Stylish Blogger Award

Angie, over on Hippie Heart sent me a Stylish Blogger Award - no doubt for the recent blog make over ^_~ and because she's most likely my only reader.  I was listed among famous sites such as Gweneth Paltrow's GOOP. Thanks Angie!

The rules: 
1. Thanks and link back to the person who gave you the award
2. Share 7 things about yourself
3.Give the award to 15 other bloggers

Seven things:

1. I was recently accepted to the University of Michigan's Masters in Social Work program (2nd in the country).  I'm interested in decreasing food insecurity in families and communities and increasing availability to quality low-cost produce, dairy and meat.
2. I live with my husband of 5 months (partner for 8 years) and our two cats in my brother-in-law's house in a Detroit suburb. 
3. Four things terrify me in life: 1) E.T. the extra-terrestrial, 2) Social or biological collapse resulting in a post-apocalyptic world akin to Cormac McCarthy's novel, "The Road" 3) Infertility, and 4) Snakes.  In that order.
4. Several years ago I had a very popular blog (that was partly responsible for meeting my partner) and sometimes I feel as if I'm writing this blog in its shadow - though that concern is really just in my head.  I lost the site, most of the entries, and the desire to write when their server crashed in 2005.
5. I took 4 years of Spanish in High School and 2 years of intensive Hindi in college.  I still know more Spanish than Hindi - Gracias Senora Roesselor and my apologies Pinderjeet-ji.
6. I love to learn as much about a topic as I can but instead of turning that information or practice into a hobby, I move on to the next topic.  I...collect hobbies?
7. I'd like to become self-sufficient enough to not have to go to a grocery store more than once a year.  I made a 5 year plan for this goal and I'm rounding into year 2.

 15 Stylish Bloggers:

1. K & MK over at Stories from Plate to Fork
2. Beth, aka Fake Plastic Fish
3. The Co-opers at The Green Phone Booth
4. The Ladies from Offbeat Mama
5. Rachel at Small Notebook
6. Sherry, John & Clara (aka the cutest people in the world) at Young House Love
7. Kelly The Kitchen Kop
8. Jenny at The Nourished Kitchen (Check out her awesome! classes).
9. El at Fast Grow the Weeds
10. Kate at Living the Frugal Life
11. Susy at Chiot's Run (also co-op'd with Not Dabbling in Normal)
12. Abby at New Urban Habitat
13. Devin at Barefootnwild
14. Steven, aka VUBOQ
15. Donielle from Naturally Knocked Up

Name Change

Last night I was playing around with tumblr for a while trying to decide if I wanted to change my blog over to their format.  I don't think I do.  While there are a few aspects of tumblr that I enjoy - the format is just not traditional enough for me.  I may double post for a while until I make a complete decision.  However, I did decide (been on the fence for a while now) to change my url.

When I first put this blog together, I had quite a few quotes that I found inspiring, but most of their variations in url form were taken at blogger in one way or another.  So, I settled on the quote from Dr. W. Edwards Deming: "It is not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory."  It was not ideal, but it got what I thought was my message through.  It turns out though - having the word "Survival" in your blog when writing about ecological life changing and canning and self-sufficiency is a turn off for a lot of people.  I'm not a survivalist, but I would consider myself on the road to "thrivialist," a word I first read from the very inspiring Kate at Living the Frugal Life.

I like that Deming's quote says - you don't have to change - you really don't - no one will make you.  But if you don't, you and many around you may, in fact, perish.  *Jon Stewart Shrug* Ya know? Its something I think is pretty true - we cannot keep taking our resources for granted.  We cannot keep living a as if we have a spare planet in the back on which we can rely.  However, I don't believe that standing on a soapbox will bring change.  I don't believe that you can guilt someone in to change - it isn't productive.  Deming's quote, tongue in cheek, elicits those images in my mind of green-purists who can out-eco anyone.  I am not that person, nor do I ever wish to be.

While writing, I frequently have the TV on in the background  because I need the noise (yeah, I use the TV as a talking lamp - but that's for another post).  It's usually playing a TiVo'd episode (yeah, I have TiVo - yet another post) of Golden Girls, Frasier or Dharma & Greg.  I enjoy quotes from all of these show - but two of my favorites are from Dharma & Greg.

1) "You can't fault a pig for having a shorter neck than a giraffe."

2) "Failure is the compost from which we grow success."

I've tried to find credit to these wise words - but the shows are the only thing that come up when I search.  The first, while wise, does not translate well into a blog title but I think the second does.  It seems particularly fitting for this blog.  And so today, I made the change.  I don't really have followers - so it seems to be relatively safe once I've sent out a few emails to friends and family who care to read occasionally.