Who Would Mama Earth Vote For?

I love voting. When I taught second grade, I eschewed Halloween, but dressed up in costume for election day (flag-blue wig, Lady Liberty sash). This year, the economy is number one in most people's minds. The question of who'll improve the economy has been dumbed down in election ads -  tax and spend, spend and tax. There's a lot more to the question of improving the economy, however; and how the president thinks about science and technology will impact BOTH the economy and the environment.

If you're interested in where the presidential candidates stand on scientific questions, check out "Science Debate 2012", in which you can compare side-by-side responses of the candidates to questions about science, the environment, and innovation.

The big take-away?

These guys aren't so different, at least on paper

But hey, you're probably thinking:isn't Obama our guy if we're environmentalists?

Well, I do agree that if you're voting green, Obama is the one to vote for.

But lets be real. Neither side is that green. 

Take the Keystone XL Pipeline, for example. In the televised debates, Romney has repeatedly brought up the pipeline - a pipeline that would bring oil from Canadian tar sands - .as necessary to foster energy independence (how a pipeline bringing oil from Canada results in US energy independence, I'm not sure.) Environmentalists believe that the pipeline will have devastating environmental impacts along its route. In particular, extracting oil from tar sands is a seriously dirty way to get oil. But Obama's record isn't all sunshine and puppies when it comes to Keystone.The Obama administration has both slowed the construction of Keystone and supported parts of it. No matter who becomes president, there's a good chance Keystone will go ahead, even as it becomes less important to the oil industry. 

We have to ask ourselves, in a two-party system driven by big money, will the long-term view of planetary health ever be a major issue? There's no benefit in the quarterly profits to looking a hundred years ahead, and a four-year election cycle is too short to truly witness our impact on the planet.

And of course, journalists today are afraid to ask the hard questions about our planetary future:
Which candidate will bring about Z-Day*?

For that, you have to turn to the fearless truths spoken by Joss Whedon, who also happens to be creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and also happens to be on my short list of personal heroes, along with Stephen King and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

If you're waiting for the Zombie Apocalypse, well, then Romney is definitely your guy.



*Z-Day? You know... the beginning of the zombie apocalypse.

The Healing Hands of Mama Earth

I'll admit something to you right now: I've read all the Twilight books.

I was an "early adopter" of Twilight -- a friend's daughter was into them before they went all mainstream. Say what you will about Stephanie Meyer's writing (I'm sure I've said it all myself, and I'm certainly not immune to criticism; someone needs to say a few words about my excessive use of parentheses), but Ms.Steph had a few clever ideas. 

One of those ideas is that when you become a vampire in the Twi-verse, your human qualities become heightened. So empathy becomes the ability to influence others' emotions; ability to "read" people becomes mind reading. 

SPOILER AHEAD... damn the internet tyranny that makes me declare a spoiler that should be common knowledge even to people who live under rocks.

I'm about to step on your toes, Edward.

Bella, the heroine of Twilight, is incredibly clumsy in life. She's always almost getting hit by cars, dropping things, and crashing motorcycles. So when she became a vampire, SHOULDN'T SHE ACQUIRE SUPER-CLUMSINESS AS HER POWER?

But no, she's a quick-moving, light-on-her-feet huntress. Blergh. That's totally boring, and doesn't make sense given the rules of vampirism in the Twi-verse. (BT-dubs, OMG DID YOU HEAR about what K-Stew did to R-Pattz? SCANDAL!!!)

Why am I telling you this? Because my super-power is super-klutziness -- I'm like that vampire with heightened power of clumsiness, the one that Stephanie Meyer should have created. If it can be tripped over, dropped, spilled or dribbled, I will do it.

So the other night, my super power was at full strength. I was taking a pot of pasta off the stove. I have a gas stove in my new house, and I'm not used to the uneven surface. The pot started to slide, and I steadied it. Yay! I thought. Disaster averted. At which point I lost hold of the pot and spilled boiling water all over my hand.

I sort of tossed the pot away from me, trying to keep it upright - which I did surprisingly well, as only a little pasta landed on the floor. But I had burned my hand.

