EEEEK! Project!

So I did my site visit for my practicum today. I will be working at a textiles distributors, specializing in industrial goodies. I found out some really interesting information, which makes me excited.

• They are working on an aramid recycling program for all the specialty fabrics being used for protective fabrics, which is right up my sustainability alley
• They don't just sell things, they research the standards and safety regulations of each industry, and then deliver information back to the production companys with not just recommendations, but samples and criteria of what will be best received by that industry, and that set of standards. There's a lot more design than I originally knew.
  
• The Boss (et. al.) thrive on the challenge, it doesn't seem like too much of a boring office job
• The back shop is full of FUN stuff: sequined fabrics, reflective tape, embroidery thread, weird ugly clearance 90's workout pant material

Textiles East

I am escaping. I am getting in my car, with my husband, and running away for three beautiful days.... I have been the ultimate hermit this week anyways...

I have started working on one of my final assignments: a report responding to one of three scenarios regarding the wear and usage of textiles... and I think I am going to geek out and do all three.


Horray for three days off.

Quandry

How much less
could a use less
use
if a use less
could
use
less?

This is my new mantra.

Love the simple reminder to reduce.

No More Whining

Ok, I apologize for the grumpy befuddled "I hate big trucks" rant. Today is just a fun catch up posting, about where I'm at, what I'm doing, and how it all applies to *you guessed it* my life as a burgeoning Human Ecologist.

Today is a new day, and I am POSITIVE POSITIVE POSITIVE.
"I have had about three Red B.ulls in the last fifteen minutes."
(Not really, I think Red B.ull tastes like cough syrup, which makes me throw up a little, but I am caffeinated, and I slept through my first class this morning so I'm a little more peppy than usual... thus the run on sentences. My energy drink of choice [or my caffination process when all nighters with energy are required] is a Canadian brand called Beaver Buzz [weird I know, right?] which tastes pretty good, but then I mix it with Powerade and pineapple juice. Pineapple juice prevents your tummy from getting super acidy, which is always a problem when I pull all nighters, and Powerade keeps me hydrated, which is the worst part of energy drinks, aside from all the caffeine, weird colours and crazy ingredients they pretend are good for me but actually aren't. That's my trade secret, so keep it on the down low, but feel free to use it amongst yourselves and your loved ones.)

What am I up to? Well, I have been working a lot, and getting paid, which is fun! I am definitely feeling the pressure of less time than before, but it's not the same as when I worked on the other end of the city and had to drive there for 8 hours after my school, usually short shifts with some really fabulous girls who respect me, and I in turn reciprocate. I am totally trying to study or work on school junk at least a bit each night when I get home. I also have been working on my personal work project- finding a non profit organization willing to accept the 'damaged' goods from our store. Otherwise they just cut them to pieces so no one can pull them out of the trash and try to return them for store credit, and this whole theory makes me sad like a small emo-child in the corner. I came into the back room one day and I felt this huge ball in my stomach as the manager explained that we could prevent the slaughtering of all these relatively perfect goods if only we had someone with the time to make a few phone calls.

CHALLENGE EXTENDED.
.
.
.
.
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED

I started my mission by thinking about people I know who work with kids etc who would be willing to use the goods. One of my buddies is working with at risk youth teaching them to sew. Her organization doesn't have the storage capacity to take the goods right now, and since her program just started, the kids don't have the skills to rework the goods yet, so my search continues. My next choice was a shelter that has halfway houses which helps youth get into their own stable living situations, because they may need clothes for interviews or special events and they are just the kids who couldn't afford them. Often the items can't be sold because they have been worn and were returned by persnickety customers who were upset with a tiny problem. So they are SUPER nice clothes, but they have been worn. I still haven't heard back from them yet, so I will be moving on to some other groups soon if that doesn't pan out. Who knew it would take so much work to find people who want to take free stuff? WEIRD. But I will DO it.

(and yes, I am typing this all really fast, and feel like I'm talking at a million miles a second. Feel free to speed read to get the full on Alex P. on coffee experience.)

