The Value of Making Things

Oh. My. Goodness! Where has the time gone? I am done with college. I can hardly believe it. I graduated last Saturday with two degrees, B.S. in Media Arts & Communications and B.S. in Theatre Arts. Done and done!

I worked hard for those two degrees and I focused so much. I spent days and nights doing homework, going to meetings and traveling to and from school. When I was not doing school work I was working. So now I am kind of lost. That is the problem with us overachieving types. We work so hard that we put life on hold. Enjoying yourself? Hah! Relaxing? What's that!? Reading for pleasure? Simply the thought of it is too much to handle.

Now, I am done with school and I don't start work until August. I have to find new and enjoyable ways of spending my time. I had a few projects that I had been wanting to do for a while now. Honestly, I have just been wanting to make things for the longest time. Writing papers, analyzing essays and reading long textbooks wore me out. So this week I rediscovered my love for making things. To take the time to simply do something, not rush through, is really challenging. I want to incorporate this more into my daily practice.

Here is what I made this week...

A table that I have had for several years was in desperate need of painting. I finally purchased the supplies.

I bought these pillows at Ikea three years ago. I decided to sew new covers for them.

I am making my own flavored vodka using blueberries, strawberries and lemon peel.

I had been working on this dress off and on since last fall. It is finally finished.

More blogs to come. I promise.

CCosner

Pink Ribbons

I would like to add this to my list of soon-to-be-watched documentaries.

What if a campaign that seems so good on the outside is really just hypocrisy?

La Grande

Someday, yes, I will miss this place. So deep in my bones it has become and even if I want to shed it; I doubt it will let me rest in peace.


"La Grande", by Laura Gibson
Read the story at NPR

New Years Resolutions...almost a month later

Weird. Time passes so fast once school gets started. The first term always goes by quickly but once January hits I start slowing down a bit. This year is different though. This year I am working a part-time job and doing school full-time. On top of that I am starting to get ready for the second half of 2012, when I graduate, move, and begin a different kind of life.   

I look back over the past year and think how far I have come with lifestyle choices. I have been amazingly blessed with opportunity to pursue simple things I enjoy like baking and canning. I am thankful for the internet and the bloggers around the world that I learn from everyday. With all that I have learned I am excited for another year of blogging and eco-living.

This year I want to:

1) Ditch the rest of my bad personal care products and switch to more body-friendly and earth-friendly options.
2) Keep cooking at home!
3) Continue to clear away "stuff" from my life both physical or physiological.
4) Have more designated "me" time where I can sew, do yoga, or read. I don't actively make time for these things.
5) Continue my sometimes neurotic tendencies of saving electricity, not wasting things, not making garbage.
6) Really grow a garden this year. For reals.

I am really excited by what is to come this year. Of course I will write as often as I can.

:)  CCosner

A big backyard.

I always grew up with a big back yard. The biggest so far would be about 2,200 acres. I miss it often when I am in an apartment. Someday I want to own land. Maybe 5 or 10 acres. Enough to be self-sufficient and to sell the excess. A lot of work, but so worth it in every way.

This cool infographic says it can be done on about 2.But I would want to rotational graze livestock and possibly harvest hay. I would also want a windmill which takes up less space than lots of solar panels.  Whatever. All part of the dream.

The wardrobe I want.

Bike Community outraged by GM Ad

A GM ad directly targeting college students has been removed because of some pretty serious scrutiny by environmental groups. A short blurb on Grist has a rather humorous bent to it but this ABC article tells it more like it is. Either way GM is doing some pretty serious, albeit humorous, backpedaling on their Twitter feed.  

The ad portrays a male college student shielding his face from a female in a car. She seems to be checking him out. He is just embarrassed. I cant help but laugh. Pardon me for being wired by the attractiveness level of a guy can instantly spike when he goes zooming by. Those instances are kinda few and far between in my college town sadly. Men who ride bikes are sexy. Men who drive nasty GM trucks, not so much.