I was pretty bummed, because I knew that I needed some burn gel to treat my hand, but it was Sunday night and I just didn't feel like leaving the house, even to jaunt the five minutes to my friend Kelly's house. Just the other week she was touting the brand of burn gel she had, so I knew that she had some.

As the pain grew, I was beginning to resign myself to the idea that I was going to have to hop in the car (yes, I'm lazy AND klutzy). Then I remembered that when I'd moved in, one of my friends had pointed out an aloe plant in the front yard.

I ran outside and pulled off a leaf, squeezing out some of nature's burn gel. I put the rest of the leaf in the fridge.

I knew that aloe would help a sunburn, but I was incredibly impressed by the way that it took care of the pain immediately. The next day I applied it two or three more times, but I was totally fine by the end of the day. 

Hooray for nature. 

Good-bye to the Fourth Ward

Tonight, I am sad.


At the beginning of the year, I decided that 2012 is the year I find a home. I've lived in Houston's Montrose neighborhood for almost nine years, and a couple of blocks from the Fourth Ward for the past five.


Many Houstonians don't even know about the Fourth Ward. It's a hidden little pocket that is easy to miss if you stay mostly on the freeways.


After the Civil War, African-American families moved into Freedman's Town, which is now known as Fourth Ward. Fourth Ward ends abruptly at Taft Street - I live on the other side of Taft Street. During Jim Crow, the side of Taft where I live was the "white" side. And there is still segregation in my neighborhood, although now it is the segregation of custom. One side of Taft is still predominantly African-American.


The other side became home to Hispanic families after white families decided the suburbs were for them. Then, Montrose's flourishing gay community became part of the neighborhood fabric. And stereotypically, on the heels of the gay community came gentrification.


I've lived here for almost nine years, but I can't afford to live here anymore.

When I started to look for a home, I found that the entire neighborhood is vanishing. The historical shotgun shacks of Freedman's Town are being torn down. The 1930's brick bungalows? Being torn down. 


This is what they are building:

Gigantic, massive, townhomes that sell for 400,000+ dollars. 


I have nothing against townhomes, in theory. The idea behind the townhome revival is that with higher population density, each person has a smaller footprint. There can be more walkable neighborhoods with mixed-use development. Communities spring up.


But these townhomes are not meant to be green. They are meant to be trendy. They are replacing well-built brick homes that need a little love with plaster and plywood. They are replacing people like me.


I'm excited to move into my home in July (more to come...)


But I'm sad because this place that I've loved is disappearing.


About two weeks ago, I came home, and six homes surrounding mine were "for sale." They were all sold as "lots" even though each one contains a lovely brick home -- all needing work, for sure, but sturdy enough. The renters were told to move at the end of the month.


This afternoon, I came home to find the Medical Examiner's van parked outside the house next door. My neighbor committed suicide. We don't know why. We probably never will. But we know that he was incensed that he was being forced from his home of 15 years. That is why I am sad tonight.

Ultimate Recycling: The Beer Can House

This is Houston's famous "Beer Can House." Yes. It is a house made of beer cans. And yes, it is strangely, ethereally beautiful.

Thankful - 2011

"The best way to thank God is to love one another." - 'Abdu'l-Baha

I stole this quote from my friend Annie's facebook page. (Annie is also the wonderful writer behind Motherhood and More; you should check it out).

As I was chopping sweet potatoes this morning, I was composing a whole essay on this theme, but I think I'll just stick with this: whether you are thankful to God, the universe, or physics, I hope you have the chance to act on it today by loving those near and far and loving the earth. Yes, grace may be undeserved, but we don't have to act like we don't deserve it. We can show our thanks by giving the world our best selves.

Blessings to you and yours. I'm thankful to all of you who spend a little of your time here on this blog.

The Most Creative Reuse for Butter Tubs

This is one of my favorite songs, and this video is truly beautiful and amazing.

As the Shakers once sang, "'tis a gift to be simple."

