Sunday, February 27

Angry Birds

I'm not sure what is so incredibly special about it, but it seems that Angry Birds has become sort of a phenomenon for smart phones and ipods. Over the last few months, I have had multiple people tell me how great this game is and how I should try it out. Apparently it is one of the most popular games available from iTunes. So basically the whole point of all the levels of the game is to use a slingshot to fling these angry birds at their nemeses, these weird pig-like things, and blow them up.



While I normally do not get into these sorts of game crazes (I refused to give in to the Farmville stuff on Facebook), for some reason I decided I was bored enough to download Angry Birds on my iPhone (the free version, mind you -- I never buy apps!). Because Michael and I normally laugh to ourselves as to why these sorts of things become so addictive to people, I think he really was shocked to see me playing Angry Birds. He thinks it will rot my brain or something. Well, thankfully, I did not become a zombie. I played the game whenever I was bored and had a few extra minutes, and now I've finished the game over the last few weeks. I will admit that my little social experiment did show me that Angry Birds is kind of a fun game to play, but I still don't have a desire to purchase the full version. I guess I was just kind of curious to find out what it was about this game that got everyone so hooked. Maybe it's the cute little bird and pig characters, but I really have no idea -- and maybe I'll never really understand what makes some people want to play this game in particular. But at least Michael can be happy reading this post and knowing that I am finally done with that game he hates so much!

Friday, February 25

Sustainable Seafood Consumption

Figuring out how to be an environmentally-conscious consumer is important, but let's not kid ourselves --- it's also complicated. Especially when it comes to seafood. Some fish species are best to buy farm-raised, others are recommended wild-caught only, and some just shouldn't be consumed at all because of the state of the fisheries.

Salmon farming is a great example of this problem. So we don't want to over fish the wild populations of salmon, so why not just farm them? Well, farming can actually harm the wild populations in some cases. Crowding together fish in such a small area causes diseases to become epidemics, where as in the wild the diseases would be kept at low levels by predation on the sick ones. Huge groups of farmed salmon infected with sea lice cause wild salmon to have a higher likelihood of catching the parasite, with greater amounts of sea lice being transported to waters around the farmed salmons' cages. So not only does the farming hurt the local environment because it produces so much waste contamination in the water from the huge masses of fish that would not normally be there, but it also hurts the wild salmon by infecting them with parasites. You can learn more here.

Poor baby salmon. :(

Since we all want our descendants to be able to enjoy these species once we are long gone, but realistically, there is no way for us to research all of this intricate information on all species of fish we purchase at the grocery store or at a restaurant, I'd like to encourage the world to take advantage of the following tool. The Monterey Bay Aquarium has created a sustainable seafood guide to help consumers purchase wisely. Through either an online guide, printable pocket guide for your wallet, or mobile guide for your smart phone, the vast majority of the work is done for us. I can just whip out my phone if I am thinking about purchasing some fish at the grocery store, and the guide will give me a good idea as to what my best options are. Even some grocers that tout themselves as more environmentally conscious, like Whole Foods, still offer seafood options labeled as "Avoid" by the Seafood Watch Guide -- so as consumers, we have to be conscious of this all the time. Fish are yummy, so we might as well keep them around as long as possible and try to avoid population collapse.

Thursday, February 24

Adopting a Greyhound

I recently posted a (5 Star!) yelp review on Greyhound Welfare, the greyhound rescue and placement group I went through to adopt my dog. They have a very stringent process for adopting a dog from them, which includes both a phone interview and an at-home visit with one of the volunteers. All of their dogs are kept with a foster "parent" before they are adopted, which helps them adjust to home life after they come off of the track. Looking back and realizing that Michael and I adopted Sonja about a year and a half ago, I can't image what my life would be like without her!


We knew right away when we met her at a greyhound meet-up event that she was the dog for us. Even though there are plenty of dogs to adopt, we actually had to compete with two other families to adopt her!  She is so pretty (we preferred the fawn color) and has a very loving personality. She was only two years old when we adopted her, so we should have her for quite a long time with their typical lifespan of 12-15 years.

