may goals April 30, 2008
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So April got derailed in terms of goals (I basically just gave up about 3 days in). I’ve decided to repeat my goals for May.
1. Become an early riser. I’m actually doing quite well on this, but I need to turn my focus back to it for reinforcement. I’ll measure this by aiming to wake up by 7 am every day.
2. Stop eating crap. This one needs more than 30 days to stick. 
I’ll measure this by the number of days in a row and out of the month that I don’t eat something overly processed or obviously unhealthy.
3. Develop my thesis topic. It’s the end of the school year, so I’ve got finals and all that to deal with currently. So I’m hoping to at least have a topic for my thesis.
4. Go climbing 2-3x a week. It’s becoming easy for me to make excuses for why I can’t make it to the gym.
5. Crack down on my spending. I would like my spending to be 25% under budget for May. It’s a big challenge since my budget is pretty tight as it is. But we’ll see if I can do it.
pandas make you smile! April 29, 2008
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This should not be missed (sound on):
carnival of personal finance April 28, 2008
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My post doing good from the comfort of your own home: junk mail edition was included in this week’s Carnival of Personal Finance over at Lazy Man and Money. Check it out! There are some others that I liked as well:
No Credit Needed’s $100-a-day rule
Living the Cheap Life knows what a penny is worth
Tight Fisted Miser is saving money by not having kids
One Frugal Girl is learning to check her billing statements
it’s a green world. we just live in it. April 26, 2008
Posted by deepali in corporate america, environment, news.add a comment
Lately, everyone’s caught the green bug. I watched quite a bit of TV today, and I saw several interesting ads highlighting industry’s eco-friendly commitment. Of course, I’m a cynic, so I immediately dissected the ads and dismissed just about all of them. Which might be a bit unfair, better 50% than 0%, yes? And, corporations exist to make a profit. If they do so while being green, then hey, who am I to complain?
Of interest, Coke has a smart new t-shirt campaign. This one will appeal to the tweens, who we know don’t care to reduce their spending in an economic downturn (unlike their parents). The ad (brought to us by Target) explained to me (via 2 teenage girls) that the t-shirts are made of recycled Coke bottles, so if you buy it, you’ll be, like, saving the world, or something. There’s some fabulous statistic, such as “if every Target customer, all 200 million of them, bought a t-shirt, that would be 5 million plastic bottles recycled”. Ah, the logic of teenagers is impeccable. Coke, here’s a thought – if every Target customer bought one less plastic bottle, that would be 200 million plastic bottles not consumed.
Another interesting ad came to me after a trip to the grocery store. Apparently, Safeway is one of the largest users of wind/solar energy in the US. They also support plastic bag recycling. The trucks run on biodiesel. They are green and proud, dammit! And yet, everytime I go into one with my reusable bag, I get dirty/blank/confused looks and poor customer service.
Then there’s Toyota’s long-running ad about zero-waste production. Ambitious, to be sure, considering that the production of cars is naturally a wasteful process. This is rather promising, because Toyota is possibly at 100% success. Subaru is not far behind, either. Of course, the best way to be zero-waste? Buy a used car… or bike.
The new programs are certainly a welcome change from the past. And zero-waste and wind power are certainly laudable achievements. But there is still something really important that we’re missing here. The true path to being “green” lies in reducing consumption, not just greening it. This seems to be the point that everyone is missing.
poked and prodded April 24, 2008
Posted by deepali in music, public health.add a comment
Right now, things are a little nuts around here. I’m trying to get my health forms completed for my Fulbright, and it’s really a frustrating process. I’ve had blood drawn twice, gotten a physical, gotten a gyn exam, gotten PPD, and now we’re going to look at my immunizations. No more needles! I’ve learned a few things though -
Test results freak me out. I don’t know why, but I get very anxious when I’m looking at them (even though I don’t expect anything but normal). There were a few abnormal, but they’re up to interpretation.
I can’t stand the sight of my own blood. I’m ok with wounds. But I can’t watch my own blood filling up the vial. It’s not scary or gross, it’s just surreal.
The health care industry is confusing. If I didn’t already work in the field, I would be quite baffled. What does “family history” really mean? What’s the difference between an HPV test and a Pap test? How often should you update your immunizations? What does the “normal range” indicate?
Straight men should not do pap smears. That is all I have to say about that.
