Four Months Notice

Gave my notice at work. Waahoo!

Now I'm just waiting for my boss to tell the rest of the department so I can stop whispering and worrying about accidentally saying something in the hallway or whatever.

I made cookies for the occasion: Chocolate-chip oatmeal. Yum. I'm loving the Rapunzel chocolate chips, even though they are twice as expensive as regular baking chips. But they are fair trade and organic. It's worth the extra couple bucks to know that no children were enslaved in the making of my cookies.

I've been trying the past couple years to be a more conscientious consumer---buying fair-trade and organic products, picking items with the least amount of packaging or the most recycled content in the packaging, supporting companies that have positive business practices and avoiding those that don't. It's certainly made grocery shopping more complicated; I never realized how many types of milk there are. I used to reach in for the least expensive major brand.

It's also been a shock to my wallet to realize how much things---particularly food, but also clothes---really cost when the workers receive fair wages, when the manufacturing process is environmentally friendly and sustainable, when the companies hold themselves to ethical standards. And I'm so tempted sometimes to grab for the Kraft Mac & Cheese, even though it's made by a tobacco company and it contains absolutely no ingredients found in nature. But it's cheap and familiar. And I'm still not very good about buying local produce or selecting eco-friendly fish.

Anyway, I'm not sure how I got on this topic. But I'm going to add another nonsequitor. I've posted a few times about my friend Gina, who is an amazing singer and occasionally performs in Austin. She now has a My Space page. Go visit and listen to her sing.