Hi there!
We experienced our first real snow fall in NYC this week! It did stick and it was beautiful, except for the slap-you-in-your-face-and-call-you-nancy cold! Mando and I kept saying over and over, "we're from Colorado, where polar bears are from, so how cold can it get?" Well, this week has been teetering in the low 20s-30s and it is FREEZING! It's even colder on the island, about 10 degrees colder!
The cold here is like a frigid acupuncture treatment on your face and any other area that is exposed. Lucky for me, I got the top of the line women's Northface jacket to keep out cold, wind, rain, snow, and republicans. Just kidding. It doesn't keep out the snow. Just kidding about republicans, some of them are super nice. Some.
Mando got a nice Northface too, but his doesn't cover his whole body like mine does. So, all in all, we are prepared for this cold. We even have Isotoner smart touch gloves that are water proof and allow us to use our touchscreen on our phones. Although, mine are too big, but there's nothing I can do about it since it said "one size fits all." They lied. I've also learned that long socks here are essential in the winter but hard to maintain. We, really I should say I, walk around so much that I keep tearing holes in my long socks.. it's quite annoying because then that one toe is really cold for the rest of the day. To make matters worse, our heater comes on when it feels like it then makes noises and shuts off. Our house is freezing, but thank goodness all of our stuff arrived so I have my snuggie again to keep me warm.
Anyways, here's why I feel like a hippy. You might notice a new button to the right of the welcome screen on the blog. This is a donation link for an organization called heifer.org. I came upon this organization during my daily CNN read. This article talked about the concept of giving on Christmas. Some of you might not know this about me, but I don't like giving senseless things on Christmas. I think as a child we love it because we get toys and clothes, but as an adult, I think it's an absolute waste of money. If you are going to buy something for someone, it should be meaningful, not something you found at Walgreens the day before. Giving for the sake of giving is dumb. I read this article and I fell in love with the idea of giving to charity for Christmas or Birthdays! For our wedding, Armando and I considered making a donation to a charity i
nstead of having little mementos, but my crazy and lovely mexican mother didn't like that. As I was reading the article, I particularly liked Heifer.org because of the work they do around the world. What a great concept, that you can go to your BFF's birthday dinner and inside her funny bday card is another card that says "you bought a flock of baby chicks!" These baby chicks help sustain a family somewhere in the world! You've helped them financially and generously.
Their mission is to work with communities to end hunger and poverty and to care for the earth. By purchasing a flock of geese, chicks, a goat, a cow, etc., people can help others around the world in a such a simple way. If you bought someone a cow, they can milk it, breed it, eat it and make a living off of the animal. (Although I am sad that most of the animals will probably get eaten) I think this is a great idea! Now, don't worry, I am not becoming a vegetarian, but I think living in NYC really opens your eyes to the hyper consumer culture we live in and how dumb it is. Along the same lines, I read another article today on NPR.org about how our electronics kinda help suppor the war in the Congo, with "blood minerals." Many of the wires used in our phones, computers, cameras, etc, come from the mines of Congo. Fortunately, Apple, has been ranked as one of the top companies trying to make an impact and stop using or changing the environment by which they gain these minerals for their products. But how do you boycott Apple? Microsoft? They run our technology...
The same goes for the clothing industry, much of what we wear, regardless of brand, is made by child labor. It's all conflicting and angering, but how do you really get around all this? You have to wear clothes right? And even if it is sweatshop free, where were the original materials made?
That is why I really like Heifer.org, because they offer a simple solution to a larger problem. But imagine, if you were to take those $200-300 we spend on family and friends on X-mas, you could buy families pigs, goats, cows, farms, etc! Or maybe just make home made gifts. I like those the best, because they mean something and they come from the heart. :)
Ok, i'm done with my random ranting, but I wanted to just share these thoughts with all of you this holiday. Make it meaningful, and think about what your $20 can do for others in the world! I am just thinking of who I am going to buy a flock of chicks to first.
Check out their blog.
