One strike, and I’m out

As of this afternoon, the city’s transit workers have announced that they will officially be on strike as of tomorrow morning.

In some ways, this is rather inconvenient for me.  I have, for example, a dentist appointment on Tuesday that’s going to involve a 14 km round trip, walking.  While not undoable – I walked it one way this past Friday to check that it was – that’s a lot of walking, and will take up a good two and half hours of my day, plus the time required for the appointment.  I also have to get myself to campus, with computer in tow, to teach my classes and to be there for meetings and so on.

But I’m also trying (and generally succeeding) to see the strike as an opportunity to get more exercise into my daily life, and to maybe start getting used to a life with a bit less oil.  So, this week I’ve walked a lot more than I have in awhile – to the store for new fuses, to drop off some donations at the thrift store, to the dentist appointment that I mentioned.  I’ve also biked a lot more – to explore my neighbourhood, to run some errands, and to an appointment on campus.  While it was a little hard in some cases – with my back in its present state, walking isn’t always easy, although it’s not all that difficult either – it certainly wasn’t all that difficult – mostly just time consuming and, in some cases tiring.

But, for now at least, I’m looking forward to the challenge.  I suppose that might change at some point, especially when we start getting the heavy snows of winter that this are is known for.  But, for now, I have warm coats, heavy hats, gloves, and scarves, good boots, and wool clothing to keep me warm, all of which I imagine will serve me well, if it happens to come down to it.  Admittedly, I hope that it won’t – there are a lot of people a whole lot worse off than I am as a result of this strike, and just because I can manage fairly well doesn’t mean that that’s the norm – but for now I can see it as an opportunity to try some new ways of changing my life a bit more in ways that I imagine will be important for the future.

In the name of health

While I’ve been working to stay on budget recently, I’ve had a few health-type thing come up that are throwing my budget a bit.  Although this is nothing hugely serious – some migraines as well as back pain – I am trying to solve these issues as quickly as possible, but also with an eye to preventing further issues.

My doctor has prescribed massage therapy for me, and I went in for my first session yesterday.  While the massage itself did feel rather good, this was not gentle, relaxing massage, and at some points it wound up being rather painful, to the point where once or twice I had to ask for less pressure.  I’m actually still sore today, but better able to turn my head and stretch, which is a wonderful feeling.

While this is mostly covered by my health insurance, it’s still rather expensive, especially since I’m going to need to go regularly for a bit to get sorted out.  While I wouldn’t do it if I simply couldn’t afford it, I was concerned at first because it does have an effect on my budget.  But then I thought about it, and realised that the benefits that I did and hope to continue to get from the treatment are worth the money, especially if they make my life easier and prevent more serious health issues down the road.

While my doctor suggested drugs for the migraines, my therapist seems to think he can reduce or prevent them altogether.  He also claims that massage can help to clear up some stomach issues, PMS, tension, back pain, and other relatively mild problems that I have right now.  I’m certainly willing to give it a try if there, even if only half of the benefits are realised.

One thing I appreciated most was that multiple options to change how I’m feeling were offered, and that many of them I can do at home.  By dealing with these issues now in relatively simple ways, we can prevent them from getting worse in the future.  But he also offered up some suggestions about other things I can do at home to help myself as well, from drinking more water to sleeping in a different position and stretching in certain ways.

So, after the appointment I got to thinking about other simple and relatively inexpensive changes that I’ve been wanting to make as well as some new ones that I can start to implement to help maintain my overall health.  There are some things I’ve been doing for awhile now – lots of sleep, certain supplements, plenty of water – that I’m going to keep doing, but I think there are some other ways that it might be useful to start thinking about health. In some cases these changes do require a bit of an outlay of money – last night I spent $32 on epsom salts for post-massage baths and a large bottle of evening primrose oil, an essentially fatty acid that may help with the migraines – but there are other things I’d like to get started on as well.  Maybe they’re things you’ve thought about doing yourself?

Personally, I’m going to start with these:

More fruits, veggies, beans, and whole grains – I try to eat like this regularly and am pretty good about it, but sometimes I slip, and I’d like to keep up with it more regularly at the very least through green smoothies and soups.

