Insignifica tag:insignifica.org,2011-07-15://1 2013-03-08T14:59:08Z Thoughts and ideas, but nothing important. Movable Type 4.23-en Hello readers! tag:insignifica.org,2013://1.19 2013-03-08T00:38:09Z 2013-03-08T14:59:08Z This blog is too often ignored, mostly because I post to friends at Facebook, and I can filter my posts so easily there. I'll promise to try to try harder at posting. If you're reading this, tell me so I... Michael Doss This blog is too often ignored, mostly because I post to friends at Facebook, and I can filter my posts so easily there. I'll promise to try to try harder at posting. If you're reading this, tell me so I have some idea of who still reads (or more likely, still has it on their RSS feed reader). Halloween through the ages tag:insignifica.org,2012://1.18 2012-10-31T22:41:01Z 2012-11-02T03:11:31Z Because I've always wanted this all in one place, may I present the last 10 years of Halloween costumes. 2002 - Sacred Heart Jesus 2003 - Warrior angel 2004 - Lego Minifig 2005 - Ghostbuster 2006 - Turn-of-the-century strongman 2007... Michael Doss



2002 - Sacred Heart Jesus



2003 - Warrior angel



2004 - Lego Minifig



2005 - Ghostbuster



2006 - Turn-of-the-century strongman



2007 - Fidel Castro



2008 - Classic devil



2009 - Chicken-pecked Colonal Sanders



2010 - Perverted chicken



2011 - Blue Man Group member



2012 - Jamie Hyneman of the Mythbusters


]]> Facebook analytics - How long since we've seen each other? tag:insignifica.org,2012://1.17 2012-09-11T23:39:18Z 2012-09-15T05:30:02Z Michael Doss Today's question: How long has it been since I've seen my Facebook friends? 

Facebook makes for weird relationships - I'm closer with some people now than I ever was in high school or college, but often I haven't seen those people in person in 10 or 15 years. Others I was very close to back then, and while we're friends here, we don't communicate often. First, the breakdown. I've seen: 

10 (4%) of my Facebook friends today;
7 (3%) more in the last week;
16 (6%) between a week and a month ago;
21 (8%) between a month and six months ago;
13 (5%) between six months and a year ago;
72 (28%) between a year and five years ago;
30 (12%) between five and ten years ago;
73 (28%) between 10 and 20 years ago;
6 (2%) more than 20 years ago;
and 8 (3%) of you I've never met. 

I'm not going to graph this out, but looking at the numbers, the majority of my FB friends fit into the "between a year and five years ago" and "between ten and twenty years ago" categories. The lull between ("between five and ten years ago") is curious, and systematic of how you can make statistics "lie". If I rewrote these categories to include a slightly longer time frame for the last two categories (say "between five and twelve years ago" and "between twelve and twenty-five years ago"), the 5-12 group would be the largest, by far, because it would include all the college friends I haven't seen since graduation. An even larger group would be those I haven't seen since between 1996 and 2000 (the end of high school through the end of college). It's all about the questions you ask, and how your group your answers. 

Otherwise, the numbers above are pretty much as I expected. With the exception of my girlfriend, everyone I've seen today I work with. Most of the folks I've seen in the last week and last month, as well. My core group of friends almost all fit into the "1-6 months ago" category due to summer get-togethers. 1-5 years is filled with ex-coworkers, and the larger groups in longer time frames mostly with school chums. 

But what does it all mean? Clearly, we need to get together more often.
]]> In which I live up to my condescending nature, and invite you to join me. tag:insignifica.org,2012://1.16 2012-06-27T23:33:39Z 2012-07-09T01:54:59Z I'm starting to realize (with some help from friends) that I've been kinda preachy as of late; I'm telling everyone what's best for them in terms of working (work less, and get paid for it), relaxing (relax more) and eating... Michael Doss I'm starting to realize (with some help from friends) that I've been kinda preachy as of late; I'm telling everyone what's best for them in terms of working (work less, and get paid for it), relaxing (relax more) and eating (eat what you want, and don't "settle" for mediocre). 