The irony is, as many comments have astutely pointed out, that GM was just bailed out in 2009. The tax payers and the ones responsible for GM's salvation are the younger generation.  Really GM's marketing scheme seems to be pissing off or offending the people that they should be carefully bringing into their fold. 

But frankly this just gives me another excuse to ride my bike and not look for a car anytime soon. I don't want the expense or the hassle.I don't pay to license my bike. I don't pay to park it. It does not need gas or "payments" or oil changes. I don't have to go out and spend $400 on tires. I am healthier, happier and more Eco-friendly. Plus, I am sure I get more compliments on my bike than most people get on their cars. 

Car culture will die hard in America. Time will only tell when GM will belly up again. Someday American families might think twice about purchasing their third and fourth cars. I would like to believe that will be sooner rather than later. We are the ones that put ourselves in this place and only our actions can get ourselves out.

Keep Biking,
CCosner

The Homecooked Meal Wins Again...

(c)Copyright 2011 The New York Times Company

The old argument that a home cooked meal is cheaper and healthier than fast food wins again. I think it is interesting to note that what was once the necessities of the poor (homemade meals, cloths, soap, a garden etc.) have become the luxuries of the rich. What started this shift? Is is because we work to much for the money we "need" to live hand to mouth? How can we fix this system?

Occupy Wall Street

Nobody Can Predict The Moment Of Revolution from ivarad on Vimeo.

I'm Back!

College finally starts for me this next Monday. I am not sure how I feel about that.

I normally look forward to school starting back up. But this will be my last year of undergrad and soon I will be launched into the "real world". I am excited about this. I just kinda want it to happen now. Because I am a practical masochist, I still have another degree that I need to complete so I am in it for one more year.

One of my many flaws is that am not very good at living in the present moment. I know that I have touched on this before. I am usually years ahead of myself mentally; solving problems that have not even happened yet. It is because I like to have control. Its awful. I am admit it. I work hard to fix it. I am not always successful but I do try. 

Luckily I am in a good place right now. I have an excellent job from which I will learn a lot and which will look great on a resume. I will be taking classes that I love and that will intrigue me. My academic adviser is awesome is highly supportive of me.

My budget is extremely tight this year because I received much less financial assistance than I was hoping for but because if my new job I should be alright. I am deeply grateful for all the wonderful thing in my life. I am thankful that I know how to cook and take care of myself and live frugally and simply. There are so many who are not a fortunate.

Here is to another school year and more dedicating blogging.
-C

Weekly Links

Links for your enjoyment!

Healthy eating is hard but not impossible for low-income Americans- Grist

IKEA to go 100 percent renewable, starting with 67 wind turbines - Grist

The Deal With $8 Eggs - Mother Jones

The Non-Consumer Advocate

5 Documentaries That Could Change Your Outlook on Life- New Urban Habitat 

 

CCosner

 

Eve Ensler: Suddenly, My Body

Honey Face Wash

 Exciting news! I have decided to wash my face with honey for the rest of the month. I have been working to find an alternative for my current face wash. I have used St. Ives for quite some time as well as a few other name brands and they have all worked relatively well. But as with most facial products they can be rather expensive and are loaded with chemicals. I am working to make a switch to as natural of personal care products as possible and I have access to an abundance of good honey.  

Why honey? It sounds weird but honey is a natural antibacterial. It has both cleaning and moisturizing properties which means it can clean skin without over drying it. Deep cleaning is something I need because of my acne-prone skin but commercial cleaners can dry out my skin too much. Honey has a nice balance. All you have to do for honey face wash is wet your face with warm water, massage the honey into your skin, allow to sit for a moment, rinse off and pat dry.

I am currently four days in to this experiment and I have noticed that my blemishes are healing faster than normal. My skin is also soft and clean after washing.  Plus honey is probably the tastiest cleanser ever!

