The unspeakable: bowel movements and farting

I have stomach issues. Not to gross anyone out, but it’s a fact of my life that I deal with regularly. But, what makes my stomach issues tolerable is humor. Please watch this hilarious and informative blog post from a North American blogger in Korea and the embedded video explains me and my sense of humor.

I sent a link to this blog post to my cousin and she almost got in trouble because she checked it during class and began to laugh out loud during a lecture. Growing up in a family that consistently talks about pooping, farting, diarrhea, etc., nothing was taboo in terms of intestinal issues. We have no problem doing this right at the dinner table. I never realized how much of this family characteristic could be attributed to my family’s Korean culture until I read this blog post nor how much it made Americans uncomfortable. I now recognize almost every Korean drama I’ve watched has at least one poop or farting scene (which cracks me up every time).

My favorite postcard from Postsecret.com

 
I also sent the link to my best friend who “gets me” (my favorite gift from her is a personalized copy of the kid’s book Everybody Poops). We discussed the post. I made the point that EVERYBODY POOPS. Seriously, get over it people. Plus it’s funny! She countered that America’s was built on a foundation of Puritan principles. Moreover, every culture has its favorite conversational topics and disliked topics. Her example was how frank Puerto Ricans are about sex versus how reserved Koreans are about the same subject. So…I guess she’s right, the blog post is right, and now I am going to try my best to cut it out of my conversations. I must thank my friends who have put up with this idiosyncrasy of mine for years. If I have made anyone uncomfortable with my talk about my bowel movements, possible tape worms, farting, etc., I sincerely apologize (really I do).

My friend did ask me if other Asian cultures treat poop the same way. I didn’t have an answer for her, but I am curious to know if “poop is cute” anywhere other than Korea…? Anyone come from another culture that also takes such common bodily functions in stride? (Because maybe that’s where I need to move, ha ha.)

Recycling electronics

I discovered Nextworth about a year ago. Happily I immediately recycled my old Olympus camera (circa 2004 with a generous 3.5 megapixels) using Nextworth. I got a new camera the summer before but didn't want to throw the Olympus away because it was still in very good working condition. (Not surprisingly, my brother didn't want this hand me down.) Then I found out I could get a Target gift card if I recycled it through Nextworth, therefore avoiding the landfill. I promptly shipped it (on Nextworth's dime) and received a little over $11 Target gift card. This may seem like a measly amount, but it was far better than getting nothing for an almost 6 year old camera.

My cousin sent me a Yahoo article link this morning with a list of several other similar sites. I was so excited! Now I have options and I can get the best value and impact for old electronics...although I'm not really a gadget junkie. Different sites accept different products and will reimburse (or not, if it's not reusable they just recycle the parts for you for no fee, plant a tree, or you can even get a donation to the Red Cross for Haiti) using their own policy.

I got to thinking... What are companies doing with all these old electronics? For the iPhone and other marketable electronics it seems logical that they would refurbish these and resell them. But, what about the really ancient machinery like my Olympus camera? One site sends the stuff that can be sold to a specialty electronics recycler. Okay... How does electronics recycling work? Electronics recyclers sort, test (to see if can be rebuilt/repaired), and disassemble (to the basic components) each electronic into two main categories: hazardous and non-hazardous materials.

1. Hazardous materials, include things like batteries, mercury switches, circuit boards, CRTs or cathode ray tubes (used in tvs and computers), etc. These materials are sent to "end processors," basically some other company or country. When hazardous materials are illegally sent to developing countries, they use unsafe and harmful practices to break down hazardous materials. It is illegal to ship toxic waste to developing countries. See a 12 minute video from 60 Minutes that describes this process.
2. Non-hazardous materials are further separated into metal, plastic, etc. The metals and plastics can be reused, smelted, shredded, separated, chopped, etc, in order to reuse the material.

Not all electronic recyclers are made equally and hold to the high standards we assume they should respect. Recycling is a business and the bottom line usually wins. Some issues to explore are erasing personal data, illegal shipment of hazardous electronics overseas to countries with low or non-existent environmental standards, use of federal prisoners without federally protected rights in health, safety, and labor, and false EPA-certification for recyclers (this apparently is not a real EPA program). Beware of electronic reusers/recyclers that don't explain where your item is going and what is going to happen to them.

Recycling is not perfect yet, but it's many steps above trashing things in landfills. Educating ourselves on what will happen to our trash and recycling is vital to ensuring our attempts make a difference.

Planting for Earth Day

It seems Earth Day works. I gardened today! I've been meaning to do this for months, but got lazy. My indoor garden is small but slowly growing. I started off with a jade tree almost 4 years ago. It’s a succulent so I figured I couldn’t kill it…I haven’t killed it but it hasn’t gotten much larger. I’ve recently added peppermint (thanks Alex!), some other succulent (this nice grandma lady gave me a couple clippings last summer), rosemary, chives, and cilantro. My cilantro and chives are not doing so well. Actually this is my second try on the cilantro, the last plant died completely.

