Dinhternet

I really like the musical transitions between stories on NPR.

Anyway, I was listening to NPR this morning on my drive to work, and they mentioned that the law Congress signed last year as part of the giant farm bill goes into effect today. Grocery stores will start labeling their meat with information about where the meat was born, raised, and slaughtered.

I know this was to support “buy local” initiatives and to help prevent scares from hypothetical mad cow outbreaks, but I wonder if it will convert from fence-sitters to vegetarianism. I know people who have told me that to them, meat is meat, and they do not want to think about what those slabs of protein looked like before they were meat. This labeling program is a (perhaps not very) subtle reminder of exactly that.

Will it bother you to know this stuff, or will it enhance your enjoyment to know that you are getting only the best meats? Do happy cows taste better? (Of course, some would argue that those California cows aren’t very happy.)

A white guy, a black guy, and an Asian guy go on a camping trip. After hiking around for a while, the three of them decide to set up camp for the night near a big boulder for shelter. The white guy turns to the other two and says, “OK, I’m going to gather wood and start a fire.” He turns to the black and says, “You go to the river and catch us some fish for dinner.” Then he turns to the Asian guy and says, “You set up the supplies.”

Hours later, the white guy and the black guy are sitting around the fire with fish grilling over it. The white guy turns to the black guy and says, “Where’d the Asian guy go?”

The Asian guy jumps out from behind the boulder and shouts, “SUPPLIES!”

Last night, Thu H and I were talking about how our weekends are filling up because it’s the start of birthday season. We talked about my birthday plans, too. Normally, I don’t like to celebrate my birthday, and instead often rely on friends to throw surprise parties. It’s just another day of a long line of the same to me. But this year, because of the considerable life changes I’ve been through, I do want to do something.

I’ve got a problem, though… I’d rather chill at a house than do the whole bar/club thing, but I don’t have a place of my own to do that any more. Any suggestions? I’d like to have it in the Bay because that’s where I spend my weekends now. Also, I’m thinking of a dinner as well. If I stay on track and hit my target weight by my brithday, I will celebrate by eating meat. You can help pick what type and be there to witness!

Oh, and also, I’m tired of suiting up. It’s fun once in a while, but I feel like that’s all we do now. Any ideas for an alternate theme? Perhaps Zimbabwe theme? Anything but East Bay theme.

Lent is upon us once again, and even though I’m still not Catholic, I’ve decided to give up alcohol for Lent again.

Last time, I did it as moral support for Joe M, and to prove something to my friends and myself. This time, though, it’s purely for me.

I’ve been thinking about giving up alcohol for a while now, but I just can’t seem to pull it off. It’s one of the few guilty pleasures I have left. As Michael Pollan says, the worst part of any dietary restriction is the burden on others to plan around you. Perhaps a corollary to that is the social nosedive you take. I was never a social smoker, I’m trying not to be a social drinker anymore, and I’m not even much of a social eater because of my vegetarianism. I’m running out of reasons for people to hang out with me.

But still, this is something I’d like to do. First I’ve got to get through Lent again, and then we’ll see about doing it forever.

If you are going out socially at all in the next 40 days, please still think of me. I can be DD!