You know what? I'm okay with this.

I fully accept that the kind of stuff I've been advocating (via blog posts and facebook updates, mainly) can be annoying. If it's annoying, please don't read it or spend any time thinking about it. My goal isn't to annoy, and I'm under no delusion that everyone wants my advice, or that it's necessarily right for everyone. But I do want to share what works for me, 'cause I love you, internets. 

Yes, even you. 

So if you're already annoyed, or think you might be, turn around. I won't be offended in the least. For everyone else, a recap of what's been on my mind lately: 

Work and Relaxing: Too many of us work to much. Even worse, many of us work on our time off out of some odd sense of duty/obligation to our employers. And the worst of all, we're not all getting paid for this work. People are willingly taking a pay cut (working for free effectively cuts your pay per hour) because they think they're supposed to, or because "everyone does". 

No! Not everyone does!

If you don't like the word "lazy", choose a synonym, but I'm here to advocate being lazy, on your time. Do your job and do it awesomely, but when you're off work, be off work. Be off work as hardcore as possible. Do it with all your might. I don't care if you're parasailing or hobbying or potificating or sitting your beautiful lazy butt on the couch reading or watching television: take back your time. It's yours, not theirs. You're a big boy or girl, you've been in the workforce for many years. Stand up and tell your boss that you're working your hours, then you're going home. Sure, sometimes you'll have to work a little overtime to finish something. But make sure you're paid for it. And make sure it's absolutely "sometimes". Otherwise, you're getting screwed, and you're the only person responsibile for that. 

Food: I think about food a lot. A whole lot. Because it's awesome, you guys. I'm lucky to have a wonderful relationship with food - I enjoy eating it, I enjoy manipulating it to get something awesome out of it, and I don't have any guilt about what I eat. I know it's not as simple as that for everyone, but in the very least, you can like what you're doing while you're doing it. This should be true for most aspects of your life, but the road toward happy coexistance with food (if you're not there already) is not hating it. You and food aren't going your separate ways, so you might as well get along.

And once you've happily reached that point (it's different for everyone, and that's cool), you should work your way toward loving food, and never settling for something less. Stuff your face, but it do it with something awesome. If you're counting, save your calories for the best stuff, even if it means eating less. If you're not counting, don't fill up on bad bread: fill up on some amazin' fuckin' fresh-baked loaf of awesome.

I have a lot more advice to give (because I'm full of it), and I hope you can stick around and annoy me a little bit, too. We're all in this together, and we might as well get the very most out of it. 

]]> Your checklist for the coming work week. tag:insignifica.org,2012://1.15 2012-06-25T07:10:01Z 2012-06-27T23:38:19Z Michael Doss  

1. Make sure you're dreading Monday and/or the length of the week.
2. So as not to get enough sleep, make sure you're over scheduling.
3. As usual, work hours you're not getting paid for, for "the good of the company" and/or "your future". 
4. Stress out.
5. Have work be such an overwhelming force in your life that you feel the need to escape on the weekends, instead of being able to enjoy your day-to-day.

You wouldn't seriously write this list or advocate it; why are so many of you planning on checking most of these items off? Reclaim your life, friends!
]]> Relax. tag:insignifica.org,2012://1.14 2012-06-15T21:01:58Z 2012-06-25T07:10:34Z Michael Doss Author's note: This is the first in a series of entries where I tell you what to do. 

Sometimes, while relaxing or doing nothing important, I think to myself, "Am I wasting my life? Shouldn't I be climbing mountains or cleaning something or writing a novel?" Then I remember - and this is the important part, folks - that relaxation is an absolutely vital part of existence, and something people don't do enough.

Honestly: do you relax enough? Or are you too busy? Perhaps guilted into thinking that you "should" be doing something else? 

Stop doing things. Relax. 

