Some of you may remember that I served as an AmeriCorps VISTA after college. This was sent around official VISTA channels today. Not only is it hilarious spoof of The Office, but it also does a great job of explaining what a VISTA is.

One of the biggest misnomers about VISTAs is that we tutored kids, picked trash of the street or fed homeless people in soup kitchens. That’s one of the best descriptions of indirect service that I’ve ever heard.

I’m tempted to do an American version of this. It would be a simple blog:

1. Buy food
2. Prepare it
3. Take pictures of the packaging and the food
4. Compare the food to the packaging
5. Eat the food

There’s probably some political point about how giant corporations mislead innocent consumers for fructose industry profits by using pictures of fake or altered food on labels to make highly processed and unhealthy food seem appealing to grocery shoppers, who being tired and hungry, are incapable of making reasoned decisions about their food purchases, thereby sentencing millions of Americans to a lifetime of obesity and disease.

I just think it would fun to compare the two.

H/T Boing Boing

One of the things that I’m going to miss the most about DC is Trader Joe’s. The grocery store is really that awesome. Organic and healthy food at cheap prices with witty signs and labels. Who can beat that?

Trader Joe’s also has a great wine selection in states that allow grocery stores to sell wine. Framboise Lambic at $9 a bottle and Two Buck Chuck. Those are things that I’ve become accustomed to buying with ease. As of now, I’m going to have to drive to Atlanta for my favorite beer, hormone-free chicken and organic pita bread.

The movement to allow grocery stores to sell wine and alcohol gives me hope that Trader Joe’s may come to the Volunteer State.

Sure the issue is fueled by special interests. Yes, there’s a stupid and rather naive debate going on about PR firms engaging in advocacy issues. But isn’t it time that we liberate our alcoholic beverages? What about our “right” to buy wine on demand? Plus the law of supply and demand would lower the prices if grocers could stock alcohol. Alcohol would be cheaper for poor people. Thus, the free market rules and poor people are helped. It’s the perfect bipartisan issue.

Basically, I’m for anything that brings Trader Joe’s to Chattanooga.

Have any of you ever donated a car?

Remember Baby, the beloved 1989 Accord? Well, I haven’t ever gotten rid of it. Thank goodness for lazy property managers! It’s been sitting dead in the parking of my apartment since October.

Yeah, I’m aware of how redneck that is. At least it’s not on cinder blocks, and we have free parking.

Originally, McGuyver Dad was going to up and tow it home. Now, that’s not really possible with his work schedule and the tight time frame in which I’m moving.

It’s listed on craigslist, but the only person to contact me was a scam artist.

Since I can’t sell it, I really need to get rid of it. Does anyone have a good charity that they like? I’ve never donated a car before, and I’d like it to go to a good cause. Thus far, American Lung Association and Children’s Cancer Fund of America have been suggested. Any experience with this? Are there any ministries in the Maryland area that accept car donations?

BTW, I’m also selling these chairs on craigslist. Anyone need some extra IKEA around?

Laura’s post almost mirrors what I’ve been thinking lately. Well, except for the half-marathon thing. The only reason I’d ever train for something with the word marathon in it, is if it was some kind of shoe shopping marathon. I dare anyone to beat me at that.

Anyway, it’s nice to know that others out there are thinking the same thing as me.

Perhaps, I need a vacation.

Three day weekends are great. They provide great opportunities for mini-vacays, DIY projects, rest and catching up on the flotsam of life.

I had plans for this weekend. I wanted to get started on a fun web project, go shopping and visit Stephen Colbert’s portrait. Unfortunately, the plague is going around DC, and I happen to be plague-sensitive.

It’s been a productive sick. Rather than just take long naps, I’ve watched movies, read and taken short naps. Since Friday, I’ve read three books, started on a fourth one, watched the last five episodes of Lost Season 3 and did work work.

When I started grad school last year, I realized that it required a few sacrifices. My sacrifice was Lost. It didn’t help that I had research methods while it aired last fall. It’s a good thing that Alias ended two years ago, or I would have dropped the grad school thing. I still miss that show.

For the past year, I put a moratorium on all Lost discussions. I stopped reading blogs that frequently mentioned the show, avoided entertainment news and openly forbid any of my friends from mentioning the show in my presence. At times this required covering my ears and shouting, “LA, LA, LA,LA…” loudly. It was particularly hard for Dana (the “na” in Bekna), who almost blew the season for me several times. The death glare (the one reserved for liberals) usually quieted him.

