Consuming at the Right Time

This morning I woke up and decided I wanted dim sum.  So, I thought to myself, the new place two block from my apartment just opened, and they start serving at ten.  My husband and I made coffee, relaxed and fought our hunger until the grand hour arrived. I had hiked all day yesterday and was famished.
As we arrived, however, we were the only people approaching. And it was a strange feeling. My husband turned and said to me, "You know, dim sum never really gets busy until 11, especially on this side of town."

And alas, he was right. The problem with an empty restaurant for dim sum is the flow of the food, the experience. No guests means no constant traffic of fresh, hot dumplings that I delight in consuming. It wasn't the right time, and we decided it was better not to force it, knowing we wouldn't get the right experience.

We drove down the street a ways and approached the Brief Encounter, a cafe we'd never tried before, and ate a hearty breakfast in a busy, friendly, fun diner environment.  I was somewhat disappointed at first because it was not my initial craving, when I realized I was more infatuated with the experience than what I was eating, and that the particular place we were in satisfied my urge for that atmosphere. I happily paid for my breakfast, and did not think about our failed attempt until someone asked me how dim sum went.

Sometimes our consumption is closely related to time. Being aware of the timing of a purchase can contribute to overall financial well being and prevent a lot of regret.  I like to call this the Strawberries in December rule. You may want to eat strawberries more than anything, but you just shouldn't do it, because no matter what, they won't be satisfying.  Find a reasonable alternative.

Consuming For Happiness

I was reading Gretchin Rubin's book the Happiness Project yesterday at the gym and found myself pondering the question, as she does, "Does money buy happiness?"  Rubin concludes that having money does not mean you are happy, but having it can certainly help you achieve it.  I think that is a wise perception, and it turns a lot of people off, because it suggests that we are perhaps embracing material items over things like love and natural beauty and personal development.  However, if spent consciously, money can be used to support all those things.  And we don't really mean wealth, we're talking about being aware of what makes you happy and what you are buying for superficial reasons. I highly recommend the book, and invite you check out Rubin's blog.
Let's take my luxurious image of me on a treadmill, in an air conditioned gym, reading The Happiness Project on my Nook.  I shelled out money for the privilege of being at the gym and for the Nook.
A lot of people, especially environmentalists, would argue that the gym is a scam, full completely overpriced machines that don't really work out your muscles appropriately and it's full of people who are obsessed with their looks more than their health.  An honestly, I agree with these ideas. However, being able to be stationary while exercising so that I can read on a flat, easy to manage apparatus is really the best motivation to get me to exercise at all. So, knowing who I am, I am buying the perfect environment for me to stay healthy. 
This idea is a direct Pillar of Conscious Consuming.  Spending money that support our desired lifestyle, even in small ways like spending the extra couple of bucks for grass fed beef, yoga classes, knitting yarn or books, makes you more aware of where your money goes and brings us the most possible satisfaction.  It is important, however, to be honest with yourself and do not let these fleeting desires you pick up from media or marketing drive your ideas about where to spend money.  Elizabeth Gilbert discusses this syndrome in Eat, Pray, Love when she realizes she is not the silent, peaceful, ethereal apparition gliding quietly around the temple in solace after all, and decides to embrace her naturally bubbly social demeanor. The point is, sometimes things you admire are not in sync with your personality, and its good to be in touch with that, otherwise you are left looking at your pile of abandoned craft projects wondering why you spent all that money on supplies that never get used.
Please comment on purchases that contribute to your happiness, I'd be interested to know!

The Bus

On Tuesday my friend and I went on a crumpet excursion in Seattle. Since we live outside the city there was a question of transportation: car or bus?  I personally detest city driving and find that hunting for parking is even less desirable, so taking the bus is my first impulse, and when I deduced the decision logically, there are many great reasons to utilize public transportation. 

The benefits for riding the bus extend beyond my personal preferences. It results in less traffic, accidents and emissions, and gives us more local government revenue and more access to new jobs and commerce centers.  It’s so good I question whether to sell my car, then buy a zip car pass and take the bus.  But of course my transportation needs vary, and it is pretty cheap to buy a car. However, when considering the cost of driving across the lake to go to the city during off-peak hours, the bus is cheaper and even if you say that the convenience worth dropping ten dollars for parking downtown in maddening traffic, I consider where that ten dollars goes.  Ten dollars to park downtown, plus gas money, or ten dollars for round trip fare for two people?  Giving the metro that ten dollars tells the city that I value public transit as a service and that when I want to use it I appreciate it being there.  Giving it to parking lot that charges outlandish fees for a mere hour or two of use is telling the city that I don’t need the bus, I’d rather give my money to some greedy fool who pays attendants minimum wage with no benefits. 

