12.27.2006

Economical Shopping

That pretty much says it all right there. I intend to tell you about a fun little excursion I had in the VM, (Village Market-the local healthy alternative to Walmart, for any non-Southernites who might have happened upon this post) but since I'm a history major, let's take a little excursion of our own to determine the full meaning of my title.
Economical: This comes from the Greek οικονομία, which means 'house law' or household management. [wiktionary.com] This sounds strange, but to the Greeks, economy just happened as a part of everyday life. Families bought and sold at the marketplace, fished, farmed, or otherwise made a living, traded with the merchants, paid taxes, etc. οικονομία wasn't separate from what they did every day, it was integrated into nearly every facet of life.
Interestingly enough, as you all know, economy has come to mean something completely different today. The world runs on the financial interactions between various, complex national economies. I happen to find the study of Economy a fascinating one, in part because it's like looking at the framework of a house; you can see the underlying structure for current events. But it also reveals a lot about how people work.
Shopping: A dreadful but necessary activity in modern life whereby we exchange money for things we think will make us happier than the money did. [Personal Experience] I personally dislike this activity very much. Oddly enough, I can hike for hours before my feet hurt as much as they do after only 30 minutes of shopping.

So, now that we have our definitions clear, I shall proceed with the story. Ivan and I woke up one Sunday morning feeling rather hungry. This is a daily dilemma, unfortunately, and today we decided to go to the VM to do something about it. Little did we know that shopping was about to AMBUSH us! We wandered around dazedly trying to choose something to eat out of the plethora of edible options. Suddenly we spied a little cart loaded with Silk soymilk. Wondering what was so special about this cart that it required bright green signs on it, we investigated further. Amazingly, this soymilk was on SALE! For only $0.99 a box we could be the new owners of our very own carton of soy goodness! (or two or five or ten) We hurriedly availed ourselves of this unexpected opportunity. (Silk soymilk is normally about $3 a carton) This put us in a deal-finding mood and we rushed around the rest of the store procuring in a relatively rapid fashion certain other opportunities that presented themselves, rather forgetting how trying this activity usually was. Suddenly though, as we were competing with several other ladies for the few remaining boxes of soymilk (we graciously let them have the vanilla and we settled for chocolate), we ran out of shopping steam. "My feet hurt," we said simultaneously*. Back in our room we reviewed our purchases: tomato sauce, pasta, jelly, bread, $13 worth of granola (the most expensive thing we bought, but well worth it!), and a total of 19 cartons of Silk Soymilk. (Never fear, it's supposed to last for up to a year on the shelf:) So, what did I learn from this experience? When taking care of your household (or dorm room); practicing οικονομία, the travails of shopping can be somewhat alleviated by feeling like you're saving money. My recommendation? If you have to shop, make sure you get some good deals and wear comfortable shoes!

*I think this might have happened, but if not, it should have.

12.20.2006

As promised: Unique Uniformity*

*Barry has a way with alliterations and when I was discussing with him my tentative next blog topic, he neatly coined it "Unique Uniformity." So, I'm crediting him with the fancy title. :)

"Ooh look Mom! A Bratz doll just like all my friends have. Please can I have it? Pleeease?"
"Hey, that sweater looks great; it's so you. Where'd you get it?" "Yeah, I wanted something unique. I got it at AE on sale for only $45!"

A picture of George and Laura Bush in front of their Christmas tree with the infamous red dress
(CBS) Every woman who's ever attended a formal party has had the same concern: What if someone else shows up in the same dress?
As CBS News correspondent Thalia Assuras reports, that's exactly what happened to first lady Laura Bush at Sunday's Kennedy Center Honors, always one of Washington's biggest nights for stars, and glamorous fashion.
With guests in the spotlight at the exclusive White House receptions that go with the ceremony, the designer gowns are always scrutinized.
And on Sunday, four women at the reception wore the exact same $8,500 Oscar de la Renta dress, Mrs. Bush among them.

As you can probably tell by now, the concept of everybody wanting to be different in the same way, or the same in different ways is what I would like to focus on this time. Why is it, that when presented with a two alternatives, one of which is popular and sort of generic but still perfectly usable, and another which is not very utilitarian but it's different (and probably more expensive), we frequently choose the latter? Why is it that society is always pursuing fashion but never quite getting there; that whatever is hot today is not tomorrow?

A Hummer and a Prius To climb the mountain via a different route, explain this to me. Why is there an almost infinite variety of automobiles, but we're satisfied with only four or five different kinds of web browsers? They all do basically the same thing, so why don't we just pick the best four or five options and get rid of all the rest? Think of the money that would be saved!

One very obvious difference between web browsers and cars is that other people can see what kind of car you're driving. Is that it? Does our desire to be different stem from our desire to be noticed and approved of by others? I know most people say that they chose their specific 'whatever' because they like 'it', but how much of our approval of 'it' is shaped by society's approval?

Now let me attempt to weave this thread in with my original idea. The toys and clothes and cars that are in style are fashionable because it's what everybody else likes, or if you're lucky, what everybody else is just starting to like. But I think God's original intent was that each person showcase their unique personality just for Him, without regard to what others thought. If (1) God is the ultimate Personality and the original Creator and (2) humans were created in His image, then we are expressly creative and singularly individual beings.


mangos
Satan realized that if humans went about life without regard for anyone's approval, as we looked at all the beautiful expressions of individual personalities, we would see the imprint of the Divine shining through. So of course he had to invent a substitute. "We can't have you looking to God for approval!" he sneers. "Here, I give you human gods. Wear what they wear, buy what they buy, worry about what they think." And so as we started looking downward and inward instead of upward, we lost our sense of what was truly fashionable and unique.