Say it Ain't So-bama! 2

Ben: Wow, the sky is really beautiful.
Leslie: It's pollution from the Sweetums factory. It's gorgeous. But is it worth the asthma?
Ben: No.
- Parks and Recreation, "Camping"

Right now, President Obama reminds me a lot of Leslie Knope in the above dialogue. In TV's Pawnee, Indiana, the Sweetums factory produces delicious candy while polluting the air and making the citizens fat. Yet they sponsor fun parks activities like the Harvest Festival. They create beautiful pink and blue sunsets with their pollution. And did I mention their candy is delicious?

So let's imagine that instead of candy, Sweetums is promising jobs for all of America (Sweetums is representing industry in this analogy, FYI).

The EPA says: Let's reduce pollution.It's the law.
Sweetums: But it will cost jobs.
The President: Hmm... OK... we won't reduce pollution. It's probably worth the asthma.

Like Ben, we should all answer a resounding NO to this idea.

In case you're not familiar with what's going on, Obama's office quietly announced on Friday that they will delay stronger smog standards (these were planned well in advance and impact ozone emissions specifically). According to the National Resource Defense Council:

The stronger smog standards would have saved up to 4,300 lives and avoid as many as 2,200 heart attacks every year. They would have made breathing easier for the 24 million Americans living with asthma. And they also would have created up to $37 billion in health benefits annually.

The official rationale for this move is that the regulations would cause an "undue regulatory burden" on industry, which would cost jobs.

I am SO SICK of this false dichotimizing between the environment and jobs. It makes me want to scream (and I did, in all-caps at the beginning of this paragraph). There's a whole world of new green jobs that we are not opening up because we're protecting traditional industry from the tech revolution that is racing on ahead of it -- it's the worst kind of cronyism. Because exactly the kind of 21st Century industry and tech that would help us to get out of the recession is the kind we're not developing in the name of getting out of the recession. It's frakkin' Ouroboros devouring his own tail.

Like many environmental problems, the burden of this will be unduly borne by the poorest Americans. Asthma is more prevalent among those who live in poverty. The same with heart disease. And that means that we will all bear the health care burdens caused by this supposedly economic decision.

So it seems like the economic argument is a win for Mama Earth's side. Again, the NRDC:

The smog standards would generate $37 billion in value for a cost of about $20 billion by 2020.

Which means this is not truly a matter of the economy. It's about politics. If we don't act now, the smog standards are due to be re-evaluated in 2013 ... after the election.

But we shouldn't need to make a political argument or an economic one. This is about justice. How many jobs equal a fair trade for the lives that will be saved by a reduction in ozone emissions?

So what can you do? Here are three Light (that means low-effort on your part) Green things you can do:

1. Email the White House. Follow this link and there's a simple form you can use to tell the President that you are NOT OK with this decision.

2. Or, if you'd rather, use your phone to make a difference. Join the NRDC's phone campaign.

2. Donate to the NRDC. They are planning a legal challenge to this decision. It's simple and you can donate whatever you can spare.

It's fun to be an activist! Voting is important, but all of us who were re-invigorated by the last presidential election can expand our influence by adding a voice (and dollars if we have them - even though we probably won't be able to compete with industry when it comes to greenbacks - at least we've got right on our side).

*Photo courtesy of fanpop

Today ...

(a series of musings)

I. I looked in my garbage today.

My garbage mostly consists of food waste (banana peels, egg shells) and the random bits of packaging (Code 6 plastic and flat-pack cardboard) that our city recycling doesn't accept. For a split-second, I rejoiced at how much I had reduced the amount of waste I'm producing. And then I thought, "Drat! I should be composting." The only thing is ... I'm extremely sensitive (to the dry-heaving extreme) to the sight of food where food doesn't belong. I'm not sure composting is something I could handle. Pondering begins.

II. It's summer.

No, you're probably thinking, it's spring. Except I live in Texas, where it is already 82 degrees. When I was a kid, 80+ degree temperatures were a sign of summer. My A/C is already on, sucking electricity. Wait while I flagellate myself out of guilt.

