Everyone says that toddlers go through the "terrible twos." I always assumed that this started when the kid was around two years old. Asha, on the other hand, seems to have started her tantrums at around 13 months. At first we tried placating her. Then some gentle scolding. But it did not work. Finally, we took to reading everything we found on whining and tantrums. In the last couple of weeks, our discipline method seems to be working - finally!!
This is what we do. Unless she is doing something that can hurt her, we try not to raise our voice. We firmly say "no" but without yelling. Often this requires us to get down to her level and force her to look at us while we say it, otherwise she would just ignore us and keep going. When she is at the "throw myself on the ground and cry" stage of a tantrum, we merely walk away. If this happens in public, we remove her from the situation immediately. And if she insists on repeating the bad behavior more than three times, we put her in timeout - for about a minute. All of this without yelling. After she calms down, we try to sit her down and explain the reasons for our actions.
Consistency seems to be key here. Repeat, repeat, repeat!!! We also let her make her own choices on things which are not important to us and we have Asha-proofed the house in a way that minimizes conflict (as Gregg says, there is baby-proofing and then there is Asha-proofing). This includes removing almost all furniture except a couch from our living room.
This style has been working (we think and hope). But it is exhausting. It requires constant attention and certainly cannot be done while looking up from a book or from making dinner. At the end of even a good day, I wish there was an easier way. But Gregg has been reading a book called Bringing Up Bebe (I just started it) and we do like some of the precepts in it very much - some, not all!! I will write more about it when I am done with it but one of the main points it makes is that children have to be family-centric instead of parents being kid-centric. In other words, if children are taught that they are the center of the universe (not in the emotional sense but in the sense that everyone will drop everything for their momentary gratification), they will behave accordingly. If they are taught that they are all part of a mutually supportive family, they will also tailor their behavior to that expectation. Therefore, the French apparently think less about "discipline" and more about "education" broadly conceived.
Do your kids whine or throw tantrums? How often? How do you handle it?
Showing posts with label Choices. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Choices. Show all posts
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Friday, March 16, 2012
Explaining the Hiatus....
Anyone who even thinks this blog exists anymore has to be a very tenacious person. I know I take long breaks from writing but that is not because I do not want to or have nothing to write about. It is just that I have been finding it very difficult to work at all around an extremely inquisitive, high-strung almost 17-month old who sleeps from 9:30pm-6am on a good night and then only naps once a day for an hour.
Anyway, back to the hiatus. To explain/excuse this one, I have to go back to late Nov./early December 2011. We got some very unexpected news at the time – I was/am pregnant. Of course, as in Asha’s case, the pregnancy started off with tons of complications. I will not go into detail – lets just say that for the next 2 months, Gregg and I vacillated between joy and despair, thinking at one second that this was possible and at another that it was over. The physical tiredness which pregnancy brings was extreme but it paled before the mental exhaustion as a result of this yo-yo effect of the pregnancy. Things were made more difficult because we had decided not to tell anyone at all – we did not want to worry anyone in case this turned out badly. This is also when we decided to start Asha in a daycare (more on that on a later date). Even now, the only people that know are immediate family. I decided to put this on my blog now because it is getting impossible to conceal the pregnancy any more (after all I have gained a little more than 10 lbs) and so we are starting to tell people.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Balance
Being a teacher, I wonder if anyone has ever heard those comments: “Oh, you only work 9 months out of the year.” Or, “you only teach 3-4 hours per day? What do you do the rest of the time?” “You are so lucky to get 3 months off during the summer.” I mean, haven’t the Republicans been saying that the crazy debt we are in is because of teachers unions who extract a lot more money and benefits than is necessary for a job where we stop working at 2-3pm and get 3 months of “vacation”? This is the perception of my profession. This always drives me crazy.
There are two types of exhaustion – physical and mental. I always find myself mentally exhausted at the end of 3 continuous hours of teaching. (Physically exhausted too but that is only because I pace through all 3 hours of class). Anyone who has taught a class knows that a teacher cannot space out mentally for even one minute. That is the minute when someone says or does something stupid. Three hours of total focus is mentally exhausting. At the end of a day like that, I can spend time with Asha and she actually proves to be relaxing. She is physically exhausting to be around but not mentally exhausting (unless she is having a cranky spell which are, thankfully, infrequent).
Problem is that this summer I have spent each second around Asha. She is physically exhausting but not mentally so. However, I get no “mind work” when I am around her. She has learnt to stand and so if my laptop is on, she spends all her time slapping it, pressing random keys and deleting it. If I try to read, she grabs the book and crumples the pages. I do not watch TV around her. So, it can mean hours of grabbing objects and naming them (“ball”, “dog”, “table”) and reading baby board books. At the end of a whole day of this, I am happy to read some fiction and fall into bed. But then I spend all night making lists of things I have to do – syllabi, school prep etc.
I prefer mental exhaustion (without physical exhaustion) to the other way round. At least I feel productive. After watching Asha, I should feel productive and like a good mom, but I do not. I feel like I should not spend time thinking of the other things on my to-do list. I feel I should get more done. I am neither concentrating on her nor on my work. UGGGGHHHHH!!!! Balance is so difficult.
This brings me back to my irritation at those who think of teaching as a 9-month profession. It is not!!! I get paid to work over the summer. Research, proposing a new course to submit to the department, summer teaching, prepping a new course and committee work. This has to be done over the summer. And I have done none of it. During the school year, it is not merely teaching and office hours. We also have committee work, grading, answering interminable (and often inexplicable) emails, research, advising etc etc. The budget crisis is making things worse. Class sizes are larger (I have over 175 students next semester and equivalent grading), the number of advisees keep increasing, the number of committees keep increasing and research time and conference time and money keep decreasing. I guess we are just lucky to have jobs at all. But in two weeks, school starts again. I will have all the mental exhaustion I need then. And I will miss Asha like crazy. It will be more difficult leaving her at home now since she has started crawling, standing and saying mama and baba in the last few months. If I lack balance now, how will I achieve balance then?
This is the problem – everyone has to balance all aspects of their lives. Some are better at it than others. I am not good at it. I either do one thing or another. I am a multi-tasker but find myself unable to do that with Asha. I want to be a good teacher, a good academic, a good mom, a good wife and have some free time to be a well-rounded person. I am coming to the conclusion that this is impossible with a 9-month-old. Maybe it makes sense to wait till she is a little older to impose these expectations on myself. I like balance. I like routine. I like checking things off my to-do list. Asha, unfortunately, does not like any of these things. Oh well. How do other moms balance?