Excelsior

12.03.2006

I'm Afraid a Wee Bit of Intertemporal Discounting is Required...


Hey guys, sorry it's been such a long time, school (mainly the associated schoolwork) keeps on rearing it's persistent snout. Fear not however, because I have been storing up interesting topics to blog about when I have more time. Here's a sneak preview: unique uniformity, Scalia's dissenting opinion in McCreary v. American Civil Liberties Union, embroidery, and perhaps the joys of economical shopping. :) Don't they sound like tasty topics? But anyway, I'm afraid that just now, when I've succeeded in activating your mental salivary glands, I'm going to force you to develop your skills in intertemporal discounting (a favorite virtue of mine, otherwise known as delayed self-gratification). So, until a more opportune time,

Excelsior

11.21.2006

The Quadruple Bypass Burger Dilemma

In Fitness for Life class today we were discussing health trends in America and in particular, the startling fact that even with all the advances in medicine, the next generation is probably going to be the first in a long time to have a shorter lifespan than their parents! Basically, all the drugs and work-around surgeries in the world aren't going to keep us alive if we insist on maintaining current lifestyle trends (obesity, type II diabetes, etc.)

Somebody brought up an interesting question related to this. Imagine that you have coronary artery disease and your kidneys are failing, etc, because you just couldn't give up your Quadruple Bypass Burger (below) and the only thing keeping you alive is a fistful of pills every day. If you decided that you don't want to take all those drugs anymore and you die because of it, are you responsible for your own death? In other words, would it be correct to say that you had committed suicide? Or perhaps you're more at fault for the lifestyle choices that put you in said position.
I'll be interested to hear what you guys think.

By the way, if you want to see a truly frightening powerpoint presentation, click here.

Excelsior

11.20.2006

Granola and Q=mcΔt


Well, I was going to talk about the many wonderful attributes of granola (inspired by the four bowls I've eaten today), but it wasn't going anywhere so I stopped. Incidentally, did you know that granola was invented by one John Harvey Kellogg? I guess he wasn't satisfied with cornflakes!

I'd like to say something profound, (in fact, I already did--twice, but it was too sappy:p) but, unfortunately I'm not in a profound mood. So, I'll just ask a question instead. Why is it that our wills are so strong sometimes (usually when we'd rather they weren't) and so weak other times (just when we'd like them to assert themselves)? Paul says it better in Romans 7:15, "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do." Is there something in our brains that hardwires us to sin? Did sin biologically change us?

"Now how is he going to tie this in with granola?" you say. Well, I was just asking myself the same question. Let me think for a minute. ..... .... ... ... ... .. . . nope, nothing. ;)

The reason granola makes my mouth water so, is because it's well blended. Think about it. Most of you probably wouldn't find raw oats all that appetizing (this doesn't apply to the residents of room 1390. Or indeed to many of my readers!) Or plain bran flakes. Or handfuls of shredded coconut. But when a master baker is mixing them (plus a few other necessaries--sorry, no garlic johonn) together in just the right quantities and bakes them in an oven which has been set to utilize Q=mcΔt to the fullest extent;) you hit the jackpot! I just need to remember who's the Master Baker around here:)
Oh, and I'd be interested in hearing what kind of analogies you came up with to relate granola to Romans ;)

Excelsior

11.19.2006

Modern Times...or are they?


Crossbow bolt stops soccer game

What are things coming to anyway? I thought this was an interesting story so I decided to post it so you guys could see it.

Excelsior?

11.18.2006

Pecan-Stuffed Acorn Squash and Other Matters...



Hello,
I think this is probably going to be kind of rough at first, because I don't have a whole lot, well any, experience blogging. But, i've been motivated by the Howes' stellar examples to start recording a random sampling of my thoughts and experiences. (My statistics professor would be proud of me...)

Today the orchestra took a relatively quick excursion to Georgia Cumberland Academy to perform a few selections from our repetoire for the past semester. I foolishly postponed some much needed polishing-up of said selections and so I'm afraid my contributions to this concert tended to be in places of a rather discordant nature. However the trip was not a complete loss for at least two reason. First, I ate some delicious candied pecan-stuffed acorn squash, and second, I was able to have two very enlightening conversations with Barry Howe. We discussed a wide variety of topics, ranging from his thoughts on rationality and presuppositions and how they relate to different musical traditions, to how to turn SAU into the premier college in the country. It was an ecclectic conversation to say the least!

It's a times like this when I tend towards introspection. Will the activities I'm dedicating my time to mean anything in the future, when I'm faced with eternity? Am I merely completeing the minimum amount of work necessary to get an A on my next test, trying to figure out how to do more things that benefit ME?

Humans too often wallow in selfishness, and I'm afraid I'm no exception. Too many times in the past, I've made my decisions based on temporal reasons and I regret that. But thanks to the grace of God, each day provides another opportunity to refocus my priorities. To quote Jon Foreman's paraphrase of Augustine (yes, I plan to read Confessions at some point, but currently I'm working on City of God), "There's got to be something more than what I'm living for. I'm crying out to You...I'm looking for the grace of God today."

Excelsior

Pecan-stuffed Acorn Squash

11.11.2006

Thank You!












I really appreciate your gift. I assure you, it will go a long way!

Joel