#46!

Task # 46: Buy a frivolous kitchen gadget
Frivolous: –adjective1. characterized by lack of seriousness or sense.2. self-indulgently carefree; unconcerned about or lacking any serious purpose.3. (of a person) given to trifling or undue levity.4. of little or no weight, worth, or importance; not worthy of serious noticeI defy this word, actively shaping my behavior throughout the day to avoid anything that may be possibly stamped with such embellishment. Give me black coffee. Shoes that I can slip on. One handbag for work, one for the weekend. Sure, I stray in some ways (aka: cereal addiction…I have 5 boxes right now) but for the most part, call me Practical. Functional. Even Frugal.Simplicity appeals to me. Prone to imploding happiness via analytical discourse, paring things down into essential parts often prevents anxiety. Research has shown that the more choices we have, the more likely we are to worry, to feel unsure, and not to recognize our values when they are present.
Being single may foster easier access to simplicity. My routine syncopates around my self-designed routine. My goals and intentions are unencumbered by the immediate needs of others. Friends who are married and/or with children require more stuff, and definitely have intentions to do X or complete Y thwarted. With more bodies in the mix, one must acclimate to complication. So many of these friends then pontificate: “THIS IS THE TIME TO LIVE FRVIOUSLOUSY!” I respond by asking if being single means I should be doing things of little importance? Or that once you don on the responsibilities of family life simple pleasures evaporate?
Life, no matter what stage you are in, is too short to take too seriously, and too long not to live purposefully.The 101 list engenders the extraordinary. For me, I need more trivialities. Bring on the trifles! Where’s the fribble around here?I am even tempered in many of my passions. An avid cook and recipe sluether, I don’t own a blender. I have three cooking ware pans. So I bought a microplane a few weeks ago (okay, almost a month). I just brought it out a few nights ago, looking over my shoulder for a grandmother or something tsk tsking…this little product makes zesting (a lemon) grating (cheese) or pasting (ginger/garlic) a snap. With a little more work, I can do these tasks without such a device. But WOW! I am now in love! I am making fresh ginger/garlic paste with undue levity in a root vegetable roast, grating lemon in yogurt, slivering reggiano on my tofu soup. I swing the thing around like a scepter…queen of the facetious.Isn’t it funny in a task about frivolity I tweaked out purpose? Ah…bad habits die hard

Confession

Since writing about flossing...I haven't flossed until tonight.

Task #71 Buy Something from ETSY

Growing up, I ignored any interest associated with “home economics.” It wasn’t just that cooking, sewing, arts and crafts didn’t seem relevant to me, it was also that I wasn’t good at them. The only B I earned in high school was in Ceramics. An ugly, robin egg blue letter holder perches somewhere on a kitchen counter in Montana as a testiment to K’s inadequacy in this domain. An attempt to redeem myself four years later in a community ceramics class ended in similar ruin. Overcompensating, constantly fueling my analytical nature with various interests and distractions, the possibility of my hands suffocated.

Let’s be honest, most of self-epiphanies occur when we observe other people doing things that appear to work. I could use the word “influence” but really, it is peer pressure that led to my interest in creative endeavors. Living in a community during graduate school intentionally geared for interaction, creativity blossomed around me A best friend passionate about beading ignited a little stint where I collected wires, clamps and clasps and little rainbows of seeded beeds. I lavished in examples of homemade projects surrounding me, where people valued the visions of their spirits. I attended events where the guests each brought a craft project, and we left with a half dozen homemade scrubs, potholders, junk drawer organizers and scarves. Some embarked on their interests with ease, some with painstaking skill and attention. Some defied my assumptions, such as numerous examples of masculine crafting; Oxygenating a value in objects generated from one’s heart, and shaped by one’s hands. My Life was Fuller.

The week I designed this list, I spent a weekend visit with one of the priestess of creativity. She told me about Etsy, which offers people a place to be recognized and rewarded for their handmade gems. (Note: this is also the woman who informed me about Google Reader and helps me with my html, which just reconfirms the mosaic of our human interests and dismantles the notion of rigid female archetypes). The site is my new E-Bay. First of all, I believe that where we put our money is an ethical endeavor and social statement. Let’s support independent businesses. Second of all by purchasing these items I announce a vital role creativity plays in fueling my happiness. These things are unique. Don’t get me wrong, I love buying socks and soaps at Target, but digest these products with an uncomplicated savoring.

Such a fun task! It took me MONTHS of deliberation to decide upon my new lunch bag on ETSY, my interest gestating at the same rate of the growing tummy of a prego buddy. So it is with pride that I announce its arrival here. The material forgives spills (a daily diatribe for me) thus meeting my criteria for functionality, and infiltrates brain centers responsible for satiet, thus fulfilling my criteria for pleasure.

Awww…isn’t she adorable?

Let’s just be thankful it is ceramic.

#50! Floss Every day for a week

I know, I know, many of you might assume that I would be a person for whom flossing would come easily. The more you know my nature, however, you will be able to detect that I am not that great at details. Plus, as mentioned before (sympathy, please!) I have sensitive gums, which bleed anytime they are poked and proded. In short, I HATE flossing!

But armed with my new Christmas present, I set out on christmas to finish out 2008 with floss. Sexy, right? Of course, the endeavor included batteries and a mild vibration, but still, no glamour or sensuality lies in the habit of flossing.

First of all, it is about removed tiny grime from tiny crevices between bones. You have to wonder: what did our ancestors do? Well, they didn't a) do sit ups and b) floss. and I have a little rebellious theory that if they didn't do these things, why should I? But, alas! They also usually didn't live past 35, and didn't drink wine...so my theory falls apart quite quickly.

And evolution, observed in our rampant electronization of anything without batteries, doesn't necessarily mean PROGRESS. By sunday, the electric flosser grew a little tiresome and I resorted to traditional string, which took less time but probably was less thorough. Sure, it prevents tooth decay, and doing it as a habit "is good for me." In actuality, it prevents bacteria build up and stinky detrimental inflamation. So why is it so difficult for me to adopt? Sure, I really get a kick out of completing these tasks, but flossing just isn't in my DNA.

I am a creature of habit, but and even after a week, I woke up thinking "I don't have to floss today! Thank GOD for 2009! If I would have set out to floss for a month (do I sense a challenge here?) perhaps I would develop this good habit with a little more ease. Perhaps my gums would be a littl less bloody by Valentine's Day.