Friday, September 9, 2011
Thursday, September 8, 2011
The Energy Crisis
In light of the debates last night I thought I would re-post on my opinions about the energy crisis in this country. I had a very unique experience and I can't help but feel that if every person had an experience like this they would become more tolerant of difference of opinion as well as more protective of our countries valuable resources.
We just recently moved here to Forest Grove, Oregon from Chicago, IL. This was a trip we did in a U-Haul over a four day stretch. I was able to get a up close and personal view of the country that most people fly over or just get to see in a thumbnail in google image.
It is very difficult to imagine what the this country is like even in this day in age where you can be in a part in Japan with just the click of a button or a flip of the channel. Even with the largest television screen you can not fathom the size or the wonder because we are also bombarded with so much fantasy its hard to grasp the immensity of nature. It is also hard to gather a non biased opinion about the local people of an area because film or blog is brining it to you through the perspective of the presenter. I will try my best to bring this experience to you but if you ever get a chance to drive to your vacation spot or really take the time to see new places there is no better thing then actually doing.
This trip changed every aspect of how I thought of the consumption of energy. When we first started the trip we saw the classic corn fields passing by. Corn is our most fossil fuel intensive crop. We have all seen fields as we drive down the road but when you start to drive miles and miles and realized the quantity of fields and the trucks of corn going out it really starts to boggle the mind.
We passed trains that stretched with hundreds of cars filled to the brim with coal. Some trains were loaded with lumber as they passed along a treeless field of farmland. Above them loomed giant windmills. In some of the most secluded parts of the state the vast sky was interrupted with large webs of powerlines. They seemed to go on for an infinite amount of time.
The most dramatic lesson came to us in North Dakota. We had to drive in one stretch from Minnesota to Montana because of the oil boom in North Dakota. Every single hotel, motel and apartment had been filled by people working for the oil companies. We stopped in two cities and in all of the small towns outside of the city. All were full. At the same time we hit Dickinson ND tornados were touching down. We were locked in a gas station (not the safest place I am sure) for about 20 minutes. There were a few locals there and they seemed so angry about what the oil companies had done to their town. They said rent 3 years ago was maybe $100 - $200 and was now a couple thousand. You couldn't buy new property there or rent a hotel for a vacation. All of this happened when the government changed regulations on how oil could be drilled to meet our high demand for fossil fuels.
Every time I eat a piece of fruit from the other side of the country, shop in a store that has the exact same items as a store 2000 miles away or even spend a few hours on the computer I am reminded of the amount of energy it takes to get these things here. How much time and miles have passed by to get something from point A to B. I was struck again by this fact when buying eggs at the farmer's market. The eggs had just been gathered that morning and the lady was explaining to another that most eggs bought at the store could be over a week old.
We all need a reminder of what it takes to power this country. We also need to realized the quantity of resources it takes to power this country. We need to conserve, buy local and care. We need to think about the diversity in this country and realize not everyone is going to think the same way. We need to broaden our horizons and start thinking more cohesively instead of selfishly with small boundries. We can not think small when it takes such a large expanse to keep our daily lives in motion.
We just recently moved here to Forest Grove, Oregon from Chicago, IL. This was a trip we did in a U-Haul over a four day stretch. I was able to get a up close and personal view of the country that most people fly over or just get to see in a thumbnail in google image.
It is very difficult to imagine what the this country is like even in this day in age where you can be in a part in Japan with just the click of a button or a flip of the channel. Even with the largest television screen you can not fathom the size or the wonder because we are also bombarded with so much fantasy its hard to grasp the immensity of nature. It is also hard to gather a non biased opinion about the local people of an area because film or blog is brining it to you through the perspective of the presenter. I will try my best to bring this experience to you but if you ever get a chance to drive to your vacation spot or really take the time to see new places there is no better thing then actually doing.
This trip changed every aspect of how I thought of the consumption of energy. When we first started the trip we saw the classic corn fields passing by. Corn is our most fossil fuel intensive crop. We have all seen fields as we drive down the road but when you start to drive miles and miles and realized the quantity of fields and the trucks of corn going out it really starts to boggle the mind.
We passed trains that stretched with hundreds of cars filled to the brim with coal. Some trains were loaded with lumber as they passed along a treeless field of farmland. Above them loomed giant windmills. In some of the most secluded parts of the state the vast sky was interrupted with large webs of powerlines. They seemed to go on for an infinite amount of time.
The most dramatic lesson came to us in North Dakota. We had to drive in one stretch from Minnesota to Montana because of the oil boom in North Dakota. Every single hotel, motel and apartment had been filled by people working for the oil companies. We stopped in two cities and in all of the small towns outside of the city. All were full. At the same time we hit Dickinson ND tornados were touching down. We were locked in a gas station (not the safest place I am sure) for about 20 minutes. There were a few locals there and they seemed so angry about what the oil companies had done to their town. They said rent 3 years ago was maybe $100 - $200 and was now a couple thousand. You couldn't buy new property there or rent a hotel for a vacation. All of this happened when the government changed regulations on how oil could be drilled to meet our high demand for fossil fuels.
