Sporty Spice

I am not a runner.

Actually, I'm not an athlete of any kind. I'm the proverbial red-headed stepchild in a family of tall, blond, athletic - looking Viking descendants. In fact, if I HAD red hair, I might look more like I belong. Instead, I am the manifestation of the pixie (read: runt) DNA and black hair of my Irish grandmother.

I tend to shy away from conflict or else let my streak-of-lightening temper get the best of me.  I don't mind playing team sports with my drunkest friends, and credit a fast-ish metabolism with the fact I'm not 400lbs of cookies and craft beer. I am not a marathon-running masochist.

Yet.

The Year of 100 Books

It started with The Year of 1000 Miles.

At the beginning of 2009, a friend of mine from Kansas City decided to run a marathon. So he did a big one in Pittsburgh. But that wasn't enough, so he did a canoe race, and an ultra-marathon, and another canoe race (this one was four days long and required a pit crew!). Ultimately, between training and competition, he ran, paddled and sweated for over 1500 miles by November, thus out-doing his goal of 1000 miles of physical activity in 2009 by 500 miles and two months. Unbelievably Awesome.

From Suppression to Celebration

This weekend, one of the coolest parties ever planned in our town was a roaring success. There were no invitations, no known alcoholic beverages and if you went, you'll never tell. Details were spread only by word of mouth, you wouldn't THINK of entering through the front door, and while many imbibed, I doubt they could tell you exactly what they were imbibing with. Can you guess what this party was celebrating? One more hint. Pinstriped suits and fringed dresses were all the rage.

It was a Prohibition Party!


Held by a Hostess with the Mostest whom shall not be named, all beer and wine labels were removed and any liquid entering the "speakeasy" had to be in unmarked containers. My sources tell me there may have even been a real live jazz band churning out tunes in the style of Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis and Duke Ellington.

While Prohibition may be long over (and Thank Heavens for that!), the 13-year failed experiment in reducing alcohol-related crime has no doubt left a legacy on America. The era has been described as a time when people drank more than ever, when the black market boomed with mob-run liquor distributors, and popular celebrities entertained at underground nightclubs.

What is it about the act of prohibiting a thing that makes us humans desire it even more? As a little girl, when I was just starting to be allowed to use child-scissors I remember sitting at the table as my mother left the room warning "only cut the paper or you'll be in BIG TROUBLE!" Ten minutes later I had 1/2 inch bangs, holes in my dress and a welt on my little behind (this was way before spanking became another prohibited behavior!).

This Thanksgiving, I am trying to be grateful for the things in my life that were at one point banned or at the very least, frowned upon. Obviously, the fact that I can have a Mimosa on a random Monday in the comfort of my own home is one. That I am able to blog about my experience as a 20-something job seeker when others are still restricted is another. Still another, is that I can be encouraged and excited, watching many of my dear female friends start businesses when not-too-long ago Rosie the Riveter was the glorified example of a "working woman."

The decisions our government is making or has made in the near past may be exalted or shamed someday as history marches on. Only time will tell, but I think that the rough global economy has inadvertently prohibited some freedoms previously taken for granted. For example: all hardworking, educated people will have jobs that pay they what they're worth and will assist with health insurance. Keeping your "nose clean" and showing up each day means that The Man will be gracious in issuing retirement pensions. The American Dream is attainable to all who cross her borders.

Maybe I am nay-saying a bit on that last one. Perhaps by discouraging loose loans and demanding that companies be more efficient with their dollars and their labor, this prohibitive time period we are now living in is actually creating a new economy - much like that of the underground entertainment that existed in the 1920s. Where before, I know I was guilty of over-spending and under-thinking, of being complacent in my job and too busy to be active in my community, now I am constantly thinking about going back to school, about starting my own business, about participating in local government and fighting to bring about social change. As these thoughts solidify and new people in my life encourage their growth, I may be celebrating this time of economic prohibition almost as much as the revelers this weekend did in celebrating alcoholic prohibition!

If you are feeling ill-at-ease these days, I encourage you to take heart - listen to that squirming little voice that begs you to cut out a new place for you, not to listen to the warnings of others or settle for the status quo, and to seek out like-minded people. And I promise - as hard as it is, I will be doing the same.

Cheap Dates - Part 2

I have a confession to make.

I talk a big game about our culture's unhealthy reliance on "things" and "stuff." But when I set out to live cheap last month, I was secretly thinking "yeah, like I'm really going to SHOWER for this." But now, as I sit here in my room, overwhelmed by all the amazing community-building, inexpensive opportunities for fun and fiber, I am taunted by Lazlo The Chihuahua who has positioned himself ever-so-subtly next to a plaque reading: "It's Not Shopping, It's Retail Therapy." Even my dog thinks I'm a fraud.

While he may be partially right, that I may still love the "cha-ching" of New Shoes Being Purchased, today I am proud to announce that I am now 100%, no-holds-barred, hook, line and sinker, fully bought into the movement I'm fond of calling The Great Cheap Date.

To be part of The Great Cheap Date, one must be willing to put in just a few extra minutes online or lingering at the coffee shop bulletin board to find that awesome out of the way happy hour, a free independent film screening or bingo tournament that isn't necessarily advertised in old town Scottsdale.

And I'm not the only one pushing for this kind of life. Every magazine I open these days has a list of things to do with little or no cash. And since I've become interested (read:obsessed) with living cheap, I've been inundated with ideas and articles thoughtfully clipped out and mailed to me from all parts of the country. Thanks mom, for Woman's Day Magazine, June 2, 2009 Issue, Page 78.

Keep in mind that a Great Cheap Date doesn't have to be of the romantic kind (although lets be real, aren't those the best kind?) but can be with a friend, family member, professional network or even alone. Sometimes what a soul needs most is a little Me Time. And since it is a blistering 111 degrees today, stay in and feed the need.

First off - a few online fun sites along the lines of "time-wasters-I-would-never-consider-doing-on-the-clock-if-I-actually-had-a-job" type: Hunch.com, the site that helps you make the real important decisions in life, Benign Objects and Design Delights when you feel like swooning over something other than Colin Farrell, and Not Your Grandmother's Crossword Puzzles. There's CheapHealthyGood written by the very funny and very hungry Kristen Swenssen and a new favorite of mine Lords and Ladies of Leisure - which touches the soft spot I have in my heart for the unemployed.

And how about learning a new skill? Split the cost of Lynda.com with a friend and you may both master Photoshop, Dreamweaver, or even Microsoft Word! The best software tutorial I've ever seen. What about mastering the Art of the Mixtape? Remember those? When just the right mix of songs could tell that hot professor why you - a design major - did so well in his Calculous class or when you found out your best friend's boyfriend was a cheating sleaze and needed Carrie Underwood, Hinder, and Brandy and Monica to tell the story? The perfect mix is important, and done right might just score you some home-baked brownies, or at least some brownie points.

And when the inevitable happens as it often does - Twitter gets too many tweets, Facebook times out, no one has emailed you in at least an hour and your laptop battery bleats out its last charge - THROW A PARTY! Not a lavish affair, but a rocking, fun, casual get together. Think board games and BYOB, a Wii Tennis tournament and night swimming. Give it a theme - Margaritas and Mustaches, Christmas in July, 80's night, 60's night - anything to get people to connect and laugh and take the edge off our money woes for awhile. Better yet - host a Swap Party and you may find yourself a new pair of shoes cute enough that you don't even miss the "cha-ching."