Recycling
Last week, Lisa asked her local Starbucks why they didn’t have the holiday cups. The disturbing answer was: because of the red dye, they’re not recyclable. which means they’re banned in Minneapolis. WHAT? They’re not recyclable? Was I supposed to know that? HOW was I supposed to know that? I’ve been throwing them in my recycle bin! At the beginning of this month, I checked the food holidays for November and noted that November 15th was National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day. Boy… was there ever a less fun food holiday? Knowing that I needed to do it before Thanksgiving, on the 15th I grimly started pulling things out of the fridge… ugh. Cleaning out the fridge is always unpleasant, and I have to admit I made it a little easier by dumping some things I should have recycled. Yes, instead of carefully emptying, cleaning and drying every container- I threw some in the trash. I know it’s bad- I don’t do that often. I usually recycle. But here’s the thing- it’s possible that I just saved an extra step, because odds are those things were going to end up in a landfill anyway. According to this article, only about 35% of what goes in our recycling bins actually gets recycled. And even worse, if you just take plastic alone- only 9% of it gets recycled. The rest ends up in a landfill. The reasons are complicated, but the simple explanation is that we used to send all our recycling to China (where most of it ended up in THEIR landfills) until a couple years ago, when they decided they didn’t want our trash anymore. So the US hasn’t developed an organized system for dealing with it. And another big problem is “wish-cycling,” where people throw anything and everything in their recycling bins. I’ve been guilty of wish-cycling. I’ve definitely put things into my recycling bins that I wasn’t sure about, but thought “Well, I’ll let them sort it all out at the recycling plant.” The truth is, throwing non-recyclable things in with the good stuff slows down the process, making it even less profitable and efficient, and increases the likelihood of the whole batch being contaminated and thrown away. But how am I supposed to know what I can put in? What do all those numbers mean, anyway? Why am I just now hearing the red dye in the Starbucks cups is non-recyclable? Am I not supposed to recycle anything red? What’s going on??? It seems like the only solution- especially when it comes to plastics- is to “reduce and reuse” -and recycle… as little as possible. Easier said than done. Do you feel like you understand all the recycling rules? Are the Starbucks holiday cups banned anywhere else? Why is it just Minneapolis?
Wednesday Fun
I know I complain about working on Saturdays, but I do love having Wednesdays off! This Wednesday, I had to go to the dentist, so no mid-week trail run for me. Instead, I did a quick early run before taking my daughter to school, then continued on to the dentist. I had to have a cavity filled, which I always do without novocaine. At this point you’re probably thinking, “Jenny. Having a cavity drilled without novocaine does NOT sounds like ‘Wednesday Fun.’” Ha ha…okay, that wasn’t the fun part of the day. But I will say it also isn’t that bad. It really doesn’t hurt! Maybe there’s a little pain, but I don’t think it’s as bad as getting the novocaine shot. You also don’t walk out of there all numbed-up and drooling. Anyway… I left the dentist and the fun started. I stopped at The Container Store, which I always do this time of year because I love to look at their wrapping paper. Their stuff is expensive, but of course if I had found something I absolutely loved I would have gotten it (since this is going to be the Best Christmas Ever.) I ended up not getting anything, but I enjoyed looking. Next up- Barnes and Noble, where I bought the FIRST GIFT OF CHRISTMAS: This is for my son’s “book flood.” I actually had a whole list of books I was interested in, but this was the only one they had! There’s nothing more frustrating that that- I had money to spend and was ready to walk out of there with a stack of books. One book does not make a flood! Well, luckily there’s Amazon. I was just hoping to look through some of the books in the store- oh well. Then, on to Trader Joe’s! After being in such a Christmas-y frame of mind, it was odd to see that Trader Joe’s was all about Thanksgiving, but oh yeah- I have to get ready for THANKSGIVING next week. Trader Joe’s had everything I wanted, including the cat advent calendar (photo at the top of this post) which we get every year. The cats love it. Well, we love it, and they love the treats inside. I spent $170 at Trader Joe’s… and then got home and realized I had no idea what we’re having for dinner. Oops. Next up… nap on the couch with my snuggly cat. After that I picked up my daughter, and the day morphed into cleaning/cooking/laundry and getting ready for tomorrow. .But it was a fun Wednesday. Have you started your Christmas shopping? Are you ready for Thanksgiving?- Not even close. But after today I’m ready to feed my son when he gets home on Saturday! Novocaine- yes or no?