There are two types of exhaustion – physical and mental. I always find myself mentally exhausted at the end of 3 continuous hours of teaching. (Physically exhausted too but that is only because I pace through all 3 hours of class). Anyone who has taught a class knows that a teacher cannot space out mentally for even one minute. That is the minute when someone says or does something stupid. Three hours of total focus is mentally exhausting. At the end of a day like that, I can spend time with Asha and she actually proves to be relaxing. She is physically exhausting to be around but not mentally exhausting (unless she is having a cranky spell which are, thankfully, infrequent).
Problem is that this summer I have spent each second around Asha. She is physically exhausting but not mentally so. However, I get no “mind work” when I am around her. She has learnt to stand and so if my laptop is on, she spends all her time slapping it, pressing random keys and deleting it. If I try to read, she grabs the book and crumples the pages. I do not watch TV around her. So, it can mean hours of grabbing objects and naming them (“ball”, “dog”, “table”) and reading baby board books. At the end of a whole day of this, I am happy to read some fiction and fall into bed. But then I spend all night making lists of things I have to do – syllabi, school prep etc.
I prefer mental exhaustion (without physical exhaustion) to the other way round. At least I feel productive. After watching Asha, I should feel productive and like a good mom, but I do not. I feel like I should not spend time thinking of the other things on my to-do list. I feel I should get more done. I am neither concentrating on her nor on my work. UGGGGHHHHH!!!! Balance is so difficult.
This brings me back to my irritation at those who think of teaching as a 9-month profession. It is not!!! I get paid to work over the summer. Research, proposing a new course to submit to the department, summer teaching, prepping a new course and committee work. This has to be done over the summer. And I have done none of it. During the school year, it is not merely teaching and office hours. We also have committee work, grading, answering interminable (and often inexplicable) emails, research, advising etc etc. The budget crisis is making things worse. Class sizes are larger (I have over 175 students next semester and equivalent grading), the number of advisees keep increasing, the number of committees keep increasing and research time and conference time and money keep decreasing. I guess we are just lucky to have jobs at all. But in two weeks, school starts again. I will have all the mental exhaustion I need then. And I will miss Asha like crazy. It will be more difficult leaving her at home now since she has started crawling, standing and saying mama and baba in the last few months. If I lack balance now, how will I achieve balance then?
This is the problem – everyone has to balance all aspects of their lives. Some are better at it than others. I am not good at it. I either do one thing or another. I am a multi-tasker but find myself unable to do that with Asha. I want to be a good teacher, a good academic, a good mom, a good wife and have some free time to be a well-rounded person. I am coming to the conclusion that this is impossible with a 9-month-old. Maybe it makes sense to wait till she is a little older to impose these expectations on myself. I like balance. I like routine. I like checking things off my to-do list. Asha, unfortunately, does not like any of these things. Oh well. How do other moms balance?
Sunday, June 19, 2011
The Kindle
This may sound like a contradiction but I love technology while being extremely technophobic. Our household has a laptop, a netbook, a desktop, 2 blackberrys, an ipad, 3 ipods – you get the picture. I am on Facebook, Gregg on twitter. However, we both worry about the impact of technology. I worry about the lack of distinction between public and private; about the death of print media; about the inability of kids to learn without visual entertainment etc. This is why I was hesitant about getting an e-reader – they seem convenient but another step along the road to the death of print media. Plus, I do not travel a lot and so their best feature (portability) is not really an attraction. But my tech-loving, curious and very acquisitive nature overrode the technophobic part and I decided to get a Kindle. Before I could acquire one, Gregg’s parents presented me with one for my birthday/Mother’s Day. I have to say that it has been a wonderful gift. Here are the things I like best about it:
1. Cheap: I love old classics and they are sooooo cheap. I bought the collected works of all the Brontes (including Patrick) for $0.75. No way I would get that in hard copy.
2. Portability: OK, I know what I just said but as I said before, I tend to prefer classics. And works like War and Peace, A Suitable Boy, collected works of whoever are heavy. Add a diaper bag, a huge purse and a baby and car seat and it is like practicing for a weightlifting competition. The Kindle is lighter and holds hundreds of books.
3. Convenience: I bought the Bronte collection at 3am after Asha had kept me up all night and I was tired but could not sleep. I also LOVE their “Sample” feature which allows you to read the first few pages (sometimes up to 50 pages of a book) without paying. Then you can buy it if you want like it.
4. Lack of Clutter: Though I am not an adventurous reader (I tend to stick to classics), I do buy books from time to time which turn out to be less than stellar. Then they sit on my bookshelf adding to the almost 500 books Gregg and I already possess (we counted when we moved last June). Now I feel like I can experiment without cluttering up my house.
5. Other Features: Instant dictionary access is wonderful – just point at a word and click. Also love that it has two dictionaries – American and British English. I have used their “Notes” feature too but not yet tried to export to MS Word. I love the nightlight which my Kindle cover has – perfectly bright but never wakes Gregg when I read at night (not that Gregg wakes due to much – he can even sleep through a screaming baby sometimes). Love its long battery life too.
I promise that Amazon is not paying me to promote their product and I do have some things which I dislike:
1. I miss holding and touching actual books. I miss the new book smell and turning the pages physically. The Kindle is easier to read with Asha because she crumples any paper near her but books have a feel to them which cannot be reproduced.
2. I miss turning pages as I said. Ibooks actually lets you turn pages but it is a silly imitation and much more problematic when you have a 8 month-old constantly touching the screen and changing the page. However, I still sometimes reach out as if to turn the page on my Kindle and then catch myself.
3. I have promised myself that if there is anything I read on the Kindle which strikes me as a classic or even particularly good, I will buy a copy of it for the bookshelf. That way, I feel like good books get rewarded.
Having said all this, let me say that I am still against the voice-read (Text to speech) feature. The one on the Kindle is awful but I would never use it anyway. The only time it would be useful would be on long drives but I would prefer books on tape for that. Otherwise, I think it is best to avoid those features and learn to actually do the difficult job of reading for oneself. I saw these books in a toy store that reads to babies. Now, if you like these books, fine!!! Each parent is different as is each child and I am not the one to teach anyone parenting. But I refused to buy those because a) I can read to her and b) she should learn to read for herself. Use of such gadgets sometimes when the parents are busy and the baby is fussy is one thing but often it becomes a habit instead of a last recourse. I like the idea of looking at words and trying to figure them out instead of letting the spoken word wash over you and absorbing some but not all of what is said. I see students who really do not know what reading entails and it worries me that having recorded books only reinforces that lack. So the Text-to-Speech feature will probably never be used on my Kindle.
