Updates February 10, 2008

Zoe went to the ophthalmologist (I got it right on the first try, this time!) on Friday for another check up. She’s kind of a star at the office there. The receptionists all coo over her and greet her excitedly, and the other patients in the waiting room flirt along with her. The ophthalmologist thought her eyes looked a lot better with the new prescription, but she’s still not always focusing with both eyes. So we’re going to wait for a few months and see if things get better on their own. Apparently being sick with something like pinkeye can affect how you’re focusing on things.

Speaking of pinkeye, the ophthalmologist verified that Zoe’s pinkeye is totally gone now, which is pretty darn awesome.

Very good friends just had a baby girl on Thursday. I’m thrilled for them. Welcome little girl, I know you’ll be in very good hands. It’s making me want to go out and buy so many little things for a little baby. Which would be against the spirit of my trying not to acquire stuff, although, I wouldn’t keep it, so maybe it’s ok…

Speaking of my attempts to not acquire things. I’ve done well in the not buying things arena, but we still have managed to acquire a bit. We bought diapers and toilet paper and food, which I can’t see really going without. At the eye doctor’s, the receptionist gave Zoe a little stuffed penguin for being so well-behaved. Then we got a package from my parents with a couple of really cute outfits for Zoe, and the best acquisition I can think of: a growth chart with rock hammers for scale!

Lenten Exercise February 6, 2008

It’s now the season of lent, the 40 days before Easter.  This is one of my favorite seasons of the church calendar, and a time of quiet reflection.  I usually try to find some way of marking the season - not necessarily the “giving something up for lent”, but something to focus on, and something to help me try to live my life a little better for those 40 days.

This year, a friend mentioned an acquisitions fast that she heard about at church.  The idea is to keep away from any unnecessary purchases or acquisitions (food is obviously one of the things that’s allowed), and if you do buy something, to try to buy it used, or locally made.  I’m going to give that a shot, though I’m not sure I’ll be able to abstain completely, but I don’t think that’s the point.  I want to be more mindful of the things that I acquire, since so often I don’t need it.  And I especially want to be more mindful of all the packaging and excess waste that goes along with it.   As part of this exercise, I want to keep a log of all the things that I purchase for those 40 days (though I think I’ll leave foodstuffs off for now).  I know I found it really surprising and helpful when I was trying to lose weight to make myself write down everything I ate.  So if I’m looking to try to cut down on the stuff that I get,  my theory is that keeping a log will help me with that, too.  I’m planning to post it here, since that will hold me a bit more accountable.