i have some opinions on this recession we’re currently wading through, but most of my more level-headed thoughts are the same as naz’s. so go read his write-up.
regardless of whether or not i think ultimately the recession could be a good thing, some issues remain regarding overall money management and accountability of CEOs, COOs and CFOs down to those in accounting. here’s the thing: i have a loose budget. i understand what i can spend a month on items X, Y and Z. i know that my salary is too low to afford a mercedes benz, therefore i do not go out a buy said mercedes benz. i buy groceries, splurge on a short vacation now and again, and save anywhere between 10–20% a month because that’s what my financial advisor tells me to do. you know, for the times i may not have a job. you know, these current “economic times” that are fucking up a good portion of the global population. so why couldn’t high-profile, allegedly intelligent white collars do the same?
and yes, i’m saddened by the fact that many are losing jobs and having a tough time making ends meet. but i’ve been there. i’ve been laid off before. i’ve watched my parents struggle, and in neither regard is it at all a good time. but naz and i are lucky (thus far). in fact, we’re now helping our parents whenever we can. yet we still manage to save money, indulge a little and pay our bills all at the same time. and we’re not millionaires. we’re not even hundred-thousand-aires. so to those high-paying people who have managed to run their corporations into the ground and fuck up a lot of hard-working individuals’ lives, i say seriously, WTF?
i guess i should clarify that i’m saddened for those who were bad off before and are now even worse. i have no pity for those who over-extended themselves and are now crying foul. please. i speak for myself and many peers, family and friends when i say we did what we were supposed to do, we played by some semblance of rules. so i can’t say i’m in full support of these bailouts and second chances that are happening right now.
to end on a more optimistic note and let up on the scolding, i’m hoping that those who can still get small loans go out on a limb and start new businesses that will benefit their local community. i hope that people pay more attention to how much petroleum goes into a trip to the grocery store, and not just how much in their own tank, but how much was required to package a couple pounds of asparagus from argentina. and maybe more people will learn how to sew or at least frequent goodwill and second-hand stores more often. i’d like to think the DIY movement will only strengthen as “stuff” becomes more expensive or scarce. and of course, bike or walk instead of drive whenever possible. my grandparents don’t know what “granola” is (other than a food) but i think they would approve of some back-to-basics behavior from all of us.
as we ready ourselves for a move, i started taking stock of our current possessions, and naz and i are far from perfect. amazingly, though, a good chunk of my clothes are second hand and another solid portion are produced by socially- and environmentally-responsible companies. some of our furniture is hand-me-down or craigslist finds. and as we purge and set up shop elsewhere, i will do my best to continue to resurrect stuff with a previous life as well as support the livelihoods of those who didn’t bow down to the pressure of a waning economy.
02 March 2009
in high school, after learning in chemistry that soda eats away the calcium in your bones, i replaced my daily consumption of diet soda with water, and other than occasionally coupling pizza with a fizzy beverage, i stand by that routine to this day. also in high school, i decreased my intake of meats, dabbled in pescatarianism for about 3–4 years in the recent past, and even still eat meat on a very rare occasion. and would you believe that i decried my parents’ purchase of snack cakes and TV dinners, also while in high school? maybe i was wise beyond my years…
granted, college presented a shoestring budget thus a deluge of hot pockets, toaster strudels and ramen packets, so eating well fell way behind in the list of things to do, even being surpassed by drinking and smoking. i only hope my now-off on-and-off relationship with tobacco has already begun the long ascent of reversing the effects. and my liver should be doing better these days since i infrequently imbibe in a frothy cold one anyhow.
after hearing about christina applegate’s recent battle with cancer while knowing the occurrences keep rising with no explanation(s), add that in with the fact that cancer has poked its unwelcome head into my own family, i have a fear of cancer. but i also have a theory behind its existence: i can’t help but wonder if it’s our consumption of the unnatural that causes dysfunction within the human body. and specifically, the processed foods. if i can’t pronounce an ingredient listing of 50 or so unknowns, should i really be ingesting it? probably not.