Do any of you have e-readers? Would you get one? Why or why not?
1. Cheap: I love old classics and they are sooooo cheap. I bought the collected works of all the Brontes (including Patrick) for $0.75. No way I would get that in hard copy.
2. Portability: OK, I know what I just said but as I said before, I tend to prefer classics. And works like War and Peace, A Suitable Boy, collected works of whoever are heavy. Add a diaper bag, a huge purse and a baby and car seat and it is like practicing for a weightlifting competition. The Kindle is lighter and holds hundreds of books.
3. Convenience: I bought the Bronte collection at 3am after Asha had kept me up all night and I was tired but could not sleep. I also LOVE their “Sample” feature which allows you to read the first few pages (sometimes up to 50 pages of a book) without paying. Then you can buy it if you want like it.
4. Lack of Clutter: Though I am not an adventurous reader (I tend to stick to classics), I do buy books from time to time which turn out to be less than stellar. Then they sit on my bookshelf adding to the almost 500 books Gregg and I already possess (we counted when we moved last June). Now I feel like I can experiment without cluttering up my house.
5. Other Features: Instant dictionary access is wonderful – just point at a word and click. Also love that it has two dictionaries – American and British English. I have used their “Notes” feature too but not yet tried to export to MS Word. I love the nightlight which my Kindle cover has – perfectly bright but never wakes Gregg when I read at night (not that Gregg wakes due to much – he can even sleep through a screaming baby sometimes). Love its long battery life too.
I promise that Amazon is not paying me to promote their product and I do have some things which I dislike:
1. I miss holding and touching actual books. I miss the new book smell and turning the pages physically. The Kindle is easier to read with Asha because she crumples any paper near her but books have a feel to them which cannot be reproduced.
2. I miss turning pages as I said. Ibooks actually lets you turn pages but it is a silly imitation and much more problematic when you have a 8 month-old constantly touching the screen and changing the page. However, I still sometimes reach out as if to turn the page on my Kindle and then catch myself.
3. I have promised myself that if there is anything I read on the Kindle which strikes me as a classic or even particularly good, I will buy a copy of it for the bookshelf. That way, I feel like good books get rewarded.
Having said all this, let me say that I am still against the voice-read (Text to speech) feature. The one on the Kindle is awful but I would never use it anyway. The only time it would be useful would be on long drives but I would prefer books on tape for that. Otherwise, I think it is best to avoid those features and learn to actually do the difficult job of reading for oneself. I saw these books in a toy store that reads to babies. Now, if you like these books, fine!!! Each parent is different as is each child and I am not the one to teach anyone parenting. But I refused to buy those because a) I can read to her and b) she should learn to read for herself. Use of such gadgets sometimes when the parents are busy and the baby is fussy is one thing but often it becomes a habit instead of a last recourse. I like the idea of looking at words and trying to figure them out instead of letting the spoken word wash over you and absorbing some but not all of what is said. I see students who really do not know what reading entails and it worries me that having recorded books only reinforces that lack. So the Text-to-Speech feature will probably never be used on my Kindle.
Do any of you have e-readers? Would you get one? Why or why not?
Monday, October 20, 2008
A Frugal Life
As the economy takes center stage in the national election, I have my personal indicator of how bad the economy is: my retirement account. This is the first year, I have had one and therefore, I check it periodically to see how much is in there. But every time I check, there is less in it than there was before. Every time the Dow takes a nose-dive, so does the account. But the good thing about this bleak scenario is that checking it makes me frugal. It is a constant reminder about the nature of this economy and the necessity for frugality.
However, frugality has to be relative. It depends on who you are, what you like and your life-style. I have been trying not to let my life hijack my frugality. It is so much more difficult to be frugal this year – the first year of a tenure-track is really difficult. The temptation to eat out, especially, instead of cooking at home has been high. But I have stayed remarkably within budget.
So, here are a few things I have been doing that have worked for me. I have tried this year to take Gregg and my nature into account when budgeting as well as our life-styles. This is why these pointers are all relative – people are different and have different needs and life-styles.
1) A Realistic Budget: I had a very unrealistic budget last year but this year I have made one which I can actually stick to. This means taking into account the fallibilities of your entire family. If there is something you cannot do without, do not think you are going to cut down on it for the entire year. This could be anything – cable, an expensive dinner every week, a shopping trip every 10 days, whatever.
2) Have a weekly spending budget: I have a maximum amount which we can spend in any given week. If we go over the amount, Gregg and I sit down and talk about what we did that sent us over the top.
3) Coupon cutting and buying in bulk: Jill turned me on to coupons but I have been terrible about it recently. However, they did save money when I was doing it, so I would recommend it. As for buying in bulk, it depends on what you are getting. For two people, it is silly to buy a ton of bulk foods but I do buy things like paper towels, mac and cheese etc. in bulk. I never buy spices in bulk, however, because they would lose their freshness about halfway through.
4) Cook a large (maybe expensive) dinner once a week: On Sundays, I have been making a large meal which then yields leftovers for the beginning of the week. Yesterday, I made a roasted turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce. This means I do not have to cook for the next couple of days – a casserole or turkey soup is very good this time of year. Next Sunday: lasagna.
5) Cook a very inexpensive easy dinner during the middle-end of the week: Last week, we had soup and grilled cheese sandwiches on Thursday. Cheap and quick!!!
6) Prioritize: In our household, the priority is Giggs. So, we buy what we have to for him and then restrict ourselves.
7) Reward: Have an idea of what you can do if you save. It is easier to be frugal when there is a reward attached. If you save a certain amount, maybe you can get that ______ that you wanted. If there is a whole list of things you want, prioritize them as well.
8) Shop every couple of weeks: Since I hate shopping, I thought this was silly but it means that you can buy things only when they are on sale. This is how I plan to do Christmas shopping this year. The outlet malls around here will help with that plan - they usually have HUGE discounts.
9) Loyalty: My favorite grocery store is giving a free turkey to everyone who spends a certain amount there by Nov. 15th. I am certainly saving up for mine. However, buy store brands instead of name brands whenever possible.