Yes, I know different things are relaxing to different people. And I appreciate that most people get a little relaxing in most days. But is it enough? How much do we need? Is a glut of relaxation during vacation enough to fill in for the days where your days are totally filled up?

I've always been a pretty good advocate for relaxing, but a recent influx of Facebook updates from friends about long office hours and wasted weekends has made me take up the torch anew. People I care about have been tricked (by The Man, probably) into thinking that they need to be working for free, or that their jobs are more important than their personal lives. Could they be right?

No! No, I say!

Life is meant to be lived, and enjoyed. You should be doing what you want, and a vital part of actually enjoying life is relaxing, not working for someone else all the time. Life can be short, friends - on your deathbed, you're not going to think you didn't work enough. Enjoy life! 
]]> It's time for writing! tag:insignifica.org,2012://1.13 2012-06-12T22:38:20Z 2012-06-25T07:10:49Z I'll start this by tooting my own horn a bit: I'm realizing I'm a pretty good writer, and I kinda like to do it. I never liked writing papers in school, but that's mostly because someone else told me what... Michael Doss I'll start this by tooting my own horn a bit: I'm realizing I'm a pretty good writer, and I kinda like to do it. I never liked writing papers in school, but that's mostly because someone else told me what I needed to write. I was also a teenager at the time, and had much better things to do with my life than actually study or know the material, so the grades reflected that. Now I'm an adult, and I can write about anything I want. Literally anything, and people will read it. That's crazy power. 

Oh, and I'm tired of looking at that "pink slime" picture below, so this post will bump it down.

So I'm writing, and I've tasked myself to do a little of it every day. Some I'll publish, some I won't. Some might be fiction or other similar projects, and I already have some essays for Insignifica planned. 

I think what's been stopping me writing much lately was getting over burnout: I wrote a post every day on the old Insignifica for years, and by the end, it was a chore. I also felt like I needed to write to an audience, which isn't a bad thing, but it is a limiting one. So now I can write to you, here, or to no one, here. Or I can write to you in private, or to no one, in private. I can write five thousands words, or fifty. I realize I need to write to get even better at writing, but I don't need to involve you, something which we can both be happy about. 

So this is being ranting and unwieldy, which is wonderful. Keep reading, there's more of this coming, whether you see it or not. 

]]> Pink Slime and human nature tag:insignifica.org,2012://1.12 2012-03-09T23:28:35Z 2012-03-18T19:07:48Z Once more, this story and this picture (left) are going around. And once again, all I see is meat eaters freaking out about eating meat.For those of you unfamiliar: When all the meat possible is removed by hand from an... Michael Doss pink-slime.jpg
Once more, this story and this picture (left) are going around. And once again, all I see is meat eaters freaking out about eating meat.

For those of you unfamiliar: When all the meat possible is removed by hand from an animal post-slaughter, the bones, along with other parts that edible meat is sticking to, go through a process of mechnical separation, separating the very small leftover meat from the non-ediables. This mechanically separated meat is then used as a filler in other meat products. 

Sounds kinda disgusting, but no worse than the rest of the slaughting process. And generally, I feel that anything that produces less waste is a good thing (and so do the meat processors, I imagine). But seeing the above photo, masses of internet citizens (vegetarians and meat eaters both, though I've seen more from the meat eaters) have collectively freaked out about it.

I really don't see it as being much different from most other ground meat preparations, honestly. The beef version typically has ammonium hydroxide (an USDA-approved antimicrobial) added to kill e. coli, while the pork and chicken versions don't. This is also freaking people out, generally those who don't know about the hundreds of chemicals already fed to and used in the slaughter of animals. Hint: You don't want to know.

There are, of course, other processes out there for dealing with leftover bits of meat. After you kill an animal and remove all the meat you can, many processors boil the bones to extract tiny bits of meat. This also serves to de-marrow the bones, break down the skin and connective tissue, etc. This process converts natural collagen into a type of gelatin, thickening the mixture as well. Sounds disguesting too, yes? Well, I've just described the horrible process that your grandmother used to make chicken or beef stock in her own kitchen. That monster!

