Amuse Bouche

There is something magical about going to a Mexican (well, really Tex-Mex is the better term to use) food restaurant: when the waiter brings out the chips and salsa, my heart always skips a beat.

I think that every culture needs an equivalent. Italians have garlic bread/breadsticks (I am a little disappointed we don’t do this at work) and Mexican cuisine has chips and salsa. Why don’t we have something so iconic like this in our diet?

American food is stigmatized through our fast food chains. We are in such a rush in life, we cannot take twenty extra minutes to enjoy an appetizer when we go out to eat.  This is so much so that many American families (mine included) would prefer the convenience of fast food to the hassle of a sit-down restaurant.

This topic has been revolving in my head all night (I am writing this on Tuesday night). I called Katie to see if she wanted to have lunch tomorrow. Neither of us have class during lunch on Wednesdays, and lately we have gotten in the habit of meeting then so that I can give her stuff that she left at the house, we indulge in lunch and each others company while we just happen to be meeting.

Last week we got Which Wich (a topic for another post), so this week I let her chose. Generally her palate dictates that we go to Chili’s. While I do love the chips and salsa there, it is not great food by any means. This week, she is pushing the boundaries and taking us to a Mexican place on campus.

I am really looking forward to trying this place. But then again, how good can it be in comparison to the traditional Mexican food that the cooks at work make for me on occasion.

Forgetful Me

Today, my political science class was canceled. We’ve known for several weeks now, and I was even reminded at the end of last week. True to form, however, I forgot and was very confused when I got to class on time.

I had also forgotten (yep, two things in one day, very typical) my TCU ID at home. So I couldn’t go to the library or the student union while waiting for my Spanish class.

I was forced to drive home.

Driving the Xterra with its 15 miles per gallon is just great for my wallet. I am not going to lie, it is going to be nice when I get my new car (and when I say car, I mean car). So much less gas money.

If I didn’t have to meet with my archaeology debate group (if any of them actually show up), then I would seriously consider just staying at home for the rest of the day.

Barefoot

Today I am walking around barefoot on the TCU campus. Not because I cannot afford shoes to wear, but to bring to people’s attention that children around the world go barefoot every day.

This event is sponsored by TOMS, which just happen to be my favorite shoes ever. I wear a pair practically every day. So instead of just making it another day that I would wear one of my eight pairs of TOMS, I decided to join people across the nation and go “One Day Without Shoes.”

For those of you who do not know anything about TOMS, you should really check out their website (www.tomsshoes.com). The program is amazing, for every pair you buy they will send a second pair to children in need (generally in Africa or South America, but they have done an American drop before).

For those of you who can’t go barefoot, just go for part of the day. That is what I will be doing since I have to wear shoes at work. I have been looking forward to this day since the beginning of the year.

Maybe I will reward myself with a new pair of TOMS. What do you think?

The Wonder that is Language

This semester I am taking a linguistic anthropology course. I know I should probably talk more about school since it is such a big part of my life; however, that is beyond the bounds of this blog entry. Back to the story…on one of the first days in class, we were asked how we would go about drawing, “he is not standing next to a giraffe.”

Think about that for a minute.

I have become a fairly decent doodler since joining the ranks of TCU students, so my mind went racing. The only thing I could think of was to draw a stick figure next to a dotted-line giraffe.

The lesson was that we can say so much with words that we cannot communicate any other way.

I am not sure what made me think of this, but I want to send a message out there. Be thankful that we have developed speech over the years since our species appeared on the Earth. Or else, how would we tell the person next to us that they are an albatross trapped in a human body (which, by the way, I am).

Learning Through Diffusion

This week, I have three tests, a quiz, and need to begin writing a paper. There is no way I can do this and keep up with all my reading (for one class alone I have 150 pages to read).

I am going to try something: learning through diffusion. I remember joking about it in 6^th grade biology, I thought the only way I would ever understand any of it would have to be through diffusion.

Theory: If I sleep with my book and study guide under my pillow, perhaps some of the knowledge will seep through the binding and go into my head.