My Gluten Free World has benefited me as I am no longer covered in leprous splotches. This is a vast improvement. I have discovered that usually the only thing I can order at most restaurants is salad or nachos, and if its a pub or cheaper restaurant the nachos are usually the better choice because no one ever orders salad in those places, so its usually brown and gross. Nicer restaurants often have lots of neat options, but I am finding it way better if I just eat at home. This is good for my pocket book, and just my personal understanding of my body. I also use it as justification to have coffee from the green demon more often, because mocha syrup non fat americano mistos are practically the only yummy thing I can still have without a tonne of work. (Except for the gluten free chocolate covered donuts I found in the freezer aisle at the market down the street. I don't really like donuts normally, but these little bundles of joy were the only thing that kept me from having a melt down a few weeks ago when chocolate was an absolute necessity. And PROPS to my DH who went out and picked up a box this week 'just in case' I want more soon. Because he's Awesome. [capitalized for effect])

I am working on a group project related to hollow fiber sports wear, and this of course involves a lot of petroleum and unnatural based fiber usage. This usually makes me upset, because it's hard to think of all the stuff we are creating which doesn't break down and is just thrown away or not used to it's full capable extent. The other side of the argument is that this clothing is technical, and increases a persons comfort and is very appealing for many reasons, its wicking and durable, it makes exercise a more enjoyable experience. Awesome because health and body awareness are important. This particular Literature review has made me a bit happier. On the downside, I'm having trouble finding the exact papers I need, specifically about hollow fibers in sports wear. Since Human Ecology is such a small portion of the University, a lot of the textiles periodicals which may be useful are ones we have to request on Inter Library Loan, instead of having direct digital access. This is so frustrating since they have to ship the papers from whatever library in our network actually subscribes, which takes more time than we have, since we present on Wednesday of next week (EEEK). Wow. I digress. The good side of being really particular about my search parameters is that I am finding a lot of research about specialty fabrics which are being designed to have these technical aspects, but also to provide additional benefits to the environment like being recyclable (WOW) or even biodegradable (double WOW). The research itself is inspiring, because the textiles industry has long been a little behind in being socially responsible in pretty much every way shape and form (ethical labour practices, environmental procedures in development of textiles and garments, etc. .)
It is so good to see that not only does the industry understand that these items will help the world in the long run, but also that they need to be tested and shown to be just as effective as the articles we are using at this time. Because the research will lead to the production value.

OK. So that's where I am. Onward, Upward.

Squeezing Into the Green World

So, usually I leave my car at school in my parking garage, and use the light rail train (LRT) system or the bus to get around the city. Since I have recently gotten a job, and the LRT hasn't set up that far south yet (to be completed this summer probably) I am unable to do that, since the buses aren't fast enough. This means I drive my car to and from work many days, which is about a 5 minute drive. It's not great for the world, but keeping my car at the school still saves about 15 extra minutes of driving my car to my house, which is across the river.



Sometimes I think the world has become so accustomed to wealth that they now just equate 'doing well' to being a normal standard of living. People don't HAVE to have a truck, but it is a status symbol, a representation of where they are in the world, not caring if it uses more gas in the 20 minute drive home than my little hatchback uses in a drive to Red Deer (yes, Red Deer is a city, it's about 1.5 hours away, and my car uses less than a quarter tank to get there).

Case in point: the parkade I park in is an absolute hazard with the number of exteded cab giant trucks parked within it's walls. They block the driving lane because they stick out so far, and they often take up more than one space in the parkade to protect their precious paint jobs. There is no need for this many students to have vehichles this large, worth tens of thousands of dollars to get too and from school. The attitude that comes with them is what bothers me most. The air of entitlement and lack of common sense and moderation hits home. I also just hate the lack of courtesy to other parkers when they take up too much space. Today, two large trucks were both parked just over the line on either side of a parking space. This is my pet peeve. It takes 20 seconds to adjust your placement of your vehicle, it would take nothing to move over so that you are respecting your own space. These two trucks choose not to, eliminating the possibility of a parking space... except for a wee little car like mine. Now, I can assume that these people were just being negligent and rude, or I can assume they were late for class and so adjusting didnt seem important in the grand scheme of time... Either way, their need to have a huge truck and not be parked well outshone the needs of others, including even common courtesy. So I folded in my little side mirrors and slipped my car into the demi-spot that was custom made for my lil car balancing out the monoliths beside me.