We have a weird tendency in our society to freak out about meat if it doesn't look like what we think meat should look like (a steak, a cooked chicken breast, etc). Once it's dead animal flesh, we should use all we can. The truly horrible parts of the process exist mainly in the treatment and slaughter of the animals, but that part doesn't seem to phase people. As long as the muscle tissue looks like what we expect the muscle tissue to look like on our plate, it's delicious. But when we get a glimpse into the process, we're forced to think about it. 

Maybe that's for the best.
]]> On Freedom tag:insignifica.org,2011://1.11 2011-10-18T22:13:42Z 2011-10-24T00:10:57Z It's good to know when to quit.Last week, I officially passed control of Orange County Atheists - an organization I founded in 2005 - to three long-time members and friends. They'll plan the meetings and be in charge of all... Michael Doss It's good to know when to quit.

Last week, I officially passed control of Orange County Atheists - an organization I founded in 2005 - to three long-time members and friends. They'll plan the meetings and be in charge of all the little things like restaurant reservations, website updates, and mailing lists, and I'll just be a member, coming to meetings as I please, with no larger responsibility. 

When you break it down, I'm only freeing up about 20 minutes a month (not counting the meeting), but on a grand scale, it's been absolutely liberating. 

No longer am I "in charge". I don't have to be the "face" of the organization, deal with new (and sometimes very odd) group members, or feel responsible to be at every meeting. And while no one thing was actually stressful, combined it become something I no longer loved doing, and that was reason enough for me to pass it on. 

To a lot of people, this is quitting, and there's nothing good about it. I used to feel the same way, too - my life is full of projects like this that I eventually gave up on, or stopped doing, or sometimes passed on to others. I was always happy for the free time, but there was often something lingering in the back of my head that said "you could have done better, and you should have spent more time on it". 

For a long time, I believed it. 

But more recently, I'm finding that so many of the stresses in our lives are entirely up to us to handle. And for me, pending, regular obligations (even of things I love/loved) grate at me like nothing else. To use the cliche, they take up valuable real estate in my brain, the same way that long-term work assignments or homework do. They're always back there, and while not overwhelming, I'm generally happier without them. And as soon as I made the decision to stop leading OC Atheists, I felt that happiness again, so I knew it was the right decision. 

So what's next? Somewhat paradoxically, another project. It's not that I don't enjoy doing these things, but everything has a life cycle, and I have a part in that cycle that I'll love for a while, put up with for a while, and perhaps learn to hate after a while. Knowing when to get off the ride (while keeping things tidy on the way out if others count on you) is knowing yourself, and a path toward happiness. 
]]> What is "processed"? tag:insignifica.org,2011://1.10 2011-09-28T20:04:24Z 2011-10-08T16:27:05Z It all started with a simple question: Could I go without processed foods for 30 days?Sure, I thought. I'd done a similar 30-day challenge before (buying no prepared foods like bread, sauces, etc. for a month), and while it was... Michael Doss It all started with a simple question: Could I go without processed foods for 30 days?

Sure, I thought. I'd done a similar 30-day challenge before (buying no prepared foods like bread, sauces, etc. for a month), and while it was difficult, I learned a lot. So, I said to myself, what exactly does "processed" mean?

Then the fun began. 

I like definitions, and bounderies. You can't break a rule (on purpose) until you know what it is, and it's better if you know where it came from and why it's there. I've heard my entire life that "processed" foods are bad, we should all eat fewer of them, and that obesity/poor health/malnutrion/low resale value of your car are all the fault of these damn processed foods. 

Like many things nutrition, "processed" is most often defined by the "I know it when I see it" test. Cheese puffs? Processed. Apples? Nope. Hot dogs? Oh yeah. Cookies? Well, that depends on what kind. How about cheese? Those yellow squares have to be, but what about a block of cheddar? Does it matter if it's made by hand and sold at twice the price at Whole Foods?

