Taking Back My Power

Ok, just a small rant and how I took back my power as a consumer.

I currently don't have transportation so was very excited yesterday when my daughter's friend offered to take us to the store. I tried to be quick because I didn't want to put him out. My daughter was gathering things she wanted, to save time, and unfortunately I didn't pay as much attention to what she was putting in the cart. Usually we are together and she points out that x is a good deal because ...  But not yesterday, she just went on a frenzy because my total was over $90 of what I expected. YIKES.

At the checkout I was preoccupied so when I saw the amount I'd already put my visa/debit card into the machine, but hadn't clicked on the final button. I tried to click cancel so we could reverse some of the items. It didn't work. I tried again, it didn't work. I finally had to just click done, and the cashier said I should go to customer service and have it reversed from there.

Again, no problem, as I recognized this was my fault and thought this would be a quick fix. And aside from a few snarky remarks from an old man who was standing near by (Seriously, why do people have to be so snarky?) it was just one of those embarrassing moments that can happen to anyone. BUT, I needed the money to make payments elsewhere so when I checked my bank balance last night and saw that the charge had gone through, but there was no sign of the credit...well, needless to say I was a little vexed.

Today I check again, and still no sign of the credit. So I call the store to inquire about the credit and they say sometimes it takes 3 days for a credit to go through, and that it depends on who you bank with. Well my bank is INSIDE their store. Now I'm rather miffed.

Solution: I decided to exercise my power and fine the store $1000 for bad business practice. If they can take my money immediately, they sure as heck better return it immediately, too. Had they allowed me to cancel the transaction before it was completed, it never would have required a credit to be issued in the first place.

How will I ensure they pay my fine?  I will be spending $1000 in another supermarket before returning to their store. I let them know this is what I'll be doing. Hopefully they will recognize the cost of having poor systems in place. Instead of taking small financial advantage of the "credit" system. (They keep funds in their accounts for a few days before returning them to earn interest. I hope the few cents were worth it)

This is a means that a person of any financial status can use to take back their power from the corporations. It may take longer to "pay the fine" if you have less means, but you can still do it.  The last time I fined a corporation was the phone company. This was in 2002. My phone bill tended not to be very large so I paid it every couple of months when it reached around $50. I had done that for a few years. Suddenly the phone company had a problem with this and when I owed them $12 for more than 30 days they sent me a shut off notice. I called them and said next payday I would pay the past due and even pay ahead on the next bill (iow, I was going to send them $50, like I had done over the previous 2 years) But they wanted the money on the 28th and I was going to send it on the 3rd. Apparently they thought that was horrible of me to expect an additional 5 days for that whopping $12 and so they shut off my phone. I suppose they thought they were going to teach me a lesson, but instead I fined them $1000. I went without a phone for  4 years until the "debt" was paid. And honestly at first I missed it, but after a bit I liked not being bothered by telemarketers, and wrong numbers. I could contact my friends through the internet so it was all good.

Yin and Yang

Yin Yang has always had an appeal to me, from the symbol to the principle behind the symbol. I love the idea that within one lies the other and visa versa. Such a truism of life. Rarely is anything purely dark or light, evil or good, passive or aggressive. Also, the idea that the line is not straight, but that it is fluid and flows into the other speaks to me, as well. Little did I know that the symbol came about by the observations of the night sky.

I stumbled upon this article on the origins of the symbol "Where does the Chinese Yin Yang Symbol Come From?" (fitting title, no?) The symbol is the byproduct of the natural world, the universe. The Chinese character is that of the sun over the moon, the universe. The above article goes into more detail about how it is represented by the night sky and how the ancient Chinese mapped out the cycles.

To look deeper into the history and philosophy of Yin Yang, I found this article from Sacred Lotus to be helpful. "The Philosophy of Yin and Yang". It shows more than just the opposites, but how they move back and forth with each other. Not only their solitary meanings, but their interdependence. How they move back and forth morphing one way, then back to the other.

The 64 characters of the I-Ching, Book of Changes, are the many faces of yin and yang and how they can work to aid us in how we interact with the world around us. The ancients used these changes in every aspect of life. If there is an interest in this for you, I urge you to investigate further.

LINKS
Where does the Chinese Yin Yang Symbol Come From?
The Philosophy of Yin and Yang

The heart of the human being is no different from the soul of heaven and earth.  In your practice always keep in your thoughts the interaction of heaven and earth, water and fire, yin and yang. ~Morihei Ueshiba

The heart of a human being is no different from the soul of heaven and earth. In your practice always keep in your thoughts the interaction of heaven and earth, water and fire, yin and yang.
Morihei Ueshiba
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/yang.html#vLfvHRbsaHXGMcWc.99

The heart of a human being is no different from the soul of heaven and earth. In your practice always keep in your thoughts the interaction of heaven and earth, water and fire, yin and yang.
Morihei Ueshiba
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/yang.html#vLfvHRbsaHXGMcWc.99

A New Year

So we're a few weeks into the new year, and I've decided (probably like millions of others) to start blogging, again.

The topics will be rather random. Some will be based off of things I've bookmarked, or issues that are on the forefront of my mind. Things I may aspire to, or have fond memories of. Stuff that piques my interest or curiosity. Let's just see what unfolds.

