Brain Exercises Required

Feeding my intellectual curosity is a part of mindful living for me. As a result, I've done three things in the last two weeks to try and push my brain around a bit more:

-Started reading Eat, Pray Love. Yes I know everyone dove into this when it first came out, but I held out not sure how I felt about the author. So before the movie comes out and even more people start talking about it, I wanted to dive in. I love this book and I'm only in Part II.

-Signed up for an introductory glass blowing class. I'm on the wait list, but I'll make it into the next session or the one after it.

-Signed up to go to Seth Godin's day long seminar next week so I can geek out on marketing stuff for a full day. I need to fill my professional creativity tank.

Cold Flossing

It took decades for my dentists' advice to finally take, but I've started flossing. Daily. Over the last six months I've tried diligently to floss at least once a day, but not freak out if I miss. As a result at my last check up the dentist proclaimed that my teeth and gums were in far better shape, but that my lower flossing technique was lacking (well done on the uppers she said). So of course, my poor lower teeth have been getting a daily flossing detail like they were some high end luxury car. I'm just hoping this 30-something intervention will help me keep my pearly white shark teeth later in life and I won't been applying denture cream to my tortured gums in my 70s.

However, my dental hygiene superiority is a bit tempered as a I stand in my very comfortable 70-72 degree apartment. I like cold people. I hate being hot. Except at yoga and right after the gym, but then I rush to take a cold shower so it's really a fleeting fancy. I am completely incapable of turning up the thermostat. Despite the record breaking heat we're having out here and the calls for conserving energy, I just keep on keeping on in my little igloo.

The power company rep is calling for people to set their thermostats at 78. *@$#% 78! I can't possible be cool with our window units chugging away at 78 degrees. I relish the feeling of my skin being cold and sleeping under a light sheet or blanket. 78 would mean pretending I'm back in Sienna only to look out my window and see a parking lot instead. Not happening people. I am totally failing mother nature on this one. Energy conservation fail for sure.

Sweet Rainforest Destruction

As we were racing northward in our mini carpool to PA this past weekend, my globally minded other half mentions an article from The Economist about palm oil. Collectively, we all turned and muttered some version of, "what are you talking about?"

Well, it turns out that palm oil (enjoy the lobbying arm link) is a very useful ingredient that happens to be the reason Indonesia's tropical rainforests are being destroyed, locals and their land are being exploited, species are dying and corruption is abounding in the region.  Great you say, why should I care?

At a minimum, 50 percent of the products we purchase at the grocery store are likely to contain palm oil. Directly supporting the ongoing supply chain issues that the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil is trying to address. There's also the Green Palm initiative that consumers and manufacturers can be involved in.

Researching what contains palm oil takes time, so is it fair to just boycott products that you hear about containing palm oil? There's a handy short list I found about some candy products: plain M&Ms okay, but put down that Snickers. But what about all the other products?

More research required.