We Made A Mess

Featured: Myself, on a date with the devil; a designer purse.

Had a conversation with a friend; brought up the impossibility of everyone thriving off of local foods. Is it possible? I can't answer, anything is possible. We can chop down mountains right, so why not. I'm not from Slippery Rock, and have only been in Western PA for a short time. It took some effort, but I found it very much possible to live a "100 mile diet" if someone was ready. the farmers markets exist, the grain suppliers are around, and if you look hard enough you might be able to see a chicken or two.

Today I was asked if I was buying food again because the food I had looked 'normal.' Among the normal looking food was some ranch dressing. As a character flaw, I insist upon explaining myself too much of the time. In this case, I was excusing myself for having ranch dressing. In my regular diet, I choose not to purchase, support, or consume products that include eggs or milk, unless, unless, unless I have confidence in the source. If I don't know where the product came from then I assume that it has an unhealthy food chain. Not just unhealthy for my body, like hormones and preservatives, but unhealthy for the world through a linear industrial food chain.

food:
Eating hard boiled eggs in the morning, and yesterday's sandwich leftovers. I found a hefty cup of fruit, pack of baby carrots and some impromptu croutons.
For Dr. Jason Stewart's Professional Writing Class I randomly found some onion rings. After class a group went to the North Country Brewery. I was intending on the party to get food, giving me the opportunity to clean a few plates. Not tonight. I was only able to grab, what looks like humanure, from one of the already bussed plates. But walking out of the pub found a table with vacant guests who left a plate of cheese, sausage, a chunk of cinnamon pot bread, and a jalapeno. Classmate Cole and Kyle couldn't keep their hands off of my score.

A short sweep at the library retrieved part of a PB J, a whole PB J, and and unopened bag of chips. Then the last on my list was a few of the eggs, made two lite omelets.

/////
song lyrics

We Made A Mess

oh it must look like i really need it
my cupboards are dry, still i don't want more
stomach's alright, i'm not the needy
but how do I deny charity at the door

with pity on me you're missing the picture
three bags full, left at my door
we still persist to feed the greedy
but how do I deny charity at the door

stop the money
give it to someone who needs it
stop the money
I don't need it

Stop the money
put a face on the needy
if all we do is feed it
then time will clean it

time will clean it, if we feed it
wam

Voiceless

Question: Would it make more sense to eat the foods you want to encourage?

Not for me, currently I'm on a course of action.

Using my purchasing power to support my neighbors is the way to go. I don't think we should have a choice between an organic tomato from Mexico or tomato from local. It's difficult to make the best, healthy or environmental choices sometimes. food should just be local, as a culture.

I'm vocal, and until the waste-stream experiment, have been active in supporting local farmers markets. I'm still a member of a local winter farmers co-op. In the interest's of frugal living, i'd rarely spend the money anyway.

My stance for the moment is that the cash I would be spending on food, can go to feeding starving people. At this time, i see that if I have the ability to live off of waste, (i don't' want to waste perfectly good waste) then i have responsibility to use the resource. Just who am I to spend perfectly good money on food for me, when i can live just fine from the waste-stream and send that $ towards needy bellies. After reflecting on the question again, I'm wondering what I'm trying to encourage or what I want to see grow.
...
Looks like I ate some hard boiled eggs in the morning and cooked some Eggs last thing, at night.

In between egg meals was a mess of scores; First thing was a large, mostly intact flat-bread sandwich. Then a nice ham and swiss sub with a few types of cookies and a muffin. Also found some animal soup crackers during this hunt.

Between classes I pulled some fries cookies, PBJ sandwich, and a fruit cup from the waste.

Afterwords I enjoyed the pizza from Dominoes with cheese dip and ate the muffin and cookies from the day.

///////////////
Song i wrote a while back

Voiceless

no time for material things while i
fetch my water through the dangerous streats
it's miles a day just for a drink
spend my life praying for rain
no well can help me now
forecast calls for dry
you're drowning there in your high class life while you
condemn me to to die

if you hear what i'm saying today you got
life, some call it freedom
you've been blessed with an open-mind
grab a friend, you and me we can beat'em
... the shirt off your back such a
small price to pay
take heed, the power you have
faith, save the day

refugees of human-rights,
we come for food some call it freedom
extreme poverty, starvation, take me away
I can't explain this suffering
struggle for my life
don't you dare turn your back on me
...condemn me to die
wam

Chasing My Own Tail

Sierra club political food books
http://sierraclub.typepad.com/greenlife/2009/09/book-rounduup-wednesday-food-politics.html

Listen to what a Sustainabila-buddy had to share today!

