No. More. School. !
Well, at least for this year. My semester wrapped up officially this past Tuesday. My last final was the former Friday, but I worked in the biology department through Tuesday. Glad for that - a little extra money for over the break and time with the colorful biology locals. I also needed to pick up cookie dough that I had ordered from one of co-worker's daughters. The daughter had a school fundraiser earlier this year and I couldn't resist cookie dough + helping her school. What I didn't remember until Tuesday was that I had ordered a pumpkin cake roll in addition to the cranberry oatmeal cookie dough. My contribution to grandma's Christmas dinner is ready to be thawed and served.
I'm leaving my school schedule behind, but trying not to have an unproductive break. Sis has helped me pick knitting back up to my great delight! She went with me to the craft store to pick out the yarn (though she very much disagreed with my color choices), spent at least a few hours helping me relearn how to cast on and get going. Sis found an argyle scarf pattern that uses double knitting, so it's easier to make the pattern than doing a fair isle knit and it will be extra warm. This way I'll have two hand-made presents for some good friends that hopefully they'll be able to use for a while, plus the pleasure of pouring my energy into something creative. I'm loving it!
Friday, December 17, 2010
Thursday, December 16, 2010
My Colorful Christmas Guide
GREEN-ER CHRISTMAS
Sustainable, recycled, recyclable, or reusable items make good gifts for the receiver and for the planet. If you're a craft person, try (carefully) making jewelry out of coke tabs, bottle caps, or other finds. You could also try a resale shop or flea market - be part of the market that helps prevent overflowing landfills.
You can also choose more eco-friendly gift wrapping, such as a bag that can be reused or newsprint or old magazine pages instead of wrapping paper, which sometimes can't be recycled. Since my mother raised unusual children with unusual methods I've taken to saving my wrapping paper from gifts that I receive and using it the next year to wrap presents. It's not always as pretty as department store wrapping paper but it certainly has plenty of character and is thus a good reflection of the giver. Less expensive too.
And don't forget about local artisans - their wares aren't mass-produced; they have a more personal, meaningful quality; instead of being shipped across the nation, they can be picked up perhaps across town, which saves on fuel and pollution. You'll find some amazing, whimsical, sturdy, beautiful, different things.
Additional resource: RELEVANT magazine's 2010 Gift Guide
ORANGE-ER CHRISTMAS
This one is a little new for me, but ORANGE is the official color of freedom, especially for those who are familiar with the NOT FOR SALE campaign or other organizations that seek to put an end to modern slavery in any of its incarnations: forced labor, slave labor, sex trafficking, etc.
A few steps you can take: look up the companies that you're considering purchasing from and see if there is information available on their corporate policies and follow-through related to forced labor. One excellent resource for that is a project from NFS called Free2Work. Their website is http://free2work.org. You can browse through the companies they have listed or look up a specific company to see how they fair with F2W's grading system, which is based on a rubric of different categories relating to company policies, employment empowerment, and prevention, among other things.
Some other options are looking for Fair Trade certified items or similarly monitored sources - food, clothing, home goods, jewelry, and small gifts are among the things you can find. A few places well worth your time:
The Not For Sale Freedom Store
Maggie's Organics - Organic & Fair Trade Clothing
PURPLE-ER CHRISTMAS
Purple is traditionally the primary color of the season of Advent (reference). While shopping for presents, listening to 24-7 Christmas music, watching holiday specials on the telly, or running to and fro from Christmas party to holiday bash to church musical to family get-together - it's beyond easy to get burned out and feel more than little hum-buggy about it all. What can be done?!
Advent is a season of the Christian church calendar that calls for us to slow down, stop rushing, and find some quiet. We can quiet ourselves each morning, carving a little extra time to pray, listen, and read. If not in the morning, perhaps another time of the day. If you have children you can encourage some family time spent just enjoying each person's company.
Other calls that Advent places for us are penitence and rejoicing. We know that we've sinned and can't make things right on our own, no how. The joy comes in G-d sending his Son to be for us the sacrifice that make things right, once and for all: blotting out transgressions, binding up wounds, and healing broken hearts. Another joy of this season is the invitation that is extended to us, that we might join G-d in this work and be a part of his transformation that takes place from the inside-out.
Diminish your worries about finding the perfect gift for whomever and try not to spend over your budget. Ask and reflect: Where can we answer Christ's call to follow in His footsteps, seek those who are hurting, and share His love & grace?
Sustainable, recycled, recyclable, or reusable items make good gifts for the receiver and for the planet. If you're a craft person, try (carefully) making jewelry out of coke tabs, bottle caps, or other finds. You could also try a resale shop or flea market - be part of the market that helps prevent overflowing landfills.
You can also choose more eco-friendly gift wrapping, such as a bag that can be reused or newsprint or old magazine pages instead of wrapping paper, which sometimes can't be recycled. Since my mother raised unusual children with unusual methods I've taken to saving my wrapping paper from gifts that I receive and using it the next year to wrap presents. It's not always as pretty as department store wrapping paper but it certainly has plenty of character and is thus a good reflection of the giver. Less expensive too.