I am hypocritical, ranting about a personal peeve on a page which is meant for eco and ethical ponderings of human ecology. But I can't help but think that this lack of thought for other people may have a larger impact, or reflect the larger scope of things: When a person chooses a product, is it a larger reflection of themselves? Or am I just blowing things out of proportion? The further I write about this stupid occurence, the dumber I feel about how gross it makes me feel, because it is just silly. That said, I just don't understand why people need such huge vehicles when they are usually just getting from A-B, and why these two individuals chose to park so rudely... Do they litter, swear loudly in public places, and unseat the old woman on the bus (oh wait, they don't take the bus... they have the giganta-mobile, my bad). If we cannot deem to take the time to be decent to neighbors, fellow students, etc, how are we to find the capacity within ourselves to be decent to the world, which many regard as a fairly inanimate object?

Pondersome.

And grumpy. Sorry about that. I will be adorable later.

Foot Loose and Gluten Free

So.... I have been away for quite a while.

I took a job at a store. I dont hate it, I don't love it, but it's still very new. I am optomistic that things will be beautiful there soon, and I will be loved and adored by all (naturally.) I need to increase my communication with my direct supervisor, because I think I haven't made the best first impression with her. I think I need to up my a-game in regards to clothes...I am a little on the casual side for what they mandate... That said, I have been doing well in my actual responsibilities, so I guess that's fine....

The exciting aspect of this job is that they have internships with their design team or buying team for employees. Which isn't that helpful for normal high school student employees, but for me, who is looking for a way to get into the garment industry... Perfect! Now, all I have to do is impress and impact all the management, and everything will be... fine. Right? (fingers crossed)

Since I took that job, I have received maybe 10 calls about other jobs I applied for. When it rains, it pours! None of them has the same kind of career potential, although many of them pay more, so I have been a bit torn. Maybe somewhere down the road I will regret my decision, but at this time, I am just going to stick to the plan.

The other side of my world, personal and internal:

Over Christmas break, and leading up to that time, I had been having really bad bouts of hives pretty much every day. I have terrible food allergies- seafood, nuts, soy, etc, and am quite careful to avoid all of these things. So the hives were leaving me flumoxed. My sister has celiac, and has been bugging me for quite some time to just get rid of wheat because it's likely the root of many of my problems, and I decided that maybe now is the time.

So I am gluten free. I think it's been two weeks. My hives have been steadily decreasing in occurence. Some mornings I wake up and find patches of them, but they are WAY less itchy.

It may be related to wheat, or it may be just that I'm eating more whole and fresh foods. I don't know, and I'm so relieved that I'm willing to stick with it.

How are you?

Good Morning Starshine, the Earth Says Hello

My dear friend Kelly paid homage to her last ten years with a beautiful review of her history. I could regale you all with all sorts of crazy stories: moving in with my best friend, loving and thinking I was loved, running away, being broken, learning how to sleep again, being manipulated, car accidents, and falling in love with the right person. And really, that was only the first three years... Then there was the past 7 years... 6 years of marriage and one year of crazy fun. Lots of false starts in school and life, getting laid off, and finding out all sorts of cute things about my favorite person. (DH can't get dressed until he has socks on... CAN'T. How cute is that? That said, I brush my teeth with hot water.)

Anyways. I am way too impatient to go over all of that- I am happy where I am, I am looking to be eventually gainfully employed, (two interviews on Monday... fingers crossed.)

This decade has been weird, nothing has gone as I thought I wanted it to. My decade in a nut shell has been amazing and painful. There is no nutshell, its all over the board. This year was hard. I lost my job. My mother in law has been very ill. My own mother is facing surgery in January. My family lives far away, and my schedule has not permitted a lot of visiting with much of anyone. School is really tiring.

So... Good riddance 2009. I have had my fill of you, and I am ready to embrace the new, the foreign, the exciting. I am welcoming it all to me and mine. I am calling success and happiness to my side of the universe this instant.

I am so lucky to have my partner in crime, and I wish everyone a safe, happy, and healthy new year.

