. . . in other news

• Back in August, I finished my last class for my MPA!
• Which means I should be preparing for my comprehensive finals (in 6 weeks, and counting).
• But I haven't been preparing because No Classes = reading whatever I'm in the mood for. So far that hasn't included administrative law, admin ethics, or public budgeting. But it must. and soon.
• I will be teaching a short grammar course for the students in the legal assisting program late this semester. Prepping and developing the material is so. much. work. Thank you, Ms. Evans, for making me diagram hundreds of sentences and preparing so thoroughly for every class. I know it didn't seem like it, but I was paying attention. sort of.
• Tomorrow I start training to work as a volunteer coder for the Womanstats project. I'm excited to put my education to work for this cause.
• If the local food co-op administrators can find some grant sources, I will be helping to write a grant (or more) so it can move to a larger space and install a commercial kitchen. There have been a few hangups, but I'm optimistic that it will happen.
• The Pocatello planning department is going to let me work on three projects as an intern, pending approval from the city council. Turns out people will let you do cool stuff if you're willing -or compelled- to work for free. I'll be working under one of my instructors who is also the head planner in Pokie. I like his perspective on the relationship between citizenship, cities, and the nature of democracy, and I'm looking forward to learning from him.
• Last but not least, Clark won tickets to a Tom Petty concert of his choosing for the remainder of the tour. Two words: road. trip.

three things Thursday - Now with Olive Oil!!!

When it comes to what I put in my body, I tend to be a purist. Okay, I tend to be a purist about just about everything - and usually to a fault. I'm lucky that Clark is on board with most of it, though there was once (or thrice) a swearing incident over the extent to which I wanted  needed local eggs, not grocery store eggs, even in a pinch.

I feel like we have found a good food groove these days. I cook, I preserve things, I bake, and I read labels. (And by "I" I mean we. Husband is game for all of these things. Even if his efforts are slightly less enthusiastic, they are still enthusiastic.) While I know there is still a lot to learn, I basically feel like I have a good routine that just needs adjusting according to the seasons.

Now I'm on to a companion project. Since I came across this, this, and this, I've been on a mission to rid our home of synthetic chemicals. My current plan of attack involves hygienic uses of kitchen staples. Which brings me to three uses of everyone's favorite culinary wonder: olive oil. If you want to try these, you will probably want to get a dedicated bottle for the bathroom. And if you come to visit, you'll now know why I have a bottle of olive oil in the shower.

1. Shaving aid. It is the closest shave I've ever had, and there's no need for lotion afterward. All excess oil just goes down the drain. I haven't so much tried shaving the old armpits with the aid of olive oil, but if any of you intrepid souls give it a try, let me know how it goes.

2. Hair conditioner. I've been experimenting with a lot of different haircare combos. I use olive oil as conditioner every couple of days. Just a dab, rubbed on my palms, massaged into the ends of my hair, and rinsed. For fine hair, I imagine a lighter oil (grape seed, maybe) would do quite well.

3. Face Wash. About two months ago I started washing my face with olive oil.

"Wash with oil?" you ask.

Yes, indeed. Turns out good oils don't clog pores as marketing campaigns have led us all to believe.

Sometimes I use straight olive, other times I use an oil mixture (olive, castor, and essential oil(s)). My face feels great, my skin tone is more even, I have fewer breakouts, and I don't have to use moisturizer - a nice unintended consequence, since most moisturizers are full of synthetic chemicals and fillers.

Many hygiene products create a need for another. If you ask me, this is a major design flaw. In the case of skin care, face wash creates a need for moisturizer - dry out your skin with synthetic chemicals, then replenish it with more synthetic chemicals that need to be washed off. Granted the synthetics are not always the main ingredients, but they are generally the "active ingredients" that are actively stripping your skin of its ability to maintain itself. It's a nice cycle for the profiteers, but not so much for your wallet or your skin.

Olive oil also works really well as eye-makeup remover. And those tiny late-twenties wrinkles I was getting? Gone.

