Totalitarian Consumerism

[That title is from Dmitri Orlov, who blogs and speaks about Peak Oil and eventual doom of all things Totalitarian. Go read "Real Communities are Self-Organizing" and then come back here. My Facebook buddies know I've ranted about this subject already...I just needed to do it AGAIN for the non-FB crowd.]

The big news in my Southwestern Virginia homeland this week, last week, and since before Christmas has been the record amounts of snow we have received and are receiving and won’t stop until after Easter, most likely. My ancestral homeland is up yonder in Yankee-land-Midwest so this is surprising but not wholly unprecedented for our family. Another favorite blogger from upper New York state is jealous of our FEET accumulation.

I mention the snow as the backdrop to the utter insanity which is occurring at the World’s Largest Retailer or otherwise known as my husband’s workplace. Blue shirts and Smiley Face-ville. Ok, you get the drift. In our Totalitarian Consumerist society, it is normal to stock up on bread, milk, and probably beer before a snow storm. Maybe Bubba Americana will purchase a snow shovel, if there were any left and he issued forth a salient thought on the reason why he was stocking up on microwaveable chicken wings.

You want to know the other necessity which pathetic people with tax return money burning a hole in their pockets just absolutely must-have DURING a BLIZZARD?

A large flat-screen TV.

Not even purchasing these items before the storm, but as the streets fill with dangerous ice and feet of snow?

Yes, you might interject, the Super Bowl is this weekend. My friends, these [gritting teeth whilst typing] neighbors have spreed their way through the Electronics department before the snow hit last week…and before other non-holiday or non-major broadcasting weekends.

I am angry with my [aaarrghhh...*wailing and nashing teeth *] neighbors for making it necessary for MY husband to risk life, limb, and automobile in order for THEM to purchase a complete NON-NECESSITY to the survival of 48 hours.

There you have it folks, the report of one small symptom of our Totalitarian Consumerist state. I have to go spend time with my prayer rope now to get the rest of the angst worked out…

On Women

A Creative Response

I was doing a little shopping at Michael’s Craft Store this past weekend. An establishment, I might add, from which I always emerge with more items than I planned to buy. So I was picking through bins of cutsey stickers and notepads (the latter is a particular weakness of mine) when a little girl, not quite 3 years old, spied my headscarf and piped out loudly to her mother,

“Mom, what is that lady wearing on her head?”

The woman was bent over a lower bin and when she looked up at me, she froze in polite fear. I smiled at the little girl and said, “It keeps my ears warm!” The mother let out a big rush of held breath and repeated what I said with a chuckling tone. Pixie Girl was not done…”Oh momma! I want a scarf for Christmas! I want a big one like she is wearing!”

At this point I had to duck behind another stack of bins because I had to laugh. I was also grateful for saving the poor woman from an awkward moment.

Long Hair Care

One of my “dream goals” when I was still your average Jennifer-American four years ago was to grow out my hair. All of my hair. I had bangs my entire life because of my large forehead. I did not like the maintenance factor of bangs. You have to blow-dry them, roll them, curl them, spritz them with petrochemicals. I figured that if my hair was of all the same (long) length, I could reduce my daily hair fuss.

I accomplished that dream somewhere shortly after my wedding in 2006. No more bangs! The big shiny forehead was liberated! I was still experimenting with coverings just on Sundays at that point.

Then, when I covered up every day in mid 2007, my hair care routine also changed. I quit washing daily and switched over every-other-day. That routine has pretty much stayed the same since except for a little change-up. Let me describe:

Day 1: Wash with regular shampoo. No conditioner for my baby-fine hair. Pull back in pony tail and braid. Twirl into bun and pin.

Day 2: Undo braid (which was undone from ponytail and slept on) and brush with boar bristle brush to work out the natural oils. Re-do hair into a bun.

This December I decided to try No-(sham)poo method, with baking soda and apple cider vinegar for every other wash day. Now my routine includes non-SLS (sodium laurel sulfate) shampoo on the days I “wash”. It is more expensive than regular shampoo, but since I only use it once or twice a week, I stretch it out a looooong time. I have reached the other “dream goal” of using no petroleum products on my head.