But what, exactly, makes those foods processed? Is it the ingrediants? Many of the definitions I've found specify one of two tests (if not both) - you have to be able to recognize and pronounce all the ingredients, and it has to be something you could make in your kitchen. But if I can't pronounce or don't recognize something, does that make it processed, or just mean I'm uninformed? And I certainly can't make most breakfast cereals at home (Make a corn flake. I dare you), or cheeses for that matter. But neither is commenly placed in the "processed" pile.

Maybe it's what happens to the food - tearing it down, recombining, adding some fillers - that makes it bad. But that would lump hot dogs in with everything with flour in it - that can't be right. Almost all food preperation requires similar steps unless you're eating raw, so I'm not liking this defintion either. 

Perhaps a food's "closeness to nature" is the best way to judge. Fruit off the tree? Awesome. Same fruit in a can - "processed"? Maybe. Meat off the bone of any animal you killed? Assuming cooking isn't "processing", you're in good shape. How about milk? Sure, if it comes straight from the cow to your glass. But almost all milk is pasteurized to kill bacteria and homogenized to keep it from separating, both done through some funky processes. And that's how I like it, thank you very much. 

In the end, there isn't a good definition, because "processed" or not isn't the right way to look at our food. We need to see how food is prepared, what's lost or retained via processing, and eat everything in moderation and as part of an overall healthy diet.
]]> iPad2 cases made in the USA tag:insignifica.org,2011://1.9 2011-08-24T23:09:32Z 2011-09-04T04:13:37Z As a newly rich man following my $200 food budget for August, I decided to buy an iPad. It's a fun toy, it plays nicely with my family's iPhones, and it's popular-therefore-well supported (debate coming another time).So now to accessories.... Michael Doss $200 food budget for August, I decided to buy an iPad. It's a fun toy, it plays nicely with my family's iPhones, and it's popular-therefore-well supported (debate coming another time).

So now to accessories. I have pretty strict standards for buying things made in China - generally, I don't do it unless I can get it used, or if there's absolutely no other way. The iPad is, of course, made in the PRC, so I have a used one, very happily. But I can afford to be a little more picky about my iPad case - I want one made in the USA. 

Whereas I only had one option for a good USA-made iPhone4 case (Thanks, TRTL BOT!), I seem to have many more choices when looking for a case for my new toy. Many companies compete in the case market, and most of the locally-produced options are catering to a classier clientele, looking for a classier case. Some options: 

Treegloo (http://treegloo.com/) - Treegloo makes book-style cases, built to order, for the iPad. They focus on sustainable, animal-friendly, environmentally-conscious materials, and make the cases by hand. They give a lot of options for internal and external colors, as well as finishes and little touches. This one's high on my list. 

Portenzo (http://shop.portenzo.com/) - Portenzo's cases look a lot like Treegloo's offerings, but with more options for case design, more use of leather, and higher prices. Just like Treegloo, they offer options for things like a back camera hole, and different kinds of closures. They seem to be one of the more popular picks out there in the market. 

Dodo Case (http://www.dodocase.com/) - The third of the popular "made in the USA handmade" set, Dodo cases are made by craft bookbinders in San Francisco. Like Treegloo and Portenzo, the iPad sits in a wooden frame which is placed in a book-like binding. They don't seem to offer as many color choices, however.

Grove (http://www.grovemade.com/) - Grove cases are less book-like than the other choices, but much more interesting. They're all wood (with custom leather or magnetic covers), with many materials and color options. They're handmade in Oregon, and custom work seems to be a specialty. They cost a little more, but you're unlikely to get a look like this anywhere else.

Built (http://www.builtny.com) - Built, largely a bag and tote company, designed and manufactures their "Ergonomic Hard Case" in the USA, and compared to the other offerings, it much more closely resembles the molded plastic and rubber cases typically made overseas. The polycarbonate body is made to be knocked around, and it looks to fit very nicely, and give a nice hold. It's also the cheapest of the bunch, at $35.

