Consumerism

Consumerism is a social and economic order that encourages the purchase of goods and services in ever-greater amounts.

I wrote a long tirade about consumerism and how I see it in my life and those around me (and through the internet), but I deleted it. Because I like brevity. Just watch this video:

One of my guilty habits is that I like disposable razors. I found that a reusable razor would get grimy faster and is harder to clean (you know, with those little groves and grippers for your hands?), so I switched to disposable. I'm going to vow to find a reusable, quality razor and stop buying disposable.

Tipsy Tuesday: Get Learned

Attention undecided voters and people who like quizzes:

Take this quiz to see which candidate aligns with your votes!

As always, my results are here. Look at them after you take the test so you are completely fresh-minded as you answer. Keep in mind that there are more options for your answers if you click the 3rd choice of "choose another stance".

Share yours?

Nice to meet you, Jill.

You can stop reading after the 8th paragraph if political musings aren't your thing.

This past weekend I planned to sit in the bathtub with wine, bubbles and Talk-to-Speech on Kindle while scalding off my top later of skin along with my worries.

Instead I walked a mile, took a train, walked 5 minutes, took another train and spend all of my Saturday morning and some of the afternoon crossing Chicago and Northern Indiana to spend time with the Mr.'s family.

We are a one-car household and the Mr. had taken it to a wedding in Purdue-land where he's from.  While on his way he got a call from his aunt in N. Indiana that if we wanted to see Grandpa, we should come soon.

That translates to "He's on his deathbed", right?

Wrong.

He answered the door himself and looked super surprised and sorta peeved that we showed up on such short notice.

Of course he wasn't really peeved. He just thought that everyone was assembling to pull the plug on him. Shoot, I'd be alarmed too. "Am I being put down?" Is what I would think.

So over-worry aside, it was a good trip.

Then Grandpa gave us some reading material for the way home. Cut me to swearing at page 5 of 8 of a local man's rant on how America's the greatest and how it totally screwed if we don't do something about it. (Confused? You should be!)

I wont go into what was said (total racism: "The U.S. is great... as long as you can just put those black people in a box and ship them back to where they came"), but I'll give you a hint: as a Jew he was surprisingly removed from what it's like to be oppressed.

That was just the icing on the cake.

Being in Indiana made me realize just how different states can be. We live right next door to a state with similar demographics, similar climate, similar crops, accents and landscapes. But turn on the TV in IN and you get an expensive, long commercial on "clean coal" with a male voice-over featuring sexy female models, naked under overalls, using jackhammers in a glistening mine of what looks like black diamonds.

From a marketing standpoint, the intended audience for this commercial would be straight men in labor jobs. Or just men for that matter. 

Meanwhile in Illinois our "clean coal" ad is a woman in a pantsuit in front of a white screen speaking for herself and discussing options with minimal graphics and lots of jargon.

The audience here would be intellectuals, men and women. The words speak a lot louder than the images. 

But note that BOTH are conservative viewpoints.

During our visit and discussion the Mr.'s Grandpa came back to one underlying statement, "Let each state do for themselves."

He wants to get rid of several agencies in the government (and hilariously, he couldn't remember them just as Rick Perry couldn't remember the Department of Energy), one of them being the Department of Education.

I asked him what about the kids in Alabama or New Mexico who receive some of the worst education in the U.S.

"Let them figure it out."

But kids can't vote. Unlike any other issue (gay marriage, abortion rights, healthcare, taxes), the citizens most affected are those that cannot vote and some of them cannot even write (to their congressman).

So should New Mexico just fall by the wayside? 
Should it be up to the states? 
What if you were a child/parent in Nevada? (the worst state for education as of this year)

Massachusetts is #1 in education. Maybe Mitt-bot has a plan he can employ for the nation that he used in MA. 

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Thoughtful Thursday: Free Box Economics

By Sara Gilbert on Get Rich Slowly

"When I think about it back at home, this chair — and the others at my kitchen table — are pretty radical. I’m rejecting the idea that I must buy a new chair from IKEA or a furniture store, one that’s made in a factory by workers who earn a wage (living or no), and purchased at a retail store whose workers are also paid. I brought it home on my bike, oil companies and American car manufacturers be damned. I did not create any new demand for new things.

