Rainy days perfect for:
soup
blankets and pajamas
curling up with a book
naps
puddle hopping
walking in the rain
warm cookies
Sunday, September 24, 2017
Sunday, September 17, 2017
It's here!
This week, we had this brilliant rainstorm. I walked out of my house right after it started and walked the one block to work, where I took off my shoes and ran around in my socks most of the day so my shoes could dry out. It was beautiful. I wished I'd had my camera, because it was coming down so hard, and there were thousands on thousands of raindrops bouncing off the granite plaza all at once and the effect was really cool. Of course, if I'd had my camera, it would have gotten very waterlogged, and then I might not have a camera anymore, but still.
Well, the rain cooled things down quite a bit, and ever since then, there's just been that autumn feel in the air. Mornings are a bit chillier - I've shut the window in the living room for the first time in months. And darker. I wake up and it's dark outside, which I kind of love. There's something about being awake before the world is moving, before the sun is out. It's quiet and reflective. The only problem is I have to get out of bed instead of staying in it.
It's also darker sooner. I used to photograph sunsets after nine. Now, I catch them around 8:00.
And I wore jeans for the first time in months. And socks to work! Time to say goodbye to my ridiculous sandal tan*:
Before you know it, it will be time to pull out my fall jacket and the sweaters and everything will have that autumn feel. Personally I'm glad. I love autumn. It's never quite long enough. Still. What happened to the last nine months?!
*This tan is the a composite tan from two pairs of sandals. One, a pair of Tevas, the other a pair of dressier sandals. I find it very entertaining. Why would anyone ever try to have a uniform tan? It's so boring!
Saturday, September 9, 2017
Fall Food Tragedy
About two and a half weeks ago, I had some oral surgery. It was an experience. I never had my wisdom teeth out, so this was a first for me. I had the fun of getting very swollen, which made it entertaining when I had to pick up the prescriptions from the pharmacy; the joy of stitches in my mouth and a modified diet; the fun of being incredibly numb - I've never had my ears numb before! But mostly I'm recovered. My lower lip is still a little tingly-numb and the roof of my mouth (where they took the graft for the surgery from) is feeling-less* but it's not much to worry about.
The only real lingering problems are 1) being cautious while brushing and 2) a still modified diet. My menu has expanded, but I still have to eat soft foods (soft including rice but not steak). Which is getting really boring, for one thing. I don't think I've ever wanted to eat something with a bit of substance so bad in my life. But the real tragedy is apples.
Apples, not surprisingly, count as a "hard" food so I can't eat them currently. I do tend to eat a lot of apples, mostly because it's pretty easy to find good tasting apples whereas my luck with, say, peaches is hit and miss. I struggle to find the right moment for eating. Even so, I would be okay taking a break from apples except for one thing. It's Sweetango apple season, and I can't eat them.
Sweetango apples are, in my book, the most amazing apples on earth. And they are only available for a limited time. Namely, now. And for the next 3 or 4 weeks, max. And I can't eat them.
But apples keep for a while, right? And I should be back to regular eating in about three weeks. So, if I just buy a few apples every week, and save them for a couple of weeks in the fridge, I can still sneak in some Sweetangos. This can work. Right? Because I need my Sweetangos!
*It is odd to realize that you do actually feel in the roof of your mouth. It doesn't seem like a very 'feely' place.
The only real lingering problems are 1) being cautious while brushing and 2) a still modified diet. My menu has expanded, but I still have to eat soft foods (soft including rice but not steak). Which is getting really boring, for one thing. I don't think I've ever wanted to eat something with a bit of substance so bad in my life. But the real tragedy is apples.
Apples, not surprisingly, count as a "hard" food so I can't eat them currently. I do tend to eat a lot of apples, mostly because it's pretty easy to find good tasting apples whereas my luck with, say, peaches is hit and miss. I struggle to find the right moment for eating. Even so, I would be okay taking a break from apples except for one thing. It's Sweetango apple season, and I can't eat them.
Sweetango apples are, in my book, the most amazing apples on earth. And they are only available for a limited time. Namely, now. And for the next 3 or 4 weeks, max. And I can't eat them.