10) Pick your poison: I have realized that though I save more money shopping for food at Wal-Mart, I really cannot make myself do that. To make matters worse, Wal-Mart is much further than Stauffers where I prefer to shop. To make up for this, I buy meats and fish at Stauffers but sometimes go to Giant for the canned stuff. Anyway, I figure I am saving on gas.
______________________
In Other News:
Work: Has been crazy. Advising and committees take up a lot of time and that and 3 preps has made this very hectic. Plus, I have to write another diss chapter for a conference coming up in 3 weeks. Have not started that yet.
Fall Colors: Fall is finally here and so is cooler weather. We woke up today to a solid frost all over the grass and temperature in the 30s. The leaves are changing which is beautiful but Giggs is loathe to go out in this weather.
Driving: This will be my first time driving in snow. I am not looking forward to it. However, it will also be my first northeast winter – which will be cold but fun.
However, frugality has to be relative. It depends on who you are, what you like and your life-style. I have been trying not to let my life hijack my frugality. It is so much more difficult to be frugal this year – the first year of a tenure-track is really difficult. The temptation to eat out, especially, instead of cooking at home has been high. But I have stayed remarkably within budget.
So, here are a few things I have been doing that have worked for me. I have tried this year to take Gregg and my nature into account when budgeting as well as our life-styles. This is why these pointers are all relative – people are different and have different needs and life-styles.
1) A Realistic Budget: I had a very unrealistic budget last year but this year I have made one which I can actually stick to. This means taking into account the fallibilities of your entire family. If there is something you cannot do without, do not think you are going to cut down on it for the entire year. This could be anything – cable, an expensive dinner every week, a shopping trip every 10 days, whatever.
2) Have a weekly spending budget: I have a maximum amount which we can spend in any given week. If we go over the amount, Gregg and I sit down and talk about what we did that sent us over the top.
3) Coupon cutting and buying in bulk: Jill turned me on to coupons but I have been terrible about it recently. However, they did save money when I was doing it, so I would recommend it. As for buying in bulk, it depends on what you are getting. For two people, it is silly to buy a ton of bulk foods but I do buy things like paper towels, mac and cheese etc. in bulk. I never buy spices in bulk, however, because they would lose their freshness about halfway through.
4) Cook a large (maybe expensive) dinner once a week: On Sundays, I have been making a large meal which then yields leftovers for the beginning of the week. Yesterday, I made a roasted turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce. This means I do not have to cook for the next couple of days – a casserole or turkey soup is very good this time of year. Next Sunday: lasagna.
5) Cook a very inexpensive easy dinner during the middle-end of the week: Last week, we had soup and grilled cheese sandwiches on Thursday. Cheap and quick!!!
6) Prioritize: In our household, the priority is Giggs. So, we buy what we have to for him and then restrict ourselves.
7) Reward: Have an idea of what you can do if you save. It is easier to be frugal when there is a reward attached. If you save a certain amount, maybe you can get that ______ that you wanted. If there is a whole list of things you want, prioritize them as well.
8) Shop every couple of weeks: Since I hate shopping, I thought this was silly but it means that you can buy things only when they are on sale. This is how I plan to do Christmas shopping this year. The outlet malls around here will help with that plan - they usually have HUGE discounts.
9) Loyalty: My favorite grocery store is giving a free turkey to everyone who spends a certain amount there by Nov. 15th. I am certainly saving up for mine. However, buy store brands instead of name brands whenever possible.
10) Pick your poison: I have realized that though I save more money shopping for food at Wal-Mart, I really cannot make myself do that. To make matters worse, Wal-Mart is much further than Stauffers where I prefer to shop. To make up for this, I buy meats and fish at Stauffers but sometimes go to Giant for the canned stuff. Anyway, I figure I am saving on gas.
______________________
In Other News:
Work: Has been crazy. Advising and committees take up a lot of time and that and 3 preps has made this very hectic. Plus, I have to write another diss chapter for a conference coming up in 3 weeks. Have not started that yet.
Fall Colors: Fall is finally here and so is cooler weather. We woke up today to a solid frost all over the grass and temperature in the 30s. The leaves are changing which is beautiful but Giggs is loathe to go out in this weather.
Driving: This will be my first time driving in snow. I am not looking forward to it. However, it will also be my first northeast winter – which will be cold but fun.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Double Talk
I studiously avoid politics on this blog but this controversy regarding Sarah Palin has put me over the edge. But unlike others, I am not simply outraged on Palin’s behalf. I am outraged at the hypocrisy and illogic and double-talk which has been washing over us since this pick. So, here are some of the threads I think we should untangle from each other and think about separately:
The Sexism Issue: A lot has been said about the sexist media coverage of Palin. So, what exactly is the sexism issue? There is the argument that with 5 children including a baby with Downs’ syndrome and a pregnant daughter, Palin will not be a good mother if she takes on the job of the Vice-President. I think this is clearly the sexism issue – this argument is out of my grandmother’s generation. As many others have pointed out, what she does to balance work and home life is her decision. Many women have to work to simply support their families and they should never be considered de facto bad mothers for making this choice. Nor should women be considered bad mothers for simply choosing to work. Is this argument made because people feel threatened at a woman having the second-highest position in this country (and potentially the highest)?
Having said that, let me make one thing clear: not everything said criticizing Palin is sexist. Questions about her capacity to do the job are not sexist. Questions about her experience are not sexist. And questions about her political history, her experience or lack thereof, are not sexist. We do no favors to women when we incorporate all attacks on a woman into “sexism”. To fight sexism, we should be clear on what it is – and what it is not.
The Experience Issue: This, as said before, strikes me as being a valid line of inquiry. There has been a lot of talk about whether Palin is experienced enough for the job. Inevitably, this is bound up with the question of whether Obama is experienced enough for the job. There are many people who claim that Obama is inexperienced while Palin is not (see Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show for a bit of humor on this issue). A couple of things are worth saying on this point:
First, the Constitution has no qualifications for the Presidency or the Vice-Presidency except age and residency requirements. Of course, the reason is that they thought the electors, men with political knowledge, will be making the choice and therefore, only people with national reputations/ national political service would pass the test. Now, on the grounds of national reputation and political service, one may argue that Biden and McCain are most qualified for the office of the President (in that order). Biden has been in the Senate since 1973 and McCain has been in office (first in the House and then in the Senate) since 1983. Obama falls a far third with 2 years of Senate experience and Palin a distant fourth with no national service at all. Thus, while all are qualified according to the letter of the Constitution, some are clearly more qualified than others by the intent of the Founders.