But I saved an inestimable amount of future costs, from the disposal of the old chair to the environmental costs of manufacturing and shipping, to the health costs of workers who manufacture and ship these products, right down to my own feelings of well-being and not-argument. I don’t have to ask my husband for money to buy a new chair; we won’t argue about money, today."

Source: sfgirlbybay.com via Emily on Pinterest

Recycling Brigades!

Mr. S said we need to get rid of the pile of corks we've saved. (Why do we save corks anyway, people?)

I saw this site and my eyes lit up when I saw that you can recycle corks here!

and flip flops
and those single-cup coffee pods (they just need these for K-Cups now!)
and toothpaste tubes, toothbrushes, floss and more!

How freaking neat!

Tipsy Tuesday: A Little Less Conversation, A Little More Action (Get a Job Part 2)

Time for Part 2 of the Get a Job Series. This one is all about what you can DO to get a job.

The first part is about the role luck plays. Luck is a big part of why anything happens in our life. But we need to meet luck halfway.

Things that you can do are:

- Go public with it. Own it.
Tell everyone you know that you're looking for a job and own your skills. I got my current job by making it known that I was searching for a permanent job and by saying, "Yes, I am a writer!" When a key Exec asked if I knew how to write.

- Practice.
Whether you are a writer, an actor, an IT professional, a teacher or whatever - use your job skills even if you aren't getting paid. Write a blog, act in a community production, participate in IT forums online, teach Sunday School or volunteer in your own industry. This will not only keep you sharp, it will give you some leverage when you're in an interview. "Why, yes, I am actively teaching children right now in a volunteer setting."

- ABN: Always Be Networking.
Create or join opportunities to meet strategic new people. Whether its a meet-up, a blind coffee date with your aunt's friend's publicist, or a trade show where you collect business cards, make sure that your friends and family aren't the only ones that know you're available in your industry.

- Expand your options.
So you're an actress. You want to get paid to act, right? Well you might have to "volunteer" your acting  skills for an unpaid production and run coat check at a comedy club to offset your acting habit. Don't limit yourself to a specific job description or industry. Be flexible and trainable. Show a hunger for learning and be the first to say, "I'll try it!" I stuffed envelopes, made coffee, washed walls, moved furniture, and other non-glamour jobs while working my way to a fulfilling career.

- Take care of yourself.
I mentioned in the "Luck" edition of this post that it matters what you look like when it comes to getting a job. To an extent, it is out of your control what you really look like. You can, however, give your best impression and win over your interviewer/coffee date by taking care of yourself. Get enough rest, drink enough water (keep in mind that for every caffeinated/alcoholic drink you have, you need to have an extra glass of water to flush out the sugars!), take time for yourself between meeting people so that you can come into each interview with a fresh 'hire me' spiel. Trust your gut. If an interview with a prospective boss is awkward or worse yet, unlawful (like one guy asked me if I was planning on having kids soon... he totally can't ask that!), trust your instinct to walk away.

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What do you do when you're on the job hunt? Did I miss any key actions?

(Pre)Friday Flip-It: Taco Supreme Court Ruling: Nacho Grandma's Healthcare

What do you call cheese that doesn't belong to you?

... Nacho cheese!

Heyo! (Does that give the title some context?)

I can't wait until Friday to flip-it on you guys. Tell me: What do you think about the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the new proposed healthcare law?

Comment below with:
- Your health insurance status (have vs. not-have)
- Your political views (if you're comfortable sharing them - I showed you mine, remember?)
- How you currently pay for healthcare/how much you need (i.e. Are you chronically sick?)

Aaaand to lighten it up, here's Katy Perry:

I can't say what it is. I think it's her low female voice (a contralto, Wikipedia says). I won't read Twilight, The Hunger Games or finish the Harry Potter series, but I will watch Katy on YouTube... on repeat. There you have it, I'm a book snob but a chick-pop junkie.

