Jo Hunter Adams
I'm more than half-way through my news fast, and although I ended up on Facebook this weekend, I'm pressing on. I've noticed the temptation to look at non-banned websites increasing.
Key things in week 4:
1) I'm not hugely out of touch or under-stimulated.
2) I'm enjoying new levels of productivity.
3) I'm consistently able to have meaningful breaks during my day.
Here's another person's Internet Fast story!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
January Book List and Day 13 of News Fast
Hi everyone,
This morning I woke up super early and I wondered if it was in part because I'm not checking so many websites during the day and my mind is clearer. Maybe??
One of the things I'm doing this year (thanks to the AwesomeNote ipod app, which has been hugely helpful in notetaking and keeping track of things) is keeping a list of books I've read. I wanted to share the list for the month of January:
War Trash by Ha Jin
Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver
The Cripple and His Talismans by Anosh Irani
Khabzela by Liz McGregor
The End of Overeating by David Kessler
The Foreign Student by Susan Choi
Bookkeeping for Dummies (not finished yet)
Morality for Beautiful Girls by Alexander McCall Smith
The Full Cupboard of Life by Alexander McCall Smith
Although I probably won't have time to think deeply on this blog about each one, I'll try to give really short summaries of each in the next few weeks. How about you? Have you read any interesting books this month?
This morning I woke up super early and I wondered if it was in part because I'm not checking so many websites during the day and my mind is clearer. Maybe??
One of the things I'm doing this year (thanks to the AwesomeNote ipod app, which has been hugely helpful in notetaking and keeping track of things) is keeping a list of books I've read. I wanted to share the list for the month of January:
War Trash by Ha Jin
Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver
The Cripple and His Talismans by Anosh Irani
Khabzela by Liz McGregor
The End of Overeating by David Kessler
The Foreign Student by Susan Choi
Bookkeeping for Dummies (not finished yet)
Morality for Beautiful Girls by Alexander McCall Smith
The Full Cupboard of Life by Alexander McCall Smith
Although I probably won't have time to think deeply on this blog about each one, I'll try to give really short summaries of each in the next few weeks. How about you? Have you read any interesting books this month?
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Day 12 and Butternut Squash seeds
Jo Hunter Adams
In week three I'm not doing nearly as well at my News Fast. But I will press on! I'll keep on updating you, more for myself than for you.
In other news, I wanted to share with you the awesomeness of butternut squash (sorry that I never appreciated it before, mom and dad...). I tried this Butternut Squash Soup Recipe, with the only modification of roasting the butternut squash rather than boiling it with the other ingredients. 
I also roasted the seeds (for about 15 minutes) with a tiny brushing of olive oil and a little salt. The seeds are crunchy and nutty and feel like a treat. The soup was also great.
So, for those of you suffering through the Northern Hemisphere winter, take heart! Root vegetables and gourds have potential!
In week three I'm not doing nearly as well at my News Fast. But I will press on! I'll keep on updating you, more for myself than for you.
In other news, I wanted to share with you the awesomeness of butternut squash (sorry that I never appreciated it before, mom and dad...). I tried this Butternut Squash Soup Recipe, with the only modification of roasting the butternut squash rather than boiling it with the other ingredients. 
I also roasted the seeds (for about 15 minutes) with a tiny brushing of olive oil and a little salt. The seeds are crunchy and nutty and feel like a treat. The soup was also great. So, for those of you suffering through the Northern Hemisphere winter, take heart! Root vegetables and gourds have potential!
Friday, January 22, 2010
Meal Plans: Day 10
Jo Hunter Adams
Inspired by my brilliant sister-in-law on our visit to South Africa, Eug and I have been trying out meal plans as a way of avoiding eating out and keeping our grocery bill down. Our CSA has ended, which means the glorious unpredictability of our food supply has given way to a genius, foolproof plan for eating well and saving money!
What's been useful about the process so far is that it's helped us try out a couple of new meals every two weeks (and see what we like and what we don't). Don't you find that you have a psychological need to full an empty fridge? Our genius plan reassures me that we have enough food for the full two weeks, even if the fridge looks like it's emptying out. On evenings where we're not to excited about cooking, we have good simple fast options. As a bonus, it makes it easy to eat very little meat.
Wow, I used the word "easy" a lot in that paragraph! Going back to the public health ideas about behaviour change and self-efficacy, it's most likely that we will make changes that we feel are manageable. Gradual change and simple options tend to be more manageable than deciding to make gourmet meals every night. So here's to good, simple, cheap food!
One unexpectedly good recipe from the last two weeks:
Adapted from Lentil Loaf
Prep Time:
45 MinCook Time:
50 MinReady In:
1 Hr 35 Min
Ingredients
1 1/8 cups green lentils
2 1/4 cups water
6 slices white bread, torn into small pieces
2 or 3 eggs
1 cup vegetable broth water
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian herbs/marjoram/basil
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup grated cheese
Directions
Combine lentils and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer until tender, about 40 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
In a large bowl, mix together 2 cups cooked lentils, bread, eggs, broth or water, tomato paste, basil, garlic powder, black pepper, parsley, olive oil. Spread into prepared pan. Add some cheese or nuts for extra taste.
Bake for 40 minutes. Sprinkle top with grated cheese or bread crumbs, and continue baking another 10 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Inspired by my brilliant sister-in-law on our visit to South Africa, Eug and I have been trying out meal plans as a way of avoiding eating out and keeping our grocery bill down. Our CSA has ended, which means the glorious unpredictability of our food supply has given way to a genius, foolproof plan for eating well and saving money! What's been useful about the process so far is that it's helped us try out a couple of new meals every two weeks (and see what we like and what we don't). Don't you find that you have a psychological need to full an empty fridge? Our genius plan reassures me that we have enough food for the full two weeks, even if the fridge looks like it's emptying out. On evenings where we're not to excited about cooking, we have good simple fast options. As a bonus, it makes it easy to eat very little meat.