III. I'm back from the self-flagellation. OK. Speaking of beatings, go see Jane Eyre.

In case you haven't read Jane Eyre, our titular heroine receives a lot of beatings in her childhood.... now that I've made the cheap connection to my previous point, I want to urge you to go see Cary Fukunaga's stunning version of Jane. Jane Eyre is the uber-text for isolated smart girls, and Fukunaga (along with Mia Wasikowska as Jane, and Michael Fassbender as Rochester) realizes - visually and narratively -- the novel's modernity while honoring our need for bonnet porn. Go see it.

IV. Gratuitous Spain picture.

Casa Mila.

Slow Down and Smell the Cafe

This week, I took one of the first non-family-related vacations (to Spain) that I've taken in several years. Now, there's nothing wrong with family vacations. I happen to love them. However, there's something to be said for slowing down and disconnecting from your "real" life.

Let me amend that observation.

The fact is, there's no such thing as "unreal" life - it's all just life. Yet separating from the day-to-day routines can help us observe ourselves from the outside just a bit, help us situate ourselves in the world. We think about differences and similarities between ourselves and others, about how we were taught to see the world, about the way others see that same world.

The little traveler in Park Guell, Barcelona.

As we were ferried by taxi to the airport in the pre-dawn hours yesterday, the moon was a giant orange globe stamped just above the hills outside Barcelona. One of those incredible moons, where you can see the outlines of craters and lunar seas. Many hours later, I arrived in Texas just after dusk and wondered, for just a moment, whether the moon would look the same. But of course it wouldn't. Latitude and longitude, accidents of birth, words we hear since childhood -- all of these shape the way we think, the way our neurons connect.

It seems, however, that on a world as fragile as ours, it's a desperate need for each of us to try to understand the perspectives of others, wrought by the million little moments in their lives, the particular angle between their position on earth and the moon at any given moment.

Travel is just a little step in the direction of understanding. It's also illuminates how challenging that understanding can be. This week I'm going to share a few little musings from my travels. Feel free to throw a shoe at me for being pretentious. I'll just duck and take it.

Go, Rep. Markey!

I recently wrote about what you can do to help bring the downfall of the Upton-Inhofe Bill in Congress.

Rep. Markey (D-Mass) spoke up against this bill the other day, and he brought his knowledge of both science and sarcasm to bear on the bill.

Watch below and then click this link to help defeat Upton-Inhofe.

The Direct Line Between The Vampire Diaries and Environmental Activism

... in 5 easy steps!

(At the end of this post, you can find out how to become an activist too ... just in case you want to skip the parts about vampires. All you have to do is click some links!)

Step 1: Get really obsessed with The Vampire Diaries.

I am not going to lie. I love TV. I love getting obsessed with stuff. And I love vampires. I know it's de rigueur these days to be obsessed with vampires on TV/movies, but I'm no Bella-come-lately at that ball. I mean, I watched the Dark Shadows reboot in 1991. Put that in your pipe, Stephanie Meyer. I find the vampire mythology to be fascinatingly flexible in both shaping and reflecting current mores. Also, vampire stories are usually filled with pretty people. And fog.

Look.

Fog.

My friend Kelly and I trade TV shows the way other gal pals trade shoes, so when she told me to get obsessed with VD, I did. So much meaty plotting! So many pieces of enchanted jewelry! And fog!

Step 2: Watch all of the existing episodes in two weeks.

So, the ignominious second step between Vamp Diaries and environmental activism is to Google:"Vampire Diaries spoilers." I know, I know. But there's not a new episode until April 7th.

I didn't find any good spoilers. However, I did find an item about how one of the actors, the very pretty Ian Somerhalder, is starting a foundation focused on youth and environmental causes (called, shockingly, the Ian Somerhalder Foundation). My two favorite causes! (Boy. Activism makes me exclamation-point happy.)

I have a little compulsion to click any environmentally-related link (just FYI - do not click links that include the words "Fox News" and "environment", unless you want to spend the rest of the afternoon moping). So, I clicked.

Step 3: Look at all the pretty pictures of animals on the foundation website. And of Ian Somerhalder. And then click the link about the Environmental Protection Agency.

Ian likes pets. Pets are awesome.

It's worth visiting the foundation website just to look at the cute animal photos.