You've planted a seed in me and it is Springtime and that seed is germinating. On my way to school today I found two apples and three bananas in produce bags from the grocery store on the ground (Obviously dropped by some unlucky soul on their way home from the store). Long story short...good, free breakfast. a month ago I'd have walked on by thinking, "That's a shame, those looked just fine," but still left them. Today though, thanks to you, I'm not that person anymore. The fruit will not go to waste. Thank you!

Beaver

Ate pizza and eggs this morning, then added a piece of chicken to the rice from yesterday and had ... well ... lunch. Later on I pulled up some more pizza, a ham sandwich, and some pita chips.

Adbusters
A global network of culture jammers and creatives working to change the way information flows, the way corporations wield power, and the way meaning is produced in our society.



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Lyrics to a song I wrote a while back.

Chasing My Tail

never grows old, chasing my own tail
never grows old, chasing my own tail
never grows old, chasing my own tail

you say it's your right to do as you please
you've earned your pay and deserve your keep
but a fool and his money soon go separate ways
consume, discard, throw our lives away
all in pursuit of the American dream

material prize caught the eye
so unhappy and don't know why
too many people wanting too many things
too much, now, of everything
i'm tired ... American dream

never grows old, chasing my own tail
never grows old, chasing my own tail
never grows old, chasing my own tail

slow to believe this tragedy
environmental issues facing me
greenhouse effect, ozone depletion
my way of living causing species extinction
all in pursuit of the American dream

tell me Silent Spring was just a tall tale
digging a hole for my children to fill
brewing a poison from a dangerous life
Closing the Circle for a piece of the pie
all in pursuit ...
i'm tired ...
gimme, gimme, gimme, the American ...
gimme, gimme, gimme, the American ...
gimme, gimme, gimme, the American dream

never grows old, chasing my own tail
sitting in this rocking chair, not going anywhere
digging for gold, fills the earth with holes
... chasing my own ...
... chasing my own ...

wam

The Material World

Featured: Carl with a waste-stream brownie in hand

Finished the last of Ohio Chips Ahoy cookies for a breakfast that the kids dream about. munched a few of the hard boiled eggs and packed a few for the day.

On campus I had the Turkey bagel and a slice of pizza saved over night. Pink cotton candy was a first for me from the waste-stream. Also founds a nice score of fries and a cheeseburger (with the cheese on the bottom). While at the recreation center climbing wall, Carl tipped me off to a brownie in the trash. It was behind the staff desk, so he was nice enough to go remove it from the trash for me to consume it. Later I picked up and ate a buffalo chicken wrap and crust of pizza.

sweep: Cotton Candy, Jelly beans, trail mix, granola bar, carrots, cookie, muffin, more pizza, chicken wrap, RICE

Happened upon a set of books by Steven Stoll.

The Material World
http://politicalecologist.blogspot.com/

Some of my friends enjoyed one of his essays in Harper's Magazine. Fear of fallowing: The specter of no a growth world. http://www.harpers.org/archive/2008/03/0081958 We are getting a hands on account of environmental economic geography in one of our grad classes. This would go over well in class.

Kelsi keeps reminding me to look into Ruth Benedict. We chat about society, culture, and perceptions sometimes. Without knowing it, she and I discussed the topic of environmental culture, which happened to be the subject in env. econ. geography readings.

Ev hit me up to dig into The fatal harvest reader: the tragedy of industrial agriculture By Andrew Kimbrell. I've no excuse now, because it is on google books.

Green tips!

http://www.thegreenguide.com/fastfact

Lukaya, Uganda artwork, banana fiber.

Reese's

Featured: Reese's cup.

The big deal today was this Reese's cup. I sent the photo off to a few friends for approval. Feedback included the typical comments like, "I didn't know people could eat one and throw the other away" and another friend scorned me for feeding her loss of faith for humanity.

Shared some homemade waste-stream carrot kake with Kelsi. Since she was a Phob about having a photo, in spite I added a snap of her and her creation before spring break. I think we called it the trash/dumpster/waste bunny, or something like that. There is no urban legend (YET) about an underground bunny feeding starving people (those who will die today because of extreme hunger) from the waste of others (who have so much food they actually dispose of it rather use it for human nutrition).

microgiving kiva.org

Score: FRUIT, Whole bagel, spice cake muffin, energy bar, m&m cookie.

Score: Pizza, Doritos, Pretzels, turkey bagel, and partial chicken breast. (the chicken is pink because during it's sandwich phase, it was water logged with pink lemon aid. I just emoved the soggy bread.)

gosh, i'm still thinking about someone purchasing a Reese's cup package (two cups) for 75 cents. Then making the decision to throw one away. I know my logic is messed up, there must be some off the wall reason.