More regular exercise – I’ve been working on getting more exercise into my daily routine.  I think I’ve been succeeding – I’ve been running errands on my bike or on foot a lot more recently – but I’d like to make sure I’m getting that in at least five days a week for half an hour (minimum) at a time.  I just feel better when I do.

More stretching – I sometimes forget to stretch after exercise, and I think it would be helpful.  Ideally I’d get in 45 minutes of yoga in the evenings, but in case this doesn’t always work out, I’d like to make sure I always stretch after I exercise to keep flexible.

Fewer chemicals – I’ve made a good start here (more on that later, I think), but there are still a few things I need to phase out, like shampoo and makeup, or at least replace with some better alternatives.  Skin sucks in so much that I worry about what I’m taking in just in the shower every morning.

More dental care – this is one that I really do tend to put off, which only makes things worse.  I need to take a bit better care of my teeth at home, and also go in for more regular checkups to make sure that all is well, and that I’m catching any problems early.

More fun – I need some more fun in my life.  I get caught up in my work very easily and start being a hermit, so I think I need to get out more – more time with friends, more dancing, more music, more hanging out, more visits, more people over.  Sure, this takes time, but I think it’s worthwhile.  Perhaps I should organize a dinner and games night sometime soon.

 

 

 

Simple Saturday

I’m hoping to get back on track with Simple Sundays this week, but I actually decided to go for a relatively simple Saturday today.  I’m pretty tired to start with, but The Boy left this morning after a month-long visit, and so I’m focusing on laying low and doing things that make me happy, since the departures always leave me sad.

After seeing The Boy off this morning, I went for a walk.  In the name of distraction, I wandered into the local thrift store (somewhat bad, I know, although I’m stepping up the thrift visits in the hopes of finding my mom her dishes before Christmas).  I didn’t find any dishes, but I did find a few older music books in a series that I quite like (lot of lovely older songs, with simple melodies and the guitar chords included), so I got those, which I’ll use to get back to practicing my guitar, which makes for a cheap and productive form of entertainment.

I walked home again, and now I’m settled in on the couch, drinking tea and watching episodes of “The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency” and “Jamie at Home”, both of which I really enjoy.  I’ll be making some soup for dinner – probably pho – and then hope to curl up in bed with a lot of blankets and pillows and read some novels.

If I have to I’ll get some work done tomorrow.  I’d rather have Sunday off, but at least I know that if I do work, I’ve still had a day off today, which was very much needed.

Winter preparations: the plastic update

Yesterday, which was The Boy’s last day here before heading home, we took some time to put up the plastic sheeting that I bought for the windows.  Thank goodness he was still here, because trying to deal with these big windows on my own would have been a truly miserable experience.

I have to admit, I was pretty sceptical about how useful this approach would be (to the point of buying the plastic last year and then returning it).  So, I thought a bit of a review would be useful for people who are also considering winterizing their places but maybe a bit sceptical as well.

I bought my plastic at the local home hardware in a big bulk roll, although they have smaller pieces (measure windows first to find out how much you’ll need).  I got a roll 64″ by 25″, which would cover all five windows with a bit left over, and four rolls of tape were included – the whole kit was $22.

When we opened the package, both The Boy and I were a bit surprised – the plastic, which we expected to be somewhat thick and heavy, felt rather like saran wrap.  But, despite our concerns about fragility and tearing and all that, we went ahead and cleared a spot on the floor to measure and cut.

Frankly, m easuring and cutting sucked.  My windows are big, so it took some effort to make sure that the measurements were right and accurate.  But, we cut all the pieces in about an hour, probably, and started putting them up.

We started on a small window.  The tape is double-sided and gets rolled on, sticky side down, and then a layer of paper is peeled off, so it’s sticky on either side.  We put up the plastic, starting from one corner, and then once it was sealed, we used my hairdryer to shrink it.

Surprisingly (to me, anyway), it worked like a charm.  The plastic went up easily enough, and once shrunk, it’s almost impossible to tell that it’s there.  There aren’t any draughts anymore, except for the doors, and my apartment certainly feels less cold, which is lovely.  one thing we noticed on the windows was that when they were almost sealed, they were bulging out around the unsealed bit, with a lot of cool air coming it.  It was difficult to tell how bad the draughts were when the whole window was leaking, but was easy (and scary!) to see when the hole was small.  We also noticed that although the windows that open were doing this, the ones that don’t open were doing it too, suggesting that the draughts were really quite bad.