Right now, I'm leaning toward the Treegloo case - I like the look and the price, and the liberal-friendly, "no animals involved" company makes the vegetarian in me very happy. But if I'm feeling rich, I might also pick up one of the Built cases - it looks very functional, and will let me treat the iPad more like a rough-and-tumble kid than a fragile baby. 

Either way, though, it's nice to have choices, where in technology-not-made-in-China there often are none. If you've used any of these cases, or know of others made in the USA, drop me a comment here and let me know!
]]> $200, budgets, and olive oil. tag:insignifica.org,2011://1.8 2011-08-16T23:55:27Z 2011-09-04T04:12:16Z Michael Doss I'm a little more than halfway this month's challenge - spend no more than $200 on food for my family in August - and it's been a very interesting experience so far. Some highlights: 

  • Going out to eat is almost impossible, with the exception of very occasional cheap fast food. But even that costs more than I should spend on any given meal. With a few exceptions (detailed below), we haven't dined out since the challenge started. 

  • Some foods are naturally inexpensive, and luckily for us, they're staples. Rice, beans, lentils, and common veggies (carrots, onions, potatoes) are filling, easy, and cheap. The rub comes when it's time to pair them with a protein (usually something fake-meat for me, and either real or fake meat for the Girlfriend and kid). I've also given up most of my cheese habits, since we're still sticking to standards for dairy (all dairy we buy is organic or small-farmed), so that's generally out too. 

  • I'm always on the lookout for free food. Usually this comes in the form of stuff from our families, or party leftovers. I've stocked up, and it's been a savior, especially for my beer habit. 

  • Salsa is expensive. Good bread, too. And olive oil: I'm just about to run out, and I'd much rather spend $9-$10 on the large bottle of the stuff I like, instead of $4 for 1/5 as much. What do I give up to buy in bulk? Regardless of the fact that I'm "saving" with the larger purchase, it's still more money, right now.

  • Little things add up. A vending machine soda (mine here are $0.85) per work day would use up just over 8% of my weekly food budget. Getting a pizza on the way home on Friday (no delivery - too much extra!) would eat up almost 25%. These are things I never pondered before this challenge.

I'm not pretending that this is anything like actually being poor, but it's provided some interesting insight into what it's like being on a strict budget. You immediately know what you can't do (going out to a restaurant, spending your week's budget on beer and cheese at Whole Foods, etc.). You still want to eat well, so you look for both deals and ways to make what you've got more interesting. And all of this is interesting when it's a social project - if I had to explain to friends why I couldn't go out with them, month after month, it'd be embarrassing. 

As mentioned above, there have been exceptions. I go out to eat every Saturday with my mom, and lunch for the kid and me is usually $10. Not a lot, but I'm still not counting it in the total because it's important for me to do. I didn't count a going-away party at a restaurant, because the social aspect was more important to me. And I didn't count (most of) the food I picked up for another going-away party, for the same reasons. Still, not counting these things has made me realize how much harder this really is.

One other thing I've learned: In a regular month, I probably spend between three and four times ($600-$800) my August budget on food. I'm not sure if this is really high (I don't go out to eat THAT much, really), or if it's standard for my social class and location. Either way, I'm saving enough on food this month to pay for an iPad. This project keeps surprising me. 
]]> Calories, "Healthy", and Restaurant Menus tag:insignifica.org,2011://1.7 2011-08-03T22:03:27Z 2011-09-04T04:11:01Z I love information. Absolutely love it. The more I've reflected on this fact, the more I realize that my job, my hobbies, and my interests all tend to revolve around acquiring interesting data. So when California instituted its menu labeling... Michael Doss I love information. Absolutely love it. The more I've reflected on this fact, the more I realize that my job, my hobbies, and my interests all tend to revolve around acquiring interesting data. So when California instituted its menu labeling law (California Health and Safety Code Section 114094) two years ago, I was very pleased, not only as a data-lover, but as someone who'd rather eat 600 calories over 1,100, given the choice on a menu.

