof.

2. It's the weekend! It was one of those weeks that, looking back, if you were to ask me what happened, I would not be able to tell you. I do know I didn't get enough sleep. I consumed a lot of chicken wings. And my husband is awesome.

3. 4th of July! What a stellar day. Taylor celebrated his first 4th south of the border. There was picnicking, and firework watching with our beloved Kelley family. We also say my family for the first time since the wedding. I intend to post pictures from that evening soon.

4. I love baking and cooking. I've found that it is fantastic way to de-stress. So, in honor of a long week...Chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting and dark chocolate shavings!

(I love that apron. It was bridal shower gift from my friend Kari. She MADE it! So great. Also, picture #2 really accentuates my lack of sleep. Yikes.)