And don't forget about local artisans - their wares aren't mass-produced; they have a more personal, meaningful quality; instead of being shipped across the nation, they can be picked up perhaps across town, which saves on fuel and pollution. You'll find some amazing, whimsical, sturdy, beautiful, different things.
Additional resource: RELEVANT magazine's 2010 Gift Guide
ORANGE-ER CHRISTMAS
This one is a little new for me, but ORANGE is the official color of freedom, especially for those who are familiar with the NOT FOR SALE campaign or other organizations that seek to put an end to modern slavery in any of its incarnations: forced labor, slave labor, sex trafficking, etc.
A few steps you can take: look up the companies that you're considering purchasing from and see if there is information available on their corporate policies and follow-through related to forced labor. One excellent resource for that is a project from NFS called Free2Work. Their website is http://free2work.org. You can browse through the companies they have listed or look up a specific company to see how they fair with F2W's grading system, which is based on a rubric of different categories relating to company policies, employment empowerment, and prevention, among other things.
Some other options are looking for Fair Trade certified items or similarly monitored sources - food, clothing, home goods, jewelry, and small gifts are among the things you can find. A few places well worth your time:
The Not For Sale Freedom Store
Maggie's Organics - Organic & Fair Trade Clothing
They have CUTE socks and other apparel as well as adorable sock animals. You can find some of their scarfs at a local Whole Foods grocer.Worldofgood.com
This is a daughter website of eBay with lots of products to choose from - organic, environmentally friendly, and several fair trade.
PURPLE-ER CHRISTMAS
Purple is traditionally the primary color of the season of Advent (reference). While shopping for presents, listening to 24-7 Christmas music, watching holiday specials on the telly, or running to and fro from Christmas party to holiday bash to church musical to family get-together - it's beyond easy to get burned out and feel more than little hum-buggy about it all. What can be done?!
Advent is a season of the Christian church calendar that calls for us to slow down, stop rushing, and find some quiet. We can quiet ourselves each morning, carving a little extra time to pray, listen, and read. If not in the morning, perhaps another time of the day. If you have children you can encourage some family time spent just enjoying each person's company.
Other calls that Advent places for us are penitence and rejoicing. We know that we've sinned and can't make things right on our own, no how. The joy comes in G-d sending his Son to be for us the sacrifice that make things right, once and for all: blotting out transgressions, binding up wounds, and healing broken hearts. Another joy of this season is the invitation that is extended to us, that we might join G-d in this work and be a part of his transformation that takes place from the inside-out.
Diminish your worries about finding the perfect gift for whomever and try not to spend over your budget. Ask and reflect: Where can we answer Christ's call to follow in His footsteps, seek those who are hurting, and share His love & grace?
Thursday, December 02, 2010
WORLD AIDS DAY
...was technically yesterday, December 1st, 2010. I was able to see some of the AIDS memorial quilt that travels around to different parts of the country. It was on display at the Clinton Presidential Library in downtown Little Rock today. Since I arrived in the later afternoon I only saw some of the panels since they were beginning to put them away. They had been laid across the lawn. I'm not sure how many panels there were altogether, but it was enough to cover quite an area. In conjunction with the quilt display, there were volunteers from the Clinton School of Public Service who were reading aloud the names of people who had succumbed to AIDS. This oration was to stretch from midnight on the 1st until midnight this morning.There were few casual obs
ervers in attendance when I came, perhaps a half dozen. However there was a bevy of students (and others?) carefully and respectfully folding the quilt panels in preparation for their return to storage and subsequent shipment to their next destination. While this mild mill of activity was taking place there was a lone figure atop the tiny hill in front of the presidential center reading aloud into a microphone name after name of person after person, strangers to both us, who had died as a result of AIDS. One lady, who I assumed to be an observer, stood and listened for a while. I took up an unmarked post next to her, listening and trying to discern my purpose for hearing these names. I was there for solidarity - these were people, brothers and sisters. They had families, loved ones, friends, pets, teachers, co-workers. Since the people involved found their lives important enough to document in this way, I felt some sense of duty to pay attention and acknowledge each person, as many as I could.After standing attentively in place for about five minutes I honestly began to feel wildly out of place. It's not that I didn't belong because I didn't have or know anyone with AIDS or anyone who had died of AIDS. My discomfort came from a growing understanding of the depth of apathy and indifference toward people who have AIDS. I recognize AIDS and HIV as serious epidemic health disasters, but I often overlook the people and don't feel any sense of immediacy or importance to address this issue. I kind of let it get brushed under my proverbial do-gooder rug. Then and there, trying to be faithful and true to my calling, I sat to quietly pray. The prayers were for rejection of apathy on my part and the part of others. There were also supplications for advancement in medicine and science to prevent the spread of this disease and actively help those who are suffering with it now. It's no small figure, but the numbers have to be superceded by faces, by the lives of people. It's not that there are more than 32.9 million worldwide cases of AIDS. There are more than 32.9 million people who are losing their lives to battles with this virus-caused disease.
Lord, help us love.
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