But apples keep for a while, right? And I should be back to regular eating in about three weeks. So, if I just buy a few apples every week, and save them for a couple of weeks in the fridge, I can still sneak in some Sweetangos. This can work. Right? Because I need my Sweetangos!
*It is odd to realize that you do actually feel in the roof of your mouth. It doesn't seem like a very 'feely' place.
Sunday, September 3, 2017
Why Diversity Matters
Today in church, we were talking about individual worth and our divine nature. We'd talked about how to see everyone as having worth, and also about how comparing yourself isn't fair, things you'd expect to come up in such a discussion. And then the question was asked, "How can we improve our own sense of individual worth?"
As I pondered this, I was reminded of when I first moved to my current job. It had a different dress code than my last job in a couple of ways. First, because it is a religious institution, there is a standard that is a little more modest than other institutions, but also, I had to wear dresses or skirts every day*. I'd go to work and see all these people wearing really cute clothes and I felt like I had no fashion sense at all.
I never had that experience at my previous job. Yes, we all dressed professionally, but that varied a lot depending on who you talked to. I didn't compare myself to everyone else because given my religious values, I had a different standard than they did. I wasn't looking down on them, I just didn't compare myself because it made no sense to. I did look at their styles as things to explore, though. "Oh, maybe I should try that cut of pants" or whatever.
So, I'm thinking about all of this while in church today, and it occurred to me that diversity helps me recognize my own worth. If I'm one of 10 piano players, I am definitely not going to be the best one and will try my darndest to defer piano playing to someone else. When everyone around me has a skill or ability or trait that I have, I am way more likely to think they are all better than me. But when I'm in a group with a diverse set of abilities, the things I'm good at stand out more. I'd never realized that before, but I think our perception of our worth diminishes when we are all the same.*
Basically, what I learned is that diversity isn't just about benefiting everyone else's worth. It increases my sense of self-worth, too. Who'da thunk it?
*This has since changed and pants are now allowed for women. However, they changed the policy in July, when it was close to 100 degrees outside every day, which is not when you want to wear pants. Come winter, though, it's going to be very nice.
**Of course, there are some things we should all strive to be good at: loving one another, being respectful, being unselfish. And in that case, being around people who are better at it than me can help me find a role model and provide examples of how to be like that. But I think if that same person was better than me at everything, I'd probably just really not like them instead of trying to be like them.
As I pondered this, I was reminded of when I first moved to my current job. It had a different dress code than my last job in a couple of ways. First, because it is a religious institution, there is a standard that is a little more modest than other institutions, but also, I had to wear dresses or skirts every day*. I'd go to work and see all these people wearing really cute clothes and I felt like I had no fashion sense at all.
I never had that experience at my previous job. Yes, we all dressed professionally, but that varied a lot depending on who you talked to. I didn't compare myself to everyone else because given my religious values, I had a different standard than they did. I wasn't looking down on them, I just didn't compare myself because it made no sense to. I did look at their styles as things to explore, though. "Oh, maybe I should try that cut of pants" or whatever.
So, I'm thinking about all of this while in church today, and it occurred to me that diversity helps me recognize my own worth. If I'm one of 10 piano players, I am definitely not going to be the best one and will try my darndest to defer piano playing to someone else. When everyone around me has a skill or ability or trait that I have, I am way more likely to think they are all better than me. But when I'm in a group with a diverse set of abilities, the things I'm good at stand out more. I'd never realized that before, but I think our perception of our worth diminishes when we are all the same.*
Basically, what I learned is that diversity isn't just about benefiting everyone else's worth. It increases my sense of self-worth, too. Who'da thunk it?
*This has since changed and pants are now allowed for women. However, they changed the policy in July, when it was close to 100 degrees outside every day, which is not when you want to wear pants. Come winter, though, it's going to be very nice.
**Of course, there are some things we should all strive to be good at: loving one another, being respectful, being unselfish. And in that case, being around people who are better at it than me can help me find a role model and provide examples of how to be like that. But I think if that same person was better than me at everything, I'd probably just really not like them instead of trying to be like them.
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