I replanted all of the herbs into larger planters and planted seeds for several new veggies with Plato's helpful advice. (Well, he really just nosed around a lot and whined whenever he saw neighbors who didn't come to pet him.) In a couple of months, I hope to have tomatoes, onions, mustard greens, and Japanese eggplants. This is my first time trying to grow vegetables and I'm not really known for having a green thumb. Unfortunately gardening is outside my comfort zone. Getting the amount of sunlight, water, drainage, type of soil, fertilizers, etc. for each plant right is lots of work and usually overwhelms me. But, I'm trying to master the ability to feed myself.


Below is a picture of my pride and joy: rosemary. Rosemary must be really easy to grow because mine seems to thrive even when I forget about it. ;) If only cilantro was so easy.

 

I got something good and worthwhile done today...making it a sunny and happy Earth Day for me.

Hear comes the sun

The Beatles’ song “Here comes the sun” popped up on my Pandora radio station (called Ginju Radio if anyone is interested in the eclectic mix I like) yesterday and really made me think. Its lyrics spoke to me, especially because I live in Florida where we basically had about a week of spring and we are already onto summer. One of my coworkers recently tweeted he liked this time of year best. I agree. I tweeted him back, noting that I automatically wake up happy. The Beatles were onto something. Thinking on sunshine and its effects on my life, I immediately thought of several things…the Sunshine state, Vitamin D and sunscreen, "You are my sunshine," and other random thoughts (like whether Walmart's yellow smiley face was inspired by kiddie drawings of the sun - what is a sun without a smiley face?).

I am now a citizen of Florida – the Sunshine state – for better or worse. I’ve got all the paperwork to back it up, even though I sometimes slip and call Virginia home. Florida has many great features: no state income tax, the ability to tint my car windows (not that I have the money), proximity to GREAT beaches (sorry VA, you got nothing on FL there), interstate speed limits (generally 70 mph), and of course number #1 for me is the climate. And there's so much to explore in the Sunshine state!

I never really thought about vitamins much. My mom used to buy them for me, until I told her to stop since I never remembered to take them. The idea that you get vitamins from direct sun exposure is exciting. I love sitting in the sun…weird I know because it’s not good for the skin and sometimes it can be darn right hot. But, given a choice of sitting in shade or the sun I choose the sun. I am working on wearing sunscreen everyday (difficult for me as I’m extremely picky about lotion and I have yet to find an affordable body lotion with spf that I like). I tried looking up why Vitamin D is good for us on Wikipedia and got some scientific mumbo jumbo I didn’t feel like deciphering. What is clear is there are a lot of foods I don’t like that either naturally have or are fortified with Vitamin D – fish, bread, milk, yogurt, breakfast cereal, etc. So sitting in the sun is probably okay, right? Its health effects include something about possibly reducing risk for cancer, cardiovascular disease, and the flu…scientists don’t seem to know much.

“You are my sunshine” is an awesome song. That’s all I have to say about that. ;)

I think we should appreciate the sun more and I’m not talking pagan holidays (although May Day might be a good holiday to use), but a true day of appreciation and learning about the many ways the sun affects our life. We have Earth Day...why not Sun Day (and Sunday does not count). I’m going to start my new year’s resolutions from now on in May…because I really don’t feel motivated in January. Coming on May 1st - May Day Resolutions…

Sunshine and Roaring Pandas: my own happiness project

When my best friend came to visit me last weekend, we stopped by the bookstore - of course. She needed something to read on the plane back home and I just needed the excuse to go. I found a great book! The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. It's sort of an autobiography of one year in the author's life, in which her main goal was to become happier. It's a fast read with many golden nuggets of happiness I was glad to learn, and several of her ideas or "resolutions" I had already been practicing. I am only half way through, but I highly recommend this book. I already plan to share it with a cousin who also enjoys reading (her birthday is coming up).

While this blog in no way is intended to be a true happiness project as the book lays out, I want to write about topics that bring me happiness. My interests change day to day and year to year but that's okay. As long as they bring sunshine to my life (one of my favorite songs is "You are my sunshine") and I continue to look forward to them.

Every day I come across different incidents, people, issues, etc. that can change my entire mood or outlook (they say Cancers can be moody :P). I want to be able to find the positive in these experiences and concepts. I'm not trying to diminish my initial emotions or reactions - anger, sadness, irritation, whatever - they all have their purposes, but there is also a lesson to be learned from them. Sounds preachy? Yes, but it is the motivation behind the blog, not what I will actually write about. Reflection, I hope, will make me a more positive person.

Picture credits to Valerie Admana (Thanks amiga!)

Aaron Martin (Angry Woebots artist)@ last month's G40: The Summit in Arlington, VA

Finally, this is not a blog about pandas. Although I do love pandas and I might write about them occasionally. I was determined to use "roaring panda" in my title because it's a great irony (I am constantly entertained by) that is actually sort of accurate. (Check out the fun facts on Giant Pandas on the San Diego Zoo website.) Pandas don't roar exactly like other bears do, but they are not always the gentle giants people imagine them to be. That's the essence of what I will explore in this blog. I will try to dig deeper, beneath the veneer, of topics I come across that interests me.