So maybe now you're thinking, "That's nice, Linds. Sounds like your crazy habits might be getting a little expensive." If you were thinking that, maybe it's time to ask yourself why you are being such a pill. And then consider the cost of the following products that you may use on a frequent basis that you wouldn't need anymore if you switch to using olive oil (aka liquid gold): conditioner, face wash, astringent, shaving gel, eye makeup remover, and face and body lotions. One 16 oz bottle of olive oil will probably last you more than a month and costs maybe four dollars. Cha-ching!$!

I'd like to expand my repertoire of uses, so let me know if you have had any escapades with olive oil.

This ad paid for by the Tuscany Institute of Olive Oil Awareness.

stuff that makes me laugh

1. If you've never perused the Wait, Wait blog, you're missing out. My favorite series is sandwich Mondays. The Wait, Wait team eats some disgusting edible food-like substance and blogs about the experience as it unfolds. Here is a snippet from yesterday's entry:

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Not content to let other nationwide chains be the only ones to commit murder-by-sandwich, last week Denny's unveiled its Fried Cheese Melt. That's a grilled cheese with four deep-fried mozzarella sticks on it. Peter, Mike and I headed out to Oak Park, Ill., to give it a try.

Mike: This obviates the need for that awkward question, "Have you decided on an appetizer?"

Peter: Yeah, it's like, "Yes, I'll have the fried mozzarella sticks, and I'll have them encased in bread."

Read more about fried cheese

2. Sometimes Linda Holmes is a comic genius. And David Hasselhoff is "the poster boy for public ambivalence." You might enjoy this if you have any feelings about Dancing with the Stars, knowledge of 1980s stars and music, or a passing interest in politics.

rodent follow-up

I moved the toy snakes every other day. I picked as fast as I could. But still, there were hundreds of half-eaten apricots on the ground. I've already eaten or dried all the fruit. Then I ate all the dried fruit.

. . . and I set the pits outside for my friend, the squirrel.

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Squirrel totally won.

nemesis

Right now I am excited because my apricot tree looks like this:

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And in a few weeks, I hope to have a lot of these:

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But while I wait for those beauties to ripen fully, this has been hampering my plans:

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On Saturday I saw him sitting in the crook of the tree, fat and happy, after pillaging at least, from the looks of the ground beneath the tree, forty of my apricots. He was making contented noises and looked like he was considering a nap after the difficult work of plunder. First I threw some fallen apricots his direction, then I pulled up some gardening forums and found some helpful and some amusing anecdotes and advice. Some fell along the "get out your BB gun" lines, while others pleaded for their furry friends the squirrels. "You can get your apricots at the store - they can't!" they claimed. No way; nowhere else will I get free organic produce. That fruit is mine. 

After being cautioned that hot pepper spray can get in beady little rodent eyes, prompting them scratch themselves to their own detriment, I opted for a kinder measure - the toy snakes method. I placed about six (florescent colored, not very realistic looking) toy snakes around the tree, and they seem to have done the trick. Apparently I'll have to move them every couple days to keep up the ruse. So for now, squirrel, you keep your eyes and I keep my apricots. May the best-adapted species win.

three things thursday - anniversary edition

July 28, 2005

Yesterday was our Anniversary. But we're not celebrating officially until I finish up my last paper for my summer class (which I hope, rather than believe, will be by tomorrow evening). It was a special day nonetheless. We woke a little bit early and did a few chores together, went to work, visited our patch of garden and shared a bagel at lunch, worked on a project together, ate leftovers for dinner, and watched the end of a movie we started a few days ago. Clark brought me flowers.

I like the idea of celebrating the day by doing normal things together; the fact that it was our anniversary made me more aware of how grateful I am to have Clark's companionship in day-to-day tasks. During our engagement we confidently concluded that we could "do life together." And we have. Though the confidence part ebbs and flows, the togetherness has made my life sweeter and more doable. It sounds a little ridiculous, but many of the positive aspects of my marriage came as a surprise to me. I can't articulate what I expected from marriage, but I can convey that I'm often surprised by joy.

For Clark's birthday in May I kept a journal. Every day for the month before his birthday I wrote down a few paragraphs about the things he had done that day that were meaningful to me and for which I was grateful. It was genuinely surprised at how much this activity changed my perspective and amplified my positive feelings. I was also astonished at all the service rendered and dismayed that it sometimes goes unnoticed. I absolutely recommend journaling your gratitude as a way to strengthen any relationship of your choosing.