Also an update on the hair. Here's day 2 of the Keratin Treatment:

I wrapped it up last night to shower, but was still worried about the humidity in the shower frizzing it out. I blew it out with a hair dryer for about a minute just to make sure that it was totally dry. This morning I combed it slightly and ran out the door. 

Tipsy Tuesday: What's Luck Got To Do With It (Get a Job Part 1)

As I mentioned on the last Flip-It Friday post, I'd like to share some of my pointers in getting a job.

(For my credentials you can note that I've had 4 permanent jobs since graduating in 2008, worked in 7 offices (including temp jobs), have been unemployed for a total of 10 months since graduating and have only used the skills I/scholarships paid Purdue to acquire in ONE of these positions. Feel free to count that as a fail or a win. Your choice.)

In my opinion there are two things in play that influence getting a job. There is pure luck and there is action or things you can actually do.

There is some choice involved in the things I consider "luck". We do make choices on where we go to school, where we live, the connections we make, but we can't always foresee if these are the right choices for the time. That's why I chalk them up to luck.

Things that I consider luck are:

- Your Alma-mater
I actually got 2 of my 4 jobs by just graduating from Purdue. There are plenty of alum in the Midwest that recognize the name and want to pay-if-forward by hiring a recent grad.

- Who you know
I got promoted to my job now because of the following happenings (I have to use real names so this won't get confusing):
I was hired on at Company R to be a temp receptionist. The current receptionist, Lindsay, was moving on to fulfill partial duties of the departing Marketing Director, Sarah. Sarah left to work in Marketing for Company W. Company W is where Mr. S used to work, so I know people there. I moved on from receptionist temp to full-time admin at Company R. When the dust settled after Sarah left, it was determined that someone should take over the duties that Sarah left and Lindsay was not intended to pick up (i.e. the writing duties). Sarah heard through the grapevine at Company W that I had a writing background and that I was currently working right under the noses of the Marketing department of Company R. Lindsay and/or Sarah passed the info along to the Marketing EVP and he said to me in the hall one day, "Hey, I hear you're a writer". The rest is history [and elaborated on in the "Action" (part 2) of getting a job].

- Where you live
I tried to get a job where my parents lived in Indiana right after school. I was unsuccessful because Indiana's unemployment was worse than Illinois'. I packed up my car and took my sis and bro-in-law up on their offer to live in their (finished) basement for a while and job search in the Chicagoland area. I drove up there with a packed car and an interview on the schedule. I got that job.

- The Economy
I don't have to tell you what it's like. I started college on the idea that "any degree is a good degree" and finished on the idea that "liberal arts was a waste of time/what the heck am I going to do now?" It's not anybody's game anymore. You can't just get a degree and hope for the best. Like I said, I graduated in 2008 at the beginning of the end of the "you can do anything you want" era.

- What you look like
Sad, but true. Prejudice does come into play in interviews. I found out after-the-fact, that a former employer of mine asked that the staffing agency send her "no one with an accent, as it's hard to understand them on the phone" for a receptionist position after the company sent her a black girl. Outrageous, right? The staffing company probably sent her an articulate woman and, hello, we are in Chicago... whites make up only 40% of our population! And that's just the race issue. Overweight, poorly-dressed and frizzy-haired girls get overlooked too!

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What do you think about the things I consider luck? How were you just plain lucky in getting a job?  What is this list missing?

I'll go through the ACTION items next Tuesday, so stay tuned!

The Real Cost of Cheap Fashion

I just read this excerpt of a book on the high cost of cheap fashion. (Of course, NPR... you go, NPR)

Ironically enough, I found in a post from a blog called The Budget Babe. It reminded me of when my friend Makenzie vowed to take a year off from buying new clothing - and she got her mom and sister to join her! They would stick to buying only thrifted clothing or buy from ethical, sustainable sources. (Underwear and socks were the exception.)

I have thought lately about my choices in clothing. My personal budget has an awesome dip in if for the first time in probably a year. I haven't spent my "fun money" because I usually spend it on clothing or shopping for myself and I can't bring myself to buy another shirt or candle. I will even go as far as wandering around a store for 20 minutes carrying a pair of shoes just to put them back and leave the store. I can't do it. I get guilty thinking about where the shoes were made, who made them, how they can possibly be so inexpensive, and, selfishly, if I even really LIKE the shoes or if I'm just looking for the purchase-high.