Second, the Electoral College does not operate today the way it was intended to. So, experience as an issue has become more thorny. Since we all vote, we all have the right to determine what constitutes experience and of course ideological predilections influence our judgment. Some opine that any executive experience prepares one for the Presidency – whether it is being the Governor of New York, Virginia, Alaska or North Dakota. Sometimes they argue that while executive experience prepares you for the Presidency, a short legislative experience does not but a long one does. Others say that you need to be on the national stage (reminiscent of the Founders) because that is where you see first-hand how Washington operates. And, so the argument goes, to change something, you need to know how it works. Still others, like Gregg, argue that the discussion of experience is silly because nothing can prepare you for the Presidency of the United States – the job is unique in its nature. To sum up Gregg: Observing the president – whether as a spouse, cabinet member, senator, governor, mayor, political scientist, etc. does not make you ready to be president. If candidates have a minimum threshold of credibility (he thinks all four candidates do) then the experience question becomes largely immaterial.
Before revealing my own views on the subject, I want to talk about how people seem to be using “experience” in this election. “Experience” has become a justification of sorts. While everyone running for this office has some sort of experience, none of them have actually experienced the office. Most people vote on ideology or just because they like the candidate (for whatever reason). Since that sounds like a bad reason for voting, they have taken to using “experience” as justification. But everyone disagrees on what relevant experience is, making the choice as difficult as before.
This is becoming too long of a rant and so let me conclude by saying this: for me, experience counts but not in the way that people seem to use it. Experience counts in conjunction with intellectualism and judgment. The latter qualities determine what use you make of your experience. I do not think either McCain-Palin or Obama-Biden will come into office and automatically know the ropes. But experience does not mean executive experience or legislative experience (for me). It means life experience. I believe that your life experiences shape who you are and how you behave. Now simply having lived a long life does not make you more experienced. Some people live long insular lives. But being open to alternatives, to new ways of thinking, to seeing the shades of grey in issues which are usually considered in black-and-white – hopefully that is what experience does for you. This is why I had been defending Hillary Clinton’s candidacy earlier in the election. It is not that being the wife of a President makes you an expert. But it does open your eyes to the world, it forces you to take things into consideration that you may not have, it gives you a different perch from which you see things. There may be people who have had many different life experiences but remained insular and dogmatic in spite of them. That is the person I would rather not have as President. And this is why experience alone is not enough – it has to be experience combined with the intellect and willingness to make the most of that experience. And this is why picking a President is so difficult – because whereas you may know their political history and experience, it is much more difficult to determine their mind-sets, proclivities and what they will do with that life experience once in office.
We know the political service and history of all four candidates. We know what experience they have. Let us stop the silly debates about whether a two-year Governor of Alaska is better suited to be Vice-President/President than a 2 year Senator. The “Ready on Day One” argument is pointless – none of them will be ready on Day One. Instead lets focus on the issues and decide the way we almost always decide – who do you feel more comfortable with given the issues at hand and your own worldview?
The Sexism Issue: A lot has been said about the sexist media coverage of Palin. So, what exactly is the sexism issue? There is the argument that with 5 children including a baby with Downs’ syndrome and a pregnant daughter, Palin will not be a good mother if she takes on the job of the Vice-President. I think this is clearly the sexism issue – this argument is out of my grandmother’s generation. As many others have pointed out, what she does to balance work and home life is her decision. Many women have to work to simply support their families and they should never be considered de facto bad mothers for making this choice. Nor should women be considered bad mothers for simply choosing to work. Is this argument made because people feel threatened at a woman having the second-highest position in this country (and potentially the highest)?
Having said that, let me make one thing clear: not everything said criticizing Palin is sexist. Questions about her capacity to do the job are not sexist. Questions about her experience are not sexist. And questions about her political history, her experience or lack thereof, are not sexist. We do no favors to women when we incorporate all attacks on a woman into “sexism”. To fight sexism, we should be clear on what it is – and what it is not.
The Experience Issue: This, as said before, strikes me as being a valid line of inquiry. There has been a lot of talk about whether Palin is experienced enough for the job. Inevitably, this is bound up with the question of whether Obama is experienced enough for the job. There are many people who claim that Obama is inexperienced while Palin is not (see Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show for a bit of humor on this issue). A couple of things are worth saying on this point:
First, the Constitution has no qualifications for the Presidency or the Vice-Presidency except age and residency requirements. Of course, the reason is that they thought the electors, men with political knowledge, will be making the choice and therefore, only people with national reputations/ national political service would pass the test. Now, on the grounds of national reputation and political service, one may argue that Biden and McCain are most qualified for the office of the President (in that order). Biden has been in the Senate since 1973 and McCain has been in office (first in the House and then in the Senate) since 1983. Obama falls a far third with 2 years of Senate experience and Palin a distant fourth with no national service at all. Thus, while all are qualified according to the letter of the Constitution, some are clearly more qualified than others by the intent of the Founders.
Second, the Electoral College does not operate today the way it was intended to. So, experience as an issue has become more thorny. Since we all vote, we all have the right to determine what constitutes experience and of course ideological predilections influence our judgment. Some opine that any executive experience prepares one for the Presidency – whether it is being the Governor of New York, Virginia, Alaska or North Dakota. Sometimes they argue that while executive experience prepares you for the Presidency, a short legislative experience does not but a long one does. Others say that you need to be on the national stage (reminiscent of the Founders) because that is where you see first-hand how Washington operates. And, so the argument goes, to change something, you need to know how it works. Still others, like Gregg, argue that the discussion of experience is silly because nothing can prepare you for the Presidency of the United States – the job is unique in its nature. To sum up Gregg: Observing the president – whether as a spouse, cabinet member, senator, governor, mayor, political scientist, etc. does not make you ready to be president. If candidates have a minimum threshold of credibility (he thinks all four candidates do) then the experience question becomes largely immaterial.
Before revealing my own views on the subject, I want to talk about how people seem to be using “experience” in this election. “Experience” has become a justification of sorts. While everyone running for this office has some sort of experience, none of them have actually experienced the office. Most people vote on ideology or just because they like the candidate (for whatever reason). Since that sounds like a bad reason for voting, they have taken to using “experience” as justification. But everyone disagrees on what relevant experience is, making the choice as difficult as before.