Give Thanks, and Give Back

Well. Don't I feel sheepish. Everywhere I look I am surrounded by giving amazing people, and here I am worrying over the state of my life. It's time to take a step back, think about how lucky I am, and work on making my environment better through working for others.

Lately I have not necessarily been a scrooge, but I have been focused on getting 'the family stuff' out of the way, or under control. I love Christmas. I love the giving that happens (not presents, just the helping and conscientious awareness of what others need). I also love the aesthetic- I don't have a big tree, I have a small wrought iron tree and some green shrubbies, but the white stuff flying outside my window (Oh, does it EVER snow in Edmonton!) definitely completes the white Christmas motif.

That said- the giving and the love and the 'Christmas Spirit' so to speak has not been on my mind. That has changed this week.

Story 1)
This weekend we went to my parents house for 'Christmas' (we have agreed to spend Christmas with one family each year- taking turns) My dad's mom and her husband were there. She has Alzheimers, and has a lot of trouble getting around. If you think there is no good in the world, you have not seen a family lovingly remind the matriarch more than 30 times a day who they are, where she is, that her purse is fine, and that they are there to help. You have not seen a 59 year old man help his mother shower, and then have his daughter do her hair so that she feels special. You haven't seen my rock climbing tom-boy of a sister do a perfect manicure on a shaky older woman who then struggles to open her gifts without wrecking said beautiful nails.

Story 2)
When we left, I forgot my phone at my parents house. I was just going to get a friend who would be in Calgary (a three hour drive away) to drop by and pick it up, but my father (a devotee to the laptop, the cell phone, and as of 'christmas' time a GPS for his car) realized I left it behind, and immediately sent it by overnight mail. He knows that although I don't NEED my phone, I am happier with it, and he is providing that for me. Small, but so thoughtful.

Story 3)
I follow a myriad of other blogs. I love watching people grow and experience their own 'stuff' and reflect on the impacts of those circumstances. This particular story has really touched me, because I feel I am lacking on the giving, and concentrating on the things I need this season. Even if you are not religious, you can see the beauty in the giving that is occurring in this world. For a family living in their car, to be offered several days within a warm, safe, comfortable hotel- with access to showers, bathrooms, conveniences that we in the western world all take for granted- this is a beautiful thing. I follow this blog because I am not particularly faithful, but I admire the people who are, who possess the faith and commitment to live their lives the way that their spirituality encourages them too. I also think it's important to acknowledge that not all people who believe something are crazy zealous 'bible thumpers' or potential terrorists, or loony yogic flyers. Some people just believe strongly and let it guide them. I wish I believed that strongly in something that made me be this good.

4) I stumbled upon this article this morning which astounded me with its beautiful lesson in paying it forward. If one person does something big, and the person who receives that does the same for someone else- HOW much could we change the world? Fine, it may be cliche, and it may already be a movie, but this AMAZING idea can wreak havoc on the cynics of the world. I am always a fairly squishy girl, but this story in particular makes me just cry with happy feelings for these gift givers, and I feel inadequate in my efforts to impact my world in a positive way.

Finanically, my family is struggling, we are on one income, and we have expenses, just like everyone else. That said- I have a home, I have a car that works, I have food in my fridge and even if all of that was gone, ripped away from me- I have MANY people who love me and would fold me in blankets of warmth and love and help me get back on my feet.

So. How does this tie into human ecology? Sure, it's not designing a shirt or testing a temperature or air purity deal. But Human Ecology is a person and how they interact in their environment. How I work with the world, how I impact the world is affected by my choices of giving.

So here it is. I am challenging myself, and others to concentrate on the little things, the giving things, and let go of the petty pesky things which often drag us down this time of year. It may make all the stupid stuff easier to deal with- who cares that your mom mentions your weight or your sister in law tries to tell you what to do when you know you have given back HUGE to your world (even if it touches one person, I know it's huge to them). Call it Karma call it Love, call it whatever you want. Just make it all about the give.