I admit I’m not willing to ride the bus all the time, but it does make trips to the city very pleasant.  I hate traffic, and city driving and paying to park.  And my friend and I had more time to visit while we relaxed on our smooth ride down the car pool lane.

Eat Cupcakes for Small Business!

I love Cupcake Royale. I don't even know how to start.  Well, let's start with what most of us will love about them: their cupcakes are excellent, and their frosting techniques are superb.  Some will argue, that they are not the best game in town.  I can't speak to the truth of that argument. I don't care. I won't even think of visiting one of the three other cupcake boutiques I can think of just in my neighborhood.  Because Royale is unique and special in ways that out play what I could only envision as a marginally better cupcake, as Royale's are so near my idea of perfection.
I frequent this shop 1-2 times a week, and I will continue to do so in order to establish myself as a die hard fan.  They have a commitment to local, sustainable ingredients. Their chocolate, of course not grown in Washington, but sourced from the social justice-focused Seattle company Theo Chocolates, makes for rich and eco-guiltless treats.  They source their fruit, grain, eggs, butter and cream locally direct from farmers. That really only leaves the sugar, which is organic.  It's about as good as it gets without giving up dessert altogether, and no one really wants that.  Last winter I walked in and was offered a chocolate cupcake with strawberry frosting, but immediately assured that they were using house-preserved local berries rather than imported berries. Umm, yes please!
They are also a great company.  With 4 locations, it is growing but slowly, and they still manage to donate over 25,000 cupcakes a year to charitable fundraisers.  Currently their shops are offering "The Gay" cupcake, which benefits the It Gets Better Project. With a heart like that, how could you say no to cupcakes?
I think the cherry on top for Royale is their attitude.  Their merchandise is fun, sassy and amusing. The sort of kitchy rock theme they tend to have somehow works for baking, which has become rather badass thanks to certain Food Network celebrities. Sort of funny to like Food Network with badass, but it can happen. So, I encourage you all to get over your calorie guilt and embrace your local treats. The extra pleasure comes from knowing only you and your neighbors get to eat it.

Corporations and the Supreme Court: Dukes v. WalMart

The Supreme Court decided today that WalMart would not be held liable for a mass of women claiming discriminatory practices by the corporation.  Statisticians have been able to show that women make less money than men and earn fewer promotions than men, even when compared to competitors.  So, 1.6 million women were suing the company for a cease of said behavior and back pay.  The Supreme Court basically decided that they were asking too much, that Walmart would run out of money or time or something if it had to process all claims made against it. The question buzzing around the media now is, "Can a corporation be too big to discriminate?"
The case itself is complicated.  I am sure that WalMart does not have an official Keep Women Down policy, so it's unclear how liable WalMart Corporate really is.  One could reasonably assume that many of WalMart's locations are in places where women are not valued in the work place, and therefore managers may not be so apt to promote women.  A good case can also be made that women tend to not push as hard for promotions and raises as men. So maybe WalMart isn't causing the problem.  I'm not really angry with the supreme court for ruing the way it did.
What isn't sitting well with me is that everyone is recognizing there is a problem, and rather than coming up with creative ways to promote the value of female managers, WalMart is simply throwing lawyers at the complaint and using its vast power to make it go away. The discussion we should be having is not "Is it WalMart's Fault?", but rather, "How can WalMart fix this problem?", and no one, not even the plaintiffs, is asking that  question.
It also reflects a disturbing trend in Supreme Court rulings that is decidedly pro big business, such as the Citizens United case, which allows unlimited political funding from special interest groups.  Basically the constitution is being interpreted in a way right now that allows money to be a form of free speech, making the tiny percentage of people or organizations with a lot of money the only voices with microphones.  This pro WalMart ruling suggests an even further, darker freedom: mulitnational corporations are too big to oversee widespread unethical practices, so they might as well not bother.
All this behavior is fueled by the American consumer's love of cheap and convenience.  Low cost business models mean employees are under trained and under valued, and easily replaced.  Paul Roberts cites in his book The End of Food that Walmart is likely responsible for significant reduction in food costs, but also the decline of middle class wages. 
In conclusion, I'd like to thank the supreme court for giving me yet another reason not to shop at WalMart. I'd rather be able to trace liability when evidence of discrimination is clear.