Some time ago before MS3 when I was on my rice diet (3 weeks, cooking 1 cup of dry rice per day [4 servings in a cup] 600 Calories per day, 12 grams of protein per day) one day of food was worth 33 cents. So I'm looking hard at that Reese's cup, KNOWING that i could have used the cost of what had been thrown away to feed someone 4 servings of rice. Kids Die. kids are dying from hunger and i have a feeling that 1 cup of rice could keep a kid alive for ONE MORE DAY.

Homemade Waste-Stream Carrot kake

Featured: Homemade waste-stream carrot kake (Justine's)Chinese If You Please
On walk home late last night I picked up some Chinese take-0ut. porky with rice and egg-roll. This meal was to "good" to hold on to. Even though I'm not hungry, I had to enjoy this late night meal. Also on the way home, I grabbed a bite of Subway and a few cookies. Kept the cookies over night for today.
I'm eating the hard boiled eggs and pumpkin muffins through the day. But the main diet was of the Carrot Kake. This is serious business. Justine and her sister labored over this kake using a major contribution of my waste stream goods, and added some excess elements of their own (carrots, flower, sugar, cream-cheese). The baked goods situation a grey area for me, just like the Waste-Stream Fair-trade Organic Columbia Banana Bread situation. I may be cheating, but Bert would support these situations. And I also feel that cooking and sharing goods that included waste-stream ingredients really elevates the level of awareness and impact that can be made among each other.

Added a couple photos of an example of reusing old tires, still on the wheel. these were taken at the property of one of my client visits for CCR and AmeriCORPS.

Death of wam

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9901E6D9163AF930A15752C0A96F9C8B63

nytimes
Paid Notice: Deaths

MYERS, WAYNE ALAN Published: January 23, 2009
MYERS--Wayne Alan, an eminent psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, and beloved husband and father died from lung cancer on Friday January 16, 2009. At the time of his death he was tended to by his devoted wife of forty years, Joanne, his daughter Tracy, his son Blake and his daughter-in-law Susan Grobman. Dr. Myers is also survived by his son-in-law Harris Fishman, and three grandchildren: Wyatt, Charlotte and Sophie. Emeritus Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College and a Training and Supervising Analyst at The Columbia University Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research, Wayne Myers was a prolific contributor to his field. He published five books, including Shrink Dreams, a New York Times notable book in 1992; forty-eight book chapters and articles and nearly fifty reviews, commentaries and letters. His expertise included clinical process and technique, geriatrics and pioneer contributions to the intensive treatment of the aged, and studies in applied analysis and literature. He was an original and lucid thinker whose writings illuminated the clinical work of the residents and psychoanalytic candidates whom he taught and supervised. A superbly empathic and knowledgeable practitioner with a huge private practice, for many years he chaired Columbia's Admissions Service. Wayne Myers was born in New York on December 13, 1931 and graduated from The Bronx High School of Science. He went on to obtain a B.S. Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Arkansas in a mere two years before matriculating at Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons, where he received his medical degree in 1956. His psychiatric residency at Cornell/New York Hospital was interrupted by service in Korea, where Captain Myers became at twenty-eight Battalion Commander of the Fifteenth Medical Battalion. After completing his training at The New York Psychoanalytic in 1969, he moved on to teach and supervise candidates at Columbia in 1977, where he remained a mainstay until his death. A private service was held for the family and close friends.

Cardboard Village

Featured: Cardboard Village, Slippery Rock University Quad

Featured 2nd: Jesse as a mobile food stand

Story of Bottled Water

For the morning, I toasted the turkey bagel i was saving, and picked up a brown sugar pop-tart. At the university, I munched on the cookies scored from yesterday and started eating the Eggs. Not hungry, but snooping around as always, picked up a turkey sandwich, fries, a bag of pretzels, and a bite of a subway meat sub (held by Jesse in photo). The subway was a spontaneous grab. I was walking by a student lounge and just poked in, reaching in the trash, pulling out a subway package, without even letting the door close. Walked away and down the hall, then a friend, who was in the room called out after me. She didn't see me ... but when the door shut behind me, a student spoke up to share what she witnessed. A guy digging in the trash and pulling out a half eaten sandwich. she new it was me and chased me down to share the 'LOL' situation.

Had some help snatching up the corn chips, muffin and flat bread meat thing. She was leery about me taking the sandwiches. Well this one was not soaked in dressing, was not dried out and was still "relatively" in one piece. That's the best explanation I can give for being trust worthy. At the end of the day, I also picked up some pizza and a cookie. Oh, can't forget about the partially football themed rice crispy treat.

