My X-mas rant

Bear with me here; being that I am displeased, I am a little worked up and my ideas may not be well-organized.

It seems that every year, Christmas comes earlier.  Retail chains begin to display their Christmas-themed goods as early as Halloween, if not earlier.  Given that this trend seems to repeat itself, each year coming earlier and increasing in the amount of marketing gimmicks, Christmas is less associated with appreciating and spending time with those for whom we care the most and more to do with the almighty dollar.

Christmas is the most commercial holiday that we celebrate in the United States, and Americans rarely even bat an eye when spending ridiculous amounts of money on friends, family, and even people whom they don't particularly care for, all in the name of what is affectionately called "Christmas spirit".  Sure, call me a Grinch, but the only Christmas spirit I have had in years is the Peppermint Schnapps I enjoy pouring into my coffee this time of year.  I know that Christmas is supposed to be about giving, but that one word, giving, does not exactly describe what Americans do at Christmas.  Sure, money is spent on others, but not often on those who need it the most, and little attention is given to political, moral, and personal dilemmas that are more urgent in our world.

Something that annoys me more than anything is those who proclaim that our increasingly secular society is taking the "Christ" out of Christmas.  Well, guess what, Americans:  "Christ" has nothing to do with Christmas, at least when we consider our traditions.  What many Christians fail to realize is that most of the traditions that have been passed down for generations, like bringing in an evergreen tree to decorate and calling it a "Christmas tree", is rooted in paganism, as is the tradition of hanging mistletoe and even celebrating Christmas on December 25.  December 25 is actually the supposed birthday of Mithras, the Persian Sun God.  The birth of Christ was not even included in this yearly winter celebration until 300 years after his supposed death.  Hence, "Christmas" existed even before Christ, and the Winter Solstice has been celebrated for centuries.  Needless to say, the Winter Solstice was not celebrated in the same way we celebrate it today.

So am I celebrating?  I am celebrating Xmas, I suppose, in the way that I have purchased gifts for those I care about the most, and in that way I am a hypocrite.  I am following tradition and doing what is expected of me, though with much chagrin.  I actually enjoy showing those I care for that I appreciate them during this time of year, but I would rather do this in random spurts throughout the year rather than fall into the Capitalist trap that Christmas has become.  I will limp away with with a thinner wallet, and I will forget about how I fell into this trap until next year, when I will do it again.

 I think the best Xmas gift of all is to show the world that our laziness is what maintains the status quo of violence and apathy in our world.  John Lennon and Yoko Ono's Christmas message was "War is Over, if you want it".  Do we want it?  Perhaps not collectively, if we judge our desires based on our behaviors.  What we need is more awareness of how our world continues to change at a frightening speed.

This season, I vow to challenge myself to not fall into the Christmas trap of simply giving gifts, but to make a conscious effort to try to improve our world by increasing awareness of corruption in our society.  We can end the many wars we continuously fight, be they political or personal, "if we want it".

I often spend time on Wikipedia reading chains of related articles that become progressively unrelated to the first, although each of them are linked because they are related in some way.  This is the chain of Wikipedia articles that I followed this afternoon:

postmodernism-dystopia-cyberpunk-Blade Runner-cult film-Mommie Dearest-puffery-weasel word-catch phrase-list of political catchphrases

The last one was great!
Check this out:  List of political catchphrases

Miso Hungry!

I consider myself nothing short of an expert at living well and being poor simultaneously.  It can be done; one can have a low income but also indulge in life's luxuries.

One way that I live well on a low income is by cooking healthy meals at home that come at a significantly low cost.  Rest assured, it is easier to do than you may perceive.

One of my favorite things to eat is home made miso soup.  Not only is miso very healthy, but also very inexpensive.  Soup is very filling because it consists primarily of liquid, and it's also easy on the wallet.

I buy refrigerated miso paste from the Asian market because, not only does it make more meals, but it doesn't contain any MSG which is harmful to my health.  One package of miso costs about $3.99 at my local grocer, and I estimate that one package makes about 20 bowls of soup.  Green onions and frozen vegetables are also inexpensive, so I estimate that a bowl of miso (the way I make it) costs around 50 cents per bowl to make, but likely even less.

Above is the type of miso I use.  It is available at most Asian grocery stores.
Here is my recipe:

Miso Hungry Soup (for one):

1 1/2 cups of water

1 Tbsp of miso paste

a dash of sesame oil

1 squirt of Sriracha

1 green onion, chopped

1 handful of spinach (fresh or frozen)

1 handful of frozen peas

1 egg

optional:  vegetable dumplings

Directions:  Heat the water to just below a boil.  Add the sesame oil and Sriracha.  Dissolve the miso paste in the water, stirring until it is completely dissolved.  Add the onion, spinach, and peas.  After simmering for 3-5 minutes, crack the egg into the soup and stir.  Do not boil, but heat and stir until the egg is cooked. **If you decide to add vegetable dumplings, add them at the same time you add the vegetables.  

Enjoy!

OMG Sinbad

Sinbad is my cat.  He is named after the sailor, not the comedian.

I don't mean to brag, but Sinbad is a really awesome cat.  I'm not just boasting about him because he is mine; many people express that they love him and if I ever go out of town or can't keep him that they would love to take care of him.  I think this is because he's not like the typical house cat who runs away or hisses when guests arrive; Sinbad does what he would do if you weren't there, and if you're in his way, well, he'll just walk over you.

Recently Sinbad was neutered, and, since one of his testicles had not yet dropped, he required another procedure, a result of which caused him to need stitches in his belly.  I am supposed to make him wear a hideous and uncomfortable plastic cone so he won't bite his stitches.  He has been pretty good about leaving his stitches alone, so the cone is now a mere novelty that I use for laughs.  The picture below is of my incredibly attractive, intelligent, sweet, but slightly rotten boyfriend with Sinbad in his Elizabethan cone:
Photo by Jiang Li www.flickr.com/jlifoto

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 I close my bedroom door when I leave my apartment.  I do this so Sinbad won't tear things up.  He typically doesn't, but one time I forgot to close the door and he spilled a glass of water that was sitting on desk next to my computer.  Since I don't have any type of innate tendency to pick up after myself to prevent things like this from happening, I shut the door.

Recently I was preparing to leave my apartment, so I was looking for Sinbad so I could close him out of my bedroom.  I heard noises coming from beneath my bed.  I looked under the bed and the covers, but Sinbad was nowhere to be found!  I kept hearing the noises.  After looking under the bed, I noticed a lump hanging in the fabric of my box springs under my mattress.  Sinbad had made a hold in the box springs, and when he made that hole he made the perfect hiding place.  It is nearly impossible to reach into the boxsprings to get him out.


Sinbad is my baby.  I love him like a child.  Having him has shown me that I will be completely content in my life without ever having children, given that I can always have cats.