Fun Facts about Sonja:
  • Her track name was "She's Got Rhythm". She was known as "She She" by the foster family before we adopted her.
  • She doesn't play with dog toys. She doesn't really see the point of those weird stuffed animals. I guess that's also why she has never tried to destroy anything around the house either!
  • She is very calm and loves laying around the house, especially if she has a fluffy bed to lay on. She is definitely not a hyperactive dog.
  • When we take her to the dog park, she is never interested in running unless it's snowing! She prefers to just sniff around... and act like she doesn't know you when you call her name.
  • She knows the following commands: sit, lay down, stay, up, no, kennel up, eat.
  • We don't allow her on the couch or to eat human food -- especially when we first got her, she had a very sensitive stomach (I'll spare you the details...)!
  • She has her track information tattooed on the inside of her ears from her racing days. Knowing that she was meant to be a pet, she only raced a few times and came in last or second to last in all of them.
  • I am very proud of how patient she is with children and other dogs when they annoy her. Having three toddlers petting you all at once is a lot of commotion!

Here are some interesting facts and quirks about greyhounds:
  • They are already crate trained when you adopt them, so there is no frustration with the housebreaking part of adopting a new pet!
  • They can never be let off leash unless they are in an enclosed area; as sighthounds, they can't be redirected once they get their eyes on something they want to chase.
  • Many of them (including Sonja) love to lean against you while they are being petted.
  • It's not common for greyhounds to bark. Literally, I've heard Sonja bark 4 times since we've had her.
  • They have pretty thin skin and bleed easily, so it's very important to be careful with their tails. It's not uncommon for a vet to have to amputate a greyhound's tail if it is caught in a screen door and starts bleeding.
  • You can't house your greyhound outside in a doghouse - their skin and fur are too thin, plus they don't have much body fat.
  • Because they have slender necks and heads, greyhounds have to wear a specific type of collar when on a leash (martingale collar).
  • They don't have the issues with inbreeding and genetic physical problems that some breeds have.
  • In comparison to most breeds, greyhounds have a very different blood chemistry, so it is important to find a vet who is at least somewhat familiar with the breed.
  • Greyhounds can run up to 45 miles per hour (if they want to!)

Can you guess which one is Sonja?!

Tuesday, February 22

Yelp Review: The Performance Place

The Performance Place Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine (Charlottesville, VA): 4 Stars

I used to go to The Performance Place for physical therapy while I was a student at UVA. I found it fairly easy to get appointments with the therapist and also pretty convenient to UVA's campus (very close to Barracks Road Shopping Center). They also take Tricare (military insurance), which was completely necessary for me, no matter where I went.

Although this is the only place I have gone to have physical therapy, I felt as though the therapist did a great job helping with my recovery -- and more importantly, he seemed to care about me as a person (very good 'bedside manner'). Although I came in for a neck injury, the therapist cared enough to notice other pain issues I was having in my lower back and make suggestions to help with that condition as well.

Thursday, February 17

Fuelly

Fuelly.com is a website that I have been using habitually since September of last year to track my new car's fuel efficiency. It has a lot of great functionality that I would like to highlight, and hopefully that will encourage other people to take advantage of what it has to offer.
  • Compare your driving to how well your car should hypothetically be doing, as it already has EPA estimates ready for your vehicle
  • Monitor your mpg's over the life of your vehicle to see if you are getting more efficient at driving it
  • Add multiple cars to one account, so that you and your family members can compete on who gets the best gas milage - and also compare yours to other people with the same vehicle to see how well you are driving compared to the masses
  • Track how much money you are spending on gas and the price of gas over time 
  • Put a badge on your blog profile to show others how great you are doing!


You can view all of my car's information at my profile. It has made me realize that the estimate of mpg's that my car calculates is actually off by usually ~3 mpg. Although I have yet to take advantage of this feature, you can also input the data right away as you're filling up your car, either through the fuelly mobile website or sending the information through text message! Fuelly has really made me more scrupulous about my driving, as I'm always competing with myself now to try and increase my gas mileage. It is also very interesting to see how much my gas mileage changes depending on the weather.