Last summer at one point (I cannot find the post) I was dithering over whether to get a trim/cut after 2 years of having no scissors touch the hair. Well, I did get about 3-4 inches taken off which did improve my morale and head/neck complaints. The length is now back to where it was (about waist level) and I am pondering another trim. The lady who did it was rather compassionate and did EXACTLY what I asked. I hope she still works at the same place.

One other site I want to share with you is Rapunzel’s Resource. The young lady guides you step by step in the process of creating stunning up-do’s, many of which are copied from historical costume drama movies. I need the excuse of a rainy day to try out a few of her styles.  Just because I cover it up outside the home doesn’t mean I can’t make it pretty while it is uncovered!

One extra foot note (and product review) is the type of hair pins I am now using. Prayer Coverings has Amish-made hair pins that really do the job for long hair buns. I chose the 3 inch straight version, which was a tad long, but very effective. I need only 4-5 pins to keep a bun together.

Nativity Update in Full Color

Happy New Year Belated Edition

Just by the amount of gunk lining my bathroom sink, you can tell I have been too busy in the last three weeks to do anything of housekeeping or blogging excellence.  I will save you from photographic evidence thereof.

I have worked some at a local office (through a temp agency) where I have worked previously. They are nice folks and I like helping them out. Still, working puts a crimp on other things like laundry, cooking, and other essentials.

Dear husband made it through the holidays at the World’s Largest Retailer. His schedule has shifted back onto mostly days and will get more Sundays off. [YAY] He will even get a raise soon for sticking it out longer than 90 days.

My mother’s health is not so great. She has had bronchitis since Thanksgiving, combined with lung cancer makes for racking hacking day and night. The coughing has calmed some…but it has lead to the Drs. taking another x-ray which confirmed a new cancer spot on her other previously unaffected lung. Please continue your prayers.

We had a great first Nativity celebration at the Orthodox church. Standing for 6 hours out of 24 in church is a marathon of weight-bearing proportions. I felt like I accomplished something just being there and paying attention. We also received the Catechumen’s exam (open book) from our priest to help us prepare for baptism. We’ve got a way to go in order to answer it. A young man was baptized last Sunday. He is going off to college so the priest wanted him to be set. I love baptisms! Intensely serious and beautiful, like a birth.

Ok, the day stretcheth forth before me…but before I get to scrubbing out slime from the bathroom sink…I’ll give you a taste as to what I want to write/video about this month:

• Long hair – Do I have it?!? How do I care for it and do it up?
• More catechumen ramblings on video.
• Sewing and knitting projects.
• Snoods!

Making my to-do list and checking it twice…

Happy Nativity!

Twelve Days of St Herman

Part of the Name Day fun was re-writing the ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’ as the Twelve Days of St. Herman.

On the Twelfth Day of Nativity, St. Herman sent to me…

…Twelve Native Orphans

…Eleven Giant Cabbages

…Ten Salmon Leaping

…Nine Chanting Monks

…Eight Angels a Singing

…Seven Seals a Swimming

…Six Converted Sailors

…Five GIANT COOKIES

…Four Friendly Bears

…Three Homeless Dogs

…Two Feet of Snow

…and a Chapel in the Woods.

Those of you familiar with the life of St. Herman will get a chuckle out of the song. We can’t sing the regular version of the song anymore.

Happy St Herman Day!

We celebrated Jeff’s first name day, which conveniently falls on Western Christmas day. He asked for an Applesauce Butterscotch cake. It is traditional to make as big (or bigger) deal of one’s Name Day than your actual birthday. My name day does not come around until August 9th of next year (er, that is, Old Calendar…have to go look up what that is on the civil calendar).

Also in honor of St. Herman, Jeff and I helped serve at the Roanoke Rescue Mission Christmas dinner. One whole afternoon of talking with interesting people, eating delicious food, trotting to and fro with bowls of food and drink cups. The other volunteers guessed we had served well over 800 people in three hours! Dear husband told me on the drive home that it was the best Christmas he ever had. I am pretty sure we will sign up for next year’s dinner.

Daddy Workout

Up over our little gnome heads in the snow today…and so I watch lots of Youtube. This video…is striking all sorts of beautiful chords inside of me. Nature, exercise, and a kid. Near perfection. Work of art. Awe.

This really should be more widely seen!