One problem I've faced, however, is that not all restaurants are required to give nutrional information for their food - if a company has fewer than 20 locations, they're exempt. This is apparently because a "small" restaurant or chain can't afford the costs associated with food testing to determine nutritional info. I think that's a load of manure, personally (a chain with 15 restuarants is by no means small and poor), but it's the law. 

What really surprises me, though, is that restaurants that sell themselves as "healthy" refuse to go above and beyond the legal requirements and provide nutrional info. The worst offender I've found so far, and also a restaurant I love, is the Veggie Grill. But their opinion on the matter is pretty well spelled out in the following I received from them after complaining loudly on their Facebook page:

We apologize that we do not have full nutritional details on our menu items. The yet to be released FDA menu nutritional labeling guidelines requiring restaurants to have full nutritional details will apply only to restaurants with 20 or more locations as the government acknowledges that the effort to compile and maintain this information is too burdensome for smaller restaurant companies. 

We have been advised that we would need a large food analysis lab to do the analysis since we need to have a company with liability insurance to stand behind their work (we live in a very litigious society). This of course makes it an expensive proposition (approximately $30,000), particularly for a new, small company such as ours.

That being said, we are very proud of the fact that our menu is 100% plant-based with absolutely no cholesterol, animal fat, trans fat or high-fructose corn syrup. 

Numerous studies have shown that eating 100% plant-based foods is the best way to reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and to maintain a healthy weight. We recommend "The China Study" by Dr. T. Colin Campbell (http://goo.gl/WAbzZ) for anybody who would like to learn more about these studies.

As I believe you may be aware, additional information regarding our nutritional philosophy can be found at http://www.veggiegrill.com/primer.html. 

Our mission to build an enduring brand that helps people and the planet can only succeed if we listen carefully to guests such as yourself. Opening 7 restaurants and hiring 220 people over the past 4 tough years has been very difficult and expensive, but we are trying hard to make a go of it.

Are calories everything? No. And I agree that eating a plant based diet is almost by default healthier than one with meat, especially if that meat is factory-farmed. But calories, as well as other pieces of nutrional information, are vital for many people on many kinds of diets (weight loss, and otherwise). I've touched on this topic before, with swear words.

If you've never eaten at Veggie Grill, you're missing out on two things: very delicious passable-as-real-chicken-sandwich vegan food, and grease. Their food tastes good, in part, because it's high in fat, and likely high in salt as well. This is all well and good if you know what you're getting into, but when all the marketing material for a restaurant touts its health benefits while refusing any mention of meal calories, there's a strong likelihood of confusion. 

Above all else, it makes me wonder if the company is just too poor to do a nutrional analysis (not likely, given they only open in boutique locations with high rents, and charge full-service prices for their counter-service food), or if they're hiding something. All I know is that if I'm looking for low-calorie, I look elsewhere.

(This entry has been cross-posted to my oft-neglected food blog, TofuFighting.)
]]> Step One: Be Happy. tag:insignifica.org,2011://1.6 2011-07-27T20:55:22Z 2011-09-04T04:10:04Z A major influence in relaunching this blog was my desire to share with others what makes me happy, in the hope that it'll make them happy too. I don't fancy myself a self-help guru, but I've discovered a few things... Michael Doss A major influence in relaunching this blog was my desire to share with others what makes me happy, in the hope that it'll make them happy too. I don't fancy myself a self-help guru, but I've discovered a few things in my life that I'm sure others could use - little things, mostly. But the little things add up, and for me, they make me the positive person I am. 

I think I've long realized that happiness (and it's close cousin, optimism) depend very much on your perception of the world, and not just the things that happen to you. One way to look at it is that good and bad things happen to everyone - some get more of each, some get fewer, but we all have a mix. What you choose to spend your time focusing on and worrying about shapes you as much or more than the actual stimuli. 

For some of us (the naturally optimistic), this is easy. There's a lot to feel good about, be positive about, and look forward to, so we deal with negative things as they happen, but don't dwell, or let them take over. I count myself lucky to be in this camp, because being happy is less work. Anyone can learn to be optimistic, though. 

