Slipping away

There are things happening, moving so fast I feel like if I stop for even a moment I'm going to fall off. Planning what to do for the rest of your life is a lot easier when the present isn't in so much flux. I have ideas, things I'd like to do if only they'll work out - proving all those Brits right by moving to Canada, but only if the University accepts me for grad school. And then what to do before then? I have dreams of a working holiday in Oz or New Zealand the summer between graduating and grad school, but first everything else has to go right. These days it just seems like that's a lot to ask for.

It's getting better all the time

I pulled our old smoothie machine (basically blender with a pour spout) out of the closet as soon as I returned home, and since then I've had frozen yoghurt for breakfast every morning, mixing plain yoghurt with frozen fruit and soymilk, sticking it in an old yoghurt tub and then putting it in the freezer, and eating it with granola in the morning. This has been doing wonders for me - it's like an ice cream substitute which satisfies my craving for sweets without having any sugar except from the fruit proper, and thus not only am I eating more healthily in general but also when I do succumb to my desire for junk food I instantly get a stomachache, and therefore have started to develop an aversion. Amazing! Those who know me personally will realise what a feat this is for me; I am beyond addicted to chocolate and cookies, so the first step to getting healthier is eating healthily.

Of course the other half of this challenge is getting exercise. This has always been a problem for me. I'm quite lazy by nature, often choosing television and video games over going outside. However, now that I no longer have regular internet access I've started going outside more frequently, and to really start encouraging myself (as well as my parents) I ended up buying a Wii Fit this past week. Every day since I've been pushing myself to do the activities, spend at least half an hour with the yoga and strength training and such that it offers. I find mixing these with the feedback of a video game can really motivate me - in less than a week I'm down two kilos and really starting to feel better about myself. I was convinced that I would get this kind of benefit from living in Europe, but since I spent all my time exploring and not bothering to check my diet despite all of the exercise I got from walking about all of those cities, it never happened. It's motivation, really, that counts. I don't have much time left...

A deadline? No, not really. I just... Since I'm taking this fifth year of school I want to be the person I really want to be in life when I finish, and hopefully make it into grad school making the impression I want to be making for the rest of my life. Self confidence! I want to be in real life the person I am on the internet.

every now and then

Lately I've been eating a lot of pasta, grilled cheese, eggs, drinking a lot of coffee and tea and lemonade, basically trying to eat everything I have left while avoiding buying more. It's a delicate balance - I don't want to waste anything but I'm not going to have much room in my bags. I'm slowly packing up and clearing out; I have my "recycling corner" and my little trash can, waiting for me to put on some pants and take them outside. At the same time I'm trying to read and research for one last paper, and with just a week left I'm having trouble forcing myself to do it - so much else I want to do one last time or make sure is ready before I go to Nice so I can grab my bags and leave when I get back.
Basically all the glass jars I've repurposed will be recycled when I leave, the bottles of oil and vinegar given to my programme office, the cleaning supplies probably left behind. It's just window cleaner and dish soap anyway.

The clouds of milk in my coffee are swirling around, making mesmerizing shapes. I don't want to read this book, I just want to kill time thoroughly.

A cheap-ass short term kitchen

One of the nicest things I've found here is the abundance of basic foodstuffs in glass jars. Now I know, they have glass jars back home, it's just usually reserved for the more expensive brands. Here all of my jam, nutella, mayo, coffee, and so on comes in glass, not plastic. This is good news in two ways: glass jars are less harmful to the environment, and glass jars make excellent reusable containers that I won't feel attached to at the end of my stay here and can then recycle. No need for tupperware, heck, some even make good tumblers for my juice. It's perfect. Good for me, good for the planet...
Now if only I can cut down on the junk food that keeps going in them (I'm looking at you, carton of crème anglaise...)

Living cheaply is harder when you don't have anything...

It's hard enough living and eating inexpensively when you have a full kitchen to make things in. Here in my dorm in France, I just have an electric range and a small refrigerator. I have only a frying pan to cook things in, and an electric kettle for boiling water (I drink a lot of tea). This however excludes the possibility of making certain things that are generally cheaper, such as noodles, since I don't have a sauce pan. So I've gotten creative with eggs and fried bread. Eggs with potatoes, tomatoes, onions, cheese, or any mixture of the above. Then there's grilled cheese, butter toast with jam or nutella, ham sandwiches, even french toast.
However, after my initial grocery run, things are slowly running out. I don't have money for anything else until I get my school refund, so I'm down to cheese and bread. I can get more bread relatively cheaply so I guess that's what I live on until then... *sigh*

absence makes something something

Making my life a little "greener" isn't always easy or convenient (just ask Kermit) but sometimes it actually can be.
While packing for my long séjour in France, an incident from my trip to Korea came to mind... Shampoo. Specifically exploding bottles of shampoo. You want to bring some because you don't know when you'll have a chance to buy any, but you can't put it in your carryon anymore because of the liquid rules and then who knows how safe it'll be in your checked luggage?
So I've found a solution. Shampoo bars. Like bars of soap, except for hair. They're a bit pricier, sure, but they are supposed to replace several bottles. Best of all, I can stick them in my carryon bag. Haven't tried it yet, since I figured I would use up my liquid stuff and save these for France. Hopefully it'll all work as promised, and if so, they may be a permanent replacement for the ridiculous amounts of plastic I waste on bottles of shampoo!
One step at a time. I'm going to try to make this trip as earth friendly as possible - it's the least I can do after all the earth's done for me!

chotto dake, every day

I'm gradually becoming aware of just how much of an impact these little "greener" changes I've been making have. I started using my steel mug (only the lid is plastic) at coffee shops and for my tea. All the cups and plastic lids I avoid just make me smile a little - and I get a discount to boot. I've also been trying to use up all my teabags and switch back to looseleaf tea- just have to remember to bring paper bags or metal containers with when I buy it so it doesn't end up in plastic anyway! I have managed to bring paper bags for my bulk nuts and granola, which saves plastic but I have to remember to put it in something else when I get home. Maybe someday I'll be able to afford nice canvas sacks for that and my produce!
I've come up with a bold plan: it's hard for my to be as environmentally friendly as I'd like the way I live now, but in just two months I'll be on my own in France for a semester. I intend to use that time for an experiment: I'll try to cut out my plastic use as much as possible, reduce my impact. Expect to see plenty about that here starting in January!

Things that make me wish I was still in Boulder

A few months ago I noticed an article on the BBC website about a blogger who was going to try spend a month without using any plastic. Reading her entries throughout the month made me start to realize just how much waste I went through on a typical day, and I decided to start doing something about it.
I've started simple. I bring reusable bags to the grocery store. I bought a metal water bottle to replace my broken plastic one. I've been bringing my own cutlery (pictured above) around with me and declining the plastic ware with my takeout. Actually, I'd been doing that for quite a while now - I got that spoon and chopsticks set back in Korea, and had been carrying them in my backpack for those times when I can't find any silverware. They do have quite a bit of plastic in them, but are still better than using disposable ones.
After starting to read other plastic-free blogs, I've become more committed to this idea. This isn't easy in my current state, though. I do what I can where I can, and just try to reduce my impact one step at a time. Today I ordered a glass straw and reusable tea bags and coffee filters over the internet. I think they should help me reduce my waste, even just a little at a time. I'll keep looking for new ways to change my lifestyle, reduce my impact, just a little bit at a time.

We'll see how it goes. I think it's important to look critically at what we do... Stop being so careless all the time! That'll probably be the hardest thing for me.