This is becoming too long of a rant and so let me conclude by saying this: for me, experience counts but not in the way that people seem to use it. Experience counts in conjunction with intellectualism and judgment. The latter qualities determine what use you make of your experience. I do not think either McCain-Palin or Obama-Biden will come into office and automatically know the ropes. But experience does not mean executive experience or legislative experience (for me). It means life experience. I believe that your life experiences shape who you are and how you behave. Now simply having lived a long life does not make you more experienced. Some people live long insular lives. But being open to alternatives, to new ways of thinking, to seeing the shades of grey in issues which are usually considered in black-and-white – hopefully that is what experience does for you. This is why I had been defending Hillary Clinton’s candidacy earlier in the election. It is not that being the wife of a President makes you an expert. But it does open your eyes to the world, it forces you to take things into consideration that you may not have, it gives you a different perch from which you see things. There may be people who have had many different life experiences but remained insular and dogmatic in spite of them. That is the person I would rather not have as President. And this is why experience alone is not enough – it has to be experience combined with the intellect and willingness to make the most of that experience. And this is why picking a President is so difficult – because whereas you may know their political history and experience, it is much more difficult to determine their mind-sets, proclivities and what they will do with that life experience once in office.
We know the political service and history of all four candidates. We know what experience they have. Let us stop the silly debates about whether a two-year Governor of Alaska is better suited to be Vice-President/President than a 2 year Senator. The “Ready on Day One” argument is pointless – none of them will be ready on Day One. Instead lets focus on the issues and decide the way we almost always decide – who do you feel more comfortable with given the issues at hand and your own worldview?
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Becoming An Adult
Gregg and I have been discussing the logistics of commuting to Philadelphia. As I mentioned earlier, Gregg will be taking the train there and back. I will pick him up and drop him off at the train station. The problem we have is during his orientation week. Unlike my extended orientation, Temple only has a two-day orientation. However, the orientation starts at 8am which makes it necessary for Gregg to take the 5:30am train get there on time. The next train is at 7am which will be too late.
While discussing this, it suddenly hit me. We are now adults. We are living an adult life. You see, in the 5 years that Gregg and I have been together, we have never simultaneously held full-time jobs. In fact, last year was the first time that we did not work together in the same location. Before that, we worked together in adjoining cubicles at the Miller Center. When that was done, we could go to a coffee shop and read or go home. There were days when we did not have to go in to the Miller Center at all and these were my favorite. We studied at home, moved to a coffee shop, then to a B&N and then went out with friends at night. So, this is the first time we will be driving off to work every day in different directions.
Most people will find it sad that Gregg and I are embarking on full-time jobs this late in life. Certainly, I have never been the one to eulogize graduate school or deny its tendency to delay significant life events. But this is a milestone which, in my mind, deserves comment. And while I am excited about it (and not merely for financial reasons), I also feel a little sad at the end of an era. But then again, as I always remind myself, we are academics and our lives, however full it is with committees, advising and classes, have a flexibility which allows us to approximate graduate student life at least some of the time.
While discussing this, it suddenly hit me. We are now adults. We are living an adult life. You see, in the 5 years that Gregg and I have been together, we have never simultaneously held full-time jobs. In fact, last year was the first time that we did not work together in the same location. Before that, we worked together in adjoining cubicles at the Miller Center. When that was done, we could go to a coffee shop and read or go home. There were days when we did not have to go in to the Miller Center at all and these were my favorite. We studied at home, moved to a coffee shop, then to a B&N and then went out with friends at night. So, this is the first time we will be driving off to work every day in different directions.
Most people will find it sad that Gregg and I are embarking on full-time jobs this late in life. Certainly, I have never been the one to eulogize graduate school or deny its tendency to delay significant life events. But this is a milestone which, in my mind, deserves comment. And while I am excited about it (and not merely for financial reasons), I also feel a little sad at the end of an era. But then again, as I always remind myself, we are academics and our lives, however full it is with committees, advising and classes, have a flexibility which allows us to approximate graduate student life at least some of the time.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Exercise
As you know, exercise has never made my list of things to worry about. I do not like exercising and have always thought that it wastes time. Since I never exercise, my sporadic attempts at it leave me tired both mentally and physically. Therefore, I never get to the point where I experience the positives – the rush of energy, feeling good about myself, lethargy without exercise etc. This rejection of exercise is compounded by the fact that I have never felt a great desire to lose weight nor experienced any acute health problems due to my sedentary lifestyle. The only time in my life when I made an effort to exercise was in the months before my wedding because I was terrified that I would not be able to fit into my wedding dress.
However, exercise started becoming an issue last July when we moved to Farmville. With no friends around, with the pressure of a 3-4 teaching load for the first time and with the tenure-track application cycle, I felt stressed and irritable constantly. On top of that, this was the first time I did not walk anywhere. I started driving to school, not walking to campus as I did in Cville. I did not have to walk around campus much either. So, believe it or not, my lifestyle became even more sedentary than before. And I started putting on weight!!! All these reasons made us think of exercise more.
The question always was: what form of exercise regimen could I stick to? Gregg is more determined and will go out for walks. But I do not like walking outside when it is too cold or rainy. The other option is a gym membership – but I hate gyms. I do not like exercising in front of other people, I do not like fitting it in my schedule, and I do not like spending money on something I do not use. We could use the University gym but I do not like exercising around my students. The third option was to invest in some home exercise equipment. It would allow us to exercise every day in a private setting at any time we want. But we rejected that idea last year.
Since we have moved to Lancaster, however, Giggs has cut down on our stress level but the sedentary nature of our lives has still been an issue. Besides, I am still putting on weight. So, finally, this weekend, we bought a treadmill for the apartment. All I plan to do is walk on it for 30-45 minutes a day. I walked on it on Saturday and Sunday and though I am sore and tired, I plan to keep using it.
I know that most people exercise. Why do you exercise, when do you exercise, how do you exercise? Any tips on exercising on a treadmill will also be appreciated.
However, exercise started becoming an issue last July when we moved to Farmville. With no friends around, with the pressure of a 3-4 teaching load for the first time and with the tenure-track application cycle, I felt stressed and irritable constantly. On top of that, this was the first time I did not walk anywhere. I started driving to school, not walking to campus as I did in Cville. I did not have to walk around campus much either. So, believe it or not, my lifestyle became even more sedentary than before. And I started putting on weight!!! All these reasons made us think of exercise more.
The question always was: what form of exercise regimen could I stick to? Gregg is more determined and will go out for walks. But I do not like walking outside when it is too cold or rainy. The other option is a gym membership – but I hate gyms. I do not like exercising in front of other people, I do not like fitting it in my schedule, and I do not like spending money on something I do not use. We could use the University gym but I do not like exercising around my students. The third option was to invest in some home exercise equipment. It would allow us to exercise every day in a private setting at any time we want. But we rejected that idea last year.