Next, I need to seal up the outside doors, but I’m pleased with the difference the window plastic has made thus far.  I suppose the true test will be when it gets really cold, but with any luck, this winter will feel a bit warmer than the last few.

Winter preparations

With cold temperatures, few leaves left on the trees, and the first hints of snow yesterday, it’s time to start getting my apartment ready for winter.  This time, I’m ready.

My apartment faces north with a balcony overhanging it, which translates to not a lot of warmth from the sun.  Coupled with a big expanse of old inefficient windows and low-efficiency poorly placed heaters (right in front of the windows), it gets pretty cold in the winter.  While I’ve dealt with it easily enough in the past (wool blankets, hats, capes, soup, tea, hot water bottle, and other measures), I’m stepping up the challenge this year to see if I can make the space a bit better this year.  So, the plan for this weekend is winterizing the place.

I’ve already pulled out my supplies from past years.  My hot water bottle is out, although I want to make it a felted wool cover.  I’ve pulled out the blankets, down duvets, hats, scarves, socks, and shearling boots that I wear like slippers, so they’re all ready to go.  The teapot and tea are always at hand anyway, so no big changes there.

This year, I’ve added to the arsenal, though.  I bought shrink film for my windows to add in an extra layer of insulation.  While I hate buying plastic products, this is reusable, which is good, and I think it’s worth it if I get to stay a bit warmer.  I also bought just enough for my windows, so there should be a minimal amount of waste.

I’ve also pulled out curtains and bought some curtain rods and sticky hooks with which to hand them, since drilling into the old walls around here works incredibly badly.  By putting up curtains and keeping them close to the (newly insulated) windows themselves, I’m hoping to keep in even more heat, and out even more cold.  In the bedroom, I’m even going to add in some wool blankets underneath the curtains to further improve the insulation.  Given that the windows in the bedroom see a lot of use, I’m also considering by some reflective insulation to fit in there as well.  If I can get the bedroom a bit warmer, I can close it off from the rest of the apartment to keep it that way.

Up next: get some long underwear to keep a bit wamer, and knit a few more pairs of fingerless gloves for warm hands while typing.  Of course, I’m always open to suggestions, so if anyone has anything to add, I’d love to hear it.

It can’t hurt to ask…

Or, how I learned to stop worrying and get a bit of assertiveness.

After a particularly not-nice Internet bill (kind of my own fault, but also kind of the fault of certain service oligopolistic providers who are not as forthcoming as perhaps they should be about fees and service changes), I was looking for ways to moderate some of the damage.  Now, admittedly, the damage wasn’t all that bad.  I just don’t much like spending money, and anything that throws my budget off tends to throw me off as well.  I certainly have the money to cover it, I just don’t like it (although it does make me wonder about what happens when people in worse financial situations run into issues like this).

I was annoyed enough this time that I looked closely at my bill and actually found a few ways to save on other elements of the bill, although there wasn’t much to be done about the initial charge.  But then I remembered something that had annoyed me a few months ago.  Back in April, I called to have my bills consolidated, which would save $10 a month.  After a few month it didn’t happen, so I called again to have the same thing set up.  Then, in September, I got a call asking if I would like to set up the same service.  So, after it didn’t happen twice, the change was put through.  Of course, in the meantime, I’d overpayed over $50.

I was feeling irritated enough about this other situation that I decided to do something about this other situation that, until a few days ago, I was ready to just let slide.  So, I called, and I complained.  While they didn’t have a record of my two requests (which I suspect, since they were never completed), they did give me a $20 credit for my trouble, which I do appreciate, and which will cover a pretty large chunk of the other issues I’m trying to cover for.

Now, you have to understand, this is big for me.  I am not a complainer.  I’ll complain about things to friends or family, but to call somewhere and complain is, for me, a huge thing.  And, honestly, I was surprised it worked.  So, for those who are of the same temperment as I am, here are a few thoughts on getting what you want when you’ve run into issues.

1.  Know what you want.  I knew that I wanted to complain, but also that I wanted at least some of that money credited to my account.  As I said, I tried this twice, and the company failed each time, which cost me money in the long run.  Know what you want so if you want something more than an apology, that’s what you get.

