Friday, April 3, 2009

7 Quick Takes Friday Part XIII

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1. I never thought I'd be one to say something like, "The Catholic Church needs to get in step with the times and move into the 21st century." But I'm saying it. Don't worry, I'm not talking about women's ordination or birth control. But how on Earth do so many churches get away with not having web sites and e-mail addresses? It's the twenty-first century; do I really have to make phone calls and write letters to find the sacramental records of my nineteenth-century ancestors?
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2. Lately, I've been head-over-heels in love. . . with these Nature's Valley Chewy Fruit and Nut bars. They're like granola bars made out of crack. I simply can't stop eating them. I once ate a whole box in one day. I bought them because they were on sale and seemed healthy (though I'm not naive enough to assume that the listed ingredient, High Maltose Corn Syrup, is any better than High Fructose Corn Syrup, which I tend to try to avoid - though I don't actually know anything at all about HMCS), but I keep buying them - even though they're more expensive than I'd like - because they're just so good. I just finished my last box (by eating two bars one after the other), and I'm already thinking about where to get my next fix. I don't understand how the stores keep these things on the shelves. I can't wait for Lent to be over so I can try the Dark Chocolate & Nut flavor.
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3. I lost my crochet hook. This is torture. I wanted to make my friend a scarf for his birthday, and so brought my crocheting to work with me - I worked on it on the way to work on the bus, and was going to do the same on my way to his house after work, on the bus. At some point, I dropped my hook, which was the only one I had in that size (I), and which was the size I was using for both the projects I was working on at the time. I'm effectively stuck. It's an undertaking - and a long Metro ride - for me to get to a Michael's or an AC Moore, so I sit, hands idle, while my list of projects keeps growing.
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4. I have a confession to make. . . I drink Starbucks. There. I said it. I know, that makes me a bad pro-lifer. I'm not supposed to support companies that support organizations like Planned Parenthood, right? Neither the torture of trying to stay awake in my history class without any coffee, nor the torture of drinking coffee that actually tastes like coffee (I hate coffee; I'll only drink it fancied up with things like whipped cream, mocha, and caramel), compares to the literal torture of abortion. But I do it anyway. And then today, from Starbucks itself, on their new cups:
You.
Bought 228 million pounds of responsibly grown, ethically traded coffee last year.
Everything we do, you do. You stop by for a coffee. And just by doing that, you let Starbucks buy more coffee from farmers who are good to their workers, community, and planet. Starbucks bought 65% of our coffee this way last year - 228 million pounds - and we're working with farmers to make it 100%. It's using our size for good, and you make it all possible. Way to go, you.

So Starbucks itself is giving me responsibility for what they do with their money. I might have to rethink my 1 coffee a week habit. Coffee's not good for you, anyway, right?
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5. Speaking of which, how is it possible that "Starbucks" is still marked as misspelled by Firefox's automatic spell-checker? Is Mozilla actually unfamiliar with Starbucks?
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6. One of my favorite things about DC is Cherry Blossoms. They're gorgeous; they make spring in Washington into a spring like no other. They also suck. It's like cherry blossoms are super-magnets, and tourists are all made of iron. And I'd like to take some pictures of these amazing flowers, but I can't. No one who lives in DC takes pictures of cherry blossoms. You might look like a tourist. But my mom's coming this weekend (she's a tourist, and it's one of her life-long dreams to see the cherry blossoms), so we're doing the tourist thing anyway. Parade, street fair, even martial arts demonstrations.
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7. Fantasy sports. What's the deal with that? Does anyone get it?

2 comments:

  1. Hi, I just stopped by via Jen's. I have to say I looooove cherry blossoms, too! It has been raining here (in Ga.) for the last 2 weeks while they were at their peak, or I would have taken pictures of them. And I would love to know who has the painting my dear, late mother painted of the trees in Washington. Have fun and take lots of pics.

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  2. I am so with you on #1. And a lot of the churches that *do* have websites have really bad ones. Cathedrals that don't even have their own domain name?!!

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