Since we have moved to Lancaster, however, Giggs has cut down on our stress level but the sedentary nature of our lives has still been an issue. Besides, I am still putting on weight. So, finally, this weekend, we bought a treadmill for the apartment. All I plan to do is walk on it for 30-45 minutes a day. I walked on it on Saturday and Sunday and though I am sore and tired, I plan to keep using it.
I know that most people exercise. Why do you exercise, when do you exercise, how do you exercise? Any tips on exercising on a treadmill will also be appreciated.
Fourth of July Weekend
Happy Fourth of July Weekend everyone!!! Gregg and I decided to spend the weekend being productive – in a wholistic way. On Friday, we got to hang out with Stacie, Evan and Sam. They were in Philly for the weekend and drove to Lancaster. It was Giggs’ first doggie play-date and given his hostile response to other dogs, I was not optimistic. But Stacie was very patient and came armed with a million treats and bones and toys. By the way, Stacie, Giggs has not let his rawhide bone go for the past 24 hours. Thanks for that!!
When Sam first walked in the door, Giggs started barking and this did not stop for the first 15 minutes. After that, he decided that he would walk over to Stacie who was sitting with Sam and accept some delicious salmon treats from her. It took 30-45 minutes of bribing Giggs with treats and threatening to spray him with water if he barked, for him to calm down enough to let him off his leash. After that, Giggs seemed to perk up, stopped barking and ran around the house checking to see where Sam was. However, the play-date was a little disappointing for Sam because Giggs refused to play with him. Poor Sam, he tried so hard. He sniffed Giggs (in some unmentionable places!!), he lay down, he rolled over – he tried to be as unthreatening as possible. Just for the record, Sam is 45 pounds to Giggs’ 7, so rough play might rightly have scared Giggs. A wagging tail from Sam is enough to knock Giggs over. However, Giggs did play when we took them outside – probably the space to run made him feel safer.
After a couple of hours when we were sure things were calm, we left the dogs at home (we separated them) and went out to get lunch. We went to the Iron Hill Brewery – it is a chain but limited to the PA, NJ, Delaware area. They brew a lot of their own beers. It was very nice catching up, I had not seen Stacie for almost a year – since APSA last year. Unfortunately, Stacie, Evan and Sam had to leave shortly after lunch but it was a great day for me nonetheless.
On Saturday, Gregg and I worked on our dissertations. I have to write a chapter on tragedy before APSA and Gregg is working on a chapter on our current President. The weird thing about writing a chapter of my dissertation for a conference is this: I have dual goals in mind. On one hand, I feel that if I reach 25-30 pages, I have a decent paper to present. On the other hand, it is not complete until I have covered the material I want to cover – and that has no page deadline. Right now, I am focusing on the first goal rather than the second.
We also walked 3 miles apiece on Saturday. We have made a new resolution – to exercise a little every day. The reasons for this and the best way to achieve this goal is something I will discuss in my next post. It was a big day for me – 3 miles for someone who never walks at all is a challenge.
Our goals for Sunday are more of the same – exercise a little, write a little, play with Giggs (which is part of our everyday lives now).
But this has been a fabulous weekend – hang out with friends, exercise (which is a new thing for me), play with your dog, and some work done on the dissertation. This is my idea of a well-rounded weekend.
What did everyone else do?
When Sam first walked in the door, Giggs started barking and this did not stop for the first 15 minutes. After that, he decided that he would walk over to Stacie who was sitting with Sam and accept some delicious salmon treats from her. It took 30-45 minutes of bribing Giggs with treats and threatening to spray him with water if he barked, for him to calm down enough to let him off his leash. After that, Giggs seemed to perk up, stopped barking and ran around the house checking to see where Sam was. However, the play-date was a little disappointing for Sam because Giggs refused to play with him. Poor Sam, he tried so hard. He sniffed Giggs (in some unmentionable places!!), he lay down, he rolled over – he tried to be as unthreatening as possible. Just for the record, Sam is 45 pounds to Giggs’ 7, so rough play might rightly have scared Giggs. A wagging tail from Sam is enough to knock Giggs over. However, Giggs did play when we took them outside – probably the space to run made him feel safer.
After a couple of hours when we were sure things were calm, we left the dogs at home (we separated them) and went out to get lunch. We went to the Iron Hill Brewery – it is a chain but limited to the PA, NJ, Delaware area. They brew a lot of their own beers. It was very nice catching up, I had not seen Stacie for almost a year – since APSA last year. Unfortunately, Stacie, Evan and Sam had to leave shortly after lunch but it was a great day for me nonetheless.
On Saturday, Gregg and I worked on our dissertations. I have to write a chapter on tragedy before APSA and Gregg is working on a chapter on our current President. The weird thing about writing a chapter of my dissertation for a conference is this: I have dual goals in mind. On one hand, I feel that if I reach 25-30 pages, I have a decent paper to present. On the other hand, it is not complete until I have covered the material I want to cover – and that has no page deadline. Right now, I am focusing on the first goal rather than the second.
We also walked 3 miles apiece on Saturday. We have made a new resolution – to exercise a little every day. The reasons for this and the best way to achieve this goal is something I will discuss in my next post. It was a big day for me – 3 miles for someone who never walks at all is a challenge.
Our goals for Sunday are more of the same – exercise a little, write a little, play with Giggs (which is part of our everyday lives now).
But this has been a fabulous weekend – hang out with friends, exercise (which is a new thing for me), play with your dog, and some work done on the dissertation. This is my idea of a well-rounded weekend.
What did everyone else do?
Monday, June 9, 2008
Temple University
As most of you know, Gregg and I moved to Lancaster so that I could start teaching at Millersville University this fall. But the worst part of being an academic couple is that, in a world of scarce jobs, two people have to find jobs close to each other. While finding an academic job seemed challenging enough, finding two jobs close to each other seemed almost impossible to us.
However, Gregg applied to a few schools for one-year positions starting in the fall. Some were closer than others; some would have allowed us to live together, others would not. A month or so ago, he got his first job offer: from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. We were both ecstatic and upset. Ecstatic because it was a good school, it paid well, it required only one prep. Upset because West Point is 4 hours from Lancaster and it meant we would have to live apart for a year. We talked about it, round and round in circles for hours and finally decided to accept their offer.