I'd like to say I'm really well-informed about the news in general, but I'm part of that generation that gets their news from two sources: Jon Stewart and NPR while commuting. My commute is short; hence my news knowledge can be extremely patchy ... especially since I work from home a lot to cut down on using gas by commuting. But I knew I'd heard something about the EPA lately ...

Step 4: Read about how the Upton-Inhofe Bill is threatening the ability of the EPA to protect us from harmful pollutants.

OK, so here's the deal. The Clean Air Act - which is now 40 years old, can I get a woot! (yes, I'm old enough to say woot, but I'm not as old as the Clean Air Act) - says that the EPA can determine which pollutants are harmful to people and regulate them. And the EPA says that greenhouse gases are harmful, and so should therefore be regulated. But the Upton-Inhofe Bill wants to hamstring the EPA, and curtail their ability to determine which emissions are harmful. Rep. Upton (R-Mich) and Sen. Inhofe (R-Okla) claim that there's no proof that greenhouse gases are harmful.

The Bill is now out of committee. It's likely to pass the House, but it's up in the air whether the Senate can muster enough votes to fend off a likely veto. WHICH MEANS YOU SHOULD ACT NOW.

And yes, I'm yelling with capital letters. It's that important.

Step 5: Click easy-to-use link that allows you to send a message to your Congresspeople about how you DO NOT support Upton-Inhofe.

So, from I went from watching The Vampire Diaries to the Googling and the Ian Somerhalder Foundation, and I then clicked to the National Resource Defense Council, where they have this super-easy to fill out form that allows you to write to ALL of your Congressional representatives in one fell swoop.

Which I did.

I received a response from Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison. One thing you can say about Kay, her response system is quick. I always hear back from her in a day or two. But ... I always hear back with some crazy talk like this: the EPA’s backdoor climate regulations will drive up the cost of energy in America — and everyone will pay.

And that makes me mad.

What YOU can do

I live in a Republican-dominated state. I know that my voice is just a whisper in a hurricane. We need people in swing states to help make sure this bill doesn't pass. Please tell your representatives that you do NOT support cutting off the EPA's ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. JUST CLICK THIS LINK.

What My International Readers Can Do

I love my international friends. You can help by chuckling softly to yourself about how America's leaders don't believe in climate change.

Hey, and if you write to your Congressionals, let me know in the comments!

Three Thtories About Thursday

Um... I mean Stories.

At the Gas Pump

This morning, I had to fill out my gas tank. If you've filled up your tank lately, you may have noticed something... it's expensive! I drive a tiny Scion Xa, and it cost about $35 bucks to fill 'er up. There have been many times over the years when I've been happy to have a fuel-efficient vehicle, but this was one of the happiest. I know I won't have to fill up for a couple of weeks at least. I wonder what the guy behind me at the pump, in the extended-cab pickup, was thinking.

Food Web

Today I went on a classroom observation (it's part of my job). It was a seventh grade science classroom and they were studying food chains and webs. If you don't know about food webs (I didn't until recently), they represent the transfer of energy from the sun to plants and through different animal consumers. I asked one of the students why it's important to learn about this (another part of my job; I constantly ask kids this question). He explained that if one of the animals was removed from the web, the others wouldn't survive. He then said that would make him want to take better care of the Earth and conserve. Score one for science class!

(And no, he said that all on his own. I didn't prod him to say that.)

Thoughts at the Arboretum

Today after work I went for a walk at the arboretum. And as it usually does, the walk reminded me of my days working at summer camp, when we used to hike out to overnight spots (and you haven't lived unless you've hiked five miles with an eight-year-old who is lugging a sleeping bag bigger than her). So I went through this thought process as I walked:

Boy, this reminds me of camp and hiking out to where we would sleep under the stars > I can't believe some people have never slept out under the stars without a tent > but it was more fun when I was younger, because the mosquitoes got so bad over time > and it was always hot the last few years > we were never allowed to make fires out in the woods after that because of burn bans > mosquitoes, heat, burn bans ... oh wait. That's all because of global warming.

What do you need?

I just read an article about the director Tom Shadyac, who directed such high-brow fare as Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and Evan Almighty (I couldn't find the actual article online, but here's a similar one). Shadyac once lived in a 17,000 foot mansion, but now lives in a trailer park in Malibu.

