What have we learned?

I take in useful information all day, every day.  I listen to NPR and learn about world events, new medicine, and new perspectives.  I read blogs about personal finance, cooking, technology, business writing, DIY, the local scene, and even a blog by and about my fiance.

(Side note: I hadn't actually been to several of those URLs in months.  I read most of my blogs through Google Reader, which you should use because it's fantastic.)

So I take in a lot of information and ideas every single day.  Creative recipes, building plans for furniture, financial advice, which new tablet is best, etc...  The challenge I set for myself is sifting through all of it and figuring out how to use these ideas to best live my life. 

So that said, I love those moments where I'm able to use several ideas at once and make a really good decision, even a simple one.  These are the moments when I really feel like I'm following through on my beliefs - which otherwise seem to go so easily out the window in favor of convenience and/or money.  (I know, I know - it's terrible.)


This is all to say that last night I had one of those "on" nights, and all it took was making dinner.  Basically I wanted to use the vegetables Ceejus and I got in our first CSA share of the season, and so I made a garlic scape pesto, using CSA veggies and some basil from our balcony garden.  I put the delicious sauce over some fish and jasmine rice, and used the remaining vegetables for side salads.

Simple enough, right?  So why did I feel so good about it?  Well here are some principles I was able to stick to through my homemade masterpiece:

• I used the resources available to me rather than spend time and money getting new stuff.
• I ate healthier.
• I prevented my veggies from going bad, so I didn't waste food.
• I gained the satisfaction of making a delicious dish.

...I have officially lost interest in this entry, so I'm cutting myself off.