Crystal's purse and its contents

In the spirit of The Hairpin‘s series, “What’s Actually in Your Handbag Right Now?”, I decided to document what’s actually in my handbag right now.

I should note that normally I also carry my camera (Canon PowerShot SD 4000 IS 10 megapixels) in my purse, which is not shown here for obvious reasons. The other thing not shown here but which I usually always carry is an “emergency” tin of smoked oysters. But I ate them very recently.

Here’s the photo and a list of the contents of my gray leather Aldo bag, purchased at Fifi’s Fine Resale:

• Trident White peppermint flavor gum
• Sugar-free Altoids Smalls (peppermint flavor)
• Cover Girl lipstick in “Rich”
• Shinesensational lipgloss in “Berry Dazzle” by Maybelline
• Burt’s Bees Lip Balm
• Green plastic pill box containing acetaminophen, ibuprofen, Pepto Bismol and migraine medication
• Red leatherette business card case containing six Sparkleize business cards
• Yellow wallet containing $11 in cash, debit card, credit card, membership cards (Scrap Exchange, YMCA, Friends of Durham Library, Costco, and Whole Foods Vitamin Club), punch cards (Local Yogurt and Carolina Theater), health insurance cards, and assorted change including 10 Costa Rican colones
• Checkbook
• Tube of “Coconut Cream” shea butter hand cream by Moon Dance Soaps
• Small tube of Orly Cuticle Therapy Cream (thanks, Mom!)
• 1 Ziplock bag containing dried, salted almonds
• 1 Luna bar (“Nutz Over Chocolate”) and 1 Luna protein bar (Chocolate)
• 1 turquoise LG phone
• 1 small red toiletries pouch containing 2 OB tampons, 1 sanitary napkin, 3 single packages of Bayer aspirin, 1 tube of Covergirl Wetslicks Fruit Spritzers lip gloss in “Plum Splash”, 1 bottle of eye drops for redness, 1 bottle contact lens rewetting drops, 2 cloths for cleaning glasses, 1 compact of Cover Girl pressed powder in “Translucent Medium”, 1 box of The Doctor’s BrushPicks (best toothpicks in the world), 1 tube of Boots No7 high shine lipgloss in “Whisper”, 1 small package of Kleenex, and 1 tiny vial of Escada eau de toilette in “Pacific Paradise”
• 1 Flip Notes notepad that reads “Scatter Joy”, 1 extra Flip Notes pen
• 1 Whole Foods receipt
• 2 used grocery lists on index cards, one with wad of chewed gum inside
• 1 black pen, 1 pink pen
• 1 purple measuring tape
• 1 yellow travel fork/spoon
• 2 extra large exotic seeds (nuts?), one with the word “Zambia” carved into it
• 1 small, flat clay heart glazed in forest green
• 1 purple Chico bag

Dashiell Arturo Floyd Dreisbach has arrived (pronounced “DASH-ull”), and he is the picture of perfection! Born 6 lbs 10 oz, 20.5 inches long on November 3rd, he is in perfect health, has lots of dark brown hair, and he is very, very handsome. In fact, he looks just like us! Today at 4 PM we will drive to pick him up from our adoption agency in Greensboro, NC and finally bring him home!!!

Thank you to all of our loving friends who have supported us through this (eternally long!) four-year baby journey, and for all the folks who helped get us get our nursery completely outfitted and ready for him in the span of two days! Soon you will see photos of Baby Dashiell on our Facebook and a website dedicated solely to his amazing little life. A password will be needed to access the website, so let me know if you want in.

IMPORTANT PLEA: Not only did we have just 72 hours to prepare for this baby, but we are super strapped for cash because we still owe our adoption agency >$15K. If you can…

• Contribute money (even $5!) via our Paypal account or by check (e-mail me if you need our address);
• Gift us an item from our baby registry; or
• Sign up to bring us food over the coming weeks/months (anything would be great, but especially stuff we can easily freeze and reheat)

…we would really, really appreciate it. Wish us luck! xoxoxox

I love Durham, and I want my money to stay in the community and support Durham’s tax base. 

Local Works! studied the impact of local business on the local economy, and here’s what they found:

For every $100 spent at a local, independent shop, $73 remains in the local economy, and $27 leaves.

For every $100 spent at a non-local store, $43 remains in the local economy, and $57 leaves.

See also their helpful infographic here.

Sustainable Connections says studies have shown that when you buy from an independent, locally owned business rather than a nationally owned businesses, significantly more of your money is used to make purchases from other local businesses, service providers and farms — continuing to strengthen the economic base of the community. (Click here to see summaries of a variety of economic impact studies; these include case studies showing that locally-owned businesses generate a premium in enhanced economic impact to the community and our tax base.)

I want good customer service.

