My Verizon iPhone Dilemma

My NMIC campaign is back on track. But now I have a moral concern...just how far do I go? You see, I have stuck with Verizon Wireless for years. Like since I graduated from high school. (Which may have been a different century.) And finally, after what has felt like ages, they are getting the iPhone. And I want it. Bad.

But is the iPhone made in China? I kind of figured it would be, considering the iPod is made there. Turns out I was right. Kind of.

Apparently the iPhone was designed in California. Well, that's nice! The parts were made in Korea and Taiwan. So far, so good. But it turns out that all the pieces get sent to China for assembly. Does this count as being made in China? I am trying to give myself an excuse for breaking my resolution again. But this time, it's not desperate. There are other options, and I won't be in physical pain if I don't get an iPhone.

So I'm thinking, I'm out. And I'm sad. Because I really need a new smartphone, and the Blackberry Storm 3 still doesn't have a release date.

Any news on a good Android phone? Remember, though, it has to be NMIC!

Resolution Update: Not Made in China (NMIC)

Well, I lasted 26 days on my resolution to avoid buying anything made in China. A lot longer than I thought I would be able to go, considering at the onset I knew that I needed shoes and sneakers for work. And most shoes and sneakers are made in the PRC these days.

Still, I didn't give up easily. I went to six stores looking for shoes that would fit my two criteria: 1) I could stand in them for 12 hours at work without wanting to cry or cut off my right foot and 2) made anywhere but China. I finally conceded defeat in the last store, because at that point, my foot hurt so badly I actually was considering crying at the thought of working even one hour without a pair of comfortable shoes, and decided that I didn't want to make a scene in public. I paid in shame, hid the box, and considered lying to everyone that they were made somewhere else, anywhere else but China.

In the end, I couldn't lie. Because I think it illustrates the point that our nation is so dependent on another country that I can't even go a full 31 days without buying a foreign-made item. I am back on track again, though. I still haven't found a new pair of sneakers, but I'm not quite so desperate for those as I was for some work shoes. I can do Zumba and TurboFire in my old sneaks until I find some nice NMIC ones. And I've decided I am not going to feel guilty about my slip on this one. After all, I had a legitimate need. Really, my resolution was made only because I want to support my own country's economy and make a point about, well, pointless consumerism. Okay, and because I was buying a boatload of poorly made crap that no one on this planet really needs. Seriously, I bet the Chinese aren't wasting their money on knick-knacks and iPods!

New Year's Resolutions: 2011

Usually I go totally overboard with New Year's resolutions, making a ton that I can't keep, and then giving up on everything mid-January. I decided, since 2011 is going to be my year of reducing and reusing, I would also reduce the number of resolutions I made, in the hopes that I might actually keep one or two all year. I managed to pare down my list at 43Things to eight goals:

1. Save $20,000.
This will probably be the easiest goal, as long as I can stick with my other goals. Ultimately, I need some savings to move to Hawaii, so I have lots of incentive for this one.

2. Learn to speak Spanish.
I'm still kind of thinking about this resolution. Spanish seems like a great language to learn, except that I would like to live in Hawaii, where speaking Japanese or Korean is seen as a bonus on your job application. So maybe I should change it to "Learn to speak another language." I just have a feeling that Spanish would be easier for me than Japanese, since I took Latin for five years.

3. Go one year without buying anything made in China.
This one is going to be a killer. Every single Christmas present I received this year was made in China. And considering Wal-Mart Wednesdays are the Grandmother's favorite day of the week, I'm going to have trouble buying anything if I can't buy stuff made in China. It'll certainly help me along to saving $20,000, though!

4. Get my Hawaii pharmacist license.
This one really isn't going to be that difficult. I need to study to take the Hawaii MPJE, which will test my knowledge of their pharmacy laws. I've only read about a quarter of their pharmacy law book, but I can tell you, it's way harder to score Oxycontin there than in New York. Hmm...less people begging me for the "OCs" instead of "OPs" is just another reason to move to paradise!

5. Keep my house clean.
You would think this would be simple for me, but I am pathologically untidy. I'll have to work with my doctor for a drug to overcome this aspect of my personality!

6. Get a passport.
Because I really, really, really want to go to Ireland. Yes, I have been watching repeats of Ballykissangel on PBS again...

7. Use, sell, or donate anything I don't need.
Basically, I have too much crap that I don't need or even want. And I can't take it with me to Oahu, so I'm going to have to rehome it! Major garage sale this spring, and everyone's invited!

8. Don't buy anything I don't need.
Just to keep me from latching on to more items that I don't need, and will have to get rid of.

So wish me luck on my New Year's resolutions. I'm looking at these as being things I should have been doing already in my life. Are you making any resolutions this year?

Public Service Announcement

WASH YOUR HANDS!

I was recently hospitalized for a severe asthma exacerbation due to pneumonia, which would be easily stopped if everyone could follow the CDC's recommendations concerning hand washing and the spread of disease. It seems that what is taught as a general rule to kids in preschool ("This is the way we wash our hands, wash our hands, wash our hands...") is very easily disregarded by adults.

Some general rules regarding good hygiene that you should have learned by age 5:

• If your hands are soiled, wash them.
• Cough/sneeze into a tissue or your elbow, never into your hand. If you cough/sneeze into your hand, and then don't wash it, you are gross. End of story.
• Wash your hands before and AFTER you eat. People usually wash their hands to get others' germs off before eating, but don't forget to get your own germs off your hands after eating and before interacting with others.
• If you are sick, stay home. There is no need to infect the general population with your cooties. Remember, some of us can't fight off infection as easily as others.
• When in doubt, use hand sanitizer. It's good stuff, I promise. Avon makes a tasty smelling peach concoction that I highly recommend

So now you have Sarah's general rules for good hygiene. Please don't make me sick again. After my near-death experience, I've realized that a large part of the general population have no idea about the spread of disease and good hygiene. Consider yourselves educated. And keep in mind that if you ever cough or sneeze in my face again, it's only my good manners keeping me from slapping you. There are some things that I don't like to share!

Movie Night: Tara Road

I added Tara Road to my Netflix queue with a bit of hesitation, as Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy is one of my favorite books, and the movie adaptation of that novel changed the story in a way that I didn't appreciate. But despite my nervousness that Hollywood might "ruin" another book I had enjoyed, I figured I was probably safe, because I read Tara Road quite a while ago, and couldn't remember all the specifics. Which is really the best way to watch a movie adaptation of a novel...that way you aren't picking the movie apart based on the book, and you can really sit back and enjoy it.

And actually, at this point, I can't even tell you how closely the movie followed the book. I remember Ria (an Irish woman who discovers her husband has a pregnant girlfriend) swapping houses with an American woman, and that is about it. In the movie, the American turns out to be Marilyn, who decides to swap houses after her son is killed in a horrific accident.

There really isn't much for me to say about this movie, except I really enjoyed it. It was beautiful to watch, it made me cry several times, and I liked the new movie ending better than the book. I always love seeing what life is like in other countries (probably why I love reading Maeve Binchy books so much!) and Tara Road (both book and movie) was doubly interesting because you get to see how an American sees Ireland, and how an Irish person takes in the United States. So, in all, I would recommend it...and is anyone interested in swapping houses with me? =)