I will post the results at the end of the month.  :)

 

If you want more info check out the Crunchy Betty Honey Challenge!

CCosner

Blueberry Jam

I love canning. For some reason making food and putting it in a jar is so much fun to me. It is very exciting to think that you have your own little food stash that you made yourself.  When people are eating apples and nasty commercial canned fruit in the winter I love the thought of just reaching for a jar of real peaches.

Fortunately, I had the opportunity to go blueberry picking earlier in July. I was than able to make my favorite blueberry jam recipe! In to the jar it went before I ate it all. I look forward to eating it this winter with homemade yogurt, whole wheat biscuits or toast. 

  

Blueberry-Lime Jam

4 ½ cups blueberries

1 package powdered pectin

5 cups of sugar

1 tablespoon grated lime peel

1/3 cup lime juice

Crush blueberries on layer at a time. Combine crushed blueberries and pectin in a large saucepot. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Add sugar, stirring until dissolved. Stir in grated lime peel and lime juice. Return to a rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam if necessary. Ladle hot jam into hot jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Adjust two-piece caps. Process 15 minutes in a boiling-water canner.  Makes about 6 half-pints. 

Recipe From Ball Blue Book.

Happy Canning! 

Rooting

Over the last month I have been meditating on the idea of “rooting”. I am not really sure how I would even define this word in the context in which I use it. To me, being a rooted individual is to be both strong and flexible.  To be grounded in the things that I believe but still being able to adjust and laugh at myself. It is sort of a delicate balance.

I have never been a very rooted person. I am often flighty, easily swayed by others emotions, and shy away from long term commitments for fear of making a wrong decision. This means that I rarely can accomplish something to its fullest and I rarely have friends that are deeply bound to me.

Because of my training as an actor I am able to detect this lack of rooting psychologically and become aware of how it manifests physically.  For instance, people are often lead throughout their day by a certain part of them. Some people have their knees as the part that leads them places while others have their pelvis. I am often lead around by my head and my chest (heart) while my feet and my lower body is consequently left trying to keep up. Everywhere I go I am emotionally and mentally engaged but other parts of me just are left along for the ride.

I feel like this is very symbolic of my detachment from that natural world. When I walk my mind is so full of ideas that I neglect the world around me. I do not soak in the sounds of life about me nor do I take in the sensations that could comfort me.  I simply disengage.

Those who practice yoga know the importance of grounding oneself. For perfect balance an individual must focus on what all parts of the body are doing. Even simple yoga poses can bring awareness to the feeling of the earth underneath us.  

I think one of the most beautiful examples of the importance of rooting comes from the story of the Buddha. It is said that when the Buddha was tempted by the forces evil he sat underneath a tree and remained calm. He promised to help all living and sentient beings break from the cycle of suffering.  When the evil one wanted to know who was his witness, the Buddha simply reached down and touched the earth.  Suddenly there was an earthquake and the forces of evil fled.

How beautiful to think that the earth would be our witness; to support us and care for us. We as a culture have moved far from the earth. We do not work so closely with it. We become caught up in more consuming things and before we know it we have lost our sense of self.

In effort to root myself I become more self aware and more focused on things that truly matter. I do not let little inconveniences upset me.  I forgive others more easily and I become less vulnerable. But with all things, this process takes time and patience.  I just keep working at it. I do the best I can.

Namaste.

CCosner

Weekly Links

I have stumbled upon quiet a collection of random articles over the past few days so I thought I would take the time to share:

Here is yet another study done regarding BPA. I do not understand why this toxic chemical still continues to be legally manufactured.

I hate Proctor and Gamble but I am intrigued by their latest pledges.

Is college really a good investment? Or is it just four years of waste? I think I will have to blog more on this later.

Washing your face with oil? It sounds kind of crazy and possibly disastrous be this Instructable seems pretty legit. I am thinking about trying it.