Wow, I used the word "easy" a lot in that paragraph! Going back to the public health ideas about behaviour change and self-efficacy, it's most likely that we will make changes that we feel are manageable. Gradual change and simple options tend to be more manageable than deciding to make gourmet meals every night. So here's to good, simple, cheap food!
One unexpectedly good recipe from the last two weeks:
Adapted from Lentil Loaf
Prep Time:
45 MinCook Time:
50 MinReady In:
1 Hr 35 Min
Ingredients
1 1/8 cups green lentils
2 1/4 cups water
6 slices white bread, torn into small pieces
2 or 3 eggs
1 cup vegetable broth water
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian herbs/marjoram/basil
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup grated cheese
Directions
Combine lentils and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer until tender, about 40 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
In a large bowl, mix together 2 cups cooked lentils, bread, eggs, broth or water, tomato paste, basil, garlic powder, black pepper, parsley, olive oil. Spread into prepared pan. Add some cheese or nuts for extra taste.
Bake for 40 minutes. Sprinkle top with grated cheese or bread crumbs, and continue baking another 10 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Should we try to make sense of terrible events?: Day 9 of News Fast
Jo Hunter Adams
I noticed that my usual sense of mild indignation at the "state of the world" is much diminished during these two weeks of fasting. It makes me think of the bumper sticker that reads "If you're not outraged then you haven't been paying attention". My sense is that there's a space for that outrage in short, action-filled bursts, but it's not helpful when it's a low-ebbing sense of frustration.
My perspective on the earthquake(s) in Haiti is also altered by the fact that I haven't seen pictures or read, as I would otherwise have done.
I wanted to share some thoughts I heard on the questions that one sometimes asks when such a huge, inherently unexplainable, tragedy occurs.
1. Asking "why?" is sometimes an attempt to insulate ourselves from recognizing our own vulnerability-- if we can suggest why something happened to someone else, maybe it'll feel less likely that tragedy hit us. But the reality is that hard times will hit all of us, albeit in different ways.
2. Asking "why?" cannot lead to anything good (a sense of peace, a sense of how to prevent future tragedy, etc). It'll lead to anything between paralysis and devastating pain.
As such, evil and tragedy are not to be understood, they're to be actively combatted.
Action, in this case, seems to mean prayer, money, and time.
I noticed that my usual sense of mild indignation at the "state of the world" is much diminished during these two weeks of fasting. It makes me think of the bumper sticker that reads "If you're not outraged then you haven't been paying attention". My sense is that there's a space for that outrage in short, action-filled bursts, but it's not helpful when it's a low-ebbing sense of frustration.
My perspective on the earthquake(s) in Haiti is also altered by the fact that I haven't seen pictures or read, as I would otherwise have done.
I wanted to share some thoughts I heard on the questions that one sometimes asks when such a huge, inherently unexplainable, tragedy occurs.
1. Asking "why?" is sometimes an attempt to insulate ourselves from recognizing our own vulnerability-- if we can suggest why something happened to someone else, maybe it'll feel less likely that tragedy hit us. But the reality is that hard times will hit all of us, albeit in different ways.
2. Asking "why?" cannot lead to anything good (a sense of peace, a sense of how to prevent future tragedy, etc). It'll lead to anything between paralysis and devastating pain.
As such, evil and tragedy are not to be understood, they're to be actively combatted.
Action, in this case, seems to mean prayer, money, and time.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Day 7
Hi everyone,
Just a quick post today. I made it through Day 6 (or 8, depending on how you count the weekend), mainly because I had to be accountable to you guys.
In week 2, my hope is that I'll be able to build some moments of pause into my day. Here's to a good week!
Jo
Just a quick post today. I made it through Day 6 (or 8, depending on how you count the weekend), mainly because I had to be accountable to you guys.
In week 2, my hope is that I'll be able to build some moments of pause into my day. Here's to a good week!
Jo
Monday, January 18, 2010
Your Planner and Bank Statement as Moral Documents: News Fast Day 6
Jo Hunter Adams
About a year ago I wrote about jubilee and economic justice. 2009 seemed to be a year of consolidation: paying off debt, learning to eat a bit differently; it was also year of awesome family gatherings. 2010 begins a new season-- our finances look different (and we no longer own stocks), we are both in different jobs, and becoming parents in May also signifies a major change in our lives. It's a good time to think about living intentionally.
Perhaps that's why Jim Wallis's description of our planners and our budget as "moral documents" seemed particularly pertinent. The question that this brings is "Does the way I spend my time and money reflect my core values?" It's very helpful for me to ask what it means to spend much of the week at work-- both for the time spent there, and for the time that remains. I like these questions, particularly when I (or Eug and I) reflect on choices that may be counter-cultural. Radical decisions seem much less extreme. If I believe in jubilee and in economic justice, how does that play out?
About a year ago I wrote about jubilee and economic justice. 2009 seemed to be a year of consolidation: paying off debt, learning to eat a bit differently; it was also year of awesome family gatherings. 2010 begins a new season-- our finances look different (and we no longer own stocks), we are both in different jobs, and becoming parents in May also signifies a major change in our lives. It's a good time to think about living intentionally.Perhaps that's why Jim Wallis's description of our planners and our budget as "moral documents" seemed particularly pertinent. The question that this brings is "Does the way I spend my time and money reflect my core values?" It's very helpful for me to ask what it means to spend much of the week at work-- both for the time spent there, and for the time that remains. I like these questions, particularly when I (or Eug and I) reflect on choices that may be counter-cultural. Radical decisions seem much less extreme. If I believe in jubilee and in economic justice, how does that play out?
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