Jo Hunter Adams
It's Lent on the western Christian calendar, and at our church we do something together called Leap of Faith (previously known as the 40 Days of Faith). It's a great season, where we ask God for or about things that we really care about, for ourselves, those in our immediate (day-to-day) circle, and our church.
I mentioned earlier that I was thinking about heading back into my news fast--or some version thereof--in honour of this season. I decided not to, after all. The News Fast seemed to be about disconnecting from useless stuff (in a fairly strict way), whereas I felt like this lent will be about connecting to people in a meaningful way. So, hopefully you'll hear more from me (by phone, e-mail or in person) the next few weeks!
We're also gearing up to welcome the little blob into our home (he's getting pretty big) in early May. Although I'm totally sold on frugality and simplicity, it seemed like a great time to go big on our apartment. Our flat is small (even for two people), but we're hoping to stay there for a little while longer after the baby arrives. Hence a trip to IKEA. Our apartment is halfway to being a totally new place (stay tuned). I'm pretty excited. For the first time, we have seating for more than one person (yeah!), and an office area of the living room.
I realized that 1) my standard of living is hugely subjective, that 2) for about $400, ours just went up a ton, to the point where I feel like we're all going to have enough space and 3) The cost of furniture is completely worth it when set against the expense of moving even one month earlier than we "need" to. Pictures will be forthcoming.... If you're in Boston, invite yourselves over!
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
After News Fast, the End of Winter, and Train Seats
Jo Hunter Adams
The news fast seemed to end naturally at about 22 work days (a little over 30 days), when I found my self-control waning and my sense of disconnectedness increasing. What I found was that the benefit I received during the first days of the fast couldn't be sustained indefinitely. That said, when yesterday I found myself in a work situation where I wanted to retreat rather than respond, I was able to step back and identify what I was doing. It's funny how what feels good in the moment (google reader and the NYT) is not really good in the long term.
Moving into the season of Lent, I'm going to be trying out a modified News Fast. Although Ash Wednesday was yesterday, I'm going to give some thought as to what will be most useful before I begin. Stay posted.
And as February draws to a close, I think it's time to start thinking about seedlings! Our Seeds of Change order (ordered Last spring) only arrived mid winter (!!) so we're ready to use them for the 2010 season. I relinquished my community garden (I'll be on maternity leave) so this will be a year of indoor and fire escape gardening. The worms have given us a lot of amazing compost. Expect photos...
Lessons from last year:
The UV light doesn't work for us unless it's in combination with natural light.
Egg cartons dry out very quickly.
Don't be greedy: Don't try to overcrowd the seedlings, thinking you'll get more plants and more fruit. The plants you get will be weak, Jo, weak.
On a totally unrelated note, someone gave up their seat on the train for me today! It's never happened before. To the lady who gets off at Kendall, Thank You!! My dear friend Caroline has been suggesting I use belts to try and accentuate the little blob's presence, but I never quite got around to it. Now, at a respectable 29weeks, it seems the little blob is fully visible to the world.
The news fast seemed to end naturally at about 22 work days (a little over 30 days), when I found my self-control waning and my sense of disconnectedness increasing. What I found was that the benefit I received during the first days of the fast couldn't be sustained indefinitely. That said, when yesterday I found myself in a work situation where I wanted to retreat rather than respond, I was able to step back and identify what I was doing. It's funny how what feels good in the moment (google reader and the NYT) is not really good in the long term.
Moving into the season of Lent, I'm going to be trying out a modified News Fast. Although Ash Wednesday was yesterday, I'm going to give some thought as to what will be most useful before I begin. Stay posted.
And as February draws to a close, I think it's time to start thinking about seedlings! Our Seeds of Change order (ordered Last spring) only arrived mid winter (!!) so we're ready to use them for the 2010 season. I relinquished my community garden (I'll be on maternity leave) so this will be a year of indoor and fire escape gardening. The worms have given us a lot of amazing compost. Expect photos...
Lessons from last year:
The UV light doesn't work for us unless it's in combination with natural light.
Egg cartons dry out very quickly.
Don't be greedy: Don't try to overcrowd the seedlings, thinking you'll get more plants and more fruit. The plants you get will be weak, Jo, weak.
On a totally unrelated note, someone gave up their seat on the train for me today! It's never happened before. To the lady who gets off at Kendall, Thank You!! My dear friend Caroline has been suggesting I use belts to try and accentuate the little blob's presence, but I never quite got around to it. Now, at a respectable 29weeks, it seems the little blob is fully visible to the world.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Day 17
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!
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!
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