Wednesday, February 16

Missing Amsterdam

I'm not sure exactly why, but lately I have been feeling especially nostalgic about the trip to Amsterdam I took in September 2009. I may not be as well traveled as other people, but there is something really special about Amsterdam that really makes me want to go back. I try to discourage myself from visiting the same place twice if it is a big trip. Really, we only have so many trips to make in a lifetime, so I want to try and see as much as I possibly can within that finite number of experiences. But I still plan to go back. And for all of those people who dream about how wonderful Paris is: well, I've been to Paris. And I prefer Amsterdam by far to Paris.


If it weren't for that whole inability to speak Dutch thing, and if Amsterdam weren't so far away, I really would love to just move there. Everyone rides their bicycles instead of driving - they have entire streets or large sections of streets only for bicyclists. Actually, one thing I love about it is that it is a relatively small city and everything is pretty close together, but it still has the city feel. It probably doesn't hurt that some of my favorite and closest international colleagues from my job live in the Netherlands. One of my Dutch coworkers even brought me an Amsterdam calendar for 2011 when we met up in Buenos Aires!


Literally I think Amsterdam epitomizes "quaint". It's so cute, it shouldn't be real - so many old buildings, canals, little boats, hole-in-the-wall shops... But then the people are all so friendly. The smell of marijuana coming from some of the "coffee shops" can be a bit annoying if you are in the wrong area, but it's easy enough to avoid.


Even the bed and breakfast that Michael and I stayed in during the first part of our trip was just so memorable. The house seriously had the steepest stairs I have ever seen. It had the cutest kitchen, and the purveyors were so friendly and willing to give advice about our stay.


Sigh... and yes, Amsterdam does even have random guys who play the harmonica and accordion on the street corner. How amazing is that.

Tuesday, February 15

Yelp Review: Pho Aura

Pho Aura (Centreville, VA): 3 Stars

I wasn't particularly impressed with the pho here, but it was ok. Maybe I was expecting too much because it has a decently high Yelp rating? Me thinks not. The service was about average for a pho restaurant - I had to ask a few times to have my water filled up, but the food came out quickly. Service was friendly.

I ordered a large pho do bien (seafood pho). Usually when I order a size large at other pho places, it comes with more noodles and meat than the regular size, but this time it wasn't the case -- just more broth. My meal buddy M and I are usually STUFFED after we share a large pho, but this was definitely NOT the case here! I felt as though they had skimped on the seafood even for a regular sized pho. I do think the broth is of better quality than the average pho place, though. I might try this place again if it were convenient, but I wouldn't go out of my way to eat here.

Monday, February 14

Catholic Social Teaching - Are Catholics Liberal or Conservative?

Well, I guess it's time to have a somewhat serious blog post. I have wanted a place to think about this topic for a while, and I guess this is as good a place as any.

I really like this article written by Fr. Francis Belanger - who actually happens to be one of the priests who served at the local church where I used to go to mass while living in Charlottesville. I have struggled for years to fit my political perspective into a particular category, and I think that this article really helped me understand why it doesn't really fit. The vast majority of my political beliefs align with those of the Church. I have developed some political beliefs that are liberal and some that are conservative. It sort of bothers me that both of these general terms are rather fluid and sort of arbitrary, changing with the times.

Although I may not agree with everything that libertarians believe, I find it to be a very legitimate/strong foundation to have something specific and concrete, like the Constitution, as the basis for one's political stance. I don't really think that liberals or conservatives can make that claim about anything - they have no real foundation to anchor their beliefs. I guess this could be considered a good thing, because as society progresses the whole political spectrum from right to left can change with the culture. But what I am really searching for is a political ideology that is completely time-independent and culture-independent. I would like to believe that my beliefs are constant. Slavery and genocide, for instance, are wrong no matter what culture or time you happen to be living in. Social justice is something we should always fight for, and we should always recognize the dignity of every human being. Those ideas are part of my political ideology, and those will not change. That is probably also related to why I don't have much of an opinion when it comes to general political beliefs on economic policy. I think that generally we should try to help the financially disadvantaged people who are suffering in this world, but I don't necessarily have an opinion on the best way to handle a complex economic situation, because I think that the best solution could in all likelihood change with the particular situation that the country is in. I'm not an economist, and I don't pretend to be well-versed enough in economics to have a strong opinion on it after one macroeconomics class as an undergrad.