Posting the Story of Stuff; bottled water video above. A few things came up today about bottled water. I'm not going to preach, but am thinking of many negative impacts from plastic. glassDharma

No Impact Man

simply living (Ev)

Eggs

Featured: Eggs

Started munching on the graham crackers from spring break Ohio, on the road today. At my office, the Center for Community Resources, I took all the fallen sprinkles from a box of cookies. It was a good day explaining my thoughts about the who's, what's, and where's of this diet. I need to count how many grains of rice are in a cup, so we have an understanding about how much we are earning on the Free Rice site. On the way home I found a bakery. In their waste-stream was Two 18 packs of eggs, loaf of bread, oatmeal cookies, pumpkin raisin nut muffins. First time for me with EGGS. they were still cold when I grabbed them and not expired. The sun was shining that day, so I feel like the were very recently dropped off else the would have been at least warm.

The crisis of the day was how to determine whether or not the eggs were really BAD. My go-to information source was Bert. Put them in water, if they float-they are bad. If stand on their ends then still good but getting close to BAD. They turned out to be GOOD. Going to hard boil half of them and keep the others as fresh goodies.

I'm not hungry, but on the way to class, picked up whole F-McDonalds hashbrown, blueberry bagel, ham swiss sub, and Veggie wheat thins.

Cardboard Village
Walked through the homeless awareness demonstration on campus. Student groups staying 24hrs with their Cardboard shelter. Met some cool cats. Hopefully they will get in touch with me so we can share more about good things, and their causes. Apparently, one of the greek groups has a purpose to help needy children across the U.S. I want to know more. Found a bit of pizza and our friend hooked me up with a waste-stream Coke. Totally forgot to take pics.

Organic Baby Carrots = Elliptical Machine

Featured: MS3 Classmates and my Lunch

For lunch I found some more orange juice (exiting, I put it in my mason jar), a complete PBJelly on wheat, Turkey Sandwich, Lunch meet ham with swiss cheese, and a chocolate chunk cookie. I saved the PBJ and Lunch meat for tomorrow.

I had a tag-a-long today when walking through campus. Disgusting don't you think. Justine helped me find a Turkey Bagel sandwich, Roast beef sandwich, Sun Chips, Granola chunk, and a grape chewy Spree (pointed to in the photo). Also a lucky find today was an All-You-Can-Eat spaghetti dinner supporting Athletic dept. I asked the front desk if they had trash cans, and if i could walk through to look at them. the results were a CChip cookie, PButter cookie, and the prized plate of spaghetti. It's ok, I shared.

On the way home from campus, picked up some Jalapeno poppers and a flat bread meat wrap. Ate more cookies at home.

Organic Baby Carrots are to Carrots as an Elliptical Machine is to Running.

Home-Less

Featured: Justine as a waste-stream carrot muncher

Rally on Homelessness
Attended a speaker session about poverty and homeless issues at the university put on by the campus Ameri-CORPS. All a promotion for a student activity, Cardboard Village. This is an effort for students to increase the awareness of poverty issues. Don't be fooled, it exists. Be great-full for your shelter.

pittsburghfoodbank

The Greater Pittsurgh Community Food Bank is A Member of America's Second Harvest, or this Second Harvest. Working with food distributors to feed the hungry. This speaker shared about SNAP, which is the new word for food-stamps. SNAP is a program funded through the Dept. of Agriculture, not Welfare. Don't be fooled, hunger exists. Be great-full for your food.

Two personal speakers spoke about their real life experience at homeless. VOICE is a domestic violence and homelessness organization in Butler Co. PA.

The first presentation was about a child homelessness initiative. Sue Phafles shared her work with IU4 (I tried google-ing it, didn't get very far).

Moldy Chicken Dance Off
Today I ate the last of the last of the bread from Ohio and started munching on the bag of carrots, also from Ohio waste. Then went on a moldy chicken adventure with Justine. Again, I prove to myself that I have standards. I did not eat the chicken. Composting it wasn't a good idea because we didn't want to attract animals out at the Macosky Center. The decision was to take it to a wooded area to return the nutrient to Earths natural cycle. After a long discussion on the world and a quick walk, we chose the home for the moldy chicken because we spotted an orange and a kiwi already laying next to a leafy wooded area. Also along the way, I picked up a pretty full strawberry slush drink (full before I drank it). After the Moldy Chicken Dance Off, on the way to the Rally I picked up some cookies and Doritos to snack on.

Yesterday, Dan (I wear Toms Shoes) Snyder found a strip cheese stick in the trash, gave it to me. I kept it until today, reminded me of child days. Is strip cheese sustainable? prepackaged, not local, from industrial agriculture ... I don't feel good about it.

In the evening, I shared the dinner table with Tim, Bert, and Chad at a campus diner. I rounded up some fries, two mystery wraps, chicken fingers, and some Italian sub remnants from the trash ... still hot, Delish.