Give to Ceasar (or Obama, or McCain, or Congress) what is theirs

I can’t wait for this year’s election cycle to be done. The ads, the news stories, the SNL skits, radio spots- it’s just all too much.

I am at my sons’ soccer games which happen to be going on at the same time in fields right next to each other. I am positioned right in between them so I can turn one way and cheer as Evan stoutly defends his team’s goal and then turn the other way to clap as Jude passes the ball to a teammate and away from the huddled mass of 7 years old all trying to kick the ball as hard as they can and in no particular direction. There are two soccer moms behind me and they are talking politics.

The conversation sounded like many I have heard in the last several weeks, debating the merits of each candidates experience, talking about the bailout, critiquing the VP nominees. One of the women said she didn’t expect the president to be an expert in everything, but should be smart enough to surround themselves with smart people to help. Their main job was to be able to inspire people to action. The other lady started to get passionate and went off on how could Americans vote for someone like Palin who is ignorant in her opinion. She felt that this was a failure of the public schools country-wide to teach people to think critically, that there is no way a smart and reasonable person would vote that way.

I felt like turning around and asking where this woman went to school. Was it public? People were only critical thinkers if they agreed with her politics? I wanted to argue with her. I wanted to tell her that, regardless of political affiliations, she must see the arrogance of that statement. But, I realized, that it would be a pointless conversation. She would just get mad, and it would be ackward at every subsequent soccer practice. The practical side of my life would be adversely affected (as in, the relationships around me, even if a casual one with my son’s teammate’s parent) whereas on a bigger scale (who gets elected) would not be any different because of it.

If and when they build a time machine I will seriously consider going back and killing Hitler

So a friend and I went and saw The Dark Knight yesterday evening.  With the all the hype surrounding this movie I won’t give it yet another review but suffice it to say that I thought it was well done like most everybody else. I was almost determined not to see it given all the talk even though I was looking forward to its release.

The joker throughout the movie presents various moral dilemmas, seeking to expose ”the truth” about the people Gotham- from his fellow villians, Batman, other law enforcement and the general citizenry. It reminded me of the kinds of questions presented by ethics professors everywhere to their perplexed students, albeit as a murderous psycopath.  But I found these questions to be rather stupid, proving nothing, if but entertaining (not the weird ones). 

I think it is more insteresting to consider more practical and realistic moral dilemmas. Here is one we talked about last night. Is it a greater act of mercy to not have children if the world they grow up in is so wrought with problems that they have a good chance of experiencing, or worse, be the cause of great misery? But by explicitly choosing to not have them are you not condemning them to non-existance? Is this worse then misery, if some of their life would not be so? How about eternity?  If there was just a slim chance they would make it, is it worth the chance? Would you want to play the odds if you were them?

What to do with lettuce

Another Thursday, another box from our csa.  Do you like lettuce?  Because I have a lot of it. We have been eating a lot of salads. We have been making a lot of pesto.  We have put some in ravioli and in quiches and tarts. I will be adding it to my fettucini dough. But still there is more. Seems I am not the only one, and here and here.

You’ll never make ravioli alone

Donning my Liverpool jersey, too big jeans and faded camouflage thongs (make that flip flops) I set to work cranking dough through my new pasta maker as my wife takes bits of swiss chard, cheese, garlic and basil and forms the whole lot into soon-to-be-eaten ravioli. My 33rd birthday and my idea of fun is cooking. Well, not for the whole day, and with my back killing me (I’ve got to give credit to Italian grandmas everywhere) I look forward to an afternoon movie and dinner at Bally-Hoo in Tumwater. Do they serve bangers and mash? We shall see.

Back to the big jeans thing. I read somewhere that if you look young (seriously, if you really believe this) and you want people to take you seriously, don’t wear baggy clothes since it reinforces this perception.  So, my goal is wear as tight as jeans as possible all of the time, with black socks, Vans slip-ons and grow my bangs down to my chin. This is sure to get people to take this 30+ year old me seriously.

Eating locally grown produce in Olympia

We have been toying with the idea of buying all of our produce from local farmers and yesterday I submitted an order to Helsing Junction Farms  for membership (or a “share”).  Beginning around June 19th, and for 18 subsequent weeks, we will be picking up at a local drop site a selection of produce.  From what the describe on their web site they seem to offer a good variety of organic fruits and vegetables so I am excited for our first delivery and to see what comes to us over the summer and early fall. They are not only local to Western Washington but are in Rochester and so even more “local” than others, although there are a couple more in Thurston County.

What I may do if I have the time is to inventory what comes in the box and compare it to what Ralph’s Thriftway is selling those same items for to if there is a big difference.  The convenience of having it put together is an obvious advantage although you lose your ability to choose only those items you want. But, I see it as a good opportunity to eat some items, getting creative with their preperation, that I may not have tried.

The thought of strictly adhering to eating what is in season, and doing so from only what is available to us locally, is tempting with spring, summer and early fall being the easiest time to do this, of course.  I will have to do some investigating on how to accomplish that in the winter.  Now if I could just get the Smith Brothers rep to call me back and find a good local source of meat (a little research I am sure will reveal to me plenty of options) we will be covered.