Wii Crazy

While ellipticizing my butt and thighs at the gym the other day I was again astounded by the Wii craze. There it was on the news, lines of sheep (ahem)people lined up for the Wii. Yes, the Wii is BIG FUN. I personally would love to own one. But do I want to sit outside in the freezing cold outside a big box store for over 24hours to obtain one? That would be a no. I prefer to wait. Which means I'll probably never buy one.

It hit me then that those lines are such a distraction. People get so wrapped up in the media-induced frenzy of Black Friday and getting 'the gift' of the season for kids and adults EVERY YEAR that the message of the season really does get lost. How can you think of goodwill towards men when you are jockeying in line for hours on end while catching your death? What comes of it? Nothing. You play with the new toy for a while, then next year like everyone else in the rat race, you find yourself in line again. There you are waiting for a golden ticket to hopefully get you inside the warm store and purchase that ultimate gift. Why?

Then, I saw this video and it cemented all my feelings of our holiday consumption and our every day consumption. I am guilty of getting lost in the "what did you get me?!" too. I admit it. I love getting gifts and I want them to be the most thoughtful gift ever, each time. I shop 'til I drop for presents too. I shop for no reason. I can be a greedy little whore of a consumer. I've been in DA (Debtors Anonymous) and it nearly ruined my life and marriage at one point. When Oprah had her show on shopaholics I answered yes to 9 out of 10 questions. Instead of putting down the bottle I had to put down the cards. Every one has their vice and mine was shopping. I realize now the error of my ways. I saw first hand how it can destroy relationships just like any other addiction.

Here is the thing. This country? Is addicted to consuming. We jump like lemmings over a cliff to get a new product. We are in fact consumed. I'm not trying to rain on your holiday parade or anything. I'm just trying to make a point. We only keep 1% of what we buy. 1 freakn' tiny percent. Stuff is made to be useless. We complain about the quality of products not being what they should, but hm... are they not designed for us to discard them right quick? Is that what is happening? So while it might be late in the game this year it isn't for 2008. My resolution for the new year is not just going to be fighting the urge to smoke but also to just consume less. To buy less. Save more. Anyone else want to join me? Anyone else want to get off the roller coaster of consuming just for the sake of consuming?

I've been SBUX sober for over two months now and while the shakes and urges can be pretty damn strong it's just one less thing I'm consuming.

He Works for the Government. He can't be Fired.

A funny thing happened to me on the way home the other day. Cue drum. Ba dum bum.
I was in the Charlotte airport waiting to board my plane when a man caught my eye. Not like that! He looked familiar. Had I sat across from him in some banal meeting at Company A many months ago? Hmm... I just couldn't shake this feeling.

I boarded the plane and there he was sitting right next to me. Fate? Now I never strike up conversations with strange men but I was just couldn't let go of the idea of how familiar this guy looked to me so I spoke up. Turns out the guy lives in my neighborhood and we have probably seen each other around town. Nothing big. Then he threw out there that he used to work for the Department of Defense.

"Me too." I replied.
"Oh well I worked in the Hoffman Building." He answered, as if I wouldn't know it.
"Wow. So did I!"
"I worked in the wage department you probably..." I interrupted him right there. "SO DID I!"

The year I was born this man took the job that I would later have as my first job out of college. He started out with the same people who would later be the higher ups when I got there. We worked with many of the same people. Including my evil boss. The man who punished me (yes,really), made other women cry daily and basically caused so much grief I left after 11 months and filed a sexual harassment report. That job while it had some great moments (loads of travel with other early twenty-somethings)was a nightmare. It spoiled me for a long time. I was so warped on what a boss should be like and how you should conduct yourself in an office it was awful. He would ask us to wear low-cut shirts and short skirts. He would punish us with no work and keep us from office get togethers and travel just because we denied him entry into our hotel rooms. He was a monster.