And Furthermore…
In yesterday’s post I talked about my decision to sign up for a 50K trail race at the end of April (GULP!) But I have ANOTHER fitness goal to share as well. I’ve mentioned that I’m, slowly but surely, working my way through Caroline Girvan’s Iron Series on YouTube. I’ve completed 20 of the 30 workouts, and I’ll definitely finish it. But today I stopped in at an old haunt… Yes, the gym! The gym I’ve been a member of for years but haven’t gone since before Covid. I didn’t go there to work out, but rather to make sure that location was still open and that I am, actually, still a member. They were able to confirm that I’m still a member, and told me I haven’t been there for 1,070 days. AAAAACK! I really don’t think that needed to be pointed out. It’s not that I’m upset about not going to the gym for so long- I mean, I HAVE been exercising- but I’m upset that I’ve been PAYING for the gym all this time. How did this happen? Well, for one thing, YouFit is cheap. I used to pay $10 a month but sometime in the last 1,070 days it’s gone up to $12. That didn’t seem like too much to pay… and I kept thinking I might go back any day… AND you actually have to go there to cancel- it’s not like you can do it over the phone or online. Basically, I’m their dream client- someone who pays but never goes. Well, no more. Next week when my son is home, he and I are going to the gym together. I actually had to upgrade to a more expensive membership to be able to bring a guest. I can just imagine them thinking “Wow, this woman is really optimistic- she hasn’t been here in over 1000 days, and she just came in to UPGRADE HER MEMBERSHIP.” My son has been working out at school, so I “innocently” asked him if he’d like to go to the gym a couple times while he’s home, and he said yes. MUAHAHAHAHA! Little does he know I have ulterior motives. After all this time, it’s so hard for me to go back to the gym. I feel insecure about it, like I don’t belong there anymore (although God knows if anyone deserves to be there, it’s me, after all the money I’ve paid them.) And the truth is, I don’t WANT to go back. I want to just keep working out in the privacy and comfort of my own home. But I HAVE TO GO. I have to start lifting heavier weights. I learned this after I read Stacy Sims’ book, Next Level. The workouts I’m doing would be great if I were in my 20s or 30s, or even 40s, but I now understand that post-menopausal women need to be lifting heavier weights. The only way for me to do that is to go to the gym. I know no one is going to be snickering behind my back at how weak and puny I am… but I still feel self-conscious. I figured if my son came with me the first couple times, it would be easier. He might even be able to give me some tips. My goal is to go twice next week while he’s home, and after that I can go on my own. I’m not sure how I’m going to work this into my schedule yet, but I’ll figure it out! That seems to be the theme of my life lately- jump right in and figure it out afterwards. Does anyone actually go to the gym? Or are you completely happy with whatever workouts you do at home?
Decisions…
For the last several weeks I’ve had my eye on a race-Dunes 50K and Heavy Half in Jonathan Dickinson State Park, here in South Florida. According to the website: “Not just a race, it’s an epic adventure. Experience scenic overlooks, creek crossings and rolling sand dunes, where you will encounter the, “Dunes of Heaven and Hell “. 11,000 acres, 16 natural communities, including sand pine scrub, pine flatwoods, mangroves, and river swamps turning your race into a complete natural adventure. Most of the course is run on beautiful single track trails winding throughout this wild and scenic park.” If you’ve been reading this blog, you know I’m loving trail running these days. This race sounds intriguing- but I have the choice of a 50K or half marathon. I’ve been going back and forth between the two distances… 50K Option I’ve always wanted to run an ultra. Most trail ultras in Florida are in the central or northern part of the state, but this one is about an hour’s drive from my house! I could go up and do some training runs on the course. Half Marathon Option Who am I kidding? I’m still dealing with plantar fasciitis in my foot and an achy hamstring. Maybe I should focus on rehabbing those instead of training for an ultramarathon. 50K YOLO. If I wait until nothing hurts, then I’ll never do it. I need to just commit to this and work it out. Half Marathon But I could sign up for the half, which takes place on the same trail. It would still be an adventure. 50K It’s not till the end of April… I have plenty of time to train for it. Half Marathon It’s at the end of April and will be hot AF by then! Don’t even think about running a 50K!!! I was going to ask everyone’s opinion while I continue to mull this over… but then I checked the website and saw that the price increases tomorrow. So I signed up…. for the 50K. YOU GUYS, I SIGNED UP FOR A 50K! Now that I’ve made the decision, I’m so psyched! I will fix my foot, heal my hamstring and learn how to deal with the heat. I can do this! Hopefully. If not, I can defer my entry or drop to the half. But let’s not go there- I’m running an ultramarathon in April- woohoo! I’m linking up with Kim and Zenaida for their Tuesday Topics. And, I’m doing #NaBloPoMo2022- check out the list of bloggers participating in this challenge! Do you think I made the right decision….or do you think I’m crazy?