Life Update

Here are a few updates about my life:

Diet: After twelve days of being vegan, I am positive that I will continue this for as long as is possible. I feel absolutely fantastic, and I am sure I have reduced the probability of developing many 'western diseases'. These diseases (things like obesity, various cancers, diabetes, hypertension, dental problems, etc.) have been brought to my attention by Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food (MP's website). I have only read the first third of the book, so far, in which he covers modern issues about food, about how our views of food in the industrial West have developed over the years, and give a warning about over generalizing the results of food research.

Books: Speaking of books, I have decided to embrace my short attention span when it comes to reading and read several books at the same time. This does not come as much of a surprise to me; it just feels right. To keep myself motivated, I have used the Daytum beta account I was given to log the pages I read each day. As motivation, it has worked pretty well. I was so sad that my daily average (note: it bugs me that I do not know how this average is calculated) was only 36 pages, so I started reading more. It is up to 60.5...still pretty meager, but a good improvement. Click and it will come (My Daytum).

Summer: I am going to Portland, OR. As I have told everyone who asks, something incredible will need to happen for me to stay in Ann Arbor. I am so excited to get out of here and live freely. Yes, I am already living on my own , and no, I do not hate my current living situation; I just want a change. I have been living in the residence halls for a good 2.5 years solid now, but the convenience we all love comes with a price. I am ready for a breather from my cushy room.

I am hoping to be really eco consious on my summer escape. To do this, I think I will make a list of all of the things I want to do:

• Compost (vermi- probably -> Instructable 1 | Instructable 2)
• Create a CO2 scrubber (Wiki | Instructable)
• Reduce my water consumption (start and stop water while showering, etc.)
• Find a new way to wash my clothes (Instructable)
• Air dry my sustainably washed clothes
  
• more to come! I am open to suggestions. (really, I got distracted and want to finish this post)

Personal Development: Oh, I can never get enough of personal development. I am like my own life coach. I borrowed some "Value Cards" from Kevin, so now I have values! I am going to sort through them and see which ones I relate to most. It should be pretty interesting. I am just hoping my values don't end up being pretension, snobbery, and being a punk.

That's it for now kiddos.