Local businesses hire people with a better understanding of the products they are selling and take more time to get to know customers. Did you know that Stone Bros. garden shop has been in Durham for over 90 years? All of their staff are friendly and will remember your name, can answer any gardening question, and have a standard practice of carrying your purchases to your car for you. Meanwhile, most of the staff in the Home Depot garden department don’t even know the names of the plants they are selling.

I love our local non-profit organizations.

Non-profit organizations receive an average 250% more support from smaller business owners than they do from large businesses.

I want to keep our community unique!

Durham’s one-of-a-kind businesses are an integral part of its distinctive character. Our tourism business also benefits.  “When people go on vacation they generally seek out destinations that offer them the sense of being someplace, not just anyplace.” ~ Richard Moe, President, National Historic Preservation Trust

Economic research shows that in our increasingly homogenized world, entrepreneurs and skilled workers are more likely to invest and settle in communities that preserve their one-of-a-kind businesses and distinctive character.

I want to buy what I want, not what someone wants me to buy.

A local marketplace of small businesses is the best way to ensure innovation and low prices over the long-term. All of these small businesses, each selecting products based not on a national sales plan but on their own interests and the needs of their local customers, guarantees a much broader range of product choices.

I support job creation in Durham.

Small local businesses are the largest employer nationally and in our community, providing the most jobs to local residents.

I want public funds (i.e., my tax dollars!) to be used efficiently.

Local businesses require comparatively little infrastructure investment and make more efficient use of public services as compared to nationally owned stores entering the community.

I care about the environment, and I want to minimize driving time (thereby reducing CO2 emissions).

Locally owned businesses generally set up shop in town or city centers as opposed to developing on the fringe. This means contributing less to sprawl, congestion, habitat loss and pollution.

Do you want to shop locally in Durham but don’t know where to start? Check out this Sparkleize article, Guide to Shopping Locally in Durham.

Many thanks to Sustainable Connections and their article from which I borrowed heavily to write this blog post.

I had a very positive experience at Occupy Durham yesterday. It was the first time I’ve seen true participatory consensus building in action, and it was so refreshing. Yes, it took a very long time for the big, main group (called the “General Assembly”) to come to decisions because consensus building involves listening to others, but everyone’s voice was heard, and the process was very uplifting. I never got bored, because I was truly participating the whole time!

I can see why some people think the Occupy movement is confusing or mysterious, but that is likely because they have not attended any of its meetings. I too suspected that Occupy might be one big hippie mess, but was very surprised yesterday at the level of organization and expert skill of the facilitators. I am also impressed by the age/race/class/religious diversity of the participants and the commitment to concrete resolutions and actions. I would highly encourage anyone to go – even if just to check it out and better understand!

Two people have asked me to explain the Occupy Wall Street stuff to them, so I got inspired and wrote this blog post describing the Occupy movement in my own words. I have tried to use clear, simple language. Your feedback is welcome!

What is the Occupy movement?

The Occupy movement is a non-violent protest of economic injustices and a collective demand for change. The movement began on Wall Street in NYC in September 2011. Since then, disappointed Americans all over the country (see Occupy Together) have set up similar spaces in their respective towns and are occupying these spaces with rallies, General Assembly meetings, and encampments.

Award-winning journalist Naomi Klein explains why Occupy Wall Street is the most important thing in the world right now. Columbia University professor Dorian Warren says this is an incredibly significant time in U.S. history, because it is the first populist uprising the country has seen since the 1930s.

1. Move your money out of big banks into a local credit union. Yes, you can! Contrary to some misperceptions, you can join a credit union even if you’re just a regular person, (For example, if you live in Durham, NC you don’t have to be a state employee or Hispanic, etc. to join the Self-Help Credit Union or Latino Community Credit Union.) Some resources that might be helpful:

• Enter your zipcode here to find credit unions near you.
• This article gives you step by step instructions how to move your money.
• Don’t understand the difference between a bank and a credit union? This 2-minute video explains.

2. Stop buying stuff you don’t need. Freeing ourselves from our obsession with possessions is good for our wallets, our health and our spirits. It gives us more time and energy to focus on friends and loved ones, leisure time and personal development. Stopping the practice of buying cheap crap reduces waste, curbs environmental degradation and keeps profits out of the pockets of multinational corporations and greedy CEOs who don’t pay their fair share of taxes. Invest instead in yourself, your family, and your communities by spending time with people and repairing/borrowing/sharing/doing without things instead of buying. If you need instruction and motivation to reduce consumption, check out my article on Sparkleize.

3. Ride your bicycle whenever you possibly can. Consider committing to use your bicycle instead of the car for all trips away from your house that are 2 miles or less. You can go further than that, of course, but did you know that 40% of all urban travel in the US happens within just 2 miles of where people live? And 90% of that travel is by car! Riding a bicycle rather than driving is good for your health, reduces CO2 emissions, and best of all it reduces the use of oil, which is the cause of so many costly wars and corporate greed in our country. If you need group support for this type of habit change, join something like the CLIF 2-Mile Challenge.

