First-world problems: a 5-yr diary

So my options are:
1. An excel sheet (but that would require me to use one of my devices that run on electricity... ARGH! Also the formatting doesn't strike my fancy)
2. A diary / book (I don't currently have one that has 366 pages. The ones that do have 366 pages are too wee. And I simply won't buy a book! Unless it's made of recycled paper. Then I wouldn't feel so bad.)
3. An email account (possibly the best of the options. However, this too would require the use of a device. )

Perhaps this would be a good time to learn to make my own paper...

no. 87

This is a very special post, because

1. the number 87 is one of my favorites.

2. It's Friendship Day. 

There will be no long-winded philosphising about the nature of friendships and how they evolve and grow (or diminish) and what they can bring to your life, etc. etc.

These little guys have nothing to do with my flesh-and-blood/ disembodied friends. 

Instead, we have an excerpt from a book I'm currently reading, A Short History of Nearly Everything, by Bill Bryson:

"So what keeps the planet stable and cool? Life does. Trillions upon trillions of tiny marine organisms that most of us have never heard of - foraminiferans and coccoliths and calcareous algae -  capture atmospheric carbon, in the form of carbon dioxide, when it falls as rain and use it (in combination with other things) to make their tiny shells. By locking the carbon up in their shells, they keep it from being re-evaporated into the atmosphere where it would build up dangerously as a greenhouse gas. Eventually all the tiny foraminiferans and coccoliths and so on die and fall to the bottom of the sea, where they are compressed into limestone. It is remarkable, when you behold an extraordinary natural feature like the White Cliffs of Dover in England, to reflect that it is made up almost entirely of tiny deceased marine organisms, but even more remarkable when you realize how much carbon they cumulatively sequester."

Thank you, wee creatures.

Happy Friendship Day, Earth. May we be better to you.

Suspense!

This pair of tights had a couple of holes. 

(One is where the scarf is sticking out near the fork). 

What happens next will shock you!

(Stay tuned for details)

(Of course, this is for dramatic effect. How can you even ask?)

being a well rounded individual

Since Klout * informs me that I must choose to be known for either my career or my hobby, I suppose it is time to move on to something else.

OR...

It's time to protest. 

Honestly, what's wrong with being a Renaissance person? Interested in many things, striving to be an expert in some at least?

Isn't the planet rounded? (Actually, she's an ellipsoid)

Well, doesn't she do so many things at once? And excel at them? Is any other planet quite so good at sustaining life? (Maybe... we don't know yet.) 

I think I might start another blog (yes, ANOTHER) for all the bits of me that need a creative outlet but are not linked to eco-friendliness.

I signed up for a Coursera course titled How to Change the World. I haven't done a single week's coursework yet. Urk. There's a section on climate change in the syllabus. 

And I'm reading about the world.

Quite enjoying this!

Oh right. And there's work.

Ramadan Kareem!

*I've recently started using Klout to measure how socially influential I am- a fairly respectable 52 last time I checked 

the week(s) so far

Things I've done:

• gone for a few interviews, quite eco-friendlily (yes, I might have coined that term): I used public transport, walked, and gave a copy of my resume to just one potential boss. Oh and I took a taxi once. Ah well!
• noticed the date trees in flower: I guess we'll have dates this Ramadan too.
• started growing a carrot
• cooked a lot of vegetarian food (and not just because of Lent)
• watched a very interesting video on YouTube about living in a walkable city (my thoughts on that some other time)

• made an egg. Yes, that's right: MADE. Not LAID. More on that later.

The weather has been fantastic, after the hailstorm and the Burj Khalifa disappearing and all that. Windy, cool, pleasant. We're luckier than my people back in Goa who are dying in the heat (their claim).

find a job!

So after a year among regular people (that is not meant as an insult), I know what it is like to prefer convenience over my planet, and principles.

[Just to clarify, in case any of the lovely people I've befriended in this Expo-worthy city take offence: I use 'regular' to mean people who do not claim protecting the earth as one of their passions]

In the spirit of Lent, let me make a full confession: I have chosen to use plastic cups rather than wash glasses. I got family members to drop me to work rather than take public transport. I have stayed up late into the night, watching serials, or reading. I have wasted food. I have not segregated my garbage. I have not stood up for my beliefs, instead letting people take plastic bag upon plastic bag to carry food to a table ten meters away.

On the positive side, I have a chance to redeem myself. Hoorah!

So, I am about to embark on an experiment: to go job-hunting (once again), but this time without a printed CV.

from openclipart.org
http://openclipart.org/detail/155107/job-interview-by-mazeo

Trivial? Perhaps. But if I've emailed my CV to a prospective employer already, and have it on my phone, do I really need to carry a hard copy to the interview?

Methinks not.

And that is today's shade of green,
The first for twenty fourteen.

(*Alexander Pope turns over in his grave*)