I should be all done with this madness by Monday, at least until next January or so, when I have to get the immunization updates!
doing good from the comfort of your own home: junk mail edition April 15, 2008
Posted by deepali in corporate america, happiness.2 comments
We all get junk mail. It’s one of those facts of life you can’t ignore: birth, taxes, death, and junk mail (which keeps coming after you die). If you’re like me, it’s very frustrating to open the mailbox see the 500 things you’ve got, and then realize that most of it is junk.
Worse, some of it is even dangerous – it doesn’t take an enterprising thief too long to figure out a way to use your junk mail to his advantage… wrecking your credit in the process.
But it’s not just about your stress levels or identity theft, it’s also about the future of our planet. Consider this:
- Every Sunday, 500,000 trees are used to produce the 88% of newspapers that are never recycled
- 28 billion gallons of water go into the production of American junk mail annually (while 20% of the world’s population lacks access to safe drinking water)
- Americans throw away 44 million trees every day. That is the same as dumping 500,000 trees into landfills every week.
But, there is a reprieve. A number of ways exist to help you reduce and even eliminate altogether your junk mail. You’ll save yourself the stress, and you’ll save the planet a few trees.
1. Prescreened Offers. Do the offers for new credit cards annoy you? This type of mail is called “prescreened”, which basically means you’ve “qualified” for some time of promotion or service. The most common letters you’ll receive are introductory offers for zero interest on a new credit card. These are also offers you can readily find on the internet, so there’s really no need to receive them via mail. One way to reduce this annoyance is through the FTC’s opt-out prescreen service.
2. Mailing Lists. There are other types of junk mail that you receive as well, including those from organizations that have received your address through the purchase of a mailing list. You can also opt out of this type of mail as well using the DMA opt-out service. Just like the one above, you just fill out a form and you are taken off a number of lists.
3. Catalogs. This doesn’t, however, do much in terms of eliminating your address from lists at companies that you do business with, particularly when it comes to catalogs (or charities). For this option, you’ll have to contact each business individually and specify that you no longer wish to receive any mail from them. This can be costly and time-consuming, as often you have to call to get the address to which the letter needs to be sent.
4. One-stop service. Luckily, there are excellent and cheap services that are willing to help you with this. My particular favorite is Greendimes, which has kept me relatively junkmail-free for over 3 years. When I first joined, I paid a $35 lifetime fee and they did all the work. I went from receiving on average 5-10 pieces a day, to receiving 3-5 pieces a week. It was amazing. They now offer a number of other services, including a free service in which you do the work, but they provide you all the instructions. Or for $20, you can have them take care of it. And if you sign up now, they’ll pay you $1 to get rid of your junk mail. And while they’re at it, they’re planting trees. It’s win-win-win.
These are all simple and effective tools for reducing junk mail. I’ve also noticed this helps somewhat with junk email as well, though that is much easier to opt out of. But if you are prone to junk email and you have a gmail account, consider trying this out.
Want to go a step-beyond? Consider going carbon neutral. Just remember, not all carbon offset programs are designed equally. My favorite offset organization is Native Energy. It meets all the requirements of the “gold standard”.
And while you’re going fullsteam, shoot for zero waste.
signs you might be a geek April 14, 2008
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I occurred to me today, as I forward a petition to add a “bike there” feature to google maps to my friends, that I might be something of a geek. I never really thought of myself as one, because I’m not all about the latest gadgets (no ipod for me!). But, there are certain things that will get my heart racing and my blood pumping… and it’s not a new pair of shoes. Just a few of those things:
1. Geocaching. This is my latest obsession. Never mind that I don’t yet own a GPS device, I’ve already mapped out all the local places that I’ll hit up as soon as I do. And, I just learned that my friend has a rather nice unit, so I might just show up at her door one Saturday morning and drag her out. For those who don’t know, geocaching is the 21st century’s version of a treasure hunt.
2. Google features. I await breathlessly for the latest Google application. Even better is a new feature on existing Google applications. Bliss. I really wished their April Fool’s Day 2008 gmail feature had been real. Currently, I have about 8 Google calendars keeping track of my life.
3. Special effects. I love good movies, especially those with twisty plots and in-depth characters. But even more, I love a big, blow-em-up action movie on the largest screen in the city on opening night. Bonus if it’s got CGI and a sci-fi storyline. I have seen the worst movies known to man.
4. Technobabble. I love geeky words. I especially love using them in everday speak, particularly when they make no sense.
