A little validation

Last week I sent off the funding proposal for the COG to my two colleagues and they both said it was great. I had been procrastinating and had been feeling like I had been spinning my wheels, but when I finally sat down to write it and edit it, and re-edit it I was finally happy with the final version I submitted. It's my understanding that the proposal will be floated around the funding world now and I'll get an update on how it is received next week.

I've made some incremental progress on the PhD proposal. I have a few pages written and I think I'll be ready to look at them again this weekend. I think I can have a completed draft by next week and start showing it to some folks. I've been feeling like my thinking has been muddled in trying to explain my concept for study, but as I was discussing it with a co-worker she seemed to think I had a better grasp at it than I've been giving myself credit. That certainly helped to motivate me. I have also finally given myself a deadline to finish the proposal by Friday, Sept. 19 at 6:00pm. I look forward to posting on here next week that I was able to keep to this deadline.

First draft

Earlier today I sent off a draft of the proposal I've been working on to fund the work I want to do with the Colors of Green Committee (COG). I think I did a fairly good job, but it took me so long just to get started on it. I've been having troubled balancing my time between my job at Communities for a Better Environment (CBE) and still find time to work with the COG, and work on my PhD proposal. I've been playing around with my schedule and as of yet it's just not working out for me. So I'll have to figure out how I can shift my responsibilities around so that when I actually sit down to do my work I have the energy to do it.

I'm inspired!

Wow! I just finished watching Barack Obama's acceptance speech on TV and I have to admit I got a little misty eyed with the prospect that the past 8 years are not just coming to an end, but possibly a whole era of disenfranchised governance. I used to think I was already jaded, but perhaps I just needed a healthy dose of big thinking to elaborate a vision of a new future. In fact I was so moved I just ponied up some more money to to help get him elected.

Go Obama!

Click here to read the speech

Click here to make your own donations

*****UPDATE 8/29/08*********

Apparently I wasn't the only one impressed with Obama's speech. But who ever thought I'd be on the same side as Pat Buchanan???

VIsiting the Carolinas, connecting with old friends, eating ribs..d'oh!

Last week Heidi and I went to North Carolina for our friend Andy's wedding. We took this opportunity to visit do some more traveling in the North and South Carolina to visit with her sister Heather and my old friend from high school, Kim.

It was great catching up with my friends that I haven't seen in far too long. And it was fun to see a part of the country that I've not gotten to know in the past. One thing I was looking forward to was the food. I did bend my goal of moving to a vegetarian diet since I just couldn't resist having some authentic southern ribs. The ones I had in Charleston were certainly delicious, but it wasn't much of a big deal for me to go without them. I had plenty of good meals that mostly consisted of the side dishes like macaroni and cheese, fried okra, fried or steamed vegetables, black eyed peas, grits, etc. And all these meals were equally as satisfying. So now I don't feel like I'm depriving myself by not eating meat, just opening a whole new world of opportunities for me to get more creative with the meals I'm eating.

I was also able to squeeze in a couple of hikes, thanks to Heidi's prodding, so that counts for me getting more exercise too. Ok, just barely. But on one of our hikes we did get a little lost on the trail which probably caused us to walk more than we would have otherwise. The hike was fairly easy, but it still wore me out. So I'm taking that as a sign that I do need to get in better shape. Hopefully my walking and busing to work will help out with that endeavor.

And as the picture up top suggests, Heidi and I did indeed stay in Bat Cave, NC for a couple of nights. Unfortunately we didn't see either Batman or Robin, and the bat cave that gives this town it's name was closed to visitors.

FInally organized...sort of

Well its' been a while since I've last posted and in some ways I feel like I just started something else to procrastinate doing, namely this blog. But as you can see from the photos below I have made some progress in at least one of the goals I set out to accomplish. I wanted to get rid of some of the clutter in my life and be more organized. So for the last few weeks I've been working on creating a more work friendly environment in my room. Since I'm very limited in space I have had to be creative in converting my tiny bedroom into my bedroom/office/reading room. Thanks to Ikea I've been able to do just that.




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I'm sorry I don't have any before pictures for you to compare to, but trust me this is a dramatic improvement of the cramped and clutter living space that I've existed in. I finally feel that I can be more productive. And in fact I have been more productive. I've finally put the OmniOutliner to use by sorting out all the articles I need to read. I've attached links to the article file either on my computer or on the web and I hope to start adding the bibliography and summary of each of these articles.



I had been feeling like I wasn't accomplishing much in the last month and had been feeling that by not posting sooner I was failing my goals, but I've started to shake those negative thoughts away and acknowledge that these things take time and as long as I chip away at them each day I can get closer to achieving my goals.

Don't have a cow man

I have been a bit slow this week in getting things accomplished on my list. I started a new job on Monday, but I can't really use that as an excuse since it's only part time. But I did make some progress in getting funding for the COG (Colors of Green Committee). I have to work on a proposal and try to get it out by Friday...no pressure.

But one area that I feel I have been making progress is in my move to a vegetarian diet. For the past few years I have already been incorporating a number of fake meats into my diet...no not bologna and hot dogs, actual vegetarian meat substitutes. It's been two weeks and I haven't had any meat. I'm actually quite impressed with myself. I figured I would have broken down and grabbed a burger from McDonald's or some other fast food chain that I'm prone to do every now and then. But I've managed to fight that urge.

Today was a bit of a test though. I went to a meeting for work where lunch was provided. They had sandwiches from Quiznos and at first glance it looked like they didn't have any veggie options. I was almost going to grab the chicken and bacon sandwich when I noticed the one sandwich that looked to be vegetarian. I sighed, then grabbed that one, no excuses here. The sandwich was good and I didn't even feel deprived. I did have to have an extra serving of salad before I felt satiated but all was well.

At home I've been cooking more interesting meals like my eggplant parmesian on a bed of steamed veggies with a homemade tomato sauce; some broccoli, green bean and tofu spiced sausage stir fry with pesto sauce and parmesian cheese; and some vegetarian nachos. None of these meals have taken me more than 25 minutes to make. The trick is to prep the veggies before hand or just use the frozen pre-cut veggies. The veggie meats also don't need to be cooked that long either so really it's been very easy to eat healthy and interesting meals.

And I did start a little with getting regular exercise. I went for a 3 mile jog yesterday with my running club. It's been well over 2 months since I've gone running, but I did ok. I still haven't fully figured out my schedule yet, but I hope to get that down by next week so I can be sure to plan for more regular exercise sessions.

Shaken but not stirred

We just had a sizable quake here in LA. I was sitting in my room when the whole house started to sway in a spiral fashion. It lasted a short while. Being an LA native I've lived through a number of earthquakes and this one definitely felt like a big one maybe not here but somewhere. Seeing my house shake the way it did made me feel like the old 1920's house that I live in can't possibly withstand an earthquake much larger than this. A few things fell, but no real damage. What a way to start your day!