Morning thoughts

Back in October, my mom gave me a couple of potted plants, kalanchoes, that I decided to bring in to the office. I wasn't sure what plants will grow here in my cube, under fluorescent lights, but it was worth a try. Oh, and I haven't grown succulents, either. The flowers lasted a while, then dried out. I tried to remember to put them by an outside window over weekends, so they'd get something closer to full-spectrum light (though I assume that the windows are treated, so not all waves get through). Yesterday I remembered I put them by the windows last Wednesday. I retrieved them, and noticed that there are new leaves growing, and new flower buds, too. Yay! Not only off the main stalks, but new growth out of the dirt, too. I think I should bring some potting soil and a couple of bigger pots to the office.

Following the story about how NBC and CBS refused to air a particular ad from the UCC for being to controversial: there's a story in today's Houston Chronicle, including some response from the networks in question.

Last night I got home hungry, thinking about making some pasta for dinner. I decided that I should try to make something with less starch instead, like chickpeas. I heated some olive oil with black pepper, added some onions to sautee, then chopped up the stalks of broccoli I had bought at least a week and a half ago. I let all of that sautee a while, then added the remains of the sauteed red peppers and onions from Shabbat (with yet more black pepper in it), a can of chickpeas, some feta, and the end of the farmer's market arugula. I think I put in a bit too much pepper: my mouth burns a bit from it. Otherwise, it's nice, and I'm also glad to have used up leftovers. On the down side, my fridge is looking rather bare. I should get groceries. Oh, and think yet again of joining Boston Organics.

Earphones

It's loud on the T, especially when the trains are moving fast in the tunnels, or when they're going around a tight curve, the rails making that high screeching that's rather unpleasant. And in general, the level of noise is almost as bad as being on a plane. I seem to be the only one it bothers, though, holding one ear (or two, if my hands are free). Which is not ideal. I worry about my hearing getting worse as it is. Earplugs would be an option, I suppose, but I'd feel strange putting them in and taking them out on T platforms, and I'd rather not walk around outside with all noise dulled. Which leads to the question of headphones. I haven't owned headphones for a couple of generations of headphone technology. Would wearing them muffle the unpleasant sounds of the T enough? Would listening to music loudly enough to dull the pain of the outside noise be too loud for comfort? Is it more likely I'd do damage to my hearing through having something so close to my ears? Does it make a difference if I use earphones or earbuds for this?

Which then leads to the question of what the earphones/earbuds would be connected to. I suppose an iPod is an obvious choice, except that I have none of my music as MP3s. This could get me to learn how to rip my CDs (assuming my ancient desktop is up to the task), but it would take time and energy in and of itself, rather than being a quick solution. A CD player makes more sense, since I already have some CDs, though not nearly the collection I'd like (somehow books seem to get acquired with amazing frequency; CDs, not so much). I wonder how fast I'd bore myself listening to the same stuff over and over. Plus there's figuring out where to carry it so I don't get tied up in the cords; a CD player is large enough that it won't fit in a (front) jacket pocket, I think. I assume a radio-something wouldn't be useful in the tunnels, though perhaps I'm wrong about that; they're not as deep as the harbor tunnels. There's probably other options I don't yet know about, too.

More thought necessary; somehow this isn't a purchase I can just do on the way home tonight.