Another Hollywood cautionary tale?

No. Shadyac gave up his excess possessions by choice.

As someone who chooses to live a pretty modest life (small apartment, few possessions) I still often feel that I have too much stuff. Like Lucinda in Peter Carey's stunning novel Oscar and Lucinda, I feel lighter when I can give stuff away. (READ IT, if you haven't!)

When I see huge mansions, I wonder, what's the point? After you have a living room and office, playroom and bedroom for each of your family members (even that list seems excessive) why would you need more?

I sponsor two children, one in Mexico and one in Zambia. They are delightful children, and survive on much less than we do (obviously). As I drive through the River Oaks area of Houston, I think ... how much could these people give away to children like Bexaide and Barley? How much could they reduce their carbon footprint? Why don't they?

And then I sigh.

Because I don't want to judge others, yet I find it so hard. And I judge myself at times, for buying things I don't need and for wasting more than I should.

So, here's the crucial question: What do I need to be happy and productive? Would a cottage be enough? Meaningful work and loving friends? Do I even need books? And what about TV? - I seriously love TV.

What do you need?

Note: If you're interested in learning more about sponsoring a child in the developing world, click here to visit World Vision. They receive 4 out of 4 stars on Charity Navigator and devote 88% of funds to program, which means only 12% are spent on administrative costs and fundraising.

Just in case you're confused ...

... the fact that we've gotten a seasonally-appropriate amount of snow in Spokane does not mean that "global warming is a lie."

I miss you

Just letting you know, I haven't vanished. Just working 10 and 11 hour days this week. Should be back to normal soon.

In the meantime, here are a few pictures from the Arboretum:

Why Mama Earth Likes Fall

It's fall!

Autumn has always been my favorite season, but living in Texas, I come to the realization of fall's arrival a little later than some of you might. However, fall is really here, as evidenced by the fact that high temperatures are only in the 80's! Woohoo!

There are lots of green reasons why fall is Mama Earth's favorite season.

Walking

Let's just be perfectly honest. In Texas, in the summer, you don't walk anywhere. If you did, you would arrive such a sweaty mess that no one could get near you. Now that the temperatures have dropped, foot power is all you need to get around. Last night, I walked to Anvil Bar & Refuge to meet a friend for drinks, and was ecstatic to see that many Houston residents had the same idea as I did, leaving gas guzzlers at home to hit the streets.

Apples

Of course, apples are available year round. But out-of-season produce has probably been transported long distances, resulting in excessive energy use. To top that off, all that energy gets wasted to provide you with a mealy, disgusting apple that's been in the back of a semi for weeks. Now, we can enjoy in-season apples, particularly delicious varieties like Fuji and Honeycrisp that are only available this time of year.

Baking

During the summer, I don't use my oven because it heats up my small apartment and makes the A/C work twice as hard. I have a small toaster oven that I use from time to time. Now that fall is here, though, I can bring out the big guns, using my regular ol' oven to create healthy, unprocessed baked goods in my own kitchen, like the pumpkin chocolate chip muffins above. (Click here for the recipe).

Sweater Weather

Okay. So we only have about two days of sweater weather per year in Houston. But in the fall, when the sun isn't blazing, I can enjoy knitting big projects that would be torturous during the summer -- a lapful of wool in July is just no fun.

Fall TV

Hey, doesn't Mama Earth want to kick back and watch Fringe after a long day providing us with shelter?

What do you love about fall?

Slow and Steady? I Think Not.

Fall is here!

This weekend, I took my first long weekend walk in the Houston Arboretum. These walks are a staple of my life during the "cooler" months (and by cooler I mean highs of 80 degrees instead of 98)..

I'm traveling (AGAIN!) this week, so I thought I might entertain you with some images from the Arboretum. First up ...

I found this little guy in the middle of the path at the arboretum. Since the trail maintenance people often drive around in golf carts, I was a bit worried about Mr. Tortuga. So I, rather like a paparazzo following Lindsey Lohan, used aggressive video-taping to herd our friend to safer environs. I'm sorry I scared him (as witnessed by the way he jerks into his shell around :12) but I think the woods are a better place for him.