More later,
CCosner

On Break

I am on break for a few days from camp. The first session was tiring but I lived. Thankfully I am also going to be able to work an extended session. I am pretty happy about it. I need the money and I can always use the job experience. The cabin above has been and will continue to be my home for the next month. Like the prayer flags? I finished them about a week before I left.

Being in the mountains away from my cell phone and internet can be a huge blessing. I have to really focus on who I am and what I am doing here in the real world instead of focusing so much on the virtual world. I love being in the outdoors and I really love having the downtime. College for nine months can be so draining and so I love to retreat to this place and recharge.

I am happy to return to my parents house for a while and check up on my dad and I's latest project. Before I left a few weeks ago, we started a home brew! Now I will throw out there that I know very little about making beer but I have pretty much decided that I would love to be a brewer as a job. What you see here is called a carboy and it holds the mostly fermented beer.Next we are going to move into the bottling phase. This is about five gallons of beer!! Omg I am so excited to taste it! Part of this has been somewhat of a discovery of my German heritage. I never liked beer until this winter when one of my freinds introduced me to good beer. Now I am a very picky beer drinker. I like micro brews that are mainly stouts and porters. If it is the color of coffee than I much prefer it to light beers. Anyway, as you can tell, this beer is defiantly falling into the coffee category.

Hopefully I can check in once more before I return to the mountains.

CCosner

Camp

Due to sketchy (and slow) interwebs I have been unable to post or read or do anything bloggy. So I am sorry my faithful readers but I am afraid that I am going to have take a tiny break for the next few weeks. I is sorry. :(

See you after camp.

Nothing like Tyson...

..and all of the rest of the big meat-packers for that matter. Just when I think that I have heard it all than I read another article about how the big four (Tyson, Cargill, JBS, and Smithfield) have committed another sin which  consequently is overlooked by most of the public and the government. Honestly, the abuse of animals is not even the half of it. Try human rights! If some one asked me why I don't eat meat from the store I would tell them that it was because I believe in human rights!!

Okay, enough of my rants. Just read it for yourself.


How the meat industry turned abuse into a business model 

Big Meat vs. Michael Pollan

The Spam Factory's Dirty Secret

So if all of that has you all depressed you can read about a Zero-Packaging Grocery Store. See, there is still some hope after all.

Happy Wednesday,

CCosner

Memories

I cannot believe that this is the last week of June already! It is pretty insane. I feel like I should have accomplished more than I have in the last couple weeks. Next week I will be going to work at a summer camp in the mountains. I am very excited about it!

I have been spending the last week or so trying to clean the last of my stuff out of my parents house. I have a lot of high school mementos and childhood things that I feel like I don't need. It is had definitely been a bit of a nostalgic trip. I cam across a bunch of 8th grade graduation cards. Weird. In less than a year I will be graduating from college. Am I wiser? Maybe. Have I learned anything? Debatable.

Cleaning out this kind of stuff can be challenging for me honestly. I keep wondering if the person that gave it to me even remembers giving it as a gift. Some items have not seen the light of day since my family moved almost eight years ago. That says a lot. I find that some days I am not as emotionally ready to part with some of the items. It is challenging finding that balance.

In fact yesterday was one of the most difficult days. I had stumbled upon some old writing from high school in some journals. I was feeling really down and not really knowing what I am doing with my life. So I am feeling sad and emotional and then my former high school boyfriend drops by. I wanted to crawl into a hole. It was probably the single most awkward thing ever. It is amazing how much memories and the past can change how we feel in the present.

On another note I compared my past two years budgets. I spent about $2,000 less this year than I did last year! I am happy to say that I am going to work even harder this year to spend even less. This past year was not particularly challenging so I cant wait to see if I can do better! The interesting thing about all of this is that most people would be shocked by how little I spend anyway. But I think that it is very important to live below your means for a while. That is the joy of being young.

Happy Tuesday,

CCosner