 Picture courtesy of NRDC Green Gifts

First order of business is the green gift guide from the NRDC, National Resources, Defense Council. This is an organization that combines courtroom power, with grassroots clout. The gifts you purchase range from various restoration projects, to wildlife support, to eco justice and alternative energy or you can adopt an eco lawyer who will take on the legal fights on behalf of our planet.

It works in a similar manner as Heifer International who work to eradicate poverty, NRDC work to protect our planet, both organizations you purchase a gift that benefits others and receive a card acknowledging your support in the name of the recipient you choose to receive the card.

While the holiday season has passed, there is never an end to the work done by the non profits and I imagine they would love to be your stop when you are ready to give back, either as a gift to someone who has everything, or something you just do for yourself to feel like you've started to make the world a little bit better because of the choices you make. Anyway, just a little something to get me started.

Berry Crumble

Berry Crumble

This is for you, Aaron.

Take 2 bowls. In bowl #1 you add the berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, etc)  and sprinkle some cornstarch, cinnamon and 1-2 T of sweetener (sugar, or brown sugar, or honey) and toss to coat the berries.

In bowl #2 take 1 to 1-1.2 cups of oats, some cinnamon, sugar (or brown sugar, preferably) maybe add 1 T of flour and 2 T of coconut oil (can substitute butter, but it's healthier and tastes lighter with the coconut oil) I may also be prone to adding some ground flax or wheatgerm to the crumble. stir together, then with your hands press the oil into the mix until it becomes crumbly.

Lightly grease your cooking dish (ramekin) with coconut oil and fill with the berry mix. Top with a Tablespoon or so of the crumble. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.

I'll add a photo the next time I make this.

Disclaimer: I tend not to measure and have never written this recipe down before, so I hope it turns out well for you. You may want to double check the oven timing. You'll want the crumble to be golden, not burned. I tend to judge by when it is fragrant. I'm guessing it's about 20 minutes.

A Sewing Organizer Pictorial

I stumbled upon a pictorial for a sewing organizer project on Pinterest where the link led to a site that had been red flagged and Pinterest wouldn't allow me to repost it. What to do? What to do? Alas I decided to host the pictorial from here. Note, this is not my creation. I am only hosting it out of reposting frustration.

I hope you can make good use of it :)

Toast in the Microwave?

Ok, not really toast, but french toast. (I know, I really should have come up with a better title, so sue me) Ooh la la.

I stumbled upon this recipe, 2-minute-french-toast-in-a-cup yesterday and had to try it. I was not disappointed. That said, I have to admit I added my own little twist.

I used my sons big "Homer" mug. I cut up 2 pieces of bread and added it to the mug. In a separate container I blended 1 egg, 2T milk (I used almond), a dash each of cinnamon and nutmeg and a splash of vanilla. I've always added both cinnamon and nutmeg when making french toast. It's just my thing.

Like the recipe said I melted a little butter in the bottom of the mug before adding my bread. And I slowly added the egg mixture on top of the bread so that the top pieces get some loveliness and not just the bottom. Then I stirred it a bit to further ensure that the egg is well distributed. Into the microwave it went for 1 minute.

And for the pièce de résistance I added a sliced strawberry on top, microwaved for an additional 20 seconds and topped with maple syrup. Manoman ... it was so tasty I forgot to take a picture because I dove right in and ate it all up. Maybe next time. A big thank you to Jaime of Prudent Baby for posting this easy morning (or anytime) treat.

It's a Miracle

I saw this recipe on Zonya's Health Bites on my local PBS station. And I totally loved the idea behind eating a food that is considered a negative calorie food. Zonya's Miracle Soup is just that food. Then I made it and loved it even more. Although I have to say I didn't quite follow her recipe, but there ya have it.

Here's my version.
 
Vegetables:
2 onions, chopped
1 green pepper, 1 orange pepper and 1 red pepper, chopped
5-10 mushrooms, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
5 carrots, chopped
5 celery stalks, chopped
Any vegetables found in the refrigerator can be cut up and added to the pot.
Shred 1 head of cabbage.  

Liquids:
6 C Water or stock (vegetable or chicken)
4 C V-8 or Tomato Juice  

Prepared Food:
2 Cans of diced tomatoes or 1 can diced tomatoes and 1 jar of salsa
1 T coconut oil (or Olive oil)

 Seasonings:
couple of Bay Leaves
¼ c fresh parsley chopped
cracked pepper

First we want to gather our vegetables and cut them into pieces no bigger than 1 inch. Next we’ll want to heat 1 Tbs of olive oil, or coconut oil into a large pot. Then simply start adding your cut vegetables to the pot and stir so they don’t burn.. As the onions become translucent we will want to add the liquids and bring the heat up to medium high. Now you can add the cabbage, and canned tomatoes. Continue to stir and bring just to a boil. Add the herbs, and cover reducing heat to med-low, allowing the soup to simmer until vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes.

The final step is to salt to taste, but not too much, just before serving. I like to ladle soup into a mug and heat in the microwave for lunch and/or as a first course for dinner.

Additional: I also am inclined to add black beans to the soup for added protein.