Earth

Sorry I've been AWOL for awhile -- I've been traveling for work and play and have been scheduled from morning till night. But here are a few pics of where I've been.

Birds over the Gulf. They're probably happy the oil leak has been capped.

The beach.

Cotton fields of North Carolina.

Go-Go Organic!

Why is organic better?

Because organic food rots.

Catfish, what? you are probably thinkinYou like rotten food?

No, I don't like rotten food, but food is supposed to rot if it's not eaten in a timely fashion. That's the way that nature made it. That's what our bodies were made to process.

So what kind of alliance with the devil results in these?

What are these? These are plums.

I bought these non-organic plums because sometimes the grocery store doesn't have organic. And then I kept them on the counter for several days. Then I was going away for a week and I meant to take them, but I forgot. So they stayed in my house (about 80 degrees in the day, since I wasn't there) on the counter. When I got back, they were still fine. So I put them in the fridge. I carried them back and forth from work to home several times, but kept forgetting to eat them. I took them to San Antonio in my lunch kit and back. Then they sat in the fridge for another week.

Four weeks later. Still edible. But I can't eat them, because they are so unholy.

Life's A River, Kid ...

... ya gotta go where it takes you.

- The Riches

"Houston has no soul."

"Houston is just a slab of concrete."

"Houston is a bunch of strip malls."

These are the kind of things you hear about the city where I live. To tell you the truth, I've never understood these sorts of comments. Yes, Houston has a lot of freeways and more than its fair share of malls. However, the city I live in (emphasis on city - not the suburbs) is a surprisingly verdant urban landscape criss-crossed with bayous and parks. You have only to leave the freeway and head into the neighborhoods to find someone with a horse in his backyard, a community garden in an industrial area, or a walking trail crossing an urban wetland.

Case in point: the Buffalo Bayou. The Buffalo Bayou is a waterway that cuts right through the center of Houston. Due to the work of diligent preservationists, the bayou has not been encased in concrete like many of Houston's bayous, but is kept in its natural state. The bayou provides a home for wildlife, a natural oasis for Houston's residents, and a place for adventurous types to play.

That's me. An adventurous type.

Well ... I pretended to be adventurous on Saturday, when I joined friends Andy, Dave, and Katie in kayaking on the Buffalo Bayou.

Katie was the one who designed and executed this outing. She received a Groupon advertising the kayaking tours of the Buffalo Bayou Shuttle Service, and emailed a bunch of friends to see who was up for the excitement. A few of us answered the call and set about coordinating our schedules and reserving our spots on the "Navigators" tour.

We arrived (after being lost for 20 minutes) at the Briar Bend Park where our kayaks would put in. After some paddling instruction (most of us had kayaked before) the guides got us settled in our boats, and we were off.

Even though I've lived within 5-10 blocks of the bayou for several years, and I've made walking along the bayou a regular part of my day-to-day in Houston, I was unprepared for the peace and calm of being on the water. It was as if the bustling city ceased to exist ...

... except for the fact that the shopping carts and trash that have been thrown into the bayou periodically pointed out to us that this watershed is in the process of being rehabilitated from a state of pollution. Our guides told us that it's cleaner that it was a few years ago, but it's still not recommended for drinking or swimming.

Nevertheless, kayaking the Buffalo Bayou was a that nature fights for a place even in the most urban of environments. As we navigated around submerged roots and branches, we saw a snowy egret unfolding its wings against the black-green of the vegetation; heard the squeak of the 150,000 bats living under the Chimney Rock bridge and keeping the mosquitoes at bay.

Andy and I shared a tandem kayak, and as we paddled along, free of distractions, conversation waxed philosophical (and irreverent, 'cuz that's how we roll), and I was struck by the way that, when stripped of the brain-bursting noise of modern society, connection becomes much easier.

Even though our trip meant rising semi-early on a Saturday (normally a sacrilege in my little world) I couldn't ask for a better way to start a weekend. The truth is, nature is always close by if we choose to see it. Every city has a soul, but not every soul pays attention.