Those who know Clark know that there is are so many things to love about him. Three things I love about Clark are

1) He has no pretense. I'm convinced he is incapable of it.
2) He is quick to apologize . . . and utterly a better person than me, especially in this way.
3) He makes me laugh and helps me take my life less seriously (it's only life, after all).

Your turn. If you feel so inclined, write something you love about this guy in the comments.

a reason to smile

I ran across this today and thought I would share the love.

trophy husband

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The scene: Clark and I pondering and discussing the possibility of me attending
law school and becoming a lawyer.

Clark - "And then I'll be your trophy husband. Well, bowling trophy, anyway.
Probably from Goodwill."

Me - laughing too hard to respond

act one, part two (by J.Clark)

Hi. J.Clark here. I’m to pen part two of the story of Linds and me. Before moving on to the Misadventures of Mormon Missionaries, I want to add my own scene – “A Complex Myopia.”

I look upon the summer Linds has described as “the summer that was.” I have a few assorted memories of the time. The first is trying desperately to think of an excuse to visit her for the nth time. Bereft of ideas, I showed up on her doorstep with a bottle of juice to and a note. I don’t think she was home. The second memory is walking out of a mind-numbingly tedious and cheerless job at a call center. My patience and will to press forward gone, I went straight to Lindsay’s house for solace. I think we ate chocolate raisins. The third memory is going to a Buzz (Stingers? Bees?) baseball game with Linds, my brother, and a tall man whose name I don’t remember (but I insisted on calling Neil). I wasn’t having a good time, and Linds must have noticed, because she gave me a hug as we walked out onto the field for a fireworks presentation. Quite the cat, she was.

Here is a picture of me at the time, sitting on a futon in Lindsay’s room:

Here is physical evidence that we were still deliciously cute back then:

Picture taken the day before Clark left on his mission.

Thank you. Look forward to my next installment. I am renaming it Act Two – “A Veritable Dearth”

month o' marriage

That’s right folks, I’m setting a theme for July. In my case, a theme can be a daunting thing - if past patterns of posting serve as predictions of the future, this post may be the last one for the month. But I’ve been feeling literary of late, and I’ve been thinking a bit on the subject. So, here goes. Stay with me. If you dare.

I married Clark five years ago this month. five. While I plan to be married to him forever after, this small landmark evokes a lot of feelings and reflections, and I thought I may as well share them. Of course I’m no expert on marriage, but my evolving sense of the meaning of marriage in general and my own unique relationship with my husband have been surprising, continuing sources of joy. I admit it's a little self-indulgent, but I'm starting with the story of us.

Act One, part one - "more than friends"

I met Clark when I was yet a babe. Just eighteen. Sometimes I still can’t fathom what brought me to Snow College, but I’m forever grateful that I spent my freshman year of college there – for many reasons, not the least of which is the inception of my friendship with Clark. At Snow, I lived in a dumpy apartment with three other girls, and Clark camped out with a rather hodgepodge group of boys in the next building. I worked in the campus post office and he worked at the campus radio station hosting a weekly show (among other things).

Truth be told, Clark spent the majority of his time with the three girls who lived upstairs from me, developing a crush on each of them in turn, though nothing romantic ever blossomed.

I dated a few people, but none for very long. Clark would occasionally pop into my apartment and charm my roommates and me with his disarming wit. We became friends and I may have even developed a crush on Clark's brother at some point (which I don't really remember, but there is some documentation to prove it in the e-mails Clark and I sent each other). In March of 2001, it became clear to me that I would move home and go to the U of U – a prospect I had mixed feelings about. I had come to love the tiny town and college and had scholarships for the next year and a position as the president of the dance co. But, my effervescent friend Katie was at the U, and though I didn’t know it then, we had some extraordinary times ahead of us.

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Home for the summer and outside our college social circles, Clark and I did all kinds of summer things together. When most of our mutual friends went back to school in August, we still had each other, and that fact provided some consolation for our feelings of abandonment. We were friends - the best of casual friends but often joked that we were "more than friends." I think we both knew that was really true, but, as you know, timing is everything.


Up next: Act one, part two - the Misadventures of Mormon Missionaries, starring Elder Gardner and Sister Heightman (though never in the same scene).