Poptart + New Yorker= Happiness?
I don't really believe that the above equation is true. However, I was really hungry at work this morning when I remembered that I had 50 cents in my coat pocket and I remembered that there are some incredibly cheap vending machines by the kitchen. So I scuttled over there and got myself a poptart, which I haven't eaten in a few years. It's so chemically sweet! It just sort of tastes like evil... but still in a disturbingly tasty way. Especially when microwaved... GAH. Horrible. I won't be eating one of those again anytime soon.
What also contributed to my happiness this morning was after acquiring my poptart, I was walking by the mailroom and there in the stack of unwanted magazines I spied a copy of the March 2nd New Yorker. This is particularly remarkable because it is over two weeks old!! Where did it come from? Some courteous office worker must have put it back when they were finished reading it. This is particularly exciting because there's an article in the March 2nd issue that I heard about last week on Alison Bechdel's blog (which I have been obsessively reading upon finishing The Essential Dykes To Watch Our For- I need more Alison Bechdel in my life, NEED!!). It's an article that details an early group of radical lesbian feminists who decided to travel across the country in a van, rejecting contemporary American society. She posted a link to the article, but of course the full text is only available if you subscribe to the New Yorker. So what fortuity that I should stumble upon a two-week old copy lying around the office! Pure good luck. I'm very excited to read it.
I've also had a brooding morning, pondering the deeply fucked-up state of so many elements of our lives, after reading this article (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/13/world/asia/13malnutrition.html) in the New York times, and then this two year old article (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/w/world_food_program/index.html?inline=nyt-org), and after the beautiful and disturbing Bread and Puppet dance show last night, that like all Bread and Puppet shows, made me wake up and think about my own life/lack of action. I need to think about all of these things and begin in small ways to resist and to change my behavior. Like not eating any more poptarts to begin with.... Because all of these issues are interrelated. Thank goodness I live with such ethically well-thought roommates. Jenna just ordered a bunch of seeds for the raised bed gardens we will hopefully install in our backyard this spring. And we've been wrangling with Betsy for permission to set up a compost in the back. She's convinced it will be a magnet for rodent life, but what does that matter, now that we have Finn?
Needless to say, all of these thoughts on how fucked up captilaism/big business/America/corporate greed/our dependance on oil/lack of sustainable agriculture is, is making me happy that today is my last day temping at this ad agency in the John Hancock building. Yes, it is my official last day of having ample time with nothing to do but browse the internet. I only found out two days ago that today would be my last day and that they'd hired another receptionist (typical), but luckily I spent the last two weeks on Craigslist frantically applying to every job I saw. Most of these were babysitting jobs or office administrator jobs (which I've heard nothing back from of course) but I did find postings from two different local coffeeshop/cafes that looked promising. So I went and applied in person. And now I have a job! Just in time too. I'll be working at Flour Bakery in the South End, which isn't too far away, especially during the summer as it's just off the bike path that goes to JP! The food there is so incredible. Check out the obscenely delicious-looking photos on their website: http://www.flourbakery.com/
Unlike working at Starbucks, employees are allowed to eat the food for FREE when they're working. The manager is awesome. The food is great and all made there (bread and everything). They have delicious coffee. And everyone I've known who's worked there has loved it!
Anyway I start tomorrow. I'm pretty excited about it. And just so thankful to have a job!! Let's just hope I can actually get 40 hours a week. This whole corporate office cubicle environment/constant CNN was beginning to get to me. I'm happy for a change, a guarantee of enough money to live on, and working at a beautiful bakery in the summer!
Back to Alison Bechdel's website...
What also contributed to my happiness this morning was after acquiring my poptart, I was walking by the mailroom and there in the stack of unwanted magazines I spied a copy of the March 2nd New Yorker. This is particularly remarkable because it is over two weeks old!! Where did it come from? Some courteous office worker must have put it back when they were finished reading it. This is particularly exciting because there's an article in the March 2nd issue that I heard about last week on Alison Bechdel's blog (which I have been obsessively reading upon finishing The Essential Dykes To Watch Our For- I need more Alison Bechdel in my life, NEED!!). It's an article that details an early group of radical lesbian feminists who decided to travel across the country in a van, rejecting contemporary American society. She posted a link to the article, but of course the full text is only available if you subscribe to the New Yorker. So what fortuity that I should stumble upon a two-week old copy lying around the office! Pure good luck. I'm very excited to read it.
I've also had a brooding morning, pondering the deeply fucked-up state of so many elements of our lives, after reading this article (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/13/world/asia/13malnutrition.html) in the New York times, and then this two year old article (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/w/world_food_program/index.html?inline=nyt-org), and after the beautiful and disturbing Bread and Puppet dance show last night, that like all Bread and Puppet shows, made me wake up and think about my own life/lack of action. I need to think about all of these things and begin in small ways to resist and to change my behavior. Like not eating any more poptarts to begin with.... Because all of these issues are interrelated. Thank goodness I live with such ethically well-thought roommates. Jenna just ordered a bunch of seeds for the raised bed gardens we will hopefully install in our backyard this spring. And we've been wrangling with Betsy for permission to set up a compost in the back. She's convinced it will be a magnet for rodent life, but what does that matter, now that we have Finn?
Needless to say, all of these thoughts on how fucked up captilaism/big business/America/corporate greed/our dependance on oil/lack of sustainable agriculture is, is making me happy that today is my last day temping at this ad agency in the John Hancock building. Yes, it is my official last day of having ample time with nothing to do but browse the internet. I only found out two days ago that today would be my last day and that they'd hired another receptionist (typical), but luckily I spent the last two weeks on Craigslist frantically applying to every job I saw. Most of these were babysitting jobs or office administrator jobs (which I've heard nothing back from of course) but I did find postings from two different local coffeeshop/cafes that looked promising. So I went and applied in person. And now I have a job! Just in time too. I'll be working at Flour Bakery in the South End, which isn't too far away, especially during the summer as it's just off the bike path that goes to JP! The food there is so incredible. Check out the obscenely delicious-looking photos on their website: http://www.flourbakery.com/
Unlike working at Starbucks, employees are allowed to eat the food for FREE when they're working. The manager is awesome. The food is great and all made there (bread and everything). They have delicious coffee. And everyone I've known who's worked there has loved it!
Anyway I start tomorrow. I'm pretty excited about it. And just so thankful to have a job!! Let's just hope I can actually get 40 hours a week. This whole corporate office cubicle environment/constant CNN was beginning to get to me. I'm happy for a change, a guarantee of enough money to live on, and working at a beautiful bakery in the summer!
Back to Alison Bechdel's website...