2.  Don’t be accusatory.  Taking a few minutes to think about what you’re going to say can be very helpful here.  I was ready to go in with guns blazing (and, knowing me, probably tears flowing too, since I cry when I’m frustrated), but I took a few minutes to think.  I realised that they probably didn’t have a record, which made for a pretty weak case for me.  So, I decided that if I started by asking if they had a record I would be able to feel out my position, plus it would make me seem both serious and reasonable, even if there wasn’t one.  It would also give them an opportunity to counter (which they did with the $20 credit), perhaps without me having to ask.

3.  Be polite.  I generally think people should be polite, but this is especially important when the people you’re complaining to likely just work for the company (unless you’re talking about a very small operation).  Your issue is very likely not their fault.  They may be having a bad day, or are not paid well, or any of a number of things that means that they could use a bit of compassion as well.  As a result, I find that being polite is really, really helpful in getting people on my side about something, especially since I’m sure that people are frequently not so polite.

I thought I might have a few more points, but in this case it really was that simple.  I got what I wanted without freaking out or making a scene, and I feel okay about the whole thing (although I still take issue with some elements of the services I receive, but I’m working on that now).  I suppose it might have been different if they had resisted or I had to ask directly for what I wanted, but I really feel that taking the steps that I did helped me get what I wanted without having to stray into territory that I’m not all that comfortable with.  I recommend trying it – the results might surprise you.

Simple Sundays

My recent Sundays haven’t really been so simple.  It started with one weekend serving as volunteer coordinator at a conference, which was about as contrary to simple as could be.  While most of the subsequent Sundays haven’t been so bad, they have been spent writing and doing research and sometimes getting some grading finished, these aren’t really restful ways to spend my time at the end of the week.  Although getting work done – especially finishing off grading, which is such a weight – feels very good when it’s done, I think now more than ever – as I’m mired in teaching, research, writing, and website development – that I need to take these days for myself.

In an effort to make sure I take this time for me, I got to thinking about what my ideal Sunday would look like, so I could use it as motivation to replicate it as much as possible.  So, in the interest of accountability, here it is:

First, and perhaps most importantly, I sleep in and wake up slowly in a warm, comfy bed.  I reach for a novel and read in bed for a little while before getting up to a healthy breakfast – perhaps a green smoothie, or oatmeal, or an omlet.  After breakfast I pull on some warm clothing – it’s getting cold now – and head out for a walk.  If I happen to be down the road I stop in at the used book store run by a charity to browse and maybe pick up something that I’ve been wanting to read.

After heading home I make myself a good lunch with some tea and settle in on the couch with some novels.  I read for awhile, eventually dozing off under a warm wool blanket.  After waking, I head to the kitchen to have some tea and make a big pot of soup – enough for leftovers for the first bit of the week.  Once dinner is over and the dishes away I watch a few shows or listen to a few podcasts before curling up in bed with a book and dozing off to sleep.

Not all Sundays will look like this, I know, but with this as my ideal, I hope I can get back to simpler Sundays and get a bit more rest and rejuvenation in my life.

Getting radical

I’ve been reading some of the articles in Unstuffed’s “This is not a round up“.  She warned me.  But I read them anyway.

If you need me, I’ll be the one sucking my thumb under the bed.

The long and short, as I’m sure most people who’d be reading this blog know, is that the situation is not good.  Really not good.  Dire, in fact, would probably be a better description.  We need radical change to save the world.

The question is, how do we get radical change?  How do we change ourselves?  Those around us?  More importantly, how do we change the corporations that one of those articles blames as 90% of the population?  (To be fair, these are also corporations that make the stuff, both arguably unnecessary junk and arguably necessary food, that is demanded by people, which does not let us off the hook for that 90%).

I’ve been sitting here this morning thinking about some of the ways in which maybe I could change my life a bit more.  I’m wondering about turning off the fridge and freezer – possibly my biggest energy use – and walking down the street to pick up smaller amounts of fresh food as I need them.  I’m wondering about living in the dark a little more, and taking advantage of extra darkness for some extra wintertime sleep.  I’m pondering how I can grow some of my own food in the winter, in Canada (sprouts, anyone?)  I’m thinking again about the Riot 4 Austerity (which fell by the wayside for awhile), and getting back on board with seriously reducing my emissions.