Well, now you call all chatter away about Lost. As usual, J.J. Abrams and co. left me baffled and confused. I’ve come to expect that from his shows. (Type Alias in that search field over there. Believe me, I’ve mentioned this frustration before.) Who was in the coffin? Why did Jack mention that his father was upstairs? Why did Charlie die? Did Desmond find Penny? Who did Kate have to get back to? Jack admitted that he loved her, and they’re not together? Locke. Why? He’s the coolest character on the show. Terry O’Quinn rocks. The future sequences were brilliant. It wasn’t until Jack was looking at maps that I figured out it wasn’t part of his back story. So many more questions that probably won’t be answered anytime soon.

In a way, missing last season worked out for me. I only have to wait two weeks to find out what happened while the rest of you waited eight months. And I have a master’s degree. The sacrifice was worth it.

John tagged me a few days ago, so I better post before I forget about this. I’m sure all of my readers are dying to know seven more things about me.

1) Link to the person that tagged you, and post the rules on your blog.
2) Share 7 facts about yourself.
3) Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.
4) Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Seven Facts About Me

1. When I first heard about blogging, I thought it was the dumbest idea in the world. I was sitting in a marketing class with Mrs. M in the Alumni Memorial Building. The entire campus was buzzing because some unheard of UT law professor was making the news with this web log thing called Instapundit. I think my exact quote was, “Mrs M, that’s really stupid. Only a loser would start one.” About a month later I created “According to A” on blogspot and never stopped posting.

2. I declared myself a Republican in Mrs. Dillards’ first grade class. She had us track the 1988 Election through our Weekly Readers. The first time I read an article on then-Vice President Bush, an entire new world opened up, and I started a life-long love of politics. Imagine a little girl version of Alex P. Keaton.

3. If possible, I would whole-heartedly move into the V&A Museum in London.

4. I’m a fan of both Jane Austen, chick lit and science fiction. Call me a girly nerd.

5. Maven Mom and I are possibly clones. We look alike, talk alike and think alike. Friends and family get confused on the phone all time. The first comment people say upon seeing picture of the family from the South is, “OMG, you look exactly like your mother.”

6. I started college as an art education major. Seriously.

7. It makes me sad to walk into a bookstore because I know that I’ll never be able to read all the books in the world.

Now I tag Mrs. M (private blog), Laura, Heather, Rachelle, Keri, Michael and LJ. Sorry if any of you have previously been tagged!

Anyone out there in the blogosphere have advice for dealing with migraines?

Over the past year, I’ve started getting bad migraines a few times a month. Saturday night after the game, one hit me. Sunday afternoon, I gave up and took an Imitrex that my doctor prescribed. When I woke up Monday morning, the pain had subsided, but I had no idea where I was. For a while, I thought that I was in my old apartment in Knoxville. I wasn’t coherent until 3 p.m. that afternoon. Not so much a fan of Imitrex side effects.

I’m open to alternative medicine and holistic approaches to medical problems rather than taking more pills. Has anyone had any luck with alternative therapies for migraines? Is it worth pursuing acupuncture (even with my belonephobia)? Any other possibilities? The Internets appear rather vague on the issue of migraines, and there are a lot of smart people who read this.

Surprised that Mrs. M didn’t do this at her wedding. Out of everyone that I know, the Ms would be the ones to do it.

H/T Asia and Chocolate

Last week, I shared the good news that I had a new car. Despite predictions that I’d be driving the same car until retirement, I actually got a newer Accord.

Long-time readers are familiar with the car saga that I’ve had with Baby, my beloved ‘89 Accord for the past few years. It’s been breaking down regularly for a while, so the car has been in the shop for a few weeks. I just called the repair shop, and they told me nothing could be done and advised me to sell it.

While I’m unbelievably thankful for God’s providence in providing me with a newer car at the point when Baby can’t be fixed, I’m sad that my little car has reached the end of its life.

Other Honda drivers understand the attachment that comes with these cars. They’re so reliable that it’s a terrible shock when they actually break down. I remember the first time I had trouble with Baby. I was a junior at UT, and the clutch went out while I was driving home one weekend. I called Dad crying in absolute shock because my car had never broken down before.

I guess I can’t complain that we got almost 20 years out of the car. My parents bought it in 1991 when I was second grade and used it as our main car for several years. This is the car that we took on family vacations, and the one in which my terrified parents taught me how to drive a stick. After I turned 16, Maven Mom gave it to me (I inherited it with name Baby), and she got the new Accord. How many people get a decade out of their first car? I lost track of how many times it’s been resuscitated.

If anyone wants a classic 80s car with a perfect body and a not so perfect engine (it won’t idle and keeps stalling) in the DC Metro area, e-mail me at 89honda4sale (at) gmail.com.

Baby on the Blog:

Liberals Piss Me Off!
8.30.2004
My Christmas List
12.14.04
What a Week!
7.31.05
The Biggest Scam in Hamilton County
8.13.05
200,000 reasons to celebrate.
6.19.06
Blogcation
8.1.07