Animal + Machine

Animal Cat & Digital Mouse

A fear of technology and its repercussions has accompanied every technological innovation since the dawn of time.  Even the invention of writing had its downside- it devalued memorization and public speaking.  As these skills became less valued and used it altered the development of the human brain.

So much good obviously also came with the invention of the written word as well; more complex thought, the ability to convey meaning through symbols, and the systemization of language.  The innovation of writing forced our squishy, flexible brains to change.  Parts of the brain worked harder, growing in size, while other parts were silenced for the most part, shrinking from lack of use.

Evolutionarily these changes happened over many generations.  BUT they also happen over a lifetime, between your ears!  Our brains have a great deal of flexibility, and are impacted by how we use them throughout our lives.

Like most, my concern is with the smartphone.  Having a tiny, powerful computer within arm's reach at all times has changed the way that we engage with the world.  It's difficult to even recognize all of the ways the world has changed with the popularity of the smartphone, nevertheless categorize those changes as good or bad.

The change that I've recently become aware of is the way that our phones banish boredom from our lives that are full of traffic, long lines, and waiting rooms.  I initially started thinking about this because of the amazing piece on boredom and creativity on the podcast Studio 360 (Give it a listen!)

When we exile boredom from our lives, we cut out time for unrestricted, off the wall thought- like those creative gems that come to you in the shower.  We've greatly restricted those moments in our lives, and it's threatening to move our species away from creative thought and even self reflection.

For myself, I've found that a lack of boredom actually makes me less interesting. When I don't have those blank moments of boredom in my own life, I have less to talk about and less to contribute in my life.  I have less deep thought, and my life is instead full of work, photos, comments, and word games.

I haven't made any super drastic steps yet, but I have decided to delete all of the games off my phone. Their only purpose seemed to be as boredom zappers.  I also downloaded Hanx writer a typewriter app.  The cool set up has encouraged me to think and write, instead of virtually twiddling my thumbs.

Creativity springing out of the smartphone, our new age is not all bad...

Time & Space

Watercolor U.S. pillow by HLBhomedesigns

I just flew 2,000 miles across the country.  it's incredible how commonplace that occurrence has come to be.

My great grandfather had the goal of crossing the Mississippi river.  In 80 some years of life he never made it.  His daughter, my very dear Great Aunt who was nicknamed Dude for her gumption, lived all over the country. In the 30's and 40's she made a life for herself that was unprecedented.  She drove trucks for the us army, got divorced, and worked as a secretary at nasa in the height of the space race.  When she died she left a box full of pins from almost every state in the Union and a few from our northern neighbor.  I found a plastic potato to represent Iowa and more state flags than I can remember.  Also, embarrassingly, some Canadian provinces that I didn't know existed.

Hard to reconcile that with the fact that until the age of 16 she had never left the very small town of Candler to make the now 20 minute by car, trek to Asheville.  At 16, little Dude finally left the confines of Candler to see the small city of Asheville. 

Technology caused time and space to shift so drastically during her lifetime.  I drive that distance everyday in a car traveling at 65 miles an hour.  

What a hugely different experience we have with time and space than our forefathers.  It's easy to think that the ones who came before us were ignorant and wrong, but are we right?  Just because I can fly 2,000 miles across the country, it doesn't mean that my limited brain can understand the space I've traveled, or that my body's reflexes can make that shift in time as quickly as I'm moving in space.  

Right now, I look at a map, and cannot imagine that I flew across all of that land...all of that space, without touching any of it.  I cannot conceptualize the distance, only to be back across the country on the east coast at work on monday morning.  

My great grandfather must have felt the same way, looking at a map tracing the line representing the great Mississippi, a faraway and unimaginable landmark that he would never see.

Shake it- Creamy Lavender Protein

I was craving some protein, and I always have the most random ingredients handy.  This one came out surprisingly well!

1/4 avocado
handful of coconut
3 dates
2 pinches of lavender flowers
1 pinch of ground thyme
About 1 1/2 cups water (to fill line)

I put the lavender and coconut on top for your benefit.  Nice decoration if you want it to look pretty, not necessary though.

Even though this one has no dairy or dairy replacement, it has a great yogurty texture, and I love anything with lavender :)

Shake It- Soothing Immunity Blend

I'm getting a cold, and solids just didn't sound appetizing, so I made this perfect little shake.

I knew that it would be share worthy as soon as I had the idea!

Handful of kale
Pinch of turmeric
Half a carrot
Squirt of lemon juice
Filled to water line with camomile/honey infusion

Perfection!

Curious Raccoon

Raccoon Reaches for Supernova

Curiosity is absolute human nature.  We personify the quality in cats, but our furry house guests are probably just exercising their finely tuned hunting skills.  Curiosity is you and me, human all the way.

Have you ever touched a plate just after the waiter told you it was hot... or smelled something that your trusted friend just reported stinks?

Sometimes I think that I have more of a need to fulfill my curiosity than most of my fellow humans.  I absolutely revel in my need to experience.  Touch, see, and taste whether it's rational or not.

I always eat the decorative flower on my fancy plate, I stomp the balloon because I want the experience, and I CAN.  Destroying in that tiny way makes me feel powerful.

Reach for the supernova because it's beautiful... and full of destruction.

Waste Not

We throw away so much food!  I've started reducing my food waste by collecting all the semi useful parts, and making it into veggie broth.  Works very well, and I'm hoping that I never have to buy broth again!

I have a large ziploc bag hanging out in my freezer.  I put in carrot tops, tomato tops, green onion tops, citrus peels, garlic tops, celery tops, pepper innards...basically anything that has nutritional, tasty bits that aren't really good for eating/recipes.

This weekend, I boiled the whole collection for 30 minutes or so...  until I cooked the color out basically.  Then I strained the whole mess, and put the broth in a pitcher.

All ready to use in recipes and all kinds of deliciousness!

Shake it- Tropical & Well Rounded

I got the much talked about nutri bullet for x-mas, and I must say, I'm loving it!  It's a great quick fix for small portions.  I live on my own, so personal sized is ideal for me.

It's also the perfect solution to my skipping breakfast habit.  I also love it for those times when I'm sort of hungry, but want something super light & healthy (like after a night of drinking and/or far too many fried foods).

I'm buying more fruits and vegetables, and finding it very easy to make deliciously healthy shakes :)

This is my favorite so far!  Not exactly a recipe, more a suggested combo:

• Pineapple (lots & lots- it's nice and sweet, plus anti-inflamatory)
• Spinach (always a must have- turns shakes green & healthier, while not really impacting flavor)
• Lime (whole if you have it... or just the juice)
• Carrots (any color, I used orange.  Yum! Vitamin A)
• Ginger (more anti-inflamatory goodness)
• Cashews (good fats, and protein)

Excellente!!!