Honestly, I know I can do more.  I’m far from perfect.  I fail all the time at trying to live the life I want to live, especially in the face of environmental destruction.  I travel more than I should (once, fairly recently, by plane, which left me feeling rather ill).  I buy food from the grocery store, and occasionally pre-packaged food when I’m sick or overworked.  I waste food (although sometimes grocery store food goes bad so quickly I don’t have time to catch and stop it).  I have more stuff than I need and, as a result, probably also take up more space than I need.

But, at the same time, I know that while the bit I’m doing is worthwhile, it’s not enough on its own.  Other people and companies need to change to make this work.

To date, I have never been much of an activist in the traditional sense.  Sure, I’ve worked in activist organizations, but my preferred place to be is behind the scenes.  I hate canvassing, dislike a scene, and start to panic when in large crowds.  When I worked with Amnesty International, I would write letters but had a hard time fundraising.  With Food Not Bombs, I cooked the food on a weekly basis but never actually served it.

While behind the scenes work is important and I hope to keep it up, I’m also starting to wonder if I need to be more radical in my approach to change.  Sure, not buying processed foods or new items sends a message, but is it enough of a message?  Is it a message that’s heard at all, either on its own or with respect to other people trying to get across the same one? Do I need to make my voice stand out so other people and corporations are able to hear it?

I’m not sure what the answer is here.  I’m mulling it over and thinking about the options.  I can’t deny that that’s uncomfortable for me.  But I imagine the discomfort I feel now will be nothing compared to the discomfort of living in a world that is rapidly falling apart under the effects of poor choices about how societies have chosen to live.

Maybe the answer is to talk to more people, or to head out and protest.  Maybe it’s to write more letters, or talk to more people about the issues.  Most likely it’s all of the above and then some.  I can’t say I’m not uncomfortable with the challenge of being more radical, but I think it’s worth finding more ways to get out there.  The personal is, of course, political, but I feel like it’s time to go further if we stand a chance of mitigating the damage that’s already far more significant than is comfortable to think about.

A good morning

It’s grey and cool here, but I needed a walk for some exercise and some air this morning, so out I went.

As I was out and about, I happened to be by the thrift store, which I haven’t been to in awhile.  Given that I haven’t yet found anything for my mom for Christmas yet, I popped in (her gifts are always a particular set of thrifted dishes, so I try to stop when I happen to be close).

While there was one small disappointment – the discovery of a lovely green loden wool coat such as I’ve been coveting for awhile now that was far, far too big for me – I managed to find a few things that have been on my want list for awhile now, which was lovely.  Now in my possession are a small tartan wool lap blanket, copies of “Square Foot Gardening” and “The Moosewood Cookbook”, brand new pillow cases, and a lovely older backgammon set.  I also got two Tom Robbins books for pleasure reading while I was at it.  The grand total?  $6.45 for the whole lot.

I’ve been trying not to buy much recently and to avtively get rid of things.  In general, I’ve been doing pretty well at this, and it’s been pretty good for my budget as well.  But I still keep a lot of things in my head that I want (generally this is a list of things I would be willing to pay new retail prices for, but am willing to wait on and would love to find in a thrift store).  The cook book and gardening book were both in the category, as was the backgammon set and pillow cases, so I didn’t feel at all bad buying them when I happened to find them.  The prices can’t be beat, I’m supporting a charity, and keeping goods that someone else doesn’t want from being thrown away.  And, I got a nice walk in the bargain.  Not a bad morning at all…

Working hard

I have been working hard.

Teaching.

Dissertation.

Conference.

Workshops.

Papers.

When I’m not working, I’m trying to keep my apartment under control or, even more likely, I’m dozing on the couch in the afternoon because, while I am feeling happy-enough and productive-enough (except maybe on the dissertation, which seems to wind up on the back burner more often than not), I am also feeling very tired.  Happily, it’s a content tired, most of the time, but tired all the same.

So, that’s where I’ve been but, happily, there are few people to notice.  I’m hoping to be back more, and writing more, and all that fun stuff.  But for now, I’ll be on the couch.