walking
i realized on my way home from a potluck wednesday night that when it's in the single digits most people wouldn't choose to walk for half an hour in the blowing snow... yet there i was, being happily and violently tousled by the wind after refusing multiple rides and passing up the bus. i've been having a tough time convincing my dance teacher that i enjoy walking the mile and a half to practice, and the first couple weeks were spent evading her persistent phone calls and drive-bys until she finally gave up. she still consistently asks me if i want a ride home, and then shakes her head when i decline and pull on my wrist warmers. AC/DC and Julia deserve shout outs for providing my killer walking tunes this week.

gardening
after watching "the future of food" last week i got even more riled about monsanto and GMOs and the stupid FDA and EPA, which i didn't think was possible, so i was happy to buy local tomato and pepper seeds from a woman through an artisan exchange today. it was nice to lament with her about all the horrible things happening to agriculture largely because the government is a free-loving slut to big business...but i digress. i'll be growing tomatoes from hanging bags, and peppers in the windowsills. thankfully i have south facing windows. it also did my heart good to sign up with garden 579, an organization that describes themselves as:
"a garden for workshops of all kinds, for children to play, for public debates, potlucks, art, jams and anything else you can imagine - so long as it is in the spirit of grassroots community building and the free and open exchange of knowledge, skill and resources."
my nails are clipped and ready to be plunged in the dirt.

the sun
this week was the first time i was able to make it down the sidewalk from my house without doing The Foot Shuffle to keep from eating ice. the sun's been hacking at winter's layers of ice and snow, and it's fun for me to see this city undressing; there's exciting exposed skin in the never-before-seen sidewalks and bikepaths and grass. running and biking is also significantly easier.

blue and purple and green and red and maroon and silver
a dynamic sunset, perhaps?
no no, although seeing an array of foreign money does evoke similar sentiments in me(for non-capital reasons).


why would you ever settle for monotone green when you could bask in a harmony of multi-color, accented by holograms?! you'd think in a country that condones a feverish spending of money, the US would embrace the emotional attachment people have to things of beauty. do americans study their dollars with awe, marveling at the pixellation of their currency? do they look forward to spending a green 20 to get a purple 10 and blue 5 in return? do they rejoice in a sunny day because the dollar's holograms will glint and shimmer, casting rainbows on white walls? ... not that i condone an emotional relationship to money, i'm merely noting that most people enjoy sensory experiences.

bulk food
have i really not mentioned this one yet? peterborough is brimming with bulk food stores and i have my choice of maybe 8, all of which carry everything you could possibly imagine. i really enjoy that i rarely take out my trash and recycling, as through the farmer's market and bulk food i've basically eliminated packaging.




i think i watched this a couple years ago, but i recently fell in love with it again. it's a great 20 minute bit that uses a fun approach to illustrate concepts of which i feel everyone should have a working knowledge. happily, we're holding a screening of this and the documentary "addicted to plastic" a couple days before the free market give-away.


http://www.storyofstuff.com/