europeans and asians smoke and drink, but do they have the same cancer numbers as in the US? not to my knowledge, so either i haven’t done enough research (which is entirely plausible), the numbers are hush-hush for whatever reason, or the statistics simply don’t compete with ours. the difference in our cultures from theirs is mainly, and perhaps arguably, diet and exercise.
i wager a guess to say that both europeans and asians are more active than americans, but more importantly, food is still recognizable as such. you get your staples from the tiny corner store, your bread from the bakery made that day, your fromage from the cheese shop, your fruits and veggies from the morning market, and that’s it. well, that used to be it. the scary part, as someone who wishes to someday live outside the US for a certain amount of time, is that our influences are infiltrating the good senses and lifestyles of those abroad. maybe then we will start to see their numbers increase, and hopefully put two and two together. i just hope before it’s not too late to change the outcome of a potential epidemic.
in the meantime, i’m doing what i can to keep myself as healthy as possible. i started jogging (gasp!) every morning or thereabouts and still have my daily bike commute, i leave medicines in the cabinet unless it’s absolutely necesssary, and if the ingredient list is too long or too scientific on a box of “food,” i won’t eat it. and if your great-great-grandma wouldn’t recognize it as food, then it’s probably best to leave it on the shelf at the grocery store as well.
19 August 2008
i feel like i’ve written about my contribution to being green already, but after scouring my archives, i suppose i haven’t. perhaps i’ve confused myself with 1) the billions of words already written on the subject or 2) my own self-proclaimed fascination with an apocalyptic demise and the fate of mankind that may or may not actually relate to environmental awareness.
thanks to wire and twine, i found this pretty comprehensive list of things one can do. and i’m happy to announce that me and the boy are pretty above average on most everything.
- biking. we do it. nearly every. damn. day. and if we don’t, we ride public transport or carpool with those who have cars.
- recycle. though, admittedly, we use our neighbors’ blue bins. our landlady is a bit wacky, so i don’t have the balls enough to ask her to look into a recycle program from our current waste management system.
- plastic bags. this was a hard one since we have a dog, but we finally gave them up. and no, this doesn’t mean we stopped picking up poop—biodegradable bags are now purchased for that dirty job. we do get the occasional plastic bag when we’re on outings sans bike (thus sans bike bag), or we forget to grab a canvas bag on the way out. but perhaps stores should stop offering them as an alternative altogether, so that it’s not such an easy fall-back.
- light bulbs. our main lights have been switched out to CFLs, though now i hear there is reason to be concerned over too much mercury. regardless, i subscribe to the ideology that if something affects my pocketbook for the worse, i make amends to change the offender. meaning: i just turn lights off when they’re not necessary. end of story.
- vegetarian. well, mostly.
- online anything and everything. trying to put an end to all paper catalogs. all but one of my financial institutions allows for paperless statements. all bills are paid online. phone books? pfft. who needs ‘em when the internet is right there at your fingertips.
- and personally, bottled water is simply an annoyance and reeks of pretension, imo.
things to work on: our usage of water and my occasional trip to a coffeeshop.
- short showers are difficult for me. and baths, well, the boy and i both take them probably more often than we should.
- rinsing dishes before going into the dishwasher. listen, we’re in an apartment with low-end, non-energy efficient appliances. and that alleged “dishwasher” needs a little help before the cycle begins.
- but, in effort to make up for it, we don’t run water while we brush our teeth, nor do we use the washer and dryer frequently. sounds gross on the laundry issue, but really, aside from underwear, do your clothes need that much laundering? how stinky of a person are you? besides, washers and dryers (and the mainstream detergents) are not particularly good for the health and longevity of your clothing anyway.
- and really, i will stop by CVS or walgreens soon and pick up an insulated coffee mug. i don’t drink coffee, but need an infrequent warm beverage. and every single time i do, a pang of guilt hits like a freight truck when i walk out with my paper cup. bad me!
so overall, not too bad of a round-up. but at least i know where we need help. and, i know that many of my everyday choices are already for the better anyway.
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22 April 2008