This list could really go on, but I might have to stop here for now.
weekend rewind: work edition April 13, 2008
Posted by deepali in misc.1 comment so far
Some of my favorites from my work category:
It took me a while, but I learned that being frugal didn’t mean missing out.
Being happy at work means being in alignment with your principles.
And from around the web:
Penelope Trunk tells you to quit yer bitchin’.
JD reviews a great book.
Plonkee wants a promotion.
In other news, I was recently awarded a Fulbright fellowship to Mongolia. I’m really quite excited by this – I would probably go in February or March of 2009. So, if random posts about Mongolia start popping up, you’ll know why!
my 10 year plan April 10, 2008
Posted by deepali in goals.7 comments
Apparently, you are supposed to have plans in life. I have dreams and hopes, of course, but I fall short of an actual plan beyond the next month or so. But there have been certain life changes recently that have made me stop and take stock of what is going on in my life. The most obvious is a growing sense of my own mortality. I am 30, not old by any means, but none of us is getting any younger. There are things I’d like to accomplish in life, and there will come a time (sooner than I’d like) when some of of those things will just not be possible. So here’ my dream list of things to do by the age of 40:
1. Hike Mt. Kilimanjaro. The way the world is going, the snows of Kili won’t last beyond a few more years. At that point, the passes will be unpassable. Right now, I’m eyeing 2010, and hoping we don’t accelerate global climate change.
2. Get a PhD. I will be done with my MPH this year. I’d like to work a bit, but then I’d like to go back to school for a PhD. I have my eye on a couple of places, but we will see how this pans out.
3. Get published. I’ve put this off long enough, but it’s about time I did some original research, and got that published. So far, it’s been mostly secondary research.
4. Take a crazy climbing trip. I don’t know where yet.
5. Get certified in yoga teacher training. I am debating doing this in the fall, but we will see.
6. Go to Mongolia on a Fulbright. This will happen next year, and I’m really quite excited. It will also help with #3 above.
7. Visit China (particularly the Great Wall). Ideally, I’ll be able to do this after Mongolia.
8. Take a ride on the Trans-Siberian Railway. I’ve been wanting to do this since I was a kid. A colleague’s daughter did it last year, so I will be talking to her about it. It just sounds magical.
9. Work at the Google Foundation. Larry Brilliant is, well, brilliant. I’m sure I would learn a lot there. 10 years from now, this is where I hope I will be.
I see there are noticeable omissions here, such as getting married or starting a family. Funny enough, I have no urgency in those areas. There’s plenty of time for that.
What’s your 10 year plan?
a little something about karma April 8, 2008
Posted by deepali in misc, spirituality.add a comment
Last Wednesday, I posted about a great NGO in Cambodia. That night, I decided to go to my climbing gym, where I was going to meet a friend. To get there, I take the yellow line train past several stops, and then I switch to the blue line train, and get off at the second stop (it happens to be the second to last stop). To take metro in DC, it is most convenient to carry a Smartrip card, which you just wave over the sensor to get in and out of the system. I keep mine in my wallet.
On this particular night, I took out my wallet, swiped my card, and proceeded down to the train. At my switching stop, I got off, and waited for the blue line. Got to my final destination, came out to the turnstile, and proceeded to pull out my wallet.
Except I didn’t have my wallet. At some point during this ride, I lost my wallet. Normally, I put it back in my bag or in my coat pocket, but this time I did neither. Now, without my wallet, I can’t get out of the metro system as you have to swipe the Smartrip card again. But more importantly, losing a wallet really sucks. You have to cancel credit cards (that someone is probably using), debit cards, and other cards. You have to get everything replaced (getting a new drivers license in DC is a terrible process). Not to mention that you are now out whatever amount of cash you have in your possession.
So I went to the station manager and explained my problem. He called the blue line train conductor, who said he would do the walkthrough when he reached the last stop. I mentioned that I was also on the yellow line, so he called the end station of the yellow line. Lo and behold, the station manager at that end was in possession of my wallet. So, I hopped back on the train and made my way down to that station to pick up my wallet.
So here is where a little good karma earlier in my day helped me out. Not only is that other station quite close, but amazingly, some kind soul had actually had the compassion to turn my wallet in. When I got there, the station manager handed it to me and asked me to check it. I looked and all my cards were in there. The only thing missing was $4 in cash (which happened to be all I was carrying) – we’ll call it a finders’ fee. After all, it’s good to still be a little humble, despite how great my karma might be.