I shall put theory into practice this week. As I write this, I am putting my archaeology textbook under my pillow (I am writing this on Monday night, the night before my Tuesday test). Tomorrow night (Tuesday) is Spanish.

Theory 2: If I wear a high-prestige collegiate hoodie than the knowledge of the institution might help me do better on tests.

My father lives in Boston, so I have sent him on a mission to get me a Harvard hoodie. Hopefully, he will be able to get it to me before final exams. I plan to wear the maroon hoddie (a color I would not normally adorn) to see if it will help my exam grades.

We shall see how this works. Results to follow.

Labyrinth

The parking lot that I attempt to park in every morning has gone through several dramatic changes over the past few months. It used to be that I could navigate through it with ease, now I am lucky not to get stuck in a corner with nowhere to go.

At the beginning of this last semester, they opened up a new part where the old trailers used to be. It was a nice expansion, the only reason I could use it was because of the car I drive. Any low-riding car would be toast. You basically had to off-road to park.

Over spring break, they re-painted all the lines and repaved the new part. Now it is more accessible than before, but it has become a maze.

They closed off the back entrance, so every day I pass where it used to be and always almost pull into the curb that replaced the entrance. Then, when I finally am able to pull in, I get lost in the rows.

It was almost easier before…

Sustainability

A sign on campus brought my attention that only 5% of the things we buy are still in use six months after their purchase. With everyone turning “green,” this statistic seems a little far-fetched.

On further review, however, it began to make sense.

Most of the things that college students (the target demographic for the sign) would buy would not be in use all that long. We only use textbooks for one semester; once a notebook or pen is used up, we simply throw it out; and we purchase so many things on a whim that we only plan to use once.

Looking even further, it can be said that all of the clothes we buy can work with this statistic. Theoretically you wouldn’t wear short shorts in the winter, or Ugg boots in the summer (yet the sorority girls at TCU don’t seem to follow this norm). It does not take into account that you would use it again twelve months later. Yes, it is not currently in use at that six month mark, but with enough time it would be pulled back out of the drawer to be used again.

Yes, I believe that we should work to sustain the world that we live in. In an ideal world we could go back to living the way the indigenous people in the Amazon live; they use slash-and-burn farming yet it enables their environment to recreate itself over and over again. That is the epitome of sustainability. We are far passed that point.

We need (to quote Mao Tse Tung) a permanent revolution. I believe that we can sustain our current ways of living and sustain the world in which we live. Let us all pick three things that we will do to help sustain our world. Three small things by each person could make a world of difference.

My three things:

1. Use my entire notbooks. This includes writing on both sides of each paper and if need be, use the same notebook for multiple classes and semesters.
2. Recycle all of my bottles. There are plenty of recycling bins on campus, I generally just throw my bottle away in the first trashcan I see. I will carry my empty bottles until I see a recycle bin, and recycle instead of throwing it in the trash.
3. Turn off the AC. I will not touch the thermostat upstairs. This will help me burn less fossil fuels, and it will save my mother money on her electric bill. A double win.

There is Nothing Like a Crisp Salad…

Trying new food is hard for me, not because I don’t like trying new food, but because I like what I already eat so much.

Take, for instance, what I eat at TCU: there are hundreds of options in the student union, but I almost always gravitate towards the salad bar. I attribute part of this to the fact that I used to be a vegetarian, the other part I give credit to how good a salad tastes.

With the right dressing, a salad can stimulate every taste bud while filling you up. We cannot, however, forget the health benefits of a salad.

Even at the salad bar, I get the same mixture of flavors from day-to-day: romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, carrots cut julienne, green peppers, sliced mushrooms, and red onions all topped with croutons and French dressing.

I am the person who everyone hates standing behind, because I load my salad up with so many things. The normal salad-eater will get one or two veggies, while I leave only one or two out.

As I write this, keep glancing at my empty salad bowl, trying to decide if it would be distasteful if I went back for seconds.