So I'm sure that the beginning of this post in particular could make some people upset because it seems like I should separate my political opinions from my religious ones. I'd like to delve into this topic a bit. My first point is that the vast majority of my political beliefs were developed before I even converted to Catholicism, so really I don't think it can be argued very strongly that I only have these opinions because of my religious perspective, and therefore should keep my opinions out of the political realm. But then again, I'm sure there are many lifelong Catholics who could not say that. This is where I will bring up a nice Wikipedia article about the concept of the separation of church and state. So we all know how much we Americans love Thomas Jefferson. Here is his original quote about the topic:
"...I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between Church & State."
We all have the right to interpret this quote in our own way, but I really don't believe that Jefferson's original intention was to argue that we should not use our religious beliefs as a guideline for what we hold to be our political stance. In most situations, using your religious beliefs to guide your political ones doesn't a) make a law respecting an establishment of religion, or b) prohibit the free exercise of religion, which are the two situations that Jefferson describes as separating church and state. There are a few extreme circumstances where this would be the case, like if your religious beliefs made you decide that we should all live under Shari'a law and make the government a theocracy, but that perspective is not akin to the ones I am referring to. I think the important distinction/tricky part is figuring out which beliefs are common to every situation and all people, not matter what their particular religion is. Let's say that your religious beliefs tell you that murder is wrong. Just because you came to that conclusion in concert with your religious perspective doesn't necessitate that it should stay out of the political and legal realm. That is why I don't believe that we can make that argument about any religious belief in particular, unless it clearly conflicts specifically with a) or b), above. Religious perspectives cannot be left out of politics, because for many people (whether we like it or not) religion is the foundation of everything for them, and we should not leave anyone out of political discourse.

After a very long post (sorry about that)... the conclusion I have come to is that Catholic social teaching (and what I strive for with my political opinion) has the goal of providing this same kind of foundation that I think libertarians have, just with a basic moral standard rather than a document like the Constitution. Many people make the complaint that the Church never changes its official position on anything to meet the way we live in society today, but why should it? The point is for our moral/religious perspective (and thus our political ones) to be an unwavering backbone that never becomes antiquated - a moral opinion that transcends the generations.

Sunday, February 13

Yelp Review: Hot Yoga Bikram Tysons

Hot Yoga Bikram Tysons (McLean, VA): 5 Stars

I had my first Bikram experience at this studio, and I love this place. If it weren't so inconvenient to get to from where I live and work, I would make this my home studio.

I had been thinking about trying Bikram yoga for a while: 90 minutes of yoga with 26 postures in a room heated to 105 degrees and 35% humidity. When I saw a deal on livingsocial to try out this studio at a great price, I knew it must have been fate! This place is the reason I am hooked on Bikram.

All of the instructors I have had at the studio were great (Stephanie, Ron, Cassandra, and Rana). They were very patient and encouraging when the workout got intense - but they understand that many people may need a break from the workout to just sit down. I will admit that my first class was very intense - at one point I lost my vision as if I were going to pass out - but I sat down and rested for a minute, and I was fine after that. It does take some time to adjust, though.

The Power Yoga classes that Cassandra teaches seemed the most similar to traditional yoga (just heated). The main yoga room was pretty sanitary (no weird smells), and the locker room is spacious. All of the people who work there seem pretty laid back and nice. The one thing I really appreciated most of all that my current studio doesn't have is a refreshing, cold lavender-scented hand towel for each student at the end of class.

I did hear a few people complain that it didn't feel quite as hot to them as other Bikram studios they had gone to, but I think that may be one thing that makes it even better for beginners. I noticed that sometimes the room would be hotter than others, but you'll definitely feel it! Bikram has helped with my flexibility, strength, and posture. I leave refreshed rather than exhausted. Both Bikram in general and this studio in particular are two things I would recommend without hesitation. I would recommend that all new students bring at least the following: bottle of water, yoga mat, towel, workout clothes (but not long pants).

