I love my kitty!

Welcome to Winter

Sundays at the market

We explored the new Korean market today and call me a noob, but I've never seen live crabs in a trough out in the open for customers to pick and choose from themselves. They also had live tilapia (one of my faves!) and various other swimmers in tanks. It was their grand opening and I thought it was cool how they didn't seem to pander too much to the non-asians. Almost everything appeared to be imported, which I thought was cool. :)

feed the mind; feed the belly

Knowing my love for all sorts of silly and brain-training games on my Nintendo DS Lite, a co-worker linked me Free Rice. It's a site that combines good fun with good will by testing your vocabulary for a good cause. The idea is that the more vocabulary words you get correct, the site donates 20 grains of rice through United Nations World Food Program. It all works due to the advertisements at the bottom of the page. The cash from the advertisements helps fund the rice. The site itself is non-profit. I really think this is a fun, mildly-addicting way to do some good at home, at work, on the commute home. Go check it out, you'll be linguistically lucid and a bountiful benefactor by the time you're done.

At the Auction

Or, What I did Thanksgiving weekend. I was lucky enough to snag one of my grandmother's quilts and for that I'm grateful. What I am not happy about it the price I had to pay. Oh well, it's worth it in the end.

Get off yer butts...

AND VOTE!

If you're as upset as I am at the state of our current government, then I encourage you to get off the couch and start doing something about it. It seems like the democrats have the uncanny knack of wanting to do so much good, but can never get organized and unified behind any particular candidate. Back in the last election, I fully supported Howard Dean, but the Dem's inability to recover from the whoop heard 'round the world crippled his chances in the primaries and we were left with lifeless Kerry. Ah well, lesson learned- I hope.

It is more important then ever to keep momentum going and get some real changes done in government, rather then just evening out the White House. Rock the Vote is still a great way to start getting involved. As is Glassbooth. It's a site that includes a quiz to help find which candidate fits in best with your ideals and priorities this election season. It may just surprise you.

VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!

Black Friday

I've never understood the need everyone feels to go out and shop the day after Thanksgiving. To me, it seems like the antithesis of Thanksgiving. It is the holiday to be happy with what you have, however much or little you actually have. I suppose spending an additional day with all your family can be stressful, but to me, jostling and muscling your way through the claustrophobic isles seems like more stress then your family could ever inflict on you.

That is why I fully support Buy Nothing Day. In the United States it will be Friday, November 23, the day after Thanksgiving. The rest of the world will be celebrating the following Saturday. Buy Nothing Day is more than just cutting down on the hemorrhaging of cash for the sake of tradition. It's ultimate goal is to spread the message that we all need to cut down on the massage amounts of consumption that we all do. It's hurting ourselves, our environment, and the future. I hope people decide to forgo the post-turkey-holiday shopping crush and find others ways to spend their Friday. For myself, I'll be hiking with my family and receiving a massage that my mom booked for me. :)