Mid-week Round-up

It's Wednesday again, and while I've been pretty good about blogging everyday thanks to the motivation of the Ultimate Blog Party and lots of new visitors, I haven't had enough time to get many of my thoughts, comments and random ramblings into posts. So I've gathered a list of bullets to keep you up to date on what's going through my head this week.

• Can I just say, "What were you thinking Eliot Spitzer?" I mean, really, what are men (especially men in powerful and/or political positions) ever thinking when they cheat/purchase time with prostitutes/lie about anything? Don't they know that they're just no good at it? For all you men who read my blog (are there any?), remember this: You. Will. Get. Caught.


• Speaking of politics, is Hillary serious? While I think it would be wonderful if the two Democratic candidates could bury the hatchet and run together come November, I don't think now was a good time to bring up the idea, particularly since one of Hillary's big arguments against Barack's candidacy is his lack of experience. Qualified for VP, but not for Prez? Not a good campaign strategy...
  


• And I'm not quite sure how I feel about Geraldine Ferraro's comments and the ensuing debate. This election is clearly wrought with opportunities to offend, considering the socially sensitive situation. Making any comment that even has the possibility of being construed as sexist or racist is probably not a good idea.
  


• I've officially decided to join a local CSA farm for the 2008 season. The cost averages out to about $12.50 per month for a half-share of produce, which should feed 1-2 people. Since it's just me most evenings, I think this will be perfect, and sounds like a really reasonable price. At that cost, I can easily supplement what I get from the CSA with additional fruit and veggies from the Farmer's Market and other staples from the grocery store. I'm not expecting I'll need much, though. (If you're interested in joining a CSA yourself, check out Local Harvest to find a CSA near you.)
  


• Since I'm committing to the CSA, I have to get my butt in gear and get a new refrigerator with a bigger working freezer, or an additional small freezer for my basement. My current freezer situation is not good, and I'll probably need to freeze/can some of the produce I get at the height of harvest season. My dream refrigerator wouldn't even fit in my tiny kitchen though, so I'll have to compromise until I can remodel or get a bigger house.
  


• I got my new recipe book, How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, and I'm super excited to start trying some new dishes. I really like what Mark Bittman says in the introduction:

  Increasingly, Americans are becoming "flexitarians," a recently invented word that describes both vegetarians who aren't strict and meat-eaters who are striving for a more health-conscious, planet-friendly diet. It's likely that by the time How to Cook Everything Vegetarian is published, 50 percent of us will meet that description...What flexitarians and vegetarians have in common is the willingness to base meals exclusively on vegetables. Much of this long-term trend is about health, but there are also the desire to treat animals more fairly, and interest in treating the earth more intelligently, a growing awareness that supreme self-indulgence may lead to long-term disaster, and a recognition of the benefits of a more varied diet...

  I mentioned last week that I was thinking about trying a vegetarian diet, but I think what Mr. Bittman says here hits home with me. I'll make a better flexitarian (which I guess I would consider myself now based on his definition) because I find that any restrictive diet makes me desire the things I'm restricting even more. My meat intake is already pretty limited compared to the average American, so I think I'll stick to what I know and just get a bit more creative with my vegetarian meals.


• I'm taking Friday off to sit around the house and wait for an appliance repair person, who should be here sometime between 8 and 12, will likely spend 10 minutes looking at the two appliances (my washer and my stove) once he gets here, and then tell me he'll have to order parts. (If I had my way, they'd both be kaput, and I could afford to get these and this to replace them.) Which means I'll have to take yet another day off to sit around waiting for someone to come repair the appliances. Why do service companies do this? The cable company, telephone company, plumber, repair services--they all insist on forcing 9-5'ers to be available for a 4 hour block of time, meaning taking vacation time. Isn't there some way to get around this???

OK, I think that's enough randomness for today. Maybe you'll get some more tomorrow. Or maybe I'll actually pull together a Thursday Thirteen post again this week.