4. Stay informed about current events and issues by reading/listening to independent journalism. For example, The Nation and Democracy Now! are independent news resources which are not owned by Rupert Murdoch and do not accept advertisers, corporate underwriting, or government funding. I recommend DN!’s informative 1-hour webcast each day which will get you up to speed on all democracy-related issues around the world.

5. Take a stand for what’s right. We can’t make things better unless we have an opinion, speak up and work constructively to improve the situation. Give money or volunteer an hour or two per month for non-profit organizations that are working to make things better. Attend rallies and sign petitions. And for the love of our planet and our country, please VOTE in every election. It’s easy to look up your local Board of Election to check your voter registration status online. Put local election dates in your calendar, and plan to take time away from work to vote, if needed. (If you can’t take off time from work, there’s always Early Voting on weekends, or absentee ballots. In short, there’s no excuse.) Let’s take a stand, and act in the name of what is right and good.

As is often the case when I feel depressed, I figured maybe I needed some exercise, so I went on a long, brisk walk. Alas, I was just as pissed when I got home from the walk as when I started. I sat down and wrote furiously in my journal – a stream of consciousness that went on and on until I couldn’t write any more. But things didn’t get better. By seven pm, I had put on my pajamas and assumed my favorite position on the sofa, with two fluffy pillows and big blue blanket. Cupcakes and Sauvignon Blanc makes for an acceptable dinner, right? Later on, Clinton brought home leftover pizza from game night. I didn’t realize how hungry I was.

I cancelled all my appointments and prior engagements for today. Meanwhile, I just reinstated my World of Warcraft subscription, and as soon as it’s finished downloading, I will be playing it for the remainder of the day. Peace out.

Mix one (drained) can of wild Alaskan salmon in a bowl with a large scoop of mayonnaise, three dashes of soy sauce and a squeeze of lemon. Spread this concoction on toasted sunflower bread and add baby spinach. Delicious!

Opera glasses!

There are not many material things I really want in life, but there are indeed a few. I’ve been putting together this wish list for a while, and I’ve refined it down to the few special things I really want:

• wig holders (for proper wig storage, qty 5)
• very sturdy cooking apron (I wore my last one out)
• Wii Fit (these things are a craaaazy fun way to get exercise)
• farthinigale (this special undergarment will really help accentuate the shape of my Renaissance costume)
• programmable crock pot (I used the crap out of our last crock pot for years. Now I want to upgrade to one that is programmable!)
• opera glasses (for DPAC shows!)

These days I feel our country is terribly off track and in need of some Sparkleizing. Yes, that’s right! I really think I could get the job done. If I were asked to help make a plan to fix our country, here’s the 15-point draft outline of the plan I would provide:

1. Get government out of the hands of corporations. I would overhaul campaign finance laws, reform Wall Street trading practices, increase income taxes on the rich, and expand the Consumer Protection Agency. These and other measures will end U.S. involvement in current wars and military actions that support corporate greed. This, in turn, will free up billions and billions of public tax dollars that we will invest in improving the quality of life for all Americans.
2. Make quality, affordable health care accessible to all. Period.
3. Establish a system of evidence-based policy making. This means developing a set of checks and balances within our government to ensure public fact-checking takes place when politicians make assertions and when reports are published, and that legislative decisions are based in objective fact and drawn from past lessons learned.
4. Raise the country’s minimum wage to a level that meets the market cost of basic human needs.
5. Increase salaries of public school teachers, public librarians, government-employed nurses and social workers, and other social service government employees, ensuring their pay is commensurate with their benefit to our society.
6. Provide the highest quality possible care and treatment for the elderly, the mentally ill, mentally/physically/developmentally disabled, and drug addicts. This includes ending the ‘War on Drugs’ by halting the incarceration of addicts and establishing a culture of rehabilitation rather than punishment.
7. Enact a nationwide ban on sale and possession of firearms and on the manufacture of ammunition.
8. Reform immigration law to include a sensible enforcement strategy, protection of due process and human rights, and strengthening of equal opportunity.
9. Revoke the PATRIOT Act.
10. Legalize same-sex marriage on a national level.
11. Sign on to the Kyoto Protocol and enact U.S. laws and regulations that will make good on our commitment to reduce our country’s greenhouse gases.
12. Invest heavily in renewable energy sources and mass transportation systems. This will create thousands of green jobs, strengthen the U.S. economy, and improve the environment.
13. Substantially increase national budget allocations for education, libraries, science and the arts.
14. Ensure nationwide access to comprehensive sex education in the public school system.
15. Establish a mandatory national service program whereby all 18-year-olds in the U.S. participate in a program of their choice (e.g., Americorps, Teach for America, Peace Corps, U.S. military) for a certain number of months/years. This will give them job training for their future and the opportunity to become stakeholders in their own nation.