Christmas Vacation Starts (but not for me!)

ivano and our friend and his massage therapist and our gnocci dinner!

Ivano's xmas vacation started exactly three minutes ago. My friend came over to give him a massage and he is in the living room right now getting all massaged. He and his grad students just finished grading the final exam and he sent two abstracts to the big linguistics conference in his field last night.

After the massage, we're having more of the gnocchi his mom made for us when she was here this summer. It's been tempting us in the freezer since then. To go with it, I made a zucchini and mushroom frittata and helped make the sauce for the gnocchi...which took me to Whole Foods this afternoon where I paid $9 for a pound of organic grass-fed ground beef. The grain-fed beef at whole foods was on sale for $3 a pound. But after reading The Omnivore's Dilemma, I was happy to pay more for the grass-fed stuff. Besides, how often do I buy meat? Answer: almost never. I'm also still trying to eat local when I can.

Going to whole foods on the last really big shopping weekend before Christmas is stressful...but not for me. Why? because i WALKED. In that same trip, I also walked to Trader Joe's and the bank. The parking lots were all packed today...and i'm sure almost all of those people could have walked...they live close enough. Sure, there are people who are stocking up for a big party and need a car to get the food home. But lots more were getting just a few more things. I'd like to know how many of those people also drove to the gym today and hopped on the treadmill or whatever sweat covered gyro-cycle-butt-fixer-oval-stair-step thing-a-ma-bob is hot right now. They're not sweaty? then maybe they're doused in nasty detergent. How about a walk and a chance to enjoy the ocean breeze and the beautiful December afternoon in San Diego. Sunny and 60 something. And NO fluorescent lights!

I know, kids make it harder to get to the store on foot. But I didn't see too many kids today. And...isn't there a kid exercise crisis right now? Bring the kids and make them take a bag or two, or at least the package of toilet paper.

I know everything that I just said is so obvious. But just think how many problems could be addressed if Americans started walking and biking for short errands and got serious about making non-car transportation a priority.