I really want to read the book by Elizabeth Cline referenced above. Maybe it will spur me forward into ethical clothing choices. Maybe it will give me hope that I won't look like an outdated homeless person if I vow to make better fashion selections - or none at all.

What We Can Learn from Wine: The Economy

According to this article in The Atlantic, the market for fine wine is taking a downward turn just like the world economy.

The article sites the Chinese as being a gauge for economic and consumer trends. China has been on the upswing for wine consumption, namely French varieties and status labels. As my cousin Mary Oakley would say, the Chinese are buying up wine in exhibition of "face". They choose traditionally expensive wines from France and buy from major suppliers with well-known, expensive products. This gives them the insurance of getting a great wine all-the-while impressing those that come to dinner or just see the bottle sitting on the shelf. Like having an impractical car in the garage.

While Mr. S and I were in Napa, we learned that the Asian cultures are much more into wine now than they used to be. Some of the wineries had large export markets going right to Japan and China. They claimed that Asian cultures were getting into wine they way a teenager would - breaking into their affluent parent's wine cellar and taking the fanciest bottle (my words, not theirs). Since France is known for wine, French wines are the equivalent of a bright pink bottle with rhinestones and a blinking cork.

BUT. Relatively recent inclusion of California wines into European tastes tests prove that American wines can be just as impressive as (and in some cases, more so than) their French grandparents.

Now, this article only mentioned that the Chinese weren't buying as much French Bordeaux as they used to, and that they are branching out to other regional, French wines. Is the article leaving out American wines to make a point on the instability of wine sales? Are the Chinese just not as hot on American wines...  yet? Or am I just overly patriotic of our wines and therefore should support the wine industry and buy local :)

Purple Toad from Paducah, KY. I got this wine from my parents when they visited Paducah. 

A plug for buying local: Wine is traditionally stored and shipped in heavy glass bottles. It takes more oil and resources to ship wine from Australia or Chile than it does from California. And if you live in the Midwest, it takes more oil to ship from California than it does from Illinois. Support your local economy, U.S. regulated working conditions, lower carbon emissions, and lower fuel usage by buying local.

What to Resolve for NYE

Do you have a new years resolution?

I'm reading that some people are tossing them out of the window and just living 2012 like they did 2011. Fine, fine. But if you're going to change something, why not resolve to change it when you have the support of the world and their resolutions too?

Lost on what to resolve? Here are some strange/sincere/silly suggestions:

- Eat dessert. Whenever it's available.
- Do a walking tour of your hometown or some place familiar.
- Go to bed an hour earlier (or later... but do something awesome with that hour!).
- Pick a new tv series and follow it religiously.
- Immerse yourself in a new author's works and finish the lot of 'em.
- Cook "Around the World" by making a dish a week that represents another country.
- Become a "Yes man", but within reason. Not like Jim Carrey.
- Incorporate a new article of clothing into your regular attire (ponchos, scarves, argyle).
- Give up holding grudges.
- Live on less and save or donate the rest.
- Vow to do one thing that scares you a month (ski, see a movie alone, sing in public)
- If you haven't been in a while, go to the dentist!
- Give up caffeine (or don't, haha!).
- Instead of trying to lose weight, vow to mind portion sizes and keep a food journal.
-  Date wildly in 2012. Whether you have a permanent person to date or whether you are still open to suggestion. If you're shy, ask for phone numbers. If you're used to meeting people at bars, approach someone in an art museum. Walk up to the bassist after a metal show. If you're dating/married don't forget to date that person. Ask them out. Wear perfume. Turn up the charm! [Note: This is not a hint to S. I feel well dated... er, you date me well... er... you know what I mean.]

Maybe my favorite suggestion: Treat Yo Self

Drink pairing? Champagne of course!

Note: I am still not drinking until New Years. I got through the holidays only having 1 beer because I couldn't find an ibuprofen. I think it was a fair trade.