Funny Food: Friend or Foe

In the search for things green pertaining to Human Ecology, (and all things nerd) I came across these tasty treasures which I think are a perfect analogy for my world view. Thats right, star and heart shaped cucumbers. Not what you would expect in our hi-tech world- you're thinking:

• Genetically Modified


• Possibly mixed with other animal/plant DNA


• Plain old fashioned weird

The truth? Women applied the idea of cookie cutters, stencils, sausage making to the idea of growing vegetables. And what did these little cucumbers do? They adapted. They took on the shape and just went with it. They casually sit in the salad, blythely thinking: "No big deal, I'm all heart." "Yeh, my mom was always ROOTING for me to be a star..."

This not only exemplifies our ability to take something ordinary and transport it to extraordinary, but it shows that things which are natural have the ability to adapt to their environment if it's still a healthy place for growth (do you see the connections I'm making? I am on FIRE!) This thought process could be applied to numerous areas of study, and makes me delve deeper into imagining what people (as natural entities) are capable of.

Edmonton has been hit with an evil cold snap recently (pleasantly veiled as some sort of adventure on my friend K's blog.) and all I can do is think of what people had to endure years ago when they lived here in mud houses and log cabins (with no heat, insulation, sleeping bags of fluffly manufactured fiber, and big winter jackets which have undergone all sorts of sciency warm inducing research and development). We have developed solutions so that we suit the environment we are in. In Edmonton, we rise to the challenge of meeting the cold head on and woolying up to keep our toes! Humanity has the ability to take a situation and adapt to it.

Which brings me to my most important point. We are a fledgling cucumber, stuck in a world of finite resources and an exhausted environment. That is the shape we must mold to. At this time, we are ignoring the mold, perhaps because we don't want to take on the shape, or because we can't imagine the changes which need to occur within society in order to fit it. But we must take this on as a responsibility to our world, and to prove to ourselves that we are as ingenous and capable as we believe.

Ok. So this post is a little flaky, but you can't blame a girl who really enjoyed her semester and just finished two really strenous exams. My sanity is holding on by a thread.

Next week: Why Humanity should hand over their decision making to J.amie S.pears (Come on, a man that can make britney dress like a real person [read: bra, underwear, pants, shirt, and shoes] may be better equipped than even my favorite community organizer [rhymes with yo-mama].)

So I've been MIA

Things are good here, they're just busy. My world is full of school. I have not written but I have been reading all the blogs I usually do... But school has been eating my brain. I am so close to being done I can taste it, although it's really more than 6 months away. That said, I'm getting antsy to be truly finished. There are things which I have been discovering which make me even gladder that I have chosen this vein of study:

We get a ring. Everyone who graduates with a Human Ecology designation gets a little pinky ring to denote our chosen profession. It's for everyone, and it means something. It's not a fancy ring, and it's not all "one ring, to rule them all" with fighting and scandal and only going to those who have the highest GPA, it's something to create the tie between all of us little undergrads to show we all have something in common- the desire for the greater good an all that. I suppose. Ok, so now I'm making it sound all culty, but really, its just a fun (and serious) little memento. Check it out here.

Alright. So now that I have done my plug for the life of a Human Ecologist, here's what I've learned recently about the rest of the world:

• Not everyone knows what a dutch oven is.(Not the pan. Something different) Google this, it's funny. But never do it to someone you love. In fact, it may be the best way to show someone that you no longer love them... (Just kidding. Maybe.)
• Sometimes people don't pull their weight.
  
• Sometimes it's better to just accept that people don't pull their weight, and move on. The project turns out better with as little animosity as possible.
  
• Being a grown up means taking ownership for all the things that you used to shove under your bed as a child.
  
• Being a grown up means you take ownership of all the other stuff too.
• When people are in a bad mood, its a fabulous time to ask them what their favorite animal is and then act it out in interpretative dance.
• Christmas movies are always a good idea.
• If I ever teach a class I will not make everything worth 5-10% so that no one ever has any idea how they're doing the whole way through.
  
• If I ever teach a class I will not make the 30% paper due a week before the 40% exam. That means 70% of my mark is hanging in the balance.
  
• I still love to act crazy and run off and do weird stuff, even if I'm not a kid, and that's why life stays fun.
• Sometimes the best days involve sleeping bags and nuzzles with your family.
  

Well.. I hope to do some serious Human Ecology delving over the winter break, because I start a class where we have to blather on about feelings and how they apply to Human Ecology process, so I may as well get started. So I hope to see a lot more of you!

Cheers!