While we were waiting for the formal letter from West Point, Gregg got another job offer. This one was from Temple University in Philly. Philly is an hour-and-a-half from Lancaster which is a long commute and a lot of money on gas but at least we will be together. Temple also agreed to give Gregg a Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule cutting down both on driving time and the amount we spend on gas. The classes at Temple require more prep but we decided to accept it anyway.
This experience taught me a lesson. Life is all about choices but if you know what your priorities are, those choices may be easier to make than you think. Temple was better for our relationship; West Point was better financially and academically to the extent that Gregg would have more time to finish his dissertation. But we are very happy that Gregg has a job, we can be together and that our first year of being an academic couple is in a place which we have loved thus far.
Oh, and as Gregg points out, Temple is the biggest rival to UMass – a piece of information which makes me root for Temple even more.
However, Gregg applied to a few schools for one-year positions starting in the fall. Some were closer than others; some would have allowed us to live together, others would not. A month or so ago, he got his first job offer: from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. We were both ecstatic and upset. Ecstatic because it was a good school, it paid well, it required only one prep. Upset because West Point is 4 hours from Lancaster and it meant we would have to live apart for a year. We talked about it, round and round in circles for hours and finally decided to accept their offer.
While we were waiting for the formal letter from West Point, Gregg got another job offer. This one was from Temple University in Philly. Philly is an hour-and-a-half from Lancaster which is a long commute and a lot of money on gas but at least we will be together. Temple also agreed to give Gregg a Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule cutting down both on driving time and the amount we spend on gas. The classes at Temple require more prep but we decided to accept it anyway.
This experience taught me a lesson. Life is all about choices but if you know what your priorities are, those choices may be easier to make than you think. Temple was better for our relationship; West Point was better financially and academically to the extent that Gregg would have more time to finish his dissertation. But we are very happy that Gregg has a job, we can be together and that our first year of being an academic couple is in a place which we have loved thus far.
Oh, and as Gregg points out, Temple is the biggest rival to UMass – a piece of information which makes me root for Temple even more.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Exploring Lancaster and The Problem of Choice
Gregg and I have some competing goals for this summer.
Goal Numero Uno: Get work done on the dissertation
Goal Two: Be frugal
Goal Three: Explore Lancaster in particular and northern PA in general
While the first two goals go nicely together, they do not mesh very well with goal three. It is easy to stay at home, cook at home and work on your dissertation. But we like living in Lancaster – it is great to be in a town where you can go to a Barnes and Noble, an Indian restaurant or grocery store or get pizza delivered which is not from Papa John’s. Not that Gregg and I do any of this regularly but it is nice to have this option. So we want to get to know it better. Let me add that I am awful at directions and would never find my way around this town without some practice.
Anyway, Gregg and I understand that some of these goals are in tension and so we have been doing one new thing a week – a new Chinese restaurant, a new farmers’ market etc. (Gregg is trying to make me go to a game of the Lancaster Barnstormers soon – a tiny local baseball team). Anyway, out of all the activities we have done thus far, my favorite is the Central Market – the farmers’ market here in Lancaster. It is a huge building with a wide variety of stands – fruits, vegetables, meats, Amish specialties, even Greek foods, African foods etc. Whenever I enter the building I get hungry. We try to go on Fridays. Though they are open on Saturdays, the place is usually packed and we try to avoid it then.
Anyway, the farmers’ market is awesome for vegetables. My favorite is that they sell bags of peppers for $2. The bags are mixed (3 or 4 peppers in each) – 1 green, 1 red and 2 red for example. I love peppers and they are too expensive at the grocery store. They also have everything fresh which means they keep very well. You can also get a whole bag of tomatoes for $1.50.
The farmers’ market also allows us to fulfill one of Gregg’s favorite goals – support local businesses. Gregg and I have discussed how we should balance our own financial goals with support of local businesses. Obviously consumers have to pay more at small businesses than at stores like Wal-Mart. We hate supporting Wal-Mart but it had become a financial necessity. In Farmville, it was not only a financial necessity but literally our only option. But the Central Market allows us to achieve both goals. Vegetables and sometimes even meat and fish are cheaper at these local stands than at grocery stores. We do not have to buy these from Wal-Mart anymore. We can be both financially responsible and support local businesses.
What about you? What goals do you have that are in tension with each other?
Goal Numero Uno: Get work done on the dissertation
Goal Two: Be frugal
Goal Three: Explore Lancaster in particular and northern PA in general
While the first two goals go nicely together, they do not mesh very well with goal three. It is easy to stay at home, cook at home and work on your dissertation. But we like living in Lancaster – it is great to be in a town where you can go to a Barnes and Noble, an Indian restaurant or grocery store or get pizza delivered which is not from Papa John’s. Not that Gregg and I do any of this regularly but it is nice to have this option. So we want to get to know it better. Let me add that I am awful at directions and would never find my way around this town without some practice.
Anyway, Gregg and I understand that some of these goals are in tension and so we have been doing one new thing a week – a new Chinese restaurant, a new farmers’ market etc. (Gregg is trying to make me go to a game of the Lancaster Barnstormers soon – a tiny local baseball team). Anyway, out of all the activities we have done thus far, my favorite is the Central Market – the farmers’ market here in Lancaster. It is a huge building with a wide variety of stands – fruits, vegetables, meats, Amish specialties, even Greek foods, African foods etc. Whenever I enter the building I get hungry. We try to go on Fridays. Though they are open on Saturdays, the place is usually packed and we try to avoid it then.
Anyway, the farmers’ market is awesome for vegetables. My favorite is that they sell bags of peppers for $2. The bags are mixed (3 or 4 peppers in each) – 1 green, 1 red and 2 red for example. I love peppers and they are too expensive at the grocery store. They also have everything fresh which means they keep very well. You can also get a whole bag of tomatoes for $1.50.
The farmers’ market also allows us to fulfill one of Gregg’s favorite goals – support local businesses. Gregg and I have discussed how we should balance our own financial goals with support of local businesses. Obviously consumers have to pay more at small businesses than at stores like Wal-Mart. We hate supporting Wal-Mart but it had become a financial necessity. In Farmville, it was not only a financial necessity but literally our only option. But the Central Market allows us to achieve both goals. Vegetables and sometimes even meat and fish are cheaper at these local stands than at grocery stores. We do not have to buy these from Wal-Mart anymore. We can be both financially responsible and support local businesses.
What about you? What goals do you have that are in tension with each other?
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