I relayed this briefly to this man I didn't know on a crowded plane and you know what? He understood. He had to deal with it too. He dealt with the women in his office for years suffering under this jackass. He eventually left partially due to this same man. The coincidence of it all was just so bizarre. After more conversation it was relayed to me that old boss-man isn't faring so well. He is in fact dying. This is quite sad. It is sad in the sense that a human being is suffering and so is the family around him that loves him. He has children who love him. Can I deny that the idea of 'you reap what you sow' crossed my mind? No I cannot. It flashed like a neon sign in my brain for quite some time. Is that wrong?

For years this man emotionally and mentally mind-f*cked women. He berated them and made them feel as low as dog sh*t on the bottom of one's shoe. Lower even. Countless people left their jobs at this office because of this man. But as H said last night, "He can't be fired, he works for the government." It's true. When I filed my complaint he had 23 years in and all he got was a slap on the wrist. A tap really. When I filed about seven other women came forward that very same day and that was all he got. A verbal reprimand. Nothing more.

It's all water under the bridge now. I marveled at what a small world it is on meeting this man who looked familiar but I am simply amazed at the coincidence we share and the sameness of our situation. It makes me sad that a government such as ours, an office that modern, could employ and keep such a Cretan for so long. How powerless we all felt in that situation as women. Young women.

Today I fight the urge to feel a sense of righteousness over the outcome of it all. Now he officially cannot return to work. It's like a comedic tragedy playing out right in front of me.




* On a much lighter note see this great review for Effie's Heart. Kimo's clothing is to die-for. I am in love with the red coat! Also, I'll be a guest on Motherhood Uncensored's radio show tonight at 9 p.m. with featured guest, author Ann Dunnewold, of Even June Cleaver Would Forget the Juice Box. An amazingly helpful book folks so check us out tonight.

I think of Leonardo DiCaprio Everyday

Yes. It's true. I think of Mr. '11th Hour' daily. It's not like I'm some crazy stalker person. I'm not. Sure he's nice enough looking, but really it's not like that. It's simply this.

Back in 2005 I saw DiCaprio on Oprah (probably one of the last time's I actually sat and watched that show) and he was talking about living green. He explained that it's not a life over hauling thing. It doesn't have to be expensive or complicated. There are a million and one ways to go about your daily life living greener that actually do make an impact. The way we live has to change and it can be changed. I was riveted. I am all for bettering the planet but it does seem rather confusing sometimes doesn't it? Organic or not? Local vs. convenience of the grocery store. Hybrid car price vs. lower priced more polluting vehicle?

So I listened to Leo and decided from here on out I'm changing things. It was slow going at first. I unplug all the items in our house that don't need to run all day like the coffeemaker, radios, cell phone chargers, hair dryers, the list goes on. Even lamps. If it's not on it shouldn't be sucking energy. We changed out the light bulbs and have bought energy efficient appliances as the old ones died out. We stopped using plastic bags and bought the stores cloth ones. And you know what? It wasn't all in a day. It was over time. Each step I made had me feeling better and wanting to do more. Before I knew it we were shopping locally when possible. Buying earth/people friendly cleaners, using less water, less paper, eating less meat (very energy inefficient to produce it) and are driving less. If it's nice out I'd rather walk than spend the gas to go to the gym.

I even grow herbs now. Freaky isn't it? The change has been on-going and through it I'm more aware of my daily actions in life and how I treat myself and others. I'm reluctant to call myself some granola munching-tree hugging-do gooder who poo poos everyone else. That is NOT what I'm saying. I'm only re-emphasizing the idea that one small step, one little action has an impact. If we all pick a few things to help preserve this planet it will benefit us in so many more ways than we can imagine.

So each time I unplug my coffeemaker I think of Leo and those first few galvanizing thoughts he put in my head.

Some great sites for making those small changes-

Low Impact Living
Pristine Planet
target="_blank">Izzy Mom's Thoughts on Things and some Good Links
No Impact Man- One Man's Quest

And they say celebrity's can't endorse a cause. Heh.