$22/lb. for cheese?

Daniel Gross has this poignant essay over at Slate.com.
It's about the recent suffering of food snobs, of which he is one. Suffering as in financial. But of course, it's all tongue in cheek, while the "lesser" classes among us (for which I qualify) are having a hard time gassing up and buying milk.
Sometimes at lunch I like to get away to another part of town--for a change of scenery, mostly. But the other day, I said, "Nah, can't waste the gas." My parents, who recently moved farther out from town, have started taking "drive-free" days and are more selective about running their errands.
What are some ways you're cutting back?

Spam: BUSTED!

This has nothing to do with the faux meat.
Today in my AOL inbox (among other spam): "Japanese Miracle Sheds Body Fat?" (I suppose it does since they asked); "EHarmony Could Help You Find Love" (I'm lucky--I've got plenty); "Cleanse Yourself of Excess Weight" (whose address started with the word colon, hmmm); "Are Your Feet Nice Enough to Show?" (Again, I suppose they want me to answer a certain way); and "Your Papa John's Pizza Offer Has Arrived."
So. I figure I need to order the pizza, then cleanse my colon and get the Japanese miracle so I can rid my body quickly of the pizza fat, then prop up and get my feet pampered; and after that, Find True Love?
Wow. What a day.

Inspiring

Caught up with some reading and found this gem from the April 13 NY Times.
Joan Benoit Samuelson, longtime marathoner, announces here that she's cut her mileage roughly in half — from about 120 miles a week to about 70 or 80. (Whew! I get tired driving that far.) And also, Samuelson says she's learned to work in running in her daily routine rather than the other way around. Bravo.
Is it all things in moderation? (And, whose definition of moderation?) On one hand I applaud and look up to hard-core discipline types like this; but at the same time, if I called her up and found out she was taking the day off to sprawl on the couch, I'd say, "You go, girl."

This McClatchy Co. photo is somewhat dated (probably by about a decade), because her kids are nearly grown.

A different kind of church

Returned home awhile ago from what's called an Open AA meeting, at which my friend Beth (not her real name) shared her story, in celebration of one year of sobriety. She gave quite a talk--some parts humorous, others sad and tragic but in all ways hopeful. She did a great job and I am honored to be her friend.
I've heard AA compared to a church. Though the organization has a spiritual basis, it has no religious emphasis per se; it's just that the people there, like a church or synagogue, have a singular purpose. And that is to get help among people who are also seeking help in their sobriety. Among other lessons, AA teaches you that you can't recover in isolation. You need such a community of people who have traveled in your shoes. And then eventually, you help bring others along who will be walking in your shoes, and so on.
Here's the link to the national AA Web site.

Cats!

Thanks to the Lowdogs, Maggie and Bandit, we have a cool video featuring bonafide engineers telling us all about cats.
Enjoy!

Traveling sperm

It's Friday so we're all about levity at the Spin Cycle.
This story tells of a guy who stole vials of sperm from an India sperm bank where he worked. He and another guy got arrested for trying to sell said sperm.
They face an uphill battle, ar-ar.

In a slump, don't slump

Our friends at MSNBC are telling us that in an economic slump (or, the R word--RECESSION!), your diet and exercise habits don't have to slump. Read the story here.
When you're stressing over money, or anything for that matter, think twice when you reach for the cupcake.