Every time I eat a piece of fruit from the other side of the country, shop in a store that has the exact same items as a store 2000 miles away or even spend a few hours on the computer I am reminded of the amount of energy it takes to get these things here. How much time and miles have passed by to get something from point A to B. I was struck again by this fact when buying eggs at the farmer's market. The eggs had just been gathered that morning and the lady was explaining to another that most eggs bought at the store could be over a week old.
We all need a reminder of what it takes to power this country. We also need to realized the quantity of resources it takes to power this country. We need to conserve, buy local and care. We need to think about the diversity in this country and realize not everyone is going to think the same way. We need to broaden our horizons and start thinking more cohesively instead of selfishly with small boundries. We can not think small when it takes such a large expanse to keep our daily lives in motion.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
The Technology Loop
I have been sucked into the technology loop! I am now managing this etsy shop, facebook, twitter, blogspot, yelp and tumbler. I have an Amazon account, netflix, emails with funny video links, recipes, eco friendly feeds and following other people's blogs.
It can all become overwhelming but can also be totally awesome in a way that it gets you out there. Its like your credit rating where the more you spend on the credit card and pay it off the better credit rating you have and the person who is frugal with their money and never needs a credit card has a horrible credit rating. You need the credit rating to get anywhere! Your head starts to spin.
The expense of managing all of these hubs of information about me and my shop are paying off though. More and more people all over the world can find out about me. I can google eco friendly candles and mine will show up third in a list of items that are drawn from major sites like Amazon.com. My small candle business I created in my kitchen is now all over the web. A person can google their name and their picture will show up. I called a lamp parts vender and he had actually heard about A Wandering Soul.
What does this mean for my little etsy shop? Maybe a sale here or there but the action is being spread out. I am making connections so that I can go do shows outside of the internet. I am meeting artists who think like me and have given me tips on how to work with different mediums. We are forming un-official alliances and my name is getting around.
I was talking to an owner of a small sub shop here in Forest Grove, Oregon. They had to get their business going working every spare hour they had to make the dream work. It is a fantastic place with lots of customers. Little did they know that they have been twittered about and added to facebook gps checkins. They have been yelped about and have a virtual five star rating.
People of my generation turn to the internet first when making choices. We are used to being bombarded with information and the only way to get through the tangled mess with a shred of sanity is to attack it with a search engine and word of mouth. It is a world of technology and instant, raw un-censored reviews. You have to dive in head first even if it is intimidating and you might make mistakes. Who knows maybe your business will be the next thing to go "viral"!
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Latest Art Project
Almost perfect. By my third try it should be just the way I want it. I have to add an orb to the top left corner and attach the middle flower to the orbs on the right. It pops out when I wrap it around the candle. This was a daunting project in the head today. No A.C. in our place accept for a window unit upstairs. That has become my new art home. lol
Shout Out To Phil's 1500 Subs
If you are visiting the Forest Grove area and want a really great in expensive meal Phil's 1500 Subs is the place to go. When we first moved here and were lagging from unloading the U-Haul we found this place online and stopped in. It is a great shop in the plaza next to Safeway.
The people that work there are SO nice and they did the nicest thing ever. I mentioned to them in passing we were from Upstate New York and told them how my husband's favorite sandwich was the Buffalo Chicken. They said they would mention this to Phil and they did! This month they have what my husband describes as "The best buffalo chicken sub he has EVER had"
They picked the best chicken that is nice and juicy and covered it in the perfect amount of spicy hot sauce. They do it with peppers, onions, pepper jack cheese, lettuce all slathered in frank's hot sauce and blue cheese.
I had a bite of his sandwich and it rocked my world. Other subs I love from their shop are the Turkey Burger Sub, The Viking that is like a Italian combo, and their Warhead that is a ruben type sub with a twist.
Thanks Phil's 1500 for making an amazing Buffalo Chicken Sub; the best one on the West Coast!
The people that work there are SO nice and they did the nicest thing ever. I mentioned to them in passing we were from Upstate New York and told them how my husband's favorite sandwich was the Buffalo Chicken. They said they would mention this to Phil and they did! This month they have what my husband describes as "The best buffalo chicken sub he has EVER had"
They picked the best chicken that is nice and juicy and covered it in the perfect amount of spicy hot sauce. They do it with peppers, onions, pepper jack cheese, lettuce all slathered in frank's hot sauce and blue cheese.
I had a bite of his sandwich and it rocked my world. Other subs I love from their shop are the Turkey Burger Sub, The Viking that is like a Italian combo, and their Warhead that is a ruben type sub with a twist.
Thanks Phil's 1500 for making an amazing Buffalo Chicken Sub; the best one on the West Coast!
Draft For A New Candle Luminary Cover.
All of my best ideas come to me as soon as I get comfortable in bed at night. I lay down shut my eyes and start having visions of shapes and colors. I need to start keeping a sketch book under my pillow. It would be nice if all my head pictures would drain out my ear and onto the pages so I could get a better look at them in the morning. haha! My poor husband has gotten an elbow more then once where I exclaim to him "Oh my goodness I just had the best idea!" Poor guy.
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