Friday, February 11

Aeri's Kitchen

I have been really impressed with some of the great blogs out there that are dedicated to a specific type of cooking. One of my favorite blogs is Aeri's Kitchen - Aeri does a great job of making Korean cooking accessible for people who have never tried preparing it before. I really like that there are often substitutes for ingredients - like honey instead of Asian pear juice - because otherwise many of the recipes would probably not be feasible for me.

One of my favorites is BiBimBap - a very traditional Korean dish with rice, meat, and vegetables (so it's healthy!). I usually substitute chicken instead of beef, and the marinade always turns out really well. I also just substitute whatever vegetables I happen to have in the fridge for the more exotic ones, and it's great!



My other favorite Korean dish (especially at restaurants) is bulgogi. I really think that the best cooking blogs are the ones that provide step-by-step instructions - and Aeri provides pictures with written instructions as well as video instructions. It doesn't get more comprehensive than that! I don't cook beef dishes too often, but bulgogi is one that I will make an exception for. It's pretty quick to prepare the marinating meat one night and have it ready to cook up quickly the next. Why pay for a cookbook when this is so much better?!

Thursday, February 10

New York Experiment

A week from tomorrow, I will be on my way to New York City with Michael. We haven't had a chance to get back there together since right after we started dating, so I am very excited about taking the next trip. It's definitely not cheap to stay in New York, so I really want to make our trip meaningful and get a lot out of it. In addition to the sightseeing, dining, and shopping, I really want to take advantage of some of the cheap opportunities that New York has for salons and spas. There are some things I have wanted to do for a long time, but financially they are just way out of reach usually. For instance, Japanese hair straightening is usually ~$600 in D.C. What a joke - I'd never pay that. Well, in New York, they will do it for less than $200 (including tip). I'm not so sure I can pass up the opportunity. I am very excited about doing the following things next weekend, and I will surely be posting again with how satisfied I was with the treatments:

-Japanese Hair Straightening: Let's see if it is the miracle I've heard it can be. For someone like me who has struggled with their hair for years and years, I'm willing to take the risk of some hair damage to be able to have my hair act normal without lots of time and effort. I recently had the Brazilian Keratin Treatment, but it's not permanent - and I would rather pay the same amount for permanent straightening than something that will only last a few months.

-Eyelash Perming: So it sounds kind of sketchy to put perming solution near your eyes, but hey, other people have done it and they can still see. I found a wonderful coupon for 1/2 off of eyelash perming at homerun.com, so I thought, what the heck? Of course my hair isn't straight like I want it to be, but my eyelashes sure are! I'm looking forward to seeing how much of a difference it will make.

-Eyelash and Eyebrow Tinting: I really don't like putting on makeup, and some days when I'm just going to work I just decide not to wear any at all. Hopefully this will help me continue to do the same thing and deceive everyone into thinking I may be wearing some. ;)

-Photo Rejuvenation: I've had this done once before on a discount- it is amazing at reducing freckles (or wrinkles for people who care about that)! I really dislike my freckles, so I'm hoping that having this done again will help even more. My review of the previous photofacial is on Yelp.com.

By scheduling my appointments on lifebooker.com, I've been able to get these treatments even cheaper. Hopefully they will all be a success - especially the hair straightening!

Wednesday, February 9

The Blog Phenomenon

So I've been thinking about starting back up a blog for a while now. Every few years, I go back to my blog from high school -- and it really makes me glad to have a glimpse back into my life at that time. I tend to quite easily forget details of events, and I've laughed really hard at some of those crazy high school antics that I had somehow forgotten.


In all honesty, the other main point of this blog is to better document things than I could be doing on facebook or twitter. I want to be able to go back and look at my thoughts or websites I like without having to dig through my previous facebook posts. I also want the freedom to fully express my thoughts (as must as possible for something posted on the internet), which you surely can't do with the character limits on twitter feeds. Now that I'm also decently active on Yelp.com, those posts will make it on here as well. You can basically just expect a hodgepodge of things... expect the unexpected!