Step one, and your lesson for today: Enjoy what you're doing, no matter what it is. 

To me, this almost sounds like "fooling yourself for your own good", but only until you realize that we color every perception with preconceived notions. So why not make those notions positive ones? I've felt this way a long time, but it was put into perspective (and well-written words) by two things a few weeks back: A Star Trek novel called "Watching the Clock", which among other things details an alien race that finds pleasure in all new experiences simply because they're new, and this post I read online. An excerpt:

Let's say you're washing the dishes. Wouldn't you rather be having a delicious meal instead, or talking with your best friend? Sure, those things are great, but they're only better if you believe they're better, and more importantly, the comparison is totally unnecessary. Why should you compare what you're doing now (washing dishes) with anything else? Wouldn't almost anything lose out if you compare it to something you like more? Will you ever be happy with what you're doing if you always compare it with something you like more?

Washing dishes can be as great as anything else, if you decide to see it that way. You're in solitude, which is a beautiful thing. If you do it mindfully, washing dishes can be pleasant as you feel the suds and water in your hands, pay attention to the dish and its texture, notice your breathing and thoughts. It's meditation, it's quiet, it's lovely.

Too often, we create the comparisons that disappoint us. We see the world how we'd like to see it, and sometimes this means not liking what we're doing. But what if it was as simple as just enjoying your everyday activities, no matter what they are?

You're not going to be able to do this in practice at first, at least not easily. The key in starting to change your mindset is finding at least one thing you enjoy in everything you do. I don't love the drive every afternoon to my daughter's daycare, but I do love 15 minutes of time to myself. I love watching to see if the lemon tree on the center divider has fruit yet. I love the small-world feeling of spotting some the same cars most days, since I'm on the same road at the same time. 

It's the little things. It's always the little things. 

Another step, and this one seems obvious, is work at not doing things that you know you won't enjoy. If you don't like arguments, don't find your way into them. If you really don't want to attend an event, don't. In time, you'll find more joy in more things, but starting out, focus on putting more things you already enjoy into your life.

A lot of the above seems a little weird-hippie-new-age, even to me - it's the first time I've ever put it all in one place, though I do my best to live it. But it's a semi-accurate reflection of how I've been living my life for the last few years, and what makes me the happy person I generally am. 
]]> Random Sunday Thoughts tag:insignifica.org,2011://1.5 2011-07-24T17:00:40Z 2011-09-04T04:09:47Z Michael Doss
The good thing about comment spam, however, is that it reminds me that I have a blog, and I should write in it. Some observations from the week:

I attended a non-midnight screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show at the UU Church in Costa Mesa yesterday. It was all the fun of mildly offending those around you, with none of the "I'm too old for this late night shit" feeling after the Time Warp. Bonus: being able to swear and yell out sexual innuendo in a church.  One more thing crossed off my bucket list. 

While I don't hold being huge against a company (Apple, you're pretty cool), there's a lot to be said for savvy small(er) tech companies. Roku, which makes my internet-enabled set-top box of choice, has an active forum community for support and feature discussion, and I spend a little while most days reading, helping out other users, and answering questions for the things I know about. When Roku released a new product this week, they rewarded my (and others, I assume) contribution there, and are sending out free $80 devices as a thank-you. Now I'm telling everyone that not only is the product cool, but the company cares about its active customers and does nice things. Word of Mouth FTW.

Southern California has the best weather in the country. Really. While almost everyone else has been sweltering in high heat and humidity, we've had mildly warm days and cool nights - in July. It's worth the mortgage payment, really.

My garden is exploding. The tangerine tree has some fruit and a lot of new leaf growth, the pumpkin and zucchini are growing visibly every day, and I've never had my basil look better. We've also been trimming back the "pretty but large and invasive" stuff, so it all looks nice, too. Pictures and more to come. 

Thanks for reading, friends! Try to beat the spammers to commenting!
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