Food is, of course, the most basic of our needs beyond water and air (and toilet paper!). Isn’t it funny how we take these simple things for granted? You breathe in and out, you pull on the roll, you turn on the tap, you pop a Lean Cuisine into the microwave, or answer, “Yes”, to “Fries with that?” Easy, automatic, instant. But of course, it’s not. All of these things, with the exception of air, require a complicated combination of infrastructure and workforce to get to us. We only think about it when the system breaks down (imagine a toilet paper factory worker’s strike!), or when we pay our bills.

TweetOnce again, I started watching a movie, expecting a documentary (this time about the evils of the tobacco industry). Instead, I was given a delightful thinking comedy movie about the tobacco industry, lobbyists, spin doctors, and the sales industry. Nick Naylor is the spokesman for the tobacco industry. He lobbies in Congress, appears on talk [...]

TweetDue to constant traveling, I have been homeschooling my son for the last few months. We have gone through different stages where he enjoyed it or didn’t, and I’ve had a few struggles getting him to listen and to actually like doing work, especially math. My son is seven years old and officially in first [...]

TweetI wrote this back in June, when it happened, and since then I haven’t even felt like writing on this blog. On top of that, we’ve had various computer issues. Anyway, now I’m getting organized again, and I feel I have to put this on, for women who might be having the same problem: This [...]

TweetI found this book at the free store and almost didn’t take it. It looked kind of cool, a hand with candy sprinkles all over it. But the description, about a man with an addiction who goes through rehab didn’t sound that exciting. I’ve read a few of those, and they’re mostly over-Christiany, “feel sorry [...]

TweetI’m always interested when I see an “Oprah’s Book Club” seal on a novel, and I’ve never yet been disappointed. They are always haunting, thought-provoking, realistic stories. Once again, I was not disappointed. The story is from the point of view of the 14 year old daughter (Connie) of a Vermont midwife (Sibyl). The girl [...]

TweetIf you’re looking for a breakfast that’s quick and easy, yet delicious and different, try egg in the hole. Ingredients: 1 slice bread for each diner 1 egg for each diner butter 1 cheese slice for each diner (optional) Melt butter in pan over low heat. Meanwhile, use a glass or cookie cutter to cut [...]

TweetI finally got the chance to watch this, and I was very impressed. This has to be the cutest robot movie I’ve ever seen, and it is one of the best movies for kids that I’ve seen in a long time.  Rated G – now how often do you see that anymore?  Truly funny, not [...]

Tweet Unless you work from home, transportation is a necessity. But it need not be expensive. You don’t need three cars. You probably don’t even need two cars. And you could likely get by with no car at all, especially in the city. If you live in a larger city, you probably have a bus [...]

Tweet I’m not really feeling the disastrous effects of the “depression” that we’re experiencing.  Yes, things are tight, but for someone like me, they’re always tight.  In the news, I keep seeing all these sob stories about comfortable white people feeling sad because now they can’t afford their laptops, ipods, cellphones, and three cars without [...]